Lots of resistance to filing flight plans here. I'd like to offer a different perspective.
It's really frustrating to have to deal with multiple systems for what is essentially the same thing. For most flights, I have to:
- Book out, either through some web form or by calling some number, the details of which depend on where I am. So I have to look it up, get frustrated with a web form that doesn't work from an iPad, etc. And I have to type in most of the same details over and over again (email address, phone number, my name, callsign etc).
- Get PPR from my destination, either through some web form or by calling some number, the details of which depend on where I am. So I have to look it up, get frustrated with a web form that doesn't work from an iPad, etc. And I have to type in most of the same details over and over again (email address, phone number, my name, callsign etc).
- Give every controller of some controlled airspace in my way my life story, wait for them to get it all down, by which time I'm on top of them in some cases.
- Wait for PPR to be accepted (if filed digitally).
If only there were a single unified system for getting my details to everyone who wants to know. Well, there is - it's the flight plan system.
I appreciate it's a pain to learn/use yet another system if you don't do this already (I certainly don't). But it's the right way forward because if everyone did it then pilot admin would be massively reduced.
So I'm in favour of:
- Booking out being done by a flight plan.
- Requesting PPR being done by a flight plan.
- (not sure how to integrate "PPR accepted" into this, but that'd be a minor issue if everyone did everything else)
- Controllers of controlled airspace en-route paying attention to flight plans and being ready with a strip, or whatever, so I didn't need to give each of them my life story.
Because then there's only one thing I'd need to do, instead of four.
We can only get there one step at a time. I welcome any one step, because it's heading in the right direction.