How are the Part 121 pilots obtaining IFR clearances?

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
During a recent really good ground school session on clearances, the instructor provided the usual suggestions on where to listen to practice copying clearances. The list of places and the discussion that followed had me curious as to how the part 121 crews get their clearances?

When doing a few flights at KDAL and KHOU, I would monitor and pick up my clearance on the CD frequency, but never heard SWA being issued their clearances on that freq.

I know they are on an IFR flight plan. So who is issuing them their clearances?
 
ACARS - they are sent right to the fms on the plane or over a dispatch frequency...


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Digitally through ACARS (PDC, or Pre-Departure Clearance).
 
Most of the airports we fly into we just send for it through ACARS. The smaller outstations usually don't have PDC so we have to call clearance delivery.
 
Here's an example of a PDC via ACARS.

pdc-from-acars.jpg
 
press a button here...button there....badda bing....badda boom....takeoff and fly. :D
 
Which is usually why I hit busy GA airports for LiveATC rather than the big Charlie/Bravos.
 
Also, if the airport has a D-ATIS, they can get the ATIS via ACARS and don't have to listen to the recording. Ah, the things I wish the King Air I fly had...
 
ACARS PDC is cool, but it's old technology.

What's being rolled out now (I think there are a few dozen airports in the US that have it) is DCL clearances. This is many times better than PDC. It uses the same FANS equipment that CPDLC uses and it allows Data-Linked Clearances to be uploaded into the FMSs of aircraft. If you get a reroute with a DCL clearance, the FMS will have a "LOAD" prompt, where you can load the amended route into the FMS and execute it, thereby lessening the chance of a lateral deviation.

Here's how you know if the airport has DCL. This is for KEWR. They have both ACARS-PDC clearances and CPDLC-DCL clearances available.
EWR%20DCL.jpg
 
Sluggo63 said:
ACARS PDC is cool, but it's old technology.

What's being rolled out now (I think there are a few dozen airports in the US that have it) is DCL clearances. This is many times better than PDC. It uses the same FANS equipment that CPDLC uses and it allows Data-Linked Clearances to be uploaded into the FMSs of aircraft. If you get a reroute with a DCL clearance, the FMS will have a "LOAD" prompt, where you can load the amended route into the FMS and execute it, thereby lessening the chance of a lateral deviation.

Here's how you know if the airport has DCL. This is for KEWR. They have both ACARS-PDC clearances and CPDLC-DCL clearances available.
EWR%20DCL.jpg
Click to expand...
What does the (Cpt) mean
 
luvflyin said:
Is there anything different about it compared to a clearance freq that doesn't have the (Cpt) Or does Jepp just put that on all of them?
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Honestly, not sure. I haven't spent much time at the super busy airports with a zillion different frequencies. I just looked it up in the Jepp airways manual ;)

But no, the Cpt is not on every Jepp plate.
 
AWACSEng said:
Honestly, not sure. I haven't spent much time at the super busy airports with a zillion different frequencies. I just looked it up in the Jepp airways manual ;)

But no, the Cpt is not on every Jepp plate.
Click to expand...
My guess is its telling you dont even think about taxiing first and then calling for your clearance on the way out to the runway. Or maybe it means only the Cpt can get the clearance, no Fo's allowed, lol
 
Sluggo63 said:
ACARS PDC is cool, but it's old technology.

What's being rolled out now (I think there are a few dozen airports in the US that have it) is DCL clearances. This is many times better than PDC. It uses the same FANS equipment that CPDLC uses and it allows Data-Linked Clearances to be uploaded into the FMSs of aircraft. If you get a reroute with a DCL clearance, the FMS will have a "LOAD" prompt, where you can load the amended route into the FMS and execute it, thereby lessening the chance of a lateral deviation.

Here's how you know if the airport has DCL. This is for KEWR. They have both ACARS-PDC clearances and CPDLC-DCL clearances available.
EWR%20DCL.jpg
Click to expand...

Correct, CPDLC is the future, but ACARS is still a lot of the present. The CPDLC functionality is really cool stuff.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Correct, CPDLC is the future, but ACARS is still a lot of the present. The CPDLC functionality is really cool stuff.
Click to expand...
A friend of mine who is an active Delta pilot told me perhaps 3 or 4 years ago of using CPDLC across the North Pacific. Sounded awesome for me who used INS and HF.
 
Have my FO get it for me :D:D:D

Errr uh I mean via PDC! If the airport has it, as Jordan showed and mentioned above. A lot of the small outstations don't have this so in those instances we call up ground or clearance just like everyone else!
 
Thanks for the responses. Especially explaining there is an electronic "direct to the FMS" method.

I can see where that's super efficient, especially if you were to get a full route clearance like I heard on LiveATC yesterday.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Thanks for the responses. Especially explaining there is an electronic "direct to the FMS" method.

I can see where that's super efficient, especially if you were to get a full route clearance like I heard on LiveATC yesterday.
Click to expand...
Also imagine the frequency congestion on Clearance Delivery at a large airport if they didn't get them that way...
 
For those of us flying airplanes designed in the 21st century we can get our flight plans directly sent to the airplane via AFIS. Really not that much to flying any more. FANS-1A and ADS-C and were out of a job as pilots.
 
And then when you're all cozy in the taxi conga line with your ACARS printout all programmed into the FMS and enjoying life...

"BigJet 1234, Center has a re-route for you, contact Clearance Delivery on XXX.X."

LOL LOL LOL.
 
@denverpilot , super classic, especially on go home day last leg, combined with the vector for spacing

And as someone mentioned imagine how busy the clearance frequency would get... Every now and then airports system goes down and it's a mess trying to get a word in to get a clearance at one of the airline hubs especially during a push! You'll wait for 10 minutes just to get your clearance back, and when the turn is tight that's no fun!
 
Yup... as stated, ACARS. And it loads directly into FMS (not from ATC, that's an ACARS thing) Some airports don't have PDC (and few don't even have ACARS) so it's the old fashioned way.
 
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We also send all our load through ACARS. It gives us all of our numbers (W&B, V speeds, trim setting and emergency departure procedure among numerous other numbers).
--A couple key strokes.
 
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