Post by mrcapitalism on Jan 1, 2022 13:04:00 GMT -5
Hi guys,
I really love the task of navigation (for which I've realized flight simulator is a fantastic tool), so I just can't help but give my thoughts and opinions. Happy 2022 everyone!
Oh yeah, they absolutely still use it. The amount of air traffic across the oceans is mind boggling, but what is being called "pressure pattern" here is in fact being used every single day. If you don't know already, I'd like to introduce you guys to the North Atlantic Tracks.
Here's the post of the current NAT advisory as of the creation of this post. They are used extensively in simulating modern day crossings (as it's plain dangerous to cross high traffic oceans without such standard routing)
Lets talk about weather sources for information.
This isn't the first time I've seen Ventusky, and it's a very slick looking visual interface. They report their data sources as DWD (I think that's Daily Weather Download) and of course NOAA.
My opinion is that this is fine, but it appears to be oriented more towards the general public than flight planning departments.
If you want that authentic experience, my suggestion is to use aviation weather sources for flight planning.
We can stat with the mid level Prognostic chart found at www.aviationweather.gov/progchart/mid
This shows general weather (not just winds) between FL100 and FL450.
If you want to go even into more detail... and this wasn't terribly easy to find.. but not difficult either... here's a constant pressure chart for the North Atlantic Area (perfect for pressure pattern techniques)
Go to the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center at ocean.weather.gov/
They have Atlantic Surface Analysis Charts, and a 500mb Constant Pressure chart, which would be fantastic for flight planning.
Next post talking about pressure pattern techniques.
I really love the task of navigation (for which I've realized flight simulator is a fantastic tool), so I just can't help but give my thoughts and opinions. Happy 2022 everyone!
the method by which aircraft used (and still use?)
Oh yeah, they absolutely still use it. The amount of air traffic across the oceans is mind boggling, but what is being called "pressure pattern" here is in fact being used every single day. If you don't know already, I'd like to introduce you guys to the North Atlantic Tracks.
They are aligned in such a way as to minimize any head winds and maximize tail winds impact on the aircraft. This results in much more efficiency by reducing fuel burn and flight time. To make such efficiencies possible, the routes are created twice daily to take account of the shifting of the winds aloft and the principal traffic flow, eastward in North America evening and westward twelve hours later.
Here's the post of the current NAT advisory as of the creation of this post. They are used extensively in simulating modern day crossings (as it's plain dangerous to cross high traffic oceans without such standard routing)
011408 CZQXZQZX
(NAT-1/3 TRACKS FLS 320/400 INCLUSIVE
JAN 02/0100Z TO JAN 02/0800Z
PART ONE OF THREE PARTS-
U NICSO 48/50 51/40 51/30 53/20 DOGAL BEXET
EAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N211E N201B-
V PORTI 47/50 50/40 50/30 52/20 MALOT GISTI
EAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N155A N141D-
W SUPRY 46/50 49/40 49/30 51/20 LIMRI XETBO
EAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N93A N79A-
END OF PART ONE OF THREE PARTS)
011409 CZQXZQZX
(NAT-2/3 TRACKS FLS 320/400 INCLUSIVE
JAN 02/0100Z TO JAN 02/0800Z
PART TWO OF THREE PARTS-
X RAFIN 45/50 48/40 48/30 50/20 DINIM ELSOX
EAST LVLS 320 330 350 360 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N59C N49C-
Y DOVEY 42/60 44/50 47/40 47/30 49/20 SOMAX ATSUR
EAST LVLS 320 330 350 360 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR NIL-
END OF PART TWO OF THREE PARTS)
011409 CZQXZQZX
(NAT-3/3 TRACKS FLS 320/400 INCLUSIVE
JAN 02/0100Z TO JAN 02/0800Z
PART THREE OF THREE PARTS-
Z SOORY 43/50 46/40 46/30 48/20 BEDRA NASBA
EAST LVLS 320 330 350 360 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR NIL-
REMARKS:
1.TMI IS 002 AND OPERATORS ARE REMINDED TO INCLUDE TMI NUMBER IN
OCEANIC
CLEARANCE READ BACK.
2.ADS-C AND CPDLC ARE MANDATED FOR LEVELS 290-410 IN NAT AIRSPACE.
3.PBCS OTS LEVELS 350-390. PBCS TRACKS AS FOLLOWS
NO ASSIGNED PBCS TRACKS
END OF PBCS OTS.
4.AS PER NOTAM H3523/21,GANDER OCEANIC VERBAL CLEARANCE DELIVERY SVC
NOT AVBL.
EASTBOUND OCEANIC FLT WILL REC CLEARANCE BY MONCTON, MONTREAL OR
GANDER ACC.
OPR ARE TO REQUEST THEIR CLR ON CONTROL FREQ.DATA LINK CLR SERVICE
UNCHANGED.
5.80 PERCENT OF NAVIGATIONAL ERRORS RESULT FROM POOR COCKPIT
PROCEDURES
ALWAYS CARRY OUT PROPER WAYPOINT PROCEDURES.
6.SEE NAT OPS BULLETIN 2015?004 FOR DATALINK CREW PROCEDURES.
ICAO WEBSITE WWW.ICAO.INT
7.EASTBOUND AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN THE OTS MUST COMPLY WITH NAR FLIGHT
PLANNING RULES IN CANADA FLIGHT SUPPLEMENT OR DAILY BOSTON ADVISORY
8.AIRCRAFT EXITING THE NAT INTO TO A DOMESTIC AGENCY SHOULD CONTINUE
TO OPERATE TRANSPONDERS ON CODE 2000 UNTIL OTHERWISE ADVISED BY ATC
SEE ICAO NAT DOC 007 6.8 FOR MORE INFO.
9.AS PER NOTAM H3764/21 SEND RCL 90-60 MINUTES PRIOR TO OCEAN ENTRY
POINT.-
END OF PART THREE OF THREE PARTS)
(NAT-1/3 TRACKS FLS 320/400 INCLUSIVE
JAN 02/0100Z TO JAN 02/0800Z
PART ONE OF THREE PARTS-
U NICSO 48/50 51/40 51/30 53/20 DOGAL BEXET
EAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N211E N201B-
V PORTI 47/50 50/40 50/30 52/20 MALOT GISTI
EAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N155A N141D-
W SUPRY 46/50 49/40 49/30 51/20 LIMRI XETBO
EAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N93A N79A-
END OF PART ONE OF THREE PARTS)
011409 CZQXZQZX
(NAT-2/3 TRACKS FLS 320/400 INCLUSIVE
JAN 02/0100Z TO JAN 02/0800Z
PART TWO OF THREE PARTS-
X RAFIN 45/50 48/40 48/30 50/20 DINIM ELSOX
EAST LVLS 320 330 350 360 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N59C N49C-
Y DOVEY 42/60 44/50 47/40 47/30 49/20 SOMAX ATSUR
EAST LVLS 320 330 350 360 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR NIL-
END OF PART TWO OF THREE PARTS)
011409 CZQXZQZX
(NAT-3/3 TRACKS FLS 320/400 INCLUSIVE
JAN 02/0100Z TO JAN 02/0800Z
PART THREE OF THREE PARTS-
Z SOORY 43/50 46/40 46/30 48/20 BEDRA NASBA
EAST LVLS 320 330 350 360 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR NIL-
REMARKS:
1.TMI IS 002 AND OPERATORS ARE REMINDED TO INCLUDE TMI NUMBER IN
OCEANIC
CLEARANCE READ BACK.
2.ADS-C AND CPDLC ARE MANDATED FOR LEVELS 290-410 IN NAT AIRSPACE.
3.PBCS OTS LEVELS 350-390. PBCS TRACKS AS FOLLOWS
NO ASSIGNED PBCS TRACKS
END OF PBCS OTS.
4.AS PER NOTAM H3523/21,GANDER OCEANIC VERBAL CLEARANCE DELIVERY SVC
NOT AVBL.
EASTBOUND OCEANIC FLT WILL REC CLEARANCE BY MONCTON, MONTREAL OR
GANDER ACC.
OPR ARE TO REQUEST THEIR CLR ON CONTROL FREQ.DATA LINK CLR SERVICE
UNCHANGED.
5.80 PERCENT OF NAVIGATIONAL ERRORS RESULT FROM POOR COCKPIT
PROCEDURES
ALWAYS CARRY OUT PROPER WAYPOINT PROCEDURES.
6.SEE NAT OPS BULLETIN 2015?004 FOR DATALINK CREW PROCEDURES.
ICAO WEBSITE WWW.ICAO.INT
7.EASTBOUND AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN THE OTS MUST COMPLY WITH NAR FLIGHT
PLANNING RULES IN CANADA FLIGHT SUPPLEMENT OR DAILY BOSTON ADVISORY
8.AIRCRAFT EXITING THE NAT INTO TO A DOMESTIC AGENCY SHOULD CONTINUE
TO OPERATE TRANSPONDERS ON CODE 2000 UNTIL OTHERWISE ADVISED BY ATC
SEE ICAO NAT DOC 007 6.8 FOR MORE INFO.
9.AS PER NOTAM H3764/21 SEND RCL 90-60 MINUTES PRIOR TO OCEAN ENTRY
POINT.-
END OF PART THREE OF THREE PARTS)
Lets talk about weather sources for information.
I have never tried it, but that is partly because I have never been able to find weather maps which were sufficiently informative.
My opinion is that this is fine, but it appears to be oriented more towards the general public than flight planning departments.
If you want that authentic experience, my suggestion is to use aviation weather sources for flight planning.
We can stat with the mid level Prognostic chart found at www.aviationweather.gov/progchart/mid
This shows general weather (not just winds) between FL100 and FL450.
If you want to go even into more detail... and this wasn't terribly easy to find.. but not difficult either... here's a constant pressure chart for the North Atlantic Area (perfect for pressure pattern techniques)
Go to the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center at ocean.weather.gov/
They have Atlantic Surface Analysis Charts, and a 500mb Constant Pressure chart, which would be fantastic for flight planning.
Next post talking about pressure pattern techniques.