Alphabet Challenges

The Alphabet Challenge is made up of themed groups of flights within the PilotEdge coverage area. True to the name, each challenge’s first leg begins at an airport associated with the letter A and leads sequentially to Z, then finishing up with airport identifiers starting with 0 to 9. In total, the 35 legs of each series encompass a wide variety of airports from large class Bravos to the smallest of non-towered fields.

Unlike the CAT ratings, I-ratings and SkyHigh ratings, the Alphabet Challenge is simply an itinerary. There are no briefings, grading by ATC, videos or specified routing/approaches. The Alphabet Challenge is an opportunity to explore the airspace in a structured and somewhat whimsical way. The training or entertainment value is really what you choose to make of it. The purpose is simply to make it to the destination one way or another in whatever fashion each pilot feels is best for them. In light of its loose structure, pilots are encouraged to complete at least the CAT ratings or I-ratings prior to beginning the Alphabet Challenge.

The lack of specific routing for each leg is intentional as it allows pilots to use & apply what they’ve learned from previous training programs, selecting their own method of navigation for each flight. Pilots may use real-world or custom weather, and may fly the legs VFR or IFR. Pilots should choose an aircraft suitable for the specific leg and may use different aircraft for different legs while keeping in mind that some of the airports have relatively short runways.

One great benefit of the program: it provides a common frame of reference with other users in the community. Feel free to share your experiences in our forums or Discord!

Obtaining Credit for Each Leg

The Alphabet Challenge includes many non-towered airports, so pilots are not required to talk to ATC on every leg. However, in order to obtain credit for a flight, pilots must file a flight plan (either VFR or IFR) before departing for each leg. Upon completion of the leg, it is the pilot’s responsibility to visit the specific Alphabet Challenge’s logging page (hosted by myflightroute.com) and enter their PEAware URL to obtain credit for the flight. Pilots should ensure PEAware shows them as “arrived” before disconnecting from PilotEdge and logging their flight on the challenge page.

The Challenges

Click on a challenge below to view the itinerary, submit a flight, or view past flight logs.