IFR Flight Plans...Enroute time?

[Flying Illini]

When filing an IFR flight plan and filling out the Enroute Time box, what time goes there? It is airport to airport correct? If so, should you include time to climb and time to descend to the destination airport, or should it just be the time to arrive over that airport? I know that it is NOT the time from departure airport to an IAF.

Thanks!

 

[Deftone45075]

Include time to climb and descend. Although you'll likely be descending at your cruise airspeed, however when you fly something that can exceeed 250 above 10,000 the speed reduction below that altitude would have to be taken into account.

Put in the time from airport to airport, including climb/descent.

 

[scubabri]

If I recall, it's from the time your flight plan is activated and you are airborn on it, to the FAF of your primary destination.

During my training, I asked my instructor about this, and basically, he said, don't calculate time to climb and decend because they basically cancel each other out. During my instrument check ride, asked the DPE about this and he said that my instructor was correct, and that in addition I should keep cruise speed as practical to the FAF.

the AIM just says, Block 7. Enter your estimated time en route based on latest forcast winds

Pretty vauge.

Brian

 

[Deftone45075]

using your cruise speed to the FAF works in a slow airplane where you are below 10,000.

If your airplane has a TAS in cruise of 500 knots, not factoring in the descent (which will require a large speed reduction to 250 below 10,000) will cause you to report an improper enroute time.

I never heard of only using the time from top of climb to top of descent.

Anyone else have any input on this?

 

[scubabri]

OOPS, I goofed, you are right, IAF.. not FAF, my fingers weren't thinking

brian

 

[IP076]

My 2 Cents....


91.169 IFR Flight Plan Information Required

(a)(1) Information required under 91.153 (a) of this part

91.153 VFR Flight Plan Information Required

(a)(6) The point of first intended landing and the estimated elapsed time until over that point.

I would say that this means Liftoff to Touchdown.

No where does it say anything about planning ETE to an IAF.

 

[Deftone45075]

I agree with IP076,

The Regs and the AIM both say elapsed time till over the first point of intended landing.

There is no place in the Regs or the AIM that mentions calculating your time to an IAF. Therefore it IS airport to airport.

 

[Deftone45075]

91.185 strictly deals with two-way radio com. failure. It states that it is advised to leave the clearence limit (if there was one) at the efc time. It has no bearing on how to calculate enroute time.

 

[Deftone45075]

The whole thing about the IAF is for filling your route of flight. When filling an IFR flight plan, you must file a route that ends at an IAF for an IAP to the airport of intended landing. This, however, is not where you stop calculating your elapsed time.

 

[Deftone45075]

But, if you cannot leave the IAF until your ETE has elapsed, why file to anything else?

You wouldn't, but again, the question is not what you file to, it is what to you file for your time enroute. For that purpose, the regs say "elapsed time till over te point of intended landing".

You land at the airport, not at the IAF. And anyway, it takes what?....tw minutes or less to go from an IAF to final. Thats less than 160 seconds. I doubt anyones flight lanning calculations are so accurate that you cannail it down to that. And if you d reac the IAF exactly at the time as planned, are you reall going to hold for the purpase of killing two minutes?