"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...

AFAIK, the search & rescue aspect is the same for IFR and VFR.
ATC has nothing to do with it, except that when an IFR flight arrives
at a towered airport, the controller contacts the FSS (who is the
entity waiting for the "timer to go off") to close the IFR flight plan
on the pilot's behalf.


That's not correct. When an IFR flight arrives at a towered airport, the
controller contacts nobody, for there's nobody to contact. FSS is not an
entity waiting for any "timer to go off" to close an IFR flight plan. When
an IFR flight arrives at a nontowered airport, the pilot either contacts ATC
directly or has FSS contact ATC for him. FSS just relays the message, they
do not close the flight plan.