You do file a VFR flight plan when you conduct a cross-country flight, don’t you? There is no reason not to – it’s free and it is one more layer of safety for your flying.
Just as there is an observed chain of events leading to an accident with each link in the chain an opportunity to avoid the accident if ‘broken,’ there are multiple layers of safety that you can put in place. Each layer adds another option for your risk management/mitigation plan.
Leidos has made filing the VFR flight plan process a bit easier…
Automation Option for Opening and Closing Flight Plans via Phone Now Available
August 3, 2021
Leidos Flight Service has released a new feature that gives pilots the ability to directly activate and close their VFR Flight Plans via the Voice Response System without talking to a specialist. This upgrade is designed to make opening and closing VFR Flight Plans easier than ever and saves pilots valuable time by eliminating hold times.
The enhancement is available to all pilots who have a free online www.1800wxbrief.com account that is linked to a primary phone number. To sign up for an account, simply click Create Account and be sure to enter a Primary Phone Number that our phone systems can associate with your account.
When you call Leidos Flight Service (1-800-WX-BRIEF), the system will automatically search to see if you have a flight eligible to be Activated or Closed and provide menu options if it finds a flight. These menu options will not be provided otherwise. You can activate your VFR flight plan up to 30 minutes in the future to ensure that you have enough time to get into the air before the flight plan is active. Pilots can then easily close a flight plan with a quick phone call when their flight is concluded. Be sure to contact Leidos Flight Service from the primary phone number that is linked to your account. If you call from a different phone number, we will not be able to look up your flight plan in the system.
System Nuances: the IVR system will not offer services if it detects more than one proposed flight plan with the same departure time and pilots will be unable to use the system to close flight plans that have entered Search and Rescue status.
Thank you for continuing to trust www.1800wxbrief.com with your aviation needs. Check back for more exciting updates!
Safe Flying!