Radar Headings vs. Flight Planned Route
Can someone help me understand the behind the scenes processes that make Radar Headings so popular with London.
On a recent flight from EHRD (FL100) the various Continental Controllers all had me flying either the filed route or DCT. However, the moment I arrived in London I was on headings (which exactly matched my filed route).
Similarly a flight to Scotland and back, on the way up I was on headings issued every 40 miles or so that tracked about 3 miles East of my planned route (until TNT). Coming back down, I was cleared own nav via several waypoints, but the handover to London once again went, 'Say Heading ... Make that a Radar Heading' and once again tracked exactly over my planned route but on Radar Headings.
Given the radar headings and the dct links between the waypoints followed the same path over the ground, there must be some procedural advantage for London of having everyone on headings (but the same advantage doesn't seem to apply to Amsterdam).