Oceanic » Position reports

Time and place of position reports

• Unless otherwise requested by Air Traffic Control, position reports from flights on routes which are not defined by designated reporting points should be made at the significant points listed in the flight plan.
• Air Traffic Control may require any flight operating in a North/South direction to report its position at any intermediate parallel of latitude when deemed necessary.
• If the estimated time for the 'next position', as last reported to ATC, has changed by three minutes or more, a revised estimate must be transmitted to the ATS unit concerned as soon as possible.
• Pilots must always report to ATC as soon as possible on reaching any new cruising level.

Contents of position reports

For flights outside domestic ATS route networks, position should be expressed in terms of latitude and longitude except when flying over named reporting points. For flights whose tracks are predominantly east or west, latitude should be expressed in degrees and minutes, longitude in degrees only. For flights whose tracks are predominantly north or south, latitude should be expressed in degrees only, longitude in degrees and minutes. However, it should be noted that when such minutes are zero then the position report may refer solely to degrees (as per examples below).

All times should be expressed in four digits giving both the hour and the minutes UTC.

Standard message types

Standard air/ground message types and formats are used within the NAT Region

1. use the correct type of message applicable to the data transmitted;
2. state the message type in the contact call to the ground station or at the start of the message;
3. adhere strictly to the sequence of information for the type of message;
4. all times in any of the messages should be expressed in hours and minutes UTC.



The message types are shown below with examples:

POSITION

Position, Swissair 100, RESNO at 1235, Flight Level 330, Estimating 56 North 020 West at 1310, 56 North 030 West Next

REQUEST CLEARANCE

Request Clearance, American 123, 56 North 020 West at 1308, Flight Level 330, Estimating 56 North 030 West at 1340, 56 North 040 West Next. Request Flight Level 350
or if a position report is not required
Request Clearance, Speedbird 212, Request Flight Level 370

REVISED ESTIMATE

Revised Estimate, Speedbird 212, 57 North 040 West at 0305




You do not need to include waypoints after your Oceanic Exit Point in your position reports.




Position report example

• ACA865, position report
• ACA865 pass your message
• Position, ACA865, PIKIL at 1131, Flight Level 350, Estimating 57 North 020 West at 1203, 58 North 030 West Next
• ACA865, position PIKIL at 1131, Flight Level 350, Estimating 57 North 020 West at 1203, 58 North 030 West Next
• Read-back correct, ACA865 (if read-back is not correct, pilot must correct ATC)

(Note: coordinates shall be spoken as "5 4 north 0 2 0 west". Times shall be spoken as "1 1 3 1", and not "eleven thirty one")