Lots of pilots don't file flight plans. Most are just lazy, but some don't do it because they fear being fined by the FAA if they fail to close the flight plan upon arrival at their destination. Regarding flight following, just because you request it doesn't mean you always get it. I've had ATC refuse flight following on a number of occasions. This is particularly true with busy centers like Atlanta. There is also large areas of the country where flight following is not available because of the lack of radar coverage.
I've never flown an MU-2, but I used to hangar next to one. That is one hot airplane. It used to be a favorite of drug smugglers because it was faster at sea level than most of the Coast Guards jets. I beleive the CG has since rectified that situation, though.
Go figure?
As for flight following, I use it at night if flying VFR. Late night flying is great from a communications standpoint and any traffic called out to you is easier to spot than in daylight. The controllers are pleasant, social, and relaxed.
Yeah, back in flight school there were signs all over the place reading "DID YOU CLOSE YOUR FLIGHT PLAN?!?!?". On the plane signout sheet, the breakroom wall, the locker room, the bathroom...everywhere you could think of. I always wrote it on the bottom of my navlog as if it were another leg on the flight. I always managed to remember, but some others didn't...I don't remember them ever getting fined by the FAA though.
Doing the old. "let's fly out and see the tall ships come in" in the Arrow, I was PF and my dad PNF. We were both watching lots of traffic when Cape Approach called us and said, "Sorry, I have to discontinue flight following. I have too many targets squawking VFR in your immediate vicinity for the radar to track!"
The flight got very unpleasant very fast, although our pax didn't, I think, catch on that the guys up front had stopped the guided tour and were swivelling around a lot.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F