Air Canada CPDL

[ILB]

I understand Air Canada pilots get their Pre-Departure clearance by data link.

Do you also use the system in flight?

In domestic airspace?

In oceanic airspace instead of HF?

On all types?

Thanks. Just curious.

[JW]

Many places allow the clearances to be picked up by datalink. There are exceptions. CPDLC and/or ADS are used to avoid having to do direct communication via HF. You still check in an assigned HF to monitor via SELCAL as a backup. CZEG center uses ADS only so far, and the area is generally pretty well covered by PAL VHF freqs. With CPDLC, you can input requests, or acknowledgments that will be sent via SAT. Position reports are automatic. ADS doesn't have a direct text input/com.

[AIP]

CPDLC and PDC via datalink are not the same things.

All Air Canada aircraft normally receive IFR Clearance via datalink while on the gorund, both in Canada and the U.S..

The B777 and A330 are CPDLC/ADS capable. The B767 may be part of the ADS crowd in the near future as well.

The E175/E190 have capability to also request IFR clearance via datalink. Not sure about the other types.

[ILB]

Thanks for the replies.

So...the IFR pre-departure clearance is received by datalink, but the datalink technology used is not CPDLC? Is it like ACARS?

And the aircraft that do have CPDLC, can you use it for requesting and acknowledging clearance instead of using voice VHF?

Is there an operational advantage to this technology? As I understand it, you still must have the heavy HF radio installations, this is just more convenient, correct?

[Trader]

With CPDLC you will have a distinct log-on address specific to the ATC unit. Once connected you can give position reports make requests, receive requests and responses via pre-formatted statements and free text. The HF is simply a backup. Definately beats using HF (especially with Mumbai )!!

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~cjr/CPDLC.htm

[ILB]

Thanks again for the replies.

That link in particular was very informative.

One last question, do you use CPDLC enroute over southern Canada and/or continental US?

(BTW, I'm a WS line pilot. We obviously don't have this technology)

[HHI]

Thanks again for the replies.

That link in particular was very informative.

One last question, do you use CPDLC enroute over southern Canada and/or continental US?

(BTW, I'm a WS line pilot. We obviously don't have this technology)

CPDLC gives us direct contact with ATC instead of us using HF to call a radio operator (San Francisco Radio) who relays our request to Oakland Center who replies to San Francisco Radio who then relays back to us via HF. The CPDLC interface has templates for requests such as altitude changes, route offsets, report level, etc... in addition to some free text comments in some of these templates and a plain free text request.

In additon, on the B777 when we received an altitude or HF or VHF frequency from ATC, if we leave the message on screen and set the altitude window or the radio frequency to the new one the altitude or frequency in the ATC message displayed turns from white to green.

Henry

[ILB]

Sounds like some nice-to-have features. Maybe next type fifteen years from now.

[X-DieselNiner]

AC and other airlines get their PDC by ACARS/data link. For the most part in North America it comes automatically. In Europe some stations allow ACARS to be used to request and confirm the clearance. (I think YUL has moved to a similar system - you request the clearance via ACARS and confirm/`readback' the clearance via ACARS)

On the Atlantic in some areas you can request, receive and `readback' your Oceanic Clearance via ACARS prior to entering the OCEANIC sector. (Gander, Shanwick - not ICELAND are the ones I had experience using)Once on the OCEANIC sector CPDLC would/could be used.

As well, you can use ACARS for company communications - messages to dispatch, maintenance, Load Data, etc. and get weather (TAFORs, METARs etc.) It was great getting the information off the printer - hard copy along with not having to compete with other aircraft to get your clearance, load data, etc.

[JW]

On the Atlantic in some areas you can request, receive and `readback' your Oceanic Clearance via ACARS prior to entering the OCEANIC sector. (Gander, Shanwick - not ICELAND are the ones I had experience using)Once on the OCEANIC sector CPDLC would/could be used.

BIRD works!

I'm amazed at how fast the EGGX replies with Oceanic...vs say CZQX!!

[ILB]

We have ACARS on the 73NGs also, but use it only for receiving text weather, sending and receiving free text messages with company, uploading T/O performance numbers, and receiving landing performance numbers. No capability (or at least not enabled) to communicate with ATC or ARINC.

[X-DieselNiner]

BIRD works!

I'm amazed at how fast the EGGX replies with Oceanic...vs say CZQX!!

You can get your Oceanic Clearance via ACARS from BIRD now? Cool!

I guess I should mention that I'm in `gracefully fade away' mode and therefore my information is dated (already).

Yea, EGGX/Shanwick is amazing. Gander seemed to like coming right up to the time limit for an ACARS issued Oceanic Clearance. We went passed it once so we called them on VHF for our clearance. They didn't answer but the printer got busy - with our clearance.

Cheers!