Flying Smart

VFR Waypoints, Continued

A VFR flight into busy airspace can be a daunting prospect. Throw a restricted area or terrain into the mix, and you have a recipe for navigational heartburn. VFR waypoints, are a relatively new tool that students and private pilots can use to help stay on course and out of trouble.

VFR waypoints are charted waypoints that can be used by GPS, RNAV, and loran navigation systems. Enter these waypoints into your GPS, and they can help guide you through the area - and alert you if you're straying close to the boundaries of Class B, C, or D airspace, or anything else that you want to avoid. They are intended to be a supplement to visual navigation and should never be used as the sole means of figuring out where you are.

A VFR waypoint may be recognizable on a terminal area chart as an existing magenta-flagged visual checkpoint (sometimes called airport reporting points or ATC visual reporting points) with a five-letter identifier beginning with "VP" in parentheses below the name. Do not use the five-letter identifier in any communication with ATC; always use the name that is indicated on the chart; i.e., "Lake Chabot" (left) or "Golden Gate Fields."

Some VFR waypoints are denoted only by a black four-pointed star and a five-letter identifier beginning with "VP" (right). These may be used for navigation but should not be used in radio communication with ATC. Other VFR waypoints are not depicted on charts, but they can be found in GPS databases or in the Airport/Facilities Directory. If they're not on the chart, don't refer to them with ATC. And don't use any VFR waypoints on an IFR flight plan - they're not recognized by the IFR system.

If you use VFR waypoints, use them responsibly. Take a few moments to load them into your GPS while you're on the ground. As you approach any navaid or waypoint, remember to keep your eyes outside the cockpit.