Take the following route from KLAS to KTPA for example:
COWBY2 GUP J72 TXO FUZ J58 AEX J58 HRV Q105 REDFN Q100 REMIS SIMMR BLOND1
Why is the entry ‘FUZ J58 AEX J58 HRV’ not entered as ‘FUZ J58 HRV’?
I have seen this in either route entries as well.
Good question.
Even better question would be why didn’t they file COWBY2.GUP J72 SPS J58 HRV. They actually reach the intersection of J72 and J58 at SPS (Wichita Falls). Why the direct FUZ when the airway takes them there anyway…
EDIT: now that I look at H-6 Enroute chart, they probably wanted the shortcut to FUZ from TXO, which would make sense. It would take more (but not much) fuel to stay on the airway to go out of the way to SPS.
BL.
What type of aircraft is the flight plan for?
As an RNAV/RNP filer I would file COWBY2.INW CNX (to stay clear of White Sands) LEV Q100 REMIS SIMMR.BLOND1. That straightens out the route nicely. Looking at the winds aloft, there is no net wind advantage to the J-way filed route.
Currently, SWA1496 is scheduled to fly it, and should be wheels up out of KLAS shortly. Actual aircraft is a B737-700/L, so it definitely is RNAV capable. What interests me is the last few SWA pilots I talked to said that all of their planes were to be /R, so you’d think they would be /Q, but they aren’t. But then again, they would need to be at least /G to file the Q airways, right?
As an RNAV/RNP filer I would file COWBY2.INW CNX (to stay clear of White Sands) LEV Q100 REMIS SIMMR.BLOND1. That straightens out the route nicely. Looking at the winds aloft, there is no net wind advantage to the J-way filed route.
What aircrafts do you fly, if I may ask? That’s a rather large Direct for LEV. Wouldn’t you want to make that request when en route, since you’d have to cross entirely through ZFW before reaching LEV?
BL.
The whole point of RNAV/RNP is to allow more precise and efficient direct routings. That was the intent of the new ICAO Domestic IFR flight plan. Those RNAV/RNP filers advise ATC (via unique coding in the flight plan) of their capability, allowing more direct routing.
The old domestic codes of L/R/Q are only valid for non ICAO (domestic) filers, and ATC will not assign direct routing in the clearance. If SWA has not had full RNAV/RNP approved in their Ops Specs as of yet, then that would explain the full route.
With the exceptions of over-water routes or circumnavigating restricted airspace, I always file from a DP exit point direct to a STAR entrance point. And unless I’m given a re-route, I usually get what I file as my clearance.
The thread is digressing from my original question which was if there was a good reason why the route would be submitted as ‘FUZ J58 AEX J58 HRV’ instead of simply ‘FUZ J58 HRV’.
I have seen this done with other routes and it seems unnecessary to list the VOR that is along the J route.