IFR flight plan with multiple stops

"gregscheetah" wrote in message
ups.com...

A recent flight planning software package I am trying creates a single
flight plan - say from DSM to Jeffco. Even tho there is a fuel stop in
KLBF, about midway. This is what it wants to file with DUATS.

My question is: I have always thought it was necessary to file two
flight plans - one DSM to KLBF and another KLBF to Jeffco. Is this
necessary? Or can I file a single flight plan? Is the Voyager
software making a mistake?


A "through clearance" is a possibility. It's useful for brief stops at
locations without direct pilot/controller communications. But stops for
fuel tend to be longer than what most would consider to be brief, and there
is direct pilot/controller communications on the surface at LBF so a through
clearance offers no advantage. Just file two flight plans.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in
ink.net:

A "through clearance" is a possibility. It's useful for brief stops
at locations without direct pilot/controller communications. But
stops for fuel tend to be longer than what most would consider to be
brief, and there is direct pilot/controller communications on the
surface at LBF so a through clearance offers no advantage. Just file
two flight plans.

We sometimes get a through clearance on offshore flights. We file 2
plans, but due to the lack of ATC radar and communications coverage, we
can almost never talk to anyone to get our inbound clearance, other than
through company communications specialists, who have to call FSS, who
calls center, and get everything relayed a few times. If we're just
stopping to drop off & pick up passengers, we often ask for our inbound
clearance with a void time before we descend out of radio coverage. If
there is no other IFR traffice, center may give us a through clearance,
combining our cruise clearance to the rig with our inbound clearance.
When the system is barely viable in the first place, some flexibility is
necessary.

--
Regards,

Stan

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." B. Franklin