How to Fill Out and File the ICAO Flight Plan Form

FAA Form 7233-4, the ICAO-format flight plan, is filled out by working through its numbered items — aircraft ID, flight rules, aircraft type and wake category, equipment codes, departure point and time, route and altitude, destination, and supplementary information — and then submitted electronically through Leidos Flight Service at 1800wxbrief.com, through an Electronic Flight Bag app such as ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot, or by telephone to a Flight Service specialist. This walkthrough covers how to fill out and file the ICAO flight plan form field by field, how to activate and close it, and the errors that most often cause a plan to bounce.

Where and When to File

Three channels accept the form:

  • The Leidos Flight Service website at 1800wxbrief.com. The system highlights incomplete or invalid fields before you submit.1Federal Aviation Administration. Leidos Pilot Website Quick Reference Guide
  • An EFB app. ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, and similar apps let you save an aircraft profile so equipment codes auto-populate, and you file directly from the app.
  • Telephone. A Flight Service specialist will take your data verbally. This works but is slower and leaves more room for miscommunication on equipment codes.

You can file up to roughly one day before your estimated departure time.2Federal Aviation Administration. En Route Automation Flight Planning Interface Guide If you do not depart within one hour of your proposed time and have not extended it, the system cancels the plan and moves it to the history file.3Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order JO 7110.10 – Flight Plan Handling VFR proposals are retained for about two hours past the proposed departure time; after that they expire.

Filling Out the Form Field by Field

The form’s items do not run in a straight line down the page, so follow the item numbers rather than reading left to right.

Item 7: Aircraft Identification

Enter your registration number (for example, N12345) with no dashes or spaces, or, for airline and charter operations, the ICAO operator designator followed by the flight number. Maximum seven characters.4Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order AIM – Appendix 4. FAA Form 7233-4 – International Flight Plan

Item 8: Flight Rules and Type of Flight

Item 8a is a single letter: I for IFR or V for VFR. Item 8b is the type of flight and is optional for flights staying entirely within U.S. domestic airspace, required for international. If you fill it in, use G (general aviation), S (scheduled air service), N (non-scheduled air transport), M (military), or X (other).5Federal Aviation Administration. Appendix 1. FAA Form 7233-4 – International Flight Plan

Item 9: Number of Aircraft, Type Designator, Wake Turbulence

For a single aircraft, leave the number field blank or enter 1. Next, enter the ICAO type designator from ICAO Document 8643: C172 for a Cessna 172, P28A for a Piper Cherokee PA-28. If the aircraft has no published designator, enter ZZZZ and spell out the type in Item 18 under TYP/.

The last part is a single wake turbulence letter based on maximum certified takeoff weight:

  • L (Light): 7,000 kg (about 15,400 lbs) or less
  • M (Medium): more than 7,000 kg but less than 136,000 kg
  • H (Heavy): 136,000 kg (about 300,000 lbs) or more
  • J (Super): specified types such as the Airbus A380

Most single-engine and light twin pilots enter L. A wrong entry will not bounce the plan, but it can cause controllers to apply unnecessary spacing behind you or insufficient spacing behind a heavy.

Item 10a: Communication, Navigation, and Approach Equipment

Build a string of letters representing serviceable equipment. Enter N if you carry none or all is unserviceable. Enter S for the standard package of VHF, VOR, and ILS. Append letters for additional capabilities:6Federal Aviation Administration. FAA ICAO Flight Plan Quick Guide

  • G: GNSS (GPS)
  • R: PBN approved (then list the specific PBN codes in Item 18 under PBN/)
  • W: RVSM approved
  • D: DME
  • F: ADF
  • B: LPV approach capability
  • J1: CPDLC via VDL Mode 2

A typical well-equipped GA aircraft might file SGB. An RVSM-approved aircraft adds W. Entering R without a matching PBN/ entry in Item 18 is a common error that automated systems flag.4Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order AIM – Appendix 4. FAA Form 7233-4 – International Flight Plan

Item 10b: Surveillance Equipment

Item 10b uses a separate code set for transponder and ADS-B capability. Enter N if you have none. Otherwise enter one transponder code plus any applicable ADS-B or ADS-C codes:4Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order AIM – Appendix 4. FAA Form 7233-4 – International Flight Plan

  • A: Mode A transponder only (4096 codes)
  • C: Mode A and Mode C (altitude reporting)
  • S: Mode S with aircraft ID and pressure altitude
  • E: Mode S with aircraft ID, pressure altitude, and extended squitter (includes ADS-B Out)
  • L: Mode S with aircraft ID, pressure altitude, extended squitter, and enhanced surveillance
  • B1: dedicated 1090 MHz ADS-B Out
  • B2: dedicated 1090 MHz ADS-B Out and In
  • U1: ADS-B Out using UAT
  • U2: ADS-B Out and In using UAT

A GA aircraft below 18,000 feet with a UAT ADS-B Out unit and a Mode S transponder that also transmits 1090 ADS-B Out might enter SB1U1. Getting these codes right matters because ATC uses them to decide whether they can track you on ADS-B and what separation standards apply. Filing codes your aircraft does not actually support can lead to routes or altitudes that depend on equipment you lack.

Item 13: Departure Aerodrome and Time

Enter the four-character ICAO identifier for your departure airport (KJFK, KLAX). If none exists, enter ZZZZ and add the airport in Item 18 under DEP/. Then enter your Estimated Off-Block Time in four digits of UTC. A 3:30 PM Eastern Daylight push becomes 1930.

Item 15: Cruising Speed, Altitude, and Route

Item 15 combines three pieces. Speed first, as true airspeed: N followed by four digits in knots (N0120 for 120 knots), or M followed by three digits for Mach (M078 for Mach 0.78).7Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order 7110.10EE – Appendix A. FAA Form 7233-4, International Flight Plan

Then altitude: F followed by three digits for a flight level (F350 for FL350) or A followed by three digits for an altitude in hundreds of feet (A080 for 8,000 feet). Then the route. Separate consecutive fixes with DCT (direct). When joining a published airway, put the entry fix, the airway, and the exit fix. A short VFR cross-country: KBED DCT KPWM. An IFR route using airways: DALL3 EIC V18 MEI LGC4.7Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order 7110.10EE – Appendix A. FAA Form 7233-4, International Flight Plan

Item 16: Destination, Elapsed Time, and Alternate

Enter the four-character ICAO identifier for your destination, or ZZZZ with a Item 18 DEST/ entry. Then total estimated elapsed time as HHMM: a one-hour-forty-five-minute flight is 0145.4Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order AIM – Appendix 4. FAA Form 7233-4 – International Flight Plan

The alternate airport field is not required by FAA air traffic systems, but adding one helps search-and-rescue. Note that the IFR regulatory requirement for an alternate is separate from the flight plan field. Alternate information filed here is accepted by the computer but will not be displayed to controllers; if you actually divert, tell ATC and request an amended clearance.4Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order AIM – Appendix 4. FAA Form 7233-4 – International Flight Plan

Item 18: Other Information

Item 18 is a catch-all. Each entry is a keyword followed immediately by a slash, with no spaces before the data. Common entries:8Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Form 7233-4 ICAO Flight Plan

  • PBN/: performance-based navigation codes. Required whenever R appears in Item 10a.
  • NAV/: other navigation capabilities not covered by the standard codes.
  • COM/: communication capabilities beyond standard VHF.
  • DAT/: data link capabilities.
  • SUR/: surveillance detail beyond Item 10b.
  • REG/: registration, required when Item 7 uses a flight number rather than the registration.
  • EET/: estimated elapsed times to specific boundaries, entered as facility identifier plus four digits (KZNY0124 for 1 hour 24 minutes to the New York Center boundary).

Automated systems parse these character by character. A misplaced space or missing slash gets the entry ignored or the plan rejected.

Item 19: Supplementary Information

Item 19 is not transmitted to ATC. It stays with the filing service and is pulled only if SAR needs it. Minimum required entries for domestic flights are fuel endurance, persons on board, pilot name and contact, and aircraft color.7Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order 7110.10EE – Appendix A. FAA Form 7233-4, International Flight Plan

  • E/: total fuel endurance in hours and minutes. This is time aloft, not gallons.
  • P/: total persons on board including crew. Enter TBN if not final at filing.
  • R/ and S/: emergency radio and survival equipment. Cross out items you do not carry.
  • J/: life jackets. Cross out features not available.
  • D/: dinghies — number carried, total capacity, and color.
  • A/: aircraft color and markings, in enough detail that a search aircraft could identify you visually.
  • C/: pilot-in-command name and a telephone number valid at your estimated arrival time so SAR can reach you.

The endurance you enter should reflect your actual planned fuel load. VFR fuel minimums under 14 CFR 91.151 require enough to reach the first point of intended landing plus 30 minutes of reserve during the day or 45 minutes at night;9eCFR. 14 CFR 91.151 – Fuel Requirements for Flight in VFR Conditions IFR minimums under 14 CFR 91.167 require fuel to the destination, then to the alternate if required, plus an additional 45 minutes at normal cruising speed.10eCFR. 14 CFR 91.167 – Fuel Requirements for Flight in IFR Conditions Most pilots enter actual total endurance rather than the legal minimum.

Submitting and Confirming

Once every required field is complete, submit through your chosen channel. The system returns an acknowledgment on acceptance or flags specific errors. Filing is not a substitute for a weather briefing: 14 CFR 91.103 requires the pilot in command to become familiar with all available information for the flight, including weather, fuel, and alternatives.11eCFR. 14 CFR 91.103 – Preflight Action Most digital tools let you handle briefing and filing in the same session.

Activating and Closing the Plan

Filing and activating are different actions, and the mechanics differ by flight rules.

VFR

A VFR flight plan is never activated automatically by ATC. After takeoff you contact Flight Service by radio or other means to open it. You can also set an assumed departure time when filing, which activates the plan at that time without a radio call.12Federal Aviation Administration. Aeronautical Information Manual – Flight Plan – VFR Flights Control tower personnel do not open VFR plans for you.

Closing after landing matters just as much. If you forget, Flight Service considers you overdue 30 minutes after your estimated arrival time and begins SAR procedures: calls to your listed contact, queries along your route, and eventually a full alert to the rescue coordination center.13Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order JO 7110.10 – Overdue Aircraft Close by calling Flight Service after landing, or by radio if still in range. Some pilots list a responsible person in Item 19 (such as an FBO desk) who can confirm arrival if the pilot forgets.

IFR

IFR flight plans activate when ATC issues your clearance and close automatically when you land at a towered airport.14Federal Aviation Administration. AIM Chapter 5 – Air Traffic Procedures At a non-towered airport you cancel the IFR plan yourself. Canceling airborne with ATC or Flight Service is faster and frees the airspace immediately; if radio contact is not possible at low altitude, phone in after landing.

Modifying or Canceling

If your route, altitude, departure time, or equipment status changes after filing, amend through the same service you used to file. The system transmits a modification message (MOD) to the relevant facilities and waits for acknowledgment; if no acknowledgment returns within a set window, the filing service follows up by phone.3Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order JO 7110.10 – Flight Plan Handling

To cancel a plan before departure, contact Flight Service or use your digital tool. A cancellation message (CNL) is transmitted and acknowledged the same way. There is no penalty. If you filed IFR and are already airborne with an active clearance, cancel by telling ATC directly.

Crossing an ADIZ

If your VFR flight will cross into an Air Defense Identification Zone, you must file, activate, and close a Defense VFR flight plan before penetrating the ADIZ.15eCFR. 14 CFR 99.11 – ADIZ Flight Plan Requirements On the form, designate the plan as DVFR. You need a discrete transponder code assigned before entering, and you must report your estimated time and point of ADIZ penetration. For departures from within the Alaskan ADIZ where no ground filing facility exists, file immediately after takeoff once within radio range. Flight Service forwards the penetration data to NORAD. Missing your estimated penetration time or failing to file can result in an intercept.

Common Errors That Delay or Reject a Plan

  • Filing R in Item 10a without a PBN/ entry in Item 18. The system either rejects the plan or strips the R, which can cost you a preferred PBN route.li>
  • Wrong surveillance codes. Entering only C when the aircraft also has ADS-B Out means ATC does not know you are ADS-B equipped. Enter the specific ADS-B code (B1, U1, and so on) alongside the transponder mode.
  • Mixing up ICAO and FAA airport identifiers. Items 13 and 16 take four-character ICAO codes. Boston Logan is KBOS, not BOS.
  • Entering local time instead of UTC. The EOBT in Item 13 and elapsed time in Item 16 are always UTC.
  • Stale EFB equipment profiles. A profile saved months ago will not reflect new avionics or an inoperative unit. Review the profile before every filing.

Digital filing services catch many formatting errors, but they cannot verify that your equipment codes match reality. That responsibility stays with you.