My recollection of flying in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Germany, as well as of my PPL TK, is that also in those countries the VFR FPL is distributed to ATC units along your route although I have no idea how they do the addressing.
In the US only FSS (Flight Service Station), departure and destination get your flightplan, provided they are controlled airports. Departing from an uncontrolled airport you would need to call FSS to open your flightplan.
On the other hand, even without ATC having your FPL, they will in most cases just clear you direct or as requested. The exception comes with certain military areas, where they don’t to mix civil and military traffic.
VFR, whether you have filed a flightplan or not, you need clearance to enter and transit each controlled airspace (class B,C,D). You need to request it (prior to entering), you should obtain it provided traffic and controller workload permits. The best you can hope for is a “direct” to some point where you can exit controlled airspace, but I doubt it will be worded “cleared direct to xxx”, but rather “report xxx”. Once in controlled airspace you will need a clearance to change altitude.
In class E airspace you should establish two-way radio communication with the appropriate ATC unit, and inform them of your intentions in terms of route and altitude.
In class G airspace you can establish two-way radio communication with the appropriate unit to get FIS (flight information service), and I recommend it. 10+ years ago, French FIS would barely respond if you called them using English. This is a lot better today.
In all cases, provided the FPL has been distributed to all ATC units along your route, having filed a FPL will facilitate R/T because it will save you filing a simplified flightplan at first contact.
Obviously this is not the way it works everywhere, including the UK and the US.
And as to Fenland Flyers’ direct question:
Is it advisable to file a flight plan for a longish trip down the western coast of France. Would there be any difference in services available?
I would say it is definitely advisable, particularly if you want Search&Rescue. For crossing national borders, e.g. UK to France, it is compulsory. Beyond facilitating first contact with ATC and SAR a FPL does not provide any additional service.
Sadly, many products of the UK PPL training sausage machine seem to believe that a FP is a way of getting a permission to do something, and I recall some rather sad situations I heard on the radio where a pilot got turned away despite protesting that he filed a FP.
How true. In Germany, too.
PPL students over here seem to learn nothing useful about flightplans during flight training. The only notion they seem to take away from classes seems to be that the act of filing a flightplan somehow “sorts out” things for them.
A great shame for the instructor crowd.
Beyond facilitating first contact with ATC
Does it, really? I cannot remember not having to provide all details on first contact with an ATC unit ever, despite having filed VFR flight plans.
Maybe the first ATC contact when you depart a controlled airfield – where they’d get your FP, but not the subsequent ones :-)
Having said that I’ve found in France they were rather efficient when handing over from one FIR to the other.
I’ve also found that one could get flight following across the US border sans having activated the DVFR flight plan ahem :-)
However, in France, VFR flight plans do generally seem to get distributed to ATC and FIS units along the route, so it might just help to ease things and to get more direct routings and a more straightforward (read: concise) radio comunication
The trip to La Rochelle VFR was quite easy, as you mention they had our details (with one controllers exception). No problems getting info regarding R and P areas, they even spoke pretty good English :)
Same thing in Germany, “contact my colleague on 123.12, he has your details”.
Same thing in Germany, “contact my colleague on 123.12, he has your details”.
Yes, but that is usually result of a prior coordination from one controller to the other.
Otherwise, german FIS and Approach controllers never receive VFR flight plans. DFS says it would blow up their system. Also, since there is no obligation for radio contact in airspaces E, F, G, they won’t end up throwing most strips away…
Yes, but that is usually result of a prior coordination from one controller to the other.
Of course they do. Otherwise they would just say “You are now leaving my airspace. Squawk VFR. Good bye”
