Duksrule

What do you all do when you are going to multiple different airports using IFR clearance/flight plan?

Normally if I need to file and am stopping at more than one airport, I file for each leg. One time I filed from my home airport to my home airport via another airport and that seemed to screw everything up with the controller. He worked with me and I think that since I was only doing a touch and go at the other airport it was easier to make it work. It was obvious that this wasn't the way he wanted to do it though.

So say you are going from XYZ to ABC to pick someone up then taking them from ABC to XXX and dropping them off then back to XYZ to end your flight. Just enough time on the ground to pick up and drop off. My thoughts are to just file to each airport then pick up next clearance before departing each time. Any other ways to get it done that are easier? Normally I am just A to B and don't have to give it any thought but I have an Angel Flight coming up that I will need to go pick the person up, drop them off and then go back to my airport. Just want to do it the right way.

TheFly

Sounds like you're concerned with the delay on the ground with having to get the new clnc. Is departing VFR & picking up your IFR up in the air an option?

lwaddle

A flight plan for each leg seems to keep the controllers happy. For training flights I've filed one flight plan from my home airport to my home airport with "multiple approaches" in the remarks section, but I don't think that's official unless you have an agreement with the local controllers.

Duksrule

Picking up the clearance in the air isn't an issue (I hope it is VFR). Angel flight prefers that you are on an IFR plan when there is a patient onboard. I was just seeing if there was anything to do other than filing 3 different flight plans, one for each leg.

Iwassle: That is what I did the one time that I put it all on one flight plan. It seemed to catch the controller off gaurd. He worked with me but wasn't happy to do it.

N9373M

Done that many times without any problems. Just file to a fix and back. I use the 149 degree radial for 10 miles off the local VOR which just happens to coincide with the holding pattern I'm about to request.

i.e. KCAE->CAE149010->KCAE

USMCFLYR

File a flight plan from point of departure, intermediate locations, to the final destination with remarks regarding the additional stops. If weather allows, you could cancel when close to each stop and let the controller know that you would like them to keep your filed flight plan in the system and you'll be reactivating it in approximately XX minutes.
You situation is very similar to how we conduct our operations when we take off from one location, have work to do in multiple locations enroute, and land at the final destination.

In the military we had something called a Stopover Flight Plan.
One flight plan filed with multiple IFR legs with delays built in (for stops).
I never like to do this personally. I took my time at each stop, checked weather again, checked in with Ops if required, and refiled the next leg. I'm not sure there is a FAA equivalent of a Stopover flight plan.

If the possibility of IMC conditions exist, I would call FSS and tell the specialist that I would like to file multiple flight plans at one time, giving the pertinent details of each before he closes out each flight plan. Then I would basically fly each as a separate leg with individual flight plans ready and waiting for me prior to departure.

Something about multiple ways to skin a cat rings to mind here
Good luck and thanks for contributing to Angel Flight.

USMCFLYR

DirectTo

That's how I've always done it. I've picked my potential approaches beforehand and filed the first fix and basically just gone with whatever worked best for ATC afterwards. Flexibility is great when you want to do practice approaches, especially in busier airspace.

galaxy flyer

I'm not sure the FAA has stopover flight plans like in the military. I don't know of any way other than filing each plan separately. Certainly, our online planning program doesn't offer it. I have a three-leg day tomorrow--3 plans

GF

jmcmanna

From an ATC standpoint:

At slower places, either way is usually just fine and won't really make a difference. At busier facilities (say, some of the airports around Chicago or Los Angeles), I think most controllers would prefer you file a flight plan for each leg, especially if you're going to be on the ground for a few minutes or more. We may not be able to accommodate keeping your IFR clearance active while you're on the ground if someone else wants to use the airport, so you'll need to get a new clearance anyway. The computer system tends to work better with a new flight plan for each leg, too. We can suspend your flight plan, but it's just one more thing to do that's out of the ordinary and can cause automation issues down the line.

Ewfflyer

I thought in a past article in some magazine I read about guys in TX using "Through Clearances." I think it was more of an agreement with the center controllers for them to allow it.

Personally, I just file individual legs for reasons listed above. When I flew freight, I'd get my clearance on my taxi-in at all the controlled fields, and use clearance delivery at uncontrolled ones, and let them know your going to be quick turning.