AIM

8/15/19

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29

Preflight

pilots should also review the FAA’s Prohibitions,
Restrictions, and Notices website at

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/us_
restrictions/.

f.

When customs notification to foreign locations

is required, it is the responsibility of the pilot to
arrange for customs notification in a timely manner.

g.

Aircraft arriving to locations in U.S. territorial

airspace must meet the entry requirements as
described in AIM Section 6, National Security and
Interception Procedures.

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12. Change in Flight Plan

a.

In addition to altitude or flight level, destination

and/or route changes, increasing or decreasing the
speed of an aircraft constitutes a change in a flight
plan. Therefore, at any time the average true airspeed
at cruising altitude between reporting points varies or
is expected to vary from that given in the flight plan
by 

plus or minus 5 percent, or 10 knots, whichever is

greater,

 ATC should be advised.

b.

All changes to existing flight plans should be

completed more than 46 minutes prior to the
proposed departure time. Changes must be made with
the initial flight plan service provider. If the initial
flight plan’s service provider is unavailable, filers
may contact an ATC facility or FSS to make the
necessary revisions. Any revision 46 minutes or less
from the proposed departure time must be coordinat-
ed through an ATC facility or FSS.

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13. Change in Proposed Departure

Time

a.

To prevent computer saturation in the en route

environment, parameters have been established to
delete proposed departure flight plans which have not
been activated. Most centers have this parameter set
so as to delete these flight plans a minimum of 2 hours
after the proposed departure time or Expect
Departure Clearance Time (EDCT). To ensure that a
flight plan remains active, pilots whose actual
departure time will be delayed 2 hours or more
beyond their filed departure time, are requested to
notify ATC of their new proposed departure time.

b.

Due to traffic saturation, ATC personnel

frequently will be unable to accept these revisions via

radio. It is recommended that you forward these
revisions to a flight plan service provider or FSS.

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14. Closing VFR/DVFR Flight Plans

A pilot is responsible for ensuring that his/her VFR or
DVFR flight plan is canceled. You should close your
flight plan with the nearest FSS, or if one is not
available, you may request any ATC facility to relay
your cancellation to the FSS.

 

Control towers do not

automatically close VFR or DVFR flight plans since
they do not know if a particular VFR aircraft is on a
flight plan. If you fail to report or cancel your flight
plan within 

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 hour after your ETA, search and rescue

procedures are started.

REFERENCE

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14 CFR Section 91.153.
14 CFR Section 91.169.

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15. Canceling IFR Flight Plan

a.

14 CFR Sections 91.153 and 91.169 include the

statement “When a flight plan has been activated, the
pilot-in-command, upon canceling or completing the
flight under the flight plan, must notify an FAA Flight
Service Station or ATC facility.”

b.

An IFR flight plan may be canceled at any time

the flight is operating in VFR conditions outside
Class A airspace by pilots stating “CANCEL MY IFR
FLIGHT PLAN” to the controller or air/ground
station with which they are communicating.
Immediately after canceling an IFR flight plan, a pilot
should take the necessary action to change to the
appropriate air/ground frequency, VFR radar beacon
code and VFR altitude or flight level.

c.

ATC separation and information services will

be discontinued, including radar services (where
applicable). Consequently, if the canceling flight
desires VFR radar advisory service, the pilot must
specifically request it.

NOTE

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Pilots must be aware that other procedures may be
applicable to a flight that cancels an IFR flight plan within
an area where a special program, such as a designated
TRSA, Class C airspace, or Class B airspace, has been
established.

d.

If a DVFR flight plan requirement exists, the

pilot is responsible for filing this flight plan to replace
the canceled IFR flight plan. If a subsequent IFR
operation becomes necessary, a new IFR flight plan
must be filed and an ATC clearance obtained before
operating in IFR conditions.