rnav routes

[promanowski]

Hello, I'm looking at the flightradar24.com map comparing it to skyvector.com and I don't understand why aircrafts are not following rnav routes. As far as i know before each flight captain is supposed to make a flight plan indicating rnav routes he will take to reach its destination ? em I right ?

[wiggy]

The Flight plan is for planning purposes :suspect: and amongst other things gives ATC some idea of the route you will follow if you have a radio failure.

Once you're airborne and if other traffic allows ATC will often let you "cut corners" off your flight planned route by telling you to go "direct to XXX" where XXX is a waypoint a long way down your route of flight. Doing so saves on miles flown and hence saves time and fuel.

[promanowski]

thank You wiggy, this is exactly the information I needed, you are a pilot right ? I have another question :) Once you are ready for departure after "push and start" but didn't get your clearance for take-of yet, where do you get the information from about "slot-missing" ? from the "delivery" or "tower" ?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Usually Delivery, but any of the ATC agencies in the Tower can provide the information.

[promanowski]

thanks again :)

Some follow-up questions: :8

1. What kind of information exactly is "deliwery" providing to the pilot ?
2. Once you are airborne within a specific country each FIR is divided into regions. Do you have to change your radio freq. and report every time you pass trought each of the regions ?
3. ( Pilot ) Before departure you have to enter your flight plan into an on-board computer. How does it work ? and how do you do that ?
4. Before flight plan is accepted it needs to be processed by the EUROCONTROL CFMU system (in europe). What happens next ? How is the flow of information taking place between "radar" - "aproach" - "tower" and "deliwery" ?

I hope im not too intrusive but I would really like to know answers to this questions.

ps. I just starded my job as a "ground"

Thank You. :)

[wiggy]

1. What kind of information exactly is "deliwery" providing to the pilot ?

Slightly depends on the airport/country . Usually something like "cleared to XXX (destination), via flight planned route, XXX departure (the SID), Squawk XXXX".

Some destinations will add additional info, such as initial cleared altitude/Flight Level, (will certainly do so if not implicit in the SID), some also always specify the airways to be used.

2. Once you are airborne within a specific country each FIR is divided into regions. Do you have to change your radio freq. and report every time you pass trought each of the regions ?

One for the likes of HD but basically yes - and you'll be changing frequencies in the climb.

3. ( Pilot ) Before departure you have to enter your flight plan into an on-board computer. How does it work ? and how do you do that ?

There will be a specific pages in the computer which will either let you type in the route longhand using the flight plan format - you type the sequence of airways in a column headed "via",....better still some on some aircraft you can download the flight planned route into the on-board computer using datalink .