In short: In this hour-plus webinar, Rod Machado shares the habits that make VFR cross-country flying safer and more enjoyable. He recommends using flight following, landing with far more fuel than the legal minimum, routing around mountains even when it adds a few miles, using an E6B to pick the best cruise altitude, and flying conservative routes at night.
Video: “XC Flight Planning Webinar By Rod Machado” by Rod Machado, from his YouTube channel.
What you’ll learn
- Why flight following helps with TFRs, MOAs, PIREPs and fast traffic
- Why Rod always asks before transiting a Class D surface area under flight following
- Rod’s personal fuel habits, from tank management to calling ahead about fuel
- How a short dogleg around mountains often costs only minutes
- How to compare winds aloft on an E6B and a simple rule for when to start down
- Night routing and mountain-crossing techniques Rod uses himself
Make flight following part of the trip
Rod describes how he came to enjoy VFR flying more than IFR, partly for the sheer pleasure of the view, and he notes that VFR demands more creative decision making because fewer rules are laid out for you. He strongly recommends flight following. Even with ADS-B traffic, a tightly zoomed display may not show a fast closing airplane in time. Controllers also know about pop-up TFRs, can help you around active MOAs, and can pass along turbulence reports from aircraft ahead.
On transiting Class D airspace under flight following, Rod explains that the controller’s handbook says the controller is supposed to coordinate with the tower. Even so, he always asks whether he is cleared through. Trust, but verify.
Fuel, routes and wind
Rod treats the 30-minute day and 45-minute night reserves as bare minimums and prefers to land with at least an hour of fuel. He never deliberately runs a tank dry, and he calls ahead to confirm fuel availability, hours and payment, then checks with UNICOM before descending.
When a direct route crosses mountains, he often takes a dogleg instead. His Van Nuys to Reno example adds about 35 nautical miles, roughly 15 minutes at 120 knots, while keeping better landing options below. He also demonstrates plotting several winds aloft on the back of an E6B to see which altitude gives the best groundspeed, and notes that large wind changes between altitudes can hint at turbulence. For descents at about 500 feet per minute, multiply two by your groundspeed in nautical miles per minute, then by the thousands of feet to lose.
Night flights and mountain crossings
At night, Rod follows major roads or hops between airports, carries extra fuel, and points to supplemental oxygen as a way to protect night vision. Over mountains, he suggests at least 2,000 feet of clearance, more in strong winds, and approaching a ridge at a 45-degree angle so that escaping a lee-side downdraft takes a smaller turn. He also covers using NEXRAD to keep roughly 20 miles from storm cells and carrying binoculars to spot airports from a distance.
Go deeper with Rod Machado
Rod’s private pilot ground school covers navigation, weather, airspace and cross-country planning in the same practical style. Learn more in Rod Machado’s 40-Hour Private Pilot eLearning Ground School.
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