Spot on ChrisW67
Baswell,
Both the Pilot Briefing Service and NAIPS for Windows will allow you to enter 6 digit ETD in the format DDHHMM and have done so for quite a few years.
NAIPS will assume that the next instance of that DDHHMM is what you intend as the ETD and will assign a YY and MM to it to form a full 10 digit DTG for your ETD.
If you don’t include the DD in the ETD, NAIPS will also assign that as part of the process. So, if you submit a HHMM that is say 15 mins in the future, NAIPS will see that and distribute immediately. Additionally, if you submit a flight plan with an ETD that is LESS THAN 15 in the past, e.g. ETD for a time say 10 mins ago, NAIPS will immediately send that on.
However, if your ETD is GREATER than 21 hours in the future, NAIPS will store that flight plan internally and send it out to the relevant ATC systems when the ETD is LESS THAN OR EQUAL to 21 hrs. This is because the way that ATC systems process flight plan data.
One of the problems with this assumption of dates is that if the submitter sends in an ETD greater than 15 mins in the past ignorant of the current time, NAIPS will assume that the next instance of that time (i.e. tomorrow’s date but same time) and hang onto it……..and if that “next day” involves end of month and end of year dates, the error is magnified.
The acceptance message you see and have provided for NOSEND, is the actual message that is sent out over the AFTN that may go internationally as well as domestically. (
AFTN Wiki)
This is a world wide format defined by ICAO and you correctly note that the ETD is only HHMM in that message; because ICAO says so!
With
ICAO 2012 flight plan changes ICAO is redefining the flight plan and including a range of new equipment items and is also changing the ETD to DOF and EOBT.
ETD will be no more as it will become Estimate Off Blocks Time (EOBT) and the flight plan may include a date field called Date of Flight (DOF). From what I see of NIS, the date field has already been included in the system.
On your question of 3 letter rego….”ABC” is not your aircraft rego…..”VHABC” is. When you submit details, NAIPS does quick check of rego against type with information sourced from the avcharges section and will present advice if it does not marry up. Hit the submit button again to force through the plan.