Cross-country requirements for EASA PPL: what counts and what does not

"Cross-country" sounds like a simple concept — flying somewhere that is not your home aerodrome. In everyday conversation that is what it means. In your EASA logbook and licence application, it has a precise regulatory definition, and the difference matters when you are counting hours toward a rating or a licence.

The EASA definition

Under EASA Part-FCL, a cross-country flight is defined as a flight between two different aerodromes where the straight-line distance from departure to destination is at least 50 NM (nautical miles).

This is the definition in Annex I (Definitions) to Commission Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, and it applies throughout Part-FCL when cross-country time is referenced in a training requirement or hour minimum.

The key implications:

• Distance is measured in a straight line, not the route flown. A detour around airspace does not change whether the flight qualifies — it is the direct distance between the two aerodromes that counts.
• 50 NM is the threshold. 48 NM does not count. A 40-minute flight from a busy regional airport to a grass strip 35 NM away does not count.
• The departure and arrival aerodromes must be different. A flight that returns to the same aerodrome — even if it covers more than 50 NM en route — is not a cross-country for logging purposes.

Why it matters: PPL training requirements

Part-FCL Appendix 3 (aeroplane PPL) requires, among other things, that the minimum 45 hours of training include:

• 5 hours of solo cross-country flight time, including a qualifying solo cross-country of at least 270 NM during which full-stop landings at two aerodromes different from the departure aerodrome are made.

The qualifying solo cross-country is what most student pilots remember — the 270 NM triangle. But those 5 hours of solo cross-country time during training must also meet the 50 NM definition. A circuit flight to a nearby grass strip and back does not count toward the 5 hours just because you left your home aerodrome.

The qualifying solo cross-country: planning considerations

For the 270 NM qualifying flight:

• The minimum distance is 270 NM navigated as a route (not necessarily straight-line — you are routing via two intermediate aerodromes)
• You need full-stop landings at two different aerodromes en route, not touch-and-go
• Your instructor signs off your planning before you depart
• The weather must be VMC throughout (you are flying solo as a student)

The 270 NM route is typically planned as a triangle so that total route distance ≥ 270 NM and both intermediate stops are meaningful. A route of 100 NM + 100 NM + 70 NM works; a route of 60 + 60 + 150 works. Your instructor will review the plan.

Logging cross-country time after your PPL

Once you hold a PPL, cross-country time is still logged separately because:

1. Some future ratings (notably CB-IR) have cross-country hour requirements
2. ATPL and CPL hour requirements include substantial cross-country minimums
3. It is a useful record of navigation experience

The same 50 NM rule applies. A local flight to a nearby club, even if you land away, does not count unless the direct distance is ≥ 50 NM.

For cross-country entries, log:

• Departure aerodrome ICAO code
• Arrival aerodrome ICAO code
• Total flight time
• Cross-country time (the total time if the flight qualifies; if you flew out cross-country but returned locally, only the qualifying leg counts)

What about multi-leg days?

If you fly a multi-leg day — say, EGLL to EGTE to EGNM — each leg is assessed independently. If EGLL–EGTE is 140 NM (qualifies) and EGTE–EGNM is 35 NM (does not qualify), then only the first leg's time counts as cross-country.

Log each leg separately if you want accurate cross-country totals. Some pilots log the day as a single entry with total time, which means the cross-country column is slightly imprecise. For training purposes, separate legs are cleaner.

Common mistakes

• Counting any flight away from home as cross-country: The 50 NM threshold is not negotiable for regulatory purposes.
• Logging return legs that do not qualify: A 90 NM outbound and a 30 NM return via a different route — only the outbound qualifies.
• Confusing "navigational flight" with "cross-country": Your training might include navigational exercises that are shorter than 50 NM. These are logged as navigation training, not cross-country.

If you plan to progress toward a CB-IR or eventually an ATPL, keeping accurate cross-country totals from the start of your training is worth the small amount of extra attention it requires.