Qualifying cross country

Qualifying Cross Country, also abbreviated QXC, is a flight training standard. Depending on the license type and country's regulatory requirements, it is generally a flight carried out solo, near the end of student training towards a Private Pilots License (PPL) or Private Ultralight Pilot license. Normally the student would be expected to plan a triangular course navigation with one leg more than a specified distance and with one or more landings away from the home airfield.

In the UK, the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) requirement for QXC for a PPL is a flight of at least 150 nautical miles, with two full-stop landings at airfields other than the departure airfield, ending with a return to the departure airfield. The student pilot carries a QXC form during the flight and must get it marked by the Air Traffic Controller at each airfield. Marks are awarded on the pilots conduct, professionalism during radio communications and technical capability in approaching and landing at the airfield.

The QXC is considered by many pilots to be the single most challenging part of gaining the first pilots license.