Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

4 Answers

VFR Flight Plan Question

Asked by: 2081 views ,
FAA Regulations, General Aviation

Does filing a VFR flight plan automatically give you clearance? Like for example would I need to verify that I am cleared into a Class Bravo before entering on a VFR flight plan?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

4 Answers



  1. KDS on Oct 07, 2020

    Filing a VFR flight plan give you no more authorization than if you did not file a VFR flight plan. Vice versa, you can contact ATC and get a clearance through Class B with or without a flight plan.

    The biggest advantage of filing a VFR flight plan is to reduce the time between your accident and when you are located. I cannot quote them, but I have seen the number of hours and it is substantial.

    It is not part of your question, but I will add a tip I heard for remembering to close your flight plan. Another pilot would put a bright orange clothes pin on his shirt. Then, at the end of the flight when he looked in the restroom mirror, he would see it hanging there and be reminded to close the flight plan if not already closed. He called it his “Close Pin”.

    +2 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. EAD on Oct 07, 2020

    As far as I know, ATC does NOT even see VFR filed flight plans.

    VFR flight plans are opened and closed only by calling FSS (via phone or radio), or if you signed up for it, clicking the easy open or close links in your email.

    You would ABSOLUTELY need to hear the words “Cleared into Class Bravo” before entering.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. Mark Kolber on Oct 08, 2020

    In case it wasn’t absolutely clear from the other two replies, except for a few very specific exceptions with their own requirements and limitations like the DC SFRA…

    A VFR flight plan has absolutely no ATC function whatsoever. It’s one and only function is to initiate search and rescue if you don’t show up. It gives you clearance for absolutely nothing.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. John D Collins on Oct 08, 2020

    And to add to the discussion, filing a VFR flight plan by itself will not do anything. No one will come looking for you if you are overdue if you don’t in addition to filing the VFR flight plan, activate the flight plan. I see many VFR flight plans that are never activated. The FSS computer automatically deletes them from their system if they are not activated within 2 hours of the filed departure time.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.