Section 2. Flight Plan Proposals

6-2-1. FLIGHT PLAN RECORDING

Record flight plans on FAA Form 7233­1, Flight Plan, or electronic equivalent. Completion of all blocks or fields is not required in every case, and all items filed are not always transmitted. Use authorized abbreviations where possible. The instructions below are for completion of FAA Form 7233­1. For electronic versions of flight plan forms, refer to that system's operating instructions.

NOTE-
Use FAA Form 7233­4, International Flight Plan, for international flights as well as flights in domestic U.S. airspace in which automatic assignment of RNAV routes is desired. See para 6­2­3, Flight Plans with Area Navigation (RNAV) Routes in Domestic U.S. Airspace.

a. Item 1. Type of flight plan. Check the appropriate box.

b. Item 2. Aircraft Identification. Enter as follows, but do not exceed seven alphanumeric characters:

1. Civil Aircraft Including Air Carrier. Aircraft letter/digit registration including the letter “T” prefix for air taxi aircraft, the letter “L” for MEDEVAC aircraft, or the three­letter aircraft company designator specified in FAA Order JO 7340.2, Contractions, followed by the trip or the flight number.

EXAMPLE-
N12345
TN5552Q
AAL192
LN751B

NOTE-
The letter “L” must not be entered in Item 2 of the flight plan for air carrier or air taxi MEDEVAC aircraft. Include the word “MEDEVAC” in the remarks section of the flight plan.

2. U.S. Military Aircraft.

(a) Use the military abbreviation followed by the last five digits of the aircraft's number. For certain tactical mission aircraft, enter the assigned three­to­six letter code word followed by a one­to­four digit number. (See TBL 6­2­1)

TBL 6-2-1
Military

(b) Aircraft carrying the President, Vice President, and/or their family members will use the identifiers in the following tables. (See TBL 6-2-2 and TBL 6-2-3)

TBL 6-2-2
President and Family

TBL 6-2-3
Vice President and Family

3. Canadian Military Aircraft. The abbreviations must be followed by a number group not to exceed four digits. (See TBL 6-2-4.)

TBL 6-2-4
Canadian Military

c. Item 3. Aircraft Type. Insert the name or abbreviation (two­to­four alphanumeric characters) of the manufacturer's or military designation. For amateur­built/experimental aircraft, use HXA, HXB, or HXC, in accordance with the FAA Order JO 7110.65, Appendix C, Aircraft Information Specific Homebuilt/Experimental, spell out aircraft type in Remarks.

1. Prefix to Aircraft Type (one­to­two alphanumeric characters). For IFR operations, if the aircraft's weight class is heavy, indicate this with the prefix “H.” If a formation flight is planned, enter the number and type of aircraft; for example, 2H/B52.

2. Suffix to Aircraft Type (one alpha character). Indicate for IFR operations the aircraft's radar transponder, DME, or RNAV (includes LORAN) capability by adding the appropriate symbol preceded by a slant (/). (See TBL 6­2­5.)

TBL 6-2-5
Suffix to Aircraft Type

	Navigation Capability	Transponder Capability	Suffix
RVSM	No GNSS, No RNAV	Transponder with Mode C	/W
	RNAV, No GNSS	Transponder with Mode C	/Z
	GNSS	Transponder with Mode C	/L
No RVSM	No DME	No transponder	/X
		Transponder with no Mode C	/T
		Transponder with Mode C	/U
	DME	No transponder	/D
		Transponder with no Mode C	/B
		Transponder with Mode C	/A
	TACAN	No transponder	/M
		Transponder with no Mode C	/N
		Transponder with Mode C	/P
	RNAV,  No GNSS	No transponder	/Y
		Transponder with no Mode C	/C
		Transponder with Mode C	/I
	GNSS	No transponder	/V
		Transponder with no Mode C	/S
		Transponder with Mode C	/G

NOTE-
The /E and /F suffixes will only be used by aircraft operating to and from airports within the U.S., unless authorized by the controlling authority.

REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.65, Para 2­3­8 and TBL 2­3­10, Aircraft Equipment Suffixes.

d. Item 4. True Airspeed (TAS Knots). Enter two­to­ four digits for TAS in knots; M followed by three digits for Mach number; or SC for “speed classified.”

e. Item 5. Departure Point. Enter two­to­twelve alphanumeric and slant characters for name or identifier of the departure airport or point over which the flight plan is activated.

f. Item 6. Departure Time. Enter departure time in UTC.

g. Item 7. Cruising Altitude. Proposed altitude or flight level using two­to­seven characters; for example, 80 or 080, OTP, OTP/125, VFR, ABV/060.

h. Item 8. Route of Flight. Enter identifiers for airways or jet routes to clearly indicate the proposed flight path. For direct flight, use names or identifiers of navigation aids, Navigation Reference System (NRS) waypoints, and geographical points or coordinates. If more than one airway or jet route is to be flown, clearly indicate the transition points.

NOTE-
1. On some direct flights beyond the departure center's airspace, it may be necessary to include a fix in the adjacent center's airspace or latitude/longitude coordinates, as appropriate, to facilitate computer acceptance. Local procedures should be applied to these special situations.

2. NRS waypoints consist of five alphanumeric characters, which include the ICAO Flight Information Region (FIR) identifier, followed by the letter corresponding to the FIR subset (ARTCC area for the contiguous U.S.), the latitude increment in single digit or group form, and the longitude increment.

EXAMPLE-
“KD34U”

i. Item 9. Destination. Enter two­to­twelve alphanumeric and/or slant characters for name or identifier of the destination airport or point over which the flight plan is to be cancelled.

j. Item 10. Estimated Time En route. Enter in hours and minutes the total elapsed time between departure and destination in four­digit format, for example, 0215.

k. Item 11. Remarks. Information necessary for ATC, search and rescue operations, and any other data pertinent to the flight or provided by the pilot. For RM: field only ­ Use 1­80 characters beginning with *, #, $, or %. (See TBL 6­2­6.)

TBL 6-2-6

l. Item 12. Fuel on Board. Enter in hours and minutes in four­digit format; for example, 0330.

m. Item 13. Alternate Airport/s. Enter the location identifier if specified by the pilot.

n. Item 14. Pilot's Name, Telephone Number, Aircraft's Home Base. Self­explanatory.

NOTE-
Pilot's name not required if BASEOPS/Aircraft Operators name and contact data is provided.

o. Item 15. Number Aboard. Self­explanatory.

p. Item 16. Color of Aircraft. Use authorized contractions when available. (See TBL 6-2-7.)

TBL 6-2-7
Code and Color

NOTE-
1. For ICAO flight plans, see Appendix A.

2. Local procedures may be developed for use on the reverse side of FAA Form 7233-1.

6-2-2. OUTBOUNDS DEPARTING FROM OUTSIDE FLIGHT PLAN AREA

For domestic flight plans, accept flight plans regardless of departure point within the NAS. Forward VFR flight plan proposals for aircraft proposing to depart from outside the facility's flight plan area to the tie­in facility/sector for the departure point. Insert the originator of the flight plan into the “Remarks” field. Transmit the proposed flight plan in the following format:

a. Type of flight.

b. Aircraft identification.

c. Aircraft type.

d. Departure point.

e. Destination.

f. Proposed departure time/ETE.

g. Remarks.

EXAMPLE-
FF PAENYFYX
DTG PAFAYFYX
VFR N1234 BE9L ENA FAI P1330/0130 $FP PAFAYFYX

NOTE-
For civil flight movement messages with remarks, precede the remarks with a dollar symbol ($).

6-2-3. FLIGHT PLANS WITH AREA NAVIGATION (RNAV) ROUTES IN DOMESTIC U.S. AIRSPACE

a. Use FAA Form 7233­4, International Flight Plan, and use the following guidelines for pilots filing flight plans in domestic U.S. airspace if automatic assignment of any of the following RNAV routes are desired:

1. RNAV standard instrument departure (SID);

2. RNAV standard terminal arrival route (STAR); and/or

3. RNAV point­to­point (PTP).

4.  ICAO Flight Plan Procedures are located in Appendix A.