Flight planing

Flying business aircraft abroad is easier if you have service providers who know the intricacies of the environment at your destination.

By Morris Silverman
ATP. G-VI/V/IV, Challenger 601/604, Falcon 2000EX EAsy

There are few aspects in which a bizav pilot’s professionalism is more critical than the planning of an international trip, particularly when it involves challenging countries or airspace.

Careful preparation and effective management of available resources are essential for ensuring the success of such trips. When all aspects are transparent to the passengers, it indicates a job well executed.

At the outset, it is imperative to consider the entry requirements of the destination country, local holidays, US State Dept advisories, and flight time. It is advisable to communicate entry requirements to the passengers to avoid any surprises stemming from unfamiliar requests.

Reviewing the passengers’ documents is essential to ensure that passports are not nearing expiration and to determine if visas are required. Furthermore, if the destination country has specific immunization requirements, it is crucial to note that some vaccines require a few weeks to become effective.

Subsequently, one must examine flight planning requirements, including the day’s duration, augmented crew requirements, and any necessity for intermediate stops for crew changes and refueling, especially if the aircraft cannot reach its final destination non-stop. This stage is also an opportune moment to verify that the crew’s passports, licenses, medical certificates, visas, and immunization schedules are current.

If augmented crew rest time is necessary, it is vital to plan the crew rest schedule accordingly, using appropriate applications for assistance. In addition, if the flight planning department’s safety management system (SMS) permits slight deviations for extended flight times, it may be necessary to request approval from the chief pilot or the designated authority.

The next step involves conducting an airport analysis to assess the feasibility of operating from the destination airport, including runway lengths, deicing facilities for winter trips, proximity to fuel suppliers, customs operating hours, and FBO services. It is also essential to select an appropriate alternate airport. For oceanic crossings, one must remain attentive to weather conditions at the chosen divert fields, ensuring that landing possibilities meet minimum weather requirements.

Share insights with your FO

Engaging in discussions with the first officer (FO) is advisable to share insights and address potential oversights, reinforcing the importance of teamwork during such trips. If oceanic crossings are infrequent, it is recommended to review relevant manuals to prevent errors that may suggest unfamiliarity with critical procedures, particularly those concerning emergency or abnormal situations.

The dispatcher is a vital asset in coordinating all aspects of the trip, including flight plan coordination through international providers such as Universal Aviation, Jeppesen, or ARINCDirect.

Having an experienced, intelligent, and resourceful dispatcher will give you tons of peace of mind because he/she will question the international trip support provider nonstop about all the little details that can go wrong, as well as make necessary queries about local airport idiosyncrasies, fuel availability, dealing with the local authorities, which essential documents to bring (besides those required by ICAO), and generally ask probing questions that will help you understand specific local requirements.

For instance, while both international airports are in the same country, TOL (Toluca, Mexico City, Mexico) and SJD (San José del Cabo, Mexico) operate differently. TOL makes you bring your passengers and crew members off the airplane to go through a very rigorous customs and immigration inspection, with the federal police – canine units included – overseeing the process.

SJD, on the other hand, has a more relaxed atmosphere, with people who help carry your luggage, X-ray procedures that take only a couple of minutes, and taxis just outside waiting to take you to your beautiful hotel.

Briefing your crew

A complete pre-departure brief with your crew is indispensable. You can start by reviewing the trip sheet, where I usually (dating myself) make lots of notes for each leg. Talk to your flight attendant, making sure he/she has enough ice water in the system, catering has been put away, and garbage bins are empty.

Also, make sure that crew responsibilities are assigned and that there’s a plan of action if something goes wrong. No doubt you’re all doing an outstanding job, but a little reminder may save you from departing with your water tanks half empty for a 14-hour flight.

Your crew mates get pretty busy during the time leading up to departure, so you can offer a little help without being intrusive by running into the hangar to grab an extra bucket of ice or anything else if needed.

After that, talk about documents and make sure again that everyone has passports, licenses, medicals, and crew IDs. I have been questioned extensively by airport security because I was the pilot-in-command (PIC) in a Far East country when one of our crew didn’t have his ID on him. That incident cost us half an hour talking to an airport inspector. Luckily, we had arrived with enough lead time to make it a non-event.

Next, talk about flight duration, route conditions (turbulence, weather during departure, cruise or descent, etc), evacuation plan (if needed), signals (if used), and crew responsibilities. Discuss rest periods, and use the app of your preference to assign rest times.

I heard of a flight departing the San Francisco Bay area toward the Far East that had to deviate to Hawaii because the leading passenger had forgotten his passport and visa. Since that incident, I have delegated the double check by the flight attendant that every passenger has their passports with them, checking them visually.

This may be a good point at which to end your participation with the flight attendant and concentrate on the flying part with your co-captain or FO. Have the regular discussions about the operations – taxi, takeoff, SID, cruise, significant weather, oceanic entry procedures (if needed), oceanic cruising, HF radio checks, controller–pilot data link communication (CPDLC) operation procedures and checks, plotting charts (electronic or paper), weather at diversion fields, wet footprints, exiting procedures, weather at destination, weather at alternates, STAR, approach plates… You know the drill.

Communicate with your handler

For me, one of the essential points is to talk to the local handler directly. Query them about any special procedures on their ramp. Is there any construction that may affect taxiing? If traveling to Europe, are the authorities running Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) inspections? Can the limo drivers approach the plane to pick up your passengers, or must they pass through the FBO? Can the security personnel approach the FBO to meet the passengers? Who may be a good English-speaking point of contact with their organization? What are their cell phone numbers?

Locals can provide many valuable tips and information that the international service provider (ISP) back home may not know. It’s the local contacts who will make that portion of your trip smooth. I make a point of always talking to the local handlers, introducing myself, and starting the questions. It has saved my bacon a couple of times.

Unfortunately, in the contemporary aviation landscape, depending on the location of the flight route, PICs must formulate a proactive plan to address potential compromises to navigation systems due to fake or corrupted GPS signals, particularly in some areas of the Middle East. I advocate for a proactive approach. Therefore, I recommend isolating the flight management system (FMS) from GPS signals at least one hour before entering such airspace, relying solely on the onboard inertial reference system (IRS).

Avoid overflying hostile areas

Another less-thought-of point to ponder, which may be one of the most essential items on your flight, is flying over conflict zone airspace. Who can forget the terrible destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, or Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, which crashed in Kazakhstan after being struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile? It is our responsibility to check those areas.

Despite being trained to fly a more direct route to bring our passengers to their destination in the least amount of time possible, sometimes a route deviation may be planned ahead of time, while explaining to the passengers why a routing around the conflict area is an absolute necessity for everyone’s safety.

Coordinate with your flight plan/trip provider. Don’t assume that the trip coordinator will have all the answers, because sometimes they will just take a superficial look at the computerized flight plan and file it for you without knowing what dangers are lurking on the surface.

Although it is acknowledged that there are instances of last-minute travel demands, thorough and advance planning for these types of trip enhances the professional reputation of the flight crew and instills a sense of pride and satisfaction in the successful execution of duties.

Safe travels and happy landings!

Morris Silverman’s aviation career started at age 18 with a small airline in Acapulco, Mexico. He moved to the US to pursue his commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings with FAA. He returned to Mexico, where he served as pilot for the District Attorney and the owner of Pepsi-Cola. He moved back to the US to earn his ATP license and flew Challenger 601 and 604, Falcon 2000EX, and Gulfstream VI, V, and IV bizjets.