Ryan Ferguson said:
I think Don Brown's full of it. I've spoken with several controllers at various levels in the system who have no problem with folks who file direct. No need to suffer guilt and anxiety over asking for what you want, JD.
Don Brown may be overly enthusiastic about certain things, but he isn't "full of it," he's by the book:
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5-1-8. Flight Plan- IFR Flights
d. Area Navigation (RNAV)
1. Random RNAV routes can only be approved in a radar environment. Factors that will be considered by ATC in approving random RNAV routes include the capability to provide radar monitoring and compatibility with traffic volume and flow. ATC will radar monitor each flight, however, navigation on the random RNAV route is the responsibility of the pilot.
2. Pilots of aircraft equipped with approved area navigation equipment may file for RNAV routes throughout the National Airspace System and may be filed for in accordance with the following procedures.
(c) Plan the random route portion of the flight plan to begin and end over appropriate arrival and departure transition fixes or appropriate navigation aids for the altitude stratum within which the flight will be conducted. The use of normal preferred departure and arrival routes (DP/STAR), where established, is recommended.
(d) File route structure transitions to and from the random route portion of the flight.
(f) File a minimum of one route description waypoint for each ARTCC through whose area the random route will be flown. These waypoints must be located within 200 NM of the preceding center's boundary.
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The above is pretty much exactly what he recommends, and he gives his reasoning quite clearly. Nowhere direct Timbuktu through his airspace gives him no clue where you're going. OK when it's not busy, but when it is busy, why not make it easier on the controllers? And if something is a good idea when the poop hits the prop, isn't it a good idea to get into good habits anyway?
I find Don Brown's columns have some very interesting tidbits - Such as "don't thank me for doing a good job on frequency" and that sort of thing. Who'd have known? So, while he's a bit overzealous about certain things, I figure it doesn't hurt to do what he says either. Really, how difficult is it to add one radio fix per center into your flight plan? It won't cause you to burn extra fuel, it'll just make the controllers' job a bit easier.