FLIGHT PLANNING

Surveillance equipment and capabilities

Insert N if no surveillance equipment for the route to be flown is carried, or the equipment is unserviceable. Or

Insert one or more of the following letters, to a maximum of 20 characters, to describe the serviceable surveillance equipment and/or capabilities on board:

NOTE: Increased surveillance capability is the ability of the aircraft to down-link aircraft derived data via a Mode S Transponder.

Alphanumeric characters not indicated above are reserved.

Example: ADE3RV/HB2U2V2G1

NOTE: Additional surveillance applications should be listed in Item 18 following the SUR/ indicator.

ITEM 13: Departure aerodrome and time (8 characters):

Insert the ICAO four-letter location indicator of the departure aerodrome, as specified in ICAO Doc. 7910, “Location Indicators”, Or

if no location indicator has been assigned,

insert ZZZZ, and specify, in item 18, the name and location of the aerodrome preceded by DEP/, Or

the first point of the route or the marker radio beacon preceded by DEP/ …, if the aircraft has not taken off from the aerodrome, Or

if the flight plan is received from an aircraft in flight,

insert AFIL, and specify, in item 18, the ICAO four letter location indicator of the ATS unit from which supplementary flight plan data can be obtained, preceded by DEP/,

then, without a space,

insert for a flight plan submitted before departure, the estimated off-block time (EOBT), Or

For a flight plan received from an aircraft in flight, the actual or estimated time over the first point of the route to which the flight plan applies.

ITEM 15: Route.

Insert the first cruising speed as in (a) and the first cruising level as in (b), without a space between them, then, following the arrow, insert the route description as in (c).

1. Cruising Speed (maximum 5 characters):

   Insert the true airspeed for the first or the whole cruising portion of the flight, in terms of:

   • Kilometres per hour, expressed as K followed by 4 figures (e.g. K0830); Or

   • Knots, expressed as N followed by 4 figures (e.g. N0485); Or

   • True Mach number, when so prescribed by the designated provider of air traffic service, to the nearest hundredth of unit Mach, expressed as M followed by 3 figures (e.g. M082).

2. Cruising Level (maximum 5 characters):

   Insert the planned cruising level for the first stage or the whole portion of the route to be flown, in terms of:

   • Flight level, expressed as F followed by 3 figures (e.g.F085; F330); Or

   • Standard metric level in tens of metres, expressed as S followed by 4 figures, when so prescribed by the designated provider of air traffic service (e.g. S1130); Or

   • Altitude in hundreds of feet, expressed as A followed by3 figures (e.g. A045; A100); Or

   • Altitude in tens of metres, expressed as M followed by4 figures (e.g. M0840); Or

   • for uncontrolled VFR flights, the letters VFR.

   
   

3. Route (including changes of speed, level and/or flight rules):

   Flights along designated ATS routes:

   Insert, the designator of the first ATS route, if the departure aerodrome is located on, or connected to the ATS route, Or

   If the departure aerodrome is not on, or connected to the ATS route, the letters DCT followed by the point of joining the first ATS route, followed by the designator of the ATS route;

   then insert each point at which either a change of speed and/or level is planned to commence, or a change of ATS route (1), and/or a change of flight rules is planned.

   (1) When a transition is planned between a lower and an upper ATS route and the routes are oriented in the same direction, the point of transition does not need to be inserted.

   Followed in each case by the designator of the next ATS route segment, even if the same as the previous one, Or

   By DCT, if the flight to the next point will be outside of a designated route, unless both points are defined by geographical coordinates.

   Flights outside designated ATS routes:

   Insert points normally not more than 30 minutes flying time or 370 km (200 NM) apart, including each point at which a change of speed or level, a change of track, or a change of flight rules is planned, Or

   When required by the designated provider of air traffic service,

   define the track of flights operating predominantly in an East-West direction between 70°N and 70°S by reference to significant points formed by the intersections of half or whole degrees of latitude with meridians spaced at intervals of 10° of longitude. For flights operating in areas outside those latitudes, the tracks shall be defined by significant points formed by the intersection of parallels of latitude with meridians normally spaced at 20° of longitude. The distance between significant points shall, as far as posible, not exceed one hour’s flight time. Additional significant points shall be established as deemed necessary.

   For flights operating predominantly in a North-South direction, define tracks by reference to significant points formed by the intersection of whole degrees of longitude with specified parallels of latitude which are spaced at 5°.

   Insert DCT between sucessive points unless both points are defined by geographical coordinates or by bearing and distance.

   Use only the conventions in 1) to 6) below and separate each sub-item by a space.

1) ATS Route (2 to 7 characters).

The coded designator assigned to the route or route segment including, where appropriate, the coded designator assigned to the standard departure or arrival route (e.g.: BCN1, B1, R14, UB10, KODAP2A).

For IFR/GAT flight plans departing from any Spanish aerodrome, the first field of the route (after indicating the speed/flight level group) must be the following:

• The designator of the first significant point of the SID used.

• Where no SID is published for the aerodrome of departure, then the significant point where the first ATS route is joined. This point can be preceded by the DCT indicator.

The route item shall never include the terms SID/STAR nor their descriptions. This instruction is due to IFPS operating requirements.

2) Significant Point (2 to 11 characters).

The coded designator (2 to 5 characters) assigned to the point (e.g. LN, MAY, HADDY), or, if no coded designator has been assigned, one of the following ways:

• Only degrees (7 characters): 2 figures describing latitude in degrees, followed by “N” (North) or “S” (South), followed by 3 figures describing longitude in degrees, followed by “E” (East) or “W” (West). Make up the correct number of figures, where necessary, by insertion of zeros, e.g. 46N078W.

• Degrees and minutes (11 characters): 4 figures describing latitude in degrees and in tens and units of minutes followed by “N” (North) or “S” (South), followed by 5 figures describing longitude in degrees and tens and units of minutes, followed by “E” (East) or “W” (West). Make up the correct number of figures, where necessary, by insertion of zeros, e.g. 4620N 07805W.

• Bearing and distance from a navigation aid : The identification of the reference point, followed by the bearing from the point in the form of 3 figures giving degrees magnetic, followed by the distance from the point in the form of 3 figures expressing nautical miles. In areas of high latitude where it is determined by the appropriate authority that reference to degrees magnetic is impractical, true degrees may be used. Make up the correct number of figures, where necessary, by insertion of zeros; e.g. a point 180° magnetic at a distance of 40 NM from VOR “DUB”, should be expressed as: DUB180040.

3) Change of speed or level (maximum 21 characters).

The point at which a change of speed (5% TAS or 0.01 Mach or more) or a change of level is planned to commence, expressed exactly as in 2) above, followed by an oblique stroke and both the cruising speed and the cruising level, expressed exactly as in a) and b) above, without a space between them, even when only one of these quantities will be changed.

Examples:

• LN/N0284A045

• MAY/N0305F180

• HADDY/N0420F330

• 4602N07805W/N0500F350

• 46N078W/M082F330

• DUB180040/N0350M0840

4) Change of flight rules (maximum 3 characters).

The point at which the change of flight rules is planned, expressed exactly as in 2) or 3) above as appropriate, followed by a space and one of the following:

VFR if from IFR to VFR

IFR if from VFR to IFR

Examples:

• LN VFR

• LN/N0284A050 IFR

5) Changes in the type of flight (GAT/OAT).

IFPS processes the GAT part of mixed GAT/OAT flight plans (Civil/Military), when these affect the ECAC area. A change from OAT to GAT or vice versa must be indicated as follows: “significant point/GAT” or “significant point/OAT”.

Examples:

• N0400F280...NTM/OAT TB6

• N0460F370...TB6 NTM/GAT UR110

The IFPS assumes that all flight plans begin with civil air control (GAT), unless a change to GAT is indicated later in the route. In this case it assumes that every segment in the route prior to the change was OAT.

6) Cruise climb (maximum 28 characters).

The letter C followed by an oblique stroke; then the point at which cruise climb is planned to start, expressed exactly as in 2) above, followed by an oblique stroke; then the speed to be maintained during cruise climb, expressed exactly as in a) above, followed by the two levels defining the layer to be occupied during cruise climb, each level expressed exactly as in b) above, or the level above which cruise climb is planned followed by the letters PLUS, without a space between them.

Examples:

• C/48N050W/M082F290F350

• C/48N050W/M082F290PLUS

• C/52N050W/M220F580F620

ITEM 16: Destination aerodrome and total estimated elapsed time; destination alternate aerodrome(s).

Destination aerodrome and total estimated elapsed time (8 characters). (1)

Insert the ICAO four-letter location indicator of the destination aerodrome, as specified in ICAO Doc. 7910 “Location Indicators”,

or, if no location indicator has been assigned,

insert ZZZZ and specify in Item 18 the name and location of the aerodrome, preceded by DEST/.

Then, without a space, insert the total estimated elapsed time.

(1): For a flight plan received from an aircraft in flight, the total estimated elapsed time is the estimated time from the first point of the route to which the flight plan applies to the termination point of the flight plan.

Destination alternate aerodrome(s).

Insert the ICAO four-letter location indicator(s) of not more than two destination alternate aerodromes, as specified in ICAO Doc. 7910 “Location Indicators”, separated by a space, Or

If no location indicator has been assigned to the destination aerodrome(s),

insert ZZZZ and specify in Item 18 the name and location of the destination alternate aerodrome(s), preceded by ALTN/.