Nasir wrote:

How much do you all plan before each x-country? Am I the only slacker?

If I haven't made the trip before, I crank up the computer and use the fuel
finder web site to get me a selection of fuel stops. Then I plug in a few of
these into my flight planning program and pick a route I like. I usually plan
for 2 to 3.5 hour legs. I'll usually plan two scenarios, one of which is a 25
knot headwind. I'll then transfer the route to sectionals. Since this area has
lots of controlled airspace, I will usually have to select waypoints that will
allow me to avoid problem areas, but those are the only waypoints I use or
chart. For example, a flight from New Jersey to Tennessee will start at 3N6. My
first waypoint is N67 (north of Philadelphia). The next is the Linden VOR near
Front Royal, VA. From that point on, it's SHD, ROA, TRI, and my destination at
Knoxville.

I have a LORAN on board and use it for navigation as well as ETA information.
While enroute, I follow my flight on the chart and note visible features as I
pass them. This allows me to double-check the LORAN and would let me continue
the flight by pilotage if the LORAN dies.

When I bought my Maule, it had no radio gear. My technique at that time was to
use closely spaced waypoints at the start of each leg to establish my course.
After the first few miles, however, my waypoints might be 50 miles apart. If I
saw something distinctive on the ground between waypoints, I would try to locate
it on the chart. Sort of the reverse of what they usually teach you to do.

When we brought it back from Georgia, my CFI did the navigation. He used a
similar technique but paid more attention to time than I usually do. He also
used the airways a lot, even though we had no NAV radio. At altitudes of only
a few thousand feet, the VOR transmitters make good landmarks.

George Patterson
Some people think they hear a call to the priesthood when what they really
hear is a tiny voice whispering "It's indoor work with no heavy lifting".