The flight identification data is information that identifies the flight. Each leg of a multi-leg flight plan will begin with the flight identification data. During a pilot briefing, the identification data should be verified by the pilot to ensure that the plan is for the correct type of aircraft and that it is correct and complete for the pilots mission. An incorrect aircraft type or routing may invalidate the OPARS CFP.

OPARS allows up to three legs per flight plan. A leg usually refers to a portion of a flight from takeoff to landing, but may refer to a portion of a flight to, from, or between air refueling points, or to, from, or between mission operating areas. An aircrafts Flight or Mission may consist of a single leg, which means that the first place the air-craft lands is the ultimate destination, or it may consist of several legs, which means there are several intermediate stops or landings that the air-craft must make before the ultimate destination is reached.

The flight identification data for each of the Kneeboard formats, the Abbreviated format, the How-goes-it format, and the Tactical format are identical. Look at this information in figure 4-6-1, the 3KB format. The first four printed lines, containing the pilots name, the time the flight plan was computed, the meteorological data base used, the leg number, the departure and arrival points, the date, and the aircraft type are mostly self explanatory. The aircraft type in this case begins with a designation you may be familiar with, P3B, but you may not recognize the additional designators that follow. The 99F5 identifies engine-fuel-use characteristics as identified by the pilot when the plan was requested. The DRAG and EFFiciency figures also are based on the pilots request.

The fifth line contains the estimated time of departure (ETD) in ZULU time (UTC) and the initial cruising flight level in hundreds of feet. The next six printed lines contain information on fuel use, flying times, and aircraft weights; this is the aircrafts fuel/time/weight summary. We will discuss this information later in the lesson. The twelfth printed line is the statement Routing used for this leg, which means the routing summary follows on the next line. In this case, the routing summary is KMRY. . AVE J1 LAX39 . . KNZY.

The three-letter identifiers such as are en route radio navigation aids (navaids). There are several different types of navaids: Non-directional Radio Beacon (NDB); Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN); VHF Omni-directional Range (VOR); VHF Omni-directional Range/ Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC); and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). The navaids transmit coded radio pulses, which are received by the aircrafts radio navigation equipment, which shows the pilot the bearing and distance to the navaid transmitter.

The two dots mean point-to-point routing was used for that portion of the flight (standard high- or low-level routes were not followed).

The J1 between AVE and LAX39 means that Jetroute 1 was followed. Other jetroutes may be identified as J180, J299, etc.

LAX39 is a Radial. These are used in flight plans to indicate a distance from a navaid. In this case, the aircraft is to fly along the J1 jetroute (toward LAX) until it reaches a distance 39 nautical miles from LAX, then it is to depart the jetroute to fly a direct (point-to-point) route to KNZY.

Another type of identifier you will see in the routing is a five-letter identifier such as TRACl or REYES. These are IFR reporting points. When flying an IFR flight plan, the pilot must contact the area Air Traffic Controller at these points.

When briefing a flight using any of the OPARS CFPs you must check the routing used for the flight. Any station briefing CFPs should have a large wall planning chart that shows the standard jetroutes, navaids, and reporting points. Once you familiarize yourself with the routing selected by OPARS, you may then determine the weather along the route and fill in the DD 175-1. 

The MAC format is quite different. See table 4-6-1. It contains the statement OPARS computer 2502232.0.

The second line identifies the departure point, KDEN, the destination, KNGZ, the aircraft type, C9BFNF, the OPARS data base identification *OGB* (which means OPARS 7/08Z-16Z. 

The third line gives a summary of the routing used for the flight. This same type of routing summary is used with the other OPARS CFP formats but is usually found after the fuel/time/weight summary.

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