Welcome to FltPlan, a free flight planning service for creating and filing IFR and VFR flight plans, obtaining weather briefings and navigation logs for flights in the U.S., Bahamas, Canada, Intra-Canada, Mexico, Central America and most Caribbean airports. FltPlan offers pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight tools including: Airport/FBO Information, Approach Plates / Digital Charts, Routes with Radar Overlay, Nearby Airports, Fuel Stops, Quick Info, Area Fuel Prices, Flight Schedule Calendar, Customizable A/C Performance, Stored Routes, TOLD Card, Flight Tracking, Planned ATC Routes, Email Notifications, and Historical Flight Tracking with Weather Overlay.
PDC Premium Service
FltPlan offers PDCs (Pre-Departure Clearances) for Jets and Turbo Props NOT equipped with a datalink box. PDCs are text clearances issued for an IFR flight plan.
PDCs include
- Your filed route
- Amendments to your route
- Your cleared altitude
- Your transponder code
- Your departure frequency
- Any special instructions
A PDC is the same as receiving a verbal clearance from Clearance Delivery.
Sample PDC:
PDCs are available for the following U.S. airports:
Approximately 20 to 30 minutes prior to the filed departure time, ATC will generate the PDC and the PDC will be forwarded to FltPlan. Once received, the PDC will automatically be displayed on your Active Flight Plan list. The PDC may also be distributed to the Pilot or Co-Pilot via email addresses / text messages, as setup in the User/Pilot Info section of your account.
The PDC service is not operational until the aircraft registration number / call sign are registered with the FAA by FltPlan.
To receive your PDC clearance by email or text message, you MUST file the flight plan through FltPlan.com.
PDC pricing starts at $199 per aircraft per year. Please inquire about discounts for fleets of more than 5 aircraft.
To enroll, please fill out the online application.
Interpreting PDCs
While most PDCs are easy to interpret, there are some that may be difficult even for the most experienced aviators. We have compiled 11 examples of PDCs that may be challenging, and included questions to test your knowledge. The quiz will not be graded - you will see the correct answers as you go.
FAQs
- How soon after registering can I receive PDCs?
- It can take up to 1-2 business days from the time of registration for the service to become active.
- Can the PDC service be used for flights using a call sign or flight number?
- Yes, as long as the call sign or flight number is specific to the tail number.
- Will the PDC service work for aircraft being flown by multiple FltPlan users?
- Yes, the PDC service is tail number/call sign specific and will work in multiple accounts.
- If my cell phone or cell service fails, will I run into trouble contacting ATC for the clearance like I normally would?
- No, you can go to any computer or other device with internet access and get your PDC online at FltPlan.
- What is the purpose of limiting these PDCs to one per day per airport?
- This is an FAA limitation, and not a limitation of FltPlan. The FAA will only allow one PDC per tail number/call sign per airport per day, to avoid pilots using the wrong PDC.
- What should I do if my flight is delayed by more than two hours?
- If you are delayed, PDC standard procedure is to call Clearance Delivery within 120 minutes past your scheduled departure time and they will extend/update your new departure time. There is no need to re-file. If, for any reason, you do not ask for your clearance within 2 hours of your scheduled departure time, your clearance will be dropped out of the system, and you will need to re-file. You should then ask for your clearance by radio since you have re-filed.