FL 090 or FL 90?

[cancel_mayday]

080 or 80? In 2 days Russia gives up meters for feet but nobody can answer the question here. Still...

Thanks.

[HPbleed]

Whatever your regulators decide. I believe generally (certainly in the UK) you can omit the first 0. So it would be FL90. Headings however would still be 060. One way of distinguishing between the two (the other being "degrees" said after a HDG that ends in a 0).

[Spitoon]

90 .

[ZOOKER]

Many years ago, I did a familiarisation course with British Airways. Part of the course was a 'jump-seat' ride, in my case EGLL-EGPH-EGLL in G-AWZK. Can't remember the captain's name, but he did mention that he had very little to complain about as regards UK ATC, but he didn't like ATCOs who omitted the words 'flight level'.
So, I took his advice and it seemed to work fairly well. Two digits for FL95 and below, and three digits for levels above.
Headings are always three digits, I added the suffix 'degrees' to all of them, (even those ending in 5), and it seemed to work, well, no complaints anyway.
I didn't realise you were changing from metres to feet this week, so very best of luck.

[2 sheds]

cancel_mayday

By example, ICAO indicates two digits if appropriate...

FASTAIR 345 CHECK ALTIMETER SETTING
AND CONFIRM LEVEL.

FASTAIR 345 ALTIMETER 1013 FLIGHT LEVEL 80
... from the ICAO RTF Manual.

2 s

[cancel_mayday]

Thanks, guys. Our regulations are often ambiguous. For me, 060 sounds like HDG. And for the flight crews too. It's the case when 0 means just 0, giving no additional safety to phraseology.

[ron83]

ICAO Phraseology Reference Guide- ALL CLEAR AGC safety initiative.

Flight Levels
Flight levels below FL100 are referred to as two digit numbers e.g. Climb flight
level eight zero to reduce the risk of confusion with a heading instruction eg.
heading zero eight zero.
Flight levels 100, 200 and 300 are often confused for 110, 210 and 310: special
care should be taken when enunciating ‘zero zero’.

[Armchairflyer]

Aren't hundreds and thousands pronounced as such since several years, at least in Europe?

[ron83]

Aren't hundreds and thousands pronounced as such since several years, at least in Europe?

Not at our place. :ugh:

[BrATCO]

"Descend Flight Level 9-0"
"Climb Flight Level 0-9-0"

"Turn Right Twenty Degrees", "Turn Left Heading 0-8-7"... :)

[dhardesthard]

I precede all my FL R/T with the words "flight level" just like all heading read back or requests by the words "heading". Thus I say "FL 090" and never just 90. Similarly all headings are preceded by the word "heading XXX".

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

"Flight Level Niner Zero".