Responsible Person

A responsible person is an individual designated by a pilot to hold a flight itinerary and initiate search and rescue (SAR) if the pilot fails to arrive at the destination or fails to report within a specified time. The responsible person must be accessible and capable of contacting the appropriate rescue coordination centre.

Responsibilities

• Hold a copy of the complete flight itinerary (route, aircraft, persons on board, ETA)
• Know how and when to call for SAR — contact the JRCC (Joint Rescue Coordination Centre) at 1-800-567-5678
• Be contactable by phone for the duration of the planned flight
• Not prematurely initiate SAR — but also not delay beyond the agreed overdue time

Responsible Person vs. FIC Flight Plan

A filed flight plan with FIC provides the most robust overdue protection — trained FIC specialists automatically initiate alerting procedures. A responsible person is a secondary but still valuable layer, particularly for short local flights where a formal flight plan may not have been filed.

Related Terms

See also: Flight Itinerary, Alerting Service, Flight Plan.