File IFR Direct?

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Bravo

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Bravo
What situations would you (if at all) file IFR direct from airport A to airport B? All my IFR flights so far, I have planned to get on airways/routes as soon as possible, however there has been a couple times where I get in the air and they clear me direct without even asking. Got me thinking that maybe I should just file direct under certain situations between airports out here in the sticks?
 
Thanks. That reads to me as if he prefers routes over direct.
 
Low level (below 10K or so) flights in non-congested airspace with good radar/radio coverage are good candidates for filing and being cleared direct. Flying out of busy airspace, there will usually be a canned route to get you started in the right direction until you can go direct. It also helps a controller to know which way to point you if you're going someplace far away if you have a local fix along the route in your flight plan.
 
Bravo said:
Thanks. That reads to me as if he prefers routes over direct.
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There's pros and cons to both. While flying direct is certainly convenient, and I try to get it whenever possible. On short flights, airways don't take you that far out of the way.
 
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I file direct everywhere and receive direct 99% of the time. Route gets slightly amended in flight when approaching congested airspace. YMMV, it's very region specfic and I live in a land of very little air traffic. Although, I do have great luck even when I'm away from home. I've been cleared direct on 1,000 mile flights.

That said, worst thing that happens if you file direct is they give you the route they'd prefer, which is more efficient than guessing.

It's hard to go wrong really. Now if you file direct and it gets amended to the same specific route every single time then filing that route will be easier. Know your area. If you don't know the area file direct.
 
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All the time,file on Foreflight,and they give you the route to expect ,if you don't get direct. Just be ready to copy a full route clearance.
 
Direct is the fastest, cheapest, most efficient way to get to your destination. As such I typically prefer direct over airways.

I will look at www.fltplan.com for recent routes planned and recent routes APPROVED by ATC. It is telling if you do not see direct being approved.

Crossing mountains and when the temp drops leading to icing concerns at altitudes just above where I am planning to fly are also occasions where an airway may be beneficial.
 
Always,

If it doesn't go through restricted Ill file direct
 
Depends where you are in the country. You can always file/ask for direct, but in some cases (like the NE) you won't get it. Other places it's not uncommon.

As pointed out, your initial clearance might be canned mostly for the "what happens prior to radar contact" situation. Out of my home field every IFR clearance gets sent a nearby VOR first. Usually, you can get cleared direct as soon as you get in radar contact (even before you get to the VOR).
 
FORANE said:
Direct is the fastest, cheapest, most efficient way to get to your destination. As such I typically prefer direct over airways.

I will look at www.fltplan.com for recent routes planned and recent routes APPROVED by ATC. It is telling if you do not see direct being approved.

Crossing mountains and when the temp drops leading to icing concerns at altitudes just above where I am planning to fly are also occasions where an airway may be beneficial.
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I'm a big dummy. I'm looking on fltplan but can't seem to find where to get previous ATC routes. Can you point me in the right direction?
 
Always file direct
I always get direct if I'm going north of Orlando, always get airways if I'm going south of Orlando.
PS when on fltplan right where there's "direct" "own routing" choice, right below that are the previously filed and previously cleared routes
 
Bravo said:
What situations would you (if at all) file IFR direct from airport A to airport B?
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Pretty much all the time unless I need to route around restricted airspace or go around that big blob to the south called ATL bravo.

If there are VORs (and there normally are) very close to my route, I file them as waypoints along the route. I also like to entertain myself along the route by looking at the IFR charts and guessing and then tuning radials off VORs to verify my location using NAV 2.
 
rbridges said:
I'm a big dummy. I'm looking on fltplan but can't seem to find where to get previous ATC routes. Can you point me in the right direction?
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First you need to create a new flight plan. If you have a few plans saved in the "active flight plan list" initial page after signing in, click on "modify" then "press here when done" button. You should see a box with departing and arrival airports, speed, departure time, altitude, SOB's, route selection, etc. Scroll down that page, below the "press here for nav log" button and you will see:
Recent FltPlan.com User Routes between
and
The 5 Most Recent Planned ATC Routes between

 
99% of my flights since 1998 have been filed direct and I've gotten that routing 97% of the time. The rest involved only minor reroutes for whatever reason.

The shortest route between two points is a straight line...
 
Depends on where you fly. I can file direct for all my flights out of FRG but I'll never get it.
 
FORANE said:
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Crossing mountains and when the temp drops leading to icing concerns at altitudes just above where I am planning to fly are also occasions where an airway may be beneficial.
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yes, not uncommon that the airway might give you a lower MEA than the direct route by going over lower terrain. For example GGW --D-> GTF requires a minimum of 10,000' for high terrain, V430 HVR V257 adds just 10 minutes with the highest MEA 6500'. With the freezing level between eight and ten thousand it can be a wise decision to take the airway.
 
rbridges said:
I'm a big dummy. I'm looking on fltplan but can't seem to find where to get previous ATC routes. Can you point me in the right direction?
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http://youtu.be/LHJHLbMySpc

To answer the original question, I generally file direct for shorter flights but unless I know I am going to be in TRACON airspace all the way, usually file at least one waypoint in each Center airspace, per the AIM guidance, even if FltPlan.com shows recently cleared ATC routes that are Direct. Those waypoints are always pretty much on the direct route.
 
When going east of Denver I file direct and often get it. When going west over the Rockies they always reject my direct filing and put me on airways. It makes sense... ATC wants to make sure I'm complying with the MEAs and not hitting rocks along an untested route.
 
FORANE said:
First you need to create a new flight plan. If you have a few plans saved in the "active flight plan list" initial page after signing in, click on "modify" then "press here when done" button. You should see a box with departing and arrival airports, speed, departure time, altitude, SOB's, route selection, etc. Scroll down that page, below the "press here for nav log" button and you will see:
Recent FltPlan.com User Routes between
and
The 5 Most Recent Planned ATC Routes between
Click to expand...

thanks for the details. I was looking for a button that let you plug in two airports and it would give the info.
 
I don't have a /G. Sometimes I can get "direct" if I'm above the MVA between the two airports in question. Or I'll file direct to a place where I can begin an approach and take what they give me.
 
Are you /G?

I would file direct if neither airport has any DPs or STARs applicable to my type and equipment, I am /G, and will be above the OROCA.

Flying into/from Class B satellite airports, I will try to look up the most likely DP or STAR. But honestly that has become a somewhat time-consuming PITA with the proliferation of procedures in many big cities. Dallas, Houston, Denver have dozens of DPs and you have to open each one and look at it to know if it is applicable (OK except for RNP ones). Same for STARs.

All that to say that you could file direct if you were unsure which procedure to use and you were willing to let ATC just assign you a procedure. Heck, sometimes I pick wrong and ATC assigns me a different procedure than the one I picked anyway.
 
James331 said:
Always,

If it doesn't go through restricted Ill file direct
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Why even look at that? If you're IFR, then ATC will keep you out of there if needed. That's the best thing about IFR, IMO, that you don't need to worry about airspace anymore...
 
HighFlyingA380 said:
Why even look at that? If you're IFR, then ATC will keep you out of there if needed. That's the best thing about IFR, IMO, that you don't need to worry about airspace anymore...
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If you know the local area, and are gonna fly during a time you think its active(or during its published times) best to already plan to fly around it and then get cleared direct. If you file directly through a MOA at a military training base during normal business hours...9 times out of 10 you are gonna get a re-route around it. And those MOAs are HUGE.
 
As long as I'm flying an IFR GPS-equipped airplane and there's no weather or operational reason to do otherwise, I'll file direct every time.

Examples where I've had a GPS but not filed direct:

1) In and out of the Washington SFRA. (and I did file direct and get re-routed until I figured out what routes they use)

2) When there was potential for icing at the altitudes necessary to go direct, but the airway MEAs were low enough to stay in above-freezing air and most likely out of the clouds. There was a layer from maybe 6000-8000 feet, and I could file the airway at 5000 feet but would have had to file at or above 7000 for direct. As it turned out, I think the Boston Center controller read my mind - I filed for 11000, figuring that if I could get up there without picking up any ice on the way (the layer was scattered to broken), I'd be above it all and be able to ask for direct. As soon as I got handed off to Center on the climbout, they came back with "Nxxxxx, upon reaching 9000, cleared direct..."

3) When I was in a new-to-me airplane out West and wasn't sure how long it'd take me to climb to the OROCA. So, I filed for airways and once I was high enough asked for direct.

4) When I needed to steer clear of a long line of storms and it was much shorter to file a non-direct route around them than it would have been to file direct and then make a turn to go around them.

5) When there's active military airspace, or Chicago gets in the way (I know I'm going to get KELSI, might as well file it).

It's not a bad idea to have an airway route in mind in case of a radar outage/coverage limitation or some other problem, but without one of the types of issues mentioned above, you might as well ask for direct right off the bat by filing it. Often, the controllers will simply clear you direct even if you do file airways so you might as well just file it!
 
I have the opposite problem. I fly up and down California and for night flights I like to follow the Highway 101 corridor for a safer route of flight in the event of an emergency. Direct from my home field to a typical transition fix in So Cal is over some not so hospitable terrain and not a light in site for miles around. Sure enough every time Center will amend and clear me direct.

The controller seemed baffled last night when he asked if I wanted a short cut and I requested to remain as filed. It only adds 7 min to a 2.5 hour trip but has a lot better emergency options!
 
Shawn said:
I have the opposite problem. I fly up and down California and for night flights I like to follow the Highway 101 corridor for a safer route of flight in the event of an emergency. Direct from my home field to a typical transition fix in So Cal is over some not so hospitable terrain and not a light in site for miles around. Sure enough every time Center will amend and clear me direct.

The controller seemed baffled last night when he asked if I wanted a short cut and I requested to remain as filed. It only adds 7 min to a 2.5 hour trip but has a lot better emergency options!
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The word "Unable" is your friend. Use it.

It may also help you to put the reason you don't want direct in the comments section. I've done that when I filed a very specific route to go over Lake Michigan via the nearest point - It said "No re-routes over water please - Thanks anyway!" and the controller got a good chuckle out of it and kept me on the plan I wanted. :)
 
I'd say that more often than not, I have gotten INS direct on coast to coast trips. Often times even in RVSM airspace (my steed is non RVSM). Like others have said, just depends on where you are going. NAS Fallon/Lemoore/Nellis AFB making a stop somewhere in the midwest and then on to NAS Oceana really doesn't ever involve high density areas nor does it involve things like STARs if you know where to go. If you were trying to go direct down the eastern seaboard, good luck with that at any fuel conservative altitude. I'm sure some have done it, but I'd guess that would be a much lower probability of success.
 
jordane93 said:
Depends on where you fly. I can file direct for all my flights out of FRG but I'll never get it.
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petrolero said:
Flying into/from Class B satellite airports, I will try to look up the most likely DP or STAR. But honestly that has become a somewhat time-consuming PITA with the proliferation of procedures in many big cities. Dallas, Houston, Denver have dozens of DPs and you have to open each one and look at it to know if it is applicable (OK except for RNP ones). Same for STARs.

All that to say that you could file direct if you were unsure which procedure to use and you were willing to let ATC just assign you a procedure. Heck, sometimes I pick wrong and ATC assigns me a different procedure than the one I picked anyway.
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frfly172 said:
All the time,file on Foreflight,and they give you the route to expect ,if you don't get direct. Just be ready to copy a full route clearance.
Click to expand...

mattaxelrod said:
File what you want. Fly what you get.
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These, in a nutshell. I launch under Houston Class B, and on fltplan.com I simply file "direct" and let the ATC computer pick a DP for me. During the filing process, I'll note what ATC typically assigns, and about 80% of the time that's what the fltplan.com alert tells me what to expect, and about 80% of those times that's what I actually get from CD when I launch.

And as soon as I'm airborne, it all starts changing. I usually get vectored while I'm in or going around the B--not told to fly the DP--and then once I'm out of the B, I get cleared direct to the last waypoint of the DP, direct to the first waypoint of a STAR if I'm going to another congested airspace, or direct destination.

Coming back home is similar. I always file direct, I almost always get a STAR, and I almost always never fly it, because I get vectored instead.

But that's just because that's how it works where I fly.
 
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Bravo said:
What situations would you (if at all) file IFR direct from airport A to airport B?
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The same as for using "direct" at the end of an airways route on the flight plan: When I know I can legally navigate from that point to an IAF and comply with 91.177 all by myself without ATC communications if necessary.

dtuuri
 
Aviation textbooks say that FAA's host computer doesn't like 'direct' over long distance - that at least a single waypoint is needed for every center crossed. Whether it has been relaxed I don't know.
 
olasek said:
Aviation textbooks say that FAA's host computer doesn't like 'direct' over long distance - that at least a single waypoint is needed for every center crossed. Whether it has been relaxed I don't know.
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No need to relax something that never existed
 
olasek said:
Aviation textbooks say that FAA's host computer doesn't like 'direct' over long distance - that at least a single waypoint is needed for every center crossed. Whether it has been relaxed I don't know.
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I think that is as much for the controllers as for the computer. As I understand it, the controllers have access to all high-altitude VORs, and all fixes within their facility. If you file, say, KMPO direct KAEG, the controllers in Kansas City Center have no idea where you're really going. File KMPO EWC VHP ICT KAEG, and now everyone has at least a clue, and you've only added a whopping 1nm to a 1,500+nm trip. Or, you could add a fix that's exactly on your route and defined by radial/distance from the fix the controllers are going to know.

JHW said:
No need to relax something that never existed
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Not only did it exist, it still does:

AIM 5-1-8 said:
d. Area Navigation (RNAV)

2. Pilots of aircraft equipped with approved area navigation equipment may file for RNAV routes throughout the National Airspace System and may be filed for in accordance with the following procedures.

(c) Plan the random route portion of the flight plan to begin and end over appropriate arrival and departure transition fixes or appropriate navigation aids for the altitude stratum within which the flight will be conducted. The use of normal preferred departure and arrival routes (DP/STAR), where established, is recommended.

(d) File route structure transitions to and from the random route portion of the flight.

(e) Define the random route by waypoints. File route description waypoints by using degree-distance fixes based on navigational aids which are appropriate for the altitude stratum.

(f) File a minimum of one route description waypoint for each ARTCC through whose area the random route will be flown. These waypoints must be located within 200 NM of the preceding center's boundary.
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Yeah yeah, the AIM isn't regulatory, blah blah, but there are reasons behind it. For a good perspective from a controller, read this: http://www.avweb.com/news/sayagain/185690-1.html?redirected=1

Of course, most controllers just don't care enough to make an issue of it, so they won't say a word when we just file direct airport to airport... And thus, we all do. But, it's not a bad idea to read and understand the above material, and make your decision from there.
 
you took a lot of writing to pump yourself up before finally admitting nobody cares and never has :rolleyes:
 
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