FILE EARLY FILE ACCURATELY CHECK THE NAS PARTNERED WITH
What is FileSmart? A public awareness initiative, designed to educate aircraft operators about the importance of filing timely and accurate flight plans how to avoid air traffic delays operating more efficiently in the National Airspace System (NAS) Details available at Developed in partnership with FAA, AOPA, NATA
Why Does FileSmart Exist? Most operators file flight plans shortly before their flights and with limited knowledge of what is occurring in the airspace around them As air traffic management becomes more complex, the need for earlier and more accurate flight plans increases FileSmart exists to Educate operators about being proactive in seeing and avoiding delays Give FAA the information they need to more effectively manage the NAS
What is the Message of FileSmart? File Early What does this mean? How does this benefit you? How do you do this? File Accurately File for an appropriate time File an appropriate route File using ICAO format How does this benefit you? Check the NAS Understand the basics of Traffic Flow Management (TFM) Understand how ATC manages traffic Know where to find information about what is happening in the airspace
File Early When do YOU file your flight plan? What filing early means Filing well in advance of your flight the night before the morning of before 0800 eastern time Bottom line - file as far in advance as you can What it does NOT mean Filing for an earlier time than your actual planned departure
File Early How filing early benefits you and the NAS Ensures that you are considered known demand Improves data for FAA TFM planning Gives you an earlier indication of delays if constraints are present in the NAS How not filing early can hurt you and the NAS Imposes additional late-filer delays Reduces efficiency when traffic managers don t know about your flight in advance Do your best to ensure your flight plan is in FAA s TFMS before TMIs are issued
File Early Using a Flight Plan Service Provider (FPSP) Provide a valuable service in assisting operators with trip planning and tracking So you filed through a FPSP are you sure your flight plan is in the system? Not all FPSPs submit your flight plans into FAA s TFMS as soon as you file them Operators should check with their FPSP to verify when their flight plans are being submitted to TFMS What about changing a flight plan? If you are at least 45 minutes from departure, go ahead and re-file UNLESS If you have been issued an EDCT, or are heading into a GDP or AFP, do not re-file let ATC handle changes tactically
File Accurately File a realistic departure time Many operators file flight plans 30 or 60 minutes prior to actual planned departure time as a matter of habit How can this hurt you? You may end up with an EDCT before you are actually ready to depart Altering your EDCT requires additional workload for pilots and ATC
File Accurately File an appropriate route What is an appropriate route? Usually not direct Not doing so requires manual coordination to move you to the correct route, increasing workload for ATC and pilots How to choose an appropriate route Be aware of what is going on in the NAS more on that later Check the FAA Current Reroutes page 1. Adhere to REQUIRED routes 2. Strongly consider RECOMMENDED routes 3. Be aware of FYI routes If none of these are in use, file your preferred route
File Accurately File using the ICAO Format FAA prefers the use of the ICAO flight plan format There is special emphasis on Field 10 (Equipment & Capabilities) Field 18 (Other Information) These fields allow you to indicate the real capabilities of your crew and aircraft How does this benefit you and the NAS? Indicating your aircraft equipage and crew qualifications will alert ATC that you are capable of routes/procedures that may lessen your delays Traffic managers can often use this information to reduce the impact of TMIs and overall over-all delays
Checking the NAS is akin to checking the weather before a flight It s critical to know what is happening in the airspace around you Understanding how the NAS is managed can help you see the big picture The NAS is managed using Traffic Flow Management (TFM) Managing the flow of traffic based on capacity and demand of airports and airspace Conducted by FAA s Air Traffic Control System Command Center Traffic Management Units at all 20 En Route Centers
TFM is accomplished through the use of numerous tools called Traffic Management Initiatives (TMIs) What is a TMI? A procedure that allows traffic managers to handle terminal and en route constraints in the NAS There are two types of TMIs Terminal - airport specific En route in the en route portion of the NAS
Airport-specific (Terminal) TMIs Ground Delay Programs (GDPs) Designed for use when demand exceeds capacity at an airport over a period of several hours Result in EDCTs Ground Stops (GS) Designed to rapidly handle an excess number of arrivals at an airport for a relatively short period Most restrictive form of terminal TMI Traffic Management Advisor - Time Based Metering Designed to very accurately deliver arrivals to a specific runway threshold or arrival fix Result in EDCT-like delays, but with no advance warning
En Route TMIs Reroutes (talked about earlier with File Accurately ) Used to move traffic around constraints in the NAS Required, Recommended, or FYI Playbook routes, Coded Departure Routes (CDRs), tactical Miles-in-Trail (MIT) and Minutes-in-Trail (MINIT) Designed to slow traffic down through an area of airspace and/or to increase spacing between aircraft Airspace Flow Programs (AFPs) A line in space which controls any traffic crossing it Designed to control traffic through a specific section of airspace, due to a constraint Result in EDCTs Only way around them is use of route-out options
How to find out what is happening real-time in the NAS Online sources of information www.fly.faa.gov Numerous resources available under Products tab All of these resources are available on mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc) Operational Information System (OIS) page Advisories Database page Current Reroutes page Current Restrictions page National Playbook page http://aviationweather.gov/products/ccfp/ Provides information on where FAA traffic managers expect convective weather impacts
How to find out what is happening real-time in the NAS Other sources of information Flight Plan Service Providers (FPSPs) Provide flight-specific assistance in determining airspace issues for your flights Association guidance NBAA Air Traffic Services and Airspace Alerts AOPA Flight Planning NATA Flight Crew Briefings
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FILE EARLY FILE ACCURATELY CHECK THE NAS PARTNERED WITH