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The cross country phase of training lets you step (or fly) outside the comfort zone of your home airport and experience landings and take-offs at other airports. You’ll make your first cross country with an instructor, then on your own in a solo flight. This exciting milestone brings you one step closer to finishing your training.
You cannot bring anyone with you on your solo flights. You also cannot act as pilot in command (PIC) of any flight carrying a pilot as a passenger until you earn your private, sport or recreational pilot certificate.
Pilots can plot their course, view information about airports along the route, and view weather products using online programs such as Internet Flight Planner for AOPA and SkyVector.com, or on electronic flight bag apps such as ForeFlight Mobile or Garmin Pilot. iFlightPlanner for AOPA—a free benefit for members!—displays hi-res charts and weather imagery and enables pilots to retrieve weather briefs, file flight plans, and much more. However, many instructors require students to plot courses on paper charts and create manual nav logs as a learning exercise.