Filed flt plan w/ incorrect data

iflyvfr

iflyvfr

Pattern Altitude
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Sep 20, 2013
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Columbus, OH
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Display name:
Greg
With this fantastic high pressure bringing sunshine everywhere, I'm going to do my first trip into the DC SFRA tomorrow. I inadvertently filed my "IFR" flight plan using the incorrect time I expect to depart the FLUKY gate. I refiled it correctly, but curious with the online tools today if there's a way to delete the wrong one, or do I simply let it expire? I used AOPA's planner to file FWIW.

I expect to have VFR traffic advisories the whole way, so I'm also expecting a handoff to Potomac, but will confirm my SFRA squawk code if I'm unsure...
 
Click on the link that's says "QC" which stands for quick change and change your departure time. Go to flight plans and you can delete your old ones.
 
HMMM thanks but I don't see those options in the online version. I guess I'll let it expire.
 
Sure there is. Go to flight planning, then you'll see a tab that says delete flight plan.
 
I've noted that multiple plans confuses the hell out of the transponder observed controller. I don't have a clue why.

Unless your plans overlap within two hours, that's not typically a problem. The one with the wrong time won't even be visible at the time you try to activate the right one. If you proposed time is close enough (-30/+120 min) nobody is going to sweat the "error."
 
Multiple plans seem to get ATC in a tizzy.

Why not just call flight service and ask them to amend/delete your plan?
 
Plans sometimes get lost or duplicated, Potomac is flexible. Screws fall out all the time, the world's an imperfect place. All the controllers care about is that you filed, you're squawking, and you're talking.
 
Potomac is "flexible" but when I ended up with multiple plans there was a delay while they figured out which one they were supposed to open. I told them it didn't matter to me.
 
Controller here, multiple flight plans do drive a lot of controllers mad. It is important for us to "depart" the correct flight plan, especially if the flight plans have different fixes, VORs or destination airports. If ATC departs the wrong FLT plan it will possibly cause a deviation on that controller, just like a pilot deviation. Imagine an aircraft turns right after a fix instead of left and the controller is basing their separation off of the left turn. Boom, controller deviation (on the controller that departed the AC) and loss of separation (on the current controller). I've seen developmentals get fired for messing up flight plans, at least in the Center I work at.
 
You'd think if they overlap, the system would realize that the aircraft can't fly both simultaneously and flag it with entry times, so the controller could still pick one, but assume the latter one and make that the default.

Computers make things better. If they're actually used right. Not that most computer systems are used right...
 
Well, I ended up arriving about an hour earlier than my filed SFRA arrival so I queried the controller, and he said, "don't worry you're fine, just stay with me" and the next thing I know I'd been handed off to Manassas tower. Boy that couldn't have been any easier! I was at 7500' coming across the hills and as I descended was told remain clear of the Bravo. Due to weather I had the field in sight from 20 miles out and just kept descending. The controller told me to report established on final 16R and I was home.

Outbound was just as simple. I observed that I was well clear of the SFRA when Potomac cleared me to squawk 1200 and a departing Grumman behind me had to prompt them when he was even further past the FLUKY gate. All in all I got the impression that they've done this before & it's really not a big deal. Of course, having a tail wind WESTbound made for an even better experience today. DC_Mountains.JPG
 
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