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Online Flight Planning

An introduction to planning your flight online with RocketRoute

The technology that we today enjoy has made so many details of our daily lives simpler than ever, online flight planning has revolutionized one of the most difficult aspects of commercial and private flight today. The massive growth of the internet has ensured that flight planning is safer and more accurate than ever before…not to mention convenient! The ability of pilots to check possible changes is a great boon and ensures that up-to-date information is available no matter when or where they wish to access it.

Fuel and route efficiency in flight planning

Undoubtedly, rising fuel costs make online flight planning and its part in commercial and private flights even more important than ever before. Fuel conservation and reduction is a huge concern for pilots and airlines alike, the best planning can ensure that no aircraft loads more fuel than is needed on board. Keeping the weight of the aircraft down through loading only the necessary fuel is vitally important as a heavier aircraft will simply burn more fuel. Even factoring in reserve fuels, the advent of online flight planning is a great help in calculating risks; the knowledge of what factors in a flight could cause the need for more fuel is a gift that allows for thrifty planning no matter how long or short the journey is.

It's a known fact that air flight is extremely expensive due to the many gallons of fuel needed to complete a flight, in the case of long-distance flights fuel consumption can run into thousands of gallons and this combined with the fact that an aircraft needs to load no only the amount which the planned flight will use but also the amount needed for an emergency diversion makes the advent of online flight planning even more welcome and even more important in today's climate of rising fuel costs and ecological awareness.

private piston plane in flight

Preparing for flight under changing conditions

Although online flight planning has reduced the need for potential disaster, there are always circumstances where situations that cannot be foreseen may arise. Some freak weather patterns can arise literally out of thin air and other man-made circumstances can never be predicted; with good planning however, aircraft can be prepared for almost any situation and can then respond in the best fashion as and when needed.

With careful calculations, risks can be assessed and weather patterns examined; this can help to ascertain just how high a risk any particular flight may be taking on a particular day. Flights that are heading for very remote areas must take extra care to ascertain risks as alternate airports may be in equally far-flung destinations making risks higher in the case of emergency detours. In high-traffic or popular areas there are often many choices of alternate airports which makes flight planning simpler, planning how much extra fuel an aircraft needs to carry is a fine art, and with today's technology and accurate computer programs, pilots are in a better position than ever before.

Important factors with online flight planning apps

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 revolutionized the world of flight. As user-friendly programs have become more common, flight planning has changed for the better.

Pilots can now take advantage of flight planning from their 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 manpower and the hours which are saved in this way are 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 planners is making itself felt primarily in the pocket as the latest systems really provide value for money.

Flight planning tools

Online flight planning saves money, lives, and time. Without an accurate online flight planning system that 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 its planned flight but also to land in an emergency; an unexpected change in landing space can sometimes occur which can result in an aircraft needing to continue 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 that 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 that has until now only been dreamed of.

Planned flight map from Corsica (LFKC) to Paris-Saclay-Versailles (LFFN)

How RocketRoute online flight planning works

Pilots can use RocketRoute online or can phone the operations team for a personal service. Designed for PCs, MAC, Tablets, iPads, and Mobile Phones, RocketRoute Flight Planning is easy to use, fast, and flexible – saving time and money with every trip.

Summary

Nothing is entirely predictable, no weather station is right 100% of the time, and unexpected emergencies can and sometimes do take place on 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 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.

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