Air Route Traffic Control Center

• If ARTCC asks your intentions at the destination airport then they are trying to plan your descent to give you to approach who will vector you for your approaches

• SIGMETs
• Center Weather Advisories

• ATC: "[call sign], contact [facility], [frequency]"

• PILOT: "[location] center, [call sign], (level / climbing to / leaving / descending to) [altitude]"

• PILOT: "[location] center, [call sign], [position], [altitude], estimating [location], at [time]"

• Maximum communications coverage is possible through the use of RCAG sites comprised of both VHF and UHF transmitters and receivers
• These sites are located throughout the U.S. Although they may be several hundred miles away from the ARTCC, they are remoted to the various ARTCCs by land lines or microwave links
• Since IFR operations are expedited through the use of direct communications, pilots are requested to use these frequencies strictly for communications pertinent to the control of IFR aircraft
• Flight plan filing, en route weather, weather forecasts, and similar data should be requested through FSSs, company radio, or appropriate military facilities capable of performing these services

• Each sector is handled by one or a team of controllers and has its own sector discrete frequency
• As a flight progresses from one sector to another, the pilot is requested to change to the appropriate sector discrete frequency

• As a result, it expands two-way air traffic control air/ground communications capabilities
• Consequently, the air traffic system's operational capacity is increased and any associated air traffic delays become minimized
• A related safety benefit is that pilot/controller read-back and hear-back errors will be significantly reduced
• The CPDLC's principal operating criteria are:
• The CPDLC's principal operating criteria are:
  • Voice remains the primary and controlling air/ground communications means
  • Participating aircraft will need to have the appropriate CPDLC avionics equipment in order to receive uplink or transmit downlink messages
  • En Route CPDLC Initial Services offer the following services: Altimeter Setting (AS), Transfer of Communications (TOC), Initial Contact (IC), and limited route assignments, including airborne reroutes (ABRR), limited altitude assignments, and emergency messages
    • Altimeter settings will be uplinked automatically when appropriate after a Monitor TOC. Altimeter settings will also be uplinked automatically when an aircraft receives an uplinked altitude assignment below FL 180. A controller may also manually send an altimeter setting message
      • NOTE-When conducting instrument approach procedures, pilots are responsible to obtain and use the appropriate altimeter setting in accordance with 14 CFR Section 97.20. CPDLCissued altimeter settings are excluded for this purpose
    • Initial contact is a safety validation transaction that compares a pilot's initiated altitude downlink message with an aircraft's stored altitude in the ATC automation system. When an IC mismatch or Confirm Assigned Altitude (CAA) downlink time-out indicator is displayed in the Full Data Block (FDB) and Aircraft List (ACL), the controller who has track control of the aircraft must use voice communication to verify the assigned altitude of the aircraft, and acknowledge the IC mismatch/time-out indicator
    • Transfer of communications automatically establishes data link contact with a succeeding sector
    • Menu text transmissions are scripted nontrajectory altering uplink messages
    • The CPDLC Message Elements for the Initial Capabilities rollout are contained in TBL 5-3-1 through TBL 5-3-19, CPDLC Message Elements, in the Aeronautical Information Manual
    • NOTE-The FAA is not implementing ATN B1; the ATN B1 column in the tables is there for informational purposes only

• Example: "[Aircraft identification] contact [Facility name or location name and terminal function] [Frequency] at [Time, fix, or altitude]"
  • Pilots are expected to maintain a listening watch on the transferring controller's frequency until the time, fix, or altitude specified. ATC will omit frequency change restrictions whenever pilot compliance is expected upon receipt

• When operating in a radar environment: On initial contact, the pilot should inform the controller of the aircraft's assigned altitude preceded by the words "level," or "climbing to," or "descending to," as appropriate; and the aircraft's present vacating altitude, if applicable
  • Exact altitude or flight level reports on initial contact provide ATC with information required prior to using Mode C altitude information for separation purposes
  • Exact altitude or flight level means to the nearest 100 foot increment
    • Pilot: "[Facility] center, [Aircraft identification], level [Altitude or Flight Level]"
    • Pilot: "[Facility] center, [Aircraft Identification], leaving [Exact Altitude or Flight Level], climbing to or descending to [Altitude of Flight Level]"

• When operating in a non-radar environment:

  • On initial contact, the pilot should inform the controller of the aircraft's present position, altitude and time estimate for the next reporting point
    • Example: [Facility] center, [Aircraft Identification], [Position], [Altitude], estimating [Reporting Point] at [Zulu Time]"
  • After initial contact, when a position report will be made, the pilot should give the controller a complete position report
    • Example: [Facility] center, [Aircraft Identification], [Position], [Zulu Time], [Altitude], [Type of Flight Plan], [ETA and Name of Next Reporting Point], [The Name of the Next Succeeding Reporting Point], and [Remarks]"

• The phraseology used will be: Verify at Altitude"
• In climbing or descending situations, controllers may ask pilots to "Verify assigned altitude as [Altitude]"
• Pilots should confirm that they are at the altitude stated by the controller or that the assigned altitude is correct as stated
  • If this is not the case, they should inform the controller of the actual altitude being maintained or the different assigned altitude
  • Pilots should not take action to change their actual altitude or different assigned altitude to the altitude stated in the controllers verification request unless the controller specifically authorizes a change

• If two-way communications cannot be established with the ARTCC after changing frequencies, a pilot should attempt to recontact the transferring controller for the assignment of an alternative frequency or other instructions

• The exchange of information between an aircraft and an ARTCC through an FSS is quicker than relay via company radio because the FSS has direct interphone lines to the responsible ARTCC sector
• Accordingly, when circumstances dictate a choice between the two, during an ARTCC frequency outage, relay via FSS radio is recommended

Weather Advisory Broadcasts:

• ARTCCs broadcast a Severe Weather Forecast Alert (AWW), Convective SIGMET, SIGMET, AIRMET, Urgent Pilot Report, or CWA alert once on all frequencies, except emergency, when any part of the area described is within 150 miles of the airspace under their jurisdiction. These broadcasts advise pilots of the availability of hazardous weather advisories and to contact the nearest Flight Service facility for additional details
  • ATC: "Attention all aircraft, SIGMET Delta Three, from Myton to Tuba City to Milford, severe turbulence and severe clear icing below one zero thousand feet. Expected to continue beyond zero three zero zero zulu"
  • ATC: "Attention all aircraft, convective SIGMET Two Seven Eastern. From the vicinity of Elmira to Phillipsburg. Scattered embedded thunderstorms moving east at one zero knots. A few intense level five cells, maximum tops four five zero"
  • ATC: "Attention all aircraft, Kansas City Center weather advisory one zero three. Numerous reports of moderate to severe icing from eight to niner thousand feet in a three zero mile radius of St. Louis. Light or negative icing reported from four thousand to one two thousand feet remainder of Kansas City Center area"
• Terminal control facilities have the option to limit the AWW, convective SIGMET, SIGMET, or CWA broadcast as follows: local control and approach control positions may opt to broadcast SIGMET or CWA alerts only when any part of the area described is within 50 miles of the airspace under their jurisdiction