What is the main purpose of a flight plan?

The main purpose of a flight plan is to provide flight routing and inform Air Traffic Control (ATC) of the pilot's intentions. By filing a flight plan, pilots give ATC important details about their intended route, altitude, destination, and expected departure time. This information is crucial for maintaining safe and efficient air traffic management.

Flight plans also help ensure that there is an established safety net, as they allow ATC to track flights and provide assistance if needed. In the event of an emergency, having a filed flight plan can be instrumental in search and rescue operations, as it gives authorities a clear understanding of where the aircraft was intended to go.

While identifying aircraft type and establishing fuel requirements are important aspects of flight planning, they are secondary to the primary function of communicating routing and intentions to ATC. Similarly, calculating insurance needs is a peripheral consideration and not related to the primary operations of the flight. Therefore, choosing the correct option reflects an understanding of the essential role flight plans play in aviation safety and traffic management.