Flight Plans
It is often heard during the reporting
of an aircraft crash that the aircraft had no flight plan. Contrary to popular opinion airplanes do
not crash due to the lack of a flight plan. This edition of PLANE TALK will explain
what is contained in the flight plan, the three main types of flight plans, why
pilots file flight plans, and the benefit of the flight plan to the pilot.
The flight plan form is available to all
pilots at all Flight Service Stations and most airport offices. It is printed by the Federal Aviation
Administration and can be filed by telephone, radio, by personal computer, or
in person at the Flight Service Station.
The flight plan contains seventeen boxes
requesting specific information on the proposed flight from the pilot of the aircraft. These boxes as for: 1)type of flight
plan, 2)the aircraft identification number, 3)the type of aircraft and any
special equipment aboard, 4)the true airspeed during cruise, 5)the point of
departure, 6)the proposed time of departure, 7)the initial cruising altitude,
8)the route of flight, 9)the destination airport, 10)the estimated time enroute, 11)a remarks section, 12)the amount of fuel on
board in hours and minutes, 13)any alternate airports, 14)the pilots name,
address, and home base, 15)the number of persons aboard the aircraft, 16)the
color of the aircraft, and 17)a contact at the destination airport.
The pilot can file one of three types of
flight plans: VFR for Visual Flight Rules, IFR for Instrument Flight Rules, and DVFR for Defense Visual Flight Rules.
The VFR flight plan is to inform a
Flight Service Station of the flight.
The pilot of an aircraft must only contact the nearest Flight Service
Station to activate the flight plan by providing the Flight Service Station
with the actual time of takeoff from the departure airport. No additional radio contact is necessary
during the flight and no clearances are required for VFR flight.
An IFR flight plan is filed when the
pilot wants to fly in weather conditions that prohibit visual flight or if the
proposed flight is at an altitude above 18,000 feet. The IFR flight plan will make a
reservation for that aircraft over the route cleared and at the altitude
approved by the
A DVFR flight plan stands allows the
aircraft to cross into
The main benefit in filing a VFR flight
plan is the notification to Flight Service that the flight has departed. Upon
reaching the destination airport the pilot must contact Flight Service to
advise them that he has reached his destination. If the pilot has not made this mandatory
contact within 30 minutes of the proposed arrival time Flight Service will
begin a telephone search for the aircraft at the destination airport and at
other airports along the route if flight.
If the aircraft is not found on the ground at an airport Flight Service
will call for Search and Rescue.
All law enforcement agencies in the appropriate areas will be contacted
to be on the look out for a missing aircraft, the Civil Air Patrol may be informed,
and a coordinated search will begin.
The information supplied in the flight plan allows the authorities to
know the route the aircraft intended to take, how far the aircraft could fly
with the fuel on board, how many people are on board, and the description of
the aircraft.
In some instances when the pilot has
arrived at the destination or other airport and has not called to cancel the
flight plan and a search is started, the pilot can be billed for the costs
associated with the search.
The benefit to a pilot filing an IFR
flight plan is in the ability to fly when other VFR only pilots are grounded
due to bad weather.
Although most pilots will file a flight
plan before flight, a flight plan can be filed in flight. By contacting the appropriate controller
or Flight Service a pilot can file a “pop-up” IFR flight plan if
weather conditions worsen during the course of the flight.
There are many instances in which a
pilot will not want to file a flight plan.
During local sight seeing flights with no destination a pilot might not
want to go to the effort of filing.
Flights covering short distances over populated areas will usually not
have flight plans filed.
There is no requirement for the pilot of
an aircraft to file a flight plan for any VFR flight. It is however cheap insurance, should
the aircraft go down, the pilot would know that a search will be started within
a short time.
Fly
Safe, Robert “Captain Bob” Perry
Titan Tornado II SS N899HC