when doing flight planning I see that using airways sometimes involves a lot of sharp turns which seems to add to the distance and time of the flight. Do commercial flights ALWAYS plan via jetways or do they sometimes plot via GPS in a more direct line to the destination? I want to be as realistic as I can so just curious as to how things get routed.Thanks

It can go either way. Was on a cockpit ride the other day from KDEN to KLAX. The flight planned (and filed) route used various high altitude airways. Once we transitioned off the SID, ATC cleared us direct to HEC. This was the flight planned transition to the CIVIT arrival (STAR) that had been filed for LAX. Essentially, this was an ATC specified routing from Denver to LA using a direct, GPS flight path . . . for a big 'ol commercial airliner. If you are interested in reality, try one of the serious addons like the LVLD 767 or the PMDG 744. These have fully funtional FMCs that will let you learn to operate a nav system just like a real pilot of a commercial airliner. These addon airplanes have nav systems that provide rather amazing technical fidelity. Then get on Vatsim. Just like the real world, be ready to go either way.

You can look at real world flight plans actually filed at www.flightaware.com. Pick your airport of departure or arrival, click on a flight of your choice, and an expanded window will open which includes the filed flightplan and a map of the route.The FAA also maintains for high density sections of the US where high traffic airports are "fairly close" (KMSP to KLGA is one) sets of preferred routes. The aircraft on one of these passes from local control to an adjacent local control (TRACON) as opposed to going from local control (departure) to enroute control and local control (arrival/approach). Frequently directs are included. They can be seen here:http://www.fly.faa.gov/Products/Coded_Depa...s_database.htmlJust fill in arrival and destination (without the K) and forget the rest. Here's one:MSP DLL BAE J34 J146 ETG MILTON-STAR LGAAs you can see MSP direct DLL direct BAE joins J34 joins J146 to ETG to first waypoint in MILTON-STAR to destination.Once enroute depending on weather and traffic conditions a controller may offer a direct shortcut to a pilot which he can accept reducing distance travelled.Whether or not you use a GPS as such does not matter in regard to direct or not. While a GPS has a direct-to function these can also be performed by aircraft that can home on a reachable Navaid such as being high enough to pick up a long range VOR and home on it essentially doing a direct-to.More complex NAV systems such as FMCs can perform RNAV navigation going between points in its waypoint database by whatever means available skipping waypoints (direct-to) as the plan is edited. This is noted in the post above.

A couple of things to consider:Flying IFR on airways makes it much easier for ATC. Controllers have a set routine for handing-off traffic from one sector to another along the airways. If you are out of the airway then they have to improvise. If you make the job easier for ATC they'll make it easier for you.Flying in an airway guarantees you terrain clearance at lower altitudes. When you fly IFR out of the airways ATC will restrict you to their minimum vectoring altitude for your sector, which is often higher than the airways. If your radio fails you're completely on your own (since ATC won't be able to tell you when you need to fly higher).

>Flying in an airway guarantees you terrain clearance at lower>altitudes. When you fly IFR out of the airways ATC will>restrict you to their minimum vectoring altitude for your>sector, which is often higher than the airways. If your radio>fails you're completely on your own (since ATC won't be able>to tell you when you need to fly higher).What you say is very true, of course. However if you lose communications then you fly as last filed and with your last clearance and then the remainder as filed. For the US jetways start at FL180 so I would not worry too much about terrain clearance. Low altitude IFR charts now show the MSA in each quadrant on the chart I believe, just like VFR sectionals and WACS.Sometimes in the FAA preferred routes or in DP's (SIDs) and STARS entries and exits are direct and off airways.