from where are pilots getting their flight route for each specific flight, and how do they get it?
I'm asking because I flew from Amsterdam to Memphis with Northwest last week. But how does the pilot actually get his flight plan (which changes all the time due to the jet-streams)?! to the 3rd answerer: what do you mean by "teletype"? Is it a method where the plan is sent via satellites directly to the FMC? and: let's then imagine the ground agent gets the flight plan faxed. This would be a paper. So, the pilots would have to enter the route manually in the FMC (on a 4000 nm route, there could be a lot of waypoints, maybe more than 100). This would be very long, right? (Therefore I always thought that the pilot just gets something like a USB-Stick, which he puts in the FMC and then can upload the flight plan directly, without taping manually then..)?!
Aircraft - 7 Answers
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1 :
The airline has a Dispatch Department that gathers all the pertinent flight data and generates a specific flight plan for each flight. This is then transmitted to the flight crew via computers that are located at each airport.
2 :
In theory a pilot is responsible for the whole flight and does flight planning by using charts and maps. We consider using jet ways, IFR routes ( both are like highways in the sky) we can choose to fly direct with out using an airway, we take into account weather, we want the wind moving our direction to give us more speed, the wind can be different at different altitudes, and then there is some direction from atc. Given all this, commercial airline pilots have flight planners that do it for them.
3 :
It is teletyped or faxed from the Dispatcher, and picked up at Operations or from the departure gate agent. The captain may deviate from the flight plan, and nearly always does; if it is by more than a certain amount (e.g. 50 miles) he is to coordinate with the dispatcher.
4 :
The filed route is printed on the release. You'll get the release from some old printer with a big ol' box of paper running through it. (the teletype; it's how instant messages were sent prior to the internet. I can't believe that I'm so old that I have to explain what a teletype is!) The FMC database (if the aircraft is equipped with an FMC) will have all of the navaids, airways, intersections, etc already in the box. For example, if I were to fly from San Diego to Honolulu and was filed on the southernmost track, all I'd have to do after entering the departure and route to the first fix would be to type in the name of the airway or track (R578 in this case. All of this will be entred on the Route page, by the way). All 9 fixes on the track will then be displayed on the legs page of the FMC. North Atlantic tracks are flexible and must be charted. There'll be a fix for every 10 degrees of longitude or so. The dispatcher will consult the track messages prior to filing the flight plan and file accordingly. About 70% of the time you'll get what you've filed. You're gonna manually enter about 4 or 5 lat/long fixes in your FMC. That takes no time at all.
5 :
FMC's sometimes also have a direct link called ACARS which can be used to transmit new flight plans to the aircraft, as well as get weather, passenger information, etc. It's kind of like email for airplanes.
6 :
the on board flight management computer will normally recognise the route from the captains inputs...and automatically load the required routing...air traffic controllers dotted along the route will advise the pilots to any changes in flight plan as and when required...along with any vectors required to maintain safety clearances with other traffic in the area,on board T'cas (Traffic collision avoidance system)and weather radar also advise pilots of weather and conflicts...the days of biggles are over!...youre upstairs with the professionals and well looked after....just sit back and enjoy youre flight...
7 :
Usually the airlines dispatcher will do the flight plan and the pilot will print it out.
