Hi All,I would like to know how to read the preffered routes for someof the airports. I have SimCharts and it looks as though thereare several routes on some pages. KBOS to KEWR is one that I canmention. If anyone can give some advice or a link to where I canfind some info I would greatly appreciate the help.Thanks Allskyhog

No one else answered so I'll volunteer including some overview info from the FAA's Instrument Flying Handbook. I looked at the KBOS-KEWR preferred routes in my Simplates 2004 database.First, it appears to be derived from the FAA's Airport Facilities Directory. You will note there are several tables for the same source and destination. These tables are specific based on your aircraft type and performance, and your desired cruise altitude. You will find in the table description for each a speed range, type (jet, prop, me prop, se prop, turbo prop, etc.), and altitude range you expect to fly.Another variable came into play a few years ago called TEC for Tower Enroute Control (or is it Terminal EC). The tables with Tower in the title are suitable for this type of routing. The TECs are routings based on the altitude restrictions and require overlapping TRACON or terminal control authority of approach areas. (Approach radar is considered part of tower control, as is departure.) If you request TEC and are cleared for it, you will not be expected to be handed over to enroute ATC (center or ARTCC)but your entire flight will be handled by the approach/departure radar facility. Radar surveillance must be available for the entire route. The advantage is (claimed) that communication is simplified and certain reporting facilities are available that are not from a center control, and that for medium range flights it is more efficient probably with less altitude variance. Your departure and destination can be anywhere within 30 nm of a TEC route. This is probably most advantageous for commuter routes in dense areas such as the NorthEast sectors.Here is a sample non-tower low level jet route for a commuter that for the short distance does not wish to waste time climbing to FL180 or above:BOS -> EWR LOW ALTITUDE(JETS) Route Altitude Description: 110-170Effective Hours (ZULU): 1100-0300 205 - BOSOX - (FIX M)205 - BOSOX - (FIX M)205 - GLYDE - (FIX M)210 - V292 - (AIRWAY)210 - V001 - (AIRWAY)210 - BDL - (NAVAID - VORTAC)215 - V489 - (AIRWAY)215 - HFD - (NAVAID - VOR/DME)215 - IGN - (NAVAID - VOR/DME)220 - IGN - (NAVAID - VOR/DME [RAD/DIST = 265])220 - V003 - (AIRWAY)220 - COATE - (FIX N)225 - FLOSI - (FIX N)225 - CMK - (NAVAID - VOR/DME)230 - V188 - (AIRWAY)230 - V213 - (AIRWAY)235 - SAX - (NAVAID - VORTAC)235 - SAX - (NAVAID - VORTAC) This uses the low altitude airways. As I interpret it each group within the same number is a choice. It appears that is is best to take the same choice position within a group when possible. I'll file for KBOS.BOSOX (defined fix ).V001.HFD (vor).V003.CMK.V188.SAX(vor).KEWR which will bring me just inside the WNW corner of the NY area Class B. From SAX I will be vectored, if not earlier, to KEWR localizer interception or whatever approach is requested and granted. Now BOSOX is just 30 DME (actually just short) from lift-off so you may have to navigate there on your own by RC standards as opposed to receiving vectors. Also note that an airway can "bend" such as at GRAYM for V1. If you do a point to point flight plan you would do KBOS.BOSOX.GRAYM (THE BEND).HFD.CMK.NYACK (ANOTHER BEND).SAX.KEWR which is how most FS flight planners may require input as opposed to airway ID entry.None of this would have made sense without looking at my low altitude IFR enroute bible (an atlas of outdated US routes is available from flightsimcentral.com as oublished by the defunct Desktop Wings). You can also buy the current high altitude charts for $4 each and three cover the US.I found the FAA publication described ($13 at many book stores, etc.) a wealth of info that compliments your operations within RC operations.Now I deliberately included the TEC info to complicate matters for Swivelhead (that's the RC programmer JD) but just to keep it simple you can use TEC routes but I'll bet for now, at least, you 'may' get handed to center.Does any of this help?Oh, the purpose of preferred routes is to channel traffic into a common orderly flow to allow more efficient ATC handling especially in dense areas of complex routes. You can like receive (in the real world) an unmodified clearance if you choose one, so says the real world manual.If you want to acquire a single chart for this route it is L25 for low level IFR.

i was hoping someone would answer this one. it was a little over my headthank you very muchjd

Thanks Ronzie,You more than answered my question. The numbers along the leftside of the routes is what got me confused. So there are severalroutes to pick from and am assuming that this is correct. I trieda route from KEWR to Kord tonight. Fs Nav didn't have a high alt.plan for this flight. Thanks again and I'll check out those links.skyhog

I also looked at a STAR going into EWR from the north-east and some other choices in that list applied to it. The STAR entry would have been BDL which only shows in the TOWER routes. The other STAR entry is BAF as shown but the STAR text restricts that to "assigned by ATC, user should file BDL).The bottom line I guess is that low and high charts are needed to use these properly and STARS need to be checked.Those numbers on the left confused me too but I think it has to do with a common database reference somewhere perhaps even involving some references for flight planning hardware such as FMCs or TRACON and ARTCC indexing.I figured it out by "reverse" engineering and was meaning to do this for quite some time. If the Airport Facilities Directory is on-line, maybe there is a legend that explains it. If I find out more I'll post.There is a forum on flightsimmers.com called FSVC - Help where a couple of commercial pilots participate and perhaps I can get an answer. I'll also check the dauntless-soft site, publishers of my Simplates 2004 to see if they have any tutorials/resources there.Thanks for prodding me to get it done.

I have an idea which I think might be right. When there are several5's, 10's and soforth it looks as though there are several routesthere as some of them have the same way points. One I looked atseemed strange because there were fewer nav aids between the first and last nav aid. Just a thought.Skyhog

Dauntless Software was not much help. The NIMA preferred routes are more direct with one waypoint per step.On that other forum there is a former regional jet captain looking up her older real charts that might respond in a few days with an answer.There is a real ATC center controller on the RC team (I think - Doug?) and perhaps our postings might be called to the attention of one of them.If someone has an FAA Airport Facility Directory, there might be an explanation there since the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook refers to that when discussing preferred routes.I'll post if I find more.