Forgot to close flight plan

Peter Duniho wrote:


AFAIK, the search & rescue aspect is the same for IFR and VFR. ATC has
nothing to do with it, except that when an IFR flight arrives at a towered
airport, the controller contacts the FSS (who is the entity waiting for the
"timer to go off") to close the IFR flight plan on the pilot's behalf.

That's funny, a tower calling FSS to cancel an IFR flight plan.

Teacherjh wrote:



Rather than explain, let me ask how a search is begun for an aircraft that does
not land when it is expected to.

If you don't call in to cancel your flight plan then S&R is started.


Say you hand off to the tower, and the
aircraft does not contact the tower.

Happens every day. Lots of times I'll just let you land without a
clearance. You'll never do that again.


The plane is below radar. A few minutes
go by, then a few more, and still no contact. Perhaps the airplane has been
abudcted by aliens, or has crashed in the forest, or has had an electrical
failure, or the nut behind the yoke came off. So, what happens? When?
Triggered by what? Why?

S&R is started when you don't arrive.



Same question, nontowered.


S&R is started when you don't cancel your flight plan.

S&R is started when you don't arrive.

Well, here's the detail I'm looking for: How do they know you don't arrive -
they have to be told that you will. How do they know when you will arrive -
they have to be told the time to expect you. So, "some time" goes by and you
haven't arrived. S&R is started.

How much time is "some time"? (I'm not asking for an exact number - I'm well
aware that it may not exist).

And the "action" in this case is being told that you will arrive, and "some
time" going by without an arrival. Yes?

Jose

--
(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)

"Newps" wrote in message
news:zNIdc.2628$rg5.27162@attbi_s52...
That's funny, a tower calling FSS to cancel an IFR flight plan.

It's only funny to an asshole who takes pleasure in laughing at other people
who don't know the inner workings of job functions for which they have no
need to know the inner workings.

Most likely, neither you nor Steve would know answers to these sorts of
questions if it weren't for the fact that you are controllers and being able
to do your job, and the FAA, require you to know the answers. I know you
don't care that you both come across as big honking jerks when you
criticize, make fun of, and otherwise belittle folks when you could instead
simply provide the actual answers to questions being asked. But the fact
remains that you do.

Now to me, THAT is funny. To each his own, I guess.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...

It's only funny to an asshole who takes pleasure in laughing at
other people who don't know the inner workings of job functions
for which they have no need to know the inner workings.


So if you don't know the inner workings of job functions for which you have
no need to know the inner workings, why do you post on the inner workings of
these job functions?

Teacherjh wrote:

S&R is started when you don't arrive.


Well, here's the detail I'm looking for: How do they know you don't arrive -
they have to be told that you will. How do they know when you will arrive -
they have to be told the time to expect you. So, "some time" goes by and you
haven't arrived. S&R is started.

How much time is "some time"? (I'm not asking for an exact number - I'm well
aware that it may not exist).

If the tower has a flight strip printer and no radar you know exactly
when he will arrive because of the time printed on the strip. At about
ten miles out the center will tell that aircraft to contact tower. If
you don't contact tower at or before your expected landing time the
tower will call the center and ask about the aircraft. It will become
immediately clear during that conversation where the airplane is. If
the tower has no printer the center will call the tower with all
inbounds and give the same time as the computer would have.



And the "action" in this case is being told that you will arrive, and "some
time" going by without an arrival. Yes?

Yes.

Here's another good reason to close your flight plan right away : if
you're flying a plane that is shared by others.

On my first x-ctry solo flight, I called to open my flight plan from A
to B. The FSS person kept saying they couldn't do that, because the
plane was already registered on a flight plan from B to A.

There were a couple of minutes of confusion, when suddenly I
remembered that I had taken off only about 15 minutes after the last
student had landed from his own solo x-ctry. So I keyed the mike and
said "Hey, I think the last student didn't close his plan yet." FSS
came back right away and laughed, "Okay, that did it. I closed his
out and yours came up!"

Whew! I almost turned back because of that.

Kev

Kevin Darling wrote:



Whew! I almost turned back because of that.

What?

Newps wrote in message news:6r2ec.8091$wP1.27188@attbi_s54...
Kevin Darling wrote:
Whew! I almost turned back because of that.

What?

Because I thought you had to have a flight plan filed for a x-ctry to count :-)

"Kevin Darling" wrote in message
Because I thought you had to have a flight plan filed for a x-ctry to
count :-)

....and your logbook signed at the destination.