A cross-country flight is one of many milestones a pilot has to reach in order to become a fully-fledged pilot. Arguably the most significant of all these milestones is the first cross-country flight.
A cross-country flight must consist of 50 nautical miles from the departure airport to another airport. There is a further long cross-country flight required too which consists of:
A flight of 150 nautical miles
Full-stop landings at three different points
A straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles between the plane’s takeoff and landing points
Three takeoffs as well as three landings to a full stop at a certain airport with an operating control tower. Each landing must involve a flight in the traffic pattern
To obtain a private pilot certificate, students have to meet these special cross-country flight requirements. This is in addition to the minimum of 20 hours of flight training with an instructor beforehand. Students also have to complete a minimum of 10 hours of solo flying a single-engine airplane with the solo cross-country requirement.
Before a student can fly a solo cross-country flight in a single or multi-engine plane, they must have received and logged training in various locations and areas. These include the understanding of airspace regulations, the reading of weather patterns, and the completion of certain maneuvers.