Flight planning

src: bbsflightsupport.aero

Airplane planning is the process of generating an airline plan to describe the proposed airplane flight. It involves two aspects of safety-critical: fuel calculations, to ensure that the aircraft can safely reach the destination, and compliance with air traffic control requirements, to minimize the risk of collision in the air. In addition, aviation planners typically want to minimize the cost of the flight through the choice of route, altitude, and proper speed, and by loading the minimum fuel required on the plane. ATS uses a completed flight plan for ACFT splitting in ATM services, including tracking and finding missing ACFTs, ​​during a SAR (SAR) mission.

Aviation planning requires accurate weather forecasts so that the calculation of fuel consumption can take into account the effects of head fuel consumption or tail wind and air temperature. Safety regulations require aircraft to carry fuel over the minimum required to fly from origin to destination, allowing for unforeseen circumstances or for transfer to another airport if the planned destination becomes unavailable. Furthermore, under the control of air traffic control, aircraft flying in controlled airspace must follow a predetermined route known as the air channel (at least where they have been set), even if the route is not economical due to more direct flight. In these airways, the aircraft must maintain flight levels, the specified altitudes are usually separated vertically by 1000 or 2000 feet (305 or 610 m), depending on the route being flown and the direction of travel. When airplanes with only two long-haul engines cross over oceans, deserts, or other areas without an airport, they must meet additional ETOPS security rules to ensure they can reach several emergency airports if one machine fails.

Producing accurately optimized flight plans requires millions of calculations, so that commercial flight planning systems make full use of the computer (estimates of unoptimized flight plans can be produced using E6B and maps in an hour or more, but more allowance should be made for unforeseen circumstances ). When computer flight planning replaced manual flight planning for eastward flights across the North Atlantic, average fuel consumption was reduced by about 1,000 pounds per flight, and the average flight time was reduced by about 5 minutes per flight. Some commercial airlines have their own internal flight planning system, while others use the services of external planners.

A flight dispatcher or licensed flight operations officer is required by law to carry out flight planning and flight watch duties in many commercial operating environments (eg, US FAR Ã, §121, Canadian regulations). This regulation differs in every country but more and more countries require their airline operators to hire such personnel.

Video Flight planning

Basic overview and terminology

The flight planning system may need to generate more than one flight plan for one flight:

• plan summary for air traffic control (in FAA and/or ICAO format)
• a summary plan for direct download into the onboard flight management system
• detailed plan for pilot use

The basic purpose of the flight planning system is to calculate how much fuel travel is required in the process of air navigation by plane when flying from the airport to the destination airport. Aircraft must also carry some spare fuel to allow for unforeseen circumstances, such as inaccurate weather forecasts, or air traffic controls that require aircraft at lower altitudes than optimal due to congestion, or the addition of a last-minute passenger with weight not taken into account when the flight plan is prepared. The manner in which the fuel reserves are determined varies greatly, depending on the airline and locality. The most common methods are:

• US domestic operations carried out under Instrument Flight Rules: enough fuel to fly to the first point of the intended landing, then fly to an alternative airport (if weather conditions require alternative airports), then for 45 minutes thereafter at normal cruising speed
• the percentage of time: usually 10% (that is, a 10-hour flight requires sufficient reserves to fly for another hour)
• percentage of fuel: typically 5% (ie, flights requiring 20,000 kg of fuel require 1,000kg reserves)

Except for some US domestic flights, flight plans usually have alternative airports and destination airports. Alternate airport to use if destination airport becomes unusable while flight is in progress (due to weather conditions, strikes, accidents, terrorist activities, etc.). This means that when the aircraft approaches the destination airport, it should still have enough alternative fuel and alternative reserves available to fly to an alternative airport. Since the aircraft is not expected at alternative airports, it should also have enough fuel to spin for a while (usually 30 minutes) near an alternative airport while a landing slot is found. Domestic US flights are not required to have enough fuel to proceed to an alternative airport when the weather at the destination is expected to be better than 2,000 feet (610 m) ceiling and 3 kilometers visibility; However, a 45-minute reserve at normal cruising speed is still valid.

It is often considered a good idea to have an alternative that is somewhat distant from the goal (eg, 100 miles) so that bad weather is not possible to cover both goals and alternatives; the distance up to 600 miles (970 km) is unknown. In some cases, the destination airport may be very remote (eg, Pacific island) that no alternative airport is feasible; in such situations, the airline may enter sufficient fuel to spin for 2 hours near its destination, in the hope that the airport will be available again within that time.

There are often more than one possible route between the two airports. In accordance with safety requirements, commercial airlines generally want to minimize costs by choosing the right route, speed, and altitude.

Names are given for weights associated with the aircraft and/or total weight of the aircraft at various stages.

• Payload is the total weight of any passenger, baggage, and cargo. A commercial airline makes its money by charging for carrying a cargo.
• The empty operating weight is the basic weight of the aircraft when it is ready to operate, including the crew but excluding cargo or usable fuel.
• Zero fuel weight is the sum of the weight of the empty operation and the load - that is, the weight of the aircraft, excluding usable fuel.
• Weight is the aircraft load on the terminal when ready to go. This includes the zero weight of the fuel and all the fuel it needs.
• Brake weight brake is the weight of the aircraft at the start of the runway, just before the release of the brake for takeoff. This is the weight of the ramp minus any fuel used for the taxi. The main airport may have a runway that is about 2 miles (3 km) long, so just slide from the terminal to the end of the runway that can spend up to a ton of fuel. After sliding, the pilot boarded the plane on the runway and installed the brakes. Upon receiving the takeoff license, the pilot stops the engine and releases the brakes to start acceleration along the runway in preparation for takeoff.
• Takeoff is the aircraft weight during takeoff along the runway. Some aviation planning systems calculate actual takeoff weight; instead, the fuel used for takeoff is calculated as part of the fuel used to climb to the height of a normal cruise liner.
• The weight of the landing is the weight of the plane when it landed at its destination. This is the weight of the brake release minus the burnt travel fuel. This includes zero fuel weights, unusable fuels, and all alternative fuels, holds, and spare.

When twin-engine aircraft fly across seas, deserts, and the like, routes must be carefully planned so that aircraft can always reach the airport, even if one machine fails. The applicable rule is known as ETOPS (ExTended range OPERATIONS). The general reliability of the type of aircraft and engine as well as the quality of airline maintenance is taken into account when determining how long the aircraft can fly with just one operating engine (usually 1-3 hours).

The flight planning system should be able to cope with aircraft flying below sea level, which will often generate negative altitudes. For example, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has a height of -3 meters. The Dead Sea's surface is 417 meters below sea level, so low-lying flights around it can be well below sea level.

Maps Flight planning

Unit size

The flight plan mixes metric and non-metric measurement units. Certain units used may vary by plane, airline, and location across flights.

Distance is always measured in nautical miles, as calculated at an altitude of 32,000 feet (9.800 m), compensated by the fact that the earth is an oblate ball rather than a perfect ball. The flight chart always shows the rounded distance to the nearest sea mile, and this is the distance shown on the flight plan. The flight planning system may need to use non-shipwashed values ​​in their internal calculations to improve accuracy.

Measurements of fuel will vary on gauges fitted to specific aircraft. The most common fuel measurement unit is kilograms; Other possible actions include pounds, UK gallons, US gallons, and liters. When the fuel is measured by weight, the fuel used is calculated when checking the tank capacity.

There was at least one occasion where an airplane ran out of fuel by mistake in converting between kilograms and pounds. In this case, the crew manages to slide to the near runway and land safely (the runway is one of two at the former airport then used as a dragstrip).

Many airlines require that the fuel amount be rounded to a multiple of 10 or 100 units. This can cause some interesting rounding issues, especially when the subtotals are involved. Security issues should also be considered when deciding whether to round up or down.

The height of the aircraft is based on the use of pressure altimeter (see flight level for more details). The altitude quoted here is thus the nominal height under standard conditions of temperature and pressure rather than the actual height. All aircraft operating at the flight level calibrate the altimeter to the same standard setting regardless of the actual sea-level pressure, so the small risk of collisions arises.

In most areas, the height is reported as a multiple of 100 feet (30 m), ie A025 in nominal 2,500 feet (760 m). When sailing at higher altitudes, aircraft adopt flight level (FL). The flight level is the altitude that is corrected and calibrated against the International Standard Atmosphere (ISA). This is expressed as a group of three digits for example, FL320 is 32,000 feet (9,800 m) ISA.

In most areas, the vertical separation between aircraft is 1,000 or 2,000 feet (610 m).

In Russia, China and some surrounding areas, the height is measured in meters. The vertical separation between planes is 300 meters or 600 meters (about 1.6% less than 1,000 or 2,000 feet).

Until 1999, the vertical separation between aircraft at high altitudes on the same air duct was 2,000 feet (610 m). Since then there has been a gradual introduction around the world of minimum vertical distance reduction (RVSM). This intersects vertical separation of up to 1,000 feet (300 m) between flights 290 and 410 (the boundary must vary slightly from one place to another). Since most jet planes operate between these altitudes, this measure effectively doubles the capacity of available air ducts. To use RVSM, the aircraft must have a certified altimeter, and the automatic pilot must meet more accurate standards.

• Unit speed

Aircraft at lower altitudes usually use knots as the main velocity unit, while higher planes (above Mach Crossover Altitude) typically use the Mach number as the main speed unit, although flight plans are often include equivalent speeds in knots as well (conversions including temperature and high allowances). In the flight plan, the Mach number "Point 82" means the aircraft is traveling at 0.820 (82%) of the speed of sound.

Global use of the global positioning system (GPS) allows the cockpit navigation system to provide more or less direct air velocity and speed.

Another method of obtaining speed and position is the inertial navigation system (INS), which tracks vehicle acceleration using a gyroscope and a linear accelerometer; this information can then be integrated in time to gain speed and position, as long as the INS is properly calibrated before departure. INS has been present in civil aviation for several decades and is mostly used in medium to large aircraft because the system is quite complex.

If GPS or INS is not in use, the following steps are required to obtain speed information:

The airspeed indicator is used to measure the specified airspeed (IAS) in knots.

The IAS is converted to calibrated airspeed (CAS) using the aircraft-specific correction table.

The CAS is converted to an equivalent airspeed (EAS) by allowing for compressibility effects.

EAS is converted to true airspeed (TAS) by allowing for density heights (ie, height and temperature).

The TAS is converted into a ground speed by allowing for each head or tail wind.

• Heavy unit

The weight of an airplane is most often measured in kilograms, but it can sometimes be measured in pounds, especially if the fuel gauge is calibrated in pounds or gallons. Many airlines require that the weight be rounded to a multiple of 10 or 100 units. Extreme care is required during rounding to ensure that physical constraints are not exceeded.

When chatting informally about flight plans, the estimated weight of fuels and/or aircraft can be referenced in tonnes. This "Ton" is typically a ton of tonnes or tonnes of English length, of less than 2%, or a short ton, about 10% less.

src: www.aopa.org

Describe the route

The route is a description of the path followed by the plane when flying between airports. Most commercial flights will travel from one airport to another, but private planes, commercial travel, and military aircraft can travel in circles or out-and land at the same airport from which they depart.

Components

Aircraft flying in airways under the direction of air traffic control. Air channels have no physical presence, but can be considered toll roads in the sky. On regular highways, cars use different paths to avoid collisions, while on airways, aircraft flying at different levels to avoid collisions. People can often see planes passing just above or below. Graphs showing airways are published and usually updated every 4 weeks, coinciding with the AIRAC cycle. AIRAC (Regulations and Aeronautical Information Control) occurs every fourth Thursday, when each country publishes its changes, which are usually for the airways.

Each air channel starts and ends at the point of the road, and may contain some medium-way points as well. Waypoints use five letters (for example, PILOX), and which multiply as non-directional beacons using three or two (TNN, WK). Airways can cross or join at the point of the road, so that the aircraft may change from one air channel to another at those points. A complete route between airports often uses several airways. Where there is no suitable airway between the two points of the road, and using airways will result in a somewhat rounded route, air traffic controls allow straight-to-path paths, which do not use airways (often abbreviated in flight plans as " DCT ").

Most waypoints are classified as mandatory reporting points; that is, the pilot (or onboard flight management system) reports the position of the aircraft to control air traffic as the aircraft passes the point of passing. There are two main types of waypoints:

• A named waypoint appears on the flight graph with known latitude and longitude. Such dirt points on land often have radio-related beacons so pilots can more easily check where they are. Useful formatting paths always exist in one or more airways.

• Geographic point is the temporary position used in the flight plan, usually in areas where no named street point (for example, most of the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere). Air traffic control requires that the geographic point of reference has a whole degree of latitude and longitude.

Note that the air duct is not connected directly to the airport.

After taking off, an aircraft follows the departure procedure (i1 departure instrument, or SID), which defines the path from the airport runway to the point of the passage in the air passage, allowing aircraft to join the airway system in control. Most of the ascent part of the flight will take place at SID.

Prior to landing, an aircraft follows the arrival procedure of (standard terminal arrival route, or STAR), which defines the path from the airway point to the airport runway so that the aircraft can leave the airway system in a under control. Most parts of the flight tour will occur on the STAR.

A special route known as sea trail is used in some oceans, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, to increase traffic capacity on busy routes. Unlike ordinary airways, which rarely change, sea footprints change twice a day, thus taking advantage of favorable winds. Flights go with jet streams maybe an hour shorter than those against them. Sea footprints can start and complete about 100 miles offshore at the named road point, which connects a number of airways. Tracks in the northern oceans are suitable for east-west or west-east flights, which are the largest share of traffic in these areas.

Full route

There are a number of ways to build a route. All scenarios use the air channel using SID and STAR for departure and arrival. The mention of the airways may include very few "direct" segments to allow for situations where there is no convenient airway intersection. In some cases, political considerations may influence route choices (eg, planes from one country can not exceed other countries).

• Air channel from origin to destination. Most of the above ground flights fall into this category.
• Air line (s) from origin to ocean edge, then oceanic path, then air channel from ocean edge to destination. Most of the flights over the northern oceans fall into this category.
• Air line (s) from origin to ocean edge, then free flight area across the ocean, then air channel (s) from ocean edge to destination. Most of the flights over the southern oceans fall into this category.
• The free flight area from origin to destination. This is a relatively unusual situation for commercial aviation.

Even in free flight areas, air traffic controls still require positioning reports about once every hour. The flight planning system governs this by including geographic pointpoints at appropriate intervals. For jets, this interval is 10 degrees longitude for flights east or west and 5 degrees latitude for flights to the north or south. In the free flight area, commercial aircraft typically follow the track-the-smallest time so spend as little time and fuel as possible. Large circle routes will have the shortest land distance, but may not have the shortest airspace, due to head or tail wind effects. The flight planning system may have to perform a significant analysis to determine a good free flight route.

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Fuel calculation

The calculation of fuel requirements (especially fuel travel and fuel reserves) is the most critical aspect of aviation planning. This calculation is rather complicated:

• Fuel fuel depends on ambient temperature, plane speed, and aircraft altitude, none of which is entirely predictable.
• Fuel oil also depends on the weight of the aircraft, which changes when fuel is burned.
• Some iterations are generally required because of the need to calculate interdependent values. For example, fuel reserves are often calculated as the percentage of travel fuel, but the travel fuel can not be calculated until the total weight of the aircraft is known, and this includes the weight of the reserve fuel.

Considerations

Fuel calculations should take into account many factors.

• weather forecast

The air temperature affects the efficiency/fuel consumption of aircraft engines. The wind can provide a head or tail component, which in turn will increase or decrease fuel consumption by increasing or decreasing the air distance to be flown.

By agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organization, there are two national weather centers - in the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and in the UK, the Met Office - which provides world weather forecasts for civil aviation in a format known as GRIB weather. This estimate is generally issued every 6 hours and covers the next 36 hours. Each 6 hour forecast covers the whole world using grid points located at 75 nautical miles (139 km) or less. At each grid point, wind speed, wind direction, air temperature are supplied at nine different heights between 4,500 and 55,000 feet (1,400 and 16,800 m).

Aircraft rarely fly right through the weather grille or at the exact height where weather prediction is available, so some horizontal and vertical interpolation forms are generally required. For 75-nautical-mile intervals (139 km), linear interpolation is satisfactory. The GRIB format replaced the previous ADF format in 1998-99. The ADF format uses 300-nautical-mile intervals (560 km); This interval is large enough to skip the storm, so calculations using weather predicted ADF are often not as accurate as those that can be produced using GRIB prediction weather.

• Route and flight level

The specific route to fly determines the distance of land to cover, while the wind on the route determines the distance of air to be flown. Any inter-waypoint portion of the airway may have different rules about which flight levels can be used. The total weight of the aircraft at each point determines the highest flight rate that can be used. Cruising at higher flight levels generally requires less fuel than at lower flight levels, but additional fuel may be required to rise to higher flight levels (this is the additional climbing fuel and different fuel consumption levels that causing discontinuity).

• Physical constraint

Nearly all of the weights mentioned above in "Overview and basic terminology" may be subject to minimum and/or maximum values. Due to pressure on the wheels and undercarriage on landing, the maximum safe landing weight may be much less than the maximum safe discharge weight of the brakes. In such cases, aircraft that face some emergency and must land immediately after takeoff may have to spin for a while to use fuel, or dispose of some fuel, or land immediately and risk collapsing under the car.

Next, the fuel tank has a maximum capacity. On several occasions, commercial aviation planning systems have found that impossible flight plans have been requested. The aircraft is unlikely to reach the intended destination, even without cargo or passengers, because the fuel tank is not large enough to accommodate the amount of fuel needed; it would seem that some airlines are overly optimistic, perhaps hoping for a (very) strong puller.

• Fuel consumption rate

The fuel consumption rate for an aircraft engine depends on air temperature, the height measured by air pressure, aircraft weight, aircraft velocity relative to air, and increased consumption compared to new brands due to age of machinery and/or poor maintenance (an airline can estimate this degradation by comparing actual fuel predictions with predictions). Note that large aircraft, such as jumbo jets, can burn up to 80 tons of fuel on 10-hour flights, so there is considerable weight changes during flight.

Calculation

The weight of the fuel forms a significant part of the total weight of the aircraft, so the calculation of the fuel must take into account the weight of unburned fuel. Instead of trying to predict unburned fuel loads, the flight planning system can handle this situation by working backwards along the route, starting from the others, returning to the destination, and then returning to the way point with the original direction.

The more detailed outline follows. Some (probably many) iterations are usually required, both to calculate interdependent values ​​such as fuel reserves and fuel travel, or to address situations where some physical constraints have been exceeded. In the latter case it is usually necessary to reduce the load (fewer cargo or fewer passengers). Some aviation planning systems use complicated system of approximate equations to simultaneously estimate all necessary changes; this can greatly reduce the number of iterations required.

If the plane lands on an alternative, in the worst case it can be assumed to have no fuel left (in practice there will be enough fuel reserves left to at least taxi off the runway). Therefore the flight planning system can calculate alternative retaining fuels on the basis that the final plane weight is zero fuel weight. Since the plane is whirling while holding, it is not necessary to take into account the wind for this calculation or other calculations.

For flight from destination to alternative, the flight planning system can calculate alternative fuel trips and alternative fuel fuels on the basis that the weight of the aircraft when it reaches an alternative is zero fuel weight plus an alternate holding.

The flight planning system can then calculate which destination holds the ground that the last aircraft weight is zero fuel weight plus an alternate holding plus alternative fuel plus alternate backup.

For flights from origin to destination, weight on arrival at destination can be taken as zero weight of fuel plus holding alternative plus alternative fuel plus alternate backup plus holding purpose. An aviation planning system can then work back along the route, calculating the travel fuel and one waypoint fuel reserve at a time, with the fuel required for each inter-waypoint segment that forms part of the aircraft's weight for the next segment to be calculated./dd>

At each stage and/or at the end of the calculation, the flight planning system must perform an inspection to ensure that physical constraints (eg, maximum tank capacity) have not been exceeded. The problem means that the weight of the aircraft must be reduced in some way or the calculation should be abandoned.

An alternative approach to fuel calculation is to calculate alternative and resistant fuels as above and derive some estimates of the total fuel needs of travel, whether based on previous experience with the route and type of aircraft, or by using some approximate formulas; there is no method that can take into account the weather. Calculations can then be continued forward along the route, the point of the road with the point of the road. When achieving the goal, actual travel fuels can be compared with the estimated travel fuel, a better estimate is made, and the calculations are repeated as needed.

src: vfrflight.org

Cost reduction

Commercial airlines generally want to keep flight costs as low as possible. There are three main factors contributing to the cost:

• the amount of fuel needed (to complicate matters, the fuel may cost different amounts at different airports),
• actual flight time affects depreciation costs, maintenance schedules, and the like,
• the overflight cost is collected by individual aircraft countries (inadvertently to cover air traffic control costs).

Different airlines have different views on what is the lowest cost flight:

• the cheapest by time only
• the cheapest on fuel only
• the smallest cost based on the balance between fuel and time
• the smallest cost based on fuel cost and time cost and overflight cost

Basic upgrade

For certain routes, the flight planning system can reduce costs by finding the most economical speed at a certain height and by looking for the best altitude to use based on predicted weather. Such local optimization can be done on a waypoint-by-waypoint basis.

Commercial airlines do not want aircraft to change altitudes too often (for example, it may make it more difficult for cabin crew to serve food), so they often determine the minimum time between flight-level changes related to optimization. To address these requirements, the flight planning system must be able to optimize non-local altitudes by simultaneously taking a number of waypoints into account, along with the fuel costs for a short ascent that may be required.

When there is more than one possible route between the origin and destination airports, the task facing the flight planning system becomes more complicated, as it now has to consider many routes to find the best available route. Many situations have dozens or even hundreds of possible routes, and there are some situations with over 25,000 possible routes (eg, London to New York with free flights under the track system). The number of calculations required to produce an accurate flight plan is essential so it is not possible to check every possible route in detail. The flight planning system must have a quick way to trim the number of possibilities to a manageable number before performing a detailed analysis.

Reduced backup

From an accountant's perspective, the provision of fuel reserves costs money (the fuel needed to carry unused reserve fuel). Techniques known in various ways such as reclear , redispatch , or decision point procedures have been developed, which can greatly reduce the amount of fuel reserves required while retaining all required security standards. These techniques are based on having several intermediate airports determined where the flight can divert if necessary; in practice such diversions are rare. The use of such techniques can save several tons of fuel on long flights, or can increase the load carried by the same amount.

The reclear flight plan has two goals. The end destination is where the flight really will be, while the destination airport is where the flight will be diverted to if more fuel is used than expected during the early part of the flight. The waypoints where decisions are made to where to go is called a fixed fix or a decision point. Upon reaching this point, the crew makes a comparison between actual and predicted burning of fuel and checks how much fuel reserves are available. If there is sufficient fuel reserves, then the flight can proceed to the airport of the final destination; otherwise, the aircraft must redirect to the airport of the original destination.

The initial goal is positioned so that less fuel reserves are required for flights from origin to original destination than for flights from origin to destination. Under normal circumstances, little if any spare fuel is actually used, so when the plane reaches a fixed fix it still has (almost) all the original spare fuel in the vessel, which is sufficient to cover the flight from the relaxed repairs to the final destination.

The idea of ​​a reclear flight was first published in Boeing Airliner (1977) by Boeing engineers David Arthur and Gary Rose. The original paper contains many magic numbers related to the optimal position of relaxed improvement and so on. These numbers apply only to certain types of aircraft considered, for a certain reserve percentage, and do not take into account the effects of weather. Fuel savings due to activation depend on three factors:

• The maximum saving that can be achieved depends on the position of the relaxed fix. This position can not be determined theoretically because there is no fixed equation for fuel travel and fuel reserves. Even if it can be determined appropriately, there may be no point of the road in the right place.
• One of the factors identified by Arthur and Rose that help achieve the maximum savings possible is to have an initial goal positioned so that the decline to the initial goal begins as soon as the refinement is relaxed. This is beneficial because it minimizes the fuel reserves needed between relaxation and initial goal improvement, and therefore maximizes the amount of fuel reserves available on relaxed improvements.
• Another helpful factor is the early alternative airport positioning.

src: iotknowhow.com

Suboptimal plan submission

In spite of all the efforts made to optimize the flight plan, there are certain circumstances favorable to submitting a suboptimal plan. In busy airspace with a number of competing aircraft, optimal routes and preferred altitudes may be over-demanded. This problem can get worse in busy periods, such as when everyone wants to arrive at the airport as soon as it is opened for the day. If all airplane flight plan files are optimal then to avoid overloading, air traffic control may deny permission to some flight plan or delay the allocated takeoff slot. To avoid this, suboptimal flight plans may be proposed, requiring a not-too-low height or longer and less crowded route.

After flying in the air, part of the pilot's task is to fly as efficiently as possible so that it may try to convince air traffic control to allow it to fly closer to the optimal route. This may involve requesting a higher flight rate than within the plan or requesting a more direct routing. If the controller does not agree immediately, may be able to re-request occasionally until they relent. Or, if there is any bad weather reported in the area, a pilot may ask for a climb or a change to avoid the weather. Since air traffic controllers do not know the exact location and altitude of turbulence, they will not know if the pilot exaggerates the problem to get a more efficient route.

Even if the pilot does not make it back to the optimal route, the benefits allowed to fly may be greater than the cost of the suboptimal route.

src: www.archives.gov

flight VFR

Although VFR flights often do not require the filing of flight plans (Source?), A number of fixed flight planning is required. The captain must ensure that there will be enough fuel for travel and enough fuel reserves for unforeseen circumstances. Weight and center of gravity must remain within their limits during the entire flight. The captain must prepare an alternative flight plan for when landing at an early destination is not possible.

src: learntoflyblog.com

Additional features

Above and above the cost reduction measures mentioned above, the flight planning system may offer additional features to help attract and retain customers:

• Other routes

Although flight plans are made for certain routes, the dispatcher may want to consider alternate routes. The flight planning system can produce a summary for, say, the next 4 best routes, showing zero fuel weight and total fuel for every possibility.

• Re-election

There may be some likelihood of relaxation improvements and initial goals, and which one is best dependent on zero weather and zero fuel. The flight planning system can analyze every possibility and choose which one is best for this particular flight.

• What if the summary

On crowded routes, air traffic control may require that aircraft be lower or higher than optimal. The total weight of passengers and cargo may not be known when the flight plan is set up. To enable this situation, the flight planning system can generate a summary showing how much fuel is needed if the plane is slightly lighter or heavier, or if the aircraft is higher or lower than planned. This summary allows flight dispatchers and pilots to check whether there is enough fuel reserves to address different scenarios.

• Distribution of fuel tanks

Most commercial aircraft have more than one fuel tank, and aircraft manufacturers can provide rules on how much fuel is loaded into each tank so as not to affect the center of gravity of the aircraft. The rule depends on how much fuel will be loaded, and there may be a different set of rules for different total fuel quantities. The flight planning system can follow this rule and generate reports showing how much fuel will be loaded into each tank.

• Tankering fuel

When fuel prices vary between airports, it might be a good idea to include more fuel where the price is cheaper, even taking into account the additional fuel travel costs required to carry additional weight. The flight planning system can determine how much extra fuel can bring benefits. Note that discontinuities due to flight rate changes can mean that a difference as small as 100 kg (one passenger with luggage) in zero fuel or tank fuel can make the difference between profit and loss.

• Spotlight redirection

When traveling, planes can be diverted to several airports apart from planned alternatives. The flight planning system can generate new aviation plans for new routes from the point of transfer and deliver them to the aircraft, including checks that there will be enough fuel for the revised flights.

• In-flight refueling

Military aircraft can refuel in the air. Such refueling is a process and not instantaneous. Some aviation planning systems may allow for fuel changes and show their effect on any aircraft involved.

src: dw67ru7a9737i.cloudfront.net

See also

• Take a balanced field
• Organization of Civilian Air Navigation Services (CANSO)
• The climbing step
• Maximum zero fuel weight

Flight planning provider:

• AirData
• Air Partner PLC
• PPS Air Support
• Air Routing International
• ARINC
• Electronic Data Systems (EDS)
• FlightAware
• Fltplan.com
• Flight software Flugwerkzeuge - part of Saber Holdings
• Jeppesen
• Lufthansa Systems
• NAVBLUE
• Portable (Military) Flight Planning Software
• RocketRoute
• Saber Airline Solutions
• SITA
• Takeflite solution
• TopoFlight
• Universal Weather and Flight (Business Flight) - Flight 3d Planning Software
• ARMSÃ,® - Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd.

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia