AFS addresses?

[dublinpilot]

Is there somewhere that I can find a list of the Aeronautical Fixed System (AFS) addresses to be used when filing a flight plan?

The Dutch AIS have a very helpful facility on their website where you can file your flight plans on-line. However the addressing doesn't seem to send it abroad. It does however give you space to add additional addresses, and I was trying to find one that would send it to the Irish AIS (my flight with take place within the Shannon FIR).

An on-line list of all AFS addresses would be great! Anyone know one?

dp

[vintage ATCO]

Are you talking IFR or VFR?

IFR flight plans only have to be addressed to the two IFPS addresses - EBBDZMFP LFPYZMFP - if the flight is staying wholly within the IFPS region.

If VFR then the FPL has to be sent to each FIR plus the destination (plus, often, additional addresses).

The UK uses a collective address system for IFR flights. You send a FPL to one collective but it is actually sent to all addresses held for that collective. There use to be a book - CAP550 - which was published with all these in but I don't think it is now. However, it is held on our intranet at work.

If you let me know what specific addresses you are interested in by PM or e-mail I'll try and help.

Either that, get hold of ICAO Doc7910 and work it out yourself. :D

(Shannon FIR is EISNZQZX (IFR) or EISNZRZX or is it EISNZFZX (VFR). I thought the system in the Netherlands didn't like overseas FPLs. . . ;) )

[IO540]

Times have moved on.

www.homebriefing.com is the one website flight plan filing facility which has confirmed they will handle FPs to anywhere, not just within Austria where they are based (Vienna ATC).

The addressing "should work" provided your FP contains at least one waypoint in each country. They then address it automatically using a database of addresses to

departure
destination
the FIS area(s) you pass through.

A great service, not free but cheap.

Rarely fails, but obviously it pays to telephone the departure airport anyway (before leaving home/hotel) to make sure they have the FP. I had it fail once, when flying to a little place in Spain and their system didn't send the FP to the correct big place nearby.

The above is for VFR flight plans. IFR flight plans in CAS use a different system; potentially much more involved and done via Eurocontrol. I will PM some details.

There is a bit of a quirk if you file a trivial IFR FP in the Uk and entirely OCAS; I don't think it reliably goes to Eurocontrol but could be wrong.

[dublinpilot]

Thanks guys,

The flight plan is purely VFR. I've no IR :sad:

Here in Ireland we need to file paper flight plans whenever going through controlled airspace. Given that I'm based in Dublin Intl, that basically means every flight.

The IAA used to let you do it online for a while but no longer.

I used the Homebreifing one during the summer, and it was excellent, but my free trial is up now. I may very well renew it, but as I do so little flying during the winter (lack of IR), it doesn't make sense to renew it at the moment.

Someone pointed out the dutch site to me, and I filed my last flight plan via it.

A phone call to Shannon AIS confirmed that they had it within the system, however when I called up Dublin Clearance Delivery, they said they didn't have a plan. I told them Shannon had confirmed they had it by phone, and a few minutes later it was found. It's the first one I had go missing, so I'm assuming it's due to the Dutch site.

I tried to file another one today, and I see that it allowed me to add addresses to it. I take it for a flight that will remain within the Shannon FIR that EISNZFZX would be sufficient? Or would I need to add one for Dublin and my destination airport?

I'll go have a look to see if I can find ICAO Doc 7910.

Thanks for your help guys!