Oceanic Position Reporting (real world)

Flying across the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean means flying in controlled airspace without radar surveillance most of the time. Therefore ATC requires to strictly follow the Oceanic Position Reporting procedure which has to be performed by pilots either via HF radio or ACARS (depending on ATC demands). The Oceanic Position Reporting is an embeded part of a more complex procedure reaching from the flight planning and preflight preparation via oceanic entry and several enroute checks to coast in procedures. To get more into detail you may like to read the Sample Oceanic Checklist provided by the FAA. To learn about Oceanic Waypoints used for flight planning and preparation you may like to read my article about OWPT handling for the PMDG B744 FMC which equals the real world procedure.

The reporting format includes the following five reporting items:

1. Aircraft position

East-West oriented flights shall report latitude in degrees and minutes, longitude in degrees only; North-South oriented flights should report latitude in degrees only and longitude in degrees and minutes.

2. Time ( ZULU) over position in four digits

3. Flight Level

4. Next fix and estimated time (zulu) over next fix in four digits

A time deviation of 3 or more minutes requires ATC notification in a timely manner.

5. Name of subsequent fix

Marc Westhofen