How to get IFR Clearance enroute?

Snowbird wrote:

wrote in message ...

If you don't have a pretty good idea of where you are likely to encounter
IMC en route, you haven't done a very good job of flight planning.

Hahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ever hear the phrase "if you don't like the weather...wait a minute?"

Seriously though, Frank, I think you might want to consider where this
attitude might lead you astray.

Well, in 40 years of air carrier and G/A flying, and some 20,000 hours, it's
worked so far.



Are you intending to imply "if you have done a really good job of flight
planning, then you HAVE a pretty good idea of where you are likely to
encounter IMC enroute"?

No, I am not intending to imply that, nor did I suggest that. I was setting
forth a parameter for where to split a composite flight plan from VFR to IFR.
With that plan in place, I can move up the change to IFR if necessary.

My personal habit has to file IFR for the entire flight, if there is any doubt
at all. But, the thread was about air file, then air file vs. composite flight
plans. Keep your eye on the ball Snowy. ;-)



Might that make you feel like you don't need to stay on top of the
wx with Hiwas, CBAV, Flight Watch etc?

Talk about leaping to conclusions!



IMHO, that's one of the big "gotchas" for an IFR GA pilot. It's
all too easy to fly along over a nice little layer, with a few fleecy
clouds above and around, beautiful blue sky and brilliant sunshine,
and have no clue at all that the wx is deteriorating below ILS minimums
down below (and gosh, that excellent preflight wx briefing said there'd
be 1500-2000 ft ceilings).

Again, Snowy, the context was air file and composite flight plans; not
incompetence.

Snowbird wrote:


My point was to the chap who seemed to imply, if you have to file
enroute, you didn't brief properly preflight...t'aint true. Mommy
Nature doesn't seem to read the TAFs.


Nope, the chap was giving a setup for how to best guestimate where to have a composite flight plan
convert from VFR to IFR.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

wrote in message ...

Exactly. Airline flight plans are filed by dispatchers directly into the
system. Biz jets are ground filers as well.


So what were you trying to make with your comparison? Private pilots that
file on the ground don't have any more flight plan issues than bizjets and
airliners.

I was responding to Roy Smith's message about FAA computer limitations for
filing. The airlines don't face those issues. And, biz jets are always ground
filers, but they do face the same computer issues as do other G/A IFR filers.

wrote in message ...


And, biz jets are always ground
filers

No they're not. We have three bizjets that are based on the field here.
Lots of times they go up to play around and while playing decide to buzz a
few hundred miles away for lunch or whatever. So we will type in a quickie
IFR flight plan.

wrote in message ...

I was responding to Roy Smith's message about FAA
computer limitations for filing. The airlines don't face those
issues.


The computer does not distinguish between airline, bizjet or other GA. They
all face the same issues.

Newps wrote:

wrote in message ...

And, biz jets are always ground
filers

No they're not. We have three bizjets that are based on the field here.
Lots of times they go up to play around and while playing decide to buzz a
few hundred miles away for lunch or whatever. So we will type in a quickie
IFR flight plan.

I wouldn't consider that a business or corporate operation. That's the problem
with that fleet; it is usually commercial or corporate in nature, but they can
be someone's playtoy, too.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

wrote in message ...

I was responding to Roy Smith's message about FAA
computer limitations for filing. The airlines don't face those
issues.


The computer does not distinguish between airline, bizjet or other GA. They
all face the same issues.

Airlines don't use DUAT for filing nor go they file with FSS briefers. If you
think the airlines don't get treated differently in many respects then you don't
know much about ATA and its FAA lackies in DC.

wrote in message ...

Airlines don't use DUAT for filing nor go they file with FSS briefers.
If you think the airlines don't get treated differently in many respects
then you don't know much about ATA and its FAA lackies in DC.


That's quite a leap from the computer limitations you said you were
responding to.

wrote in message ...
Snowbird wrote:

My point was to the chap who seemed to imply, if you have to file
enroute, you didn't brief properly preflight...t'aint true. Mommy
Nature doesn't seem to read the TAFs.

Nope, the chap was giving a setup for how to best guestimate where to have a composite flight plan
convert from VFR to IFR.

Hmmmm....FWIW, if that was your intent, these words:
***begin quote***
If you don't have a pretty good idea of where you are likely to encounter
IMC en route, you haven't done a very good job of flight planning.
***end quote***

don't do a very good job of conveying that intent.

Sounds a lot more to me like you're saying, if you encounter IMC
unexpectedly and need to file a pop-up clearance, you haven't done
a very good job of flight planning.

I disagree, but of course if your intent was just to say something
like "use your preflight briefing to guesstimate where you might
encounter IMC, then file a composite flight plan with the IFR portion
starting where your briefing leads you to believe the clouds will
be", that's one way to handle the problem.

FWIW, I haven't found composite flight plans too useful. Seem
to cause some kind of SNAFU with the ATC computers where the strip
doesn't get sent to the right facility at the right time. I have
better luck just filing separate flight plans with a departure
time delayed by my ETE to the point where I plan to activate the
IFR plan.

And it still doesn't address the issue of how to get an IFR clearance
enroute when you need one.

Cheers,
Sydney

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

wrote in message ...

Airlines don't use DUAT for filing nor go they file with FSS briefers.
If you think the airlines don't get treated differently in many respects
then you don't know much about ATA and its FAA lackies in DC.


That's quite a leap from the computer limitations you said you were
responding to.

Not at all. The carriers make sure the skids are greased for their flight
plans to seamlessly and automatically transfer from their host to the FAA
host. Unless someone wants to manually change a route on an air carrier
domestic flight plan, no human is even involved. It all is computed and sent
to the appropriate station and the FAA in a timely manner.

I doubt Roy Smith's home PC does that.