who is required to file a flight plan
pilot flight dispatcher
title: Flight plan text: Flight plan Flight plans are documents filed by a pilot or flight dispatcher with the local Civil Aviation Authority (e.g. the FAA in the United States) prior to departure which indicate the plane's planned route or flight path. Flight plan format is specified in ICAO Doc 4444. They generally include basic information such as departure and arrival points, estimated time en route, alternate airports in case of bad weather, type of flight (whether instrument flight rules [IFR] or visual flight rules [VFR]), the pilot's information, number of people on board and information about the aircraft itself. In most countries, flight title: Flight plan text: the Atlantic Ocean). Flight plan Flight plans are documents filed by a pilot or flight dispatcher with the local Civil Aviation Authority (e.g. the FAA in the United States) prior to departure which indicate the plane's planned route or flight path. Flight plan format is specified in ICAO Doc 4444. They generally include basic information such as departure and arrival points, estimated time en route, alternate airports in case of bad weather, type of flight (whether instrument flight rules [IFR] or visual flight rules [VFR]), the pilot's information, number of people on board and information about the aircraft itself. In title: Flight plan text: plans may be submitted before departure or even after the aircraft is in the air. However flight plans may be submitted up to 24 hours in advance either by voice or by data link; though they are usually filled out or submitted just several hours before departure. The minimum recommended time is 1 hour before departure for domestic flights, and up to three hours before international flights. This time depends on the country the aircraft is flying out of. Holding over the destination or alternate airports is a required part of some flight plans. Holding (circling in a pattern designated title: Flight planning text: VFR flights often do not require filing a flight plan (Source?), a certain amount of flight planning remains necessary. The captain has to make sure that there will be enough fuel on board for the trip and sufficient reserve fuel for unforeseen circumstances. Weight and centre of gravity must remain within their limits during the whole flight. The captain must prepare an alternate flight plan for when landing at the original destination is not possible. Over and above the various cost-reduction measures mentioned above, flight planning systems may offer extra features to help attract and retain customers: Flight planning providers: title: Flight management system text: route or by reference to other waypoints with entry of a place in the form of a waypoint (e.g. a VOR, NDB, ILS, airport or waypoint/intersection) The flight plan is generally determined on the ground, before departure either by the pilot for smaller aircraft or a professional dispatcher for airliners. It is entered into the FMS either by typing it in, selecting it from a saved library of common routes (Company Routes) or via an ACARS datalink with the airline dispatch center. During preflight, other information relevant to managing the flight plan is entered. This can include performance information such