Foreflight for filing flight plans

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Monpilot

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Monpilot
Pardon me if this should be in the technical discussion area but since my question has more to do with the procedure for filing a flight plan I figure this is the place to ask.

This is a two part question so please bear with me and answer either part as you wish.

The first question is whether you prefer to file a flight plan by talking to the briefer (by phone or in the air) or whether you prefer to use your electronic device (DUATS or via foreflight etc).

I like the convenience of filing via foreflight but I would also like to keep the humans who answer the phone employed. I'm not comparing briefers to checkout people but my reasoning is the same as not using the self service checkout at a grocery store. If I use the human checkout they will still have a job even though doing it myself might be slightly quicker.

My second part has to do with when I do want to file a flight plan using foreflight.

On my trip from TME to E38, I created two waypoints at two airports in between with the plan to refuel at one or the other.

Total time in foreflight was around 3 hours 45 minutes but I added 30 minutes for refueling for a total of 4 hours 15 minutes. My total fuel at takeoff was only 3 hours 30 minutes without the refueling so foreflight wouldn't allow me to file the flight plan.

Should my total fuel have been 7 hours to include the fuel at the refueling?

I ended up filing for three legs but for ease of future filings having my entire route filed at once would be more convenient.

Thanks for your input!
 
Electronically. With LTE on the iPad, file after last look at weather then head to the plane. Simpler.

If landing, file that as two separate flight plans. IFR it'd be easier and/or you might have to anyway. VFR you're not helping SAR folks filing it as one, and there's zero other purpose to file. If you're filing one big long VFR flight plan, you may have missed the point of why to file.
 
I agree with Nate. For SAR purposes, the sole reason for a VFR flight plan, unless you are going to call up FSS anyway and give them a position report, there's no benefit to you or to them in filing one plan when you are going to have a stop. It also makes sense IFR to have separate flight plans when you are going to have a stop.

On the use of telephone briefers, there may be some value to calling a briefer to discuss the weather if it's problematic and you want the benefit of their drill-down expertise but, aside from that, I don't see any benefit to filing by [phone call, especially when filing IFR through ForeFlight or FltPlan.com gets you your "expected" clearance before you ever get to the airplane.
 
Use the fore flight to file.if you want a briefing check your e mail after filing as fore flight will send you a route brief.always file the route in sections if it involves a stop.you can leave the full route set up on the maps page and then file in sections if you like.
 
I wasn't aware I could leave the entire route in the maps but only file portions of it. If that's the case then it resolves my question and I have to read the documentation.

Thanks!
 
Keeping employees on the federal (or contractor) payroll is not at the top of my list. I suppose you want to keep unused control towers open for the same reason?
 
Monpilot said:
I like the convenience of filing via foreflight but I would also like to keep the humans who answer the phone employed. I'm not comparing briefers to checkout people but my reasoning is the same as not using the self service checkout at a grocery store. If I use the human checkout they will still have a job even though doing it myself might be slightly quicker.
Click to expand...

Isn't that just an altered form of welfare? You're willing to pay more to have a human do something so mindless that a machine could do it instead? That will never make sense to me.

I file in ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot. It's easier.
 
I have used FF for the last two or three years, however long I've had an iPad. Before that I used DUAT online. I had to call a couple weeks ago and file, because I couldn't get my phone to connect to DUAT, probably operator error. :mad2: I probably use a live briefer once per year out of 75+ IFR flight plans. :dunno:
 
Based on my experience with the contractors operating flight service I have found using FF on my iPad a joy. I have managed to cobble together enough weather savvy in my flying experience that I can use the info on FF to put together a good picture of the situation. I look at the future without contractors providing marginal service after a long wait on the phone as a savings.
 
Monpilot said:
Pardon me if this should be in the technical discussion area but since my question has more to do with the procedure for filing a flight plan I figure this is the place to ask.

This is a two part question so please bear with me and answer either part as you wish.

The first question is whether you prefer to file a flight plan by talking to the briefer (by phone or in the air) or whether you prefer to use your electronic device (DUATS or via foreflight etc).

I like the convenience of filing via foreflight but I would also like to keep the humans who answer the phone employed. I'm not comparing briefers to checkout people but my reasoning is the same as not using the self service checkout at a grocery store. If I use the human checkout they will still have a job even though doing it myself might be slightly quicker.

My second part has to do with when I do want to file a flight plan using foreflight.

On my trip from TME to E38, I created two waypoints at two airports in between with the plan to refuel at one or the other.

Total time in foreflight was around 3 hours 45 minutes but I added 30 minutes for refueling for a total of 4 hours 15 minutes. My total fuel at takeoff was only 3 hours 30 minutes without the refueling so foreflight wouldn't allow me to file the flight plan.

Should my total fuel have been 7 hours to include the fuel at the refueling?

I ended up filing for three legs but for ease of future filings having my entire route filed at once would be more convenient.

Thanks for your input!
Click to expand...

A benefit of ForeFlight Mobile is that it sends VFR flight plans filed through ForeFlight Mobile directly to Flight Service via a direct link we have. The DUATS systems, on the other hand, hold these VFR plans and then send limited detail over to FSS. Doing this ensures that if you call a briefer, they have your plan details; in the event of a SAR event, there is no back and forth with FSS and DUATS to pull the info.

If you file IFR through ForeFlight, we also send push and email flight alerts with expected route information when the FAA computers complete that homework, often saving you time when you call for clearance as you'll have your expected route already.
 
Simplify your life! Foreflight!!!! Easy, convenient, quick, and now with the push notification, better than ever.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Use Foreflight for the flying.
Use FLTPLAN for the filing.
 
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