How should small FBOs submit flight plans?

[Jimbo-in-debt]

Hello ppruners,

Can somebody PLEASE help us with this - we'd be very grateful!

I'm writing from a small (but aspiring) FBO based at two airports in the UK. We don't have SITA, AFTN or suchlike so how should we submit flight plans that we do on behalf of pilots?

Is there a way of submitting them directly through the CFMU website? We use the 'structured editor' on said website to check for mistakes in our flight plans, but there doesn't seem to be a way to then lodge them in the system.

Until recently we faxed them to the tower, but they haven't got time to correct any mistakes; secondly they're only really doing it because they're nice, not because they have to, and thirdly the acknowledgement comes back to them rather than us.

How do other small FBOs, or for that matter small charter companies, do their flight plans?

Thanks!

Jimbo

[plans123]

Jimbo,

Jeppesen have a very wide range of products that you may want to look at. All you really need is a PC, imternet and the software. I use JetPlanner and JetPlan.com - well worth the money and I personaly find the back up support second to none.

It will do most things for you, check routes, file and store them etc etc. The only real down side to JetPlanner, is that it is only really a transmit facility, so receiving Acks, CTOTs (and hopefully not Rej's!) will be a problem for you.

There are other products out there, but you get what you pay for at the end of the day.

Jeppesen (http://www.jeppesen.com)

[Flight Data]

Jimbo

Another possible option is that it used to be that all smaller aerodromes could submit flight plans through their relevant regional parent a/d (Heathrow, Manchester, etc), often via fax. It's a while since I worked at EGLL, and I know the system has changed since I left, but the details of any parent/child a/d setup that may exist should be in the AIP; if you have trouble finding them, give EGLL FBU or AIS a call and ask them.
The only trouble with that arrangement is that the parent a/d gets all the ACKs, etc, so you need to have a solid procedure to cover that, but if you're using the structured editor to check any plans first, then that should be fairly acheivable.

I'll try and find out a bit more soon, but things are a bit busy at the moment, so may not be possible.

FD