Brave New World

Toward the back of the magazine youre holding in your hand, in our Quick Turns department, theres a news item about the FAA formally transitioning to the ICAO-standard/international flight plan form for all domestic non-military operations. If youve been paying attention over the last few years, as we have, youll be happy to know a process that has seen several earlier deadlines come and go seems to have finally staggered across the finish line. As of August 27, the international flight plan form is the law of the land, so to speak.

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, October 01, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has formally transitioned to the ICAO-standard flight plan form for all domestic non-military operations as of August 27.
With the January 1, 2020, ADS-B mandate approaching, the FAA is clarifying procedures for aircraft operators to anonymize their ADS-B Out data for privacy.
Anonymity solutions differ by ADS-B standard: 978 UAT will see clarified guidance for VFR anonymous mode, while 1090ES users may be offered alternate, temporary ICAO codes to prevent aircraft tracking.

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Toward the back of the magazine you’re holding in your hand, in our Quick Turns department, there’s a news item about the FAA formally transitioning to the ICAO-standard/international flight plan form for all domestic non-military operations. If you’ve been paying attention over the last few years, as we have, you’ll be happy to know a process that has seen several earlier deadlines come and go seems to have finally staggered across the finish line. As of August 27, the international flight plan form is the law of the land, so to speak.

In our October 2016 issue, we wrote, “Beginning in early 2017, [the ICAO form] will be necessary for filing domestic flight plans, too, both IFR and VFR, as well as DVFR and for the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) surrounding Washington, D.C. The switchover was to occur earlier this year, then it was to go into effect on October 1.”