I started The Packafoma Post primarily as a video production blog, but sometimes my obsession with aviation sneaks in as well.

» Go to VFR flight planning forms (PDF)

A better VFR flight planner, featuring a simple layout with radio frequency column.

As a student pilot, I relied on the Jeppesen flight planning sheets that I found stacked next to the photocopier at my Santa Monica flight school. They were free and adequate.

I am extremely picky when it comes to flight preparation, however, and as I learned more, I became less satisfied with the forms. They made very poor use of space and lacked an area for radio frequencies or runway information. I tried some alternatives from ASA and Dauntless, but I disliked them even more. The well-advertised offering from Dauntless deserves credit for ingenuity, but I’m pretty sure if I ever actually used their origami style of flight planner, I would end up performing some unintentional aerobatics.

VfrFlight is a free, crossplatform tool for VFR flight planning developed by real world private pilot. It can be used for real world flight planning and trainings in FSX / FSX:SE / Prepar3D / X-Plane 10/11 and FlightGear. It comes with support for seven languages: English, Polish, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch.

Title: VFR Flight Planner - Navigation Log - Flight Plan Form Author: Dax Mackenzie Roggio Subject: VFR Flight Planning Created Date: 2/12/2011 11:13:11 PM. Includes check boxes for both preflight planning and in-flight adjustments as well as ample room for in-flight notes (Atis, clearance, etc.). VFR side is printed with an FAA Flight Plan checklist and a diversion checklist for quick reference. Other side features space for numerous aircraft performance calculations. This is the perfect form for.

Keep in mind that I am someone who went through five flight bags in my first few months of training before I found one that I liked, and that was after making a lot of special modifications myself. The same remains true for pretty much everything from flashlights to kneeboards to sunglasses, all of which take on more gravity — pardon the pun — when you start flying.

So not long after I got my private pilot certificate, I decided to create my own flight planning form. I kept it as simple as possible but spent many hours fine-tuning every inch. I have been using it ever since. It was worth the time just for my own use, but I think a lot of pilots will find that it’s an improvement over the commonly available flight planners.

I’m a tech geek, and I appreciate that a lot of pilots are using electronic flight planning methods these days. An iPad is a great addition to any flight bag, but I still prefer to plan most flights with a pencil and paper. I feel like this forces me to learn the route as I create it, which is why I found it particularly helpful as a student pilot.

For a bullet list of enhancements and to download the free, printable PDF forms, follow this link: Flight plan forms

Vfr Flight Plan Form Aopa

More aviation resources from Dax Roggio:
Cessna 172SP for X-Plane 9 (Widescreen HD with Steam Gauges)
Video: Landing at Santa Monica Airport