Originally Posted by
Nil defects
Yes, if you are logged on to CPDLC, ATC can see everything that is in Route 1 (Boeing) of the FMC.
Two years ago, and a thousand miles off the coast, we got a message from ATC to remove the STAR that we had inserted enroute as we hadn`t been cleared for it yet. I really wanted to tell them to eff off as this is my FMC not theirs and I will use it as I deem appropriate. Anyway, since that time I still insert the expected arival, approach and runway and nobody has told me otherwise.
I suspect what Nil defects has encountered in this example is different to the ARCW warning. Correct me if I am wrong Nil defects, but I suspect you were flying QFA64 FAJO-YSSY and were crossing 45S. If my memory from West Proc days serves me correct this was going from Class G (below 45S) to Class A airspace and hence you had to get a clearance. Despite many protests from the operational staff and pilots, the dearly departed (from the organisation) datalink expert(?) came up with the brilliant idea that we would have to ask the aircraft send a request for clearance. The pilot would send the request containing data from there FMS which inevitably contained the STAR data. (This is where I think Nil defects has got the idea that we can see all there route info,I can confirm we only see the next waypoint and the next waypoint+1).We weren't permitted to clear the aircraft for the star from 2000nm out so we had to get them to send the request without the STAR info. We would then send them back a "clearance" which contained exactly the same route data which they would reload to there FMS (perhaps minus STAR data). Sometimes if the route was particulary long, TAAATS dropped the end waypoints because the route editor couldn't handle long routes. The pilots hated it because it involved manipulating the FMS, 8 hrs into the flight when they are probably at there lowest alertness. It was an exercise which increased the chances of a mistake being made somewhere along the way which could have had serious consequences in the Sydney area if the data contained in the FMS or in the TAAATS flight data record was incorrect. I believe that the airspace has been reclassified Class A and us such the only flight to suffer such shenagians these days is the QF Antartic flights.
BTW Nil defects I totally agree with you about the FMS. We shouldn't be interfering with it. The clearance CPDLC message should only be used when I am giving ammended route clearances and all "paper" clearances should have been given by freetext. Did you take this up with your procedures people? Sometimes things only get changed if the pilots complain. Personally I don't care what you load as long as you fly what you have been cleared. Unfortunately there were a couple of incidents on Perth arrivals where the controller received the ARCW warning indicating and aircraft had planned a STAR. They didn't act upon it because they thought the next sector (who would normally issue the STAR) would fix it. The aircraft then proceeded to fly the STAR without being issued it, the controller was stood down for not querying the alert.