"Greg Farris" wrote in message
...
Many rental companies REQUIRE you to file a flight plan if yoiu're going
more
than 50nm from their base. This is a bit of an inconvenience, as it cuts
your
liberty to fly where you want. [...]

As has been pointed out, if the requirement is only to file, that's hardly
an inconvenience with respect to flying where you want to.

Even if you are required to have an active flight plan, diversions are not
difficult to deal with. You simply find the nearest FSS frequency, and
amend your plan (ETA for sure, route if it's changed significantly enough).

I've never run into an FBO that requires flight plans, but if I did, I would
pay very close attention to their exact requirements, and what -- if any --
implications it has for insurance coverage. In many cases, the renter's not
actually covered by the FBO's insurance anyway, but it's possible that where
a renter is covered, and where a "flight plan required" policy is in force,
the insurance would be valid only if the flight plan requirement is met.

Anyway, I do use VFR flight plans for long cross-country flights, especially
if they are over hostile terrain and/or I don't expect to be in radio
contact during the flight. Of course, I'm not sure that the question of
filing or opening a flight plan is what the original poster had in mind.

Pete