Was called by Lockheed Martin, didn't open flight plan.

poadeleted21

Touchdown! Greaser!
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So, I was going from KLHW to M40, and playing with the routes on the AOPA flight planner. I made the flight, landed, BSed a little, fueled up etc... then got a call from lockheed martin stating I was overdue and they were checking on me. I guess I did file a VFR plan on AOPA Flight Planner, but I never opened it, I got Flight Follwing shortly after I took off and didn't bother with opening the flight plan. I told the guy on the phone as much and he said he had no idea how it got opened. What happened? Should I call every time I hit the "file" button on the AOPA flight planner? I made the FP the night before the flight at least 12 hours before the flight took place.

Add on question. I fly out of a joint use airport, on the weekends the tower is closed but they have "advisory" on the tower frequency. As I'm about 3 miles out after departure, the guy on "advisory" calls me up and asks me where my destination was, I said "M40" he said thanks... wondering why he cared, never been asked that before and wondering if that had anything to do with my call from Lockheed?
 
Sounds like the military Base Ops (which is what provides that "advisory" service) opened your VFR flight plan for you. They do that for military flights routinely.
 
on the weekends the tower is closed but they have "advisory" on the tower frequency.


Is the "advisory" run by ATC or FSS?

If it is run by FSS, I can see how it could happen that they open a VFR flight plan, because it is usually FSS that opens those.

edit: Wikipedia mentions "advisory" is run by FSS after a tower closes, in some locations:
A few select locations in the conterminous 48 states have Airport Advisory Services (AAS) provided by FSS either full-time or during hours that a control tower is closed.​
 
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Sounds like the military Base Ops (which is what provides that "advisory" service) opened your VFR flight plan for you. They do that for military flights routinely.

Makes sense, good to know.
 
Sounds like the military Base Ops (which is what provides that "advisory" service) opened your VFR flight plan for you. They do that for military flights routinely.

So every time you request flight following from a military base they will open a flight plan for you? :confused:
 
I am of the opinion, maybe in the minority that the opening of any flight plan is reserved for the PIC. It cannot be delegated.
 
Nope, happened to me nearly everyday when I was flying to/from work at Tyndall AFB. Leaving work they always opened the Flightplan- whether IFR or VFR. (Required to have a flt plan to depart mil bases)
 
So every time you request flight following from a military base they will open a flight plan for you? :confused:

Never happened to me and I flew routinely from KRAP which uses Ellsworth for approach/departure and FF. While I was building XC PIC time I went from KRAP to KPHP a couple times a week, never filed a flight plan but always got FF from Ellsworth until I was about 5 miles from KPHP.
 
Nope, happened to me nearly everyday when I was flying to/from work at Tyndall AFB. Leaving work they always opened the Flightplan- whether IFR or VFR. (Required to have a flt plan to depart mil bases)

Good to know.

Is there a way to know whether or not they actually opened a flight plan for you or should I always ask them on the radio whether they did it or not?
If you don't file a flight plan and just ask them for flight following will they still file it and open it?
 
Selfridge used to open VFR flight plans when you called up for flight following -- but as far as I know, it was on request only, it wasn't done automatically. It seems to me that the last time I asked them to do it, they refused and said I'd have to ask FSS. (It's been a few years since I flew anywhere out of Selfridge airspace though, so my memory might be playing tricks on me.)
 
I guess it depends on a specific base.
 
Hmm, I've had to submit paper flight plans when departing from an air force base. What do they do with that information with regards to the FAA?

Our tower @ WPAFB required a FAA Flight Plan when going cross country and filed it with the FAA as part of SOP for departure. It you stayed within the "local practice area" there was a flight plan but I believe it was just in the Military System. That way they knew to look for you if you didn't come back home on time. :wink2:

I had to get back into the regular FAA routine when they closed the Aero Club and we moved off base. :rolleyes2:

Cheers
 
I'll ask the folks flying out of KBKF what happens there. I know you have to file a flight plan with Ops before arriving or departing. Whether it ends up in the FAA system, unknown. Will check.

I know nothing interesting or different than the norm happens flying out of the civilian side of KCOS, but that doesn't mean something completely different might occur if you departed from the other side of the airport from Peterson AFB. In the times I've been down there for CAP functions, USAF didn't seem to have any special rules for us... but those were planned-in-advance things, and I haven't gone over to the Pete side outside of those.

During those, we just talk to the tower as per normal, but you're coming and going from the military side. There's a flight club on the military side still, as well. Don't know what happens for them.

Will ask around, just out of curiosity more than anything.
 
So every time you request flight following from a military base they will open a flight plan for you? :confused:

Not really knowing what the responsibilities of of a closed tower on a military base is, I didn't ask for flight following from the advisory frequency, I picked it up from savannah approach but just before I cut over from advisory to savannah approach the person on advisory asked me where I was going.
 
Sounds like the military Base Ops (which is what provides that "advisory" service) opened your VFR flight plan for you. They do that for military flights routinely.
That has happened for me in the past too. Can't take off from Selfridge ANGB (KMTC) without a flight plan at all. So on CAVU days you need to file a VFR flight plan that they open for you.
 
I am of the opinion, maybe in the minority that the opening of any flight plan is reserved for the PIC. It cannot be delegated.

Well here's a little trivia for you;

I Canada if you file a flight plan and then change your mind and don't go flying they will launch search and rescue unless you call and cancel. There's a whole country where the PIC doesn't open a flight plan.
 
That has happened for me in the past too. Can't take off from Selfridge ANGB (KMTC) without a flight plan at all. So on CAVU days you need to file a VFR flight plan that they open for you.

What happens if you just want to bore some holes in the sky and don't want to go anywhere inparticular?
 
So every time you request flight following from a military base they will open a flight plan for you? :confused:
No, but when you contact Base Ops and tell them you're taking off, they will open the VFR flight plan you filed -- even if you don't realize it's Base Ops.
 
I am of the opinion, maybe in the minority that the opening of any flight plan is reserved for the PIC. It cannot be delegated.
Things work differently on military bases, including joint use facilities when the military operates them.
 
I'll ask the folks flying out of KBKF what happens there. I know you have to file a flight plan with Ops before arriving or departing. Whether it ends up in the FAA system, unknown. Will check.
If you file it with Base Ops, they will put it in the appropriate (IFR/VFR) system, and for VFR, they will open it when tower tells them you took off (or if the tower is closed, when they hear you call taking off on the CTAF they monitor for advisory purposes). That's the military rules they operate under, and it has nothing to do with the RAPCON, so merely contacting RAPCON for flight following after taking off from another airport has nothing to do with it.
 
What happens if you just want to bore some holes in the sky and don't want to go anywhere inparticular?
You still have to file a flight plan at Base Ops, and they will open it on departure and close it on arrival. If you try to taxi at a military field without having a flight plan filed at Base Ops, ground won't let you move until you do. If you want to meet a 19-y/o full of testosterone and carrying an M-16, just try moving without one. Their base, their rules.
 
You still have to file a flight plan at Base Ops, and they will open it on departure and close it on arrival. If you try to taxi at a military field without having a flight plan filed at Base Ops, ground won't let you move until you do. If you want to meet a 19-y/o full of testosterone and carrying an M-16, just try moving without one. Their base, their rules.

When I fly when in NY, I operate out of Stewart AFB which is a joint facility, and they do not operate that way.

they use the same rules as the tower does at PAE.

we were on the ramp wing tip to the A/F aircraft, told the tower we had information Alpha, and were ready for a north bound departure, all they said was you are cleared to take off runway___. Nothing else was said until we were clearing their airspace.

Unless some thing has changed since fall 2010
 

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What happens if you just want to bore some holes in the sky and don't want to go anywhere inparticular?
You still file a flight plan, depart and then call FSS to cancel the flight plan. Since KMTC is not a GA airport they have their rules. At RAF Mildenhall when I was in the aero club we never had to file anything. So the MTC rule may just be a local one.

I get to fly in and out of KMTC because of USCG Aux and then only on orders. The weird thing is that I have to wait for the 'follow me' truck even though I know exactly where to go. Their rules.

Last time out of there I filled a VFR flight plan to Detroit Metro to get fuel. Then from there IFR to go home. Nothing but Jet-A at MTC. You would think for a little hop like that they could just let me go. But NOOooooo gotta fill out the long form DoD flight plan too. The active USCG does have a standing flight plan for SAR and emergency call ups so they can just start up the engines and go. A nice local procedure that works and makes sense.
 
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The flying club at NUW operates off a closed Naval air station and they are not required to file any flight plans to leave the station.
 
You still have to file a flight plan at Base Ops, and they will open it on departure and close it on arrival. If you try to taxi at a military field without having a flight plan filed at Base Ops, ground won't let you move until you do. If you want to meet a 19-y/o full of testosterone and carrying an M-16, just try moving without one. Their base, their rules.

SOP at USAF Bases is a mandatory call to ground before you even start the engine(s). If you start before calling ground, said AP's will be arriving post haste. If you have not filed a flight plan with Base Ops, they will refuse authorization to start your engine(s). Happened to me a couple of times when the Aero Club SOF got busy and didn't forward the flight plan. Fortunately the battery was fully charged.

Cheers
 
So, I was going from KLHW to M40, and playing with the routes on the AOPA flight planner. I made the flight, landed, BSed a little, fueled up etc... then got a call from lockheed martin stating I was overdue and they were checking on me. I guess I did file a VFR plan on AOPA Flight Planner, but I never opened it, I got Flight Follwing shortly after I took off and didn't bother with opening the flight plan. I told the guy on the phone as much and he said he had no idea how it got opened. What happened? Should I call every time I hit the "file" button on the AOPA flight planner? I made the FP the night before the flight at least 12 hours before the flight took place.

Add on question. I fly out of a joint use airport, on the weekends the tower is closed but they have "advisory" on the tower frequency. As I'm about 3 miles out after departure, the guy on "advisory" calls me up and asks me where my destination was, I said "M40" he said thanks... wondering why he cared, never been asked that before and wondering if that had anything to do with my call from Lockheed?
Marne Radio works the advisory when tower is closed. They also work the helicopters flying on R3005. They're occupation is ATC without actually doing the ATC. As far as your flight plan being activated I don't know how they would even know you had a flight plan. You can fly in and out of LHW without one. If you file with Base Ops then they are suppose to send it to FSS but they never once activated it for us ( Army). All they did was send a departure message to our destination letting them know we're on the way. Somehow you got special treatment from either Marne or Ops if they were open.
 
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