jsmith wrote:

I have flown SSI to PBI.
ATC will try to get you to fly offshore if you file the shoreline route.
With each frequency change, I was given an amended clearance which I
declined. The comments section of my flight plan contained the notice
"NO OVERWATER ROUTING ACCEPTED, NO FLOATATION GEAR ON BOARD".
ATC does not get this information from FSS unless they request it.
ATC personel are not pilots and do not understand that light GA aircraft
cannot glide from offshore routes to the beach.
Do not accept an offshore amended clearance.


In an instrument groundschool I took the instructor told a war story of
flying a 172 IFR up the NE coast and ATC tried to route him way out
over the water. He declined that route, no flotation on board, etc. and
ATC said OK, we'll give you vectors to keep you over land and away from
traffic. A while later while flying the vectors he came to a hole in
the clouds and realized they had vectored him well over the water, like
out of sight of land (this was before the days of GPS, etc).