A few questions about the OFP

[Will C 5]

Hello, I can't find this information elsewhere, so I thought the forum might be able to help. I can understand everything on the attached OFP except for the sections highlighted in blue.

 

1. MFT - What does this stand for?

2. AIR DIST - How is this different than the F/P DIST?

3. ETD, ETA, PLN - How are these different than STD, STA, SKD? It looks like the second set might be based on a generic no-wind scenario, with ETD, ETA, PLN being the times modified for current weather... is this correct?

4. COMP and HD011 - What are these?

5. MSA - Minimum sector altitude, or something else?

6. LEG, ACC, ETO / ATO - What do these mean?

 

And then one other question, not related to anything in blue text... under ATC ROUTE, the route is this:

 

N0501F350 N0501F350 SNTNA2 SYRAH Q128 FLOOD J28 PUB J64 HLC DCT IRK DCT RBS/N0501F370 DCT FWA DCT DJB/N0503F410 DCT SLT DCT LVZ LENDY6

 

(Boldface added.) Meanwhile, the route within PFPX looks like this:

 

SNTNA2 SYRAH Q128 FLOOD J28 PUB J64 HLC DCT IRK DCT RBS DCT FWA DCT DJB DCT SLT DCT LVZ LENDY6

 

The second version is much more familiar to me. What are we to make of the information in boldface in the OFP? They look like waypoints but I can't understand why there would be needed in the OFP.

 

Thanks for your help, everyone.

 

 

 

OFP.pdf

[srcooke 422]

1.  Optimization method used to find the route track:
   MCT = Minimum Cost
   MFT = Minimum Fuel
   MTT = Minimum Time
    
2. Definition HERE
    
3. Correct, ST = Scheduled Time and ET = Estimated Time
   Estimated, can be used for a change to the scheduled departure, arrival takes into account head/tail wind etc. PLN time takes into account the planning adjustments compared to that scheduled, again wind etc will influence this.
    
4. Wind component, H or + indicating headwind, T or - indicating tailwind.
    
5. Minimum Safe Altitude
    
6. LEG = planned time taken between waypoints
   ACC = Accumulated time
   ETO = Enroute Time Over
   ATO = Actual Total
   
   
   Your bold entries in the ATC flightplan,  RBS/N0501F370, indicate a speed and/or altitude change at the given waypoint

 

 

 

[Will C 5]

Thank you, that's very helpful.

 

Regarding the boldface parts of the ATC ROUTE, are they supposed to be intelligible to the flight crew? Here's the first one again:

 

N0501F350

 

Given what you said about changes in speed and/or altitude, I'll deduce that the F350 indicates an initial climb to FL350. That indeed fits with the flight plan. And the subsequent xxxxxF370, xxxxxF370, and xxxxxF410 all make sense now. (Except that I would have expected an intermediate segment at FL390, but that's a question for another day perhaps.) 

 

But what about the first five characters (N0501)? Some kind of code? Again, is the flight crew intended to understand it?

 

Thanks for your time.

 

 

[srcooke 422]

Flightplan speeds can entered as:

 

'N' = Knots

 

'M' = Mach

 

'K' = Kilometers/hour

 

The flightplan is informing ATC of your intended speed and should correspond to the Cost Index / Speed used by the crew.

[Will C 5]

Similar to the issue of TOPCAT importing only values in hectopascals (and not inHg) into PFPX flight plans, it looks like the ATC ROUTE is permanently stuck in ICAO format as well? I can change "Output" to "FAA" in preferences, and then within the PFPX route window, the flight plan shows up in FAA format, but when it comes to the OFP, the version reverts back to ICAO.

 

Not a big deal, I suppose.

[srcooke 422]

The OFP would need to be formatted for the FAA type route, the only section that could be changed is the ATC ROUTE entry, the FPL would remain ICAO.

 

You have a realworld OFP using the FAA entries ? Those I have seen are using ICAO format.

 

I can modify a PFPX OFP if that entry is what you require.

[Will C 5]

I've seen some FAA-style routes on dispatch paperwork from USA domestic regional carriers... but they're from several years ago.

 

As for making a PFPX OFP with an FAA style route -- It's probably not worth the trouble, but thanks for the offer.