No Go FIR's

[barramundilure 152]

Hi Everyone I intend to do some north pacific routings from Asia on the way to PANC and beyond and perhaps some polar routes via VHHH to the USA with the B777.

I have in PFPX disabled Ukrainian airspace as they don't fly these at this time but wondered whats "off limits" in Russian and perhaps even Chinese airspace.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tim

[scandinavian13 5,192]

15 minutes ago, barramundilure said:

Any help would be appreciated.

This has no direct regulatory backing, but it's a decent approximation:

https://safeairspace.net/

It closely mirrors the NOTAMs that the FAA has out. There used to be an official site for the US (oddly enough, not FAA, but some other entity) that had the current restrictions mapped.

[downscc 1,327]

3 hours ago, barramundilure said:

whats "off limits" in Russian and perhaps even Chinese airspace.

Basically I stick to the established airways.  I've flown quite a few 777 missions using the flightplan for the actual flight on FlightAware, and while there are certainly times when sticking to a route instead of a direct adds time I've always seen the ADS-B tracks follow the route.  This is headed South from Polar regions or East from Africa and refers to Russia and China.  As far as routes from PANC, and there are many PANC-VHHH flights, they stick to the oceanic routes until Japan and going South they overfly Japan and going North they tend to track East of Japan over water.  Have a look yourself on Flightaware.

[skelsey 765]

In relation to Chinese airspace -- the main thing to bear in mind is that unlike other parts of the world where the airspace is essentially free for civilian use, in China the military controls all the airspace outside of the airways -- the airways, which vary in width from about 8 to 20km, are the only airspace that civilian aircraft are permitted to operate in and deviation from them is prohibited. Any aircraft doing so can expect a military escort and/or to be instructed to land at a nearby military airfield.

This can make weather deviation rather interesting as unless you can stay within the confines of the airway your only real options are to turn back or divert!

Entry in to and out of Chinese airspace is permitted only via specified entry points and it is normally necessary to contact ATC 15-20 minutes prior to reaching the border for permission to enter.

Remember that China uses metric RVSM and so a small (100ft) flight level change will be required entering and leaving Chinese airspace.

Russia by contrast uses RVSM flight levels in feet above transition level (though below transition level clearances are still in metres QFE -- there was/is a trial using QNH in St Petersburg some time ago but as far as I know that hasn't gone anywhere as yet -- I may be wrong).

[30K 72]

What these sides do not tell you are company restrictions.

I have access to many original OFPs and I can tell you that they all differ to some extent. Sure no sane one would fly through Syria but Qatar cannot fly trough Emirates FIR  ie.

[berts 97]

On 10/25/2018 at 7:06 PM, skelsey said:

In relation to Chinese airspace .............This can make weather deviation rather interesting as unless you can stay within the confines of the airway your only real options are to turn back or divert!

In actual fact they don't usually object provided you warn them in advance that you need to deviate due to weather and say approximately how far off track you need to go.  The last thing any airline pilot wants to do is intentionally fly through the middle of huge and angry orographic CB over the middle of China - or anyywhere else for that matter!