RAAus Cross Country Endorsement: What you need to know.

The Cross Country Endorsement (X) removes the 25-nautical-mile leash around your departure point. Without it, you can fly circuits, training areas, and short hops. With it, you plan a route, read a chart, and navigate somewhere you couldn't see from the take-off roll. Here's what the RAAus Flight Operations Manual requires to get it — and everything Unit 2.03 of the syllabus covers.

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The X endorsement at a glance

Per Section 2.05, paragraph 5 of the RAAus Flight Operations Manual:

In order to act as pilot in command of a recreational aircraft at a distance greater than 25 nautical miles from the original point of departure a Pilot Certificate holder must hold a RAAus Cross Country (X) Endorsement. Consecutive flights of 25 nautical miles do not comply with this requirement.

Item	Group A/B (three-axis)	Group D (weight-shift)
Dual nav training	Minimum 10 hours	Minimum 2 hours
Solo nav	Minimum 2 hours	Minimum 1 hour
Written exam	RAAus Flight Navigation written exam	RAAus Group D Flight Navigation written exam
Pass mark	80%	80%
Flight test	With DCFI, CFI, or Pilot Examiner	With CFI or Pilot Examiner
Syllabus	Unit 2.03 — Navigation & Meteorology	Unit 2.03 — Navigation & Meteorology
FOM reference	Section 2.07, paragraph 11	Section 2.07, paragraph 35

Group D exception: If you don't hold an X endorsement, you can still fly between 25 and 100 NM from your departure point — but only if your logbook is endorsed by an RAAus Examiner confirming you've met the competencies in Section 2.07, paragraph 37.

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Prerequisites and training hours

Group A/B

Per Section 2.07, paragraph 11, you need:

• 10 hours dual cross country navigation training with an instructor
• 2 hours solo cross country navigation under your own planning
• A RAAus Flight Navigation written examination with an 80% pass mark
• A navigation flight test with a Deputy CFI, CFI, or Pilot Examiner

This sits on top of everything you already hold — RPC, PAX endorsement (to carry your instructor on dual navs), and ideally a Radio endorsement if you're operating near controlled airspace.

Group D

Per Section 2.07, paragraph 35, you need:

• 2 hours dual cross country navigation training
• 1 hour solo cross country navigation
• A Group D Flight Navigation written exam with an 80% pass mark
• A navigation flight test with a CFI or Pilot Examiner

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The written exam: what Unit 2.03 covers

The exam is drawn from Unit 2.03 of the RAAus Syllabus of Flight Training — Navigation and Meteorology. This is the theory engine behind the entire endorsement. You'll be tested on both halves.

Navigation topics

Topic	What you need to know
Charts and publications	Identify and interpret VTC, VNC, WAC/ERC-L, ERSA. Decode airspace boundaries, symbols, obstacles, spot heights, CTA, PRDs, and aerodrome data. Measure distance using chart scales and latitude. Plot position by lat/long and bearing/distance.
Form of the Earth	Latitude and longitude, meridians and parallels, true north vs magnetic north, magnetic variation (isogonals and annual change). One nautical mile equals one minute of latitude — this is the key relationship for all map work.
Time	UTC, Local Mean Time, Local Standard Time, Local Summer Time. Extract first and last light from AIP daylight/darkness graphs. Understand how latitude and season shorten daylight.
Computation techniques	Mental math for speed/distance/time (example: 120 knots = 2 NM per minute). Endurance from fuel flow and fuel available excluding reserves. Rate one turn timing. The wind side of the whiz wheel.
Navigation computations	Solve for heading, groundspeed, and drift given TAS, wind velocity, and track. Reverse it: determine track from heading, TAS, and wind. Build a nav log with legs, headings, times, and fuel.
Pilot navigation in flight	Maintain a navigation log in real time. Monitor fuel against plan and reserves. Measure track made good, calculate drift, and correct heading. Revise ETAs from groundspeed. Establish a DR position using time and heading from last fix. Map reading: map-to-ground and ground-to-map. Low-level vs high-level navigation.
Diversions	Plan inflight diversions around weather, fuel, or airspace. Calculate heading, distance, time, and fuel to an alternate from current position.

Meteorology topics

Topic	What you need to know
Atmospheric pressure	Units (hPa), variation with height, pressure altitude, ICAO standard atmosphere (1013.25 hPa, 15°C at MSL, 1.98°C lapse rate per 1,000 ft).
Atmospheric temperature	Units (°C), variation with height, density altitude and its effect on aircraft performance.
Pressure systems and fronts	Depressions (low pressure) and anticyclones (high pressure). Cold and warm fronts — structure, movement, associated weather. Isobars and wind direction (Buys Ballot's law). Pressure patterns over Australia.
Cloud classifications	Ten cloud types — cumulus, stratus, cirrus, cumulonimbus, nimbostratus, altostratus, altocumulus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, stratocumulus. What each tells you about stability and weather.
Visibility	Haze, smoke, fog (radiation, advection, frontal), mist, precipitation. How each forms and when it disperses.
Wind	Wind velocity, backing and veering, sea breezes, Fohn winds, valley winds, anabatic and katabatic flows, dust devils. Wind shear and wind gradient — effects on take-off and landing.
Turbulence	Mechanical (terrain), convectional (thermal), wake turbulence (wingtip vortices), slipstream turbulence. Mountain waves: conditions, severity, rotor zones.
Forecasts and reports	METAR, SPECI, TTF, TAF, AFOR, SIGMET, AIRMET. Know what each one is, how to read it, and where to get decodes.
Local weather knowledge	Thunderstorm development and hazards (microbursts, hail, lightning, gust fronts). Low cloud, poor visibility, turbulence — how they affect safe aircraft operation in your training area.

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The navigation flight test

The flight test is a practical demonstration — you plan and fly a nav exercise while the examiner assesses your ability to navigate without electronic aids.

What you'll need to demonstrate:

• Plan a cross country route on paper charts — VTC, VNC, or WAC as appropriate
• Build a nav log with waypoints, headings, distances, times, and fuel
• Obtain and interpret the relevant weather forecasts
• Fly the planned route using compass, clock, and map — no GPS or EFB during the test
• Fix your position using map-to-ground and ground-to-map
• Calculate track made good, drift, and revised heading
• Revise ETAs at each waypoint
• Manage fuel against plan and reserves throughout
• Demonstrate a diversion to an alternate aerodrome
• Handle lost procedures if required
• Operate in controlled airspace if relevant to the route

Examiners expect you to use paper charts and a whiz wheel (CRP-1 or similar), not an electronic E6B. After you pass, you're unlikely to navigate by paper again — but the test proves you can.

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What you need to bring to the test

• Current VTC, VNC, and/or WAC charts covering your route
• ERSA for your departure, destination, and alternates
• Whiz wheel (CRP-1 or similar manual flight computer)
• Navigation log — filled out for your planned route
• Current weather forecast products (Area Forecast or GPWT)
• Notam summaries for your route
• Pencil, ruler, protractor, and a basic calculator
• Watch or timer
• Fuel management plan with reserves calculated

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Study resources

Everything you need is grounded in the RAAus sources:

• RAAus Flight Operations Manual — Sections 2.05, 2.07, and 4.01-4.07
• RAAus Syllabus of Flight Training — Unit 2.03 — your study syllabus
• RAAus RPC exams — make sure you've passed your theory (RAAus RPC exam guide)
• CASA Visual Flight Rules Guide — airspace, radio, and procedures
• AIP — charts, ERSA, and daylight tables
• Bureau of Meteorology — aviation weather references
• VTC, VNC, WAC charts of your area — practice reading them until you can see the terrain in your head

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Key questions, short answers

What's the pass mark for the navigation written exam?
80%. This is set per the Cross Country endorsement requirements in the FOM.

Can I use GPS or an EFB during the flight test?
No. The test is designed to demonstrate your ability to navigate without electronic aids. Use paper charts, compass, watch, and whiz wheel. After you're endorsed, you can navigate however you prefer — but the test proves the underlying skill.

Do I need a PAX endorsement before starting XC training?
Yes. Your dual navigation flights involve carrying your instructor — which requires a PAX endorsement. Get PAX first, then start XC.

Do I need a radio endorsement?
Not strictly for the XC endorsement itself, but if you'll operate near registered, military, or certified aerodromes, you need a radio endorsement. It's hard to fly any meaningful cross country without one.

What counts as 'dual cross country navigation training'?
Flight time where an RAAus Instructor is on board and the flight involves navigation beyond 25 NM from the departure point, with you planning and flying the route under instruction.

What counts as 'solo cross country navigation'?
Flights where you are PIC, solo, navigating beyond 25 NM from the departure point using the skills you built during dual training.

Can I combine my dual and solo nav flights into a single trip?
No. Dual hours are with an instructor. Solo hours are on your own. They must be logged separately.

Do I need an XC endorsement for every aircraft type?
The XC endorsement is not type-specific — it's held against your Pilot Certificate. But you must meet the recency and competency requirements for the aircraft you're using on any given flight.

What's the simplest first cross country route to plan?
A four-leg circuit that keeps you within 25 NM of home while still requiring real navigation. Example: depart → waypoint 1 (24 NM) → waypoint 2 (20 NM) → waypoint 3 (22 NM) → home (25 NM). You stay within 25 NM of the field, but you practice full nav on every leg.

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Ready to look for an examiner? Browse the RAAus school directory for a CFI or Pilot Examiner near you. And make sure you've got your PAX endorsement sorted first — you'll need it for those dual nav flights.

Reference: RAAus Flight Operations Manual Issue 7.1.2 (17 July 2024), Sections 2.05, 2.07, and 3.03.