Aviation News & Information | RocketRoute

Online Flight Planning: What Matters?

Written by RocketRoute | Aug 9, 2012 5:00:22 AM

Online Flight Planning in Focus
Pilots have enough potential risks to worry about without flight planning becoming too much of an inconvenient complication. Since the growth of the internet, many great online flight planning services have proliferated and have arguably revolutionised the world of flight. As user-friendly programmes have become more common, flight planning has changed for the better. Pilots can now take advantage of flight planning from their own systems and this is a great boon as far as filing flight plans is concerned. Messaging services related to the AFTN are also now available to access from individual PCs or laptops from wherever and whenever a pilot should need. The man-power and the hours which are saved in this way is incredible; especially when in the not so distant past, calculations for flight planning were all done by hand! The ease and simplicity by which pilots may now create and take advantage of online flight planning is making itself felt primarily in the pocket as the latest systems really provide value for money.

The Importance of Online Flight Planning

Online flight planning saves money, lives and time. Without an accurate flight planning system which is of suitably high quality, then most flights would be extremely risky. The assurance of safety is of course a vital point when undertaking any journey by air no matter whether the flight is a short or long haul. One of the most important aspects is that of fuel consumption which needs to be carefully worked out in all cases. Not only does an aircraft need the right amount of fuel to complete it’s planned flight but also to land in an emergency situation; an unexpected change in landing space can sometimes occur which can result in an aircraft needing to continue on to an alternative airport. Some knowledge of the weather and what it is predicted to be doing can of course assist in the successful planning of a journey. Unexpected storms and high winds can alter the amount of fuel which an aircraft consumes and with online flight planning the knowledge that a pilot is bang-up-to-date with all weather patterns can provide a level of security which has until now only been dreamed of.

Online Flight Planning and Care

Nothing is entirely predictable, no weather station is right 100% of the time and as unexpected emergencies can and sometimes do take place upon the ground; this is why online flight planning systems are needed more than ever. Although the weather can change drastically and without warning this is rare and so good flight planning is usually reliable. Minimising risks and making every effort to foresee what could potentially cause disruption puts the power in the hands of the pilot and this is why flying is safer than ever before. With good and accurate planning, detours can be made with ease and the least fuss possible, reserve fuel can be predicted correctly and the safety of any crafts can be seen as almost guaranteed.