ACS Alignment

FAA-S-ACS-8 — Instrument Rating–Airplane & Helicopter · Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation · Task: C. Cross-Country Flight Planning

IR.I.C.K1 — route, airways, MEAs & chart use ⚑ IR.I.C.K2 — fuel requirements (91.167) ⚑ IR.I.C.R1 — risk: fuel, terrain/MEA, alternate planning ⚑ IR.I.C.S1 — build a complete IFR navigation log & file ⚑

⚑ FLAG (Walter): K/R/S identifiers are best-fit to FAA-S-ACS-8C Area I, Task C — confirm exact codes against the current ACS.

IFR Cross-Country Flight Planning

From route and altitudes to fuel and alternate — a legal, flyable IFR plan.

By the end of this lesson you can:

Build an IFR route using airways/RNAV, respecting MEAs, MOCAs, and MCAs.
Apply the IFR fuel requirement of 14 CFR 91.167.
Determine whether an alternate is required and confirm it meets alternate minimums.
Assemble a complete navigation log and file an IFR flight plan.

1 · Route and altitudes

Plan the route along published airways or RNAV routing between fixes, and choose altitudes that satisfy the structure: the MEA (minimum en route altitude — guarantees obstacle clearance and signal), the MOCA (obstacle clearance, signal only within 22 NM of the VOR), and any MCA (minimum crossing altitude). Verify cruising-altitude direction rules and any terrain considerations along the route — relevant in the higher terrain around the Adirondacks.

2 · Fuel: the 91.167 requirement

Under 14 CFR 91.167, for an IFR flight you must carry enough fuel to: fly to the first airport of intended landing, then (if an alternate is required) to the alternate, and then for 45 minutes at normal cruise. If no alternate is required, the rule is destination + 45 minutes. Helicopter alternate criteria differ from airplanes — confirm the helicopter-specific provisions with your CFII.

Leg	Fuel you must plan for (91.167)
To destination	Full trip fuel to the first airport of intended landing
To alternate (if required)	Plus fuel from destination to the filed alternate
Reserve	Plus 45 minutes at normal cruise speed

3 · Alternate planning

Apply the 1-2-3 rule from Lesson 02 to decide whether an alternate is required, then confirm the chosen alternate forecast meets alternate minimums (standard or as charted; if no approach is published, special rules apply). Translate the fuel plan into pounds/gallons for your actual aircraft.

✍️ Fill in for the aircraft you fly Usable fuel, cruise fuel flow, and 45-min reserve quantity: Look it up in the R44 POH (Section 5 — Performance, fuel consumption) and Section 1/2 (fuel capacity), and confirm with your CFI.

4 · Watch

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.

5 · Reference sources

Use the authoritative references

📄 Instrument Procedures Handbook (FAA-H-8083-16) — Ch 2, IFR planning 📄 14 CFR 91.167 — Fuel requirements (IFR) 📄 Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B)

Your aircraft: the R44 POH Section 5 (Performance) provides fuel-flow and range figures; Section 1/2 give fuel capacity and limits. Use these to convert the 91.167 plan into actual gallons and time.

QA flag: confirm IR ACS codes (FAA-S-ACS-8C), and re-verify 91.167 fuel and 91.169 alternate (including helicopter-specific provisions) against the current regulations before publishing.

Risk management (the "Consider"): IFR fuel planning fails quietly — a headwind worse than forecast, a hold you didn't expect, or an alternate farther than it looked on the chart. Plan to the regulatory minimum and then add a personal margin, recompute fuel if the route or winds change in flight, and never let "we're almost there" erode the 45-minute reserve.