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*knowledge of local area weather on flight path as well as take off and destination
*check national weather to see what weather could be coming
*know implications of weather and if I can handle it
*know the type of aircraft and its abilities and disabilities

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*check surface analysis chart and Airmet/sigmets
*make sure that weather conditions are safe when it comes to icing, freezing, and turbulence

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Given the recent change in technology, more weather information is available at pilots' fingertips than ever before. With this improvement, pilots can turn to many different sources for weather information, instead of just Flight Service or DUATS. Pilots grab this information and form their own "self-briefings" as opposed to the formal briefings offered by Flight Service; and while these self briefings are often faster and more convenient than their traditional counterparts, they can open pilots to omitting key sources of weather information and provide incomplete briefings. Here are some tips to keep your self-briefings complete and effective.

In order to understand what the weather is doing on a local level, you must first understand what the weather is doing on a national and regional level. These large scale weather maps will begin to set the canvas for your weather picture for the day and your upcoming flight. While most pilots are not forecasters, we can still use these tools to explain the source of many weather phenomena and help fill in gaps left from smaller, local forecasts.

Many of the common used forecasts and observations, like TAFs and METARs, leave a lot of area unforecast. TAFs only forecast an area of 5-10nm around the airport, and METARs are just an observation at the airport itself; not the surrounding area. These are just some of the limitations that any one weather product has and in order to overcome these shortcomings, you need to create a mosaic of different weather products with overlapping areas and purposes to get a complete picture.

The first few items to review in your briefing should be national observation charts, like the Surface Analysis chart and the Airmet/Sigmet map for the country. These give you a high level overview of weather systems and hazardous areas for aircraft. All other forecasts and observations can be put in reference to these backdrops.

With the large scale focus still in mind, you will then want to switch to forecasts over large areas. Prognostic charts offer the best long range planning, but are still useful in the 0-12 hr range. Depending on which products you have available and which service you are using, the next charts would likely be Convective Forecasts ( CCFP, Convective Outlook), Icing Forecasts ( CIP/FIP, Freezing level forecast), and Turbulence ( GTG if applicable). These are more detailed geographically than their Airmet/Sigmet counterparts, and provide more detailed information with respect to intensity, altitudes affected, and timeframe.

Winds Aloft forecasts come as both a graphical and textual format, but their graphical forms are convenient for altitude selections and temperature considerations, especially in the winter time while avoiding icing conditions. Also, many flight planning tools will also display similar altitudes and its winds/ETE to allow for easier fuel/time decisions.

Several new graphical prediction products are available to indicate widespread areas of cloud ceilings, and visibilities, which are easier to interpret than the former weather depiction charts and offer analysis as well as forecast time periods. Following those charts up with the textual Area Forecast products will answer any remaining questions about widespread clouds, winds and weather.

End your forecast review with TAF or MOS products from your departure to your destination and the course in between, allowing for viewing off-route as needed to fill in the gaps in forecast areas. These are the most detailed of the forecast products and give an hour-by-hour cloud, wind, visibility and precipitation forecast that are useful in determining your go/no-go decision. Although these may be the easiest to read, do not rely solely on this product. Incorporate all of the forecast products into making the best informed decision possible.

As we have worked from larger areas to smaller areas and the distant future to near future, we now need to analyze current conditions. Start with Satellite and Radar imagery to give you the biggest overview as you work smaller. Each of these products offer a different insight and will be needed when we reference back to their forecast conditions. PIREPS are also a large scale area product and offer the only direct weather observation by other pilots. Keep in mind what type of aircraft gave the report and how that difference in aircraft can affect your experience in the same weather phenomena.

End your review with the current conditions at your departure and destination using METARs or other graphical charts of current conditions, like the weather depiction chart or the newer CVA charts. Remember to compare the current information back with its forecast information to determine if conditions are changing faster or slower than originally expected, or if the forecast has gone in a different direction. This little comparison is often ahead of TAF or Area Forecast updates and can help prevent getting you into a sticky situation.

NOTAMs and TFRs are not weather products, but should always be incorporated into a complete weather briefing. The information gained is not only a legal requirement, but can prevent embarrassing situations like getting to the airport only to find out that the runway has been closed for repairs.

Keep your self-briefings organized and thorough, and you'll stay ahead of the weather.

David Zitt is gold seal flight flight instructor and Airline Transport Pilot. Formerly a chief flight instructor of a Part 141 flight training academy, David is a pilot and director of safety at a Cincinnati-based corporate flight department. David is type rated in the C500 and C525 series aircraft. David owns a 1943 L-4 Cub (the military version of the popular J-3 Cub).

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Self Weather Briefings - Student Pilot News

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Given the recent change in technology, more weather information is available at pilots' fingertips than ever before. With this improvement, pilots can turn to many different sources for weather information, instead of just Flight Service or DUATS. Pilots grab this information and form their own "self-briefings" as opposed to the formal briefings offered by Flight [...]

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*Ask questions to self following the I'M SAFE protocol listed above.

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There are at least three kinds of stress that pilots should be aware of: Physiological, environmental and psychological stress.

Physiological stress is stress in the physical sense. It comes from fatigue, strenuous exercise, being out of shape or changing time zones, to name a few. Unhealthy eating habits, illness, and other physical ailments are included in this category, too.

Environmental stress comes from the immediate surroundings and includes things such as being too hot or too cold, inadequate oxygen levels or loud noises.

Psychological stress can be more difficult to identify. This category of stress includes anxiety, social and emotional factors and mental fatigue. Psychological stress can occur for many reasons such as divorce, family problems, financial troubles or just a change in schedule.

A small level of stress can be a good thing, as it keeps pilots aware and on their toes. But stress can accumulate and affect performance. Also, everyone handles stress differently. A source of anxiety for one person might be a fun challenge for another person. It's important for pilots to be able to recognize and evaluate their stressors so they can mitigate risk.

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Pilot Risk Management: The I'M SAFE Checklist

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There are at least three kinds of stress that pilots should be aware of: Physiological, environmental and psychological stress. Physiological stress is stress in the physical sense. It comes from fatigue, strenuous exercise, being out of shape or changing time zones, to name a few.

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*complete preflight inspections
*be thorough and detailed
*address any issues found during inspections
*double-check the gear
*make sure that you're up-to-date on emergency procedures
*assure that Pilot's Operating Handbook is within reach for flight

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Top 19 Aviation Safety Tips For Pilots

Aviation safety is a long, complicated subject. The complexity of operating aircraft is so high that it's impossible to foresee every possible situation. With that said, there are a number of aviation safety tips for pilots that can dramatically reduce the possibility of an "unplanned event".

1) Use Your Checklists

Checklists exist for a reason. Not the least of which is because there's no way that we could possibly remember everything we need to in order to fly safely. Use your checklists. Don't skip them because you're in cruise flight and it's only a couple of items.

2) Conduct Thorough Inspections

You should conduct thorough Preflight AND Postflight inspections.

Pre-Flight Inspections

Again, checklists exist for a reason. Most pilots are good about conducting their pre-flight inspections. These are critical to making sure that the aircraft is safe to operate and should never be skipped or completed hastily. Be thorough and detailed. If something is questionable, make sure it's addressed, even if that means postponing your flight.

Post-Flight Inspections

Do you conduct a postflight inspection as well? If not, you should. You may find things that happened during your flight that need to be addressed. This gives you time to deal with anything now as opposed to before you're on the ramp ready to depart, which may tempt you to overlook minor issues in favor of "getting in the air".

3) Check Your Gear Multiple Times

They say that there are two types of pilots. Those that have had a gear-up landing and those that will. Well, maybe they don't actually say that but they should (who is "they", anyway?).

If you fly an airplane with retractable gear, check your gear multiple times on your final approach checklist. Aviation insurance agents will tell you that one of the most common claims for small aircraft is the dreaded gear-up landing. Don't be a statistic. Check your gear two or three times, just to be safe.

Read also: Why Do Pilots Do A Go Around?

4) Keep Up Your Proficiency

Notice that I'm referring to proficiency, not currency. Just because you're current doesn't mean that you're proficient. Practice as often as possible. If you can afford to bring an instructor along with you for an hour every month or two, do it.

It's easy to get complacent when we've been doing something a while. Don't allow yourself to think that you don't need to keep your skills sharp.
The best pilots are always learning.
5) Practice Emergency Procedures

Some of the most important things to practice are your emergency procedures. In addition to your memory items, be sure and practice slow flight and power-off maneuvers. When you have a major event like an engine failure, you need to be ready. This means being able to safely fly the plane while going through your memory checklist. Many pilots have spun in because they weren't able to do these two things at the same time.

Don't forget all the little things as well. These are more likely to happen than the big things. Don't forget to practice what to do when you have an ill passenger or when you have a partial panel failure. There are myriad possibilities and you need to be prepared for all of them.

Read also: What Are The Minimum Required Instruments For VFR Flight?

6) Leave Nothing To Chance

Again, you need to be prepared for the worst. It's not possible to practice every possible scenario but you can certainly prepare for "types" of scenarios. Think of everything you can that can possibly go wrong, then group them together by how you would respond. Your response will be similar for emergencies, allowing you to minimize the number of responses you need to practice.

While it's not always practical to read it, make sure that you have your Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) within reach and that you have the emergency procedures section marked for easy reference. Make this part of your preflight briefing so your front seat passenger can assist in the event of an emergency. You may be busy flying the plane but if your passenger can read, he/she can find and read off the procedures to you.

7) Don't Rely Solely On One Navigation Method

With modern avionics, it's easy to plug your flight plan into the GPS, hit the autopilot, and go. While there's nothing wrong with that, make sure you're also following along using another method, even if it's just visually tracking your location.

When the GPS fails, you don't want to be scratching your head wondering where you are. You should be able to complete the flight as planned, even if it means transitioning to a paper chart.

8) Don't Rely Too Much On Technology

Again, technology is a great thing. But technology can fail. That super-duper flight tracking app on your tablet goes away when the tablet overheats (yes, that's a thing). If you're dependent on seeing the little picture of your airplane overlayed on a map, you're going to be in trouble when the app shuts down.

Read also: What Do Pilots Carry In Their Flight Bags?

This applies to onboard technology as well. Autopilots are fantastic tools that add a tremendous amount of safety to the flight environment. However, make sure you also hand-fly the plane regularly.

Don't let your stick and rudder skills atrophy because you spend all your flight time pushing buttons and twisting knobs. #ProTip

Aviation Safety Tips For Pilots

Stick and rudder skills are important (especially rudder skills!). Don't forget the basics.

9) Fly The Airplane

There are times when the pilot workload can get overwhelming. Remember that first and foremost, your job is to fly the airplane. Don't let yourself get so task saturated that your attention is diverted from what's important.

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. Notice that "Aviate" comes first.

This can happen to anyone. It's what happened to Air France flight 447 in 2009. The Airbus A330 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after the pilots got so focused on an airspeed discrepancy that they failed to notice that the aircraft was in a deep stall.

10) Communicate With ATC

When you're flying in controlled airspace, you're required to be in contact with Air Traffic Control. However, don't be afraid to contact them and let them know what you're up to. If you're flying "under the shelf" of the local Class Bravo to skirt the airspace, contact ATC and let them know your intentions.

No, it's not required but it makes their job easier. By knowing what you plan to do, they know where they can vector the traffic under their control. They may also be able to keep traffic out of your way or give you traffic warnings.

Read also: How Do Planes Communicate With Air Traffic Control?

11) Ask For Help

If you find yourself in a sticky situation, ask for help. Accidents are the result of compounding issues. If you don't keep your head straight and recognize when you need some help you're asking for trouble. If you inadvertently fly into IMC and are unable to immediately reverse course back into VMC, call ATC. Tell them you need assistance so you don't fly into the side of a mountain.

If you need to declare an emergency, fine. Do it. It's far better to have to answer difficult questions from the FAA after the fact than it is to not make it to your destination.

12) Be Self Aware

Pilots need to be self-aware and perform self-assessments both before and while they're flying. They need to asses both their physical and mental conditions. If you only got two hours sleep last night, you probably shouldn't be flying a plane (or driving to the airport, for that matter). If your doctor put you on medication that makes you drowsy, that's a big no-go for flying.

Your mental state is also important. If you just had a death in the family, you may be too distracted or out of sorts to be in the cockpit. Making a number of errors while flying, no matter how small, is also an indication that you may be better off on the ground. If you find yourself making silly mistakes while in the air, the best decision you can make is to get the plane on the ground and terminate your flight. Yes, it may be inconvenient, but it's far better than the alternative.

I'M SAFE Checklist

Use the IM SAFE checklist to make sure that you are personally prepared for your flight:

Illness: Do I have any symptoms?
Medication: Have I been taking prescription or over-the-counter drugs?
Stress: Am I under psychological pressure from the job? Am I worried about financial matters, health problems, or family discord?
Alcohol: Have I been drinking within 8 hours?
Fatigue: Am I tired and not adequately rested?
Emotion: Am I emotionally upset?

The FAA Safety Briefing on Single Pilot Crew Resource Management is also a good source of information for aviation safety tips for pilots.

13) Avoid Distractions

Distraction in the cockpit is a major contributing factor to accidents. Observe the sterile cockpit rule, whereby there's no talking during the final phase of your flight.

Cover this in your preflight briefing with your passengers (you DO conduct a preflight briefing, don't you?). Make sure that your passengers all understand why they need to keep quiet during certain phases of flight. Or any time you tell them to.

14) Maintain Your Airplane

Proper aircraft maintenance is a must. It's also expensive, which results in a tendency to "put off" minor maintenance issues. This is not a good habit to get into. Maintaining your airplane should always be a top priority.

With that said, it's understandable that sometimes money is tight and paying the mortgage will win out over pouring money into your aircraft. If you're forced to defer some maintenance, then take the extra step of grounding the plane until you can get the maintenance completed. You can always rent a plane to keep current.

When it's time for your annual inspection, there's also always the option of doing an owner-assisted annual. Many A&Ps will offer this service, which allows you to get the necessary maintenance done while saving some money by doing the grunt work yourself.

15) Don't Trust Your Fuel Gauges

Fuel gauges are there for reference. Don't use them for an indication of your fuel status. You should know how much fuel you have at any point during the flight simply by referring to your flight/fuel planning.

If you see a dramatic change in the level indicated by your fuel gauge, it certainly may be an indication of a leak or some sort of mechanical issue. For this reason, you don't want to ignore them. However, your fuel gauges should be used in combination with your fuel planning for the flight.

16) Always Keep Adequate Reserves

It goes without saying that you need adequate fuel reserves. Beyond the FAA required minimums, you should also plan your reserves based on your specific flight.

Plan for enough fuel to go all the way to your destination and then divert to a reasonable alternate airport, while still maintaining FAA required minimums. If you can't make it that far, add in a fuel stop so you don't push your luck. Chances are, your bladder will need the break anyway.

17) Avoid "Get-There-Itis"

Pushing to get to a destination is a major contributing cause of accidents.

Just don't do it.

You need to go into every flight with the clear understanding that you may get delayed or have to cancel. This is just the nature of general aviation. Just because you have an instrument rating doesn't mean that you will always be able to complete your flight.

Often the smart thing to do is to park the plane and get a hotel room for the night. If you're really desperate to get somewhere, you can always rent a car.

Read also: What Pilots Can Learn From The Draco Crash

18) Altitude Is Your Friend

Flying low and slow is one of the things that pilots love about flying. Cruising gently over the countryside can be a peaceful, enjoyable experience. However, always be sure to maintain situational awareness. When you have a mechanical issue at 700 feet AGL, you don't have many options for getting the plane safely on the ground.

Altitude equals time. #WordsThatCanSaveYourLife

This is why altitude can be your best friend. Not only is altitude your friend, but it can save your life. Altitude equals time. The higher you are when you have a problem, the more time you have to sort it out and/or find a safe place to land.

19) Flight Following

Use Flight Following whenever possible. Yes, it requires that you have occasional radio contact with ATC. But that's a good thing. When ATC's providing flight following for you, they're watching out for you. They're there to keep you safe from other traffic, terrain, or any other potential danger that they can see. This is one of the best services that ATC provides. Use it.

While there likely many more aviation safety tips for pilots, following these will keep you out of trouble 99% of the time.

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Top 19 Aviation Safety Tips For Pilots | AviatorTips.com

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Aviation safety is a long, complicated subject. The complexity of operating aircraft is so high that it's impossible to foresee every possible situation. With that said, there are a number of aviation safety tips for pilots that can dramatically reduce the possibility of an "unplanned event". Checklists exist for a reason.

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*Make sure to use capital letters
*clock times in 4 figures
*double check before flight

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Article Information

Category:

Airspace Infringement

Content source:

SKYbrary

Content control:

SKYbrary

Completion of the ICAO flight plan form is quite simple and is only a matter of inserting the requested information in the appropriate boxes. The white boxes on the form relate to required information about the flight and are to be completed by the pilot or dispatcher while the shaded boxes indicate the information that is to be inserted by appropriate ATS and COM services.

How to Complete the Flight Plan Form

It is very important to adhere closely to the prescribed formats and manner of specifying data.

A new flight plan format was fully implemented from 15th November 2012 containing certain significant changes from the previous format.

When completing a flight plan the following rules apply:

use capital letters, one letter in each space of the field (unless field are not divided into spaces)

adhere to the prescribed formats and manner of specifying data

any data should be inserted only in the fields and spaces provided.

where excess space is available, leave unused spaces blank.

all times should be clock times in 4 figures UTC (e.g., 1800, 0930, etc.)

the term "aerodrome", where used in the flight plan, is intended to cover also sites other than aerodromes, which may be used by certain types of aircraft, e.g., helicopters or balloons.

note that item numbers on the form are not consecutive (they correspond to item type in standard ATS messages).

items preceding item 7 are to be completed by ATC and COM services

items 7 to 18 should be completed as indicated hereunder.

item 19 completion is to facilitate alerting of SAR (Search and Rescue) services.

Also remember that:

if your flight plan is for a future date (You may file Your flight plan 120 hours before Estimated Off Block Time - EOBT) make sure that the date is provided clearly in item 18 (preceded by "DOF/") . If You want to delay Your flight plan over midnight, a CHG (Change) and not DLA (Delay) message should be sent.

it is essential to advise ATS of cancellation, delay or any changes to the flight plan. When multiple changes are to be made, it is preferable to cancel the existing flight plan and file a new one. The pilot (or representative) should advise ATS about a delay if it exceeds 30 minutes for flights in controlled airspace, or 60 minutes for flights outside controlled airspace.

after filing the flight plan check if it has been received and accepted. Only then will you be able to use it.

if, as a result of modifications to the original flight plan, any ATS may receive a CHG (Change) message only, then the modified flight plan should also be sent along with the message.

Contents of a Flight Plan

AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION (maximum 7 characters)

This consists of the aircraft registration letters or the company designator followed by the flight number which are to be used by air traffic services for radiotelephony communication and coordination.

This field can be filled in in one of the following ways:

a) aircraft registration when:

- in radiotelephony, the call sign to be used by the aircraft will consist of this identification alone (Example: DAGXC or N137DK)

- preceded by the ICAO telephony designator for the aircraft operating agency (Example: SMALL-AIRLINE DAGXC)

- the aircraft is not equipped with radio;

b) operating agency and flight number: ACA123, KLM672, BAW74W, etc.

c) tactical call sign (usually military): BRUNO12, SWIFT45, RED1, etc.

The most frequent option for general aviation is: aircraft registration.

FLIGHT RULES AND TYPE OF FLIGHT (2 characters)

This item indicates both flight rules and type of flight. Flight rules are important due to different regulations, weather and separation minimums for IFR and VFR flights.

Insert one of the following letters to denote the category of flight rules with which the pilot intends to comply. Options are:

I for IFR

V for VFR

Y for IFR first, then VFR (this will indicate to ATS that during the flight a pilot will call for IFR flight cancellation)

Z for VFR first, then IFR (this will indicate to ATS that during the flight a pilot will call for changing to IFR which will require ATC clearance from ATS)

Then insert one of the following letters to denote the type of flight if required by the appropriate ATS authority. Options are:

S for scheduled air service

N for non-scheduled air service

G for general aviation

M for military

X for other than the preceding categories

The most frequent option for general aviation is: VG (assuming You will fly VFR general aviation flight)

NUMBER AND TYPE OF AIRCRAFT AND WAKE TURBULENCE CATEGORY

Insert number of aircraft, if more than one (1 or 2 characters) followed by type of aircraft (2 to 4 characters).

The type of aircraft is indicated by the manufacturer's designator. If no such designator has been assigned, or in the case of formation flights comprising more than one type, insert "ZZZZ" and specify the number(s) and type(s) of aircraft in Item 18 (see below) preceded by "TYP/" (up to 60 characters can be put, for example: TYP/3C182 2C172).

ICAO aircraft type designators are presented in ICAO Doc 8643.

Then add ICAO Wake Turbulence Category (1 character). Options are:

/L - LIGHT, to indicate an aircraft type with a maximum certificated takeoff mass of 7000 kg (15 500 lbs) or less.

/M - MEDIUM, to indicate an aircraft type with a maximum certificated takeoff mass of less than 136 000 kg (300 000 lbs), but more than 7 000 kg (15 500 lbs).

/H - HEAVY, to indicate an aircraft type with a maximum certificated takeoff mass of 136000 kg (300 000 lbs) or more.

EQUIPMENT

The COM/NAV/SSR equipment on board and its serviceability must be inserted by adding the appropriate suffixes. The first suffixes will denote the COM/NAV equipment, followed by an oblique stroke, and another suffix to denote the SSR equipment. Options for COM/NAV equipment are:

N if no COM/NAV/approach aid equipment for the route to be flown is carried, or the equipment is unserviceable,

or S if standard COM/NAV/approach aid equipment for the route to be flown is available and serviceable.

IMPORTANT: standard equipment is considered to be VHF RTF, VOR and ILS unless another combination is prescribed by aviation authority local regulations.

If none of the above options apply or the aircraft has more equipment than indicated by "S" insert one or more of the following letters to indicate the COM/NAV/approach aid equipment available and serviceable:

COM/NAV equipment (only the codes most often encountered by General Aviation codes are given; for the complete list, refer to ICAO documents):

A - GBAS landing system

B - LPV (APV with SBAS)

C - LORAN C

D - DME

E1 - FMC WPR ACARS

E2 - D-FIS ACARS

E3 - PDC ACARS

F - ADF

G - GNSS (IMPORTANT: When using the letter "G" on an IFR flight plan, the GPS receiver must be approved in accordance with the requirements from aviation authority). If used a NAV/ element in field 18 should be used to indicate the type of GNSS system.

H - HF RTF

I - Inertial Navigation

J1 - CPDLC ATN VDL Mode 2 (mandated e.g. in the European Union)

J2 - CPDLC FANS 1/A HFDL

J3 - CPDLC FANS 1/A VDL Mode A

J4 - CPDLC FANS 1/A VDL Mode 2

J5 - CPDLC FANS 1/A SATCOM (INMARSAT)

J6 - CPDLC FANS 1/A SATCOM (MTSAT)

J7 - CPDLC FANS 1/A SATCOM (Iridium)

K - MLS

L - ILS

M1 - ATC SATVOICE (INMARSAT)

M2 - ATC SATVOICE (MTSAT)

M3 - ATC SATVOICE (Iridium)

O - VOR

P1 - CPDLC RCP 400

P2 - CPDLC RCP 240

P3 - SATVOICE RCP 400

R - PBN approved. Further information is provided in Item 18 following the indicator PBN/.

T - TACAN

U - UHF RTF

V - VHF RTF

W - RVSM approved

X - MNPS approved

Y - VHF with 8.33 kHz channel spacing capability

Z - other equipment carried (IMPORTANT: if the letter "Z" is used, specify in Item 18 the other equipment carried, preceded by COM/ and/or NAV/, as appropriate.)

Surveillance (SSR) equipment

Here insert one or two of the following letters to describe the serviceable SSR equipment carried:

N - None

A - Transponder - Mode A (code only indication)

C - Transponder - Mode A and Mode C (code and altitude indication)

E - Mode S, including aircraft identification, pressure-altitude and extended squitter (ADS-B) capability

H - Mode S, including aircraft identification, pressure-altitude and enhanced surveillance capability

I - Mode S, including aircraft identification, but no pressure-altitude capability

L - Mode S, including aircraft identification, pressure-altitude, extended squitter (ADS-B) and enhanced surveillance capability

X - Transponder - Mode S without both aircraft identification and pressure altitude transmission

P - Transponder - Mode S, including pressure altitude transmission, but no aircraft identification transmission

S - Transponder - Mode S, including both pressure-altitude and aircraft identification transmission.

Other indicators are B1, B2, U1, U2, V1, V2, D1 and G1 (denoting various ADS-B and ADS-C equipment) but these are very unlikely to be used in general aviation.

REMEMBER to add oblique stroke between COM/NAV equipment codes and SSR equipment code.

The most frequent option for general aviation is: S/C

DEPARTURE AERODROME AND TIME

(1) Departure Aerodrome (maximum 4 characters)

On an ICAO flight plan, use four character location indicators.

If no location indicator is specified, as is the case in water aerodromes or many of the land VFR aerodromes, insert "ZZZZ" and specify the full name of the aerodrome in Item 18 preceded by "DEP/".

If the name of the departure point is not listed in any aeronautical publication, to indicate it in Item 18 use:

- degrees and minutes of latitude and longitude.

Example: DEP/5023N02214E

- bearing and distance to a navigation point or navigational aid.

Example: DEP/ABC180017 (which means bearing 180 degrees and distance 17 NM from ABC aid)

(2) Departure Time (maximum 4 characters)

Here indicate the hour and minutes in Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) your estimated off-block time. Do not use non-alphanumeric characters (+ . ; = , ) they will not be accepted or printed.

CRUISING SPEED, ALTITUDE/LEVEL AND ROUTE

This is the most complex item. It contains very important information from the point of view of ATS therefore a careful and correct completion of this field is required. Mistakes in this field may be an indirect reason for such hazardous occurrences as airspace infringement.

In item 15 insert:

a) the first cruising speed as described in (A) below,

b) the first cruising level as described in (B) below, and

c) the route description as described in (C) below.

(A) Cruising Speed (maximum 5 characters)

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

a) kilometres per hour expressed as "K" followed by 4 figures

b) knots expressed as "N" followed by 4 figures

There is also an option to indicate speed as Mach number but as it is not used by GA no details will be provided.

General aviation example: N0150 (assuming that You will fly with speed 150 knots)

(B) Cruising Level (maximum 5 characters)

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

a) flight level, expressed as "F" followed by 3 figures or
Example: F085 (which means flight level 085),

b) standard metric level in tens of metres, expressed as "S" followed by 4 figures
Example: S0150 (which means 1500 metres)

c) altitude in hundreds of feet, expressed as "A" followed by 3 figures
Example: A055 (which means 5500 feet altitude)

d) altitude in tens of metres expressed as "M" followed by 4 figures
Example: M0610 (which means 6100 metres altitude)

e) only for uncontrolled VFR flights, the letters "VFR".

General aviation example: A065 (assuming that You will fly at 6500 feet altitude)

(C) Route (including changes of speed, level and/or flight rules)

To fill in the " Route" field use points (1) to (6) below and after each element add a single space.

(1) Flights along designated ATS Routes:

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

If the departure aerodrome is not on, or is not connected to the ATS route, insert the letters DCT, followed by the joining point of the first ATS route and followed by the designator of the ATS route.
Example: DCT RONEX L617 ...

Then insert each point at which either a change of speed or level, a change of ATS route, and/or a change of flight rules is planned.
Example: TRZ/N0200A080 IFR (which means that at point TRZ you are to change speed to 200 knots, altitude to 8000 feet and request to change flight rules to IFR).

After each point add 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 is outside a designated route, unless both points are defined by geographical co-ordinates.

(2) 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 appropriate ATS authority(ies).

Insert DCT between successive points unless both points are defined by geographical co-ordinates or by bearing and distance.

(3) ATS route (2 to 7 characters)

(4) Significant point (2 to 11 characters)

If no coded designator has been assigned use one of the following ways:

(a) Degrees only (7 characters):
Insert 2 figures describing latitude in degrees, followed by "N" (North) or "S" (South) then 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.

(b) Degrees and minutes (11 characters):
Insert 4 figures describing latitude in degrees, and 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.

(c) Bearing and distance from a navaid or navigation point:
Insert the identification of the navaid (normally a VOR) or the name of navigation point, in the form of 2 or 3 characters (navaid) up to 11 characters when name of the point is used, next the bearing from the navaid/point in the form of 3 figures giving degrees magnetic, next the distance from the navaid/point in the form of 3 figures expressing nautical miles. Make up the correct number of figures, where necessary, by insertion of zeroes.

Example 1: a point 170° magnetic at a distance of 20 NM from VOR "LDZ" should be expressed as LDZ170020.

Example 2': a point 130° magnetic at a distance of 12 NM from CONTI point should be expressed as CONTI130012.

(5) Change of speed and level (maximum 21 characters)

Insert the point at which a change of speed (more than 5% TAS) or a change of level is planned, expressed exactly as in (1), followed by an oblique stroke and both the cruising speed and the cruising level without a space between them, even when only one of these quantities will be changed.

(6) Change of flight rules (maximum 3 characters)

Insert the point at which the change of flight rules is planned followed by a space and one of the following: VFR if from IFR to VFR or IFR if from VFR to IFR.

DESTINATION AERODROME, TOTAL ESTIMATED ELAPSED TIME AND ALTERNATE AERODROME(S)

(a) Destination aerodrome and total estimated elapsed time (10 characters maximum)

Insert the ICAO 4-letter location indicator of the destination aerodrome followed by the total estimated elapsed time of your flight (NOT the planned time of landing).

Insert "ZZZZ" followed, without a space, by the total estimated elapsed time, and specify the aerodrome name in Item 18 (below).

If the name of the arrival point is not listed in any aeronautical publication, to indicate it in Item 18 use:

(b) Alternate aerodrome(s) (4 characters - ICAO)

Insert the ICAO 4-letter location indicator(s) of not more than two alternate aerodromes, separated by a space or, if no location indicator has been assigned to the alternate aerodrome, insert " ZZZZ" and specify in Item 18 the name of the aerodrome, preceded by ALTN/. Rules concerning indicating alternate aerodromes positions (if not listed by ICAO code) are the same as for DEP/ and ARR/ elements.

OTHER INFORMATION

This item is for all other additional, important or helpful information (not all are presented here; only those mostly used by GA pilots).

(c) " TYP/" followed by type(s) of aircraft, proceeded if necessary by number(s) of aircraft, if " ZZZZ " is inserted in Item 9

Flight plan 2012 introduced also new "alternate" element for Item 18: TALT/ (Take Off Alternate).

(f) " DLE/" followed by details related to delay enroute (for example for the need of flight training). A place in space should be described as in, for example, DEP/ item, either by navaid or bearing and distance from a significant point enroute, along with duration of the delay. Up to 11 characters followed by 4 digits may be used.

Example 1: DLE/XYZ0015 - delay over XYZ navaid, duration 15 minutes

Example 2: DLE/ROMIX2300200040 - delay at point 230 degrees and 20 NM from ROMIX point, duration 40 minutes

(g) " COM/" followed by significant data related to communication equipment as required by the appropriate ATS authority. Up to 50 characters may be used.

(h) " NAV/" followed by significant data related to navigation equipment as required by the appropriate ATS authority.

(i) " EET/" followed by significant waypoints or FIR boundary designators with accumulated estimated elapsed times from takeoff to such points, if required/prescribed by appropriate ATS authority.

Example:EET/ABC0120 XYZ0200 (which means that point ABC will be passed 1 hour and 20 minutes after departure and point XYZ 2 hours after departure)

EET/EINN0204 (which means that entering of Shannon FIR is planned 2 hours and 4 minutes after departure)

(j) " STS/" followed by particular reason for special handling by ATS (hospital aircraft - STS/HOSP, one engine inoperative would be - STS/ONE ENG INOP, no radio - STS/NORDO)

The new, 2012 flight plan, introduced new abbreviations in use with STS/ item. These are, among others:

- ALTRV - for flight with specified altitude reservation

- FFR - for fire-fighting flights

- HAZMAT - for flights with hazardous materials

Two abbreviations are no longer valid: "ATFMEXEMPTAPPROVED" and "EMER"

(k) " OPR/" followed by name of the operator, if not obvious from the aircraft identification in Item 7.

(m) " PER/" followed by performance of the aircraft according to ICAO document 8168 (categories "A","B","C","D","E" or "H" for helicopters).

(n) " ORGN/" followed by contact details to flight plan originator. Up to 30 characters may be used.

(o) " RMK/" followed by any other, plain language, remarks when required by the appropriate ATS authority or deemed necessary. There is no limit in number of characters to be used.

(p) " PBN/ " Indication of RNAV and/or RNP capabilities.

(q) " CODE/ " Aircraft address (expressed in the form of an alphanumerical code of six hexadecimal characters) when required by the appropriate ATS authority.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Here one can provide all information concerning safety and security of the flight as well as details helpful during search and rescue mission.

(a) " E/" and 4 figure group indicates the fuel endurance in hours and minutes.

(b) " P/" allows insertion of the total number of people (passengers and crew) on board. If total number is not known at the time of flight plan completion, insert "P/TBN" ( to be notified). Use leading zeros if necessary to make three digits in this field.

(c) at position " R/ " (radio):

- cross out indicator "U" if UHF on frequency 243.0 MHz is not available

- cross out indicator "V" if VHF on frequency 121.5 MHz is not available

- cross out indicator "E" if an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) is not available.

(d) at position " S/ " (survival):

- cross out all indicators if survival equipment is not carried

- cross out indicator "P" if polar survival equipment is not carried

- cross out indicator "D" if desert survival equipment is not carried

- cross out indicator "M" if maritime survival equipment is not carried

- cross out indicator "J" if jungle survival equipment is not carried.

(e) at position " J/ " (jackets):

- cross out all indicators if life jackets are not carried

- cross out indicator "L" if life jackets are not equipped with lights

- cross out indicator "F" if life jackets are not equipped with fluorescein

- cross out indicator "U" or "V" or both (as in "R/" above) to indicate radio capability of jackets, if any.

(f) at position " D/ " (dinghies):

- cross out indicators "D" and "C" if no dinghies are carried or

- insert:

(NUMBER) - number of dinghies carried (example: 02) and

(CAPACITY) - total capacity, in persons, of all dinghies carried (example: 006) and

(COVER) - cross out indicator C if dinghies are not covered and

(COLOUR) - insert colour of dinghies if carried.

(g) at position " A/" (aircraft) insert colour of aircraft and significant markings.

(h) at position " N/ " (remarks) :

- cross out indicator "N" if no remarks or

- indicate any other survival equipment carried and any other remarks regarding survival equipment.

(i) at position " C/" (pilot) insert name of pilot-in-command.

Example Flight Plan

Now to summarise, an example of a completed flight plan. This example only flight plan is for a VFR flight in France:

Flight plan was completed for a flight by an airplane registered "FOLXG"

The flight rules were planned to be VFR and it was a general aviation flight.

As item 9 is left blank, that means that it is a flight plan for 1 airplane. The type is Socata Tobago (ICAO designator "TOBA").

Wake turbulence category for this plane is light and its equipment is: VHF RTF, DME, VOR and Mode C transponder.

Departure aerodrome for this flight is Nice (LFMN) and estimated off-block time is 0930 UTC.

Planned cruising speed is 100 knots TAS, planned altitude is 6500 feet. The planned route is via point STP, then via route A3 to point RUBIT and along route G7 via CUERS, RIKPO and OB.

The destination aerodrome for this flight is Marseille (LFML) and the flight is planned to take 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Two alternate aerodromes were planned: Lyon (LFLL) and Toulouse (LFBO).

The fuel endurance was 3 hours and 1 person was on board the plane.

There was no equipment for UHF (243 MHz) or VHF (121,5 MHz) emergency communication but the plane carried emergency locator transmitter.

Survival maritime equipment was carried...

...as well as jackets equipped with lights.

There was one dinghy on board, able to carry 3 persons and yellow cover was included.

The plane was painted silver with light blue and red stripes and the pilot in command was Daniel Martin.

Further Reading

To find out more about Flight Plan 2012 elements and structure refer to EUROCONTROL's materials:

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Flight Plan Completion - SKYbrary Aviation Safety

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Article Information Category: Airspace Infringement Content source: SKYbrary Content control: SKYbrary Completion of the ICAO flight plan form is quite simple and is only a matter of inserting the requested information in the appropriate boxes.

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*Double check in-flight weather
*What winds are occurring?
*Check temperature changes between locations and implications
*Contact flight watch
*evaluate and reevaluate flight path