Update Your Flight Plan When You Divert
If you divert, amend your flight plan via phone, FISCOM or ATS when practicable – otherwise RCCNZ will search your original route if your SARTIME expires.
1 min readKapiti Aero Club safety team
We've all been there. You've done your pre-flight, the weather looks great, and you have a destination in mind where a hot coffee is calling your name. But as any experienced pilot will tell you, the sky doesn't care about your plans.
If you divert – whether due to weather, a NOTAM or an aircraft issue – it's extremely important to amend your IFIS flight plan with your new route when practicable, by phone, via FISCOM or through a local ATS unit.
If your SARTIME goes overdue, RCCNZ will begin searching along your original flight plan route – potentially leaving you stuck in a field for much longer than necessary!
Remember the three rules:
- Aviate – fly the aircraft first.
- Navigate – develop a diversion plan.
- Communicate – notify ATS or FISCOM of your flight plan change.
A diversion isn't a failure – it's a decision. Just make sure you let RCCNZ in on the secret!