# General Rules of the Air: Flight Plans, Lights, SSR Codes, and Lost Communications

> Review general operational air rules, including flight plan adherence, navigation lights, transponder emergency codes, and communication failure procedures.

- **Subject:** 010 — Air Law
- **Section:** 010-05 — Rules of the Air According to ICAO Annex 2 and SERA
- **Topic code:** 010-05-03
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-03-27
- **Author:** Pablo Asensio Martínez
- **HTML version:** https://pilotsyllabus.com/en/air-law/rules-of-the-air-according-to-icao-annex-2-and-sera/general-rules/

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## Flight Plan
A flight plan shall be submitted prior to operating any flight to which air traffic control service is to be provided.

**Adherence to Flight Plan:**
Flights must adhere to the current flight plan. Deviations must be reported to ATC:
*   **Deviation from track:** Correct the heading immediately.
*   **Variation in TAS:** If true airspeed varies by **+/- 5%**.
*   **Time estimate:** If the time estimate for the next reporting point changes by more than **2 minutes**.

## Signals and Lights
**At night**, all aircraft in flight shall display:
1.  **Anti-collision lights** to attract attention.
2.  **Navigation lights** to indicate relative path.
    *   **Red:** Left wing (110°).
    *   **Green:** Right wing (110°).
    *   **White:** Tail (140°).

## Transponder Codes (SSR)
*   **7500:** Unlawful Interference (Hijack).
*   **7600:** Radio Failure.
*   **7700:** Emergency.

## Semicircular Rule (Cruising Levels)
For vertical separation, flight levels (FL) or altitudes are used based on **magnetic track**:
*   **000° - 179° (East):** **ODD** levels (e.g., FL50, FL70, FL290, FL330).
*   **180° - 359° (West):** **EVEN** levels (e.g., FL40, FL60, FL280, FL320).

*Note: In RVSM airspace (between FL290 and FL410), separation is reduced to 1000 ft, but the odd/even logic is maintained.*

## Communication Failure
If radio failure occurs in IFR conditions or if it is not likely to complete the flight in VMC:
*   Maintain the speed and level assigned for a period (usually 7 or 20 min).
*   Proceed according to the current flight plan.
*   If being vectored, proceed in the most direct manner possible to rejoin the current flight plan route.

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Free study notes from pilotsyllabus.com. Not a substitute for training at an approved ATO.