Filing a Flight Plan vs Flight Following

Shepherd said:
Flight plan:
Me: "Mom, I'm going over to Johnny's house."
Mom: "Call me when you get there.
Me: "Aw Mom!"

Flight following:
Me: "Mom, I'm going over to Johnny's house."
Mom (shouting from the window of her car): "Go down the driveway, cross the street, look both ways, now turn left, go straight, watch out for the crack in the sidewalk, now turn right up Johnny's sidewalk. Ring the doorbell. Hello Jane, hello Johnny."
Me: "Aw Mom!"
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Are you implying that using flight following somehow grants ATC control of where and how you fly?

o_O
 
James331 said:
This might help.


5012743-C-84-A7-4-BC8-A344-3476-E0976080.jpg




I also am a fan of a properly tested SPOT with a good contact list saved to it and their SAR insurance
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Is a SPOT more accurate or have a quicker response than a 406 ELT? I accidentally triggered mine while installing and got a call within 5 minutes.
 
Shepherd said:
Flight plan:
Me: "Mom, I'm going over to Johnny's house."
Mom: "Call me when you get there.
Me: "Aw Mom!"

Flight following:
Me: "Mom, I'm going over to Johnny's house."
Mom (shouting from the window of her car): "Go down the driveway, cross the street, look both ways, now turn left, go straight, watch out for the crack in the sidewalk, now turn right up Johnny's sidewalk. Ring the doorbell. Hello Jane, hello Johnny."
Me: "Aw Mom!"
Click to expand...

Don't know about all the directions, but "...watch out for the crack in the sidewalk..." definitely belongs there. How about the equivalent of 'Radar Service Terminated' when he turns down an alley, loses her and she says "ok ya little sheet, fine, do it your way."
 
Cogito said:
Is a SPOT more accurate or have a quicker response than a 406 ELT? I accidentally triggered mine while installing and got a call within 5 minutes.
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A spot sends your location to whomever you want as well as search and rescue.

After reading stories where the “authorities” botched SARs I’d like some of my people to be able to try to save my butt too if they felt the Cap of whomever wasn’t doing the job.
 
James331 said:
A spot sends your location to whomever you want as well as search and rescue.
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So does a 406 ELT. You give your own name/number to call first, if you don't answer they call the next two names/numbers you supplied when registering. I suggest removing your ex-wife from the list if you get divorced.~~~
 
Cogito said:
So does a 406 ELT. You give your own name/number to call first, if you don't answer they call the next two names/numbers you supplied when registering. I suggest removing your ex-wife from the list if you get divorced.~~~
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Do they provide a track to them and last known location as well?
 
I rarely ask for flight following, but when I do, it's because I intend on transiting airspace, or I'm doing a night VFR and I want ATC to be on speed dial just in case.

A VFR flight plan does nothing for me for pretty much any of the flights I take, and I haven't filed one since I got my PPL.
 
Cogito said:
That's what I'm asking, is a 406 ELT as good as a SPOT?
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AH

Well I can only speak for the SPOT right now but it’s live tracking and a full track record. Also nice because it can be on your person vs installed in a plane that might sink/burn/etc.
 
Cogito said:
That's what I'm asking, is a 406 ELT as good as a SPOT?
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Although one of their functions align (emergency notification) that is pretty much where the similarities end.

Although both will alert SAR (and perhaps others, depending on how you have it configured) in the event of an emergency, SPOT will allow 24/7 tracking on set intervals. As often as every two minutes, with the right plan, and no more than every ten minutes. These track marks can be viewed by anyone who has the link to your tracking page.

When paired with a third-party web site like Spotwalla.com, you can store an unlimited number of track points and create "trips" to display those points whenever you want. Something like this:

Screenshot_20200207-103416_Firefox.jpg
 
FF is a great feature and can get help in an instant. Once it is terminated or post termination, if you press on, it becomes less useful.

VFR flight plans are most useful if you file it, follow it (or amend it), and activate it. The best solution is to use both!
 
Bill Jennings said:
Actually, that's the second best solution. The best solution is to obtain your IR and fly in the system.
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I call that the option of last resort. The real system is the US system of airspace classification that equally allows and promotes flying without ATC contact in most US airspace. Be thankful for it, even as you fly along on rails, its the envy of the flying world.
 
I would be more inclined to use a flight plan if my home drome, and some of the smaller fields, had reliable cell service. It can be difficult sometimes to close the plan from the ground if I don’t remember to do it in the air.

Ordinarily I file a plan but only open it if I can’t get FF. If the controller is too busy for me, I call up FSS and have them open the plan.
 
Tusayan said:
I call that the option of last resort. The real system is the US system of airspace classification that equally allows and promotes flying without ATC contact in most US airspace. Be thankful for it, even as you fly along on rails, its the envy of the flying world.
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Depends on the goal. If one wants safety and quickest response if they go down, nothing beats being on an IFR plan. B
 
smv said:
Are you implying that using flight following somehow grants ATC control of where and how you fly?

o_O
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I've been told on occasion to change altitude or direction to avoid getting run over by military aircraft or commercial airliners.
 
Tusayan said:
I call that the option of last resort. The real system is the US system of airspace classification that equally allows and promotes flying without ATC contact in most US airspace. Be thankful for it, even as you fly along on rails, its the envy of the flying world.
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FREEDOM! Fraught with risks and responsibilities! As it should be in this home of the brave!
Bill Jennings said:
Depends on the goal. If one wants safety and quickest response if they go down, nothing beats being on an IFR plan. B
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"Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated."

The system has its place, without a doubt.
Its purpose is to enhance our FREEDOM by making it possible to get from A to B when it might not be otherwise possible.

As I said above I will use FF and file VFR flight plans.... And honestly, I intend to get my IR, to USE my FREEDOM as practically as I can.
 
luvflyin said:
Off topic of "Filing a Flight Plan vs Flight Following." How so?
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I didn’t say “off topic”. You quoted my post and then went off on what happens if you don’t have flight following.

That had nothing to do with the topic of my post.
 
GeorgeC said:
ATC pointing out a primary-only return is about the only value I can see FF providing over ADS-B.
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FYI, in addition to not displaying primary returns, ADS-B will not generate a TISB for transponder equipped aircraft that don't have or are not squawking mode C.
 
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