Flight Info Group

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1       Introduction 

Flight Info Group 

This topic covers the Flight Info group on the Plan screen. You will learn how each option in this group works. 

We estimate that this will take 7 minutes to complete.

2       Detailed Explanation 

The Flight Info group, together with the Flight Key group, provides you with the fields required to create a flight plan.

Clicking the double arrows will extend the window, revealing additional flight information fields.

 Click the Flight Info >> button.

 Click the Dest green arrow button.

The green "Informational Context Arrows" open sub-menus providing additional configuration options.

The "Dest" (destination) field is mandatory for flight creation, and allows a user to enter the ICAO or IATA identifier for the destination station. The identifier can be entered either in the ICAO or IATA format, but if entered in the IATA format, it will be converted and displayed in the ICAO format. This information must be entered before generating a flight plan.

When selected, the informational context arrow opens a text box displaying the options View weather and NOTAMs and View airport information. Selecting View weather and NOTAMs causes the Information panel to display the Weather and NOTAM Query and you are prompted to enter a station in the Information Panel. Selecting View airport information causes the Information panel to display airport information.

If a destination was entered before the informational context arrow was selected, the Information panel displays the Weather and NOTAM Query for the destination station.

 Click the Aircraft green arrow button.

The Aircraft section allows the user to enter the aircraft fleet identification number (FIN) assigned to the flight. This information must be entered before generating a flight plan.

Select the green context arrow beside the field to enter an ATC item10a and an ATC item10b value.

A warning message is returned on compute if you use an invalid value.

 Click the ETD green arrow button.

The ETD field contains the estimated time of departure for the flight in UTC time. The ETD will be displayed in a DDHHMM format. This field populates automatically with the STD, but can be adjusted manually.

The green Informational Context Arrow allows the user to switch between a specific departure time, or functionality that will calculate a variable ETD, based on the Scheduled Time of Arrival.

The STA / ETA fields allow the user to enter the scheduled time of arrival for the flight in UTC time.

To automatically calculate this value, leave the field blank and tab out of the field by pressing the Tab key. This field can then be adjusted manually.

The STA/ETA will be displayed in a DDHHMM format.

The ETA value cannot be edited and updates automatically upon computation of the flight.

The ATC ALC field allows you to specify the ALC that will be used in ATC messages.

By default, the primary ALC is displayed, but can be changed up to 6 characters.

The Trip Number field allows the user to add a trip number to the flight.

This is primarily used to cross reference a flight in another system.

The Domestic checkbox allows the user to override a flight as domestic or international. If the origin and destination countries are the same as the airline country code (in the Airline Code FOMS database), then the flight defaults to domestic.  If the flight’s origin and destination countries are not the same, the flight defaults to international. Checking or unchecking the box allows for override of this default.

 Click the Sched dropdown button.

The "Sched" drop-down list allows users to designate a flight as Scheduled, Non-Scheduled, General Aviation, Military, Training, or other.

The selection will be reflected in the ATC Filing.

If the ATC Itinerary check box is left unchecked the Send to ATC box on the Reports screen is active. If the check box is checked the Send to ATC box on the Reports screen is greyed out and a message can not be sent to ATC.

The ATC Flight field allows you to specify the flight number that will be used in ATC messages.

 Click the File By dropdown button.

The File By drop-down allows a user to select the method of filing the flight with ATC.

Options are: file by flight number, file by registration number, or file by FIN.

 Click the Forecast Winds dropdown button.

The Forecast Winds drop-down allows a user to select the wind data used for the flight.

Options are: National Weather Service (NWS), UK Met Office (UKM), or DTN/Schneider Electric (TEL).

The "TEL" option includes the 4-times-daily Flight Hazard data.

 

N-FP offers hourly updates of a more granular FHF hazard model for North America, resulting in more accurate hazard data for flight planning.

Selection of a hazard model will be triggered by the "Hazard Source" field within the UI. The available options will be NONE, TEL, and DTN. The "TEL" option includes the hazard data communicated as part of the global GRIB, updated 4 times daily. The "DTN" option includes the new hourly hazard data, valid for North America Only.

If the DTN option is selected, and the flight operates beyond North America, the base "TEL" hazard data will be considered.

If "NONE" is selected, the system will fall back to the Wind Source selection, where TEL will provide the existing GRIB based hazard data, but NWS and UKM will not provide any hazard data to the system.

 Click the Driftdown Meth dropdown button.

The Driftdown Method drop-down allows the user to select the method of driftdown on a per-compute basis.

Options are: payload reduction, escape routes, auto, and disable driftdown.

 Click the Driftdown Eng dropdown button.

The "Driftdown Eng" drop-down allows a user to select the engine scenario for driftdown, to be used on a per-compute basis.

Options include: All Engines, One Engine Out, or Half Engines.

 Click the Airac Cycle dropdown button.

The AIRAC Cycle drop-down allows the user to select the AIRAC cycle data to be used for the computation.

Flight info use during Inflight Calculation 

The Flight Info Group is used to trigger an Inflight Calculation, and is the interface used to select the enroute waypoint and flight level used to begin the computation.
 

 Click the Flight Info >> button.

 Click the Waypoint green arrow button.

 Click the Inflight list item.

 Click the Waypoint dropdown button.

 Click the ERBEL list item.

The waypoint list is generated based on the current route computation.

 

In the event of an off-route Inflight Calculation, a waypoint can be manually typed into the field.  In this case, a new route will have to be generated to complete the computation.

The Flight Level is auto populated with either the expected flight level based on the most recent computation, or the expected level based on the most recent position report captured by the Progress Functionality.

Note that when inflight calculation is applied, the Tankering entry field on the Plan dialog is replaced with FOB overhead selected waypoint.

Flight Info use for adhoc Wind and Temperature Calculations 

The Flight Info Group contains options for selection of Historical Winds, manual entry of an ISA deviation, and manual entry of a wind component.  This option is only available for "Test" flights. The system will not allow computation of ad hoc wind or temperature data on "live" flights.

 Click the Flight Info >> button.

 Click the Hist winds dropdown button.

 Click the October list item.

HINT 

If present, you can use the small green arrow to further designate the Years and Percentile for Historical Winds: 

When Historical Wind data is selected, the manual entry option for "Comp" and "ISA" are disabled.

 Click the Hist winds blank list item.

 Click the Comp input field.

 Enter 0 into the Comp field.

 Click the ISA input field.

When a value is added to the manual "Comp" or "ISA" fields, the Historical Wind drop down is disabled.

 Click the Flight Info X button.