Those that are interested in becoming flight or aircraft dispatchers might be surprised to discover that there are actually many different types of flight plans that accomplish different functions, depending on the weather and the flight zone that you will be flying over. As an experienced aircraft dispatching school, Sheffield School of Aeronautics is here to detail what you can expect from your new career and why it’s important to develop different types of flight plans. So, what are the different types of flight plans? Continue reading below to learn more.
What Is VFR Flight Planning?
The first kind of flight plan that you should be aware of is VFR flight planning. VFR stands for visual flight rules. As the name suggests, this has mostly to do with understanding the visual conditions that an aircraft will be undergoing. This is closely linked to the weather. It is generally understood that no person can operate an aircraft when the flight visibility is less than prescribed for the corresponding altitude and class of airspace.
What Is an IFR Flight Plan?
Commercial flights are usually operated on IFR flight plans. An IFR flight plan is filed anytime a flight is conducted in instrument conditions or when they solely use aircraft instruments. On IFR flight plans, pilots rely more on the technology that is at their disposal and assistance from air traffic controllers.
What Is a Composite Flight Plan?
A composite flight plan is a combination of both IFR and VFR flight plans. A composite flight plan is named so because it is a combination of IFR and VFR flight plans. This is useful because one flight plan could “pick up the slack” on one that is not optimal. For example, for flights that will operate in sub-optimal conditions for a portion of the flight, they would use the IFR flight plan.
What Is a Defense VFR Flight Plan?
A defense VFR flight plan is used in Canada and the United States to assist in flights within an air defense identification zone (ADIZ). This type of flight plan is essential if a flight is to deviate into a military zone.
What Is an International Flight Plan?
As the name suggests, an international flight plan is one that is concerned with planes and aircraft that are going to be crossing borders. These are important since they often deal with different rules and regulations depending on the countries that the aircraft will be flying over.
More About Sheffield School of Aeronautics
Sheffield School of Aeronautics is an airline dispatcher school that is dedicated to helping our students gain the skills and certifications that they need to start the career that they want. What makes us one of the top aircraft dispatching schools is our wide collection of flight dispatcher courses, which includes:
- International flight planning
- Extended operations flight planning
- 2-week dispatcher course
- 3-week dispatcher course
- 5-week dispatcher course
- And much more
Contact us today to learn more about flight dispatcher school and how you could become an FAA dispatcher today.
