New FSS Policy

George Patterson wrote:

Chris wrote:

here in the UK the way a VFR flight plan works is that the pilot
nominates a responsible person (family member, FBO etc) to make the
call if they are overdue rather than have the ATC make assumptions.
The basis is that no news is good news.

That's the way most of us who don't file flight plans do things over
here.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your
neighbor. It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you
miss him.

That's what I was going to say. We need to remember that the flight plan is only for SAR. It works just as
well to just tell someone where you're going. "Jay and I are going to Sedona for breakfast. We should be
there in about an hour. I'll call you when I get there."

Mike

I agree.

Am I the only person who filed two flight plans (if I remember the training
drill) for my short and long cross countries in 1962 - then have flown for
the following 43 years without filing a VFR plan?

I wonder how I ever survived.

John


"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:z4gaf.3515$y23.3093@trndny08...
Chris wrote:

here in the UK the way a VFR flight plan works is that the pilot
nominates a responsible person (family member, FBO etc) to make the call
if they are overdue rather than have the ATC make assumptions. The basis
is that no news is good news.

That's the way most of us who don't file flight plans do things over here.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your
neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.

Chris wrote:

here in the UK the way a VFR flight plan works is that the pilot nominates a
responsible person (family member, FBO etc) to make the call if they are
overdue rather than have the ATC make assumptions. The basis is that no news
is good news.

We have something similar in Canada, called a "Flight Itinerary", but
there have been problems with people not understanding how to notify
SAR (or even remembering that they should). In the U.S., the VFR
flight plan is entirely optional, so Americans can do things the U.K.
way if they want; however, it's nice to have a professional system in
place to respond quickly if you go missing. Most U.S. control towers
don't get involved with VFR flight plans -- you deal directly with
flight services.

In Canada, the VFR flight plan *or* flight itinerary (as in the U.K.)
is required for any trip over 25 nautical miles from the starting
point, and control towers do deal with VFR flight plans quite
efficiently.

Both Canada and the U.S. require VFR flight plans for cross-border
flights.


All the best,


David