How do I compare a track with its flight information?

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Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.

Find a flight in the list

Open FLT PLNS on the main game menu, or press F by default when you are not typing in a text box. This opens the FLIGHT PLANS list.
Type part of the callsign in Search. You can also search departure or destination ICAO codes—the short airport codes—or the plan name. Search ignores letter case.
Use CLEAR to remove the search text. Use REFRESH to rescan active assignments. A search can hide rows; an empty search result is not proof an aircraft disappeared.
Find the correct Callsign / ID row. Read Plan, Leg, Next Waypoint and ETA. A leg is one part of the route between points; a waypoint is a point the route passes through; ETA is an estimated arrival time at the next point.
Select the row’s > button to move the camera to the aircraft when its position is available. The game also shows its IDENT marker. This is a locating aid, not a hostile classification.
Use that row’s CALL ATC for a controller query, then read the response in ASMA. Follow the ATC guide for what the reply means.

Read the aircraft’s information

Select the aircraft on the scope and open its Flight Info tab. Some controllable aircraft open AC Control first; choose Flight Info to read the information. Match CALLSIGN or the track identity before comparing fields. DEPARTURE is where the flight starts; DESTINATION is where its plan ends. These are not commands to launch or land.

Current values and references

Field	How to read it
ALT	The current altitude shown for this contact, in feet.
SPD	The current speed shown for this contact, in knots.
CEILING / MAX SPD	Performance reference values used by the game’s checks, shown when Flight Info has a flight plan. Do not read them as the planned cruising height or speed. If these boxes are absent, check the type references in Aircraft Data when available.
MODE 3	The displayed transponder code. Compare it using the squawk guide.
MODE S	The aircraft address when available; see the Mode S register guide.
CONFIDENCE	A count derived from recent station hits for the track. It is not a percentage probability that the aircraft is friendly.
TYPE	The displayed aircraft type. Use Aircraft Data for its reference details, not as a replacement for current flight values.

What if there is no flight plan?

The panel can show No Flight Plan - VFR A/C or No Flight Plan - Military A/C, with available departure and flight information. Missing plan details do not make a contact hostile. Compare the available information and follow the identification steps. The active-plan list is not a complete list of every aircraft in the sky; use TRACK LIST for track information.

Compare rather than assume

Check whether the observed position and direction make sense alongside the route and next waypoint. Compare current ALT and SPD with the appropriate references. A warning or mismatch is a reason to investigate, not permission to declare hostility. Use CALL ATC, the register and identification checks as available. Do not infer spoofing from one field alone.

If the details do not agree

First confirm you are reading the same aircraft and have cleared any list search. Record callsign or track number, field names, displayed values, time, game version and the ATC reply. Preserve the save for a problem report.

Why does the aircraft count change?

Aircraft with Flight Plans counts the rows currently shown after your search. It is not the total number of aircraft in the sky. Choose CLEAR, then REFRESH, before comparing counts. The list updates while open, but a row still needs a usable assigned plan and aircraft information. Use TRACK LIST and missing-track checks to investigate a contact that is absent; do not assume it landed or was destroyed.

Read Leg and ETA carefully

Leg 2/5 means the displayed route section is the second of five sections. The list chooses the section nearest the aircraft’s current position; this is not proof that it flew every earlier section. The next waypoint is the next named point in that displayed route. ETA is a calculated time for that point, not a promise that the flight will arrive then and not the fuel remaining. If ETA is blank, the list has not supplied a time for that row; it does not prove that the aircraft stopped. Compare the same callsign in Flight Info and fuel planning before making an operational decision.

Close, minimise and reopen the list

Use _ on the FLIGHT PLANS title bar to leave a small Flight Plans bar. Use □ on that bar to restore the full list. See the panel controls.
Use x on the title bar to close the list. This does not cancel a flight or erase its plan.
Reopen with FLT PLNS on the main game menu, or press F by default while you are not typing in a text box. The Escape menu temporarily hides the list; close that menu to see it again.
Other movable panels can stay open beside the list. Move or minimise a panel if they overlap. Your previous search can still be active: choose CLEAR if you want all rows the list can show.

Search, CLEAR and REFRESH do different jobs

Control	What changes
Search	Shows rows whose callsign, departure airport code, destination airport code or plan name contains your text. Capital and small letters are treated alike. Use a callsign or an airport’s ICAO code from the airfield directory.
CLEAR	Removes the search text and releases the text-box focus. It shows all rows currently available to this list; it does not create missing plans.
REFRESH	Checks the current flights again, then applies the same search text. It does not remove your filter. If you want to check the whole list, choose CLEAR first, then REFRESH.
Aircraft with Flight Plans	Counts the rows shown after the search. Searching can reduce this number without any aircraft leaving the session.

Try searching for one callsign you can read on the scope. Check the matching row’s Callsign / ID before using > or CALL ATC. Do not treat a match in the Plan column as proof that you have found that particular aircraft.

Why can a visible contact be missing from FLT PLNS?

Choose CLEAR, then REFRESH. Check that you are comparing the same callsign in the list and on the radar scope.
A row needs an assigned plan with a usable route. Some aircraft have no flight plan. Use TRACK LIST and the contact’s Flight Info tab to inspect the information that is available.
In v0.8.16.0, when at least one ground radar is switched on, this list also checks ground-radar range. An aircraft outside those ranges can be absent from FLT PLNS even though AWACS shows it on the scope. A missing list row does not prove that the aircraft disappeared.
If the map and list do not agree, keep the callsign, time, ground-radar states, AWACS/L11 state, version and screenshots for a report. Use the contact’s available Flight Info; do not classify it as hostile solely because its row is absent.

Read the list’s columns

Column	Meaning
Callsign / ID	The aircraft name or identifier for this row. Check it before using either row button.
Class	A broad aircraft category, when available. It is not the U/A/S/H/Z identity classification used on tracks. A blank class does not make the aircraft hostile.
Plan	The name of the route assigned to the aircraft. This list lets you inspect it, not edit or issue a new route.
Leg	The route section displayed for the aircraft’s current position, such as 2/5. It does not prove that every earlier section was completed.
Next Waypoint	The named point at the end of that displayed section. A waypoint is a place the route passes through.
ETA	The calculated time for that next point, when supplied. An empty ETA does not prove that the aircraft stopped.

Why do white route lines appear when I click an aircraft?

A flight plan describes where an aircraft is expected to fly. When a contact is both selected and hooked, its plan can appear as a dashed white line joining the route points, with small circles at those points. A route point is a place along the planned journey. This line shows the planned route, not a trail proving where the aircraft has already flown. For that, read the history plots. A white route line also does not mean the aircraft is an AWACS-only white track.

How do I hide the selected aircraft’s route?

First finish or cancel any command that is asking you to choose a target or confirm an order. In that situation a map click can be used by the command instead of ordinary selection.
Left-click an empty part of the radar scope, away from contacts, their labels, map markers and open panels. Use a click, not a drag. This clears the current selection, so its planned-route line should disappear.
This does not remove the aircraft, cancel its flight plan or remove all your hooks. Previously hooked contacts can remain in your working group. Check solo mode if their data is still displayed.
To see the route again, select the same aircraft and make sure it is hooked. Clicking a hooked aircraft removes its hook; if the route stays hidden for that reason, click that same contact again and check its callsign.

Which lines or window do I want to hide?

What is on screen	What to do
The selected aircraft’s dashed white route and route-point circles	Clear the scope selection as described above. In v0.8.16.0 the route follows the selected, hooked contact. Closing the Flight Info panel does not itself clear that selection.
The FLIGHT PLANS list	Use the list’s title-bar controls described above. Closing the list does not hide the selected contact’s route.
The network of airway lines across the map	Use AIRWAYS in the map-layer controls. AIRWAYS controls the airway layers, not the selected contact’s flight-plan route.
Track labels and datablocks	Use the data-display controls. X, Delete and Backspace do different jobs; they are not a dedicated flight-plan-route switch.
The game slows down when I select a flight plan	Clear the selection and note whether the slowdown changes. For a report, keep the callsign, plan name if available, zoom level, game version and a save or screenshot. Describe what happens before, during and after selection. A change after hiding the route does not identify the cause of the slowdown.