The EFB software I use (AVPLAN) automatically puts the SARTIMES I lodge into the calendars in my iThings. A reminder to cancel pops up 10 minutes before the SARTIME. Saved me from embarrassment once. (Like YPJT, I’ve forgotten a couple of times over the last few decades - very embarrassing. I think the EFB will save me from further embarrassments.)
I’d be interested in understanding what the practical impediment is to SARTIMES being ‘automatically’ cancelled on arrival at a controlled aerodrome.
I’d also be interested in understanding what the practical impediment is to SARTIMES not going ‘live’ for a flight out of a controlled aerodrome if the flight never departs.
The latter question arises from something that happened to a colleague. He submitted a flight plan for departure from an aerodrome in C and included a SARTIME for arrival at his destination. He ended up not departing because of mechanical problems, and cancelled his plan by radio on the ground. Off home and to other activities. Later that day he received a call from AusSAR. Little did he know that his SARTIME had remained ‘active’ in the ‘system’.
And before anyone makes the obvious point: “That’s how the system works”, I’d note that that was not how the system used to work. For those of us who learnt to fly before the mid-90s, SARTIMES were canceled ‘automatically’ on arrival at a controlled aerodrome, and would not be ‘active’ for a flight departing a controlled aerodrome unless the flight actually departed. Further, the system now is counter-intuitive, and counter-intuitive systems encourage errors.