Beginning on October 1, 2015, the FAA will implement flight plan filing for all civil aircraft exclusively under the format used by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as described in Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) Section 1, Paragraph 5-1-9. These 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.
There are several changes to the FAA's Flight Service program expected this year, and 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.
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.
» Simplified Guidance for United States Domestic Flights Using the ICAO Flight Plan Format
For more information you may reference the 2012 ICAO Flight Plan Implementation Info and the Operational Approval Guidance Table to ensure the accuracy of your aircraft profiles. Should you have any further questions specific to the ICAO flight plans, the FAA has made itself available via email at 9-AJE-FlightPlanQuestions@faa.gov.
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