[LeGrande]

Better yet, no aviator (private, commercial, whathaveyou) should fly cross country without filing a flight plan or using flight following, regardless of what kind of aircraft you're piloting.

Why? I fly all the time without filing or requesting flight following. I always make sure someone knows when and where I am going though : )

My wife enjoys flying low, so flight following isn't really an option even if I wanted it. We also enjoy sightseeing along the way and making unscheduled stops. I have discovered some great fishing streams that way : )

Flying is meant to be enjoyable and fun. At least for some of us. I do prepare for the worst though, EPIRB, backup radio, survival kit, first aid kit, etc.

[sirshackleton]

Just my way of thinking, and probably has a lot to do with the way I learned to fly. Frankly, I maybe request flight following 50% of the time...I usually just file a plan. What I was trying to say was that it's a pretty good idea to have a safety net, whether it's a filed flight plan, flight following, or both.