Using the Computerized Flight Plan, for a flight from CYAM to CYOW, what is the time and distance to the alternate (CYND)?

• A. 00:13, 13 NM
• B. 00:13, 369 NM
• C. 1:09, 386 NM
• D. 1:09, 1475 NM

Answer: (A)

In flight planning, you must know how far and how long it would take to reach an alternate aerodrome from the destination. The Computerized Flight Plan automatically calculates this “to alternate” leg using the filed route, forecast winds, and the planned speeds. For CYAM to CYOW with CYND as the alternate, the plan shows a very short hop to CYND: 13 nautical miles, which corresponds to about 13 minutes of flight time. That is why the time and distance to the alternate are shown as 00:13 and 13 NM. The other options would require a much longer diversion distance or a inconsistent time given the close proximity of CYND to CYOW, so they don’t fit the computed planner data.