FLIGHT PLAN FILING

SPAJC

SPAJC

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jeff
Greetings all!!

I have a question about flight plans. On the standard FAA Flight Plan form, in the route of flight section, how detailed can you or should you be? In my training, we always went direct to our destination VFR obviously. Would you put victor airways, VOR radials and such in the route of flight? For example, if I wanted to depart from KSPA and intercept the 325 radial of the SPA Vortac to follow V53 to SUG then intercept the 331 radial of the SUG Vortac to follow V364 then continue to follow V364 when it changes to the 207 radial of the Holston Mtn Vortac and arrive at 0A9 as my destination.

How much of that would I put in the route of flight and what would the format be? I envision it something like this, considering the point of departure is already listed as KSPA at the top of the form:

Direct SPAV53 Direct SUGV364 Direct HMVV364 Direct 0A9

Would it be appropriate to leave out the "Direct" every time considering it's probably expected that you are flying direct to that point with exception to restricted airspace, etc. Also, If I wasn't flying a Victor airway and was just flying on radials off of the VORs, is there a particular format for that? In foreflight, it wants the format for that to be something like this:

KSPA SPA325005

which would tell the program that I wanted to depart KSPA and goto the SPA Vortac 325 radial 5 nm from where I started.

I know this probably will require a lot of information, but I haven't been able to find or obtain otherwise a clear answer for this. I want to be able to file a good detailed flight plan; I'm just not sure how to do so in such a way that it is easy to understand and properly formatted.

Thanks in advance for any help!
 
yes, you can skip the word "direct". Also if you want to file a victor airway you don't need to list every VOR along the airway, just the points that you enter and leave the airway. Just a suggestion, if you put the route you want into duats flight planner it will distill it down the the minimum verbiage that the computer will accept.

OTOH electrons are free, if you want to list more points along the way that's ok too. The computer may eliminate them but if it helps you keep the route straight in your head, no problem.
 
SPAJC said:
Greetings all!!

I have a question about flight plans. On the standard FAA Flight Plan form, in the route of flight section, how detailed can you or should you be? In my training, we always went direct to our destination VFR obviously. Would you put victor airways, VOR radials and such in the route of flight? For example, if I wanted to depart from KSPA and intercept the 325 radial of the SPA Vortac to follow V53 to SUG then intercept the 331 radial of the SUG Vortac to follow V364 then continue to follow V364 when it changes to the 207 radial of the Holston Mtn Vortac and arrive at 0A9 as my destination.

How much of that would I put in the route of flight and what would the format be? I envision it something like this, considering the point of departure is already listed as KSPA at the top of the form:

Direct SPAV53 Direct SUGV364 Direct HMVV364 Direct 0A9
Click to expand...

CARTT V53 SUG V364 UNICO

Would it be appropriate to leave out the "Direct" every time considering it's probably expected that you are flying direct to that point with exception to restricted airspace, etc.
Click to expand...

Yes, when the route is a series of fixes a direct course between them is assumed. But you want to fly the airways, so file the airways.

Also, If I wasn't flying a Victor airway and was just flying on radials off of the VORs, is there a particular format for that? In foreflight, it wants the format for that to be something like this:

KSPA SPA325005

which would tell the program that I wanted to depart KSPA and goto the SPA Vortac 325 radial 5 nm from where I started.
Click to expand...

The FAA Flight Data Processing computers use that same format.
 
Enter the vor where you enter an airway and where you exit the airway. Nod the airways you want to fly. I use Foreflight.
 
As for the "should you" question, they are used for search and rescue. Track searches can get enormous if the flight plan is rough, and it can make a difference of several days, or not being found at all.

ELTs may not help if you're 100 miles off your flight plan, and they are sometimes damaged in a crash, especially if fire is involved.

Searches take at least an hour per 50 square miles per aircraft, much more over forest or mountains. It's a useful exercise to calculate the needed search area if you were to disappear enroute. It tends to be enormous, and gets outrageous very quickly when you file direct and don't fly that way.
 
There is no way to enter a flightplan route that intercepts a radial or an airway. The closest one can get to that is to either specify the latitude and longitude of the intercept point or use the VOR/radial/distance format. You can be cleared to intercept an airway or radial but there isn't a way to file it.

Using the word Direct in a domestic flightplan is accepted, but not needed as if it is omitted, it is assumed.

To file an airway, one files the first waypoint or fix on the airway, followed by the airway, followed by the waypoint or fix that you depart the airway. All the waypoints used must be part of the airway. An airway that intersects another airway at a fix or waypoint can also be used to transition from one airway to another. Airports identifiers are not part of the airway.

A SID or STAR should be filed with its transition fix. In the case of the SID, the transition fix is after the SID identifier and in the case of a STAR it is before the STAR identifier.

An airport identifier can be used as a route element in a domestic flightplan, but in an ICAO flightplan, one must enter DCT before the airport identifier or the ATC computer will reject the route. DCT is ICAO for direct.
 
SPAJC said:
Greetings all!!

I have a question about flight plans. On the standard FAA Flight Plan form, in the route of flight section, how detailed can you or should you be? In my training, we always went direct to our destination VFR obviously. Would you put victor airways, VOR radials and such in the route of flight? For example, if I wanted to depart from KSPA and intercept the 325 radial of the SPA Vortac to follow V53 to SUG then intercept the 331 radial of the SUG Vortac to follow V364 then continue to follow V364 when it changes to the 207 radial of the Holston Mtn Vortac and arrive at 0A9 as my destination.
Click to expand...
I'd file that route as ....... V53 SUG V364 HMV --D-> ..........
 
As noted above, for VFR operations like the OP seems to be discussing, you want to provide enough information that the Search and Rescue folks can find you if you don't show up at your destination. The more accurately you describe your intended flight path, the better. Whether you file that using Victor airways or just listing the navaids or listing airports over which you intend to fly is unimportant as long as each point where you intend to change course is identified.

The rest of the details for IFR filing you can learn when you start your instrument training.
 
And I think I should point out what the search for the recent SF North Bay crash looked like. I think a lot of people underestimate what a search takes.

The aircraft was on an IFR flight plan, in contact with Oakland Center near Point Reyes (PYE) VOR, when it reported engine trouble. It was night, poor weather, over unlandable terrain (lots of bad choices there). The aircraft reported a diversion to Novato (KDVO) and proceeded there over the mountains, now off his flight plan. As he descended, radar contact was lost -- this is common over mountainous terrain. Several miles further, he impacted terrain and lit his airplane on fire.

The aircraft was equipped with a 406 ELT. It gave a few pings with no location information. The 121.5 signal lasted a bit longer, but gave out over half an hour or so. People suspect it was consumed by fire.

CAP responded with an electronic search, got nothing. A ground team was sent to the area, and also found nothing. The crash site was found many hours later because it started a wildfire in the hills, that could be seen by thousands of people. The fire was reported, not the aircraft. This was a very fast location -- several hours -- because of the fire. As you might guess, the pilot was killed. We don't know if it was by the impact or the fire.

Had there been no fire, this search would have taken several days, at least. That terrain is next to impossible to spot things in; much of it is heavily forested and can easily hide airplane sized objects. And we don't know precisely where he went; the radar track shows a lot of motion before it disappears; it's not close to a straight line. We would have had to search all of the northern Marin mountains, visually. If the marine layer would cooperate.
 
Last edited:
Jeff

I am familiar with your route. 0A9 is my home base.

For this route or any other, set up a Fltplan.com account, and enter a flight plan. You can then see plans filed and plans approved by ATC between any 2 airports.
 
FORANE said:
Jeff

I am familiar with your route. 0A9 is my home base.

For this route or any other, set up a Fltplan.com account, and enter a flight plan. You can then see plans filed and plans approved by ATC between any 2 airports.
Click to expand...

Yep, get a account (free) on fltplan.com and file on there.
 
All makes great sense...Thank you all for your help. I have a follow-up question:

On a x-country flight with a refueling stop, would you file to the fuel stop, then file a new flight plan to your destination? Or, is there a way to file the plan to include the fuel stop? Or is that just a matter of figuring some extra time for the fuel stop and leave the route the same? My logic says just to figure the extra time, but, if the stop requires you to deviate from the planned route by a few miles, then it seems to me that one should file to the stop, then open a new plan when you depart from the stop location. Is there a generally accepted/ preferred practice for this? Thanks much!
 
File every time wheels touch the ground, or at least when you shut down. It's pretty easy to accumulate delays while you're safe on the ground, and you only have a 30 minute margin.
 
Long story short, just file another flight plan.

I can get a flight plan fired off my ipad in nothing flat time wise, also the second you try to estimate the fuel stop something will change.
 
Many programs don't accept routes unless they are properly done with intersection entries and exits for airways, etc. If you fly with a sectional, you won't have all or even very many intersections depicted on it. And sometimes the computer rejects your route as entered. At least it used to do this to me all the time.

If you can't get the computer to accept your VFR route in the "Route" box, put it in the "Remarks" section. It is really only going to matter for SAR purposes anyway. At that time they will go back and scrutinize your flight plan form, call the people you listed, call airports you might be at, look for you on radar (takes a while and may be fruitless if you are only squawking 1200). After all that and then some, they fly your route or do various patterns around your last known position. But try to get your route on the form one way or another.
 
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