You asked, and we listened! Based on input from our users and as part of our ongoing commitment to advancing the capabilities of the FltPlan safety management system (SMS), we’ve launched upgraded risk/hazard reports and increased the character limit from 600 to 2000 in our report’s narrative sections. The featured redesigned user interface delivers a more user– and mobile–friendly experience while collecting essential information to further improve flight departments’ safety culture initiatives.

FltPlan SMS now has six categories of risk/hazard reports, including: cabin, dispatch, flight crew, ground, maintenance and "other" categories. The reports offer a systematic way to review the reported risk or hazard, more quickly identify the cause and determine corrective actions and next steps.

While filling out a report, a new step–by–step process helps guide you through each phase to ensure that critical details and important steps aren’t overlooked. Once submitted, reports can now be more easily tracked and filtered via our improved SMS dashboard, allowing safety managers to easily search risk/hazard reports to better identify trends.

As safety management system mandates for Part 135 operators are being evaluated by the FAA, these features come at an important time for any operator considering SMS implementation.

The FltPlan SMS system is an affordable option that integrates with your existing FltPlan account and offers a robust framework for easily implementing SMS. Interested in a FltPlan SMS demo? Schedule a virtual demo here.

Garmin Autoland Wins Prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy

On June 3, the National Aeronautic Association awarded Garmin Autoland the 2020 Collier Trophy for the greatest aeronautical or astronautical achievement of the year. We are honored and humbled by this recognition. Learn more about the accomplishment and Autoland here.

Flying with a Dot Com (DCM) call sign offers privacy to FltPlan users and integrates seamlessly into your FltPlan filing experience. While using the DCM call sign program is simple, it’s important that DCM subscribers follow a few rules to maximize the program and ensure compliance with FAA regulations.

Block your tail at the subscriber level. To keep your data out of the FAA’s ASDI feed, a DCM call sign user should block their tail number at the subscriber level through the FAA’s Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) program, formerly the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program. Aircraft previously blocked through the BARR program have been transitioned to the new LADD program.

File your flight plan on FltPlan.com. DCM call signs are unique to FltPlan.com. If you fly with a DCM call sign, you must file your flight plan with us. When you create your flight plan, simply select a DCM call sign for your flight from the drop–down list on the flight plan entry page. Filing with a DCM call sign through another provider is not allowed unless flying outside of our coverage area.

Enter the call sign, as filed, as the flight ID in your ADS–B unit. To avoid an FAA mismatch, and to ensure proper identification by ATC, you must enter the DCM call sign selected for each flight as the flight ID prior to departure. The DCM call sign users should check with the manufacturer of their ADS–B unit or with their maintenance department to verify that their ADS–B transmitter has a pilot–changeable call sign feature.

Flying with a blocked tail number and DCM call sign offers a level of privacy to owners and operators. If your tail number is blocked and you’re flying with a DCM call sign, your flight will be associated with that call sign. Vendors who honor the LADD program’s blocked tail list will not publish your tail number. And, for those who do not, your departure location is not visible until after takeoff, and your arrival will not be visible until you’ve landed.

To learn more or to enroll in the FltPlan DCM call sign program, call our sales office at 203–262–8942.

Looking for a runway analysis service offering for your Cessna Citation VI or VII? AeroData has added the Citation VI and VII aircraft profiles to its offerings, so you can calculate your takeoff and landing data while creating your flight plan on FltPlan.com.

Runway analysis offerings from AeroData are currently available for select business aircraft, with plans to add more aircraft makes and models in the future. Check here to see if your aircraft is currently supported. If your aircraft type is not listed, please contact us as we are working to extend coverage to additional models.

To learn more about our runway analysis offerings, including those from Aircraft Performance Group and Automated Systems in Aircraft Performance, visit our Runway Analysis page.