Completing a Flight Plan

This page contains instructions on completing the various sections of a flight plan. It is a subset of the full information contained in the Aeronautical Information Circulars (AIC) published by the various Aviation Authorities. The information is provided here as a handy reference, but for the full instructions you should obtain a copy of the latest AIC on the subject from your local authority.

Item 7

Aircraft Identification (maximum 7 characters)

Insert one of the following:

1. The registration marking of the aircraft (GBGJK, N2567GA), either alone or preceeded by the ICAO telephony designator for the operating agency (e.g SPEEDBIRD GBGJK)
2. The ICAO designator for the aircraft operating agency, followed by a flight number.
3. The call sign determined by the military authorities.

Item 8

Flight Rules (1 character)

Insert on of the following letters to denote the category of flight rules with which the pilot intends to comply

I if IFR first

V if VFR first

Y if IFR first *

Z if VFR first *

* - specify in item 15 the point or points at where a change of flight rules is planned.

Type of Flight (1 character)

Insert one of the following letters to denote the type of flight:

• S if scheduled services
• N if non-scheduled Air Transport Operations
• G if general aviation
• M if military
• X if other than any of the defined categories above

Item 9

Number of aircraft (1 or 2 characters.)

Insert number of aircraft, but only if more than one

Type of aircraft (2 to 4 characters)

Insert the appropriate designator as specified by ICAO, or, if no designator assigned insert ZZZZ and specify in item 18 the (numbers and) type(s) of aircraft preceeded by TYP/

Wake Turbulence Category (1 character)

insert one of the following letters to indicate the wake turbulence category of the aircraft:

• H - Heavy, to indicate an aircraft type with a MTOW of 136000 Kg (300000lb) or more.
• M - Medium, to indicate a MTOW less than 136000 Kg but more than 7000 Kg (15500lb)
• L - Light, to indicate a MTOW of 7000 Kg or less.

Item 10

Equipment: Radio Communication, Navigation and Approach Aid equipment.

Preceeding the oblique stroke, insert one letter as follows:

and/or insert one or more of the following letters to indicate the COM/NAV equipment available and serviceable:

• A - LORAN A
• C - LORAN C
• D - DME
• E - DECCA
• F - ADF
• H - HF RTF
• I - Inertial Navigation
• L - ILS
• M - Omega
• O - VOR
• P - Doppler
• R - RNAV route equipment
• T - TACAN
• U - UHF RTF
• V - VHF RTF
• Z - Other equipment; specify in item 18, preceeded by COM/ or NAV/

then, following the oblique stroke, insert one of the following to describe the serviceable SSR equipment carried:

• N - Nil
• A - Transponder - mode A - 4096 codes
• C - Transponder - mode A - 4096 codes and mode C
• X - Transponder - mode S - without pressure altitude and without aircraft identification transmission
• P - Transponder - mode S - with pressure altitude but without aircraft identification transmission
• I - Transponder - mode S - without pressure altitude but with aircraft identification transmission
• X - Transponder - mode S - with both pressure altitude and aircraft identification transmission

Item 13

Departure Aerodrome and Time (8 characters)

• Insert the ICAO four letter Location Indicator of the departure aerodrome, or if no location indicator assigned, insert ZZZZ and specify in item 18, the name of the aerodrome, preceeded by DEP/
• the estimated off-block time

Item 15

Cruising Speed (maximum 5 characters)

Insert the first cruising speed as the True Airspeed for the first or whole portion of the flight, in terms of:

• Kilometres per hour, expressed as K followed by 4 figures (e.g. K0350)
• Knots, expressed as N, followed by 4 figures (e.g. N0220)
• Mach number, when so prescribed by the appropriate ATS authority to the nearest hundredths of unit mach, expressed as M followed by 4 figures (e.g. M082)

Cruising level (maximum 5 characters)

insert the planned cruising level for the first or the whole cruising portion of the route to be flown, in terms of:

• Flight level expressed as F followed by 3 figures (e.g. F085, F330)
• Altitude in hundreds of feet expressed as A followed by 3 figures, (e.g. A045, A100)
• *Standard Metric level in tens of metres expressed as S followed by 4 figures (e.g. S1130)
• *Altitude in tens of metres expressed as M followed by 4 figures (e.g. M0840)
• or, for VFR flights where the flight is not planned to be flown at a specific cruising level, the letters VFR.

Wen so prescribed by the appropriate ATS authorities.

Route

Including changes of speed, level and/or flight rules. (note that this is an abbreviated instruction)

Flight along designated ATS routes

Insert the designator of the first route, or the letters DCT followed by the point of joining the route then insert each point at whch a change of route, speed, level or flight rules is planned, followed by the designator of the next route segment.

Flight outside designated routes

Points not normally more than 30 minutes flying time, or 200 nm apart, including each point where a change of speed, level, track or flight rules is planned.

Item 16

Destination Aerodrome and estimated elapsed time (EET) (8 characters)

Insert the ICAO four letter location indicator of the destination aerodrome followed by the total estimated elapsed time, or if no designator has been assigned, insert ZZZZ followed by the EET and specify in item 18 the name of the arodrome preceeded by DEST/.

Alternate aerodromes

Insert the ICAO four letter location indicator of not more than two aerodromes, or, if no designator has been assigned, insert ZZZZ and specify in item 18 the name of the arodrome preceeded by ALTN/.

Item 18

Other Information

Insert 0 (zero) if no other information, or, any other necessary information in the preferred sequence shown below, in the form of an appropriate indicator followed by an oblique stroke and the information to be recorded.

• RFP/
• EET/
• RIF/
• REG/
• SEL/
• OPR/
• STS/
• TYP/
• PER/
• COM/
• NAV/
• DEP/
• DEST/
• ALTN/
• RMK/

Item 19

Supplementary Information

This information is not filed with the plan, but is kept at the unit where the plan was filed. In case of emergency the supplementary information will be transmitted to the appropriate rescue agencies.

Endurance

• After E/ insert a 4 figure group giving the fuel endurance in hours and minutes

Persons on Board

• After P/ insert the total number of persons (passengers and crew) on board, when required by the appropriate ATS authority. Insert TBN (to be notified) if the total number of persons is not knon when filing.

Emergency and Survival Equipment

• R/(radio)
  • cross out U if UHF on frequency 243.0MHz is not carried
  • cross out V if VHF on frequency 121.5 MHz is not carried
  • cross out E if emergency location beacon - aircraft (ELBA) is not available
• S/ (Survival Equipment)
  • cross out all indicators if survival equipment is not carried
  • cross out P if polar survival equipment is not carried
  • cross out D if desert survival equipment is not carried
  • cross out M if maritime survival equipment is not carried. Note: this refers to equipment in addition to the lifejackets listed in the following section
  • cross out J if Jungle survival equipment is not carried
• J/ Jackets
  • cross out all indicators if lifejackets are not carried
  • cross out L if lifejackets are not fitted with lights
  • cross out F if jackets are not equipped with fluoroscein
  • cross out U or V or both as in R/ above to indicate radio capability of jackets, if any.
• D/ (dinghies) (number) cross out indicators D and C if no dinghies are carried, or insert number of dinghies carried and;
  • (CAPACITY) insert total capacity, in persons, of all dinghies carried, and
  • (COVER) cross out indicator C if dinghies are not covered and
  • (COLOUR) insert colour of dinghies if carried.
• A/ (AIRCRAFT COLOUR AND MARKINGS)

  insert colour of aircraft and significant markings

• N/ (REMARKS)

  cross out indicator N if no remarks, or indicate any other survival equipment carried and any other remarks regarding survival equipment.

• C/ (PILOT)

  insert name of pilot in command

  You should also annotate the form with the name of the person filing the plan, and add a telephone number in case of queries about the plan before transmission. This is particularly important if you have sent the plan via fax rather than in person.