For many General Aviation pilots, VFR flight preparation still means juggling paper checklists, printed charts, spreadsheets, and half-forgotten notes from flight school.
That approach isn’t just inefficient, it’s risky.
In this guide, we’ll walk through a complete, practical VFR flight preparation workflow, exactly how it should be done today: structured, logical, and without unnecessary tools.
Why Proper VFR Flight Preparation Matters
VFR doesn’t mean “casual.” Most incidents in General Aviation happen in good weather, often due to poor planning, missing information, or incorrect assumptions.
Good preparation: - reduces workload in the cockpit - prevents calculation errors - improves situational awareness - makes you a safer, more confident pilot
The goal isn’t to prepare more, it’s to prepare smarter.
Step 1: Define the Flight
Start with the basics: - Departure aerodrome - Destination aerodrome - Planned route - Alternate options
Ask yourself: Is this a local flight or cross-country? Do I need fuel stops? Are there airspace constraints? A clear plan upfront prevents last-minute changes later.
Step 2: Weather Assessment (Big Picture First)
Before diving into details, get the strategic overview: - General weather situation - Fronts, pressure systems, trends - Expected conditions for the entire flight window
Then move to specifics: METARs, TAFs, Winds aloft, Visibility and cloud bases.
Never check weather in isolation, always assess how it evolves during your flight. Monitoring the trend of METARs around you can be a crucial way to see how a TAF would play out.
Step 3: NOTAMs and Airspace
This is where many pilots rush and where mistakes happen.
Check: - Active NOTAMs for all aerodromes - Temporary airspace restrictions - Danger areas, TMZs, RMZs - Local procedures and limitations
If you’re surprised by something in the air, it usually means it was skipped here.
Step 4: Route Planning and Navigation Log
Now translate your plan into numbers: Headings, Distances, Ground speeds, Time en route, and Fuel consumption.
Traditionally, this means manual calculations, paper navlogs, or spreadsheets copied from someone else. This is exactly where errors creep in.
A structured NAVLOG ensures consistency, traceability, and fewer mental calculations in-flight.
Step 5: Weight & Balance
Never treat Weight & Balance as a formality. You must verify total aircraft weight, center of gravity location, and fuel vs payload trade-offs.
Even small changes (bags, passengers, fuel) can move you out of limits. Always calculate — never assume.
Step 6: Performance Calculations
Based on aircraft weight, pressure altitude, temperature, and runway conditions, you need to verify: - takeoff distance - landing distance - climb performance
Especially critical at short runways, high temperatures, or high elevations.
Step 7: Aircraft Checklists
Before the flight, check aircraft status, documents, fuel & oil, and technical condition.
Use clear, structured checklists — not memory alone. Consistency here prevents complacency.
Step 8: Final “Go / No-Go” Decision
Only after all previous steps are complete should you ask: Is this flight safe, legal, and within my personal limits?
If something doesn’t feel right, that’s your answer.
The Problem With Traditional Flight Preparation
Most pilots don’t fail because they don’t know what to do. They fail because tools are fragmented, data lives in different places, and preparation feels time-consuming.
This is a system problem, not a pilot problem.
A Smarter Way to Prepare
Modern flight preparation should be structured, repeatable, fast, and error-resistant. Instead of paper, spreadsheets, and disconnected tools, platforms like AeroTools allow pilots to create NAVLOGs, calculate Weight & Balance, and manage checklists in one place.
Want to do this entire process digitally, in minutes? Explore AeroTools and prepare every flight with confidence.
Fly safe. Fly prepared.