News: Announcing CPDLC and Automated Route Processing for PilotEdge!

Posted Monday, January 25, 2021

PilotEdge is pleased to announce the availability of CPDLC services within the Western US and ZLA operating area to provide digital delivery of IFR clearances.

Pilots can now receive initial and revised clearances while on the ground at CPDLC-supported airports. The system supports:

  • “as filed” clearances, with and without SIDs
  • partially amended routes
  • full route clearances

After filing a CPDLC-enabled flight plan, pilots utilize FANS GUI – a new multiplatform open-source client – to logon to CPDLC, receive and review their clearance and then either or ACCEPT, REJECT or issue a STANDBY response to the clearance. Future upgrades will provide integration with third party FMS systems to synchronize CPDLC route changes within in the FMS.

Additionally, the PilotEdge service was upgraded to include a fully featured IFR route processing system. Prior to its existence, controllers were reponsible for managing verification and amendment of routes, resulting in clearance delays and increased controller workload. The introduction of the route processing system allows for:

  • mandatory routes,
  • FAA preferred routes,
  • TEC routes,
  • departure and arrival gates for each airport
  • approved routes between city pairs

All routes can be restricted based on aircraft category, navigation capability, altitude and even the current flows based on the ATIS for each airport.

Development of CPDLC enroute capability is underway and is planned for a release in the near term.

The route processing system, combined with digital delivery of clearances represents a massive step forward in the fidelity of the environment and opens up new worlds of possibilties for CPDLC training across the simulation industry.