Faxing Flight Plans? New number from 28/1/2009 noon.

[FlyOnTrack]

See http://www.flyontrack.co.uk for the news item, but basically Heathrow and Scottish are 'gone' from the 28th Jan at noon (as far as flight plans are concerned), it will be Swanwick. Pilots who do not have a ‘flightplanningonline’ account should fax FPL and associated messages to 01489 61 2793 ensuring that they are correctly addressed.There is a 24 hour Helpdesk for all enquiries 0845 601 0483 or 01489 612792. The Helpdesk AFTN address is EGGGYFAJ.

[John Dean]

For those of us based at small airstrips, without faxing or computer facilities, it was very useful to be able to phone a flight plan through to Heathrow. I understand that this will not be possible with Swanwick.

Also, is everyone aware of how to address a flight plan? Full details in CAP 550.

[FlyOnTrack]

For those of us based at small airstrips, without faxing or computer facilities, it was very useful to be able to phone a flight plan through to Heathrow. I understand that this will not be possible with Swanwick.

I understood the opposite from the announcement! It gives a fax number for doing so - will this not be the same method as Heathrow / Scottish?

[John Dean]

Don't think so, Irv.

Heathrow used to accept a phone call with you reading out the flight plan details which you could do on your mobile phone. I understand that this will not be acceptable to Swanwick and you MUST fax the flight plan.

I would be very pleased if I was wrong!

[FlyOnTrack]

Don't think so, Irv.
Heathrow used to accept a phone call with you reading out the flight plan details which you could do on your mobile phone. I understand that this will not be acceptable to Swanwick and you MUST fax the flight plan.

Sorry, I somehow read your word 'phone' as 'fax'. I have been amazed Heathrow would take a plan over the phone in recent years, good service, but I guess the online system and merging of Scottish/Heathrow tolls the bell. I assume (but haven't asked) that the phone number there can be used to 'start' plans already filed, or cancel, or delay, or even report 'missing'.

[David Broom]

Irv
I noticed that the 'hot links' on the www.flyontrack.co.uk for flightplanningonline and for ais on the news item both point to the ais site. Trivial really but might lead to a bit of confusion.

[Peter Gorman]

Is there some "idiot's guide to addressing a flight plan" somewhere, that's shorter and more relevant than the 166 pages in CAP 550?

I just want to know what to put, where, on the FP form, not how to file IFR to Ulan Bator!

I'm going to have to find some way of submitting a flight plan when standing in a remote field somewhere with only a mobile phone, miles from any fax machine .....

[Brian Hope]

Hi Peter, yes there is, it's called the 24 hour Helpdesk! I spoke to them last week and they said they will be happy to tell you what addresses to put on the flightplan.
Re filing without a fax or computer - yes a bit of a problem. There is talk that Flight Briefing at Heathrow may set up their own flightplan filing arrangements as a pay for service. Whether this happens, and whether it includes a facility to phone in a flightplan we shall have to wait and see.

[John Dean]

Peter, the addressing is not very difficult for the type of VFR flight plans that I usually submit.

You need to address it to your departure, destination and alternate airfields together with the FIR's through which you will be flying. So for a trip to Le Touquet the addresses would be:- EGMFZTZX (FC), LFATZTZX (Le Touquet), LFACZTZX (Calais), EGZYVFRT (London FIR), EGZYVLF (Paris FIR). Then, because France always has its own foibles - LFATZPZX, LFACZPZX. If you use AFPeX, the system helps you and there is a good user guide.

The problem of not being able to phone flight plans is much more difficult to solve. You could use Homebriefing (but you have to pay) or you could "phone a friend" who has access to an AFPex terminal. Trying to use AFPex on a dial-up or slow connection is impossible.

[Peter Gorman]

Ah, yes John, I have been subscribing to Homebriefing; I'm not sure that it would be possible to use this just from a mobile phone, I'll have to try some experiments .........

This seems to be an area ripe for some simple paid-for service, why are the Austrians the only ones doing this?

[ian herdis]

I have a Nokia Comminicator mobile phone which I use when on holiday it will send and receive faxes and is great for keeping in touch with the office, I have not yet filed a flight plan so not sure what format it has to be in, the Comminicator allows you to baisicaly type a letter in word and then send as a fax this may be an option unless the flight plan has to be a form which is then filed in

[ChampChump]

Richard W posted this elsewhere and says I can paste it here. I think it answers the needs of us strippers.....

I’ve just had a very pleasant chat with the guy on the Swanwick help desk. For those of us humble folks who don’t go vast distances in to the Continent on our initial sector, CAP 550 looked a bit daunting. In fact it’s not that bad and there has been a simplification of the system. Most of the Continental FIRs have been grouped in to a single address for the country.

France: EGZYVFLF
Belgium: EGZYVFEB
Holland: EGZYVFEH

The UK FIRs are still:
London: EGZYVFRT
Scottish: EGZYVFRP

A flight from a farm strip in the London FIR to Abbeville (LFOI) would have the following in the ADDRESSEE(S) box:

EGZYVFRT EGZYVFLF


A flight from the same farm strip to Midden Zeeland (EHMZ) routing through France (avoiding the Gravelines nuke station ) and along the Belgian coast would have the following addresses:

EGZYVFRT EGZYVFLF EGZYVFEB EGZYVFEH

Note: The special address for the Oostende zone transit has now been incorporated in to the Belgian group address.


So, other than the new FAX number (01489 612793), entering the appropriate ATFN addresses in the top box on the flight plan form is the only difference that will affect my operations.

The guy on the help desk did say that if you don’t know the ATFN address, just put the country in the box and they will sort out the appropriate addresses.


Safe Flying,
Richard W.

[Mike Millar]

Didn't realise I had to fill in the addressees - Heathrow has never queried it. I must bone up on this!

Re the route to Midden Zeeland, ChampChump, how do I negotiate the Koksijde/Oostende Class C/D? (without transponder). I'm going to MZ soon, I assumed I would have to transit south below 1100ft.

Thanks

Mike

[Richard Warriner]

Hi Mike,

ChampChump is at work, so I'll try and answer the question.

The advice has always been that if you talk to them before you set off, you can get through without a transponder. If you are travelling with a group of aircraft, they will often ask everyone except the 'leader' of the formation to turn their transponders off to prevent interference.

I would suggest you contact Freddy Buysse at Oostende ATC:
Tel: +32 59 55 14 90
FAX: +32 59 51 29 51
e-mail: [email protected]

I unearthed this info from the Belgocontrol website with a search for "Oostende ATC zone crossing"

Hope this helps.

Safe Flying,
Richard W.

[TonyCrome]

Still a bit confused.

To address a VFR flight plan from a farm strip in South East to Le Touquet,
would I put:

EGZYVFRT EGZYVFLF

LFATZPZX

and if to Abbeville it would be:

EGZYVFRT EGZYVFLF
LFOIZTZX