EASA ATPL 033 Flight Planning key terms

The document prepared by the operator for a specific flight that records route, levels, fuel figures, masses, times and alternates, and against which the flight is monitored and re-planned in the air.

The form filed with air traffic services giving aircraft identification, type, route, levels, speeds, times and alternates so that alerting and coordination can be provided along the route.

A flight plan covering a series of regularly operated flights with identical basic details, held by ATS and activated by the operator rather than filed individually for each flight.

The standardised document with numbered boxes used to file flight plan data, including aircraft identification, type and wake category, route, cruising level, speed and endurance, aerodromes and other supplementary information.

A classification (light, medium, heavy, or super/jumbo depending on the format used) based on maximum certificated take-off mass, entered in the flight plan to help ATS apply wake separation.

Fuel allowed for engine start, taxiing and APU use before take-off, typically a small fixed figure based on aerodrome layout and expected delays, and not part of trip fuel.

Fuel required from take-off to touchdown at the destination, calculated for the planned route, levels, wind and mass, and including any known routing or level changes.

Fuel added to cover unforeseen factors such as wind, routing or level differences, usually a percentage of trip fuel or a fixed time, unless a statistical or decision-point method is approved.

Fuel needed to fly from the destination, or from the missed-approach point, to the planned destination alternate, including approach, landing and any published routing.

The minimum fuel that must remain on landing, expressed as time at holding speed at a defined altitude, intended to protect against unforeseen delays before landing.

Total fuel on board at engine start, being taxi fuel plus trip fuel, contingency fuel, alternate fuel, final reserve and any additional fuel carried.

Fuel carried beyond the regulatory minimum because of operational needs, such as a remote destination, no suitable alternate, or a commercial or company policy requirement.

A declared state in which the aircraft is committed to land at a specific aerodrome and any further delay would result in landing below final reserve; it requires a statement to ATS.

A declared condition in which the aircraft is expected to land below final reserve fuel, requiring ATS priority handling and declaration of an emergency.

The network of designated airways, advisory routes and area navigation routes defined by identifiers, with entry and exit points, minimum en-route altitudes and required navigation performance.

A designated corridor with a published identifier, width and minimum altitude, along which ATS provides separation and along which the flight plan route is normally described.

The lowest published altitude along a route segment that satisfies obstacle clearance and, where applicable, navigation and communication coverage requirements for the whole segment.

The lowest altitude along a route segment that provides the required obstacle clearance, without necessarily guaranteeing navigation or communication coverage.

The altitude at which, in the climb, the altimeter is set to standard pressure and the aircraft changes from altitude reference to flight level reference.

The lowest flight level available for use above the transition altitude, published for the aerodrome and varying with the local pressure setting.

The direction of the intended path over the ground measured from true north, from which drift must be applied to obtain the heading to fly.

The direction in which the aircraft nose points, measured from true north, obtained by applying wind correction (drift) to the true track.

The vector relationship between true airspeed, wind velocity and ground speed that yields drift, heading and ground speed for a leg.

The speed of the aircraft over the ground, found from the wind triangle and used with leg distance to compute leg time and total elapsed time.

The time to fly a route segment, equal to segment distance divided by ground speed, summed over all segments to give total elapsed time for the plan.

The point on a route at which the time to fly on to one aerodrome equals the time to turn back or divert to another, used in long-range and EDTO planning.

Extended diversion time operations allowing twin-engined aircraft to fly further than a threshold time from a suitable en-route alternate, subject to type approval, dispatch rules and fuel planning.

An aerodrome designated before flight as a possible diversion airfield along the route, meeting runway, approach, weather and rescue-fire requirements for the planned operation.

The worst-case combination of depressurisation, engine failure, icing or headwind assumed for EDTO fuel planning, giving the fuel needed to reach an en-route alternate safely.

The aerodrome to which a flight may proceed if approach and landing at the destination are not possible, and for which alternate fuel must be carried.

An aerodrome for which no suitable alternate exists, requiring the flight to carry extra fuel so that it can hold and then divert under defined conditions.

The maximum mass at which the aircraft may begin the take-off run, limited by certification, runway performance, climb performance and obstacle clearance.

The maximum mass at which the aircraft may land, which may limit the take-off mass when fuel is to be burned off before arrival.

The most restrictive of the performance-limited take-off masses, such as field-length, climb, obstacle and tyre-speed limits, used to determine the allowable take-off mass.

A graph or table giving take-off distance or allowable mass as a function of pressure altitude, temperature, wind, runway slope and flap setting.

A graph or table giving landing distance or allowable landing mass for given pressure altitude, temperature, wind, runway condition and flap setting.

The certificated forward and aft limits of centre of gravity, expressed against mass, within which the aircraft must remain for safe handling and performance.

The mass of the aircraft and its contents excluding usable fuel, used with dry operating mass and traffic load to check the zero-fuel mass limit and CG position.

The basic mass of the aircraft plus crew, crew baggage, catering and other operational items, excluding traffic load and usable fuel.

The document showing the distribution of traffic load, the resulting mass figures and the centre of gravity position, signed before departure to confirm the aircraft is within limits.

An updated time at a reporting point or destination passed to ATS when the original estimate has changed significantly, allowing alerting and coordination to be adjusted.

A radio or data-link report giving aircraft identification, position, time, level, next position and estimated time, used by ATS to track progress against the flight plan.

The process of recomputing route, fuel and alternates in flight when conditions change, including diversion to an alternate or a change of destination.

A planning technique in which a flight is dispatched with reduced fuel to a point where it is re-planned to the destination or an en-route alternate, requiring a decision point and adequate fuel.

A notice distributed by means of telecommunication containing information on the establishment, condition or change of any facility, service, procedure or hazard that is essential to flight operations.