En Route Center controllers: how do you make a FP amendment?

WickedPenguin Junior Member Pensacola

I've got a question for the center guys.

Down here at our TRACON, when we need a flight plan amended (altitude, route, etc.) we have to verbally tell our Flight Data position the changes. Then he or she will physically punch it into the FDIO and advise us when it's been accepted. It's a pain, especially when you've got a complicated amendment to pass on. It takes me longer to explain it than it does for me to just type it in.

I've heard from various sources that center controllers have the ability to do all that from their scope, using their keyboard and trackball to draw in new routes and amend requested cruising altitudes. Can someone give me a few more specifics on that? Can you amend the entire flightplan - including callsign, type, speed, etc. - or are you limited to only certain fields?

DairyCreamer Senior Member Elsewhere

Baby, center controllers ARE the FDIO :-D

We have direct access to all the functions that your single in-facility FDIO does. Basically when you are using the FDIO, we have the same key entries, and often with shortcuts to boot.

One key amends requested altitude (it basically types QZ for us), our RTE key (types QU for us) allows us to put in point-to-point routes. We can do Field 10 amendments to directly alter a flight plan. We can enter full flight plans... in short, anything you can do with your FDIO, we can do at our scope. At least, I can't think of anything we can't do.

I really don't understand why you can't make FDIO entries right from a TRACON scope, personally... programming these days, sheesh.

~Nate

Edit - Yes, we can also use our trackball to draw routes... we call it Route Picking (we have 3 trackball buttons, Pick, Enter, and Home). As long as we tie in the flight plan to an actual fix on the aircraft's route (up to and including the destination airport) then the computer is fine with it... it basically translates the picks to Fix/Radial/Distance points for the computer. The altitude is stupid simple to change, and we do it all the time. If you want any nitty-gritty details, let me know.

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

center keyboards are connected right to the host. so u do the amendment right at the sector. or if u like, u could do it in URET from the D-side (usually lame to use URET as the R-side).

WickedPenguin Junior Member Pensacola

Thanks for all the info, Nate. Very, very helpful. And kinda depressing too. :P

We're upgrading to a new building with STARS in a couple months and I just went through all the CBIs for it. I cannot understand why there's no function in there to make rudimentary changes, like even just an altitude.

So much time gets wasted trying to flag down the data person and convey what needs to be done. It's a real distraction. I'd much rather just be able to type in "AM [CID] 8 [NEW ALT]" or "AM [CID] 6 [FIX] 7 EXX00 10 [FIX]..[FIX2]..[DEST]".

ATCinWI Senior Member Illinois

At my current TRACON facility (which is a small one), we make the FDIO inputs ourselves as the keyboard is right next to the position . . . maybe you should petition for more FDIO computers!

SnowAviation Senior Member Escondido, CA

No, we need to petition for direct access to the host flight plans from the ARTS or STARS computers, but that will never happen. Giving up access means giving up power and the techs who run the center computers would never want to give up any control of the NAS to us lowly Terminal folks.

The system is seriously outdated, for example the archiac entries used to access or enter flight plans is silly. Or better yet how about the totally innane error messages, "Route cannot merge" and then it just reprints the entire route. Now you gotta pull out a chart of eastern Arizona get the damn thing to merge. Oh, wait, after 5 minutes of chart searching you realize you used one dot instead of two between like elements.

Sheesh.

We could get lots of functionality right now, for example at SCT we already can ARTS Force using the F9 key, but so what? if you think about it, it's a non-access function, we are just telling the HOST to re-send data to the ARTS. It's a bitchin' function, don't get me wrong, but if we had full access to at least the same entries that the FDIO enjoys we'd have a much better national airspace system.

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

Amen Snow. +1 fo sho.

the thing i don't get is that center keyboards can access host and change flight plan routes by inputting fix_fix_fix_etc and not use a dot. neither single dot nor double dots. why can't FDIO use the "RTE" key or input routes "by the numbers"???

archaic is right. it's like the computer tech guys have a freakin monopoly on the system and refuse to upgrade at all. even a DOS rookie could write code to accommodate ARTS/STARS access to HOST updates. freakin ridiculous.

atcguruaf Rico Suave AZ

Jeff, would you like some cheese?


haha

rabble rabble rabble rabble

GLF5 Senior Member

Wicked, where I used to work (Up/down) the tracon had 1 FDIO in between the two controllers who shared it if data wasn't there...never was a problem as everything was within arms reach. I know I offer no help but thought I'd give you another view of another place.

boondr PHD without a degree North of the Equator

ARTS/ HOST functions are seriously screwed up. Say there is an airplane who has a screwed up route and a requested altitude that won't work; you have to basically gamble on which one to amend first because if you amend the route first the computer may interpret that the aircraft is already at its requested altitude and when you go to amend the altitude it says "Not your control"

Snowaviation you are so right about the error messages. They NEVER have any correlation to what is actually wrong.