| Flying an aircraft is a complicated task in and of itself. | | | | regardless of how small it may be. Learning to fly while |
| Navigating from one point to another over unknown | | | | based at a larger airport can be daunting, and most |
| terrain can be even more complex, but trying to do | | | | pilots get their private license flying out of smaller home |
| both at once quickly becomes overwhelming. This is | | | | airfields. |
| why proper flight planning is such a necessity to any | | | | Online flight planning also includes takeoff and landing |
| good pilot or airman. Luckily in today's world, flight | | | | distance calculators, as well as complicated weight and |
| planning software exists to help speed the process | | | | balance charts. These online flight planning tools take |
| along while maintaining accuracy. By entering such | | | | most of the manual mathematics out of the picture, |
| variables as wind speed and direction, aircraft weight, | | | | allowing for less margin of error. Aviation flight planning |
| course and temperature, flight planning software | | | | of course may also include the filing of an actual flight |
| programs can calculate a host of important information | | | | plan with local airport towers or FSS (flight service |
| such as wind correction angle, true airspeed, runway | | | | stations), and such a flight plan is required for IFR |
| crosswinds, and magnetic variation. Great aviation | | | | routes. While there's currently no direct online way to |
| websites like Student Flying Club even offer pilots a | | | | file a flight plan, some flight planning software offers |
| free online E6B flight computer! | | | | helpful printable forms that can be filled out from your |
| For many new pilot's, mastering the E6B flight | | | | keyboard and then printed on paper. Required fields |
| calculator is one of the most complicated tasks to | | | | and form checking help maintain that such forms are |
| learn. And although becoming a pilot requires learning | | | | properly filled out before being submitted to the proper |
| how to use such a great tool, online flight planning | | | | authorities and filed as flight plans. |
| software including an E6B can help speed up the | | | | Finally, one of the most important aspects of planning a |
| learning process. Any calculation that can be made on | | | | flight is the observance of up-to-date current weather |
| a manual E6B can usually be made on an online | | | | conditions. Flight planning software comes in extremely |
| version of such flight planning software. Temperature | | | | handy here, where most every website or application |
| conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius and wind chill | | | | can now be easily linked to the NOAA's National |
| calculations are possible, as well as density altitude, | | | | Weather Service. Forecasting is still never an exact |
| pressure conversion, heat index, dew point, and relative | | | | science, flight planning tools and applications can usually |
| humidity percentages that help determine whether or | | | | come pretty close to determining near-future weather |
| not a flight is viable that day. Magnetic variation | | | | conditions. Immediate airport condition reports from |
| calculations for flight planning also help determine | | | | across the US and even the world can be instantly |
| course corrections by entering the latitude and | | | | collated into a central location and displayed for pilots |
| longitude needed for different parts of the Continental | | | | right before a flight so they can make a go or no-go |
| US, Europe, and even Alaska. In the past these figures | | | | decision right before scheduled takeoff. And as |
| needed to be calculated either manually or through a | | | | satellite-driven GPS technology becomes sharper and |
| hand-held E6B calculator, but with new flight planning | | | | smaller, such GPS units become more readily available |
| software this information is available with just a few | | | | to today's pilot. He or she can fly their aircraft and get |
| short keystrokes. | | | | up-to-the-second weather information simply by looking |
| Aside from the online E6B computer, pilots can take | | | | at their externally mounted GPS units or even their |
| advantage of other pieces of flight planning software | | | | glass cockpit displays. |
| available to them as well. Airport Distance calculators | | | | Flight planning software has come a long way in a |
| are a great tool for determining the distance and | | | | very short period of time, and there seems to be no |
| heading between two distinct airports. Some of these | | | | limit to the amount of good it can do. Technology has |
| distance calculators go through great lengths to | | | | made today's pilot a safer, more educated airman. |
| maintain a large database of airports - not only those | | | | Planning a flight has been made easier and more |
| larger ones in class C and D airspace but also the | | | | error-free, and keeping track of flight plans has |
| smaller, non-tower controlled airports. This helps | | | | become a lot more manageable. In the end, as long as |
| student pilots in flight planning by allowing them to plot | | | | technology continues to advance, piloting an aircraft will |
| several different courses from their own home airport, | | | | continue to be made safer. |