Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

The AVSIM Community

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Understanding Zulu time

Featured Replies

Will someone please explain to me how to know what time it is in Zulu. It is 1229 here and it said zulu time is 1729. What is the conversion? I am trying to file a flight plan on VATSIM and I need to know how to correctly put down the time in zulu.

Josh Scholl

Hi there,

 

Zulu / GMT / UTC is always the same. It's easier for me being in the UK. Half the year we're on zulu, and the other half BST (British Summer Time) which is Zulu / GMT / UTC + 1. You can either always add 5 or 4 hours dependent on the time of year or type into Google "GMT Time"

Zulu time (aka 'Greenwich', 'GMT' - Greenwich Mean Time, UTC - Universal Time Coordinate) is often confused with the 24-hour clock or 'military time' . In fact, Zulu time is based on 0 degrees longitude and is coincidental to Greenwich, England. Local time (12-hour or 24-hour clock) is based on + or - time offset from Zulu. For example, U.S. east coast local time is presently -4 hours from Zulu; U.S. central is -5 hours and U.S. pacific is -7 hours. If you live in New York and it is 12:00 noon, Zulu time is 1600 Zulu /UTC/GMT. This time is used in aviation to avoid confusion when crossing multiple time zones and is also used for international treaties and a variety of other official purposes. .

You can also get to Zulu time by setting your PC clock to 22 January 1879 and then flying to 20°20'57'' South 30°32'3'' East, in Natal Province, South Africa :LMAO:

 

Al

Alan Bradbury

Check out my youtube flight sim videos: Here

It's not really a conversion. The world is basically divided into multiple timezones, which are offset from the Greenwich Mean Time or Coordinated Universal Time. The offset is based on how far East of West you are from the 0 degrees longitude meridian.

 

For a visual representation and to find out how much you need to add or subtract to/from your local time, you can check this map: http://www.timeanddate.com/time/map/

Looks like this has already been answered, but...

 

Zulu time is the same as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which used to be Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Try this time converter:

 

http://www.timeandda.../converter.html

 

Right now it's 6:48 PM Sunday in London, and 1:49 PM Sunday in New York.

A Google search for World Time Zones will get you lots of info. Here's the US Navy's time zone map: http://aa.usno.navy....ZoneMap0412.jpg

 

Here is a good explanation: http://weather.about.../g/ZuluTime.htm

 

and another with even more detail: http://en.wikipedia...._Universal_Time

 

I would have thought someone standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier would know about military Zulu time.

Joe Brown

gold_mustang1500.jpg

 

You can also get to Zulu time by setting your PC clock to 22 January 1879 and then flying to 20°20'57'' South 30°32'3'' East, in Natal Province, South Africa :LMAO:

 

Al

 

Once again!! :lol:

Rgds - Sam Harridann

  • Commercial Member

Out of curiosity - why do you need zulu time for filing a VATSIM flight plan?

Noah Bryant
 

Looks like this has already been answered, but...

 

Zulu time is the same as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which used to be Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Try this time converter:

 

http://www.timeandda.../converter.html

 

Right now it's 6:48 PM Sunday in London, and 1:49 PM Sunday in New York.

 

Just so there's no confusion, even though it was 1848 in London when you posted, Zulu time would have been 1748 as we're currently on Zulu / UTC / GMT + 1 due to British Summer Time.

 

Zulu: 2013

London: 2113

New York: 1613

Not everyone teaches about UTC/zulu time...

My Liveries | FAA ZMP | PPL ASEL |
| Windows 11 | MSI Z690 Tomahawk | 12700K 4.7GHz | MSI RTX 4080 | 64GB 6000 MHz DDR5 | 500GB Samsung 860 Evo SSD | 2x 2TB Samsung 970 Evo M.2 | EVGA 850W Gold | Corsair 5000X | HP G2 (VR) / LG 27" 1440p |

 

 

Not everyone teaches about UTC/zulu time...

 

Pleeeaaaase tell me you're kidding?! I'm pretty sure it's covered before you even get to high school here. It's one of the most fundamental, basic aspects of the movement of our planet?

  • Commercial Member

I don't know where I learned about GMT but I'm virtually positive it wasn't in school.

 

Or maybe I had learned on my own before it finally was taught.

Noah Bryant
 

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.