Definition
The standard sequence of actions a pilot performs on a sectional or other aeronautical chart to plan a VFR cross-country flight. The steps typically include drawing the course line from departure to destination, identifying suitable checkpoints along the route, measuring the true course, noting terrain and obstacles, identifying airspace along the route, and recording the information on a navigation log for use in flight planning calculations.
Plain English
The set order of things a pilot does on the chart when planning a trip: draw the line, pick landmarks to follow, measure the direction, check what's in the way, and write it all down.
Context Anchor
Seen during cross-country flight planning, especially when using a sectional chart, plotter, flight computer, and navigation log before departure.
Derivation
“Chart” means a map made for navigation. “Course” comes from an older word meaning a path or run of travel. In this aviation use, the phrase points to planning the airplane’s intended path over the ground.
Why Pilots Care
Proper charting prevents getting lost, running out of fuel, or entering restricted airspace by ensuring all aspects of the flight are calculated in advance.
Intuition Check
Do not read “course” here as a class or lesson. In this context, a course is the intended path of the airplane across the ground, and charting it means plotting and calculating that path before the flight.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor walked the student through the steps in charting the course before their first solo cross-country.
Example Sentence 2
Following the steps in charting the course helped the pilot account for wind and select suitable diversion airports along the route.