Quote:
Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout
If it's not too much trouble can someone explain how to read flight plans?
To me a flight plan is random letters and numbers. I'd love to know more.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigtime
It's actually pretty Greek to me too, what I do know looking at that one is:
YQT is a VOR waypoint
J500 is an upper level airway that hits
the VLR VOR
then onto J515 to the
YQV VOR
A lot of the beginning and end of it are departure and arrival procedures if I am not mistaken.
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AVSEP1 LITMO SSM YQT J500 VLR J515 YQV SHAWI Q874 BIRKO BIRKO2
This one is fairly different than YYZ-YYC flightplans I've seen before. But then again, I haven't played Flight Simulator in a long time.
AVSEP1 looks like it would be the SID, or standard instrument departure. There are complicated departure procedures at a lot of US airports, but in most cases at Canadian airports, the SID is just a procedure for climbing at runway heading to an initial altitude, say 5000 ft. I don't recognize AVSEP1, might be a new SID in Toronto. The most common one I remember for jets was the LESTER7, which was just fly runway heading to 5000 ft, and Departure Control would clear you higher from there.
The 5 letter waypoints are known as "fixes", or intersections I think. Typically points along an airway, which is my next point.
3 letter waypoints are VOR's, usually at airports. YQT is Thunder Bay if Im not mistaken, and SSM is Sault Saint Marie. SSM I recognize as a common waypoint from YYZ heading west.
Jxxx represents a high altitude airway...I guess you could say its the air equivalent of a highway. So this guy will take the J500 airway from Thunder Bay to whatever VLR is, Im not sure. Then J515 to YQV, again, I dont know where that VOR is. I dont know what Q airways are, must be something I was never exposed to. BIRKO will be the initial waypoint of the STAR, or Standard Terminal Arrival Route. This pilot will be flying the BIRKO2 star. It starts at BIRKO, and I think the 2 means its the 2nd revision, as they can change as the needs of the airport change. The STAR is a collection of waypoints that the pilot flies, and Approach Control will clear the pilot to lower and lower altitudes as he flies the STAR. There will be points where he'll have to cross a waypoint in the STAR at a certain altitude or speed.
Once he reaches the last point on the STAR, Approach will either vector (guide) him to final approach, or if its not busy, the STAR takes him right up until final. Then they hand off to Tower for landing clearance.
I know we have at least one pilot on CP. Please correct me wherever I'm wrong, my knowledge is rusty.
Hope that clears it up for you. I was typing fast so let me know if anything is unclear.
