Originally Posted by Super EZ E

It's not the same. When I picked up new aircraft and flew them back to the USA the RVSM approval comes from the FISDO so you have to stay above the RVSM and you aren't flying into the tracks so it's not the same. It's called flying a random route. You end up flying a little further north and you don't have a wet foot print. Plus we don't have CPDLC and that's required to fly into the tracks. The days of HF are gone, it was so busy and people stepping on each other for hours. SELCAL was a god send. Flying North Atlantic is like nothing else. The busiest 4 hours of your life.