flight planning
Charting aerial journeys
Flight planning is the process of preparing for an aircraft's journey—determining the route, calculating fuel requirements, checking weather conditions, and filing required documentation with aviation authorities.
Pilots and dispatchers engage in flight planning before every commercial or private flight: We spent an hour on flight planning before the cross-country trip.
The term also applies to the software and tools used for this purpose.
- preflight checklistSystematic review before departure
- waypointsIntermediate navigation targets
- airwaysRespiratory or flight paths
- chartsVisual data displays
- departure timeScheduled leaving moment
cruising altitude · wind patterns · navigation · GPS systems · payload · emergency procedures · restricted zones · jet streams · center of gravity · fuel efficiency · visibility · pressure systems · altitudes · turbulence · air traffic control · tank capacity · reserves · winds
- Air Trafficair traffic control, ATC, controller, radar contact, radar tracking
- aviationaircraft, airports, flying, airplane, airplanes
- Aviation Standardsairworthiness, annexes, air traffic control, aircraft maintenance, medical standards
- Aviation Weathervisibility, ceiling, cloud ceiling, ceiling height, turbulence
- crop dustingcrop duster, crop dusting, aerial spraying, spray nozzle, spray nozzles
- drone rulesno-fly zones, restricted zones, weight limits, geofencing, restricted areas