PilotEdge Forums

Hi. I've been diligently forging my way through the Cat Ratings and am, as of this writing up to 8, and having a blast doing so. Been simming for decades and can't imagine how I got along without PE! Nor could I have ever dreamed back then that it would ever have evolved to what it is today. I only wish I had many more decades to live to see what it becomes!

I have only filed one a flight plan, however, and that was for the first one to get credit for the flight. I know it isn't required to file a VFR flight plan but I have noticed, just today while watching the online map and listening to the PE receiver, that two flights were done from KTOA to KVNY. Perhaps it was for the Cat-10 I don't know. Their info listed on the right of the map in the 'Pilots' list included "KTOA_KVNY", which I assume meant they filed a VFR flight plan.

Should I be filing VFR flight plans?

Roger, you don't need to file VFR flight plans in the real world, so you don't need to file them here, either.

However, if you'd like to PEAware to track your flight, then you need an airport-to-airport flight progress strip to be created for you. One way to do this is to file a VFR flight plan. That said, though, ATC will often create one for you if you pick up flight following on the ground from one airport to another, so a flight plan isn't really needed in those cases as ATC will be creating a strip on your behalf anyway.

If you call for flight following in the air, ATC will create a strip for you, but the orgin of the flight plan might be left blank, or it might be a nearby VOR, in which case, PEaware won't track the flight.

Hopefully that clears it up. I'm glad to hear that we've managed to breathe new life into your simming. It's generally the case that whenever people discover online ATC, they have a hard time imagine their sim experience without it, whether it's PilotEdge or any other network (really). We do feel like we offer something unique here, though, between the guaranteed ATC coverage, the realistic usage of frequencies, that takes it to another level

Thanks Kieth. Thought so.