"Roy Smith" wrote in message
...
"Brien K. Meehan" wrote:

I've also tried to file flight plans with the alternate the same as the
departure, and they wouldn't take it. I didn't argue, and just gave
another nearby alternate (e.g. DET instead of PTK).

This one I just don't understand. What alternate you file has
absolutely no impact for ATC. It's a regulatory obligation that the
pilot has to comply with to be legal. There's no reason at all that FSS
or ATC should give a rats ass what your alternate is, and for an FSS guy
to refuse to accept your stated alternate is absurd. I'd have told the
guy to just enter the flight plan the way I read it to him.

When I file I'll give them the flight plan first without the alternate, then
listen to the briefing, and use that to figure out whether I need an
alternate and what the best one is. Most of the time I need to remind them
not to hang up on me after they finish giving me the weather. Most of the
time I'm filing with Bridgeport.

-cwk.