Flight plans & flight itineraries
A flight plan and a flight itinerary both exist so someone raises the alarm if you go missing. The difference is who holds it: a flight plan is tracked by an ATS unit; an itinerary relies on a responsible person (or an ATS unit) to call for help if you are overdue.
| Filed with | Nature | |
|---|---|---|
| Flight plan | an ATS unit | the ATS-tracked version |
| Flight itinerary | a responsible person or an ATS unit | the informal version |
(A community aerodrome radio station may stand in for the ATS unit here, for filing or the arrival report, CAR 602.75. The one thing only an itinerary allows is a responsible person.)
When you need one (CAR 602.73):
- More than 25 nm from the departure aerodrome: a flight plan or an itinerary (CAR 602.73).
- Crossing an international boundary: a flight plan specifically (an itinerary will not do) (TC AIM RAC 3.5.1).
- A local flight within 25 nm: neither is required, but filing one is still wise.
Closing it (CAR 602.77): tell an ATS unit (or your responsible person) that you have arrived as soon as you can. It does not close itself. If you filed an itinerary with no SAR time, search-and-rescue action begins 24 hours after your last reported ETA if you have not reported in (a filed flight plan allows only one hour) (CAR 602.77).
Trap: do not swap plan and itinerary (an international crossing needs the plan), and do not assume landing closes it: the unclosed plan is exactly what triggers a needless SAR launch.
References
- CARs 602.73
- CARs 602.75
- CARs 602.77
- TC AIM RAC 3.5