Always Be Prepared to Divert to Another Airport

Training to land within 25 miles of your home field starts before the first solo.

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 10:48 AM ET

Verified

The FARs allow a learner to be endorsed for solo at airports within 25 nm of their home airport provided the CFI has given them training to and from these alternate airports as well as in the traffic pattern. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

A CFI's personal experience with rapidly deteriorating weather highlighted the critical importance of not solely trusting weather reports, understanding aircraft limitations, and having a backup plan.
The author now proactively trains and endorses primary learners for solo flight to auxiliary airports within 25 miles *before* their first solo.
This method ensures learners are prepared to safely divert to an alternate field if their home airport becomes unavailable, as demonstrated by successful diversions during an unexpected airport closure.

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Most of us learn from our mistakes. That includes CFIs who, as freshly soloed learners, had an experience that taught them to make sure their learners would be better prepared if they encountered a similar challenge.

For me it was the importance of providing training so the learners could fly to airports within 25 miles of their home field. This training is done before their first solo. After the first solo, I endorse them for solo flight to these auxiliary fields. This is just in case something goes sideways and they can’t land at home.