Flight Planning Assistance
Create a FPL
To create a flight plan, select the FPL menu at the top of the screen and select Flight Plan (FPL). This will open up a standard flight plan form.
The Flight plan form conforms to the standard layout so should be familiar to you. Due to the dynamic error checking, when you first open a flight plan form, all mandatory fields are highlighted with a white cross on a red square. You will not be able to send the FPL until all of these parts are completed. If you enter any information into any of the fields which AFPEx is not expecting, a message will appear at the top of the screen with the problem. This can be seen in the image below showing 'Missing Equipment'.
Help
If at any point you are unsure what data is required by the form, right click in the field you need help with and select 'Direct Help' from the drop down list. The online help guide will then be presented to you open at the requisite page.
Addressing
The responsibility for the addressing of any aeronautical message remains with the person/pilot submitting the message. AFPEx does assist you with completing this section but please check the addressing before pressing the send button.
If you are filing an IFR plan, select 'I' from the drop down list on field 8/Flight Rules. This will automatically populate the address field with the addresses required for Eurocontrol (IFPS). If you wish to send the plan to any other addresses, these will need to entered manually or from the VFR Address list.
If you wish to validate your IFR FPL before sending it, tick the box. Please be aware that this does not constitue filing the FPL as it ONLY sends the plan to the validation system - once you are happy with the plan, you must send it to the usual Eurocontrol addresses.
NOTE: If you are attempting to validate a mixed FPL, Y or Z, please ensure that you remove all addresses from the address field except for the validation address: EUCHZMFV. If you send, FPLs for validation, to addresses other than Eurocontrol please cancel the FPL as soon as possible. Only the content of the FPL, not the addressing, is validated by Eurocontrol. If you need further information about the validation of FPLs please visit the link below:
https://www.eurocontrol.int/services/flight-plan-pre-validation
For filing a VFR plan, select V from the drop down list on field 8/Flight Rules. Once you have entered your departure point (field 13), destination (field 16), and any alternates, the address list will be automatically populated with the addresses configured by the system. (this will usually be the aerodrome tower and ACC that has responsibility for the FIR the airfield is in). IT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY EN-ROUTE FIRS. If you wish to send the plan to any other addresses, these will need to entered manually or from the VFR Address list.
To access the VFR address list, right click on the Addresses box and select Add VFR Address List Entry.
Select the description that best fits your flight. You can select more than one entry if necessary. If an address is not listed here, you will need to consult the AIP ENR 1.11 for the country that you are flying in.
Type of Aircraft - Field 9
The designator that you enter for the type of aircraft must be that of the ICAO entry specified in the ICAO Doc 8643. If you enter an incorrect a/c type then a warning triangle will be displayed. Once you have entered the correct code, the system wil recognise it and automatically select the correct wake vortex category.
AFPEx has a built in database of the ICAO a/c types. To access this, right click on the field and select Find Aircraft type. You can then search for your a/c.
You can search for either the Aircraft Type or Name . It is best to include an asterisk * at the beginning or end of your query which does not need to be the full name of the aircraft.
Equipment Field 10a/10b
Enter in the radio-communications and surveillance type carried by your aircraft. You can use Direct help here to show a list of the available options. For more information please visit the Eurocontrol website:
https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/FPL/
To add further information on your carriage of equipment, populate field 18 with the appropriate COM/ or NAV/.Departure/Destination and Alternates
For departure, destination and alternates, please enter a valid location from the ICAO 7910. If you are unsure what the ICAO designator is for the aerodrome, right click on the box and select Find Aerodrome.
In the search dialogue you can enter either the ICAO location indicator or search for the name of the aerodrome. As you can see in this example, wildcards are accepted.
If the result that you were looking for is shown, select the result and click OK.
If the aerodrome is not listed in the 7910, please insert ZZZZ into the field. This will need to be followed by an entry in field 18/Other with either:
- DEP/aerodrome name
- DEST/aerodrome name
- ALTN/aerodrome name
- RALT/aerodrome name
- TALT/aerodrome name
Route - Field 15
Please construct your route according to the CAP694 or ICAO Doc 4444. To add or search for a preferential route, right click in the route field and select 'Search Preferential Route' from the sub menu.
Preferential routes are taken straight from the Standard Routing Document (SRD). You can search for full routes or partial routes by ticking the box as shown below.
The search result without partial routes ticked is shown below. If you are happy with the route and would like to use it, select the route in the search result and click OK. This will then populate the Route field of your FPL.
Other - Field 18
If any other information is required for your FPL, this will need to be entered here. Common indications examples are:
- DOF/YYMMDD
- EET/EINN0204 - used for FIR boundary.
- RMK/Any plain language remarks required.
For a full list of what can be accepted in field 10a, 10b and
18 please visit the Eurocontrol website for more information:
https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/FPL/
Supplementary Information - Field 19
Please complete this section fully. It is not sent with your flight plan but is quickly available to be sent to search and rescue organisations in emergency situations.