Flight plan

[FlyBoyAndy]

I will likely be starting my IR training in the next few months and was thinking about flight plans. Are there common routes that you can find for your specific flight listed? Let's say I'm heading from Orlando, Fl to somewhere around Atlanta, Ga, are there some routes listed somewhere that I can use, do I make one up, or does someone have to give one to me? I apologize if this question is crazy but I'm just curious.

 

[eman1200]

if you use foreflight or garmin pilot you can get suggested ATC routing, which can be helpful in planning but not always what you'll get.

 

[Jim K]

Fltplan.com is a good place to get routes as well. They'll give you recently cleared routes.

1800wxbrief.com also has them. Put your airport pairs into the "plan & brief" page and hit the "plan" button.

You'll find that there aren't any recently cleared routes between most GA Airport pairs. In the midwest, it's almost always "direct". In your part of the world the routing is probably more interesting.

 

[midlifeflyer]

The thing about the "recently cleared" routes is that you still have to think - which you have to do anyway.

As @Jim K points out sometimes there aren't any. But there may be things you can string together. For example, we're thinking about a possible trip next year to Western Massachusetts. Nothing particularly useful GA airport to GA airport. But looking at the map a direct route crosses right over metro NYC. That makes it easy.

 

[Daleandee]

Take a look at Skyvector. Input your departure and destination points and click on the route button ...

 

[sarangan]

I will likely be starting my IR training in the next few months and was thinking about flight plans. Are there common routes that you can find for your specific flight listed? Let's say I'm heading from Orlando, Fl to somewhere around Atlanta, Ga, are there some routes listed somewhere that I can use, do I make one up, or does someone have to give one to me? I apologize if this question is crazy but I'm just curious.

I would start by looking at all the STARs into Atlanta from the south. You will most likely be asked to fly to one of the established arrival fixes and then be radar vectored from there.

Not terribly useful, but you can find a list of FAA preferred routes here: https://www.fly.faa.gov/rmt/nfdc_preferred_routes_database.jsp

In practice, if you are GPS equipped, just file direct. There aren't many airspaces or terrain issues between Orlando and Atlanta. You will get vectored as you get closer to ATL, but that will happen even if you filed a preferred route.