Filing of Flight Plans

[NW3]

Hi All,

I've just started the flying element of an Integrated course, and am beginning to get introduced to the world of the flight plan. Having a bit of a background in IT, I'm interested to find out a little bit more about how it all works behind the scenes.

After we fill out the standard ICAO form and give it to our ops guys, they enter it in to a computer - I'm guessing it isn't a standard website or something, as it seems to be a text based interface. We're based at Jerez LEJR XRY, so perhaps it is linked to a system in Seville? After that, does it go off to Eurocontrol, and then get farmed out as appropriate?

I guess what I'm asking is is there a standard worldwide network for these things, or are they passed from control centre to control centre on a number of wierd and wonderful systems.

One last thing - when the details do go in to the system, is it all pretty automated - i.e. when I call up for Taxi Clearance, do you have my callsign already on your screen etc.

Many thanks in advance for any info or pointers to further info.

Cheers

NW3

[Chilli Monster]

You're right, it's not a website in most countries, though you can file via the web in France and Ireland at the moment.

However, on the whole your ops guys will be typing it into a machine that is linked electronically to the old fashioned "AFTN" (Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network). Until all countries go onto something more modern you have to deal with the lowest common denominator.

Anyway - in the case of flight plans in Europe they will only be addressed to one address normally - each country has an AFTN 8 character address for IFR or VFR flights (In the UK it's EGZYIFPS for IFR, EGZYVFRT for VFR).

The collective IFR address sends the Flight Plan to the two Eurocontrol Computers at Haarem (Belgium) and Bretigny (France). The flight plan is then analysed for errors - if there are any large ones it will be spat out with the reason, if small it may be amended by the receiving section manually.

Once this is done the Flight Plan is re-distributed to airfield of departure, airfield of destination, and any of the ATCC's on route that will be required to work the aircraft. Data processing at these airports / ATCC's will either show the flight details on a screen in the case of Maastricht, or will print a Flight Progress Strip for the relevant controller if that is the sytem they use.

(Airfields without either of the above will get the message in it's teleprinter form and will have to write out the details manually - c'est la vie!)

So - when you pass it over the desk - it's always worth waiting for that 'ACK' message to come back. If then someone says you haven't filed you've got the proof that you have.

CTOT's are also disseminated using the same sytem, from the CFMU (Central Flow management Unit)