Do you have to file a flight plan?

Yes and no.

If you fly IFR (in Instrument Flight Rules) you have to.

But if you fly VFR (in Visual Flight Rules) you are not required to file one.

Although you may not be required to file one it is a good habit to do so anyways and as far as I'm concerned, if you prepare your flight in a thoroughly manner how much "extra work" is it to make a call before you go fly.

Filing a flight plan has got many advantages.

For most people probably most important it will get Search and Rescue Procedures going if you didn't call in by your estimated time of arrival at your destination, which can increase our chance of getting fast help in case of a crash. Also through the flight plan the Searchers have a better picture about where they should start searching for you which also quickens the process of finding you.

Another, in my Eyes huge advantage, is that by filing the flight and talking to the briefer you get an additional, comprehensive picture of your flight environment (Weather, TFRs, Pilot Reports,...).

And here's how to make a flight plan:

First, find yourself a Flight Plan form. You can use the one I created by clicking here.

You can edit the form using the free Adobe Reader which you can find here. Using Adobe Reader the form will actually calculate your time en route total distances, fuel burn and reserves and more!

Other PDF readers may or may not be able to calculate the form.

Then get out your Sectional Chart and draw your desired route on there.

For this you best use a pencil and a plotter. We use straight lines doing this.

Make sure to pick a prominent Checkpoint every 5-10 Nautical Miles along the Route (you can measure the NM by using your aviation plotter) and mark it.

Those Checkpoints are going to be entered into the "Waypoints" section on your Flight Plan.

The next step is to find the true courses (TC). You find them by again using your aviation plotter (check the manual that came with your plotter on how to do that, for there are different kinds of plotters.)

Enter the TC for each Segment (Waypoint to Waypoint) of your route in the "True Course" section of your Flight Plan.

Next, measure the distance of each of the Segments using your aviation plotter. Make sure you use the Sectional NM scale since most plotters have a variety of scales to choose from (e.g. WAC, which is a different kind of chart, or SM, which are Statute Miles).

Then check the weather. Using the FAA GFA tool is great for checking the weather. Fill in the Weather information Chart on your Flight Plan.

When looking at TAF/METAR codes some of them may be new or confusing to you. This is where a METAR/TAF decoder tool comes in very handy as it will allow you to decipher any code you may encounter.

Having the weather information now, we can calculate the Pressure Altitude (PA) by looking at the difference between the local Altimeter Setting (e.g. 30.10) and 29.92 (the "standard" altimeter setting).

This difference is then multiplied by 1000 and is the difference between MSL and Pressure Altitude in feet.

If the local Altimeter setting is higher than 29.92 the difference is subtracted from the MSL altitude, if it is higher, it is added.

Example:   30.10 - 29.92 = 0.18  - 0.18 x 1000 = 180 ft   - Subtracted from MSL because the Local Altimeter Setting was higher, than 29.92.

Using the PA and the Temperature we now calculate the Density Altitude (DA) using the E6B (for more info check the E6B Manual) or the POH (for Robinson 22 it is on page 5-3).

Enter MSL, Pressure and Density Altitude in the fields on your flight plan.

In the POH we can also find our Airspeeds.

Take an Indicated Airspeed IAS and find the correlating Calibrated Airspeed (CAS) in the Airspeed Calibration Curve (Robinson 22 POH Page 5-2).

Use the the CAS with your E6B to find your True Airspeed (TAS) and enter them in your Flight Plan.

Now using your E6B or CX2 calculate Ground Speed (GS) and Wind Correction Angle (WCA).

Using the Ground Speed and the distance you can now find the time needed for each segment.

If you use my FlightPlan it calculates this for you.

Having the time calculate how much fuel you need (R22 uses about 10 Gal/Hour). Remember the Reserve.

Again, if you use my FlightPlan form it calculates this for you as well.

Now when this is done, use your A/F D to check the Airports and copy the Airport Diagrams (if available) to increase situational awareness.

Also make sure to check to see if there are any NOTAMs of note along your route.

Now that is how to make a flight plan.

Check back on How-to make a Flight Plan (part 2) the next days for a guide and Infos on filing a flight plan.