Comments by "starventure" (@starventure) on "The Plane Highway in the Sky" video.

  1. 2:32 The flight plan is filed by flight dispatchers, not route planners. Route planners build canned and alternate use routes, but it is a dispatcher who picks it based on need. In addition, flights do NOT always go on the NAT tracks. If there is severe turbulence or thunderstorms present on the tracks, good airlines(those with safety in mind) will shun them and use what is called a random route, either above or below the track structure or completely off of it. Regarding the HF radios and SATCOM...SATCOM used to be the backup for HF but is now the preferred method of communication nowadays, and if you travel on a plane that is not properly equipped you will know it because you will get held down by Gander to FL340 or below.
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