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home / skills / probichaux / clawdskills / flight-planner

flight-planner skill

/flight-planner

This skill plans multi-leg flights with wind-optimized timing and calendar integration, generating a detailed timeline and calendar entries.

npx playbooks add skill probichaux/clawdskills --skill flight-planner

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)
SKILL.md
2.2 KB
---
name: flight-planner
description: Plan multi-leg flights with wind-optimized timing and calendar integration. Use when asked to plan a flight, create a flight plan, or schedule a flying mission. Takes a route (e.g., "HSV to JWN to HMP to HSV"), calculates times with winds aloft, and creates calendar entries.
---

# Flight Planner

End-to-end flight planning: route → winds → timing → calendar.

## Workflow

When asked to plan a flight:

1. **Parse the route** — Extract airport sequence (e.g., "HSV to JWN to HMP to HSV")

2. **Calculate each leg** — Use `flight_time.py` for each leg:
   ```bash
   ~/clawd/skills/flight-time/scripts/flight_time.py KDEP KARR --altitude ALT --tas TAS --json
   ```

3. **Optimize altitude** — Check multiple altitudes (4000, 6000, 8000, 10000) for the longest leg and pick the best ground speed. Note the recommendation.

4. **Add ground time** — 30 minutes at each intermediate stop (pickup/dropoff)

5. **Build timeline** — Start from requested departure time, sequence all legs and ground stops

6. **Ask about attendees** — Before creating calendar entry, ask:
   > "Should anyone be invited to this flight?"

7. **Create calendar entry** — Use `m365cal.py create` with:
   - Subject: Route summary (e.g., "Flight: HSV-JWN-HMP-HSV")
   - Duration: Total block time
   - Body: Full timeline and leg details
   - Attendees: As specified

## Default Parameters

- **TAS**: 185 kt
- **Fuel burn**: 24 gph
- **Altitude**: 6000 ft (optimize from there)
- **Ground time**: 30 min per stop

## Example Output Format

```
✈️ FLIGHT PLAN: HSV-JWN-HMP-HSV
Date: Jan 29, 2026 | Depart: 12:00

LEG 1: HSV → JWN
• 93 nm | TC 357° | 0:35
• Winds 300°@48kt (tailwind)

LEG 2: JWN → HMP  
• 210 nm | TC 142° | 2:23
• Winds 320°@52kt (headwind)
• ⚠️ Better at 8000ft: 2:03

[... more legs ...]

TIMELINE
12:00 Depart HSV
12:35 Arrive JWN (30 min ground)
13:05 Depart JWN
[...]

TOTALS: 446 nm | 3:44 flight | 4:44 block | ~90 gal

Should anyone be invited to this flight?
```

## Dependencies

- `~/clawd/skills/flight-time/scripts/flight_time.py` — Time/wind calculations
- `~/clawd/skills/m365-calendar/scripts/m365cal.py` — Calendar integration

Overview

This skill plans multi-leg flights end to end, producing wind-optimized timing and creating calendar events. It parses a route, computes leg times with winds aloft, recommends best cruise altitude for the longest leg, and assembles a block-time timeline ready for calendar scheduling. It can also add attendees and ground-time buffers for realistic planning.

How this skill works

Given a route and desired departure, the skill extracts the airport sequence and calls the flight-time calculator for each leg to get distance, track, winds, and time. It evaluates several altitudes for the longest leg to recommend a wind-optimized altitude and then inserts standard ground time at intermediate stops. Finally it compiles a full timeline, computes totals (nm, flight time, block time, estimated fuel), and can create a calendar entry with the route summary, detailed timeline, and optional attendees.

When to use it

  • Planning a multi-leg VFR or IFR trip that needs winds-aligned timing
  • Preparing a dispatchable timeline for pilots, crew, or passengers
  • Scheduling a flying mission into a team calendar with attendees
  • Estimating block time and fuel for trip briefings or flight logs
  • Checking whether a different altitude reduces time on a long leg

Best practices

  • Provide a clear route string (e.g., "HSV to JWN to HMP to HSV") and preferred departure time
  • Confirm whether attendees should be invited before calendar creation
  • Review altitude recommendation for performance and airspace considerations
  • Adjust ground-time defaults if you need longer turn or passenger handling
  • Validate aircraft TAS and fuel-burn inputs for accurate fuel estimates

Example use cases

  • Create a day-trip flight plan with two intermediate stops and add passengers to the calendar
  • Compare cruise altitudes on a long cross-country leg to pick the fastest option
  • Produce a concise timeline and fuel estimate for flight briefing
  • Schedule a training sortie with buffer ground times between hops
  • Generate a single calendar block covering all legs for crew scheduling

FAQ

What default parameters does the skill use?

Defaults are TAS 185 kt, fuel burn 24 gph, nominal altitude 6000 ft (altitudes tested: 4000/6000/8000/10000), and 30 minutes ground time per stop.

Can I change attendees or cancel calendar creation?

Yes. The skill asks whether anyone should be invited before creating the calendar entry so you can add attendees or skip calendar integration.