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5 Answers

ifr nav log vs ifr clearance.

Asked by: 5563 views FAA Regulations, General Aviation, Instrument Rating, Student Pilot

Hello all, I have some doubts about planning an ifr flight. My instructor tells me to use a nav log and plan an ifr flight similar to how I did in my ppl training, he told me to check the AFD for preferred routes, check for DP's, SIDS, etc. This is all fine until we get to the plane and pick up our clearance and the clearance is something completely different then what I had planned on the ground.  My question is once I get that clearance from ATC do I have to recalculate my numbers and basically redo my nav log in the plane?  Others have told me that you don't have to worry about the numbers,  just plug in the new route into the gps and circle the points on the low enroute chart and continue on. Is this the correct procedure? Basically throw out my other nav log? And if it is what can I expect on the check ride? i hope my questions make sense, thanks for your time, Jessica

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5 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Sep 13, 2015

    In this day and age, I would use an electronic flight bag such as ForeFlight. Usually you will get the expected route prior to departure sent to your iPad at which time there is an option to load the expected route into the route planner.

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  2. Mark Kolber on Sep 13, 2015

    This a bit of a soapbox issue for me because it points out a common CFI failing that occurs in both private and instrument training. No, you will not be doing that type of detailed planning of routes that you may never actually receive in the real world of IFR flight, That has always been true but it is, as John points out, especially true now when there are apps and websites that will tell you the clearances that have actually been recently given that greatly increase the chances of your plan being the same as the clearance you actually get.

    But that was also true of private cross country training where, for example, you selected checkpoints every 10-20 NM on a less-than-an-hour 52 NM flight with 5 hours of fuel on board! And, of course, the same thing John says about the use of technology applies to VFR planning. All those calculations you meticulously made with an E6B are automatic.

    The CFI failing is =not= having you go through this. On the contrary, it is extremely valuable training. To use the VFR example, how else is a CFI to know that you understand fuel use and how to find your position on a chart (when GPS fails) without having multiple checkpoints? For IFR, no matter what tech tools you use, in the real IFR world, you will be faced with “preferred” ATC routes where you don’t want to take your airplane (large bodies of water; mountains you can’t or prefer not to cross), clearances that vary enormously from the filed plan, en route changes, and the recalculation of times and fuel use due to those changes as well as wide diversions for traffic and weather issues.

    So your CFII having you go through the long process is valuable. That’s not the CFI failing I complain about. The CFI failing is the failure to =explain= that this type of detailed planning is a training exercise designed for you to learn the elements that go into planning a flight and positional awareness and monitoring time and fuel use en route. That it is to give you the tools to be on your own without the technology. That it is a learned skill that will hopefully always be there, even if it’s just to look at the 90% sure planned route given by the tech tools and say, “I don’t know. That might not really work for me. What if…”

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  3. jessica1994 on Sep 15, 2015

    Thank you guys for the response. Yes my instructor told me why we do this planning, it\’s to stay proficient at using an e6b, mental math skills, and plotting on the chart etc.

    So I guess in ifr is to just be aware of how much time has gone by and how much distance you have left to go and make sure you have enough fuel.

    Just the other day we did a practice cross country just 70 nm away. I did my plans using one victor airway and vor and a few points. Once I got my clearance I got cleared via radar vector. So my instructor just tells me to input the original flight plan into the gps unit for practice and enroute just have the chart open and using/tuning nearest vors for situational awareness etc..

    I wonder, how do you guys deal with this scenerio with your student? Assuming they don\’t have foreflight?

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  4. Andy on Sep 15, 2015

    As a CFII and ATCS, I can tell you from both perspectives. With my ATCS hat on, we try to give the filed route to the fullest extent possible. However, there are many reasons why routes are changed. This could be for traffic flow, weather, TFR, medevac, laser event, or zombie apocalypse.

    Now, with my CFII hat on, you need to ensure you have enough fuel on board to comply with the regulations and that you have the required equipment before you accept it. If your method is to use a navlog, so be it, but your flight plan may drop from the NAS, before you finish. Otherwise, do some quick math with your whiz wheel to make sure you have the fuel and rock and roll.

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  5. Mark Kolber on Sep 16, 2015

    Just the other day we did a practice cross country just 70 nm away. I did my plans using one victor airway and vor and a few points. Once I got my clearance I got cleared via radar vector. So my instructor just tells me to input the original flight plan into the gps unit for practice and enroute just have the chart open and using/tuning nearest vors for situational awareness etc..

    I wonder, how do you guys deal with this scenerio with your student? Assuming they don’t have foreflight?

    I’m not completely sure what your question is, so forgive me if I answer something other than what you mean.

    ForeFlight or no ForeFlight, for that matter GPS or no GPS, there is no real difference to me. You may be “led by the nose” with radar vectors but it is always, always, always your job to maintain situational awareness – to know where you are, where you are going, and how you are going to get there.

    Even outside the training environment, it’s not a bad idea to input your planned route into the GPS (assuming you have one). The associated moving map will give you enhanced situational awareness and, if ATC at some point gives you a shortcut Direct to a fix or waypoint, how easy that is if you already have it in your flight plan or can easily see how it fits in.

    I also like the idea of using and tuning VORs along the way. It helps to maintain your familiarity with that type of navigation; it provides you with an confirmation of what the GPS box is telling you; and it serves as a backup in the case of a GPS problem.

    And both are certainly extremely important, especially when navigating with paper maps and charts.

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