File created on the basis of the one provided by Mike KARA, CA-DIR.

Thank you Mike.

1 - VFR FLIGHTS :

A VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flight is a flight conducted under VMC (Visual Meteorological Conditions), i.e. in good weather. Usually its 3 SM (Statute Miles) visibility and clear of clouds.

The pilot of a VFR flight is responsible for his own seperation from other traffic, and ground obstructions, using the oldest trick in the book. To see and be seen!

Since most VFR flights are conducted in class G (uncontrolled) airspace, pilots will constantly be on the look out for other traffic and, using the radio, will broadcast position reports to alert other traffic of their presence and position.

When in controlled airspace, pilots are still responsible for their seperation from other traffic, but are also subject to ATC instructions.

2 - THE FLIGHT PLAN :

The following is a VFR flight in a Cessna 172 from Cedars Airport (CSS3) to Saint-Jean Airport (CYJN).

TCAS, Drop down list, Suffix : We file the aircraft type from the drop down listing of SB 2.3.4 (Older SB versions do not include this). As you can see, since this aircraft is a General Aviation one, the owner can't afford to install a TCAS (Tee-CAS - Traffic Alerting And Collision Avoidance System) so the checkbox is unchecked <G> Also no other gadgets are installed so we leave the suffix field blank.(Suffix and prefix features are detailed in L1-IFR-FP).

Type of flight : Since it is a VFR flight we check the VFR radio button. SVFR mean Special VFR - type of flight used into CTRs (standing here for Control Area, not Center) in poor weather conditions.

Aircraft Identification : Next is our Aircraft identification, which in this case are the Canadian 5 letter registration letters of the aircraft. Usually it starts with CF-XXX, C-FXXX or C-GXXX, where XXX is any 3 letter combination (only). The identification is filled when first connecting to the network in SB (Not in this menu).

Aircraft Type : The aircraft type has already been filled above (from the drop down list), and the field is included to show you what is the 3 or 4 letter code of your aircraft that ATC will see on their flight strips.

TAS (True Airspeed) : Next is the TAS or True Airspeed field. This is the true airspeed you plan to maintain during your flight. See details about speeds in L5-Speeds.

Departure point : The departure point is a 4 letter ICAO airport code. For Canadian airports, check the Aiport Information page from the menu, and for world codes check the IVAO database. See L5-Identifiers for details.

Departure time, Estimated and Actual : These are your Estimated and Actual time of departure, in UTC (Universal Coordinated Time). For the time being these are not really necessary.

Altitude : For flights below 2000 feet you can fill whatever you like as long as you maintain 1000-foot seperation from the ground and obstacles enroute.
For flights above 2000 feet, consult the following table in order to determine your altitude. See also L5-Altimetry.
Note that VFR flights are not permitted in Class A airspace, above 18000 feet.(In Canada; for further information about your country, please contact your division TC or DIR).

Routing : This is where your actual route will be entered. On VFR flights you file direct, from one airport to another. If you are in uncontrolled airspace this is the track you will follow from departure to destination.
If you are stopping at several airports along the way you will indicate this in the route, example : CSS3 CYHU CYJN. This indicates that you are stopping at CYHU (Saint-Hubert) or just flying over the airport and continuing to CYJN.

Destination : The route section is followed by your destination airport code field. Even though it was entered in the route section, you still have to include it here. In the route section you pointed out that you are flying direct from one airport to another.

Time enroute : This will be the total time of your flight from take-off to landing at the destination airport, including any stops you make enroute.
Say you stopped at CYHU for 30 minutes to pick someone up, you will include these 30 minutes in the time enroute. In this case, instead of 30 minutes, it will be 1 hour.

Remarks : Here you will include any remarks you think are important for ATC. In this case the pilot indicated that he/she has VFR charts. So ATC will know that you are able to navigate by yourself.

Anytime you are lost, or unsure of your position, you can always ask ATC for help, and if they are not too busy, they will help you right away.

Fuel on board : Here you indicate the total hours you can fly with the fuel you have on board your aircraft. This is not too important at the time being.

Alternate airport : VFR flights aren't required to file an alternate airport. However, you can mention one if you wish.

The next sections you will fill your name, the airport where you're based and the number of virtual people on board, including yourself <G>.

3 - CRUISING ALTITUDE AND FLIGHT LEVEL TABLE :

Altitudes or flight levels	Aircraft track
Altitudes or flight levels	000° - 179°	180° - 359°
Below 18000 feet ASL: fly at 2000-feet intervals. (Fly corresponding flight levels in Standard Pressure Region.)	IFR and CVFR	IFR and CVFR
	Odd thousand feet ASL (1000, 3000, 5000, etc...)	Even thousand feet ASL (2000, 4000, 6000, etc...)
	VFR	VFR
	Odd thousand feet, plus 500 feet ASL (3500, 5500, 7500, etc...)	Even thousand feet, plus 500 feet ASL (4500, 6500, 8500, etc...)

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L1 - VFR Flight Plan