IFR into KGAI (Gaithersburg)

[Brad Z]

Gotcha. What I'm wondering about is using Foreflight to file it. Foreflight gives you the option of VFR, IFR or VFR (DC SFRA) as type of flight plan. Forefights instructions tell you to put one of the Gates as destination airport and VFR for altitude. In other words, no different than if you selected IFR instead of VFR (DC SFRA). VFR (DC SFRA) would put the remark in for you I guess and save you a couple of keystrokes. But what has me scratching my head is I filed one. But I didn't follow the instructions. I put the destination airport as somewhere a hundred miles away. Just direct for the route, no Gate. I expected it to reject it. But it didn't, it took it. So I'm wondering what it sent to FAA. Did it pick the most logical Gate to send to Potomac? If not would Potomac even care?

It would be handled like any other IFR flightplan with a VFR altitude. It would get sent to ATC. When you call Potomac on the telephone to get your squawk they'll ask you what gate you're departing. Then they'll modify it. They may catch the clue that you're looking for flight following and put something in the system. If you want flight following, don't do anything special on the flight plan (ie just enter the gate) other than entering your desired cruise altitude, but let the person on the phone know. That way they'll give you an operational frequency, rather than the frequency set up for VFR sfra operations which does not officially provide radar advisories (they use the magic words "transponder observed" rather than "radar contact"). Sometimes though they'll just tell you to let the controller know (and you'll just negotiate with the SFRA controller for a frequency change for flight following.