As a company that rents aeroplanes for Hour Building, we encourage long-distance Cross Country Flights. We have planned routes that cover all of Spain and most of Europe. Our pilots arrive on a Monday and then we do not see them for a week.
The one safety brief you should always take head to is the long-distance planning with wind affecting your flight times. Modern aviators have a habit of punching their route into Sky Demon and there is a flight time of 3 hours.
The problem is, that Sky Demon or Equivalent does not calculate the winds. Your 3-hour flight could end up taking 3hrs 30mins or in some cases up to 4hrs.
You need to do the wind calculations on your CP computer. Calculate the times and then make sure you have the fuel.
The aircraft is shown in the image. (Was not one of ours.). Crashed just short of its destination airfield, with no fuel. The pilot survived and is a bit sore, but this is a totally preventable accident.
The majority of aircraft accidents are Pilot Error. Do not become one of them. Speak to our Flight School Instructors if you are ever in doubt.
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