Who does flight plans?

"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. I am all for flight plans, flight
following,
continuous radio contact and business-like conduct for most flights, even
VFR
- but when the weather's beautiful, and you're only going 100nm or so, of
route that you know like the back of your hand, it's a bit of a shame not
to
be able to take your time, check something out, show someone who's never
been
up before something special - even land somewhere else if you feel like
it.
Under these conditions, the only use for a flight plan is to assist SAR.
Flight following is just as good - and probably better. This is a kink in
the
rental system today.

You can always cancel your flight plan. Or not open it. (if VFR). The rental
company says you got to file it only .

"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

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Greg Farris" wrote in message
...
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


No, it wasn't what I had in mind. I file flight plans all the time since I
do a lot of IFR flying. I was asking about the pre-filing flight planning
activities that people engage in. For me that activity is 90% weather.

And, it has become clear to me from reading the responses in this thread
that it is different in the Washington - Boston corridor. I have flown there
a number of times, usually between Gaithersburg, Reading, East Hampton and
Portland (cities where I have family or business) and when I do I file
airways, as one other poster suggested. Maybe it is because I don't have
enough knowledge of preferred routes in the area, but my experience has been
that I never get what I file anyway, and that I usually get at least one or
two clearances changes in route.

Michael

"Michael 182" wrote in message
...
[...]
And, it has become clear to me from reading the responses in this thread
that it is different in the Washington - Boston corridor.

Most of the people haven't even said where they fly. How is that clear to
you?

For what it's worth, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and the bulk of my
cross-country flying is done in the western states. The planning is
different from that used in densely populated areas, but just as important.

Pete

"Michael 182" wrote in message
...
I'm kind of curious - does anyone with more than 100 hours do a flight
plan,
with winds and all, before they fly cross country? Most of my planning is
of
the fuel stop, or occasionally detour for weather variety - but it is rare
for me to include more than one or two waypoints in my "plan", and I
almost
never file an airway, even when I file ifr. Maybe it's because I live in
the
west. A typical flight plan will be Longmont - Amarillo - Austin, or if
the
winds are good, Longmont - Austin. What do others do?

I plan in AOPA flight planner, and since I got my IFR rating I always file
IFR when I'm going somewhere far (i.e. more than 50 miles or so). I usually
don't bother on filing VFR flight plans, as I always have a tough time
talking to FSS to open it, and then I might forget to close it.
The flight planner does the winds, and I try to fly on airways if they don't
take me too much out of the way (if they do, I'll just do direct on the
GPS); in that way if the GPS has a problem it would be less of a hazzle.
I don't select visual checkpoints or plan for landing areas beforehand, but
while I'm flying I am taking a look at the VFR charts, looking for airports
(if VMC) and in general always try to know exactly where I'm at in the VFR
chart. I'll look for emergency landing spots ocasionally as well. I should
do that a little more often.

Fuel is usually not a problem for me. I also keep it at 1.5 hours reserve,
and my last crosscountries have not required fuel stops (I don't go that far
and I got 6 hours of fuel)

On Thu, 2 Jun 2005 22:24:29 -0600, "Michael 182"
wrote:

I'm kind of curious - does anyone with more than 100 hours do a flight plan,
with winds and all, before they fly cross country?

In the J-3, in southern New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts, I
don't file a flight plan. If I'm going around the (White) mountains,
or into Maine or western Massachusetts, I do.

The winds come into it only on DUATS, which is how I create the flight
plan. I don't use an E6B wheel, if that's what you mean. The GPS is
better than the wheel.


-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

Recently, Michael 182 posted:

I'm kind of curious - does anyone with more than 100 hours do a
flight plan, with winds and all, before they fly cross country?

As I see it, the main idea of flight planning is to reduce the workload in
the cockpit. So, for any long XC or a trip to a new location, I plan the
heck out of it. Here in the midwest, the land is flat and can be
undifferentiated for as far as you can see and for quite a while, so
getting lost is not all that difficult. There are also lots of Class C & D
airports, so if you fly for 5 minutes in any direction you'll be in
someone's vicinity, and I like as much information about local traffic as
I can get. There's nothing like discovering a flight of F-15s about to
take off from a Class D airport just as you're approaching it (it
happened!).

To make XC planning easier, I've set up an Exel spreadsheet that goes
beyond the paper form, listing all pertinent info; VOR radials, radio
freqs, headings, bearings, fuel status and so forth for each leg of the
trip. The TAFs are usually good enough to plug in the wind factors ahead
of time, and then headings and fuel consumption for all the waypoints are
calculated automatically. I also mark up the sectional to correspond with
the printed Excel pages, and set up my GPS to correspond with both.
Comparing ETAs with against the GPS becomes a simple task that can be done
without needing a calculator. By doing all this, most of the emergency
landing options are determined ahead of time, and I can focus on what's
going on outside the plane and enjoy the trip.

Neil

On Fri, 03 Jun 2005 11:00:38 GMT, "Neil Gould"
wrote:

As I see it, the main idea of flight planning is to reduce the workload in
the cockpit. So, for any long XC or a trip to a new location, I plan the
heck out of it.

And of course that's a way to increase the pleasure you take in the
trip. I pay $75 an hour for the Cub. The flight planning (and
anticipation) are like having an extra hour free.



-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

And of course that's a way to increase the pleasure you take in the
trip. ..... The flight planning (and anticipation) are like having an extra hour free.

Damn right! I've spent many happy hours planning two trips to Alaska
(different routes), one around the perimeter of the lower 48, and two
to the Canadian Maritimes. It was almost as much fun as making the
flights.

I pay $75 an hour for the Cub.

WOW! That's awfully high for a Cub. I've beenpaying that for a
Warrior.

vince norris

"Michael 182" wrote:
I'm kind of curious - does anyone with more than 100 hours do a flight
plan, with winds and all, before they fly cross country?

Yep; every flight.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM