Chapter 4. In‐Flight Services

Section 1. General

1. DESCRIPTION

In-flight services are those provided to or affecting aircraft in-flight or otherwise operating on the airport surface. This includes services to airborne aircraft, such as:

1. ATC clearance relay.
2. Voice communications for designated portions of ARTCC airspace.
3. Flight progress reports.
4. Advisories or requests.
5. Issuance of military flight advisory messages.
6. NOTAM delivery.
7. SAR communications searches.
8. Flight plan handling.
9. Transcribed or live broadcasts.
10. Weather observations.
11. PIREP solicitation and dissemination.
12. Pilot briefings.

1. PRE‐DUTY REQUIREMENTS

1. Familiarization. Prior to assuming in-flight duties, specialists must familiarize themselves with meteorological and aeronautical conditions in accordance with appropriate facility directives. After assuming duties, specialists must continue to review data during the watch to maintain comprehensive knowledge of conditions affecting operations. This includes:

1. General locations of weather-causing systems and general weather conditions.
2. Detailed information of current and forecast weather conditions for the assigned FPA or AOR.
3. Aeronautical information; particularly, NOTAMs, SUAs, TFRs, and air traffic delays.

1. Transfer of position responsibility. Specialists must accomplish the transfer of position responsibility in accordance with paragraph 2-1-3, Transfer of Position Responsibility, of this order.

1. OPERATIONAL PRIORITY

Provide in‐flight services in accordance with the procedures in this chapter to aircraft on a “first come, first served” basis, as circumstances permit.

1. Aircraft in distress have priority over all other aircraft.

1. Treat air ambulance flights as follows:

1. Provide priority handling to civilian air ambulance flights when the pilot, in radio transmissions, verbally identifies the flight by stating “MEDEVAC” followed by the FAA authorized call sign or the full civilian registration letters/numbers. Specialists must use good judgment in each situation to facilitate the most expeditious movement of a MEDEVAC aircraft.

1. Provide priority handling to AIR EVAC and HOSP flights when verbally requested by the pilot.

1. Assist the pilots of MEDEVAC, AIR EVAC, and HOSP aircraft to avoid areas of significant weather and adverse conditions.
2. If requested by a MEDEVAC, AIR EVAC, or HOSP pilot, provide additional assistance (for example, landline notifications) to expedite ground handling of patients, vital organs, or urgently needed medical materials.

1. Provide maximum assistance to aircraft performing a SAR mission.
2. Provide special handling to expedite, as required, to aircraft engaged in flight inspections, also known as Flight Check. Unless otherwise agreed to, maintain direct contact with the pilot and provide information regarding known traffic in the area and request the pilot's intentions.

1. IN‐FLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFINGS

1. Upon request, provide en route aircraft with pertinent weather information applicable to the phase of flight, altitude, and/or route.
2. Provide in-flight weather briefings in accordance with the procedures outlined in Chapter 5, Pre-Flight Services.
3. When conditions dictate, provide information for alternate routes and/or altitudes to assist the pilot in the avoidance of hazardous flight conditions.

1. AIRCRAFT‐REPORTED NAVIGATIONAL EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS

1. Aircraft-reported NAVAID malfunctions are subject to varying circumstances. When an aircraft reports a ground-based NAVAID malfunction, take the following action:

1. Request a report from a second aircraft.
2. If the second aircraft reports normal operations, if able, inform the first aircraft. Record the incident on FAA Form 7230-4, Daily Record of Facility Operation.
3. If the second aircraft confirms the malfunction:

1. Notify the appropriate IFR control facility or sector.
2. Notify Tech Ops personnel.
3. Take NOTAM action when requested by Tech Ops personnel.
4. Record the incident on FAA Form 7230-4.

1. In the absence of a second aircraft report:

1. Notify Tech Ops and advise what time the initial aircraft reported the failure and when a second aircraft report might be obtained.
2. Record the incident on FAA Form 7230-4.

1. When an aircraft reports GPS/GNSS anomaly:

1. Request the following information:

1. Aircraft call sign and type of aircraft.
2. Date and time of the occurrence.
3. Location of anomaly.
4. Altitude.

1. Record the incident on FAA Form 7230-4.
2. Forward this information to the traffic management unit and Tech Ops personnel.

1. When an aircraft reports a WAAS anomaly, request the following information and/or take the following actions:

1. Determine if the pilot has lost all WAAS service.

1. If the pilot reports receipt of any WAAS service, acknowledge the report, and continue normal operations.
2. If the pilot reports loss of all WAAS service, report as a GPS anomaly using procedures in subparagraph 4-1-5b.

1. When an aircraft reports an ADS-B services malfunction (for example, ADS-B, TIS-B, FIS-B, or ADS-R):

1. Request the following information:

1. Aircraft call sign and type of aircraft.
2. Date and time of observation.
3. Location and altitude of anomaly.
4. Condition observed (or anomaly).
5. Type and software version of avionics system.

1. Forward this information to an OCC or SOC as appropriate.
2. Record the incident on FAA Form 7230-4.

1. RECORDING IN‐FLIGHT INFORMATION

1. Record all actions taken in the provision of in-flight services.

1. Aircraft contacts.

1. When using flight progress strips, if the station has the aircraft's flight plan, enter “FP” in item 14 on the strip to show the flight plan is on file at the facility.
2. If there is no flight plan on file for the aircraft, specialists must obtain the following from the aircraft:

1. Aircraft identification.
2. Type of flight.
3. Time of contact.
4. Other operationally significant items.

1. If the in-flight position is recorded, you may limit entries in the aircraft contact portion of the strip to those necessary for your use.
2. The following should be logged using the symbols in TBL 4-1-1 and TBL 4-1-2:

1. Type of briefing - standard, abbreviated, or outlook.
2. Type of flight - IFR, VFR, or DVFR.
3. Category of flight - air carrier, air taxi, military, or general aviation.
4. Aircraft identification.
5. Type of service - airport advisory, clearance request.
6. Remarks. Operating position if not automatically logged by the operational system.

1. Flight plans and related messages (for example, modifications, cancellations, activations, and closures). When closing an active VFR flight plan, obtain departure point and destination, if not already known.

1. ATC clearances.
2. Pilot briefings.
3. Weather and flight data messages.
4. Other operationally significant actions.

1. In-flight contacts may be logged in the operational system, the multi-touch electronic flight strip (EFS) system, or other facility approved alternate forms.
2. Locally approved procedures may be used to manually record data during heavy traffic periods or system outages and should be logged in the operational system as soon as practicable.
3. Use control/clearance symbols, abbreviations, location identifiers, and contractions for recording position reports, traffic clearances, and other data.
4. When recording data, you may use:

1. Plain language to supplement data when it will aid in understanding the recorded information.
2. Locally approved contractions and identifiers for frequently used terms and local fixes not listed in either FAA Order JO 7340.2, Contractions, or FAA Order JO 7350.9, Location Identifiers. Use only within your facility, not on data or interphone circuits. All locally approved contractions and identifiers must be available in facility files for record and reference purposes.

1. When recording data manually, use the standard hand-printed characters shown in TBL 4-1-3 to prevent misinterpretation.

1. To correct or update data, draw a horizontal line through it and write the correct information adjacent to it.
2. Do not erase any item.

1. FLIGHT PROGRESS STRIPS AND ENTRY DATA

1. When officially used to record in-flight data, use the multi-touch EFS to record:

1. Aircraft contacts.
2. ATC clearances.
3. Pilot briefings on airborne aircraft.
4. Other operationally significant items.

1. Locally approved procedures may be used to manually record flight progress during heavy traffic periods or system outages and should be logged in the multi-touch EFS as soon as practicable.
2. Use a flight progress strip for each aircraft and record all contacts with that aircraft on the same strip. If supplemental strips are needed for additional writing space, keep the original and supplemental strips together.

1. Flight progress strip (see FIG 4-1-1).

1. Flight progress strip entry examples (see FIG 4-1-2 and FIG 4-1-3).

1. Flight progress strip item and information (see TBL 4-1-4).

1. Flight progress strip abbreviations (see TBL 4-1-5).

1. Record ATC instructions and clearances completely and exactly.
2. Summarize other data using approved symbols and contractions. See FIG 4-1-4 and FIG 4-1-5.
3. Do not record issuance of altimeter setting unless that is the only information provided during the contact.