Half tracked VFR flights

I was listening to PDX App on http://www.liveatc.net and heard an Airpac Piper Seneca enroute to BFI on a VFR flight plan (Airpac 35). I don’t know when he (the PIC) cancelled the IFR flight plan. Since there is no track log does this mean the IFR flight plan was closed before takeoff? HERE is a Cessna 172. Is the ETE accurate on these flights? I know FlightAware doesn’t update the route since I heard the pilot tell PDX ATC that he was flying direct BFI and not direct OLM (as in the BTG V23 OLM route).

It is possible the aircraft filed an IFR flight plan, but just departed VFR, called up approach in the air and requested flight following. VFR pilots can fly wherever they please (direct) of course, and maybe they were never radar identified, or not in radar contact. Chances are the system departed the flight plan if the pilot squawked the assigned code to get advisories, but if the flight was never tracked up, it wouldn’t show on here i suppose. Not sure what really happened (not as familiar with approach controls), but thats a start…

DM
ZBW

VFR pilots can fly wherever they please (direct) of course, and maybe they were never radar identified, or not in radar contact.

Not true. They can go just about wherever they like, however they cannot enter; class C airspace without radio contact and Mode C, class B without clearence and in an approved VFR corridor, Restricted airspace (like the Utah Test and Training Range), cross an ADIZ, enter TFR airspace (like that around Crawford, TX when the president is there).

Yeah - gotta watch out for those pesky little TFRs and that big ol’ honkin ADIZ! . . . CLICK HERE

Of course they can’t fly into places VFRs can’t fly… as opposed to IFRs which much remain on pref routings (which, out east, can add considerable distance).

We get planes all the time that file direct BDR or something, and when we issue them “cleared to BDR via dir DNY.DENNA2.BDR, they say, uh, we’ll just cancel IFR, thanks center” and they remain direct at 17500. They’d rather dodge EWR arrivals VFR than fly the extra 20 miles IFR.

That’s what I meant by “they can fly as they please”.

DM