Flight plan online?

[mrjones30]

When planning a trip and you set up your Flight plan how do you do it? Can you do it all online?

 

 

Thank you

[FlyDave]

I use http://fltplan.com/ for filing flight plans. For IFR flight plans, they will email or text you the route you'll be assigined
1/2 hour before the departure time. Pretty handy for being ready right after copying your clearance.

I also use my iPad and/or other sites like http://skyvector.com/ or http://vfrmap.com/ to locate waypoints or landing sites along the way.

[mrjones30]

Dave,

 

That is good stuff, thank you!!

[PTK]

It should be noted that there are a number of really good online flight planning sites. However CSC DUATS is the one that is certified by the FAA as being officially equivalent with a briefing received from a live FAA briefer. DUATS records the briefing and your receipt is official proof that you had the "official" briefing from the FAA. Should the need arise to prove this to somebody.

Having said that, I don't know what this means because when we file our flight plan it goes into the same "system" and "the system" outputs the routing. I've used DUATS and I find it cumbersome compared to others. Personally I find Fltplan to be excellent.

[David Mazer]

fltplan.com can be tweaked so it produces very predictable results.  I have spent a fair amount of time entering and refining the performance characteristics for my plane and the time and fuel requirements are usually within a couple minutes and fuel within a few tenths of a gallon.  It is remarkable.  It also tells you what ATC route is likely to be given and that is also helpful. I've tried other programs but fltplan.com gives me the best results. I believe you can import a similar plane's performance chart and tweak it from there.

fltplan.com's weather is now considered an official weather briefing and, if you log in, it records that you checked.  As Allsmiles notes, it is good to have it recorded in case.

[fantom]

Quote: allsmiles

........Having said that, I don't know what this all means!".......

[WardHolbrook]

Quote: Mazerbase

fltplan.com can be tweaked so it produces very predictable results.  I have spent a fair amount of time entering and refining the performance characteristics for my plane and the time and fuel requirements are usually within a couple minutes and fuel within a few tenths of a gallon.  It is remarkable.  It also tells you what ATC route is likely to be given and that is also helpful. I've tried other programs but fltplan.com gives me the best results. I believe you can import a similar plane's performance chart and tweak it from there.

fltplan.com's weather is now considered an official weather briefing and, if you log in, it records that you checked.  As Allsmiles notes, it is good to have it recorded in case.

[DrBill]

I too use FLTPLAN.COM.  It is very acurate and I like the feature of probable route 1/2 hour before takeoff.  I usually file my plan the night before, and check it at the airport just prior to takeoff for the probable route.  I usually then program my GPS and since I'm at a non-towered field, take off VFR then call in to activate the plan. Once in 10 the route is different and I handle that just liket any other plan change during flight.

Regarding Weather briefing, I usually use AOPA weather the night before and that uses my DUATS account . I really like their surface forcasts.

BILL

 

[bnicolette]

I have been using fltplan since 2000 (professionally & personally).  I have tried a couple of the others just for fun, but they just don't compare IMO.  I am still amazed when I take the time to really look over the Nav Log page off of fltplan at just how much information is on there!  It really is amazing.  They are also very receptive to suggestions and are very eager to keep updating and making it better and better.  AND it's free for us.

[bdjohn4]

iPad with ForeFlight app is great.  No... incredible. I love it, and I've got a G430 and a panel-mounted G396 with Nexrad.   Foreflight also shows the ATC preferred routing and you can even get ADS-B weather overlay on the maps (Free after buying an $800 gizmo for the iPad).  Haven't got the ADS-B gizmo but looks promising. They sell the gizmo at Sportys. The iPad/Foreflight interface is also a lot "prettier" than fltplan.com, which reminds me of early websites from the 1990s. Instead of emailing you the weather, Foreflight puts the weather into Foreflight, so it is right there. You can also put your DUATs passwords in there so that it serves as your official briefing.  Foreflight, however, is not free.

[Txbyker]

I have been using Foreflight since it launched and am a big advocate for tool.  This weekend I downloaded the new Garmin Pilot app for iPAD along with 30 day trial and find it very nice too.  I have the touch Garmin 650 and the yoke 796 and am wondering if it is a matter of time that the new iPAD app syncs with those two.  The new app is layed out like the Garmin Aera format.  It was intuitive enough that I taught myself most of it in 15 mins.  Love the press and pop pinwheel menu feature.

[danb35]

Quote: allsmiles

However CSC DUATS is the one that is certified by the FAA as being officially equivalent with a briefing received from a live FAA briefer.

[jlunseth]

I use www.fltplan.com for my flight planning also, but I do not use it to file.  You don't directly file a flight plan with fltplan, you ask them to file your flight plan and some time later they do it.  My experience with that, is that it takes a couple of hours and several times I have pulled up to the line, asked for my clearance, and nothing is on file, so I have to file with the Clearance Controller.  My SOP is to call FSS, get a briefing from them, and then file the flight plan with them.  It goes directly into the system, so as soon as you get off the phone with them it is there.

I also have tweaked fltplan with the performance characteristics of my aircraft.  Since it is a turbo there is no single TAS, the TAS for a particular trip depends entirely on what altitude I fly, 3,000 vs. FL210.  In fltplan it is possible to put in TAS's that vary with altitude, so that is what I have done.  It is also possible to program in a climb rate and speed, and climb fuel rate of use.  Fltplan does a remarkable job of factoring in all this plus winds aloft and telling you what your ETE is going to be.  I find the Flight Plan feature on Foreflight to be useful for setting up a map line, but as far as accuracy of flight planning it is not nearly as good as fltplan. 

[PTK]

There actually is "the" one. DUAT or DUATS is the legal weather briefing from Flight Service. Now if another online flight planning service like fltplan.com or AOPA or anyone else gets their info via DUAT or DUATS under the hood, so to speak, then it is recorded and it is a legal wx briefing. I know AOPA does for example. I'm sure others do as well.

[FlyDave]

Quote: Mazerbase

fltplan.com can be tweaked so it produces very predictable results.  I have spent a fair amount of time entering and refining the performance characteristics for my plane and the time and fuel requirements are usually within a couple minutes and fuel within a few tenths of a gallon.  It is remarkable.  It also tells you what ATC route is likely to be given and that is also helpful. I've tried other programs but fltplan.com gives me the best results. I believe you can import a similar plane's performance chart and tweak it from there.

fltplan.com's weather is now considered an official weather briefing and, if you log in, it records that you checked.  As Allsmiles notes, it is good to have it recorded in case.

[KSMooniac]

I'm another happy fltplan.com user since 2007.  I've never had any filing issues with it, and I find the ATC Routes part of the planning very, very helpful in unfamiliar territory.  A few years ago I also signed up for weathermeister.com (pay site) for briefings...they produce a well thought out briefing that is easy to read quickly with color codes to help you find the important stuff.  Those two sites cover 95% of my needs, with supplementation by the ADDS site as necessary for predictive stuff like icing and storms.

[danb35]

Quote: allsmiles

There actually is "the" one. DUAT or DUATS is the legal weather briefing from Flight Service.

[PTK]

Yes there is! And I'm not contradicting myself! Perhaps I'm not making myself clear!

The FAA has to be able to find out that you received a standard wx briefing should they choose to investigate. Both DUATS and FSS are trackable. A record of your login and/or phone call is available for you to prove you received a wx briefing and NOTAMS. This is what is meant by "legal" or "official".  If you got a briefing somewhere else and not through DUATS or FSS there is no record you did. Thus if FAA investigated you have no way to prove that you received an "official" wx briefing. Please refer to your AIM.

[201er]

Who says you're even required to get a weather briefing!?

[danb35]

Quote: allsmiles

Yes there is! And I'm not contradicting myself! Perhaps I'm not making myself clear!

[PTK]

I know Fltplan is official! I use it always. As I said there are others. As there are "unofficial" sources. Hence the distinction the FAA makes. There is a reason for this distinction, don't you think!? 

The end.

[bnicolette]

Quote: 201er

Who says you're even required to get a weather briefing!?

[201er]

Brett, I'm serious. I'm not saying it's a good idea. But the regs don't require it. Especially not in any "official" sort of form that is being discussed here. Show me what regulation requires you to get a weather briefing from WXBRIEF, DUAT, DUATS?

[PTK]

Quote: 201er

Brett, I'm serious. I'm not saying it's a good idea. But the regs don't require it. Especially not in any "official" sort of form that is being discussed here. Show me what regulation requires you to get a weather briefing from WXBRIEF, DUAT, DUATS?

[bnicolette]

No, I guess you certainly don't have to use an "official" source, but certainly are required to know what the wx is doing?  I think Doc was just trying to say that if you use an official source that it would be able to be proved that you indeed checked the weather.

Sec. 91.103 — Preflight action.

Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include—

(a) For a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command has been advised by ATC;