Proficiency: Defanging the form

As of publication, the FAA planned to make the switch to ICAO form in the spring, although there had already been a series of delays in implementation (see “Making the Switch,” page 96).

Two changes to the way you file domestic flight plans may seem complicated the first time you do it. The first is that ICAO does not recognize three-letter identifiers. The AOPA Flight Planner will accept a three-letter airport identifier and then convert it in the background for you, and Leidos Flight Service (www.1800wxbrief.com) and CSRA (www.duats.com) are expected to do the same. Without those workarounds, you would be required to enter ZZZZ in the space for an airport that does not have an ICAO identifier, and then enter the three-letter identifier in Block 18, called “Other Information.”

Another major change involves entering codes for equipment onboard, including not only avionics but also emergency equipment such as life rafts. It goes beyond that with codes to indicate you are carrying a head of state or are carrying a medical patient, and codes for wake turbulence category (are you an “L” light aircraft or an “H” heavy aircraft?). Do you have an emergency radio? Those are some of the dozens of new choices on the ICAO flight plan. The AOPA Flight Planner has pulldown menus for all those choices, and you merely select which ones apply. Even if you don’t use the AOPA Flight Planner on a regular basis, you’ll find it invaluable to determine the codes to be used for your aircraft. You need figure it out only once until you re-equip your aircraft.

OK, what if you’re a renter? Here’s hoping the flight school has figured out the codes for its entire fleet in advance.

Here was my experience with the AOPA Flight Planner. Because I had entered information previously, it knew what aircraft I normally use as soon as I signed in. Once I selected a destination it drew a straight line between my departure and destination. I used the mouse to drag that course line to waypoints, and from the lower left corner of the screen, I chose “File.” Up came a new window with flight plan choices across the top. Just under those choices was my route, already entered, using the ICAO term for “Direct” which is DCT. The automatically entered route said, “KFDK DCT LRP DCT KJFK.” Because the switchover from the old flight plan to the ICAO flight plan had not yet taken place, I selected “New ICAO Flight Plan.” When the switchover has taken place, the ICAO flight plan will be the only choice.

Here’s the neat part. Look under “Equipment” in the “Aircraft” window. Because of entries I had made back in the days of the FAA domestic flight plan, the AOPA Flight Planner had already determined my equipment codes to be “SGB/E” and had entered it at the top of its “ICAO Equipment” window. It knew my wake turbulence category was L for light, and had filled that in. It knew that my equipment code was SGB/E for Standard equipment (S), GPS IFR approved (G), “B” to indicate the aircraft can make an LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance) approach, and “E” to indicate it had a Mode S transponder. No, the “B” and “E” don’t make sense, given that nothing in the related category title starts with a B or an E. They don’t have to. Codes are in a pulldown menu in the AOPA Flight Planner so it doesn’t matter that they are not intuitive.

The transponder had changed since I had entered the aircraft; codes for the new ADS-B installation were in the pulldown menus. No need to carry a list of the 40 or 50 ICAO equipment codes.

Once the equipment is determined, click on “Accept” at the bottom and the aircraft equipment window fills with the correct information. There’s very little on the AOPA ICAO form that will be new, other than the equipment just mentioned. In the top window labeled “Flight,” you’ll see “Type of Flight.” Choices are “General Aviation,” “Scheduled Air Service,” “Non-scheduled air transport operation,” “Military,” and “Other.” It’s easy to see that most of us will fit under general aviation.

In the “Aircraft” section below “Flight” there is something you haven’t seen before: “Wake Turbulence Category.” Clicking on “Edit” shows the choices to be “Light,” “Medium,” and “Heavy” with the weights listed. “Light” includes aircraft up to 15,500 pounds.

The “Remarks” section is where you’ll add the date of the flight. It is also where you can enter a three-letter identifier if necessary, or a nonstandard aircraft type such as a homebuilt aircraft.

The final block of information covers emergency equipment and is for air traffic control personnel trying to aid a flight in distress. Do you have a dinghy aboard? Life jackets? A portable radio? Once you are happy with all the information, get a weather briefing and click “Submit.” The flight plan is filed.

Alton K. Marsh is a freelance aviation writer and former staff editor.