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3 Answers

IFR Cross Country requirement – full stop vs. touch/go

Asked by: 3826 views Instrument Rating

Planning for 250 nm x-country for IFR training. Is it necessary for a full stop landing, close flight plan, refile for next destination, and do the same until you have hit 3 airports and 3 approaches with 3 separate flight plans, or can you file all airports at once ( 3 different airports, 3 different approaches ), do touch and go at each one and full stop landing at last airport, all done under one IFR flight plan with ATC.

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3 Answers



  1. Mark Kolber on Apr 16, 2021

    There is nothing in the regulation precluding touch and go, nor, indeed any landing at all except for one more than 50 nm away from the original point of departure. Same for flight plans. One can certainly fit the bill.

    Here comes the preaching:

    But, since this is a dual flight… if you are the student, your CFI will (should) have a major say in what tasks you perform. And if you are the CFI making those choices, consider how little practice the typical local approach intensive curriculum gives in cross country planning and departure from any airport other than home base. If training out if a small nontowered airport, what a great opportunity to land and go through the entire process of obtaining a clearance at a Class C or even B. If the opposite, you train out of a towered field, it’s an opportunity to learn to mix with self-reporting VFR traffic and pick up a void time clearance from the ground at a nontowered one.

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  2. fatmann on Apr 16, 2021

    Thank you Mark. My plan was to go to 3 different destinations, 3 different approaches, 265 nm total, 3 different flight plans, open and close all 3 with 2 different ARTCC, 2 towered and 1 non-towered. I began to wonder if ATC would allow a single flight plan with 2 touch/go, use last 2 as alternates, call missed approach at first 2, then land at last one. Maybe I am making this too complicated, but I was just wondering and my CFII is gone for 2 weeks so I asked here.

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  3. Mark Kolber on Apr 19, 2021

    Well, it’s certainly possible to enter the full route and put “IFR training flight” in the remarks. Just tell ATC what you want to do when you approach each airport.

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