★ PTS mapping: This lesson aligns to FAA-S-8081-20A (Nov 2023), Area of Operation I — Preflight Preparation. It is a Practical Test Standard, so items are Tasks and elements (no ACS K/R/S codes); read the exact Task lettering and tolerances from the current published PTS.
Build a legal, fuel-honest, weather-defensible flight plan — Part 91 IFR reserves, alternates, and performance-based numbers.
Under 14 CFR 91.167, no person may operate an aircraft in IFR conditions unless it carries enough fuel (considering weather reports and forecasts) to (a) complete the flight to the first airport of intended landing, (b) then, where an alternate is required, fly to and land at the alternate, and (c) thereafter fly for 45 minutes at normal cruise. If no alternate is required (because the destination meets the exception below), the requirement is fuel to the destination plus 45 minutes. The 45-minute reserve is a regulatory floor, not a plan — ATP-level airmanship treats reserve fuel as untouchable and builds an additional operational margin for holding, reroutes, and the very real possibility of an unforecast deterioration.
Helicopters burn and carry far less fuel than transport airplanes, so the absolute time-margin of a "legal" reserve can be uncomfortably small. Convert reserve time into reserve fuel quantity for your specific aircraft and verify it against the usable-fuel figure, not total fuel.
An IFR alternate must be filed unless, for at least 1 hour before through 1 hour after the ETA, the forecast weather at the destination is at least 2,000 ft ceiling and 3 statute miles visibility. If the forecast is below those values (or unavailable), file an alternate. This is the classic "1-2-3" rule: 1 hour either side, 2,000 ft, 3 SM.
| Question | Rule |
|---|---|
| Is an alternate required? | No, only if forecast ≥ 2,000-3 for ±1 hr of ETA (§91.169). Otherwise yes. |
| What minima must the alternate meet? | Standard alternate minimums (or those published on the approach plate); if none published, the airport may be unusable as an alternate. Confirm per §91.169 and the chart. |
| Fuel if alternate required? | Destination → alternate → +45 min normal cruise (§91.167). |
★ Standard alternate minimums (§91.169): when an alternate is required, a precision approach alternate is 600-2 (600 ft ceiling, 2 SM visibility) and a nonprecision approach alternate is 800-2 (800 ft ceiling, 2 SM visibility). Verify the exact figures and any helicopter reductions on the approach chart, since published minimums can differ from these standard values.
A flight plan that ignores performance is a paper exercise. Compute density altitude for departure, en-route high terrain, and destination, then confirm the aircraft can hover and climb as required at the actual weight for that leg. For a single-engine helicopter, the height-velocity (HV) diagram and HOGE/HIGE capability at planned weight and DA govern what departure and approach profiles are survivable; for a multi-engine/turbine ATP aircraft, add OEI performance class (PC1/2/3) and the takeoff/landing decision points. Fuel burn itself is weight- and DA-sensitive, so iterate: weight drives burn, burn drives weight at each waypoint.
Before filing, assemble and date-check: current en-route and approach charts (note the 28-day/56-day cycles), the Chart Supplement, NOTAMs (including FDC NOTAMs that amend procedures), active TFRs, the full weather briefing (METAR/TAF/PIREP/winds aloft/AIRMET-SIGMET), and a completed weight & balance within limits for every phase, including most-forward and most-aft loading. Verify that fuel loaded keeps you within both weight and CG at takeoff and at planned-landing weight.
Curated reference clip — “IFR Alternate Airport Requirements | 1-2-3 Rule | Standard Alternate Minimums” · FlightInsight (YouTube), verified via oEmbed. Embedded with the creator's player; we don't host or alter it.
✈️ Your test aircraft: the R-44 fill-in values cover its single-engine, piston, VFR figures; §91.167/§91.169 IFR fuel-and-alternate planning normally presumes an IFR-approved aircraft. ATP-H practical tests are normally flown in a turbine and/or multi-engine, IFR-capable helicopter, so substitute that aircraft's fuel system, burn, and W&B from its RFM/POH for items marked aircraft-specific, and confirm whether the practical test is conducted under Part 91 or Part 135.