¶ OBJECTIVES
After reading this guide you should be able to:
- Select an appropriate NAT or random track for crossing.
- File a correct Atlantic routing in the IvAp flight plan.
- Obtain an oceanic clearance.
- Enter the Atlantic correctly.
- Make a correct position report.
- Exit the Atlantic correctly.
¶ THE ORGANISED TRACK SYSTEM
The Organised Track System comprises of tracks. North Atlantic Tracks that allow aircraft to transit from one side of the North Atlantic to the other.
Now, what are the North Atlantic Tracks? In essence, they are one-way airways. The tracks are defined and governed by two factors:
- The Jetstream
- User Input
The latter largely is affected by the former.
The jetstream is a strong upper-level wind which is poised at the edge of the troposphere. It can reach speeds of 150 knots easily. It blows generally from west to east, hence it is aimed to keep the Westbound Tracks out of it as much as possible. By contrast the Eastbound Tracks are aligned to be in the tracks, thus maximising ground speed.
The tracks are calculated and published twice daily by the control centres at Gander (in Newfoundland) and Shanwick (in the UK and Ireland).
The airlines flying the Atlantic regularly send Preferred Route Messages to Shanwick and Gander indicating their requests. By a rule Shanwick issues the westbound tracks, Gander does the eastbound tracks.
Are there other control centres involved?
Yes, there are, the other key players are Santa Maria, New York, Reykyavik and Bodo, Norway.
¶ Westbound Tracks
The tracks are labelled A-M (No I), A is ALWAYS the northernmost track. Not all track letters are used every day, the exact number of NATs depends on the day of the week and the season as the exact number of flights vary.
Notice how the Tracks are arranged to keep away from the brunt of the Jetstream (bold yellow line at FL340)
¶ Eastbound Tracks
Eastbound tracks are labelled P-Z, this is the maximum scope of tracks, Tracks P, Q, R and S are not always used, this depends on the day of the week, the season and expected traffic volume.
The southern most track is always Z.
Notice the tracks are laid into the jetstream to maximise tailwind use:
¶ NAT Briefing
Having seen the general picture, let's have a look at how the tracks are composed. To find out what the tracks are there are several ways and means:
- You could use SimBrief.com for realistic flightplan briefing and automatic FP filing on IVAO.
- You can use www.blackswan.ch/northatlantictracks.
- Visit Skyvector.com to view active NATs overlayed on charts.
The track separation usually is one degree of latitude parallel to one another, however following a newly introduced trial, we are now working to a reduced separation which can be seen in the example flight that we are doing. Better surveillance now permits our tracks to be as close spaced as half a degree of latitude, which equates to approximately 30nm. More on that a little later, as it affects simming.
¶ How do I read the tracks?
Westbound track:
A SUNOT 58/20 60/30 61/40 62/50 MAXAR
WEST LVLS 310 320 330 350 360 370 380 390
EUR RTS WEST NIL
NAR NIL
A track always consists of:
- an oceanic entry point (OEP)
- five or six coordinate waypoints
- an exit fix.
Above, we can see that our OEP is SUNOT , our coordinate waypoints are: 58/20 60/30 61/40 62/50 and our exit fix is MAXAR.
WEST LEVELS are the available flight levels, in this case you can use FL310-FL330 and FL350-FL390. Why not FL340? In some cases, it is necessary to block off a certain flight level to permit traffic to cross the NATs.
The EUR RTS usually contain a waypoint or two if it is determined to be necessary to force traffic coming on/off the NATs via a certain waypoint. With the free route airspace in Ireland, this is very much a relic of the past, normally you can route fairly liberally to/from wherever needed.
Eastbound track:
R RIKAL 53/50 55/40 56/30 57/20 SUNOT KESIX
EAST LVLS 320 330 340 350 360 370 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N505A N503A-
The NAR stands for North American routes. These are feeder roads to and from the NATs. At times it is necessary to mandate the use of certain routes to certain NATs to harmonise the traffic getting on and off. Although this has become seldom, the NAR is still a great tool to get yourself to/from the NAT to or from any of the US eastern seaboard. These can be viewed on skyvector.com
¶ When can I use the North Atlantic Tracks?
As you may have seen on the websites and in the message, there is a time constraint given. And the time constraint is the deadline to cross 30° West longitude.
Thus:
- The Westbound NATs are available for traffic crossing 30° West between 1130z and 1900Z.
- The Eastbound NATs are available for traffic crossing 30° West between 0100z and 0800z.
- Outside these times in either direction traffic shall file and expect a random routing.
¶ Can I use the North Atlantic Tracks for every destination?
No. The NATs are generally good to use for flights in between North and Central Europe and a corridor along the eastern US and Canada with the cut-off point at a line approximately just west of Chicago and a southern border around Washington DC. To get to another destination you need a random routing, which will be explained later in this guide.
¶ Example Flight - Westbound (via SimBrief)
Head over to SimBrief.com and enter all flight and aircraft info. SB will automatically generate a route based on our paramaters given.
¶ Verifying the correct NAT:
Within the map viewr we can then toggle on NATs East and Significant weather overlays. SB also allows your to turn on wind-barb chart overlay for different FLs.
As we can see the proposed route matches with the expect active tracks for the time of flight.
In this case we will plan on using track U with the OEP JOOPY
Note: It is important to generate your final OFP/Briefing just before the departure. NAT tracks change daily and you can end up filing for a NAT that is no longer in use from the time you did your FP briefing. Simbrief does not accurately provide the correct NAT for the appropriate time of day in the future.
Let's bring up Track U and see what it tells us:
U JOOPY 49/50 51/40 53/30 54/20 DOGAL BEXET
EAST LVLS 340 350 360 370 380 390 400
WEST LVLS NIL
EUR RTS EAST NIL
NAR N269A N263A N261A
We can now see the full oceanic route of track U as well as all available FLs (340-400)
¶ What if I wish to go above or below ?
In this case we will need to insert the oceanic coordinates as actual route waypoints since we are no longer using the Oragnized Tracks. This is then considered Random Routing.
¶ Genereting FlightPlan
Once we are happy we can proceed to generate the OFP. SimBrief will the present us with the final route. By default the map viewer will also show us our ETOPS alternate airports.
In our case:
- CYJT and CYYT in Canada.
- BIKF in Iceland.
- EIKN in Ireland.
¶ Prefile
Final step is to select Prefile on Network and choose IVAO. This will lead us to fpl.ivao.aero with our entire FP pre-filled, now we simply click Submit FPL.
¶ OCEANIC CLEARANCE
To obtain clearance we can go two ways, voice or text. Whichever way we choose we stick to it.
Assuming we are on UNICOM prior to entry, we can simply switch to Shanwick or Gander Radio. If we are under control by any controller, we need to request to leave to get our clearance. Always check with the controller, on event days he will also be able to tell you who you need to call for clearance. The controller will send you to oceanic as soon as practical, after the clearance you need to return to him.
Now, when you tune in to Gander/Shanwick, take a few moments to collect all the information you need. The controller will require the following details:
- Your Routing (NAT Track or Random Route)
- your FL
- your Mach number
- your oceanic entry point with ETA (and the TMI if flying a NAT).
You can retrieve these details from the F-PLAN page in an Airbus or the LEGS page (by selecting RTE Data) in a Boeing.
- Please only call Shanwick once you have all data readily available. "Uhms" and "Ers" on frequency make you sound unprofessional.
- On the first call, STATE YOUR CALLSIGN ONLY AND DO NOT PASS ANY OTHER DATA. There is a good chance you will have to start again if you do as the controller needs to be ready to take your details.
- If the controller says "stand by" he means it. Please keep your finger off the button, don't acknowledge a "stand by" instruction, he has got you on his list, he will call you back, promise
- The most frequent pitfall is failing to read back a clearance. The oceanic clearance must be read back like any other clearance. ONLY on the position reports the readback is reversed.
¶ Phraseology
Pilot: "Shanwick Radio, (Callsign) with request."
ATC: "(Callsign), Shanwick. Hello, pass your message."
Pilot: "(Callsign) request clearance to Montreal via Track E, Flight Level 380, Mach .85. Estimating JOOPY at 1125z. TMI 097."
ATC: "(Callsign), cleared to Montreal via Track E, Flight Level 380, Mach .85."
Pilot: "Cleared to Montreal, Track E, FL380, Mach .85, (Callsign)"
ATC: "(Callsign), readback correct, make next position report at JOOPY with Shanwick on (freqeuncy). Return to previous frequency approved"
Now that we have our clearance, we return either to UNICOM or the previous controller.
Important: if the estimate for our entry point or indeed any point during the crossing changes by more than 3 minutes, we must inform the controller immediately, as a new clearance may become necessary.
¶ Re-cap on clearance
- Get your clearance in good time (latest 30 minutes to entry, maximum 90 minutes or on the ground if your departure is within 30 minutes of your estimated Oceanic entry point).
- Have your request details ready.
- State your callsign only on first contact.
- If asked to standby, wait patiently.
- If your ETA changes by more than 3 Minutes +/-, report this immediately to the controller
- Datalink means you stay on datalink, voice means you stay on voice, no changeover except when specifically instructed to by the controller. •After entry squawk 2000 within 30 minutes.
¶ Cannot find ATC in Altitude
Here is the reason: The network allows pilots only to contact stations to which you are in range, this range is a circle of 1000nm around a centerpoint. 1000nm does not allow for complete Coverage of the airspace and a buffer to get the clearance. If you cannot tune Shanwick, please send the controller a chat message, he will move the centrepoint for you to be able to tune.
If your flight time to your entry point is less than 30 minutes, and you are on the ground, you must request clearance on the ground using your estimated time for your entry waypoint. Once airborne, check this estimate and revise with the controller, as necessary.
¶ ENROUTE IN THE TRACK
The flight is progressing nicely and Speedbird 172 has reached JOOPY on the specified time. ATC gives the following instruction:
ATC: "Speedbird 172, report JOOPY to Gander Radio on 127.850, good day."
Pilot: "Report JOOPY to Gander Radio on 127.850, Speedbird 172, good day."
When tuning in, remember to take some time to listen for other radio traffic. Any traffic on the frequency consists of a position report, a readback by the controller, and the confirmation by the pilot that the readback is correct. There is NO POINT blabbing in, you will need to wait in line to be processed and stepping on a readback will only prolong your wait and have a hit on the efficiency.
Write down your details on a piece of paper, or use this document to help you put down all the Information necessary and make sure you have all your data.
The data required for a position report is located on the following FMC Pages:
¶ Position Report
A position report consists of:
- Waypoint just passed and actual time of arrival
- Flight level
- Mach speed
- Next estimated waypoint and ETA
- Waypoint thereafter
Our tutorial flight position report therefore looks like this:
Speedbird 172 (callsign) has passed JOOPY (Position) at Time 03:26 Zulu (Time), flight level 350, Mach decimal 85, Estimating 4-9 North 3-0 West at 00:50 Zulu (Name+ETA next waypoint), 5-1 North 4-0 West next (NAME ONLY of Waypoint thereafter).
Example
Pilot: "Gander, hello, Speedbird 172 heavy, position report."
ATC: "Speedbird 172 heavy, Gander, roger, standby."
Just wait patiently for the controller to be ready to take your details, he will call you.
ATC: "Speedbird172, pass your message."
Pilot: "Speedbird 172 passed JOOPY at 0-3-2-6, FL 350, Mach decimal 85, estimating 4-9 North 3-0 West at 0-0-5-0, next 5-1 North 4-0 West."
ATC: "Speedbird 172 has passed JOOPY at 0-3-2-6, FL 350, Mach decimal 85, estimating 4-9 North 3-0 West at 0-0-5-0, next 5-1 North 4-0 West."
Pilot: "Speedbird 172 heavy, readback correct."
The same principle applies at every waypoint you pass, or latest 45 minutes after the last position report. Especially on random routings the fixes may be further apart than 45 minutes.
¶ SELCAL
SELCAL, or 'Selective Calling', is like a phone number. It allows controllers to reach a pilot even if he is not actively listening on frequency. Over the Atlantic in real life, voice communication is handled over HF radio as VHF does not have enough range to cover the Atlantic. HF radio quality is poor, lots of background noise, which makes monitoring the frequency very tedious on the ears.
SELCAL allows the pilot not to have to continuously monitor the frequency.
How is SELCAL generated?
Via a combination of four letters. Valid characters are: ABCDEFGHJKLMPQRSTUVWXYZ123456789.
https://www.avdelphi.com/selcal.html Preview your SELCAL code.
How do I use the SELCAL?
Following the first position report, the pilot can request a SELCAL check.
Pilot: "Speedbird 172, readback correct. Request SELCAL check: Delta Golf Foxtrot Papa".
ATC: "Roger, standby".
The controller will activate the SELCAL and send it, a two-tone sound indicates a good SELCAL check.
Pilot: "Speedbird 172, SELCAL received."
If no SELCAL sound is heard:
Pilot: Speedbird 172, negative SELCAL."
If the SELCAL is OK you may turn down the volume, you have to remain within general earshot, however. If the SELCAL fails, you must remain on voice.
¶ Speed and Level Changes
It is a common request. You can by all means ask for a step-climb or speed change. However, it is NOT GUARANTEED that you can get one. To get a step climb there needs to be at least a window of 15 minutes on the crossing levels to allow for it. It is therefore wise to climb as high as possible before oceanic entry, it is less fuel-burning to fly above your optimum for a while than below it. That way you can make another step climb at the end of the Atlantic crossing to compensate for it.
There are multiple ways to request a step climb or speed change, you can ask for it direct, or you add it on your position report:
Pilot: "Speedbird 172 passed JOOPY at 0-3-2-6, FL 350, Mach decimal 85, estimating 4-9 North 3-0 West at 0-0-5-0, next 5-1 North 4-0 West. Request FL370 at 0120 Zulu"
Pilot: "Speedbird 172, Request FL370 at 4-9 North 3-0 West "
ATC: "Speedbird 172, Climb FL370, report reaching."
You still must explicitly be cleared to climb or descend however and MUST NOT do so without ATC clearance.
The bottom line:
- Don't plan your flight to be dependant on a step-climb when crossing the North Atlantic but you can ask.
You must not however, change anything on your clearance (unless with the permission of the controller), this includes speed (with the exception of OWAFS, as detailed below) and level changes.
¶ Operations Without An Assigned Fixed Speed (OWAFS):
Recently, a new trial has been running over the Atlantic called "Operations Without An Assigned Fixed Speed", OWAFS for short. Before this trial, you needed to pick a speed within .01 of Mach and stick with it. This new operation allows you to fly the ECON speed in your FMC, which varies over time, usually reducing before increasing again after a step-climb.
To request this:
- First request and obtain a clearance as per normal, this clearance will include a fixed speed as a back-up.
- Then indicate to the controller at the end of the clearance conversation that you request OWAFS.
- After your first position report, if OWAFS is possible, the controller will instruct you to "resume normal speed", then you can fly the ECON Speed.
- If OWAFS is not possible, the controller will say "Operations Without an Assigned Fixed Speed unavailable", which means you need to fly the cleared Mach number.
IMPORTANT: IF YOUR OWAFS speed changes by more than 0.02 Mach, it is your DUTY to inform the controller.
¶ Changing Frequency at 30°W
Passing 40°W going eastbound or 20°W going westbound, if there is more than one controller, you will be instructed to make the next position report to Shanwick or Gander Radio respectively.
Remember, you need to remain on the current frequency until you are ready to make your next position report at 30°W; then you may change to the next frequency.
¶ Leaving the track
When you pass 20°W going eastbound or 50°W going westbound ATC will pass you information on which controller to contact next. When you contact that controller, you will be given a squawk, once you are identified no further position report will be needed and you continue on your merry way.
¶ RANDOM ROUTING
Why do we need random routings?
- As already discussed, the NATs carry the following time constraints:
- Westbound NATs: aircraft need to pass 30°West between 11:30Z and 19:00Z in order to be considered on a valid westbound NAT.
- Eastbound NATs: aircraft need to pass 30°West between 01:00Z and 08:00Z in order to be considered on a valid eastbound NAT.
- Not all destinations can be reached sensibly by NATs. The NATs predominantly serve traffic Central and Northern Europe to/from: the Eastern seaboard of the USA, the eastern airports from Canada and as far as approximately where a Vertical line running through Chicago from the US-Canadian border and a horizontal line from Atlanta meet.
-
As the NATs are not always stable there are exceptions and on occasions even flights to/from Los Angeles and San Francisco can be routed over the NATs. Especially at night it can be worthwhile to allow for a longer route to benefit from the jetstream.
-
Flights to Miami, the Texan coast, the Caribbean (Juliana, TNCM) the Central Americas and Northern South America will most certainly however fly via a random routing.
Now, what is a random routing?
A random routing is a route chosen by the pilot which will usually try and follow the great circle (shortest distance across our planet, remember?) as closely as possible. We therefore can liberally plan a routing on our own.
We must observe but a few rules:
- Stay clear of the NATs by at least 1 degree of latitude.
- Random routings running exact opposite direction to active NATs are a no-no.
- Crossing the NATs usually is only possible on the southern NATs on only one flight level. It is therefore possible, but NOT RECOMMENDED.
- At a minimum of every 10 degrees of longitude, a fix must be inserted into the flight plan.
- If flying into Santa Maria OCA or New York OCA (Caribbean flights) a fix should be made on the FIR boundary at 45°N or 44°N as that is the boundary between Shanwick to Santa Maria and Gander to New York respectively.
¶ Planning Random Route
- Similar as to the NAT, you need to indicate a Mach Number and a flight level.
- Waypoint format in the route is ddNdddW, this means that 46 North 15 West becomes 46N015W.
- Changes of speed or flight level need to be formatted /MxxxFxxx , replacing the Xs with the numbers
- DCT must only be inserted between the last FIX of your domestic route (typically the entry point) and the first Oceanic waypoint (usually a coordinate) and then only between the last FIX of the Oceanic waypoint (coordinate) and the first RNAV waypoint on the other side.
DO NOT INSERT "DCT" BETWEEN COORDINATES ALONG THE TRACK.
The correct routing portion for the Oceanic airspace should look like this:
… SEPAL DCT 46N015W 45N020W/M082F360 41N030W 36N040W/M082F380 29N050W DCT RKDIA/N0472F380 …
This route is a mere example, please make sure you plan your own routing on the day you fly.
¶ Random route clearance
The procedure for obtaining a random routing clearance is very similar to a NAT. There are however two key differences:
- The pilot must tell ATC all the waypoints between entry and exit point, the whole routing from SEPAL to RKDIA (if we use the route above as an example).
- The clearance readback will also need to contain all the waypoints that ATC clear you for.
Example
Pilot: "Shanwick, good afternoon, Air France 3510 heavy."
ATC: "Air France 3510 heavy, Shanwick, pass your message."
Pilot: "Air France 3510 heavy, request Juliana via random routing, LAPEX, 46 North 15 West, 45 North 20 West, 41 North 30 West, 36 North 40 West, 29 North 50 West, RKDIA, FL320, Mach decimal 85, estimating LAPEX at 0955z."
ATC: "Air France 3510 heavy, cleared to Juliana via random routing LAPEX, 46 North 15 West, 45 North 20 West, 41 North 30 West, 36 North 40 West, 29 North 50 West, RKDIA, FL320, Mach decimal 85."
Pilot: "Air France 3510 heavy, cleared to Juliana via random routing LAPEX, 46 North 15 West, 45 North 20 West, 41 North 30 West, 36 North 40 West, 29 North 50 West, RKDIA, FL320, Mach decimal 85."
ATC: "Air France 3510 heavy, readback correct, return previous freq. Report LAPEX."
Pilot: "Wilco, Air France 3510 heavy."
¶ Position report
Pilot: "Shanwick, Air France 3510 heavy, position report."
ATC: "Air France 3510 heavy, pass your message."
Pilot: "Air France 3510 heavy, Passed LAPEX at 0955Z, FL320, Mach decimal 85, estimating 46 North 15 West at 1020Z, 45 North 20 West is next."
ATC: "Air France 3510 heavy Passed LAPEX at 0955Z, FL320, Mach decimal 85, estimating 46 North 15 West at 1020Z, 45 North 20 West is next."
Pilot: "Readback correct, Air France 3510 heavy."
¶ KEY MESSAGES TO TAKE HOME
- Pick a suitable routing.
- Make sure the coordinates of your desired track are in your FMC.
- Know the time-constraints for the NATs and file your flight plan accordingly.
- Do not put any DCTs in the 'Route' field when using Datalink, accept after the first and last FIX.
- Obtain your clearance in good time, follow instructions carefully.
- "STAND BY" means wait, it does not require an acknowledgement.
- Always readback the clearance.
- Do not expect step climbs, especially on the NAT tracks.
Always fly the clearance as directed by the controller. It may differ from what you requested.
¶ APPENDIX A: FLYING INTO/OUT OF GREENLAND
¶ INBOUND
- Flights into Greenland still need to file a valid oceanic routing consisting of an entry point, a fix at 50°West and at 40°West.
- Position reports are made as per normal.
- Descents will be cleared at pilot's discretion with a release from frequency passing FL 190.
¶ OUTBOUND
- Clearance requests should be made ideally 30 minutes before Oceanic entry, ideally on the ground, but if not practical, it should be requested as soon as practical after departure.
- The same routing rules apply flying towards Canada as from Canada.
- Flights will be uncontrolled and receive limited traffic information until passing FL190.
¶ APPENDIX B: FLYING INTO/OUT OF ICELAND
- Flights to Iceland should aim to plot a fix for easier entry at the boundary (61° North east of 30° West, thereafter, increasing to 63° 30' North.
- Clearance should be sought with 30 minutes to entry.
- If unable to tune Shanwick please send a text message to the controller.