Flight 4 of 5 · Approximately 2 hours

Hutchinson Cross-Country

The most "real cross-country" of the set. ~50 NM each way to Hutchinson Regional, with proper fuel planning on the GTN, deep EIS engine monitoring, your first GFC 500 autopilot engagement, and top-of-descent math you compute and fly.

B
Brenda· Pilot in Command
C
Chris· Right seat · Radios & avionics
What's in this playbook
  1. Before you go — aircraft, house rules, safety
  2. Phase 1 · Night-before brief
  3. Phase 2 · Cold cockpit & preflight
  4. Phase 3 · Avionics power-up & setup
  5. Phase 4 · Taxi & run-up
  6. Phase 5 · Departure
  7. Phase 6 · Cruise: the autopilot + EIS leg
  8. Phase 7 · Top-of-descent & arrival setup
  9. Phase 8 · Pattern & landing
  10. Phase 9 · Lunch
  11. Phase 10 · Return & shutdown
  12. Debrief checklist
  13. Quick reference card
Route
1K1→ KHUT→ 1K1
Distance
~50 NM each way · ~100 NM round trip
Time
~2.0 hours
Conditions
Good VFR — the most "real cross-country" of the set
Builds
Fuel planning on the GTN, EIS deep monitoring, first GFC 500 autopilot engagement, top-of-descent math
Airspace
Plan Class C avoidance — under the shelf or around the north/south edge; mark the floor altitudes
Crew note
Longest flight. Optional add-on: the Kansas Cosmosphere is in Hutchinson if you want to make a day of it.

Before you goBrief the airplane

Repeated on every flight page so you can brief one sortie standalone.

Verify everything · this is a study aid
Verify all frequencies, airspace, and fuel against current charts, NOTAMs, and ForeFlight. These are study/briefing aids, not flight plans. Fly with your CFI — Chris is a student pilot.
Aircraft
N199RF — 1979 Cessna 182Q · Continental O-470 (carbureted) · constant-speed prop
Base
1K1 Stearman Field, Benton KS · field elev 1,364 ft · KICT Class C just to the west
Panel
G3X Touch (PFD + EIS) · GTN 750Xi (GPS / NAV1 / COM1) · GTR 205 (COM2) · GFC 500 AP w/ GMC 507 · GI 275 standby · GMA 350c audio · GTX 345R (ADS-B In/Out) · CIES fuel senders
COM1 is not COM2
COM1 and COM2 are independent radios tuned at different physical locations. COM1 lives on the GTN 750Xi. COM2 is the separate GTR 205 box. Tuning COM2 means reaching for a different unit — and you pick which one you transmit on at the GMA 350c audio panel. This was the recurring point of confusion. Always know which radio is hot before you key the mic.
House rules · every flight
1Phase 1
Night-before brief
The evening before · Both of you
2Phase 2
Cold cockpit & preflight
~15 minutes
  1. Fuel to a known, measured quantity. This flight is partly about trusting the fuel page, so start with good data — the CIES senders are accurate, so give them an accurate start.
  2. Enter fuel-on-board into the GTN so the fuel-at-destination prediction is meaningful from engine start.
3Phase 3
Avionics power-up & setup
~5 minutes
  1. Boot the G3X and GTN fully. Confirm GPS position and that ADS-B is live.
  2. Build the flight plan: 1K1 → enroute waypoint clear of Class C → KHUT; activate it.
  3. Open the GTN fuel page — note the predicted fuel-at-destination, compare it to your hand figure from last night. They should be close. If they're not, find out why before you launch.
4Phase 4
Taxi & run-up
~8 minutes
  1. Standard run-up. Cycle the prop and confirm the RPM drop and recovery.
  2. Brief that the autopilot comes on in cruise, not before. Hand-fly the departure and climb; the GFC 500 is a cruise tool today.
5Phase 5
Departure
~5 minutes
  1. Self-announce on CTAF (COM1):
Brenda · COM1 · Stearman CTAF
"Stearman traffic, Skylane Nine-Niner-Romeo-Foxtrot departing runway [XX], westbound, Stearman."
  1. Climb out: pitch for speed, power's already at full — adjust pitch to hold the speed, then trim it off.
  2. Level at cruise below the Class C shelf per your plan. Stay clear, or pick up flight following if you'd rather talk to them.
6Phase 6
Cruise: the autopilot + EIS leg
The learning leg

This is the calm, level cruise where you finally meet the two systems this whole flight was built around — the GFC 500 autopilot and the G3X engine page. Take it slow and treat both as a chance to learn what normal looks like.

GFC 500 — first engagement, keep it basic
  1. Trim the airplane out hands-off first — a well-trimmed airplane is a happy autopilot.
  2. Press AP to engage; it grabs the current pitch/roll (ROL/PIT).
  3. Add HDG (set the bug) and ALT (hold current altitude) — that's it, no advanced modes on a first engagement.
  4. Let it fly the leg to Hutchinson; hands near the controls, monitor.
  5. Practice the disconnect: the red A/P DISC button on the yoke — do it deliberately, fly for a minute, re-engage.

EIS deep monitoring (G3X) — during cruise, actually study the engine page: CHTs, EGTs, oil temp/pressure. Lean the O-470 per the POH/Continental guidance and watch the numbers respond. This is the calm flight to learn what "normal" looks like.

7Phase 7
Top-of-descent & arrival setup
~10 minutes
  1. TOD math: altitude to lose ÷ 300 ≈ miles out to start down (the 3°/NM rule), or use the GTN's distance/altitude readout. Compute it, then start down on your number.
  2. Disconnect the autopilot for the descent and pattern — hand-fly the arrival.
  3. Switch COM1 to KHUT CTAF/Tower VerifyKHUT CTAF / Tower___.___. If towered when you arrive, work the tower; if CTAF, self-announce.
8Phase 8
Pattern & landing
~5 minutes
  1. Prop full forward by midfield downwind.
  2. Watch the manifold pressure through the descent — step it down, don't yank it.
  3. Flare slow, back pressure increasing through rollout.
9Phase 9
Lunch
Refuel — airplane and pilots
  1. Taxi to the Airport Steak House, fuel up, eat.
  2. Re-measure fuel and re-enter fuel-on-board before you leave, so the return-leg prediction starts honest.
10Phase 10
Return & shutdown
~50 minutes home
  1. Direct-To 1K1 (or fly the full plan home).
  2. Re-engage the GFC 500 for the cruise leg back if you want more practice.
  3. Disconnect for the arrival, self-announce inbound to Stearman, land, shut down.
Brenda · COM1 · Stearman CTAF
"Stearman traffic, Skylane Nine-Niner-Romeo-Foxtrot, [distance/direction] miles, inbound for full stop runway [XX], Stearman."

After you landDebrief checklist

Answer these out loud to each other while it's fresh. Best flown twice — fly it, debrief, then swap seats.

ReferenceQuick reference card

Look every frequency up on the current chart and the GTN — that's the drill. Write them in.

Frequencies

N199RF V-speeds (verify POH)

Airport quick reference

Next flight
Flight 5: Night-Adjacent Currency Run (Jabara). A late-afternoon-into-dusk run of touch-and-goes at KAAO — G3X night/dimming setup, GMA 350c 3D audio, busy-time ADS-B traffic, and a coupled approach on the GFC 500 in NAV mode. The most advanced avionics drill of the five.