VFR Flight Plans

B

buffalopilot

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

On a VFR flight plan, does it work like an IFR flight plan entering class B airspace or do I still need to hear "Cleared into Bravo Airspace?"

THanks
 
Ajax said:
/thread

To the OP, VFR flight plans are largely, for lack of a better word, useless. It's my understanding that ATC might not even know if there is a VFR flight plan open.
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Unless you're traveling over water or mountains, especially at night, in which case it may just save your life. Going XC? File (and open) a flight plan.
 
If you file a VFR flight plan, open it. No need to have it and not use it. But I agree, if you are going to be in a remote area, or night, it's not a bad idea.

I always went ifr when I was out late, so I didn't do many VFR plans.
 
Get flight following when VFR and forget about the VFR flight plans. Help will come a lot sooner too.

1977 was the last time I filed a VFR flight plan going to the race track in Raton NM, yes they used to race horses there. Forgot to close the flight plan and found out 3 days later they had been looking for me.

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I only ever file VFR if I'm headed into the mountains and will be at altitudes below radar coverage or on dual XCs with students.
 
For me, VFR flight plans work for border crossings. Otherwise, I rarely use a VFR flight plan.
 
A VFR flight plan is better than nothing but speaking as someone who recently had large amounts of time over very uninhabited areas in a piston single while on VFR flight plans, I'd say they are only marginally so. Flight following, ADSB out, or a spot or similar is going to get you picked up a lot faster than a VFR flight plan.
 
Answering the OP's question directly, yes, you must hear the words "cleared into Class Bravo." VFR flight plans (with the exception of specially required ones like in the DC SFRA) have no ATC function at all. They are only for the purpose of search and rescue operations if you don't show up and no one hears from you.
 
For military guys, and in particular military fixed-wing:

1. Yes, you must open your own VFR flight plan when departing a civil field.

2. Yes, you must close your own VFR flight plan when you land at a civil field, and it's not a bad idea to call up flight service by air or landline and ensure that it is, in fact, closed even if you landed at a mil or joint use field with a base operations. Especially if you landed at a joint use field, but didn't shut down on the mil side, and chose to use the civil (FBO) side.
 
MikeD said:
Do you file a 175 through a base ops, or file your own via FSS, when departing a civil field?
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No base ops here - just ops, if that makes sense. We just file a 175 with our ops, but if it's VFR it goes no where. We have the option of doing a 175 or just an operations log for local flights. Usually, for flights departing from a civil field away from here, the crews will just fax/email flight plans back here. If they don't, then yes, they'd have to file with the FSS.
 
I stopped filing VFR plans when Lockheed took over FSS. Now I get flight following from ATC instead.
 
MikeFavinger said:
No base ops here - just ops, if that makes sense. We just file a 175 with our ops, but if it's VFR it goes no where. We have the option of doing a 175 or just an operations log for local flights. Usually, for flights departing from a civil field away from here, the crews will just fax/email flight plans back here. If they don't, then yes, they'd have to file with the FSS.
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Yeah, for VFR plans filed with FSS and departing a civil field, some mil guys I've talked to seem to think that they will automatically be opened (and automatically closed), which isn't the case.
 
MikeD said:
Yeah, for VFR plans filed with FSS and departing a civil field, some mil guys I've talked to seem to think that they will automatically be opened (and automatically closed), which isn't the case.
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Yeah, I can see that with guys operating exclusively out of a mil airfield who are used to hand-holding.
 
I'll get the wx and other information online or through Foreflight, but I'll file via phone to FSS on the way to the airport. I like knowing that I filed with a human, and that my voice is online at the end stating that I already received weather information online, and from which source.
 
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