Flight Information Centres (FICs) are centres employing flight service specialists responsible for the management and dissemination of flight safety related information operated by

Nav Canada Nav Canada (styled as NAV CANADA) is a privately run, non-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system (ANS). It was established by statute in accordance with the ''Civil Air Navigation Services Commercializati ...

. Nav Canada's FIC and

flight service station A flight service station (FSS) is an air traffic facility that provides information and services to aircraft pilots before, during, and after flights, but unlike air traffic control (ATC), is not responsible for giving instructions or clearances or ...

s (FSS) use a network of

remote communications outlet Remote communications outlets (RCO) are remote aviation band radio transceivers, established to extend the communication capabilities of Flight Information Centres (FIC) and flight service stations (FSS). Pilots can find RCO frequencies in char ...

s (RCOs) strategically located to provide maximum coverage and assistance to

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

flying in all areas of Canada. Flight service specialists staff these stations providing essential

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

-related information to support mainly

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

, commercial and private. Pilots can contact FICs to obtain any pre-flight information required 24 hours a day. The specialist will provide callers with an interpretation of the latest weather reports,

forecasts Forecasting is the process of making predictions based on past and present data. Later these can be compared with what actually happens. For example, a company might estimate their revenue in the next year, then compare it against the actual resu ...

, satellite images and

weather radar A weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern w ...

, copies of the latest Notice To Airmen (NOTAMs), and file, modify, open, or close a

flight plan Flight plans are documents filed by a aviator, pilot or flight dispatcher with the local Air Navigation Service Provider (e.g., the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA in the United States) prior to departure which indicate the plane's planned ...

. Only a few FICs provide for face to face briefings but all can be contacted on a toll free number, or via radio using an RCO (located at numerous aerodromes). Historically, the common en route frequency of 126.7 has been used to contact the FIC, but as general radio traffic has increased, the congestion on that frequency has resulted in a plan by Nav Canada to change over a significant number of RCOs to one of four dedicated FIC frequencies - 123.275, 123.375, 123.475, or 123.55 MHz. When this occurs in a particular area, 126.7 will no longer be monitored by the FIC, however, they will retain broadcast capabilities on 126.7 to transmit urgent messages such as

SIGMET SIGMET, or Significant Meteorological Information (AIM 7-1-6), is a severe weather advisory that contains meteorological information concerning the safety of all aircraft. Compared to AIRMETs, SIGMETs cover more severe weather. Today, according ...

s or to aid in a search for an overdue aircraft.Transport Canada AIM, RAC 1.1.3

History

In Canada, 5 FICs have replaced some of the Flight Service Stations. 54 Flight Service Stations remain in operation, mainly at mandatory frequency airports. The FIC concept was conceived from a program begun in the 1990s by

Transport Canada Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...

, and continued by Nav Canada after the company's inception in 1996. The original plan had a 20-year span and would have included 22 hubs (FICs). Nav Canada decided to accelerate the process and further centralize the project into 8 FICs. With the removal of FIC duties from Yellowknife, and the closures of North Bay FIC, Halifax FIC, and Winnipeg FIC, there are 5 FICs across Canada as of 2022.

References

{{reflist

External links

NAV CANADA FICNAV CANADA
Aviation authorities Aviation in Canada Air navigation