[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":346},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-aip-and-airac-cycle":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-aip-and-airac-cycle":317},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":259,"description":260,"draft":261,"extension":262,"faqs":263,"howTo":273,"keyTakeaways":273,"meta":274,"navigation":275,"path":276,"quiz":277,"seo":300,"series":273,"seriesOrder":273,"sources":301,"stem":314,"topic":315,"__hash__":316},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-aip-and-airac-cycle.md","The AIP and the AIRAC cycle",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":249},"minimark",[9,21,27,32,47,50,72,86,90,93,108,112,130,139,159,163,166,205,208,212,238,242],[10,11,12,13,20],"p",{},"Almost every chart, frequency, and procedure you rely on comes from one official document per country, the ",[14,15,19],"a",{"href":16,"className":17},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-aip",[18],"glossary-link","AIP",", and it changes on a clock the whole world keeps in step.",[22,23,24],"blockquote",{},[10,25,26],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[28,29,31],"h2",{"id":30},"what-the-aip-is","What the AIP is",[10,33,34,35,39,40,46],{},"The ",[36,37,38],"strong",{},"Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP)"," is the official manual of aeronautical information of a lasting character that is essential to air navigation, published by or under the authority of a State's Aeronautical Information Service (AIS). It is the source of record for the data on your charts and in your navigation database. The framework that every State follows comes from ",[14,41,45],{"href":42,"rel":43},"https:\u002F\u002Fstore.icao.int\u002Fen\u002Fannexes\u002Fannex-15",[44],"nofollow","ICAO Annex 15 (Aeronautical Information Services)",", which is why an AIP from one country is organised much like an AIP from another.",[10,48,49],{},"That common structure has three parts:",[51,52,53,60,66],"ul",{},[54,55,56,59],"li",{},[36,57,58],{},"GEN (General)"," carries national rules, units, abbreviations, definitions, and administrative information.",[54,61,62,65],{},[36,63,64],{},"ENR (En-route)"," covers airspace, air traffic services, routes, navigation aids, and en-route procedures.",[54,67,68,71],{},[36,69,70],{},"AD (Aerodromes)"," holds the details of each aerodrome: charts, runways, lighting, frequencies, and local procedures.",[10,73,34,74,79,80,85],{},[14,75,78],{"href":76,"rel":77},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.faa.gov\u002Fair_traffic\u002Fpublications\u002Fatpubs\u002Faip_html\u002Findex.html",[44],"FAA's national AIP"," and the ",[14,81,84],{"href":82,"rel":83},"https:\u002F\u002Fnats-uk.ead-it.com\u002Fcms-nats\u002Fopencms\u002Fen\u002FPublications\u002FAIP\u002F",[44],"UK AIP published through NATS"," both follow this GEN, ENR, AD layout, because both are built to the same ICAO standard.",[28,87,89],{"id":88},"why-aeronautical-data-needs-effective-dates","Why aeronautical data needs effective dates",[10,91,92],{},"Aeronautical data is shared across the whole system: pilots, controllers, chart makers, and navigation-database providers all have to be working from the same version at the same moment. If a new instrument approach, a re-sectorised piece of airspace, or a changed frequency took effect at a random time, some users would have the new data and some the old, which is exactly the situation that causes errors.",[10,94,95,96,99,100,107],{},"The answer is to make planned changes take effect on ",[36,97,98],{},"pre-announced, common dates",", published far enough ahead that everyone can prepare. That system is ",[36,101,102],{},[14,103,106],{"href":104,"className":105},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-airac",[18],"AIRAC",", which stands for Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control.",[28,109,111],{"id":110},"the-28-day-airac-cycle","The 28-day AIRAC cycle",[10,113,114,115,119,120,125,126,129],{},"Under ",[14,116,118],{"href":42,"rel":117},[44],"ICAO Annex 15"," and as described on ",[14,121,124],{"href":122,"rel":123},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.icao.int\u002Fairnavigation\u002Fairac",[44],"ICAO's AIRAC page",", AIRAC establishes a series of ",[36,127,128],{},"common effective dates at intervals of 28 days",". Planned, operationally significant changes are timed to one of these dates, so the entire community switches over together. The schedule repeats indefinitely, which is why you will hear pilots and dispatchers refer to \"the current AIRAC cycle\" by its date or cycle number.",[10,131,132,133,138],{},"For Europe, ",[14,134,137],{"href":135,"rel":136},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.eurocontrol.int\u002Fpublication\u002Faeronautical-information-regulation-and-control-airac-dates",[44],"EUROCONTROL publishes the AIRAC effective-date schedule"," and coordinates distribution. The information is sent out well ahead of the effective date, with the objective that recipients hold it at least 28 days before it takes effect, giving providers time to update databases and charts. The AIRAC system is defined by ICAO; EUROCONTROL administers the European schedule rather than originating the rule.",[10,140,141,142,146,147,150,151,154,155,158],{},"Each cycle carries three dates worth keeping straight, as the ",[14,143,145],{"href":122,"rel":144},[44],"ICAO AIRAC schedule"," sets out: the ",[36,148,149],{},"publication date",", when the information is made available; the ",[36,152,153],{},"latest reception date",", by which users should hold it (the objective being at least 28 days ahead); and the ",[36,156,157],{},"effective date"," itself, when the new data becomes valid and the old data is withdrawn. The gap between publication and effective date is deliberate, so that loading the new cycle early is encouraged while using it early is not, because it is simply not valid until its effective date arrives.",[28,160,162],{"id":161},"how-the-pieces-fit-together","How the pieces fit together",[10,164,165],{},"Not every change waits for an AIRAC date, and knowing which channel carries which kind of change keeps your briefing honest:",[51,167,168,173,183,189],{},[54,169,34,170,172],{},[36,171,19],{}," itself holds the lasting information.",[54,174,175,176,179,180,182],{},"An ",[36,177,178],{},"AIP Amendment"," makes a permanent change, and operationally significant amendments take effect on an ",[36,181,106],{}," date so everyone updates together.",[54,184,175,185,188],{},[36,186,187],{},"AIP Supplement"," carries a temporary change of relatively long duration (weeks or months), such as a runway resurfacing programme.",[54,190,191,192,199,200,204],{},"A ",[36,193,194],{},[14,195,198],{"href":196,"className":197},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-notam",[18],"NOTAM"," carries short-notice or short-duration changes and hazards, as covered in our ",[14,201,203],{"href":202},"\u002Flearn\u002Funderstanding-notams","guide to NOTAMs",".",[10,206,207],{},"A complete picture means reading across all of them: the current AIP and its amendments for the baseline, supplements for longer temporary changes, and NOTAMs for what has changed since.",[28,209,211],{"id":210},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[51,213,214,220,226,232],{},[54,215,216,219],{},[36,217,218],{},"Flying an out-of-date database or chart."," A navigation database has an AIRAC effective and expiry date; using one past its cycle is using superseded data.",[54,221,222,225],{},[36,223,224],{},"Confusing the publication date with the effective date."," AIRAC material is published ahead of time precisely so you can load it early, but it is not valid until its effective date arrives.",[54,227,228,231],{},[36,229,230],{},"Assuming the AIP has everything."," Short-notice changes live in NOTAMs, not in the AIP, until the next amendment folds them in.",[54,233,234,237],{},[36,235,236],{},"Mixing cycles across providers."," Your charts, your database, and your briefing should all be on the matching current cycle.",[28,239,241],{"id":240},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,243,244,245,248],{},"Pilot EFB pulls the ",[36,246,247],{},"NOTAMs"," for your route and helps you work through them by aerodrome and area, which is the short-notice layer that sits on top of the AIP. It is not an AIP, a charting service, or a navigation database, and it is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag, so use the official AIP and a current, in-cycle database as your source of record for charts and procedures. NOTAMs you have already pulled stay readable with no signal, because your device holds what you have saved; fetching the latest issued NOTAMs needs a connection.",{"title":250,"searchDepth":251,"depth":251,"links":252},"",2,[253,254,255,256,257,258],{"id":30,"depth":251,"text":31},{"id":88,"depth":251,"text":89},{"id":110,"depth":251,"text":111},{"id":161,"depth":251,"text":162},{"id":210,"depth":251,"text":211},{"id":240,"depth":251,"text":241},"2026-06-06","What an Aeronautical Information Publication is, how its GEN, ENR and AD parts are organised, and why aeronautical data changes on the fixed 28-day AIRAC cycle.",false,"md",[264,267,270],{"q":265,"a":266},"What is an AIP?","An AIP, or Aeronautical Information Publication, is the official manual of lasting aeronautical information for a State, published by its Aeronautical Information Service. It is organised into three parts, GEN, ENR and AD, covering general information, en-route information, and aerodromes. ICAO Annex 15 sets the framework that every State follows.",{"q":268,"a":269},"What is the AIRAC cycle?","AIRAC stands for Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control. It is a system of common worldwide effective dates, spaced 28 days apart, on which planned changes to aeronautical data take effect together. ICAO Annex 15 defines it, and EUROCONTROL publishes the European schedule, distributing each cycle well in advance so users receive it before it takes effect.",{"q":271,"a":272},"How do the AIP, AIRAC amendments and NOTAMs fit together?","The AIP holds lasting information. Planned permanent changes are made by AIP Amendments, which take effect on AIRAC dates so everyone updates together. Temporary changes of long duration go in AIP Supplements, and short-notice or temporary changes go out as NOTAMs. Reading all of these together is what gives you the current picture.",null,{},true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fthe-aip-and-airac-cycle",[278,286,291],{"q":279,"options":280,"answer":251,"explanation":285},"How are the AIRAC common effective dates spaced?",[281,282,283,284],"At intervals of 7 days","At intervals of 14 days","At intervals of 28 days","At a random time chosen by each State","AIRAC establishes a series of common effective dates at intervals of 28 days, so the entire community switches over together.",{"q":287,"options":288,"answer":289,"explanation":290},"Which part of the AIP holds the details of each aerodrome, such as charts, runways, lighting, and frequencies?",[70,58,64,198],0,"The AD (Aerodromes) part holds the details of each aerodrome: charts, runways, lighting, frequencies, and local procedures, while GEN carries national rules and ENR covers airspace and en-route information.",{"q":292,"options":293,"answer":298,"explanation":299},"Where do short-notice or short-duration changes and hazards go?",[294,295,296,297],"Into the AIP itself","Into an AIP Amendment on an AIRAC date","Into an AIP Supplement","Into a NOTAM",3,"A NOTAM carries short-notice or short-duration changes and hazards; the AIP holds lasting information until the next amendment folds those changes in.",{"title":5,"description":260},[302,304,306,308,310,311],{"label":303,"url":42},"ICAO Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services",{"label":305,"url":122},"ICAO: AIRAC (Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control)",{"label":307,"url":135},"EUROCONTROL: AIRAC effective-date schedule",{"label":309,"url":76},"FAA national AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication)",{"label":84,"url":82},{"label":312,"url":313},"FAA Aeronautical Information Services","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.faa.gov\u002Fair_traffic\u002Fflight_info\u002Faeronav\u002F","learn\u002Fthe-aip-and-airac-cycle","Briefing","iUUzWr_UVdo7nmHHQ9vAIekuUG9DJvXLP63nTNTNqZg",{"related":318,"newer":334,"older":341,"series":273},[319,324,329],{"path":320,"title":321,"description":322,"date":323,"topic":315,"draft":261,"minutes":298,"series":273,"seriesOrder":273},"\u002Flearn\u002Ficao-vs-iata-codes","ICAO vs IATA codes explained","The difference between the 4-letter ICAO location indicators used for flight planning and weather and the 3-letter IATA codes on your boarding pass, plus airline codes and callsigns.","2026-06-20",{"path":202,"title":325,"description":326,"date":327,"topic":315,"draft":261,"minutes":328,"series":273,"seriesOrder":273},"Understanding NOTAMs","What a NOTAM is, how the ICAO format and Q-line are built, the difference between NOTAMN, NOTAMR and NOTAMC, and how to deal with NOTAM overload.","2026-06-15",4,{"path":330,"title":331,"description":332,"date":333,"topic":315,"draft":261,"minutes":328,"series":273,"seriesOrder":273},"\u002Flearn\u002Foffline-first-preflight-briefing","The offline-first preflight briefing","What the rules require you to check before flight, how to build a self-brief, and the honest difference between offline-first and working fully offline.","2026-06-11",{"path":335,"title":336,"description":337,"date":338,"topic":315,"draft":261,"minutes":328,"series":339,"seriesOrder":340},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to-read-a-pirep","How to read a PIREP","Decode a pilot weather report field by field, understand the UA and UUA types and the slash-coded elements, and see how a PIREP fills the gaps between weather stations.","2026-06-07","decode-the-weather",5,{"path":342,"title":343,"description":344,"date":345,"topic":315,"draft":261,"minutes":328,"series":273,"seriesOrder":273},"\u002Flearn\u002Fdecoding-the-icao-flight-plan","Decoding the ICAO flight plan","How the ICAO flight plan form is built, with a field-by-field decode of Item 10 equipment and capabilities and Item 18 other information, plus the codes that trip filers up.","2026-06-05",1781989190544]