SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/pilot-checkpoint-selection

When planning a VFR cross-country, what makes a good visual checkpoint?

A prominent feature that is easy to confirm with other nearby features.

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  1. A single farmhouse in open fields
  2. A prominent feature confirmed by others nearby ✔
  3. A cloud you spotted on the weather map

Why: Pick things you can't miss, like a town, a river bend or a highway crossing, and confirm them with roads or railroads next to them. Small look-alike features are easy to misread.

Huh, didn't know that: The FAA advises choosing ample checkpoints so if you miss one, you can look for the next.

The dad joke
I picked a cow as my checkpoint. It moved, and now I'm lost and so is the cow.
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References

Answer: A prominent feature confirmed by others nearby. Pick things you can't miss, like a town, a river bend or a highway crossing, and confirm them with roads or railroads next to them. Small look-alike features are easy to misread.

  1. FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 16 www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/18_phak_ch16.pdf
    Choose checkpoints that can be readily identified by other features, such as roads, rivers, railroad tracks, lakes, and power lines.
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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