Filing and Activating VFR Flight Plans in Flight
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2018
- In this video I file and activate a VFR flight plan with Flight Service in flight. Even in today's world of modern conveniences such as ForeFlight and the ability to close VFR flight plans via text ... the ability to find a FSS frequency and contact them in flight is still an awesome skill to have up your sleeve. This video will be a great review ( or lesson if you've never done it) on how that process works. Please enjoy The Finer Points!
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*Special Thanks to Michael Bizar for providing the music. All of the music in this video is composed and performed by Michael Bizar.
As a CFI, I can't get enough of your videos. They provide some invaluable information. Keep up the great work!
I currently work FAA Flight Services in Alaska. This video sounds all good to me. It's okay to add extra time to total time enroute, but I personally would not pad more than 10 minutes. You WANT search and rescue to start as soon as possible after your ETA. First action that flight service (Alaska) takes is at 30 minutes overdue, we call phone numbers listed on the flight plan. So, the 30 minutes of padding is already included.
I understand that. Especially in Alaska. It makes me think of some of the other areas Flight Service lists as Hazardous Reporting Areas. You must understand, thought, from where I'm sitting ... the majority of pilots I talk to don't even file flight plans. One of the reasons is that they claim they are afraid to close it. So that advice, is more for them. If that's the reason you're not filing, then go ahead and take that pressure off ... and file.
Jason another great video! Thanks for your attention to detail, and your desire to help us all be better pilots!
this is some amazing content and contribution for safety!! thank You Jason!!!
Your saving my life for my checkride prep 🔥🙏🏽
This was very helpful.
OUTSTANDING WORK JASON!!!
Food for thought, sound advice, and clear instruction. Thank you from a lone-wolf aviator.
Excellent video. Going through flight school, I was always told this was an option, but that was it! Seeing it in action is very helpful
Very helpful, real world content!
Great! Love this channel...
Thanks Jason, just used this video to help file VFR over the weekend. (watched video before the flight)
Brilliant work. Some are shrugging off the value of filing in favor of flight following. There are times where filing is appropriate and you illustrated that beautifully.
there's about 3 or 4 of you guys i watch on here. i don't have a pilot license yet? i want to and i am learning a great deal you guys. thanks alot for all your help.
Thank you so much for another great video sir. I have called FSS a few times but always hesitated because I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I think, as you said, insecurity stops people from doing a lot of things that they should. Just like it says in the AIM when in doubt, ask.
Awesome info! Very helpful! Thank you.
Very interesting process - well worth knowing.
Excellent tips on filing a FP. I enjoy and learn a lot from your videos even after 33 years of flying private.
Thanks Louis, that means a lot
Great one!
I am definitely old school, since I learned in the '70s. I have always either filed with the briefer and opened in the air or done it all over the radio. For me, it's always good to have established radio contact with FSS in case I need any services later. I always taught my students how to get every possible service over the radio. I tell them "its free!" and they should get every penny of the services available to them. I have one of those newfangled tablets now, so i will start using it to file one of these days...
Amazing video
Another great video!
Thanks Will!
Interesting to hear how this works in the US! Unfortunately, in most European countries, there is no such thing as filing a complete classical flight plan during flight on frequency, except for emergency reasons. We have however some other ways to communicate, but almost every country does have its own habits.
In our opinion, the Swiss do a great job by asking every pilot calling "Flight Information Service" (FIS) for their routing, no matter you filed a flight plan or not. Switzerland may be a tiny country, but with a lot of high mountains, there are many possible hazards. They ask you always to "next report XY". This could be a mountain pass, glacier, airfield, mountain peak, lake, valley, city or a small town. Because of the continuously given reporting points, based on your routing, FIS knows where you are, even without radar or stable radio contact in the valleys and without having a flight plan. We will provide some more information of this in upcoming videos.
In other countries, like Slovakia, FIS asks even automatically if they may close your flight plan before changing to your destination frequency. If you don't like to close before landing, FIS reminds you to call directly after landing at uncontrolled airfields, so there is almost no possibility to forget to close your flight plan.
Thanks for that
In the USA the VFR flight plan information is communicated with a flight service station (FSS) which is also for general flight information such as current weather, this is only an information service not a tracking or ATC service. "VFR flight following" is continuous contact with ATC while en-route using radio and radar contact, this does not require a flight plan. IFR flight plans and modifications are communicated directly with ATC, with use of "next report XY" when not in radar contact.
Hello Mr. Miller. Great information. I once had to radio airborne to FSS to straighten a flight plan on my way back from Oshkosh in Montana. Somehow I was not able to activate a flight plan in Foreflight. (probably due to lack of cell service) But Flight Service was very helpful in resetting my flight plan. I'm still looking forward to the East Sound visit.... Flying my best ~Toher
Good video.
Nothing like running late due to headwind, extending, landing for lunch... and standing there talking to the FSS eyeball to eyeball.... then finally landing at your destination discovering they are about to send S&R looking for you because your info didnt get forwarded.
Also have had ATC run a heavy right into me (midair) while I talked to ATC 5 times confirming my position. It was CAVU or we'd all be dead. You better not trust them. Stay on top of your position/ situational awareness.
Thank U Maestro ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Filing with ForeFlight is so easy, especially now with the ICAO FP format. In AK having what they call a Master Flight Plan on file makes filing enroute very easy and convenient if you’re in a hurry to get in the air. Just a few specifics on to/from, ETE, fuel and souls, and done. Sometimes, it’s the only way to file.
As a backup, having a 406 ELT with panel remote activation and a Garmin InReach can hasten the rescue process and/or provide comm without cell service.
Great tips! This is also a great way to file an IFR flight plan with out tying up ATC's busy's frequencies. Then you can simply activate with ATC in the air. It would also be great to mention that if you own a PLB, many of them can be registered to you 1800wxBrief account as well.
Great tips, thx. I covered air filing the IFR flight plan on a podcast about 5 episodes back if you're interested. www.learnthefinerpoints.com/podcast
I'm surprised Jason didn't mention 122.2. This flight service frequency is generally available across the USA, if your altitude is high enough (typically above 5,000'). If you can't find a local freq on the chart you can always try 122.2.
I've used flight service for activating VFR flight plans for international flights. They'll give you a squawk code to use when crossing the border. Sometimes the airport you departed from won't active it, but will tell you to contact flight service when airborne.
Add the closing of all flight plans as part of your pre-landing checklist... and again, on your Shutdown checklist... at night, fly IFR... they will find you in about an hour... IF NEED BE
Good video. My only issue is the flight time and saying 2 hours when it is only a 1 hour flight or whatever it is. I sent my student with a DPE (who was in the civil air patrol) with a flight plan that was 15 minutes longer than the flight time. Man, did he get onto me for that. I explained your same reasoning and his rebuttal was, "So you're OK with your student bleeding for an extra 15-30 minutes?". And honestly, he does make a point.
Sounds like a fearful student who doesnt comprehend what the system is for.
@@hotrodray9884 I think TexasIce10 was saying the DPE chewed him out, not the student.
Awesome content and appreciate all that you do for our community! I try to always file via ForeFlight right before I depart. The few times I forgot or had technical difficulties, I was always hesitant to go off frequency with flight following to contact FSS for my 30-45 minute flight. I realize I can request to go off frequency, and have done it in the past, but it all seems like weighing the risk cup. Is the likelihood of having an engine failure or having a traffic conflict higher? If you have 2 radios, you can monitor ATC while talking to FSS, but the single com plane requires going off frequency. Seems to me most local flights benefit more from flight following than from a flight plan. This is obviously excluding the remote desert or wilderness flights. I’d appreciate any thoughts.
if you properly activate your ELT as a memory item as the result of an engine failure or precautionary off airport landing, the National SAR Coordination Center is notified instantaneously. In addition most successful SAR for GA aircraft is resolved via ADS-B tracks and or cell phone data.
Here in Canada VFR flight plans are required for flights over 25 nautical miles so we're used to filing them. They're automatically activated on departure, then you can close them over the phone, through ATC at your destination airport, or on the radio.
Flight Service are pleased to get position reports en route. They're delighted when you call in a PIREP.
I like that Laura, makes a lot of sense
Should you still file and activate when you are with flight following? I always use flight following but haven’t really activated flight plans. Really good video. Amazing content. Thanks for your videos; they are simply excellent!
@JC that’s what I thought and understood. I wanted to know if, even having flight following, should I file a flight plan. Question is because I use flight following in 99% of the time and I feel protected that way due to ATC knowing about me and keeping an eye on me, so if something went wrong, they would know and would do the necessary for rescue, that’s why I feel while having flight following on I could skip the flight plan and be good… that’s the though, unless I’m not correct.
Jason - Been following you for a while and enjoy your video's. I appreciate greatly the services provided by FSS personnel, but feel obtaining VFR radar flight following is a better option. Having ATC provide traffic information with other aircraft and be readily available in the event an emergency comes about, seems like a better safety factor. Do you agree? I do appreciate your instructional content of filing with the FSS on this video.
How does that one controller work literally everywhere?
Worth trying is simply asking ATC for flight following. If you experience trouble just announce it and get immediate response.
Exactly! If you file a flight plan they wait for 30 minutes after you are supposed to arrive to contact your destination to see if you have arrived. Hopefully it is a manned airport that is also still open. If they can't contact anyone are they still going to look for you. This process is antiquated and dumb when compared to the 20 second it takes to ask for following and if you have an emergency all you have to do is key the mic and you have immediate assistance by someone who knows who you are, where you are, and where you are headed. It took like five minutes to file in the air wasting yours and the person on the other end of the radios time for very little piece of mind if any at all. Given all of this flight plans make absolutely zero sense.
Jason, great job at the Peaks to Pavement seminar today (3/21) at C77! I file and open flight plans on most flights and find the texting feature to open & close really helpful.
What are your thoughts about self briefing the weather (forget about the NOTAMs) and thinking about a briefing with Flight Service as a redundancy for that procedure?
Thanks! I like that idea. I do think a "self briefing" should have a standard protocol (like file and brief in ForeFlight) instead of just "cherry picking" but I think what you suggest could work just fine. But as I mentioned (and you point out) the only drawback is the NOTAMs section.
Is there any statistics on how long it takes to find a downed airplane that has the Newer ELTs (406 mHz) that give latitude and longitude information to within a 100 meters in the distress call?
Jason, if you file a VFR flight plan and for reasons beyond your control aren't able to take off at the time you specified. Your departure time is, let's say, 3 hours delayed. Obviously you've not activated the flight plan yet. Is it as simple as calling FSS and letting them know of the delay? Should you cancel the flight plan and re-file another one? How long will they hold and filed flight plan in the Q before deleting it?
On an iPad with no cell service, Are you saying with that last tip That I can file on ground (but not activate) while in a WiFi area on ForeFlight… then later in flight, the FSS will have all that info to just be able to activate it or does it need to be activated with a data connection and the activate button inside foreflight only?
I like doing PIREPS, but flying in Northern California, I’m often on flight following, so it’s a bit of a problem switching away from ATC in order to contact FSS. I really wish ATC would have an Flight service terminal and could file PIREPS. I realize that they’re already busy so that’s probably not the best idea. But then not actively listening to ATC while filing a PIREP with FS can be dangerous.
What video editing software are you using?
Jason, What's your stance on VFR flight following in lieu of a VFR flight plan?
That comes in two parts ... PART 1: I think it's like asking the Army to run your submarine fleet. It's not what they do, so why would I ask. ATC is there to separate airplanes, flight service is there to provide search and rescue. Think of how many times you've lost radar contact, or missed a handoff ... did the controller send out search and rescue? When you fly into the most remote and rugged areas ATC will say to you ... "radar contact lost, squawk VFR, frequency change approved, have a nice day." PART II: In major terminal areas or areas of great radar coverage this can work but it depends you being able to get a mayday call out. No Air Traffic Controller is going to send out a search and rescue team because you blip disappears from their radar screen. They are going to assume your Transponder failed.
Man, I should have filed, cause I just got shot down! But seriously, excellent response. I'll share with my students and friends. Folks just don't file VFR flight plans enough these days. Thanks so much!
ATC radar is integrated with the flight plan system so that if you have a flight plan and radar services the computer will match the info right on the radar display so the controller doesn't need to manually attach the info, it does this by comparing expected planned position and speed with the actual,(the controller can manually verify and tell it to adjust if you are a bit mismatched) then if you move into a radar shadow the symbol for your plane on the screen will change and continue to move according to your flight plan speed and course until you pop out the other side.(ATC call it coasting) I don't know for sure if the computer can do this matching for VFR plans or only IFR plans.
You fly out of the Bay Area? I’m out of Oakland and looking for a new school.
Hi from Belgium! Is it a particular radio praseology you use because it is FSS? I hear you saying OVER and OUT at the end of transmissions. I thought these words were not to be used just as NO JOY, or other non ICAO terminology. Thanks for your input! Extremely informative videos, BTW. ARNO FONTANA, private pilot, Belgium.
Hi Arno, yes the communications are somewhat less formal because it's a FSS. I use over so that know that my transmission (which sometimes comes in many little bursts) is complete. and I use "out" to let them know I'll be changing frequencies. This is something I'd NEVER do with ATC. Thanks!
@@TheFinerPoints ...
out here in the middle....
SKX to SEZ and back this weekend. I was frustrated by the ETE input when filed with ForeFlight. Both times ended up getting called as being late while getting out to tie down. Am I missing how to add en-route time within ForeFlight? I know it’s slightly off topic.
Also over the mountains foliage tour. Is a flight plan possible with SKX to SKX via AXX and ALS, or is this a bad idea?
From the FLIGHTS tab click "proceed to file" and then you can tap the enroute time and modify it. I'm headed to SEZ on Thursday!
Thanks. Enjoy
"Subcribe" at 10:17
Doh, thanks for the catch. Wish I could change that now! but anyway please subcribe!
Already have, with the bell on :)
Never filed s flight plan. Flight following has always been great. If I deviate tbe controller alerts me so I know they are watching me.
That’s awesome that you’ve had luck with flight following, but it is definitely not a replacement for a proper flight plan. If tower gets busy, they’ll drop your radar services. If your radio fails after an emergency or crash, they’ll assume you just switched to another frequency. FF is by no means a reliable way of receiving help and SAR response.
Thumbs up for a great video, but shouldn't this be updated to show the use of the ICAO form?
Also, there seems to be a problem with your audio. It cuts out about halfway through a 10-digit number sequence. ;-)
Who downvoted this video? Two people who think it's better to be stuck in the desert with nobody knowing where you are?
The controller must be thinking, air file, who does that?😂
:))
The guy doesn’t sound very enthused about you doing that...not that it matters your safety is far more important than putting a kink in someone’s day, but I just find it funny sounds like that was the last thing he wanted to hear
Yeah, I hear you. I don't have a lot of sympathy for the FSS folks when they are on the clock. I figure - not only are they working and getting paid but if we stop asking for and using this service, their jobs will go away.
I bet you that in most of the cases when he gets those calls (to file and open VFR) it's a student. Most of those are probably pretty painful.
Free VFR rescue? Are you a socialist! 😆