Throughout my flight training, there was always emphasis on filing a flight plan, opening a flight plan and closing. This always puzzled me. So, I would like to get some information from experienced flyers. First, where can I find the current frequencies and telephone numbers for the various Flight Service Stations? Next, as I understand it, the only purpose a Flight Plan serves, is too alert authorities when an aircraft is overdue, often assuming an off airport landing in some deep wilderness area. But if flying around moderately populated areas (as most of us do), what's the point? Someone will see it and call 911. And lastly, do veteran GA pilots always file a flight plan? Or is that now considered largely unnecessary, except for training and initial certification, and for long distance flights over sparsely populated areas?
Filing a Flight Plan
- Thread starter HAPPYDAN
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Calling Flight Service is a single landline number (1-800-WX-BRIEF). Frequencies for them are listed under VOR’s on VFR sectionals
For example:
In this example, 117.6 is the VOR frequency and 122.1R is the receiving frequency for FSS. What you would do is broadcast over 122.1 and then use 117.6 to hear them. You can communicate with Flight Service in the air using this method to open and close flight plans.
These days, I typically just get Flight Following instead of filing a VFR flight plan.
For example:
In this example, 117.6 is the VOR frequency and 122.1R is the receiving frequency for FSS. What you would do is broadcast over 122.1 and then use 117.6 to hear them. You can communicate with Flight Service in the air using this method to open and close flight plans.
These days, I typically just get Flight Following instead of filing a VFR flight plan.
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
I pretty much use them as you described, but the area doesn't have to be 'deep wilderness.' If I ain't pretty damn sure if I go down that there isn't going to be an audience, I file. I don't know of list somewhere that has all the frequencies and phone numbers for all of the FSS's in one spot. They all guard 122.2, I think.
midwestpa24
Final Approach
I only ever file instrument flight plans. I can't even tell you when the last time I filed a VFR flight plan. If I'm travelling VFR, then I will just pick up flight following. When I do brief and file, I always do it online either through DUATS or FltPln.com. As for the phone number, it is still the 1-800-WX-BRIEF.
Clark1961
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All FSS in the lower 48 are at 1-800-wxbrief. Really tough to remember that one. Freqs are shown on sectionals.
Clark1961
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You’ll have to tell them where you are so they can use the right transmitter - may as well look at the sectional and get the frequency Kenneth.
Sinistar
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Brad
You can also call them up to obtain weather, file PIREP's and get relevant frequencies.
One thing that has got many of us newbies: Let's say you drafted up your flight plan for 1400Z. But alas, general aviation is rarely on time. So you actually take off at 1420z. Once you are airborne you call up FSS and activate your plan. But you forget to tell them the actual time of departure. So the filed time of departure will be used instead of actual. So now 20min of your flight plan has already been consumed! That flub has resulted in many a cell phone, home phone and FBO phone being called.
Rykymus
Line Up and Wait
For the two years I was VFR only, I never filed a flight plan. (Except for training.) Never really felt the need, as the places I was flying over had cell phone service. If I had been flying over wilderness areas on a regular, perhaps I might have. But, I did have (and still do have) a registered EPIRB (ResQlink) with me at all times, along with a survival kit designed to get me by for 24-48 hrs.
Now that I'm instrument rated, I file IFR flight plans for pretty much everything greater than 30 minutes flying time. (Just for the practice in most cases.) But when VFR, I always have FF.
Now that I'm instrument rated, I file IFR flight plans for pretty much everything greater than 30 minutes flying time. (Just for the practice in most cases.) But when VFR, I always have FF.
James331
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Well some of us actually normally land in off airport areas in the wilderness
But as has been said, if you're in the lower 48 just get flight following, cant remember the last time I did a VFR flight plan, and if youre in AK or something, a SPOT is more likely to be your salvation vs a flight plan, though both are always better
The guys I rent from know where I'm going, when I leave, and when I expect to return, and they care a whole lot more about getting their plane back than FSS does.
FlySince9
En-Route
Don't count on that....
lancie00
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I don't travel a lot by flying so I don't remember the last time I filed a flight plan. In fact, I don't know if I've ever activated one outside of training. I try to use flight following but most of the time I'm just sight seeing and don't.
Thanks to all for some really useful information. The last time I asked a CFI that same question, I just got a blank stare, like "Are you stupid or something?". It does seem so obvious now, at least to those in the know - kind of like "Hersheys chocolate is good; everybody knows that." Not if you haven't tasted it, though.
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
Sounds like there's a story here
luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
...INSTEAD OF. That implies you are thinking about someone knowing you didn't make it to your destination otherwise you wouldn't even be thinking about VFR flight plan in the first place. Beware of using Flight Following for that. Controllers are required to initiate Search and Rescue if you 'unexpectedly' disappear. One thing that can go wrong with this is you drop off the scope around the time you would be expected to because of Radar coverage and Communication is lost because that's around the time you'd be going on over to Advisory frequency. You can get 'terminated' because you go out of Radar coverage or they just get busy with IFR traffic and start terminating VFR's. Or you call asking for Flight Following and they say unable. Or they just forget you. Flight Following can get you being looked for sooner than a Flight Plan waiting for you to be 30 minutes overdue. And it can narrow down the search area because they saw right where you disappeared. And you got someone to yell Mayday at right away if the sheet hits the fan. But to use FF as a substitute for a flight plan has some risks.
WannFly
Final Approach
What’s the harm in filing? I can file and close via text or via EFB. I use wxbrief for my weather briefing and when I have a plan the website draws a great picture of what’s going around my route of flight. Yes, it’s one more step, but worth it to me. If u are late, u need to inform them inflight, else they will start calling, ask me how I know. FF is not guaranteed, they get busy with IFR, radar coverage is lost, that’s not the time to thinking about filing. And I ain’t betting on someone else calling 911 when I go down. Having said all that, I am literally in the middle of nowhere and corn fields wherever I go, someone seeing me go down and calling 911 is pretty slim
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KaiGywer
Line Up and Wait
Ain't that the truth? The good thing about this though is that 75% of our state is a soft field landing
If you make it to a gravel road you're even better off.
Our Canadian friends can chime in on that one. VFR flights greater than 25 nm from base require a flight plan or a flight itinerary. The primary difference between the two is who you give it to.The guys I rent from know where I'm going, when I leave, and when I expect to return, and they care a whole lot more about getting their plane back than FSS does.
Actually, that's not quite accurate. Another very big difference is the ability to update it with a radio call, an SOP for me when I use them and when I train how to use the. Did that in my long solo cross country many moons ago when I diverted.
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SbestCFII
Line Up and Wait
I didn't read all the preceding relies, so this may be redundant. There's not a good reason not to file a flight plan. Phone, DUATs, IPAD Apps make it easy and all you need to do is call-up a nearby FSS outlet to open and close near or at your destination. Make it even better and get flight-following after take-off as well. If you're ever interested in getting your IFR rating, these are simply good habits to build along the way.
James331
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James331
Yup, here have been more than a few cases where a plane went down not 10 miles from an airport and it sat for hours if not days before someone saw it
As long as you don't forget to close it or adjust it.
Personally if I was that concerned I'd get a SPOT too
Or let a "responsible" party know about your flight.
Some of this is also because of their inferior system and the difference between flight following here vs there.
A lot more of it is because of extensive areas with no population, no cities, no radar. Even though I do not regularly file VFR flight plans, I did when I flew in the US Rockies where, due to our inferior system
I was often out of radar coverage.
arkvet
Line Up and Wait
I’ve never filed a VFR flight plan. I use flight following for any flights that are over a half hour or flying anywhere with a fair amount of traffic.
Ads-b adds a little measure of safety. In my area I can barely taxi around without showing up on FlightAware. Anytime I fly someone (typically my wife) knows when I’m going and my plans. If I don’t text or call when I get there she can look at FlightAware to see if she should be concerned. The ads-b track log should help narrow the search area.
Ads-b adds a little measure of safety. In my area I can barely taxi around without showing up on FlightAware. Anytime I fly someone (typically my wife) knows when I’m going and my plans. If I don’t text or call when I get there she can look at FlightAware to see if she should be concerned. The ads-b track log should help narrow the search area.
FlySince9
En-Route
That will work until you hear "radar service terminated" because controller is too busy to do it... I usually do both lest the one fails...
arkvet
Line Up and Wait
And that may be related to where you fly. I’d have to fly pretty far from home to find a controller that was so busy I got dropped from flight following. Only a temporary concern though as I’m working to finish the IFR rating and it’ll be a non issue.
SbestCFII
Line Up and Wait
Why treat the two any differently? If you'll file IFR, why not VFR?
SbestCFII
Line Up and Wait
Any CFI worth a rat's ass should encourage you to file both a flight plan and get VFR flight-following. It's cheap insurnace, that happens to be free.
Could it be people treat them differently because they are different? Pilots treat them differently because the air traffic system treats them differently,
Start with an easy difference. One is mandatory for operations in controlled airspace, the other is not only optional, but has zero to do with operations in controlled airspace.
Yes, there are a few exceptions, like for ADIZ and SFRA ops, but those, like IFR flight plans, are mandatory and seen by ATC.
Don't treat them differently. Treat VFR flight plans like IFR flight plans and they'll be filed all the time, once the screaming by both pilots and controllers dies down.
I meant to say it was his insulting "Everybody knows that, why are you asking me?" attitude. I was always told there are no stupid questions. I can see now the answer was perhaps just too simple, and I guess I was supposed to know that already. This was just prior to my dual cross country. Since all prior flights had been to the local training area, there hadn't been any need to file one.
Just a brief addition:
http://www.pero.dk/dok-flyvning/FSS..pdf
This is a pretty good tutorial I just ran across, for anyone else (like me) with questions.
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luvflyin
Touchdown! Greaser!
Good point on updating. If you are not receiving Flight Following for whatever reason, you didn't want to, they said no or you got terminated because of Radar coverage it can narrow the search area. By giving a VFR Position Report they will know you made it at least that far and can start the search from there. They are very quick and easy to do if you have the 'format' down and don't make the FSS guy have to play 20 questions. Giving a PIREP will accomplish the same thing. Where you are is part of a PIREP. It don't have to be bad weather to make a PIREP. Smooth is as valid a PIREP as bumpy is and is useful to others.
danhagan
En-Route
I stopped filing VFR flight plans 4 years ago. Used them 100% of the time outside the local area (all my flights are long XC somewhere north of 725 hours now). Reason for stopping? Went to Carlsbad NM to visit relatives, tried cancelling in the air and FSS indicated they wanted to insure I *LANDED* and to call them after landing instead - which I did, and had the guy's name also. Next day I call up to activate the return leg ... FSS indicates previous day's flight plan was still open and had not been closed. I respond," Why aren't you calling and looking for me then?" Millisecond response from them saying new flight plan open and the old one "taken care of" ....
I now text route of flight waypoints to my wife's phone, and can even text her airborne after passing them (which is a pain with FSS if you've used that feature while airborne). Most of my flights lately have been visiting my son solo and are all long XC across Texas.
I now text route of flight waypoints to my wife's phone, and can even text her airborne after passing them (which is a pain with FSS if you've used that feature while airborne). Most of my flights lately have been visiting my son solo and are all long XC across Texas.
Vance Breese
Cleared for Takeoff
I file VFR flight plans to aid search and rescue if something doesn’t work out.
I feel it is a useful part of flight planning and helps me recognize when things are not working as planned.
I feel it is a useful part of flight planning and helps me recognize when things are not working as planned.
BrianNC
En-Route
sferguson524
Pattern Altitude
This. If I'm leaving the local area, i am on flight following. If I am going somewhere, it's flight following and a flight plan. Belt and suspenders.
True, true - an airplane is small. It's even smaller when rolled up in a ball. And it often doesn't look much like an airplane after you've tried to clear trees or move earth with it. I was involved in a multi-day search for an crashed airplane within sight of a major highway, and a town, on the east coast. Took a week to find it.
You don't need a vast wilderness to disappear, and most of the east is forest covered - take a look at a sat image from DC to NY, for example.
But preaching aside, I admit I don't file VFR anymore, or use flight following. I travel IFR, but drop comms when VFR, once clear of the DC FRZ.
bflynn
Final Approach
Add to this - whatever you think about CAP, at least our local training scenarios go something like “Pilot was in a VFR flight plan A to B to C...” There’s a good chance they will be the ones looking for you, help them out.
Reality, most actual ELT searches go something like “reports of an ELT between Raleigh and Richmond”, then the actual ELT is near the coast. A flight plan WILL get you found sooner.
Reality, most actual ELT searches go something like “reports of an ELT between Raleigh and Richmond”, then the actual ELT is near the coast. A flight plan WILL get you found sooner.
MickYoumans
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Does CAP have access to ADS-B flight data? I installed ADS-B out in my airplane last summer. It is amazing how accurate the flight paths are for ALL of my flights now regardless of whether I file a flight plan, use flight following or fly with neither. If I go down, someone please look at my last known position on Flight Aware and start looking there.
bflynn
Final Approach
most (all?) CAP aircraft have ADSB installed. If they don't now, they soon will.
If they know it's you, they'll look. If all they're getting is "there's an ELT", that means they don't know who it is and also don't know exactly where. Even 406 systems have faults
If they know it's you, they'll look. If all they're getting is "there's an ELT", that means they don't know who it is and also don't know exactly where. Even 406 systems have faults
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Fearless Tower
Touchdown! Greaser!
That’s a big stretch. I think we are still sitting at well over half of the GA fleet has gone ADS-B. And many of those don’t fly IFR or fly near airspace that will require ADS-B so they have no plans to upgrade.
I work for a company that operates a fleet of 10 piston airplanes. Not a single one is ADS-B yet.
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Fearless Tower
Touchdown! Greaser!
Ah, got it. I thought you were talking CAP planes searching for missing aircraft based on ADS-B output.
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