The validation is done by Eurocontrol, we theoretically can’t give you flight plans that aren’t valid. Maybe something got changed when you copied it? You can check it yourself at Eurocontrol here. Search for “Free Text Editor” on the site.
Update. Your flight plan passes just fine on the Eurocontrol site (aircraft reg changed for privacy):
-(FPL-XXXXX-ZG -1TRIN/L -SLODFGRY/S -EDFZ1405 -N0147VFR DODEN/N0147F100 IFR DCT ARDUL DCT ARNOP/N0143F060 DCT OSDIK DCT OSN/N0146F090 M170 BASUM Z78 WSR DCT OSTOR DCT MOVAX/N0144F070 DCT VEPOL DCT -EDXW0210 -PBN/B2 DOF/140329 EET/DODEN0018 )
Since the Autorouter and the Ogimet Gramets use the same GFS source, I would expect the pictures to be more or less similar,
but the Autorouter GRAMET does not display the TCU clouds on the 2nd part of the route.
That is a very interesting observation and I think you’ve configured both correctly and are really comparing apples to apples. I am big fan of the “original” GRAMET and my biggest complaint has been that it only knows the big airports and cannot take a detailed route profile. This is why we’ve rolled our own. And to be honest, this whole met stuff is damn fascinating 
What we have today is just an early prototype and I should probably add a big disclaimer. We will definitely have a closer look at different weather situations and compare the two representations and see where we do something wrong. You are of course right, that in theory the pictures should be very similar as we both use the very same data.
thank you Achim –
obviously my fault because I edited the FLs in the routing. FL080 all the way. The original got now validated on Eurocontrol and also by the Aeroplus FPL app.
But strange is the a.m. error message “no DCT btw EDGG and EDDW border” – shouldn’t the system have better critized a somewhat wrong level?
But strange is the a.m. error message “no DCT btw EDGG and EDDW border” – shouldn’t the system have better critized a somewhat wrong level?
The error messages are part of the restriction and chosen by the author. Sometimes they are very hard to parse, we have a lot of logic trying to understand what IFPS errors complain about. I haven’t looked at the sectors but the name of the sector probably changes at FL080. The system does not guess your intention, it only analyzes what you present to it and gives its verdict with more or less helpful messages. The restriction author could say “BETWEEN FL080 AND CEIL” or something. In most cases, DCTs across FIRs are not allowed due to the operational complexity when two ANSPs (ATC units) are involved but there are a few positive exceptions.
The other thing which doesn’t work in Europe is flying across a small piece of another country.
I don’t know if such a DCT can be filed (I suspect not) but I have had this issue before. Even if you could file it, ATC won’t let you fly it because, as Achim says, they seem unable/inwilling to coordinate.
DCTs cannot cross national borders anyway. But Eurocontrol validation takes care of that one for filing. There are some exceptions for flying in that some airspace is delegated to the other country.
Even if you could file it, ATC won’t let you fly it because, as Achim says, they seem unable/inwilling to coordinate.
Not always. On a 45 minute route that I fly once per week, there is a little bit of Czech airspace protruding about 10 NM into our most direct route. Usually, soon after departure we get a direct to a waypoint just west of that bit of Czech and from there direct destination. But maybe one time out of ten, we get direct destination early. So it must be possible, controller’s mood permitting Or maybe he just handed over another flight to Czech soon before us and while on the phone anyway, he took the opportunity to ask for our shortcut?
I’ve once had a DCT from 100NM within France to Stuttgart, Germany. A lot is possible when the ATC staff involved are willing and have time. Of course impossible with London Control, I am sure they die of a heart attack after 10 years in that job.
For things like overflying a bit of foreign airspace, there are often agreements in place and they don’t even have to pick up the phone. One funny cross-border issue is the IAP into Heringsdorf at the German-Polish border. The IAP for a landing in westerly direction goes over Polish territory obviously but it is managed by DFS. However, they always let you fly the complete IAP even though that is usually unheard of in Germany’s 100% radar vectoring environment. The reason is simple: DFS regulations allow radar vectoring only above the MRVA (minimum radar vectoring altitude) and Poland does not publish an MRVA. No MRVA, no radar vectoring even though there is perfect radar coverage and terrain clearance…
I’ve once had a DCT from 100NM within France to Stuttgart, Germany.
Coming from France, that’s very rare! From Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands,… all the time. But usually, from France to EDDS they only clear you to “LUPEN” which is close to Strasbourg and the first controller in Germany will give you a direct to some numbered waypoint belonging to the approach procedure (they always try to give us a point that has the same number as our flight…).
On a 45 minute route that I fly once per week, there is a little bit of Czech airspace protruding about 10 NM into our most direct route.
Yes, but that’s upper airways, no? The upper airway map of Europe shows lots of almost straight lines…
Of course impossible with London Control, I am sure they die of a heart attack after 10 years in that job.
I saw something on a chart recently. Don’t recall which; it may have been the JeppFD-VFR one. It shows a big chunk of French airspace near Le Touquet, “delegated to the UK”. So London Control could give you a “DCT Shoreham” while you are still in that. I certainly find London Control to be really good nowadays.
But yes there have been all sorts of issues in the past, like the infamous handover from France to London Info, for all traffic below FL120. That FL120 then became FL100, IME, and may be even lower now. But I bet you can still do it at FL070/080 and bust UK’s Class A later… The UK will always be like that, because if it wasn’t, the IMC Rating would be a de facto full IR, and the world would collapse
Yes, but that’s upper airways, no?
No, lower airspace (usually FL230), most of the not possible to get any higher on that route, unless one begs to be allowed to climb above weather.
