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Friday, December 16, 2016

Flight Advisory for 2017 Presidential Inauguration

Friday, December 16, 2016 @ 8:00 AM

The planned 2017 Presidential Inauguration Festivities in Washington, DC are scheduled for January 20, 2017. At the request of the department of Homeland Security and as part of the airspace security measures for the event, the FAA will be modifying the Washington Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) and Washington Metropolitan Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) with additional flight restrictions between 0900 Local and 1900 Local on January 20th.

The NOTAM discussed in this advisory may change with little or no notice. Pilots are advised to check NOTAMs frequently for possible changes prior to operations in the area. Pilots are strongly advised to contact a Flight Service Station at 1-800-WXBRIEF prior to flight to check for all current NOTAMS.

The FAA point of contact for the 2017 Inauguration is the National Capitol Region Coordination Center (NCRCC) at (866) 598-9522.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

FAA Pushes ICAO Flight Plan Mandate from January 2017 to Early Spring

Wednesday, December 14, 2016 @ 8:00 AM

The FAA has again pushed the implementation of the international flight plan form (ICAO) for all civil domestic flights.  The FAA previously delayed the mandate until January 2017, and will now plan to eliminate the use of the domestic format flight plan to "early spring" of 2017.  

Formal testing of the operating systems will begin in mid-January. Upon successful completion of testing, the specific implementation date will be announced at least 30 days in advance.

ICAO flight plans contain specific information relating to the proposed flight of an aircraft and controllers use them to provide air traffic services based on the capabilities of each aircraft. Today pilots file flight plans in the U.S. under either the domestic or ICAO format, and the use of one format will simplify the process and align U.S. flight plans with ICAO standards.

This flight planning QuickTip will show you how to easily update your iFlightPlanner aircraft profiles and enjoy a seamless transition to the new ICAO flight plan format when creating and filing flight plans with iFlightPlanner.  iFlightPlanner is, and has been ready since this change was first proposed in 2012!

As referenced in the video, there is a lot of aircraft-specific information required to file the ICAO flight plans.  However, if you are only flying domestically the FAA requires less ICAO data.

The FAA has issued an informal guidance document that highlights changes specific to the international flight plan form that pertain exclusively to flight within the National Airspace System.

Should you have any questions specific to filing ICAO flight plans in iFlightPlanner, please don't hesitate to contact us!

The iFlightPlanner Crew
PLAN. FLY. LOG.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

FAA Airport, Navigation & Chart Data is Current for 12/8 Cycle

Thursday, December 8, 2016 @ 4:01 AM

Official airport, navigation and chart data for the FAA's 28-day cycle beginning 12/8/16 became current today as of 09:01Z.  This includes updated georeferenced data for airport diagrams and instrument approach procedures available in iFlightPlanner for iPad.

Anytime you access iFlightPlanner.com or mobile.iFlightPlanner.com you can be confident that you are seeing the most current and accurate data available.  To ensure that iFlightPlanner for iPad is current, simply tap "Check for Updates" in the upper-left corner of the Downloads tab.  The app will quickly tell you which packages need to be updated!

The iFlightPlanner Crew
PLAN. FLY. LOG.

Monday, December 5, 2016

FAA Airport, Navigation & Chart Data Available for 12/8 Cycle

Monday, December 5, 2016 @ 8:00 AM

iFlightPlanner for iPad users may now download airport and navigation data as well as aeronautical charts, georeferenced airport diagrams and terminal procedures for the FAA Data Cycle that goes into effect on December 8, 2016.  Simply tap the button in the upper-left corner of the Downloads tab to "Check For Updates".

Pilots using iFlightPlanner.com or mobile.iFlightPlanner.com from their smartphones will see the iFlightPlanner Cloud automatically make the transition to the new data at 9:01Z on December 8.