PilotEdge Forums

Interesting article by a Tracon controller, southeast US, about pop up IFR clearances.
Often wondered what the "+" symbol on the flightplan page meant.
Eugene

http://airnation.net/hangar/threads/pop ... Newsletter

The + we see in PEAware indicates a route was amended -- not that you're IFR per se. The + symbol is entered next to a call sign on a radar display so that the computer understands the call sign is IFR.

This article was well written and provides an idea of what happens behind the scenes at the radar console, but there are a few things pilots should know that the controller is not addressing (and rightfully so; he is not responsible for our compliance with the regulations).

First, if the conditions have so drastically changed that an IFR clearance is now required to depart, update your weather briefing! If you half-assed the briefing with a quick look at the TAF and METAR, now is the time to call FSS or go online and obtain the whole weather picture. Now is not the time to call center from the ground and request a pop-up IFR clearance. While the instructor was criticized for his lack of knowledge about pop-up IFR, he or she made the right call in scrubbing the flight -- at least until more information could be gathered.

Next, the preference for pilot-filed flight plans is important. Controllers do not like playing the role of Flight Service, and it is not uncommon to hear controllers request pilots to change to a FSS frequency to file plans both in the air and on the ground. If it's busy at the center -- and with staffing shortages, you can bet they are these days -- you're not going to be making any new friends by requesting an unfiled IFR clearance on the ground.

All of that said, I have use pop-up IFR to my advantage many times. Local flights tend to be where those become necessary. I've had unforecast heavy rainshowers reduce visibility to 2SM, a surface-based fog layer sandwich me in with a 2,500 foot ceiling, and a few cross countries where cloud dodging activities were becoming exhausting.

There are also some situations where pop-up IFR is not necessary but advantageous in training. There was an overcast layer with bases at 5,000 feet on a day when I was conducting simulated instrument training in VFR conditions. I figured it'd be cool to put my student in real IFR conditions, so we obtained a quadrant clearance. "Cleared to fly the northwest quadrant of the BVT VOR. Remain within 10 DME. Maintain block 5,000 through 6,000." Once done, we requested 4,000 and canceled IFR when we were 500 feet below the deck.

Intresting!

I never thought or knew a pop up IFR was ever requested on the ground. Ive only used them in the air. On the ground its so easy to file (iphone ipad ect....). It never occured to me to ask for it on the ground.

As for flight training I almost always file an IFR flight plan if theres any possibility of needing i t or wanting one(clouds/rain/just not sure what i want to do once i get up)

HRutila wrote:The + we see in PEAware indicates a route was amended -- not that you're IFR per se. The + symbol is entered next to a call sign on a radar display so that the computer understands the call sign is IFR.

When I put a TEC route in, does that mean the controller has to manually re-input my route - when I review the flight on PEAware, it normally has a + and a full route?
Thanks for your observations on the article.
Eugene

overload wrote:

HRutila wrote:The + we see in PEAware indicates a route was amended -- not that you're IFR per se. The + symbol is entered next to a call sign on a radar display so that the computer understands the call sign is IFR.

When I put a TEC route in, does that mean the controller has to manually re-input my route - when I review the flight on PEAware, it normally has a + and a full route?
Thanks for your observations on the article.
Eugene

Yes

What would the PE controllers prefer? I thought it was a good idea to file the TEC route name (like SANN4) - is that not preferred?

One of the controllers told me to put the full route in the ROUTE and in the remarks put "TEC Route SANN4" and that has worked great for me ever since.

Ryan B wrote:What would the PE controllers prefer? I thought it was a good idea to file the TEC route name (like SANN4) - is that not preferred?

Doesn't matter, really. We can amend the route in a matter of 2 seconds in most cases.