Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) — Page 353, Lesson 477

Let’s pick up with the Aeronautical Information Service, or AIS. I want to walk you through the structure of the AIP, the Aeronautical Information Publication, because that’s the core document you’ll use for flight planning and operations. The AIP is divided into three main parts. We’re looking at Part 1, General, and Part 2, En Route, in this excerpt. Part 1, the General part, is broken into five sections, numbered GEN 0 through GEN 4. GEN 0 is the preface and record-keeping section. It contains the preface itself, the record of AIP amendments, the record of AIP supplements, a checklist of AIP pages, a list of hand amendments to Part 1, and the table of contents for Part 1. This is your administrative backbone—it tells you what’s been changed and where to find things. GEN 1 covers national regulations and requirements. This includes designated authorities, the rules for entry, transit, and departure of aircraft, and the same for passengers, crew, and cargo. It also lists aircraft instruments, equipment, and flight documents, a summary of national regulations and international agreements or conventions, and—critically—the differences from ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices. That last item is important: when a state doesn’t follow ICAO exactly, you’ll find the deviations here. GEN 2 is tables and codes. This section has the measuring system, aircraft markings, and holidays. It includes the abbreviations used in AIS publications, chart symbols, the ICAO four-letter location indicators, a list of radio navigation aids, conversion tables, sunrise and sunset tables, and a rate of climb table. These are the reference tools you’ll consult constantly. GEN 3 covers services. This includes the Aeronautical Information Services themselves, aeronautical charts, Air Traffic Services, communications services, meteorological services, and search and rescue. So this is where you find out what services are available and how they’re organized. GEN 4 is charges for aerodrome, heliport, and air navigation services. That’s where you’ll find the fees and charges structure. Now let’s move to Part 2, the En Route part, which is section 18.14 in your text. This part contains information for planning flights. It also contains procedural and administrative information to allow you to notify flights—that’s the submission of a Flight Plan—and to comply with ATC requirements. Part 2 consists of seven sections, ENR 0 through ENR 6. ENR 0 is the preface for Part 2, with the list of hand amendments and the table of contents. ENR 1 covers general rules and procedures. This is a big one. It includes general rules, visual flight rules, instrument flight rules, ATS airspace classification, holding, approach, and departure procedures, radar services and procedures, altimeter setting procedures, regional supplementary procedures, air traffic flow management, flight planning, addressing of flight plan messages, interception of civil aircraft, unlawful interference, air traffic incidents, and off-shore operations. So this is the operational rulebook for en route flying. ENR 2 describes ATS airspace. This gives you a detailed description of Flight Information Regions, or FIRs, Upper Flight Information Regions, or UIRs, Terminal Control Areas, or TMAs, and other regulated airspace. ENR 3 covers ATS routes. This includes detailed descriptions of lower ATS routes, upper ATS routes, area navigation routes, helicopter routes, other routes, en route holding, and minimum flight altitude. ENR 4 covers radio navigation aids and systems. This includes radio navigation aids en route, special navigation systems, name-code designators for significant points, and aeronautical ground lights en route. ENR 5 is navigation warnings. This is where you’ll find prohibited, restricted, and danger areas, military exercise and training areas, other activities of a dangerous nature, air navigation obstacles en route, aerial sporting and recreational activities, and bird migration and areas of sensitive fauna. Finally, ENR 6 is en route charts, specifically the En Route Chart ICAO and index charts. So the key takeaway here is the structure: Part 1, General, is GEN 0 through GEN 4, and Part 2, En Route, is ENR 0 through ENR 6. Each section has a specific purpose, and knowing where to find information in the AIP is a fundamental skill for any pilot.