Route planning, safety altitude and fuel

A VFR cross-country is won on the ground, before you start the engine. Dead reckoning (DR) is the discipline of deciding, in advance, the track to fly, the heading to steer for the wind, the time each leg will take and the fuel it will burn, then writing it all down. Fly the heading for the time and the next checkpoint appears. Map-reading only confirms the plan; it does not replace it.