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Use of ETP/ETOPS Alternates in PPS

The following section assumes that the user has previously created one or more ETOPS areas.

The main way to begin using ETP and ETOPS Alternatives is by selecting ETP/ETOPS Alts from the PPS X flight planning program Route tab. Clicking this opens the ETP/ETOPS Alternates Selector window.

Enable / disable ETP/ETOPS

The ETP/ETOPS function is enabled/disabled by ticking the check mark shown below. The user must also click Apply after ticking or unticking the check box:

When the function is enabled the flight tab also shows ETOPS before the usual DEST, DEP, Date and Time, as shown below.

Default ETP/ETOPS area

The default ETP/ETOPS Area is the last ETOPS area used, providing the user has previously used this feature, if not then it will be blank. The user can change the area by clicking on the drop-down menu of the Select ETP/ETOPS area (currently shows NAT in the image below).

The user should select the airports to be used in the PPS calculation by ticking each airport or selecting all of them by clicking the top checkbox. When ticking airports individually, after clicking a second Alternate, as shown below, then the ‘Enable ETP/ETOPS Calculation’ also becomes ticked automatically.

A minimum of two or more Alternate airports must be selected to allow ETP/ETOPS Alternates to function. If just one airport is selected an ETOPS calculation won’t be made for the flight.

Weather and NOTAMS are provided for all selected Airports.

ETOPS Alternate List

The ETOPS list(s) are stored in a webservice from PPS so that when they have been defined they will be available for all users with internet access, all client machines will have the same list(s).

When Alternates are selected then the ETOPS circles shall become active and be displayed on the route map (as shown in the map image below) and other parts of the PPS program such as the Flightlog if you have decided to display them there.

It is also possible to display the ETOPS circles only on the Route map, CrewBriefing map or both by ticking the check marks shown below that control these options.

Note that PPS does not automatically attempt to contain the routes within ETP/ETOPS circles, it is up to the dispatcher/planner to ensure that the route is located within relevant ETP/ETOPS circles if those rules apply to your aircraft.

The image below has 2 circles for the selected alternates. These times/distances are defined within the Aircraft Editor and are shown below as 60min and 120min circles. Which circles to display is controlled by the tick boxes in the UI (image above).

Custom ETP/ETOPS circles on map

It is also possible to display a custom ETP/ETOPS circle on the map or CrewBriefing map by ticking the boxes shown below (image below selected to just display on the PPS map and not the CrewBriefing map). A circle is defined with a radius of 200NM.

Note:
– Remember to add both time and distance to activate the arc.
– No ETOPS calculations are made with Custom ETP/ETOPS, this is only displaying on the minimap.

ETP/ETOPS not displayed on minimap?

If the ETPs are not displayed on the map the Disable ETP Points tick box under Options tab could be ticked or the ETP Points under map layers might be unticked.

Use of ETP/ETOPS Alternates in Fast Routing

You can perform changes to your previously created ETP/ETOPS airport list while you are working in the Fast routing window. If a change is made during a Fast routing session the ETOPS tick box on the Fast routing page will change colour from none to Red to indicate a refresh must be made.

It is recommended to create some default areas when checking weather before or during planning by selecting which airports to use for the specific flight.

Select the airports to be used in the PPS FastRouting either by manually ticking each airport in the Usable (first) column or click Select All and then deselect airports as required.

You can view and change your selected ETOPS airports whilst working in the FastRouting window. Every time you click Apply the selected airports are transferred to FastRouting. This allows you to have both windows open while continuously adding or deselecting in the ETOPS list.

If you wish to manage the ETOPS Areas then you must click the Manage Areas, then the window below will open (PPS ETOPS Alternates Specifier). In this window below you can add or delete ETOPS Areas or choose existing ETOPS Areas to modify. You can also add/remove airports to any ETOPS Area. You must click ‘Apply’ for changes to be accepted.