CSC DUATS User`s Guide

CSC DUATS User’s Guide CSC Direct User Access Terminal (DUAT) Service User’s Guide CONTRACT No Revision 002 November 9, 2012 PREPARED for: Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., SW Washington, D.C. 20591 PREPARED by: CSC North American Public Sector 15000 Conference Center Drive Chantilly, VA 20151‐3808 1 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Table of Contents 1.
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Introduction a. Introduction FAQ Creating an Account a. FAQ Recovering a lost Access Code and Password a. FAQ Homepage DUATS Web Main Menu Weather a. Weather Briefings i. Area Briefing ii. Standard Weather Briefing iii. Outlook Briefing iv. Abbreviated Briefing v. Weather Briefing FAQ b. Weather graphics c. TFR’s i. Temporary Flight Restrictions – CSC DUATs hosted ii. Temporary Flight Restrictions – FAA Hosted iii. Flight Restrictions FAQ Flight Planning a. File a Flight Plan i. Filing an FAA Domestic Flight Plan ii. Filing a Washington DC SFRA Flight Plan iii. Filing ICAO Flight Plans iv. Filing flight Plans FAQ b. Flight Planner i. Aircraft Profiles ii. Flight Planner Settings iii. Detailed Flight Planner Help iv. Flight Planner FAQ c. Stored Flight Plans d. Terminal Procedures e. View/Modify Flight Plans f.
Close VFR Flight Plans g. GPS RAIM Prediction i. RAIM Prediction Tool FAQ Database Search a. Search by Identifier b. Search by Name c. Contractions Lookup d. Preferred Routes Search My Account a. Aircraft Profiles b. Personal Profile c. Flight Planner Settings d. Reset Password Help a. Web User’s Guide b. Frequently Asked Questions c. Latest DUATS Flyers d. Flight Planner Help e. Quickpath User Guide f.
Contact Support g. Feedback Log Out Appendix A – Textual Weather and NOTAMs Appendix B – Weather Graphics – Contiguous Lower 48 States 2 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 1. Introduction Welcome to DUATS on the web. This document will show you everything you need to know to get the best experience using DUATS. Remember if you have any questions you can always contact our customer service department at 1‐800‐345‐3828. DUATS is operated by CSC under contract by the FAA to provide weather briefings, flight plan filing, and flight planning software. This help document will walk you through the online use of each of these features. The guide will be divided up into the same sections that you can find on the website and in the same order. The Main Menu section of this guide will give you a brief overview of each option you will see. At the end of each section there will be a “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) to provide you with some of our most common questions. You may Access DUATS via SSL 256‐bit encryptions by click on the “DUATS via SSL” link or by directing your browser to https://www.duats.com. The security of the website is verified by VeriSign. This is equivalent to the security used by many banking web sites. Introduction FAQ Q. Is DUATS Free? A. YES! We are supported under contract by the FAA. Q. Is this website the only way to access DUATs? A. We have telnet access available at direct.duats.com:23. We also have stand alone software that will give you a graphical representation of your route called Golden Eagle. You can download this software for free from our website at http://www.duats.com/cirrus.shtml. We also have a mobile site, which is accessible at http://www.duats.com/mobile. Q. I do not have internet access how can I connect to DUATS? A. We have a Toll Free dial up number that you can access at 800‐767‐9989. All you need is a modem and a phone line. 3 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Q. Is the weather on DUATS official? A. Yes. All the weather on DUATS is approved by the FAA and can be used for preflight planning.
4 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 2. Creating an Account DUATS on the web is located at http://www.DUATS.com and can be accessed using your favorite internet browser such as internet explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Google Chrome. Once on the web site creating an account is easy. You will need a valid pilot certificate or medical with a student pilot certificate on it. First you must click on “New User Registration”. Here you will be asked for your Last Name and Pilot Certificate Number. Be Careful, if you are using your student pilot certificate you do NOT need to include the hyphen (‐). After you are finished click on “Lookup Access Code.” This will now search through our list of valid pilot records that are given to us by the FAA to verify your certificate number. 5 CSC DUATS User’s Guide If you are NOT in the Database If you are not in the database you will receive a “record not on file” message. If you believe you may have filled in an entry incorrectly, try again by clicking “return to sign in.” If this does not solve the problem, your certificate will need to be verified manually. Here is a list of accepted documents for the corresponding certificate held. Any of these documents can be faxed directly to 703‐818‐4593 for processing and manual verification. If you do not have a fax machine available you can scan and email a copy to [email protected]. Please include a contact phone number and email address so we can contact you when you are entered into the database. If you do not have access to either you can mail a copy to: Computer Sciences Corporation FAA DUATS Program ‐ NMOC 15000 Conference Center Drive Chantilly, VA 20151‐3808 The verification process can take between 1‐3 business days. If at any time you would like to check your status you can call our customer support. 6 CSC DUATS User’s Guide If you are in the Data Base If you are in the database then you are ready to get registered. Fill out the Remaining information to complete the process. Here is a brief explanation of some of the fields that you must complete. Security Information DUATS Password – Here is where you will choose the password to log into DUATS with. The requirements for the password are between 6 and 8 characters in lengths. Only alpha‐numeric passwords are accepted. Remember DUATS passwords are not case sensitive. Security Word – Here you can enter a security word that our customer service representatives can use to help verify your identity when you call. While this word can be anything we do recommend something that is common to you and easy to remember. Personal Access Code – Think of this field as your user name. DUATS will produce a randomly generated access code for you to log in with but that number can be difficult to remember. This field allows you to use a number that is more common to you. It is required to be between 9 and 10 digits. We recommend a 10 digit telephone number with area code or your social security number. Pilot Address Please fill out your address with your current address. It does not have to be the one on your certificate. This address will be used to auto fill some of the information boxes you will use later. You will be given both a regular access code and your personal access code. Remember you can use BOTH to log into DUATS with. Write them down and keep them in a safe place. Protect your account; do not share your Access Code or Password with others. “Creating an Account” FAQ Q. I have been a pilot for years and it still says I’m not in the database. A. The records we receive from the FAA can sometimes have missing information. In this case you will have to be added manually. Please see the section “If you are not in the database” in this chapter. Q. How long will it take to be added to the database after I fax/email my documents? 7 CSC DUATS User’s Guide A. The normal turnaround time is between 1‐3 business days. If you submit your documents on Friday they may not be processed until Tuesday. You can call at anytime if you would like to know the current status. Q. Why can I not use letters in my personal access code? A. Our system is designed only to store numbers in the Access Code Data Field. This is a design of the system and would take too long to change and would affect our currently registered users. We recommend using a phone number or social security number to make it easiest to remember. Q. I am an aviation enthusiast but not a pilot, can I still create an account? A. Unfortunately for security purposes the FAA requires that all users posses a U.S. Pilot certificate before they will be allowed access. Q. I have registered before but not logged on for many years. Does DUATS still have my account? A. DUATS will never delete your account. If you have forgotten your access code/password please see the “Recovering Lost Access Codes and Password section of this guide. Q. I am a military pilot without a civilian pilot certificate, can I create an account? A. Yes! We must create an Authorized Other User account or AOU for you to use. Please email us at [email protected] with your contact information. 8 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 3. Recovering a Lost Access Code and Password DUATS has an automated Access Code and Password recover system. All you will need is your pilot certificate number that you registered with. Recovering Your Access Code Click on “Retrieve Access Code” Enter your last name and Pilot certificate number. Click on “Lookup Access Code”. You will recive both your DUATS generated Access Code and your Personal Access Code. Remember your Access Codes are not your password. 9 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Recovering Your Password Click on “Reset Password”. Enter your Last Name and your Pilots Certificate number. You must enter your new password twice to confirm you entered it correctly. Your password must be between 6 and 8 characters, including at least one letter and one number. If completed correctly, a confirmation box will show that the password was accepted and changed. If you have any trouble with either your Access Code or Password, remember you can all ways call our service desk at 1‐800‐345‐3828. Access Code and Password Recovery FAQ Q. My certificate number has changed, how do I recover my access code? A. Please contact customer support at 1‐800‐345‐3828 and we will update your account information. Q. My old password was more than 8 characters, why can’t I use my old password. A. We recently changed that maximum number of characters available for a password due to server requirements. If you still have your password that is longer than 8 you will still be able to log into DUATS with it. All new passwords will have the new length requirements. Q. How do I create/change my Personal Access Code? A. The main menu bar along the top of your homepage has a “My Account” dropdown menu. In this dropdown menu, click on “Personal Profile.” Here you can change all of your personal information including your Personal Access Code. Q. How long does DUATS keep my account for? A. DUATs will never delete your account. You should be able to use the Access Code Recovery to find your access code. 10 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 4. Homepage When you complete your login, you will be redirected to your DUATS homepage. This page allows you to view weather graphics, your home airport, and your default aircraft. From here, you also have full access to our features and services. Aircraft Profiles Your current default aircraft, along with the aircrafts that you have already created profiles for, are listed in a dropdown menu. If you wish to add more aircraft profiles to your account, please view the appropriate sections in either “Flight Planning” or “My Account.” In both areas, you will be redirected to a page that allows you to manage your aircraft profiles. Bookmarked Login Underneath the aircraft profile listing is a link entitled “Click here to bookmark this login!” This link will give you a special link to the DUATS website. When utilized, this special link will allow you to access your account on the DUATS website without having to login each time you visit. 11 CSC DUATS User’s Guide This bookmark is considered your personal “key” to enter the website through your account. If you generate the bookmark, however, other people on your computer may be able to access your key using your account. If you want to change the bookmark because you believe your bookmark is compromised or for any other reason, click on “Generate New Key.” This option will give you a new personal “key.” Therefore, your old bookmark address, including any on other computers, will no longer work. Weather graphics Your homepage displays 6 weather graphics, each of which is customizable according to your needs and tastes. There are 5 weather boxes and radar box. If you wish to change of the graphics, click on the link “Customize this Screen!” You will be redirected to your personal profile editing page. If you make a change in any of the information, you MUST click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save it. If you do not click “Update,” then your changes will not be saved. 12 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Home Airport The bottom of your homepage includes a snapshot of the weather near your default home airport. To change your home airport, click “Change” under the “Weather Snapshot – Home Airport” heading. You will be redirected to your personal profile editing page. In the field next to home airports, type in up to 2 airports that you frequent using the airport’s identifier. If you do not know your airport’s identifier, use our database by clicking on the main menu heading “Database Search.” If you make a change in any of the information, you MUST click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save it. If you do not click “Update,” then your changes will not be saved. 13 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 5. DUATs Main Menu To access the main menu use your favorite browser to access our web site located at http://www.duats.com. Once there you will be required to enter your Access Code and Password. Remember you can use both the DUATS issued access code or the personal access code that you created when you registered. Once you log in, the main menu is located along the top of the webpage to the right of the CSC logo. The menu consists of seven options: Home, Weather, Flight Planning, Database Search, My Account, Help, and Log Out. At any point you can click on these links to jump to the specific item you are looking for on the Main Menu. Here is a brief description of the available features that are on the Main Menu. We will go into greater detail in each section’s corresponding chapter of this manual. Home – Clicking on this link will direct you back to your homepage. Weather – This is a dropdown menu that includes weather briefings, weather graphics, and TFRs. Weather Briefings: You will have access to all of the available types of text weather that DUATS offers. These are the same briefings that you would receive from flight service and they follow the same format. Standard Weather Briefing – The Standard Weather briefing is the most commonly used weather briefing. It should be used when no other briefings have already been requested for a flight that has a planned departure time There are several different types of Standard Briefings available. “High Altitude” is used for aircraft that are flying at or above FL180. “Low Altitude” is then for all other aircraft that are operating below FL180. “Area” is for local flights that have the same departure and destination. “Area” briefings allow you to select a certain radius around your departure airport. More explanation of these options will be in the Weather Briefings section of this guide. Outlook Briefing – This briefing is designed for flights that are scheduled to occur more than 6 hours into the future. The “Route” portion of this briefing combines both the High Altitude and Low Altitude sections from the standard briefing. Abbreviated Briefing – The Abbreviated Briefing is designed for pilots that have already received a Standard Weather Briefing for their route and would like an update on that weather. Here you can also receive weather for a specific location, state, or radius. 14 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Weather Graphics – This is where all of the weather graphics are located on DUATS. We break the graphics down into four sections, The Contiguous Lower 48 States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada. Each section contains all of the available weather graphics for that location. You can view the section on weather graphics in this manual for further explanation of each part. TFR’s – Here you can check the current TFRs that are in effect for the U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. There are three available sources in this section. The first link is marked “CSC DUATS TFRs Site” and is provided by DUATs. The “CSC” Link will require Java to be installed on the browser you are using. Java can be downloaded from http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp. The links Marked “FAA TFRs Site” Redirect to the FAA’s own site with their TFR data. Flight Planning – This section includes everything you need to construct, file, and edit flight plans. File a Flight Plan – DUATS allows you to file flight plans just like when you call Flight Service. This link gives you the option of filing flight plans for FAA Domestic or ICAO. Flight Planner – This dropdown menu gives four options to help you plan a flight. “Plan a flight” directs you to the page where you can create your flight plan. “Aircraft profile” allows you to choose and edit the aircrafts you use for your flights. “Flight Plan Settings” allows you to customize the settings with which your flights are planned. “Detailed Flight Planner Help” provides more in‐depth information on how to use the DUATS flight planning tools. Stored Flight Plans – This menu option allows you to utilize previously saved flight plans for future flights or weather briefings. Terminal Procedures – This option allows you to search terminal procedures publications. View/Modify Flight Plans – This option allows you to view and change the flights plans you have created. Close VFR Flight Plan – This link directs you to a form that can be submitted to the FAA after you have completed a VFR flight plan. 15 CSC DUATS User’s Guide GPS RAIM Prediction This link will redirect you to the FAA’s RAIM prediction site. This site is hosted and maintained by the FAA. This site meets the requirements of confirming RAIM availability on your flight in both the En‐Route phase and Approach Phase. Database Search –This link directs you to a search page. You may search for Airports, Navaids, Fixes, Airways or Weather Reporting Stations. My Account – This dropdown menu allows you to view and edit your personal settings. Aircraft profiles – You can save multiple aircraft profiles and choose your default aircraft profile on this page. Personal Profile – This link allows you to edit your personal information and settings. You can change your address, security word, personal access code, home airports and default time zone. You may also customize the maps that appear on the homepage of the website. Flight Planner Settings – This link allows you to customize the settings with which your flights are planned. Reset Password – This page allows you to change your password. Help – You can find all of the information about DUATS and how to use it here. Remember if you have any questions that you cannot find answers for you can reach us at 800‐345‐3828. 16 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Web Users Guide – Clicking this link will direct you to this document, which outlines how to use the website. Frequently Asked Questions – This link lists popular questions about DUATS as well as detailed answers and solutions to common problems. Latest DUATS Flyers – This link directs you to our most recent flyers, which explain DUATS and its newest features. Flight Planner Help – This document gives you specific instructions about operating the flight planning system. Quickpath User Guide – This guide gives you information about using Quickpath, a way to navigate the site using shortcuts rather than the main menu. Contact Support – This lists the different ways to contact our support staff, including phone and email information. Remember, our support staff is available 24/7 by phone. Feedback – If you have any comments or questions please let us know by clicking on the feedback button. We always want our users to contribute to help us make DUATS better and easier to use. Log Out – Clicking this will log you out of our website, redirecting you to the main webpage. 17 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 6. Weather Weather Briefings DUATS offers three different types of weather briefings, these types are based on your departure time. Each type is then broken down into subtypes based on the type of information you would like to receive. All of the weather in this section is text based. Standard Weather Briefing The standard weather briefing is designed as the primary means to receive textual weather for a flight. The time that the FAA states that a Standard briefing is required is between the time of departure of a flight and eight hours, you should use this to determine if a standard briefing meets your requirements. Start first by deciding what type of Standard briefing you would like to receive. A Low Altitude briefing is designed for flights that are operating at 17999ft and below. A High Altitude Briefing is designed for flights between two points operating at FL180 or higher. An Area briefing is for flights where the departure and destination will be the same point. This type of briefing is recommended for local or training flights. From the drop down menu select which type of briefing you would like. The Low Altitude and High Altitude steps will be identical so this manual will combine those procedures into a route briefing. 18 CSC DUATS User’s Guide You will then be required to fill out the following information about your route. Enter the 3 or 4 character identifier of the airports for both your departure and destination. If you are using an alternate airport also enter it in the “alternate airport” field at this time. If you do include an alternate, that airport’s weather and NOTAMs will be searched and displayed as well. Next, enter your Tail number and Cruise Altitude. The altitude must be entered in flight level form even if you’re flying below FL180. So 15,000ft would be entered as 150 and 5,000ft will be entered as 050. If you selected a Low Altitude briefing you must use an altitude below 18,000ft, if you do not you will receive an error message stating that this type of briefing is not designed for high altitudes. The same goes for High Altitude briefings, you must enter an altitude above FL180 or you will receive an error. Next, you must enter your route of flight. This is important because the computer will pull all METARs, TAFs, and NOTAMs specific to your route. If you do not include your route some data may not be included in your briefing. Your route can include any valid FAA waypoint including but not limited to VORs, NDBs, radial/DME, RNAV fixes, and Latitude and Longitude. If you have used the flight planner prior to this then the route will auto‐fill with the calculated route. For more information on route formatting and the Flight Planner please see the Flight Planner Section. Enter your departure time into the “Departure Time” field box. You have several options on how to enter your time into this field. The first option is to enter it as minutes from now; this is the easiest way as it has the least chance of user error. Use the format of HHMM. So if we were going to depart in 45 minutes I would enter 0045. The computer will then automatically choose the correct time in UTC so there is no need to convert local to UTC. You also have the option of using your local time. From the dropdown menu select your current time zone and daylight savings time. Remember Daylight Savings Time is in the summer months and Standard Time is in the winter months. If you do not select the correct time zone your departure time may be off. Enter your Duration of flight as HHMM into the “Duration of flight Field”. If you have used the flight planner prior to now this field will auto‐fill with the calculated information. The Route Corridor Width will determine how much weather to display on either side of the route used. The system default is 50NM and you can enter any amount you would like in 5NM increments from 10NM to 100NM. If no number is entered the system will use the default of 50NM. Winds Aloft Corridor Width operates in the same way. Select the width of your corridor from 50NM to 600NM in 50NM increments. 19 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Output format simply selects if you would like to use the plain language translator. If you would like to use the plain language translator on the other hand you must select a time zone. If you enter a time zone into your departure time field simply select “Departure Time zone, Plain Language” and the computer will use whichever time zone you have used as a departure time. If you used “Minutes from Now” or did not select a time zone in the departure time field then you must specify a time zone in the “Output format” dropdown menu. Selecting the wrong time zone can mean that the time in the Weather briefing will be converted to the wrong local time. Optional Components DUATS will automatically select the information that the FAA requires to be transmitted in a Standard Weather Briefing but additional information may also be available. Simply check any additional information you wish to be included in your briefing. After you are finished click “Get Briefing” and be patient. Requests may take up to one minute to process. Your browser will automatically display the request once it is finished processing. Once your briefing has been requested, you will be redirected to the briefing page. On the left‐hand side of the screen is a link that says “Print DUATS Output.” This will send the briefing to your printer. In the center of the screen are options that list either the entire briefing or specific sections of it. Clicking specific sections of the briefing will display ONLY that section. Area Briefing If you are conducting a local flight where the departure and destination are the same place and the flight is scheduled to take place within the next 6 hours you will select “Area” from the “Standard Briefing” dropdown menu. 20 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Enter your departure airport’s 3 or 4 character identifier into the departure field. There is no destination field because this type of briefing is for local flights only. If your destination is different from your departure return to the main menu and select either High Altitude or Low Altitude from the Standard Briefing Dropdown Menu. Because there is no destination the computer will select weather inside a given radius from your departure point. You can enter a radius between 10NM and 100NM in 5NM increments. The larger the area the more weather your briefing will include. Enter your departure time into the “Departure Time” field box. You have several options on how to enter your time into this field. The first option is to enter it as minutes to departure; this is the easiest way as it has the least chance of user error. Use the format of HHMM. So if we were going to depart in 45 minutes I would enter 0045. The computer will then automatically chose the correct time in UTC so there is no need to convert local to UTC. You also have the option of using your local time. From the Dropdown menu select your current time zone and daylight savings time. Remember Daylight Savings Time is in the summer months and Standard Time is in the winter months. If you do not select the correct time zone your departure time may be off. Because there is no destination there is no duration of flight field. Output format simply selects if you would like to use the plain language translator. If you would like to use the plan language translator you must select a time zone. If you enter a time zone into your departure time field simply select “Departure Time zone, Plain Language” and the computer will use 21 CSC DUATS User’s Guide which ever time zone you have used as a departure time. If you used “Minutes from Departure” or did not select a time zone in the departure time field then you must specify a time zone in the “Output format” dropdown menu. Selecting the wrong time zone can mean that the time in the Weather briefing will be converted to the wrong local time. Optional Components DUATS will automatically select the information that the FAA requires to be transmitted in a Standard Weather Briefing but additional information may also be available. Simply check any additional information you wish to be included in your briefing. After you are finished click “Get Briefing” and be patient. Requests may take up to one minute to process. Your browser will automatically display the request once it is finished processing. Outlook Briefing Outlook briefings are designed for flight scheduled to take place further than 6 hours into the future. If your flight is scheduled to take place in less the 6 hours select Standard Briefing. There are two types of Outlook briefings. Route is designed for a flight that has both a departure and destination. Unlike the standard briefing there are no specific altitude requirements. Both low and high altitude flights will select Route Briefing. 22 CSC DUATS User’s Guide You will then be required to fill out the following information about your route. Enter the 3 or 4 character identifier of the airports for both your departure and destination. If you are using an alternate airport also enter it in the “Alternate airport” field at this time. If you do include an alternate, that airports weather and NOTAMs will be searched and displayed as well. Next enter your Tail number and Cruse Altitude. The altitude must be entered in flight level form even if you flying below FL180. So 15,000ft would be entered as 150 and 5,000ft will be entered as 050. Next you must enter your route of flight. This is important because the computer will pull all METARs, TAFs, and NOTAMs specific to your route. If you do not include you route some data may not be included in your briefing. Your route can include any valid FAA waypoint including but not limited to VORs, NDBs, radial/DME, RNAV fixes, and Latitude and Longitude. If you have used the flight planner prior to this then the route will auto‐fill with the calculated route. For more information on route formatting and the Flight Planner please see the Flight Planner Section. Enter your departure time into the “Departure Time” field box. You have several options on how to enter your time into this field. The first option is to enter it as minutes to departure; this is the easiest way as it has the least chance of user error. Use the format of HHMM. So if we were going to depart in 45 minutes I would enter 0045. The computer will then automatically chose the correct time in UTC so there is no need to convert local to UTC. If your departure time is closer than 6 hours you will receive an error message stating that you cannot use this type of briefing for flights closer than 6 hours. If you receive this message either check that your departure time is correct or return to the main menu and select “Standard Briefing” for flights closer than 6 hours. You also have the option of using your local time. From the Dropdown menu select your current time zone. If you do not select the correct time zone your departure time may be off. Be sure to check that your departure time is correct. If your flight is closer than 6 hours, click “Weather” in the main menu at the top of the screen, followed by “Weather Briefing” and then “Standard Briefing.” The Route Corridor Width will determine how much weather to display on either side of the route used. The system default is 50NM and you can enter any amount you would like in 5NM increments from 10NM to 100NM. If no number is entered the system will use the default of 50NM. Winds Aloft Corridor Width operates in the same way. Select the width of your corridor from 50NM to 600NM in 50NM increments. 23 CSC DUATS User’s Guide If you would like to use the plain language you must select a time zone. If you enter a time zone into your departure time and check the box marked “Plain Language” the computer will use which ever time zone you have used as a departure time. If you used “Minutes from Departure” or did not select a time zone in the departure time field then you must specify a time zone in the “Output format” dropdown menu. Selecting the wrong time zone can mean that the time in the Weather briefing will be converted to the wrong local time. The outlook weather briefing does not have the requirements of a Standard Briefing we have made all of the options available. Select all of the weather products you would like to receive in this briefing. You can select as little or as many as you would like. When you have made your selections click on “Get Briefing”. 24 CSC DUATS User’s Guide You can also receive an outlook briefing for an area. This is designed if your departure and destination are the same. This feature is perfect for local flights and training flights. To select an Area Outlook weather briefing, select area from the drop down menu select first “Weather Briefing,” followed by “Outlook Briefing” and then “Area.” Enter your departure airport’s 3 or 4 character identifier into the departure field. There is no destination field because this type of briefing is for local flights only. If your destination is different from your departure return to the main menu and select either High Altitude or Low Altitude from the Standard Briefing Dropdown Menu. Because there is no destination the computer will select weather inside a given radius from your departure point. You can enter a radius between 10NM and 100NM in 5NM increments. The larger the area the more weather your briefing will include. Enter your departure time into the “Departure Time” field box. You have several options on how to enter your time into this field. The first option is to enter it as minutes to departure; this is the easiest way as it has the least chance of user error. Use the format of HHMM. So if we were going to depart in 45 minutes I would enter 0045. The computer will then automatically chose the correct time in UTC so there is no need to convert local to UTC. You also have the option of using your local time. From the Dropdown menu select your current time zone. If you do not select the correct time zone your departure time may be off. Because there is no destination there is no duration of flight field. If you would like to use the plain language translator you must select a time zone. If you enter a time zone into your departure time field simply select the box marked “Plain Language” and the computer will use which ever time zone you have used as a departure time. If you used “Minutes from Departure” or did not select a time zone in the departure time field then you must specify a time zone in the “Output format” dropdown menu. Selecting the wrong time zone can mean that the time in the Weather briefing will be converted to the wrong local time. The outlook weather briefing does not have the requirements of a Standard Briefing we have made all of the options available. Select all of the weather products you would like to receive in this briefing. You can select as little or as many as you would like. 25 CSC DUATS User’s Guide When you have made your selection click on “Get Briefing.” Abbreviated Briefing Abbreviated briefings are used if you have already received a standard briefing for your flight and you would like updated information on a specific location or area or if you would just like specific information on one location. Select “Route” from the drop down menu if you are looking for specific weather between two points then click on Select Abbreviated. Enter the 3 or 4 character identifier of the airports for both your departure and destination. If you are using an alternate airport also enter it in the “Alternate airport” field at this time. If you do include an alternate, that airports weather and NOTAMs will be searched and displayed as well. 26 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Next enter your Tail number and Cruse Altitude. The altitude must be entered in flight level form even if you flying below FL180. So 15,000ft would be entered as 150 and 5,000ft will be entered as 050. Next you must enter your route of flight. This is important because the computer will pull all METARs, TAFs, and NOTAMs specific to your route. If you do not include you route some data may not be included in your briefing. Your route can include any valid FAA waypoint including but not limited to VORs, NDBs, radial/DME, RNAV fixes, and Latitude and Longitude. If you have used the flight planner prior to this then the route will auto‐fill with the calculated route. For more information on route formatting and the Flight Planner please see the Flight Planner Section. If you would like to use the plain language translator you must select a time zone. If you enter a time zone into your departure time field simply select the box marked “Plain Language” and the computer will use which ever time zone you have used as a departure time. If you used “Minutes from Departure” or did not select a time zone in the departure time field then you must specify a time zone in the “Output format” dropdown menu. Selecting the wrong time zone can mean that the time in the Weather briefing will be converted to the wrong local time. The abbreviated weather briefing does not have the requirements of a Standard Briefing we have made all of the options available. Select all of the weather products you would like to receive in this briefing. You can select as little or as many as you would like. When you have made your selection click on “Get Briefing.” 27 CSC DUATS User’s Guide A Location briefing will allow you to receive all the available weather from specific locations. If you would like to know just the weather for your home airport this is the selection you are looking for. Select “Weather” from the main menu, followed by “Weather Briefing,” “Abbreviated Briefing,” and then “Location.” Enter up to 10 individual locations that you would like weather and NOTAMs for. You can use any waypoint in the FAA database. If you used AML which is a VOR you would receive all NOTAM data concerning that NAVAID. If you do not know your airport’s identifier you can click on Location(s) and search by name. Enter your aircrafts tail number and cruse altitude. The Cruse altitude must be entered in hundreds of feet. So 5,000ft would be entered as 050 and 27,000ft would be entered as 270.
28 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Enter your departure time into the “Departure Time” field box. You have several options on how to enter your time into this field. The first option is to enter it as minutes to departure; this is the easiest way as it has the least chance of user error. Use the format of HHMM. So if we were going to depart in 45 minutes I would enter 0045. The computer will then automatically chose the correct time in UTC so there is no need to convert local to UTC. You also have the option of using your local time. From the Dropdown menu select your current time zone and daylight savings time. Remember Daylight Savings Time is in the summer months and Standard Time is in the winter months. If you do not select the correct time zone your departure time may be off. Enter your duration of flight in HHMM format. Do not include a colon ( : ) in the time. If you would like to use the plan language translator you must select a time zone. If you enter a time zone into your departure time field simply select “Departure Time zone, Plain Language” and the computer will use which ever time zone you have used as a departure time. If you used “Minutes from Departure” or did not select a time zone in the departure time field then you must specify a time zone in the “Output format” dropdown menu. Selecting the wrong time zone can mean that the time in the Weather briefing will be converted to the wrong local time. The abbreviated weather briefing does not have the requirements of a Standard Briefing we have made all of the options available. Select all of the weather products you would like to receive in this briefing. You can select as little or as many as you would like. When you have made your selection click on “Get Briefing”. Weather Briefing FAQ Q. My briefings are really long. Why do you transmit so much information? A. We have a minimum amount that is required to be transmitted by the FAA. Q. How can I save a record that I have received a weather briefing? A. Save your session and transaction numbers. These numbers are how DUATS tracks users and can verify if a briefing was received. 29 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Weather graphics Weather graphics are broken down into four regions. The lower 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada. You can access each regions weather separately but clicking on each corresponding link. The weather maps are broken up into sections based on chart type they are then broken up even further in to each sub‐type. To display the maps for any subtype, simply click on the type you wish to view. From there, you will be able to view any of those maps in more detail by clicking on the map. 30 CSC DUATS User’s Guide If you still wish to view a region in more detail, click “2X Zoom” underneath the map. You may also print the map by selecting “Print Image” above the map. 31 CSC DUATS User’s Guide TFR’s This section links to both the FAA supported TFR site and CSC DUATS own TFR site. Also you will be able to find links to the current National FDC NOTAMS and Flow Control Messages. Temporary Flight Restrictions – CSC DUATs hosted DUATS hosts its own TFR website that utilizes JAVA. This allows a much more accurate posting of TFR data and faster access for the user. TFRs are also recoded into a “Plain Language” version that makes reading easer while also making the raw TFR text available. The CSC DUATS TFR server is monitored 24 hours a day 7 days a week. As TFRs come in they will be plotted by a DUATS operator. The CSC DUATS TFR server requires JAVA Runtime Environment. If you do not have JRE installed you can find it at http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp. After installing JRE and then clicking on the “CSC DUATS TFR’s Site” link you may be asked to allow the Java Applet to run. Depending on your browser you may need to click “Allow” or “Run”. The Java Applet will now be downloaded, please be patient as Java Applet can be rather large and take some time on slower connections. This is the “US Map”. You can click on “US Map” at the top of the page at anytime to return to this view and start over. 32 CSC DUATS User’s Guide From this page you can click on any state that has TFRs within the boundary of the state. Only the states that are Grey in color have TFRs in them. So if your state is white, you do not have any TFRs at this time. After you click on a state the map will zoom to that location. You can use the arrows on all corners of the map to change the view to a different area. If you know the TFR you are looking for simply click on the TFR to move to its summary page. This is the navigation bar on the summary page. From here you can see the location TFR and the Name. The zoom controls will allow you to move the map in or out to give you a better view if the TFR is unusually large or small. The Reset Zoom Button its default. will return the zoom to The “Full TFR Text” button will show you the raw TFR text without any plain language translation. 33 CSC DUATS User’s Guide To view the TFRs in a list view by state click on “List by State” from the “Weather” Menu, also in the “CSC” section of the “TFR’s” Menu. DUATS only allows listing TFRs by state because of how the data is collected from the server. A state will be listed as having a TFR if any part of that state contains one. An example is if a TFR is listed for Kansas City, MO the FAA website will only list that TFR under Missouri while the DUATS website would list the TFR for both Missouri and Kansas. This way you do not have the chance of missing a TFR just because it is not in your state. You can also access this list from the Navigation Bar at the top of the TFR server screen. This is available if you are already viewing another TFR. Facility Search will allow you to search the entire navigational database and center the map to that point. Clicking on facility search will open a new window with a search bar. Enter your desired location into the window and click “GO”. A list of possible results will be displayed below. You can see in this search there are two possible results, the airport or the NAVAID. Click on the Blue Link of the correct location to move the map to it. 34 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Temporary Flight Restrictions – FAA Hosted There are two sections of TFR Data available. The first is hosted by the FAA and accessed by clicking on “FAA’s TFR Site” will open a new browser linking you to the FAA’s own web site. The FAA’s web site is only compatible with Internet Explorer; any other browser will not use the full potential of the website. Here you can choose to view TFR’s by state or by center. The menus drop down on the right side of the screen. Select the state or center you want and click “GO”, This will isolate the area that you selected and show you all of the TFRs in that area. To select an individual TFR, find it in the list and select the Zoom Magnify Glass on the right side of the table. 35 CSC DUATS User’s Guide You can also access a text listing of TFRs. Simply click on the name of the TFR, rather than the zoom icon. This list can be sorted by any of the fields at the top of the page simply click on “Date”, “NOTAM”. “Facility”, or “State” to sort the list. The FAA’s web site, updated only during normal business hours, may not be a complete listing of all TFRs. Make sure to receive a standard weather briefing before any flight. 36 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Flight Restrictions FAQ Q. How often are TFRs Updated? A. The FAA’s website is updated automatically but graphical representations are only updated Monday through Friday. The CSC website is updated 24/7. Q. Can Graphic TFR’s be printed? A. This all depends on the features of your browser and the printing capabilities of your printer. In most cases, the print command will be available from a button on the page, a pull down menu from the browser’s top toolbar or by right clicking the mouse button while the cursor on the page area and not on the graphic. Q. What is the difference between the zoom provided by the buttons on the TFR page and the zoom provided by "right clicking" on the mouse button while the cursor is on the graphic? A. The mouse button zoom provides a very quick local zoom capability but does not provide any extra resolution of the graphic area. The zoom buttons will download a closer view with additional resolution and detail up to the quality of a printed sectional. 37 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 7. Flight Planning The online flight planner for DUATS is one of the most advanced flight planners around. While simple in look what it calculates in the background is very complicated. There are many different features available to the pilot that maximizes the usefulness of this powerful software. Flight Planning – This section includes everything you need to construct, file, and edit flight plans. File a Flight Plan DUATS allows you to file flight plans just like when you call Flight Service. This link gives you the option of filing flight plans for FAA Domestic or ICAO. To do this, simply click on whichever of the previous flight categories you want to file for by clicking the “Flight Planning” Menu followed by the “File a Flight Plan” option. Filing an FAA Domestic Flight Plan For FAA Domestic flight plans, click the link labeled “FAA Domestic” and fill in the required information. 38 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Route of Flight List your preferred flight route by filling in your route. If you are not sure which route to use, click the link to the right of item 8 marked “Lookup FAA Preferred Routes.” You can also click the link marked “Get DUATS Routes” to receive optional route choices. 39 CSC DUATS User’s Guide First select the type of flight from the dropdown menu, your only choices are IFR and VFR. Remember if you are filing a DVFR flight plan you must contact flight service. If you are filing an ADIZ flight plan for flight through the Washington DC SFRA please follow the instructions in that section of this guide. Enter your aircraft tail number OR flight number. If you are using the tail number include the country code. Enter your aircraft type using the ICAO type standard. If you do not know your aircraft type click on “Aircraft Type” open a search window. You can then search by aircraft make a model. The type certificate identifier may not be the same as the ATC identifier. An example would be the Diamond DA20, while its type certification is DA20 its ATC identifier is DV20. Attempting to file as a DA20 would be incorrect. Select your aircraft equipment from the dropdown menu. 40 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Aircraft Equipment Designators Transponder Navigation Equipment Mode C No Mode C None DME /A
/B /D no DME /U
/T /X TACAN only /P
/N /M LORAN, VOR/DME RNAV, or INS
/I
/C /Y RVSM Capability Advanced Area Navigation Equipment (with Mode C)
None
RVSM GPS/GNSS (approach) /G
/L FMS /F
/K FMS/IRU /E
/J RNP /R
/Q /W RVSM auth only Next enter your planned true airspeed into block. It will auto fill with the cruse true airspeed used when creating the profile. If you wish to change it for this specific flight you must do so before submitting the flight plan. You can also enter an aircrafts Mach number using the format M75 for .75 mach. Enter the Departure airport using the three for four letter identifier, if you do not know your airports identifier click on “Departure Point” to open a search window. Enter your departure time in HHMM format. You must select the time zone from the drop down menu. If you wish to use a minutes from departure select “Minutes from now” from the dropdown menu and use the format MMMM. Flight plans can be filed up to 24 hours in advance. Be careful to select the correct time zone. If you do not select the correct time zone your flight plan will be filed at the incorrect time and will not be available. This is the number one reason flight plans are lost! Make sure you select the correct time! Enter your cruse altitude in flight level form so 15,000ft would be 150 and 7,000ft would be 070. You can also file VFR on top or block altitudes. To file VFR on top enter OTP followed by a forward slash (/) and your requested initial altitude. OTP/120 41 CSC DUATS User’s Guide To file a block altitude enter the lower altitude first then a capital B then the higher altitude. 090B120 would be requesting a block from 9,000ft to 12,000ft. Next enter your route of flight. If you used the flight planner or a stored route, this portion will auto fill with the calculated route. If you would like to search for preferred routes click on “Check for Preferred Routes”. Direct – To specify direct you can simply use a space between two waypoints. MRB LDN Airways – To use an airway insert the route between the entry and exit points that you wish to use along the route separating each with a space. HYK V4 HVQ Both Jet airways and victor airways are formatted this way. Fix Radial/DME – You can specify a waypoint using a radial distance from a VOR. The format is always the same the fix name followed by 3 characters for the radial and 3 characters for the DME. AML250036 or BOS020006 Latitude and Longitude ‐ Latitude and longitude information is specified in the form "lat/lon" where either lat or lon may be: 2/3 digits (degrees: dd/ddd) 43/122 4/5 digits (degrees and minutes: ddmm/dddmm) 4315/12236 6/7 digits (degrees minutes seconds ddmmss/dddmmss) 431512/1223655 8/9 digits (degrees minutes seconds tenths ddmmsst/dddmmsst) 4315126/12236557
You can also file and en‐route delay using any valid point in your route. To file a delay simply follow this format. FIX/DH+MM. LDN J109 J30 APE/D1+45 J178 FWA OXI4 In this example we are requesting a 1 hour 45 minute delay at Appleton. Enter your 3 or 4 character identifier for your destination airport. If you do not know the identifier you can open a new window to search our database. Enter you estimated time en‐route using the HHMM format. If you used the flight planner this block will auto fill with the calculated time. The “remarks” section can be used to add any additional information you would like the controller to see. If there is a different pilot in command then the one listed you may enter that information here using the format PIC=Joe Pilot. Enter the total fuel on board the aircraft in HHMM not in gallons or pounds. Enter the alternate airport if you are choosing to use one or are required by regulation using the 3 or 4 character identifiers if you do not know the identifier open a new window to search our database. The address and phone number fields are auto filled based on the information in your personal profile. If you would like to change what is stored in the profile please see the profile management section of this guide. If you would like to change this information just for this flight you can do that now and it will 42 CSC DUATS User’s Guide not change the stored information in your profile. The Aircraft Home base field is also auto filled from your personal profile and can be changed now or in your profile. Enter the number of passengers on board. Enter the color of the aircraft starting with the base color first. Only use the color codes listed in this table. A white aircraft with blue and red stripes would be entered as w/b/r. Color Abbreviation
amber a
silver
s
beige be
tan
t
black bk
turquoise
tq
blue b
violet
v
brown br
white
w
gold gd
yellow
y
gray gy
red
r
green g
maroon
m
purple p
orange
o
If you would like to receive and email or text message notification that your flight plan has been acknowledged by the center or flight service station enter your email or telephone email in to the box. If you want to receive a text message on your phone enter your phone number followed by one of the following based on your carrier. Alltel
[10-digit phone number]@message.alltel.com
AT&T
[10-digit phone number]@txt.att.net
Boost Mobile [10-digit phone number]@myboostmobile.com
Cingular
[10-digit phone number]@mobile.mycingular.com
Metrocall
[10-digit pager number]@page.metrocall.com
Nextel
[10-digit phone number]@messaging.nextel.com
Sprint PCS
[10-digit phone number]@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile
[10-digit phone number]@tmomail.net
US Cellular
[10-digit phone number]@email.uscc.net
Verizon
[10-digit phone number]@vtext.com
Virgin Mobile [10-digit phone number]@vmobl.com
43 CSC DUATS User’s Guide After you click file flight plan you will receive a summary page. PRINT THIS PAGE for your records. You want to see “Flight plan accepted by CSC DUATS service and will be filed with [Center] on [Time it will be filed]”. If you do NOT see this message your flight plan is NOT filed. You will also want to keep a record of the session numbers and transaction numbers. This will aid us in recreate your session in the event there is any problems. If you wish to receive an email notification when the Center or FSS receives your flight plan, click the “FP Ack” box to the right of the “Email Notification Option” and fill in your email address. 44 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Filing a Washington DC SFRA Flight Plan
45 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 46 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 47 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 48 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 49 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 50 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 51 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 52 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 53 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Filing ICAO Flight Plans To meet the new requirements by the FAA DUATS offers the ability to file ICAO flight plans Start by selecting ICAO from the “File a Flight Plan” option under the main menu “Flight Planning” heading. 54 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Enter your aircrafts identification into the “Aircraft Identification” field; you can use either the tail number or flight number. If you are using the tail number include the country code. From the “Flight Rules” dropdown menu select IFR or VFR. Select the operating rules that the flight will be flying under. Your options are, General Aviation, Scheduled Service, Non‐Scheduled Air Transport, Military or Other. Unless you are operating under part 121 or 135 the most common choice is General Aviation. Enter you aircraft type using its ICAO identifier. If you do not know what the identifier is, you can open a new window to search our database. If your aircraft does not have an ICAO identifier enter ZZZZ into the “Type” field and add TYP/[Your Aircraft Type] into the remarks block. We will go into more detail about the remarks block later on in this section. Enter the aircrafts wake turbulence category. This is based off of your MAXIMUM TAKE‐OFF WEIGHT not your ACTUAL take‐off weight. Light 15,000lbs or less, Medium 15,000lbs to 300,000lbs, and heavy greater than 300,000lbs. Unlike the FAA flight plan the ICAO flight plan allows you to list all of your equipment individually. You have three options initially. Standard assumes VHF RTF (VHF radiotelephone), ADF, VOR, and ILS or any other piece of equipment that may otherwise be required by ATC. If this is all the equipment you have simply select standard and move on. If you have more equipment you must select “Installed as listed to Right” and check the box next to each type of equipment. As you can see in this example you can also select standard plus any additional equipment. This pilot has selected standard plus GPS. The VHF ADF VOR and ILS are assumed because he selected standard. If you select /Z (Other) you must include either COM/ or NAV/ in the remarks block of the flight plan. We will go into block 18 later on in this section. Select your transponder type from the list. If your aircraft is equipped with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance equipment also check the box labeled ADS Capable. If you do now know your transponder type, please refer to your aircraft POH or your transponder user guide. Enter your departure airport using its four letter identifier. You MUST use the four letter ICAO identifier in the ICAO flight plan. If your airport does not have an ICAO identifier, enter ZZZZ and use DEP/ in block 18. More information is available on block 18 later on in this section. Enter your departure time in HHMM format. You must select the time zone from the drop down menu. Flight plans can be filed up to 24 hours in advance. Be careful to select the correct time zone. If you do not select the correct time zone your flight plan will be filed at the incorrect time and will not be available. This is the number one reason flight plans are lost! Make sure you select the correct time! If you wish to use a minutes from departure select “Minutes from now” from the dropdown menu and use the format MMMM. 55 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Next enter your planned true airspeed into block. It will auto fill with the cruse true airspeed used when creating the profile. If you wish to change it for this specific flight you must do so before submitting the flight plan. You can also enter an aircrafts Mach number using the format M75 for .75 mach. Enter your cruse altitude in flight level form so 15,000ft would be 150 and 7,000ft would be 070. Unlike FAA flight plans you cannot file VFR on top or block altitudes. Enter any of those requests in the remarks section of block 18. Next enter your route of flight. If you used the flight planner or a stored route, this portion will auto fill with the calculated route. Direct – To specify direct you can simply use a space between two waypoints. MRB LDN
SIDs/STARs – RST3 ALO or AXN GEP5 Airways – To use an airway insert the route between the entry and exit points that you wish to use along the route separating each with a space. HYK V4 HVQ Both Jet airways and victor airways are formatted this way. Fix Radial/DME – You can specify a waypoint using a radial distance from a VOR. The format is always the same the fix name followed by 3 characters for the radial and 3 characters for the DME. AML250036 or BOS020006 Latitude and Longitude ‐ Latitude and longitude information is specified in the form "LAT[NS]LONG[EW]" where either lat or lon may be: 2/3 digits (degrees: dd[NS]ddd[EW]) 43N122W 4/5 digits (degrees and minutes: ddmm[NS]dddmm[EW]) 4315N12236W 6/7 digits (degrees minutes seconds ddmmss[NS]dddmmss[EW]) 431512N1223655W 8/9 digits (degrees minutes seconds tenths ddmmsst[NS]dddmmsst[EW]) 4315126N12236557W
You can also file and en‐route delay using any valid point in your route. To file a delay simply follow this format. FIX/DH+MM. LDN J109 J30 APE/D1+45 J178 FWA OXI4 In this example we are requesting a 1 hour 45 minute delay at Appleton. Enter your 4 character identifier for your destination airport. You must use the 4 character ICAO identifier for your airport. If you do not know the identifie, you can open a new window to search our database. If your airport does not have an ICAO identifier, enter ZZZZ and use DEST/ in block 18. Enter you estimated time en‐route using the HHMM format. If you used the flight planner to plan your flight this block will auto fill with the calculated time. Enter your 4 character identifier for your alternate airport if you are using one. You must use the 4 character ICAO identifier for your airport. If you do not know the identifier, you can open a new window to search our database. If your airport does not have an ICAO identifier, enter ZZZZ and use ALT/ in block 18. 56 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Block 18 of an ICAO flight plan is different than the remarks block of an FAA flight plan. An FAA’s remarks block is not processed by the computer so there are no requirements for what can be entered. An ICAO flight plan is processed by the computer so there are limitations as to what can be entered. These are the only valid options that can be used. STS/ Reason for special handling by ATS, e.g. a search and rescue mission, as follows:
ALTRV: for a flight operated in accordance with an altitude reservation.
ATFMX: for a flight approved for exemption from ATFM measures by the appropriate ATS
authority.
FFR: fire-fighting.
FLTCK: flight check for calibration of navaids.
HAZMAT: for a flight carrying hazardous material.
57 CSC DUATS User’s Guide HEAD: a flight with Head of State status.
HOSP: for a medical flight declared by medical authorities.
HUM: for a flight operating on humanitarian mission.
MARSA: for a flight for which a military entity assumes responsibility for separation of military
aircraft.
MEDEVAC: for a life critical medical emergency evacuation.
NONRVSM: for a non-RVSM capable flight intending to operate in RVSM airspace.
SAR: for a flight engaged in a search and rescue mission.
STATE: for a flight engaged in military, customs or police services.
NOTE Other reasons for special handling by ATS are denoted under the designator RMK/.
NAV/ Significant data related to navigation equipment, other than as specified in PBN/.
(1) In addition to filing appropriate equipment qualifiers in Item10, operators requesting
assignment of FAA RNAV 1 departure and/or arrival procedures should file appropriate
RNAV capabilities for each segment of flight, following the NAV/ indicator.
(2) Operators should file their maximum capabilities in order to qualify for the most advanced
procedures.
(3) Explanation: NAV/ Indicates the beginning of additional navigation information. This
includes:
(i) RNV precedes RNAV capability for each phase of flight.
(ii) D# ─ Departure segment RNAV capability.
(iii) E# ─ En route segment RNAV capability.
(iv) A# ─ Arrival segment RNAV capability.
EXAMPLE −
NAV/RNVD1A1
NOTE 1. In the examples above, "#" indicates the numeric RNAV accuracy values, based on aircraft
certification and capabilities.
2. Operators filing FAA Form 7233−4 may suppress application of RNAV procedures by
omitting, or filing a 0(zero) value in Item 18 data for any or all segments of flight.
58 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 3. Approval of Area Navigation Systems for Use in the U.S. National Airspace System, and AC
90−100A, U.S. Terminal and En Route Area Navigation (RNAV) Operations, as amended.
COM/ Indicate communications capabilities not specified in 10a, when requested by an Air Navigation Service Provider. DAT/Indicate data applications or capabilities not specified in 10a, when requested by an Air Navigation Service Provider. SUR/ Indicate surveillance capabilities not specified in 10b, when requested by an Air Navigation Service Provider. If ADS‐B capability filed in Item 10 is compliant with RTCA DO‐260B, include the item "260B" in SUR/. If ADS‐B capability filed in Item 10 is compliant with RTCA DO‐282B, include the item "282B" in SUR/. EXAMPLE 1. SUR/260B
2. SUR/260B 282B
DEP/ Insert the non−ICAO identifier, or fix/radial/distance from navaid, or Latitude/Longitude, if ZZZZ
is inserted in Item 13.
EXAMPLE DEP/T23
DEST/ Insert the non−ICAO identifier, or fix/radial/distance from navaid, or Latitude/Longitude, if
ZZZZ is inserted in Item 13.
EXAMPLE −
DEST/T23
DOF/ The date of flight departure in a six figure format (YYMMDD, where YY equals the year, MM equals the month and DD equals the day). The FAA will not accept flight plans filed with Date of Flight resulting in more than a day in advance. REG/ The registration markings of the aircraft, if different from the aircraft identification in Item 7. Note that the FAA uses this information in monitoring of RVSM and ADS‐B performance. EET/ Significant points or FIR boundary designators and accumulated estimated elapsed times to such
points or FIR boundaries.
EXAMPLE 59 CSC DUATS User’s Guide EET/KZLA0745 KZAB0830
SEL/ SELCAL Code for aircraft so equipped. TYP/ Insert the type of aircraft if ZZZZ was entered in Item 9. If necessary, insert the number and type(s) of aircraft in a formation. CODE/ Aircraft address mode S code (expressed in the form of base 8 / octal or base 16 / hex) when required by the appropriate ATS authority. Include CODE/ when ADS‐B capability is filed in Item 10. The FAA Registry Inquiry page is : " http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/ " EXAMPLE "F00001" is the lowest aircraft address contained in the specific block administered by ICAO.
DLE/ Enroute delay or holding, insert the significant point(s) on the route where a delay is planned to
occur, followed by the length of delay using four figure time in hours and minutes (hhmm).
EXAMPLE DLE/MDG0030.
OPR/ Name of the operator, if not obvious from the aircraft identification in Item 7. ORGN/ The originator's 8 letter AFTN address or other appropriate contact details, in cases where the originator of the flight plan may not be readily identified, as required by the appropriate ATS authority. The FAA does not require ORGN/ information. NOTE In some areas, flight plan reception centres may insert the ORGN/ identifier and originator's
AFTN address automatically.
ALTN/ Name of destination alternate aerodrome(s), if ZZZZ is inserted in Item 16.
EXAMPLE −
1. ALTN/F35
RALT/ ICAO four letter indicator(s) for en‐route alternate(s), as specified in Doc 7910, Location Indicators, or name(s) of en‐route alternate aerodrome(s), if no indicator is allocated. For aerodromes not listed in the relevant Aeronautical Information Publication, indicate location in LAT/LONG or bearing and distance from the nearest significant point, as described in DEP/ above. 60 CSC DUATS User’s Guide TALT/ ICAO four letter indicator(s) for take‐off alternate, as specified in Doc 7910, Location Indicators, or name of take‐off alternate aerodrome, if no indicator is allocated. For aerodromes not listed in the relevant Aeronautical Information Publication, indicate location in LAT/LONG or bearing and distance from the nearest significant point, as described in DEP/ above. RIF/ The route details to the revised destination aerodrome, following by the ICAO four-letter location
indicator of the aerodrome. The revised route is subject to reclearance in flight.
EXAMPLE 1. RIF/DTA HEC KLAX
2. RIF/ESP G94 CLA YPPH
PER/ Aircraft performance data. Select the single letter in the drop down list as specified in the Procedures for Air Navigation Services ‐ Aircraft Operations (PANS‐OPS, Doc 8168), Volume I ‐ Flight Procedures, if so prescribed by the appropriate ATS authority. Note that the FAA does not require PER/ information. RMK/ Any other plain language remarks when required by the appropriate ATS Authority or deemed necessary EXAMPLE −
1. RMK/NRP
2. RMK/DRVSN
PBN/ Indication of RNAV and/or RNP capabilities. Select as many of the descriptors below as applicable to the flight, up to a maximum of 8 entries. NOTE ‐
If using GNSS (B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, O1, or O2), you must file GNSS (G) in field 10a.
‐
If using DME/DME (B1, B3, C1, C3, D1, D3, O1, or O3), you must file DME (D) in field 10a
‐
If using VOR/DME (B1, or B4), you must file VOR and DME (O and D, or S and D) in field
10a
‐
If using INS (B1, or B5), you must file Inertial (I) in field 10a
‐
If using DME/DME/IRU (C1, C4, D1, D4, O1 or O4), you must file DME and Inertial (D
and I) in field 10a
‐
If using LORAN C (B6), you must file LORAN C (C) in field 10a
Enter your Fuel on Board in HHMM format and Number aboard. 61 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Enter the color of the aircraft starting with the base color first. Only use the color codes listed in this table. A white aircraft with blue and red stripes would be entered as w/b/r. Color Abbreviation
amber a
silver
s
beige be
tan
t
black bk
turquoise
tq
blue b
violet
v
brown br
white
w
gold gd
yellow
y
gray gy
red
r
green g
maroon
m
purple p
orange
o
Enter your survival equipment by checking all of the applicable boxes. Use the same color codes that you used for your aircraft to color code your dingy if you are using one. 62 CSC DUATS User’s Guide After you click file flight plan you will receive a summary page. PRINT THIS PAGE for your records. You want to see “Flight plan accepted by CSC DUATS service and will be filed with [Center] on [Time it will be filed]”. If you do NOT see this message your flight plan is NOT filed. You will also want to keep a record of the session numbers and transaction numbers. This will aid us in recreate your session in the event there is any problems. Filing flight Plans FAQ Q. My flight plan wasn’t available. What happened? A. Save your session number and transaction number. Call our help desk 800‐345‐3828 and we can research what happened. Remember the most common mistakes for lost flight plans is an incorrect departure time. Q. My airport does not have an ICAO identifier. How do I file with an ICAO flight plan? A. Enter ZZZZ into the departure or destination, whichever is applicable. Enter DEP/[Your departure] or DEST/[Your Destination] into the remarks block of the flight plan. Q. I fly an experimental. When I enter HXA, HXB or HXC as a type it says invalid. What do I do? A. ICAO uses BKUT as the experimental type. Enter BKUT as your type 63 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Q. I’m not an instrument rated pilot. Why do I have to file my Washington DC ADIZ flight plan as IFR? Can I get in trouble for that? A. The Washington, DC ADIZ is an exception to the rules. The flight plan must be transmitted to approach control and only IFR flight plans are handled that way. If you do not file as IFR your flight plan will not be transmitted to the correct place. Flight Planner This gives you the opportunity to plan flights without actually submitting flight plans. To plan a flight, click “Flight Planner” under the “Flight Planning” menu heading. To plan a flight, enter your departure and destination into each field using each airports four letter identifier. If you do not know the identifier for your airport, you may open a new window and click on the “Database” menu heading to search the DUATS database. Enter your cruse altitude in flight level form so 15,000ft would be 150 and 7,000ft would be 070. Select the aircraft profile you would like to use from the dropdown menu. If you do not see the profile or you have not created one yet, click on “Aircraft Profile” in the “Flight Planning” menu heading and it will take you to the aircraft profile management page. 64 CSC DUATS User’s Guide There are several options available from the route of flight dropdown menu. All options are “Auto‐
Routing” except for User Selected Routing. If you do not wish to use auto‐routing you must select User selected routing and enter your route in the box to the right. Unless otherwise selected all routes will be the shortest distance using the type of navigation selected. The auto‐routing feature will NOT take into account any restricted airspace, prohibited airspace, or temporary flight restrictions. It is the pilot’s responsibly to ensure that the route generated meets all regulatory and airspace requirements of the TFR’s. Low‐Altitude Airway Auto‐Routing – This route will automatically select the shortest route using Victor Airways Low Airway Auto‐Routing /SID/STAR – This route works exactly the same as the low altitude auto routing except this time you will also have the option of including SIDs and STARs. Airways in Hawaii must include leading zeros to make the route three digits. An example V3 in Hawaii would be entered as V003. Jet Auto Routing – This will automatically select the shortest route using Jet airways. This auto routing will always ask for a SID or STAR VOR‐Direct Auto Routing – This routing will choose the most direct route from VOR to VOR without using any airways. This way does NOT take into account service volumes. Direct Routing for GPS/LORAN – This route is a direct great circle route. It will automatically create a number of reference waypoints along the route. The distance used is ACTUAL Distance. 65 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Direct Routing for RNAV ‐ This route is a direct great circle route. It will automatically create a number of reference waypoints along the route. The distance used is SLANT RANGE. User defined Routing – This is the only option that does not use auto routing unless specified. With this option you must enter a route in the box to the right or the flight planner will compute a direct route. Waypoints Direct – To specify direct you can simply use a space between two waypoints. MRB LDN Airways – To use an airway insert the route between the entry and exit points that you wish to use along the route separating each with a space. HYK V4 HVQ Both Jet airways and victor airways are formatted this way. Fix Radial/DME – You can specify a waypoint using a radial distance from a VOR. The format is always the same the fix name followed by 3 characters for the radial and 3 characters for the DME. AML250036 or BOS020006 Latitude and Longitude ‐ Latitude and longitude information is specified in the form "lat/lon" where either lat or lon may be: 2/3 digits (degrees: dd/ddd) 43/122 4/5 digits (degrees and minutes: ddmm/dddmm) 4315/12236 6/7 digits (degrees minutes seconds ddmmss/dddmmss) 431512/1223655 8/9 digits (degrees minutes seconds tenths ddmmsst/dddmmsst) 4315126/12236557
Auto Routing Waypoints – Even in user defined routing you can add auto routing. This is best utilized if you want to fly over specific points then have the computer auto route what is in between. MRB *A JFK This will fly to MRB then compute a victor airway route to JFK. GFK *J GEP This will fly to GFK then compute a jet route to GEP ALB *V DTW This will compute a VOR to VOR route between ALB and DTW LDN *G *R GSI Either using *G or *R will compute a direct route using *R for RNAV and *G for GPS/LORAN 66 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Enter your departure time in HHMM format. You must select the time zone from the drop down menu. Selecting the incorrect time might mean that the wrong winds aloft will be used in the calculations. If you wish to use a minutes from departure select “Minutes from now” from the dropdown menu and use the format MMMM. If you wish to plan a flight further than 24 hours in advance, check the box labeled “No‐Wind Flight Plan”. This will not use any winds in the calculations of the flight plan. After you click submit request if you selected an Auto Routing type that utilizes a SID or STAR you will be requested to pick the star that you would like to use. You MUST use transitions with a star (*) by them. These are transitions that are designed for airway transitions. If you do not you may not receive routing between your SID and STAR. After you click submit your flight will be processed. At the top of the navigation log you will see the summary of your flight. Check that your departure and destinations are the ones you intended to use and the profile and altitude is correct. Based on the time zone you selected and the time entered the computer will calculate the departure time UTC. 67 CSC DUATS User’s Guide The summary will show the type of routing selected as well as any SIDs or STARs used. You can see from this route we used automatic jet airway routing and a star. Below is the route that will be filed with ATC
LDN J109 J30 APE J178 FWA OXI4.
You will also see a summary of the total fuel burned, time en‐route, and distance to travel. Remember the fuel required does not include any required reserves. At the bottom of the flight log you will see the same summary statement that is at the top plus some additional route information. You will see the calculated average ground speed of the flight and the direct great circle distance. It will also show how much further your route is from the great circle direct distance. Aircraft Profiles Before you can plan a flight you must create an aircraft profile from which all performance data will be calculated. You can create and store up to 50 unique profiles. Each profile can be specific to each aircraft for different power settings. For example you can have one profile for “Piper Arrow III @65% Max Endurance” and a profile for “Piper Arrow III @ 75% Best Power.” To access aircraft profile settings, click on “Flight Planner” followed by “Aircraft Profiles” under the “Flight Planning” menu heading. 68 CSC DUATS User’s Guide This will redirect you to a page entitled “Aircraft Profile Management.” It lists your current aircraft profiles as well as options to create new profiles and set any profile as your default. For current aircraft profiles, there are three options: edit/view, set to default, and set to active. The first “Edit/View” option allows you to view the exact specifications you have already entered for an aircraft profile. You may also edit these specifications. The “Set to Default” option allows you to use the selected profile as your default profile, which will be the active profile the next time you log in. However, this does not overwrite your current profile during the current session. You MUST log out before this change will take effect. The “Set to Active” option changes your aircraft profile for the current session only. Once you log out, your default profile will once again become your active profile when you log back in. On the right side of the page, there are two options to create new aircraft profiles. There are two types of profile models to use. The segment‐model profile that breaks the flight down into three parts climb cruse and descent. This model is best used for smaller piston aircraft whose performance remains the same throughout each segment.
69 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Name your profile and enter a tail number if you would like. The data you enter can come directly from your aircrafts POH performance section or if you would like you may enter your own data from your personal experience with the aircraft. As you use this profile you may return and edit the profile to receive a more accurate fuel burn. When you are finished click “Create Profile” and the profile will be saved into the system. If you would like this new profile to become your default profile, be sure to click the box marked “Default Profile when you login?” 70 CSC DUATS User’s Guide The hour‐model breaks the fuel consumption down into an hourly basis. This profile is best for larger aircraft whose fuel burn changes throughout the flight as weight changes. The hourly profile is similar to the segment profile except the fuel burn is broken down into each hour of the flight. Remember to set the fuel unit from the dropdown menu. Name your profile and enter a tail number if you would like. The data you enter can come directly from your aircrafts POH performance section or if you would like you may enter your own data from your personal experience with the aircraft. As you use this profile you may return and edit the profile to receive a more accurate fuel burn. When you are finished click “Create Profile” and the profile will be saved into the system. If you would like this new profile to become your default profile, be sure to click the box marked “Default Profile when you login?” Flight Planner Settings By clicking “Flight Planner” followed by “Flight Planner Settings” under the “Flight Planning” menu heading, you can change the settings used in filing your flight plans. 71 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Different formats including output and latitude/ longitude options allow you to configure your plans according to the format you prefer. Plan Output Format 2 Line Lat/Long Fix and Morse Code 3 Line Staggered 72 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Name Morse Code and Fuel Data Only Lat/Long Morse Code and Fuel Data Only Latitude and Longitude format simply changes how Lat/Long is formatted. Degree Minutes Seconds
Degree Minutes Tenths
Degree Minutes Hundredths
38:57:38
38:51.3
38:51.26
73 78:12:59
78:12.3
78:12.33
CSC DUATS User’s Guide Detailed Flight Planner Help Clicking this option under the “Flight Planner” option in the “Flight Planning” main menu heading will open a new window. This window includes detailed instructions on how to effectively utilize all of the DUATS flight planning features. Flight Planner FAQ Q. Does the flight planner factor terrain clearances? A. No, the flight planner does not verify the route for regularity requirements or terrain clearances. Q. How does the flight planner calculate winds aloft? A. The flight planner interpolates for both differences in altitude and in between stations. Also if your route is long enough were the effective winds aloft change, the flight planner will switch and use the valid winds. Q. Does the flight planner work in Alaska and Hawaii? A. Yes, the flight planner has a database for both Alaska routes and Hawaii routes. Q. Will the flight planner plan international flights? A. In most cases yes. We have limited databases for Canada, Mexico and Porto Rico. Q. Will the flight planner calculate Q and T routes? 74 CSC DUATS User’s Guide A. As of right now we do not have an auto routing system for these routes. Although you can input the routes manually into the User Defined routing and the flight planer will produce a log for you using those routes. Stored Flight Plans: This menu option can be accessed by clicking on “Stored Flight Plans” in the “Flight Planning” main menu heading. It allows you to view and edit your previously stored flight plans as well as create new flight plans to be stored. The “View/Modify/Load” option allows you to utilize and edit flight plans you have already created and stored. This can be useful if you believe you may reuse certain flight plans. The options on the right‐hand side of the screen allow you to create new flight plans to be stored. If you wish to create an FAA Domestic flight plan, click the “FAA Domestic Route” option. 75 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Fill in the required information and click “Save This Route” at the bottom of the screen. This route will now be part of your stored flight plans. Terminal Procedures: This option allows you to search terminal procedures publications. Click on “Terminal Procedures” under the “Flight Planning” main menu heading to access this page. First, choose the cycle you wish to search. The available cycles are in the first drop‐down menu. From there, you can fill in as little or as much information as you like to search. Be sure that your searches do 76 CSC DUATS User’s Guide not conflict. For example, the airport identifier LAX will not yield any results if you search for that airport in Alaska. Also, if check the box marked “Airport Diagrams Only” your results may leave out certain airports that do not publish airport diagrams. When you have filled out your desired search identifiers, click the “Search” button to review the terminal procedures publications that match your search. View/Modify Flight Plans: This option allows you to view and edit the flight plans you have created. “View/Modify Flight Plans” is the fifth option in the “Flight Planning” dropdown menu along the top of the page. This option will direct you to a page with your flight plans listed. If a flight plan has not been transmitted, as indicated by the blue box under “Status,” you can still modify or cancel the flight plan. If the flight plan has already been transmitted, as indicated by the green box under “Status,” you may only view that flight plan. This is indicated by the only available option, “View Only.” Close VFR Flight Plans: This link directs you to a form that can be submitted to the FAA after you have completed a VFR flight plan. 77 CSC DUATS User’s Guide This form is to be used only when you have completed a flight and wish to close a VFR flight plan. This can only be submitted if you previously activated the flight plan. This form is sent to the FAA and requests that an active VFR flight plan be closed. This form CANNOT be used to modify or cancel a flight that was filed through the system but has not been transmitted. If you wish to view, cancel, or modify a VFR flight plan that has not yet been transmitted, use the “View/Modify” option under the “Flight Planning” main menu heading. Note: This form does the same thing as calling FSS on the radio or telephone to close your VFR flight plan. GPS RAIM Prediction: DUATs provides a link to the FAA’s RAIM prediction web site. This web site contains the software needed to provide the verification of RAIM for en‐route and approach operations. This also fulfills your requirement of verifying RAIM. To access the site click on “GPS RAIM Prediction” under the “Flight Planning” dropdown menu. You will be redirected to the FAA’s website where you can view the current RAIM outages as a map or input your route directly. 78 CSC DUATS User’s Guide To view the current RAIM outages as a map click on “Grid Display Tool”. 79 CSC DUATS User’s Guide The Progress bar under the map will allow you to see the RAIM outage up to 24 hours into the future. You can use the “>“ button to play the animation. The more you click “>“ the faster the animation will play. To view available interference data simply click the checkbox next to "Interference." You will see rings similar to the image below. Clicking on a ring will bring up an outage‐listing dialog describing where and when the interference will take place. Baro‐aiding is a method of augmenting the GPS integrity solution by using a non‐satellite input source. Before checking RAIM prediction with this feature selected, check your operating manual. To ensure Baro‐aiding is available, the current altimeter setting must be entered into the receiver as described in the operating manual. Baro‐aiding is not equivalent to advisory vertical navigation (VNAV). You can switch between En‐Route, Terminal, and NPA (Non‐Precision Approach) by selecting them in the lower right corner.
80 CSC DUATS User’s Guide To see if RAIM is available along your route click on the ICAO flight plan tool. It has been designed to look like the standard International Flight Plan form. However, we’ve grayed‐out all the sections of the form you do not need to fill out. Simply enter your route information in the fields marked with a red asterisk and click "Check RAIM". The form will contact our web server and in a few moments you should see results of the RAIM prediction below the "Check RAIM" bottom. 81 CSC DUATS User’s Guide RAIM Prediction Tool FAQ Q. What is RAIM? A. RAIM stands for “Remote Autonomous Integrity Monitoring”. It is used by modern day GPS units to improve their accuracy. Q. Is RAIM required? A. Under certain conditions. If you are going to be flying any “Q” or “T” routes you must verify that RAIM is available along your route. If you are going to be flying any GPS approaches (such as an LPV) you must verify that RAIM will be available at your destination. Q. Does the RAIM Prediction Tool require any software to run? A. Yes. You will need to make sure that JAVA runtime environment is installed on your computer. You can download it at http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp. Q. The RAIM Prediction Tool is not working; can DUATS help me fix it? A. The Tool is offered and supported by the FAA. Any support related questions should be directed to the FAA’s support website. http://www.raimprediction.net/help/index.php 8. Database Search The DUATS website includes a large and detailed database to allow you to look up necessary information. To access the database, simply click “Database Search” from the main menu bar at the top of the page. The database includes four sections from which you may search for information, including identifier, name, contraction and preferred routes. 82 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Search by Identifier: The identifier search is the first available search option on the page under the “Database Search” heading. This option allows you to search for the ICAO or FAA identifier of a location. These locations can be airports, navaids, fixes, airways, or weather reporting stations. After typing your search, you will be redirected to a page entitled “DUATS Command Results.” This page includes information about the search including latitude/longitude, center, elevation, runway information and a map. If you wish to print the page, click “Print DUATS Output” located above the location information. Search by Name: This search option allows you to search for the full name of a location. The search results will include everything in the database with that name. For example, search results for “Paris” include navaids, weather reporting stations, and airports in a number of states as well as in France. 83 CSC DUATS User’s Guide The search divides the results by either the station name or the city which includes the match. The results include the category of station, such as fix, navaid, or airport, the location of the result, and the identifier. If you wish to print the page, click “Print DUATS Output” located above the location information. Contractions Lookup: This search function allows you to search for contractions in language that you may not know or that appear in documents such as your weather briefing. The contraction option searches our plain language translator. It will return all possibilities if a contraction has multiple meanings. Type a contraction in the search bar and click “Lookup Contraction.” You will be directed to a new page with your search results. For example, a search for the contraction “AC” yields the above results: advisory circular, altocumulus, and assistant chief. The classification of the result is listed in the right‐hand column. If you wish to print the page, click “Print DUATS Output” located above the search results. 84 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Preferred Routes Search: This search function allows you to choose two airports and search for the preferred routes between them. This can save you time and energy, as well as make an informed decision about your flight plans. 9. My Account This menu heading includes tools that allow you to customize your DUATS account according to your personal needs. You can change your aircraft profiles, your account, flight planner settings, and your password. Aircraft Profiles The first option in the “My Account” dropdown menu is “Aircraft Profiles.” Before you can plan a flight you must create an aircraft profile from which all performance data will be calculated. You can create and store up to 50 unique profiles. Each profile can be specific to each aircraft for different power settings. For example you can have one profile for “Piper Arrow III @65% Max Endurance” and a profile for “Piper Arrow III @ 75% Best Power.” It lists your current aircraft profiles as well as options to create new profiles and set any profile as your default. For current aircraft profiles, there are three options: edit/view, set to default, and set to active. 85 CSC DUATS User’s Guide The first “Edit/View” option allows you to view the exact specifications you have already entered for an aircraft profile. You may also edit these specifications. The “Set to Default” option allows you to use the selected profile as your default profile, which will be the active profile the next time you log in. However, this does not overwrite your current profile during the current session. You MUST log out before this change will take effect. The “Set to Active” option changes your aircraft profile for the current session only. Once you log out, your default profile will once again become your active profile when you log back in. On the right side of the page, there are two options to create new aircraft profiles. There are two types of profile models to use. The segment‐model profile that breaks the flight down into three parts climb cruse and descent. This model is best used for smaller piston aircraft whose performance remains the same throughout each segment.
86 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Name your profile and enter a tail number if you would like. The data you enter can come directly from your aircrafts POH performance section or if you would like you may enter your own data from your personal experience with the aircraft. As you use this profile you may return and edit the profile to receive a more accurate fuel burn. When you are finished click “Create Profile” and the profile will be saved into the system. If you would like this new profile to become your default profile, be sure to click the box marked “Default Profile when you login?” The hour‐model breaks the fuel consumption down into an hourly basis. This profile is best for larger aircraft whose fuel burn changes throughout the flight as weight changes. The hourly profile is similar to the segment profile except the fuel burn is broken down into each hour of the flight. Remember to set the fuel unit from the dropdown menu. Name your profile and enter a tail number if you would like. The data you enter can come directly from your aircrafts POH performance section or if you would like you may enter your own data from your personal experience with the aircraft. As you use this profile you may return and edit the profile to receive a more accurate fuel burn. When you are finished click “Create Profile” and the profile will be 87 CSC DUATS User’s Guide saved into the system. If you would like this new profile to become your default profile, be sure to click the box marked “Default Profile when you login?” Personal Profile Your personal information can be modified by clicking “Personal Profile” under the “My Account” menu heading. You can modify your address, email, security word and personal access code by modifying the text in the corresponding fields. 88 CSC DUATS User’s Guide You may also customize your home airports and default time zone to simplify flight planning. Finally, there are six weather graphics that appear on your homepage when you are logged into the website. The 5 weather boxes and radar box allow you to customize the graphics that appear on your homepage. If you make a change in any of the information, you MUST click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save it. If you do not click “Update,” then your changes will not be saved. Flight Planner Settings By clicking “Flight Planner” under the “My Account” menu heading, you can change the settings used in filing your flight plans. Different formats including output and latitude/ longitude options allow you to configure your plans according to the format you prefer. 89 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Plan Output Format 2 Line Lat/Long Fix and Morse Code 3 Line Staggered 90 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Name Morse Code and Fuel Data Only Lat/Long Morse Code and Fuel Data Only Latitude and Longitude format simply changes how Lat/Long is formatted. Degree Minutes Seconds
Degree Minutes Tenths
Degree Minutes Hundredths
38:57:38
38:51.3
38:51.26
78:12:59
78:12.3
78:12.33
Reset Password If you would like to change your password, click on “Reset Password” in the “My Account” main menu heading. You will be directed to the “CSC DUATS Password” Reset page. First, fill in your current password in the first field. In the two following fields marked “Password” and “Password Again” fill in the password you now wish to use. Your password must be 6 to 8 printing characters without spaces. The bar marked “Password Strength” will judge the strength of your new password. If the bar turns green, your password is weak. If it turns yellow, the strength of your new password is moderate. If it 91 CSC DUATS User’s Guide turns red, your new password is strong. A stronger password better helps prevent your account and identity from being compromised. After filling in these fields, click “Reset Password” at the bottom of the screen. If you do not click “Reset Password,” your password will NOT be changed. 10. Help The “Help” menu option allows you to lookup tools in different areas to more easily navigate the DUATS website. Web User’s Guide The first option in the “Help” dropdown menu is the “Web User’s Guide.” Clicking on this option will open this document. The User’s Guide gives detailed information and step‐by‐step instructions on how to complete and navigate everything the website offers. Frequently Asked Questions This option gives a list of the most popular questions we receive and their accompanying solutions. The FAQs are organized into groups according to the area of the website they pertain to. This distinction allows you to more easily navigate topics that you are unsure about, such as weather or flight planning. Latest DUATS Flyers Every few months, DUATS releases a flyer that highlights the advancements and features of DUATS, both on the classic and mobile websites. To access the more recent flyers, click “Latest DUATS Flyers” in the “Help” main menu heading. 92 CSC DUATS User’s Guide Clicking this option will open a new webpage entitled “DUATS Flyers.” It presents a table of the recent issues of the flyer, the date of the flyer’s release, and the topics included in the flyer. If any topic looks interesting to you, click the “Download” link in the right‐hand column of the table. It will download a file of the flyer of your choosing. Flight Planner Help The flight planner on the DUATS website is very detailed, so sometimes you may have questions on specific parts of it. The “Flight Planner Help” is a thorough instruction on how to use every flight planning feature that DUATS offers. 93 CSC DUATS User’s Guide By clicking the “Flight Planning Help” option in the “Help” menu, a new window will open. This window gives a table of contents that covers all aspects of flight planning on the DUATS website. If you are searching for a particular topic or area of help in planning your flight, choose the topic in the table of contents. This will bring you directly to the section you are searching for. Quickpath User Guide Quickpath is a way of navigating the DUATS website without using the DUATS menus. The website has menus that are easy to navigate, but some users may prefer to use Quickpath codes instead. To access the Quickpath User’s Guide, choose “Quickpath User’s Guide” from the help menu. This option will open a new window. This window includes thorough instructions on using Quickpath throughout the website. Contact Support If you have any questions about DUATS, our helpdesk is ready to assist 24/7. 94 CSC DUATS User’s Guide “Contact Support” gives you the different options of contacting us. Phone and email contacts are included for whichever option is most convenient for you. Feedback Our new website is completely redesigned and more user‐friendly. That being said, we want you to let us know if you have any comments. Do you want to see us change something on the site or add a new feature? Is something not working for you? Is a certain feature especially useful, or is it too complicated? Let us know! We want the site to work for you as much as possible. The “Feedback” form is available as the last option in the “Help” dropdown menu, and it opens a new window. You can classify your report as general feedback, bug report, or feature request. “General feedback” has to do with general comments about the site or DUATS in general. “Bug Report” relates in issues or problems using the site or a specific feature. “Feature request” is used when you want to see 95 CSC DUATS User’s Guide us add something to the website. If you are not sure which option relates best to your feedback, then “general feedback” can be used to classify the report. Remember to include your email address on the form so that we can contact you if we have any questions or we fix a problem. Also, do NOT close the page without clicking “Submit Report.” If this is not clicked, your report will not be saved or sent to us. 11. Log Out “Log Out” is the final option in the main menu heading along the top of the screen. Clicking this option will immediately log you out of your account and redirect you to the public page of the website.
96 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 12. Appendix A Textual Weather and NOTAMs ******** Severe Weather Outlook ********
SPC AC 101244
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0744 AM CDT THU SEP 10 2009
VALID 101300Z - 111200Z
...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT FOR
THE NRN PLAINS...
...NRN PLAINS THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT...
A PRONOUNCED NRN STREAM MID LEVEL TROUGH OVER ALBERTA THIS MORNING
WILL DIG SEWD OVER NRN MT TODAY AND REACH THE DAKOTAS
OVERNIGHT...ACCOMPANIED BY A SURFACE COLD FRONT. MEANWHILE...THE
BAROCLINIC ZONE IN THE WAKE OF THE PREVIOUS MID LEVEL TROUGH IS NOW
LIFTING NWD FROM SD TOWARD CENTRAL/ERN ND. CONTINUED NWD ADVECTION
OF BOUNDARY LAYER DEWPOINTS IN THE LOW 60S BENEATH STEEP MID LEVEL
LAPSE RATES...IN CONJUNCTION WITH DAYTIME HEATING...WILL SUPPORT
LATE AFTERNOON MLCAPE VALUES OF 1500-2500 J/KG.
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING AND WILL CONTINUE
OVERNIGHT ALONG THE COLD FRONT MOVING SEWD FROM ERN MT INTO THE WRN
DAKOTAS...IN PHASE WITH THE BELT OF LOW-MID LEVEL ASCENT DOWNSTREAM
FROM THE MID LEVEL TROUGH. THE MODERATE WARM SECTOR INSTABILITY AND
MODEST VERTICAL SHEAR ALONG THE FRONT WILL SUPPORT ORGANIZED
MULTICELL CLUSTERS...ALONG WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR EMBEDDED BOW
AND/OR MARGINAL SUPERCELL STRUCTURES IN A BROKEN BAND ALONG THE
FRONT. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE
THREATS THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT.
******** AIRMETs ********
BOSS WA 100845
AIRMET SIERRA UPDT 1 FOR IFR AND MTN OBSCN VALID UNTIL 101500
.
AIRMET IFR...NY PA OH LE WV MD VA NC SC GA AND CSTL WTRS
FROM 20NNE ERI TO 60SSW SYR TO 60SE EKN TO 40SSW SBY TO 60SE ECG
TO 80S ECG TO 60SE FLO TO 30WNW CHS TO MCN TO LGC TO GQO TO HMV
TO HNN TO AIR TO 40S ERI TO 20NNE ERI
CIG BLW 010/VIS BLW 3SM PCPN/BR/FG. CONDS ENDG 12-15Z.
******** Surface Observations ********
METAR KIAD 101252Z 02012KT 10SM FEW020 BKN070 BKN120 18/13 A3030 RMK
AO2 SLP259 T01830133
no reports available for LWX
******** Radar Summaries ********
LWX 1335 AREA 3R 8/97 294/105 47W MT 210 346/87
AREA 4R 150/34 123/85 51W
AUTO
^IK1 JK2 KJ1 LH121 MP2 NO11
97 CSC DUATS User’s Guide ******** Terminal Forecasts ********
TAF KIAD 101121Z 1012/1118 04008KT P6SM FEW025 BKN070
FM101600 05013G21KT P6SM VCSH FEW025 BKN040
FM102100 03011G18KT 6SM -RA SCT025 BKN035 OVC050
FM110300 01009KT 6SM -RA OVC019
FM110900 01008KT 6SM -RA OVC007
******** FD Winds Aloft Forecast ********
DATA BASED ON 100600Z
VALID 101200Z
FOR USE 0800-1500Z. TEMPS NEG ABV 24000
FT 3000
6000
9000
12000
18000
24000 30000 34000 39000
EMI 0618 0611+10 0909+05 1012+00 1127-12 1227-24 112241 122049 151752
RIC 0625 0809+10 0710+05 0814+00 1012-14 1605-24 231040 221347 222051
******** Runway NOTAMs ********
!IAD 07/055 IAD RWY 1C ALS OTS WEF 0907131000-0911151200
!IAD 07/045 IAD RWY 19C ALS OTS WEF 0907131000-0911151200
******** Aerodrome NOTAMs ********
!HEF 09/005 HEF AD DIRT AREA 1000 SOUTH OF TWY G CLSD TO HEL
!CGS 10/005 CGS AD ABN OTS
******** Obstruction NOTAMs ********
!IAD 09/051 IAD OBST UNKN (40 AGL) 1.3 SW LGT OTS
!JYO 09/003 JYO OBST TOWER 716 (228 AGL) 2.77 SW LGTS OTS (ASR
1023975) TIL 0909250436
******** Navigation NOTAMs ********
!IAD 09/059 IAD NAV WAAS LNAV/VNAV AND LPV MNM UNREL WEF
0909111255-0909111325
!IAD 07/053 IAD NAV RWY 19C ILS LLZ/GP/IM OTS WEF
0907131000-0911151200
******** Communication NOTAMs ********
!DCA 07/193 ZDC COM RTR 281.42 VICE 272.75 WEF 0907230900
!DCA 07/220 ZDC COM RTR QXC COMISSIONING DELAYED 272.75 REMAIN IN
USE
******** Taxiway NOTAMs ********
!IAD 05/036 IAD TWY E1 RESTRICTED TO ACFT WITH A WINGSPAN LESS THAN
79 FT (24M)
******** Ramp/Apron NOTAMs ********
!JYO 04/009 JYO RAMP SOUTH TAXILANE CLSD
!RIC 02/028 RIC RAMP TERMINAL RAMP PAEW SW SIDE
98 CSC DUATS User’s Guide ******** NOTAMs without keywords ********
!UAR 08/010 IAD COATT FOUR ARRIVAL (COATT.COATT4) ...
RADAR REQUIRED.
******** FDC NOTAMs ********
!FDC 9/9225 ZDC MD.. SPECIAL NOTICE... GREENBELT, MARYLAND,
EFFECTIVE 0907161300 UTC UNTIL 1004302359 UTC. SCIENTIFIC AND
RESEARCH LASER OPERATIONS WILL BE CONDUCTEDAT THE NASA/GOODARD SPACE
CENTER IN GREENBELT, MARYLAND, LOCATED AT 390113N/764939W. THE SYSTEM
IS INTERMITTENT, WITH POSSIBLE OPERATIONS HAPPENING 24 HOURS A DAY,
7 DAYS A WEEK. THE LASER BEAM MAY BE INJURIOUS TO PILOTS/AIRCREWS AND
PASSENGERS EYES FOR A DISTANCE OF 98,000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.
HOWEVER, THIS SYSTEM USES A LASER HAZARD
REDUCTION RADAR SYSTEM THAT IS SLAVED TO THE TELESCOPE MOUNT, TO
ENSURE THE LASER IS DEACTIVATED IN THE EVENT AN AIRCRAFT APPROACHES.
THE AREA WILL ALSO BE MONITORED BY OBSERVERS AND THE LASER BEAM WILL
BE TERMINATED IF NON-PARTICIPATING AIRCRAFT ARE DETECTED. LASER
IRRADIANCE LEVELS WILL NOT EXCEED THE MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE
LEVELS WITHIN THE LASER FREE, CRITICAL, AND SENSITIVE ZONES. OTHER
VISUAL EFFECTS E.G. FLASH BLINDNESS, AFTER IMAGE, GLARE, AND
DISTRACTION MAY OCCUR AT GREATER DISTANCES. THE POTOMAC TRACON AT
540-349-7541, IS THE FAA COORDINATION FACILITY.
99 CSC DUATS User’s Guide 13. Appendix B Weather Graphics – Contiguous Lower 48 States Surface Analysis Weather Depiction Composite Moisture Stability Active Airmets and SIgmets Constant Pressure 100 Visible Satellite CSC DUATS User’s Guide Radar Summary Surface Forecast Low Altitude Weather High Altitude Weather Severe Weather Forecast Winds Aloft Radar Summary 101