[fingpilot]

I got a PM asking about the procedures developed for flying in this part of the world.

When in remote (non-radar) parts of the world, we fly slightly right of course. I enter a say... 4 mile offset to the right of centerline. The thinking being that I won't headon with someone on the opposite heading on the same airway. If I am on an airway and someone going the same direction at a higher or lower altitude is close by, we call each other on the intl. agreed freq (VHF 123.45 Mhz, imagine that), and co-ordinate so that the higher guy would bail left or right in case of emergency. Things like that.

I got a kick out of a 'new procedure' agreed to by the FAA and it's intl. cousin, the ICAO (Intl. Civil Aviation Organization) recently. Says all aviators are now authorized to fly right of centerline course for safety reasons. Rules say we own 8 miles either side of centerline of airway, and can use up to 4 of those miles without any permission now.

Legitimizing what we have all done for years. You'll love what they called it.

Strategic Lateral Offset Program. SLOP for short.