INTRODUCTION
Flight plans are documents filed by pilots with
the local Aviation Authority (e.g. FAA in the USA) prior to departure.
They generally include basic information such as departure and arrival
points, estimated time en route, alternate airports in case of bad weather,
type of flight (whether instrument flight rules or visual flight rules),
pilot's name and number of people on board. In most countries, flight plans
are required for flights under IFR. Under VFR, they are optional unless
crossing national borders, however they are highly recommended, especially
when flying over inhospitable areas, such as water, as they provide a way
of alerting rescuers if the flight is overdue.For IFR flights, flight plans are used by air traffic control to initiate tracking and routing services. For VFR flights,
their only purpose is to provide needed information should search and rescue
operations be required.
Routing Types
Aircraft routing types used in flight planning
are: Airway, Navaid and Direct. A route may be composed of segments of
different routing type. For example, a route from Chicago to Rome may include
Airway routing over the U.S. and Europe, but Direct routing over the Atlantic
Ocean.
Airway
Airway routing occurs along pre-defined pathways called Airways. Airways can be thought of as three-dimensional highways
for aircraft. In most land areas of the world, aircraft are required to
fly airways between the departure and destination airports. The rules governing
airway routing cover altitude, airspeed, and requirements for entering
and leaving the airway. Most airways are eight nautical
miles (14 kilometers) wide, and the airway flight levels keep aircraft
separated by at least 1000 vertical feet from aircraft on the flight level
above and below. Airways usually intersect at Navaids, which designate
the allowed points for changing from one airway to another. Airways have
names consisting of one or more letters followed by one or more digits
(e.g., V484 or UA419). The airway structure is divided into high and
low altitudes. The low altitude airways in the U.S. which can be navigated
using VOR Navaids have names that start with the letter V, and are therefore
called Victor Airways. They cover altitudes from approximately 1200 feet
above ground level (AGL) to 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) above mean sea level
(MSL). The high altitude airways in the U.S. all have names that start
with the letter J, and are called Jet Routes. These run from 18,000 feet
to 35,000 feet (5,486 meters to 10,668 meters). The altitude separating
the low and high airway structures varies from country to country. For
example, it is 19,500 feet in Switzerland, and 25,500 feet in Egypt.
Navaid
Navaid routing occurs between Navaids (short
for Navigational Aids, see VOR) which are not always connected by airways.
Navaid routing is typically only allowed in the continental U.S. If a flight
plan specifies Navaid routing between two Navaids which are connected via
an airway, the rules for that particular airway must be followed as if
the aircraft was flying Airway routing between those two Navaids. Allowable
altitudes are covered in Flight Levels.
Direct
Direct routing occurs when one or both of the
route segment endpoints are at a latitude/longitude which is not located
at a Navaid. Some flight planning organizations specify that checkpoints
generated for a Direct route be a limited distance apart, or limited by
time to fly between the checkpoints (i.e., Direct checkpoints could be
farther apart for a fast aircraft than for a slow one).
Fuel on Board
Aircraft manufacturers are responsible for generating
flight performance data which flight planners use to estimate fuel needs
for a particular flight. The fuel burn rate is based on specific throttle
settings for climbing and cruising. The planner uses the projected weather
and aircraft weight as inputs to the flight performance data to estimate
the necessary fuel to reach the destination. The fuel burn is usually given
as the weight of the fuel (usually pounds or kilograms) instead of the
volume (such as gallons or litres) because aircraft weight is critical.
In addition to standard fuel needs, some organizations
require that a flight plan include reserve fuel if certain conditions are
met. For example, an over-water flight of longer than a specific duration
may require the flight plan to include reserve fuel. The reserve fuel may
be planned as extra which is left over on the aircraft at the destination,
or it may be assumed to be burned during flight (perhaps due to unaccounted
for differences between the actual aircraft and the flight performance
data).
Some Terms and Acronyms Used in Flight Planning
Above Ground Level (AGL)
A measurement of altitude above a specific land mass (also see MSL).
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
The ICAO is the specialized agency of the United Nations with a mandate to ensure the safe, efficient and orderly evolution of international civil aviation. The standards which become accepted by the ICAO member nations cover all technical and operational aspects of international civil aviation, such as safety, personnel licensing, operation
of aircraft, aerodromes, air traffic services, accident investigation and the environment. A simple example of ICAO responsibilities is the unique worldwide names used to identify Navaids, Airways, airports and countries.
Knot (Kt)- A unit of speed used in navigation equal to one nautical mile per hour.
Mean Sea Level (MSL)- The average height of the surface of the sea for all stages of tide; used as a reference for elevations (also see AGL).
Nautical Mile (NM)- A unit of distance used in aviation equal to approximately one minute of arc of latitude It is defined to be 1852 metres exactly, or approximately 1.15 statute mile
Description of Flight Plan Blocks
Standard FAA flight plan form
1. Type: Type of flight plan. Flights may be
VFR, IFR, DVFR, or a combination of types, termed composite.
2. Aircraft Identification: The registration
of the aircraft, usually the flight or tail number.
3. Aircraft Type/Special Equipment: The type
of aircraft and how it's equipped. For example, a Mitsubishi Mu-2 equipped
with an altitude reporting transponder and GPS would use MU2/G. Equipment
codes may be found in the FAA Airman's Information Manual.
4. True airspeed in knots: The planned cruise
true airspeed of the aircraft in knots.
5. Departure Point: Usually the identifier
of the airport from which the aircraft is departing.
6. Departure Time: Proposed and actual times
of departure. Times are Universal Time Coordinated.
7. Cruising Altitude: The planned cruising
altitude or flight level.
8. Route: Proposed route of flight. The route
can be made up of airways, intersections, navaids, or possibly direct.
9. Destination: Point of intended landing.
Typically the identifier of the destination airport.
10. Estimated Time Enroute: Planned elapsed
time between departure and arrival at the destination.
11. Remarks: Any information the PIC believes
is necessary to be provided to ATC. One common remark is "NO SIDS/STARS",
which means the PIC is unable or unwilling to accept a SID or STAR on an
IFR flight.
12. Fuel on Board: The amount of fuel on board
the aircraft, in hours and minutes of flight time.
13. Alternate Airports: Airports of intended
landing as an alternate of the destination airport. May be required for
an IFR flight plan if poor weather is forecast at the planned destination.
14. Pilot's Information: Contact information
of the pilot for search and rescue purposes.
15. Number Onboard: Total number of people
on board the aircraft.
16. Color of Aircraft: The color helps identify
the aircraft to search and rescue personnel.
17. Contact Information at Destination: Having
a means of contacting the pilot is useful for tracking down an aircraft
that has failed to close its flight plan and is possibly overdue or in
distress.
Works Cited
Wikipedia, "Flight Plan." Wikipedia. 20 January
2008. Wikipedia. 20 Jan 2008 .
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