Definition
A flight plan filed for a flight that departs from an airport, flies to one or more other points, and returns to land at the original departure airport.
Plain English
A flight plan for a trip that starts and ends at the same airport, with one or more stops or turning points along the way.
Context Anchor
Used when filing a flight plan for a local flight, training flight, sightseeing flight, or test flight that starts and ends at the same airport.
Derivation
The phrase 'round-robin' originally described a petition or tournament where participants signed or competed in a circular order, with no fixed start or end point. In aviation, the 'circular' idea carries over: the flight forms a loop that returns to where it began.
Why Pilots Care
It simplifies planning and aircraft positioning for training or proficiency flights that must return home.
Intuition Check
Do not read “round-robin” as meaning the airplane must fly a perfect circle. Here it means the planned flight begins and ends at the same airport.
Example Sentence 1
She filed a round-robin flight plan from her home airport, planning to fly out to the practice area, do some maneuvers, and return for landing.
Example Sentence 2
Filing a round-robin flight plan let the pilot complete the required cross-country legs without leaving the airplane away overnight.