Flight Planning - preparing for a cross country

Just my notes for steps to prepare and plan for a cross country.
Mapping

• Draw course line
• Draw 10 mile wide swath (5nm to each side)
• Measure distance
• Determine altitude
• Determine checkpoints
• Note emergency landing airports

Airports

• Communications
• Runways
• Airport diagrams

Before Flight

• Get weather briefing
• Calculate heading/wind correction
• Calculate total time and checkpoint time
• Calculate fuel burn

Airplane

• Calculate weight and balance
• Calculate performance metrics (takeoff distance, etc)

In Flight

• File flight plan or initiate flight following with ATC
• Check heading vs ground track adjust if necessary
• Time first checkpoint