Does that mean that UK NOTAMs submitted by users will go straight into the active NOTAM database, without anybody previously checking them for ryhme or reason?
I use Afpex on remote desktop access to a Win 7 PC in my office over a VPN.
Advantages are:
1) The “can’t find your flightplan” argument in the middle of the Baltic or somesuch dissapears once you say ‘filed by APEX on the AFTN’. Miraculously they seem to find which filing cabinet it slipped under.
2) There’s a 24 Hr support line with really helpful people if you get stuck.
3) Nobody can block your FPL even if they don’t like aspects like long DCTs with no waypoints. They send you little quibbles but you’re in the air by then! EG for a VFR FPL sent this week “what is date of flight?”. Well it says ‘07:00’, and it’s 19:00 now, so it’s tomorrow.
A big downside is, if going to NL, that the Dutch insist on you using their homebriefing.nl system because the “UK doesn’t have an ARO”. But this applies to all FPL filing products, not just AFPEX. (Edited to add I do think they have some agreement with Skydemon about this).
boscomantico wrote:
Does that mean that UK NOTAMs submitted by users will go straight into the active NOTAM database, without anybody previously checking them for ryhme or reason?
Hi boscomantico, no idea, sorry – just posted the news sent via the news subscription.
Most unlikely. Only airport accounts could submit notams before.
Still a lot of trash…
Yes only airports with ICAO code and paid AFTN/AFPEX address could submit NOTAMS in UK, that changes with drones (UAS, VLS, BVLS…), the CAA allowed them to initially submit (and they did all over the places) using simplified online form or email
https://applications.caa.co.uk/CAAPortal/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=BAL
NATS is moving them back to the ‘exiting scheme’ with sweet deal: free AFPEX but only for NOTAMS via AFTN
https://nats-uk.ead-it.com/cms-nats/opencms/en/NOTAM/
My understanding, NATS will still charge for the use of AFPEX by aerodromes for flight plans (e.g. FPL via AFTN)
AD NOTAMS by AFTN it will be free of charge
Aveling wrote:
because the “UK doesn’t have an ARO”
NATS gives all UK based private pilots their own AFTN address and AFPEX account, technically, you are the ARO 
Aveling wrote:
A big downside is, if going to NL, that the Dutch insist on you using their homebriefing.nl system because the “UK doesn’t have an ARO”. But this applies to all FPL filing products, not just AFPEX.
I’ve never quite understood how AFTN fits in with national systems. What is an ARO? Is it only VFR flight plans that gets affected, or also IFR, and if so, do the airlines need to deal with the complexity?
(The biggest downside of AFPEx that I found, apart from having to use Java and a laptop, was having to figure out the right addressing for VFR flight plans. It often required digging into the various national AIPs to find out where they wanted the flight plan sent. Could this be the issue with the Netherlands?)
derek wrote:
or also IFR, and if so, do the airlines need to deal with the complexity?
India IFR in IFPZ is managed by Eurocontrol (IFPS/CFMU), it does not go via AFTN/ARO
Airlines flying in countries have to deal with IFR in AFTN & ARO but usually that is left to ‘flight planning department’ who will have to deal with AFTN/ARO
Most airline captains do not file flight plans, they ask their dispatchers to do it for them and print FPL/NOTAMS and leave with coffee in the cockpit
One retired pilot flew speed-birds all over the world, his first ever FPL on AFTN was on Stapleford-Ostend for lunch in PA28
What would be interesting to know if how to file IFR for a trip around the world? (other countries not covered by Foreflight & Eurocontrol), apparently, even people who did these trip have no clue, they paid someone to do it
Ibra wrote:
India IFR in IFPZ is managed by Eurocontrol (IFPS/CFMU), it does not go via AFTN/ARO
So when you file IFR using AFPEx, and you address it to IFPS, is there some sort of bridge?
(Looks like I should read this first)
derek wrote:
I’ve never quite understood how AFTN fits in with national systems. What is an ARO? Is it only VFR flight plans that gets affected, or also IFR, and if so, do the airlines need to deal with the complexity?
AFTN is only a mail system. Messages sent over the AFTN goes into the national systems in ways that each country determines.
An ARO (AIS Reporting Office) is a unit that processes flight plans and provides pre-flight information (NOTAMs in particular) to flight crews. In the old days most major airports had an ARO which the pilots could visit. Today AROs (at least in Europe) provide their services by telephone or web sites. The UK is rather unique in not providing any ARO.
IFR flight plans in Europe are not processed by an ARO, but by the Eurocontrol IFPS. AROs may still accept IFR flight plans for transmission to Eurocontrol and I believe they have some additional privileges over pilots/operators when it comes to “forcing” flight plans through the system.
derek wrote:
So when you file IFR using AFPEx, and you address it to IFPS, is there some sort of bridge?
That depends what you mean by “bridge”. AFTN messages are delivered somewhere. In the old days this was to a telex machine. Today it can just as well be to one of the Eurocontrol computer systems.
