What is the required procedure for closing a VFR flight plan?

The required procedure for closing a VFR flight plan involves notifying the responsible authority, typically Air Traffic Control (ATC), when the flight is completed. This step is crucial because it allows the relevant agencies to update their records, ensuring that search and rescue operations are not initiated in case of a pilot becoming overdue.

Closing a flight plan is important for safety reasons, as it informs ATC that the pilot has successfully concluded their flight. This notification helps to maintain effective flight operations and manage airspace effectively. In some cases, notifying the responsible authority can also be done via radio communication or sometimes through a phone call to the appropriate agency if ATC is unavailable.

The other options do not fulfill the regulatory requirements or best practices for closing a flight plan. For instance, submitting a written report at the nearest airport does not provide real-time information to authorities managing air traffic and could lead to confusion about the status of a flight. Contacting fellow pilots does not constitute an official closure of the flight plan, and closing a flight plan directly upon landing without any form of notification does not inform authorities that the flight has concluded, which could lead to unnecessary search efforts. Thus, notifying ATC is the correct and necessary action to properly close a VFR flight plan.