Whenever we fly from point A to point B, many of us use the Victor airway system. We pick a route that offers us the smallest increase beyond a great circle distance, or the highest groundspeed and these days, especially perhaps the widest berth from unfriendly airspace. Not always will we get the route we filed and, too often, 288
Going (And Being) Direct
Whenever we fly from point A to point B, many of us use the Victor airway system. We pick a route that offers us the smallest increase beyond a great circle distance, or the highest groundspeed and these days, especially perhaps the widest berth from unfriendly airspace. Not always will we get the route we filed and, too often, the cleared route will put us at a major disadvantage.
Key Takeaways:
- Air Traffic Control often assigns circuitous routes and denies direct requests due to the inherent complexities of maintaining aircraft separation, the structured National Airspace System (NAS), inter-facility coordination via Letters of Agreement (LOAs), and real-time traffic management.
- These seemingly inefficient routes are a necessity for safely managing high-speed aircraft within limited airspace sectors, balancing traffic flow, and accommodating various operational constraints like weather deviations or other priority traffic.
- Despite these systemic complexities, pilots are strongly encouraged to proactively communicate and negotiate with ATC for more favorable routes by clearly stating their needs and employing strategies such as asking, informing, dealing, and persevering.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
