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FLIGHT PLAN

What is a Flight Plan?
What is a Flight Level?
What is Distance Measuring Equipment?
What is a Flight Risk?
What is a Flight Service Station?
What are Common Flight Attendant Interview Questions?
What is a Non-Stop Flight?
What is a Connecting Flight?
What is a Flight Recorder?
What is an Instrument Approach?
What is an Attitude Indicator?
What is Position Error?
What are Visual Flight Rules?
What are Flight Instruments?
What is a Flight Plan?
What is a Rangefinder?
What are the Different Types of Air Traffic Control Simulators?
What is a Flight Service Station?
What is Distance Measuring Equipment?
What is a Flight Level?
What is the Turn Coordinator?
What are Visual Flight Rules?
1. TYPE (VFR IFR DVFR)__________
2. AIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATION__________
3. AIRCRAFT TYPE / SPECIAL EQUIPMENT __________
4. TRUE AIRSPEED__________
5. DEPARTURE POINT__________
6. DEPARTURE TIME PROPOSED (Z) ACTUAL (Z) __________
7. CRUISING ALTITUDE__________
8. ROUTE OF FLIGHT__________
9. DESTINATION (Name of airport and State) __________
10. EST. TIME ENROUTE HOURS MINUTES __________
11. REMARKS__________
12. FUEL ON BOARD HOURS MINUTES
__________
13. ALTERNATE AIRPORT(S) __________
14. PILOT'S NAME, ADDRESS &
TELEPHONE NUMBER & AIRCRAFT HOME BASE
__________
__________
__________
__________
15. NUMBER ABOARD __________
16. COLOR OF AIRCRAFT__________
17. DESTINATION CONTACT/TELEPHONE/Email __________
18. OTHER INFORMATION __________
19. Filing Time __________
20. Filed By __________
21. Accepted By __________
What is a Flight Plan?

A flight plan is a document which provides detailed information about a planned flight. The document is filed with aviation officials, and forwarded to officials at the plane's destinations or waypoints to ensure that they have the data in hand. Filing a flight plan is required by law in many cases, and it is also a good idea from a safety perspective, as it ensures that if a flight goes missing, someone will start looking for it.

Several pieces of information are included in a flight plan. The names of the captain, crew, and passengers are included, along with descriptions of any cargo which may be carried. The type of aircraft is also discussed, as is the type of flight, indicating whether the pilot will be flying with instruments, or under visual flight rules. The flight plan also details the departure and arrival points of the aircraft, the estimated route the plane will take, and the expected duration of the flight.

In addition to providing this basic data, a flight plan also usually details alternate airports which it will use in the event of an emergency. It may also specifically address concerns about controlled or restricted airspace, and other issues which may come up during the flight. The idea is to create a complete picture of what is going to occur on the flight, and to demonstrate that the crew have prepared for unexpected events.

From an air traffic control perspective, flight plans are very important, as they alert officials to the presence of planes in the sky. Using filed flight plan data, controllers can time the arrival and departure of planes, and send out specific information about the altitude and heading which various planes should follow to avoid collisions. Without flight plan information, air traffic controllers would find their jobs would be much more complicated than they already are.

Another concern is fuel consumption, because planes burn a lot of fuel, and running out of gas in the middle of the sky is not a desirable occurrence. Using information provided by the manufacturer of the aircraft, the person who files the flight plan can estimate how much fuel will be used, and whether or not it will be necessary to stop and refuel. Fuel allowances must also account for bad weather, which could increase fuel consumption, and in some regions, pilots are mandated to carry extra fuel so that they are prepared in the event of an unexpected event, which could vary from needing to hover over an airport to wait to land to losing fuel due to damage.

What is a Flight Level?

Flight level is a term for describing the altitude of an aircraft in relationship to the average sea level. To differentiate between measurements using average sea level and true sea or ground level, aviators will refer to the “flight level” specifically. For high flight, flight level is the most crucial measurement; while at lower altitudes, the real altitude of the aircraft in relation to objects on earth is important as well. Aircraft have the capacity to measure both.

Altimeters to calculate the altitude of an aircraft rely on changes in air pressure as planes rise. To calculate flight level, they are calibrated with the average sea level as the baseline. To get a reading of true altitude, the altimeter needs to be recalibrated. Aircraft may have a second altimeter or a toggle to switch between flight level and altimeter setting to get both readings, depending on how the instrument panel is designed.

The flight level is given in units of hundreds of feet. A plane at flight level 20 is 2,000 feet above average sea level, for example. When pilots give readings, they will precede them with “flight level” so listeners know what frame of reference and baseline is being used. This is important for avoiding midair collisions. Two planes relying on local altimeter settings could end colliding even though their altimeters have different readings, while when both are measuring in flight levels, they can avoid each other by sticking to specific tracks while flying in the same area.

Airspace is controlled at various altitudes to determine what kinds of craft can be present, the rules they must follow, and how traffic will be routed and prioritized. Air traffic controllers use flight plans and other reports from pilots along with radar and similar tools to keep track of what is occurring inside their air space so they can make recommendations to pilots. These can include orders to climb or drop altitude to avoid collisions, as well as directions on how to approach airports and air strips. Flight controllers also maintain local altitude data for pilots who need to recalibrate their altimeters.

What is Distance Measuring Equipment?

Distance measuring equipment (DME) is a type of navigation technology used by aircraft pilots for the purpose of determining distance from navigational fixes. Found attached to many very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) or localizer stations, this technology establishes a connection between a ground-based transmitter and an airborne receiver box. Once the connection is established, pilots are able to determine their distance from the ground station. A pilot can combine the information gathered from distance measuring equipment with the relative position from one or more VOR stations to determine the aircraft’s exact location. To use distance measuring equipment, the pilot tunes his receiver to the specific frequency assigned to the ground-based equipment. Only 200 possible frequencies exist, so some stations may share the same frequency. Using distance measuring equipment requires the space between the aircraft and the ground station to be unobstructed. This requirement allows stations far apart from one another to operate on the same frequency without interference. Distance measuring equipment operates on the concept of propagation delay. After the pilot tunes the receiver, an interrogation signal is sent to the ground-based station. Precisely 50 milliseconds after the station receives the signal, it will send a return signal to the aircraft. The airborne receiver measures the time necessary for the signal to be returned and subtracts the 50 milliseconds. It then takes that number and multiplies it by the speed at which the radio wave travels, resulting in the distance between the aircraft and station. One major consideration while using distance measuring equipment is that it measures the straight line distance between aircraft and station, not the distance over the surface of the earth. In reality, the distance displayed to the pilot will be slightly farther. The higher the aircraft’s altitude, the larger this margin of error is. Another limitation of distance measuring equipment is that ground-based stations are only capable of supporting a predetermined number of aircraft. Transmitters will evaluate each interrogation signal based on its strength, granting priority to the closest aircraft. As long as its limitations are understood, distance measuring equipment is an effective tool for enhancing pilot navigation and increasing situation awareness. This technology enables pilots to determine exact locations while en route as well as identify descent points on an instrument approach. This aging technology is gradually being replaced by the more sophisticated global positioning system (GPS), yet it still plays a fundamental role in modern aviation.