Smarter Than Direct

Dont you hate it when this happens? November 12345, I have an amendment to your clearance...advise when ready to copy. Then ATC gives you the barely pronounceable name of a waypoint you never heard of. Youre given a re-route around restricted airspace or a military operations area (MOA) that just went hot. Or youre making a short positioning flight in IMC, and have to make rapid-fire GPS flight plan updates and heading changes when youre cleared for a approach just as youre leveling off from climb.

Tom Turner

Thursday, July 26, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Filing "direct" often results in unexpected re-routes and increased pilot workload, especially in complex airspace or when encountering active restricted areas.
To reduce in-flight workload and increase predictability, pilots should plan smarter routes by anticipating ATC's needs, such as routing around known obstacles or incorporating Standard Terminal Arrivals (STARs).
Pre-programming flight plans with anticipated waypoints or initial approach fixes minimizes on-the-fly programming, enhancing safety during critical phases of flight like departures and arrivals.
Pilots can leverage resources like FAA IFR Preferred Routes (Chart Supplement) and EFB app route advisors to identify commonly accepted ATC routes, reducing the likelihood of clearance amendments.

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Don’t you hate it when this happens? “November 12345, I have an amendment to your clearance…advise when ready to copy.” Then ATC gives you the barely pronounceable name of a waypoint you never heard of. You’re given a re-route around restricted airspace or a military operations area (MOA) that just went hot. Or you’re making a short positioning flight in IMC, and have to make rapid-fire GPS flight plan updates and heading changes when you’re cleared for a approach just as you’re leveling off from climb.

The tremendous utility, accuracy and repeatability of GPS allows us to file and fly direct routings much of the time. But if you’re a fan of airport-to-airport, point-to-point flight plans and routings, chances are good you’ll have to deal with attention-grabbing updates from ATC. To reduce your workload and limit the number of revised routings—to “plan your flight and fly your plan” with greater predictability—sometimes it helps to plan and file more smartly than simply hitting the Direct button.