"John Harper" wrote in message news:1066687571.701137@sj-nntpcache-5...
In the Bay Area you can file TEC and this is essentially an abbreviated
filing. You only give origin and destination, no altitude, route or any of
the SAR stuff. It works between any airports in the Norcal area, and
maybe one or two outside (e.g. KSTS). You can *usually* do this
with ground when you would normally request to open your pre-filed
clearance. However I've had it refused when the destination tower
was busy (or couldn't be bothered?).

Okey, dokey. Let's see if I got this straight.

On the Left Coast, TEC means you call up ground and say you want
to go from KABC to KXYZ, tower enroute, and they clear you. No
prefiling w/ FSS or DUATS, no route given, none of the rest of
the flight plan jazz and off you go. You having looked up the
route and altitude in the AF/D and the ground controller presumably
entering you in the system with the correct route number, like
a Chinese menu.

In the rest of the country, TEC means you look for your preferred
route in two places, but otherwise you file IFR as you always file
IFR and you takes what you gets as far as routing goes, as you
always takes what you gets. It has no discernable special effects.

Did I get this straight? If so it would explain why I'm confoosed,
me having never flown under IFR in the state of California. I
couldn't figure out what difference it makes in the Midwest and
East because...it makes no difference?

If I didn't get this straight, could someone please use smaller
words and speak more slowly?

Thanks, guys!
Sydney