The DD Form 175 military flight plan is a one-page form pilots complete and submit to Base Operations or a Flight Service Station before departure for any flight operating entirely within U.S. domestic airspace. Once filed, it feeds the FAA’s air traffic control system so controllers can track and separate the aircraft from takeoff through landing. The form itself is short. The work is knowing what belongs in each block, when to use this form instead of DD Form 1801, and what to do after you land.
When To Use DD Form 175
Use DD Form 175 for flights operating entirely inside domestic airspace, including the Honolulu, Alaskan, and San Juan Domestic Control Areas.1Commander, Naval Air Training. FLIP General Planning – Chapter 4: Flight Plans
If the flight will leave U.S. domestic airspace at any point, even briefly to cross into Canadian or oceanic airspace, file DD Form 1801 instead. The 1801 is the military’s ICAO-format international plan.2Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order AIM Appendix 5 FAA Form 7233-1 Flight Plan Flights from Canada into the contiguous United States also require the 1801, and so does any flight that needs automatic assignment of RNAV SIDs, STARs, or RNAV routes.
One substitution is allowed on the domestic side: if you’re departing a U.S. installation that doesn’t have a military Base Operations facility, you can file FAA Form 7233-1 (the civilian flight plan) in place of DD Form 175.1Commander, Naval Air Training. FLIP General Planning – Chapter 4: Flight Plans The FAA treats the two as interchangeable for domestic purposes.3Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order JO 7110.10 – Flight Plan Handling
Service directives layer on top. Air Force pilots operate under AFMAN 11-202 Volume 3, which requires the pilot-in-command to certify that the flight was properly authorized, that the plan has been reviewed for completeness, and that it complies with ADIZ restrictions and special-use airspace scheduling.4Air Force. AFMAN 11-202v3 – General Flight Rules Navy and Marine Corps aviators follow OPNAVINST 3710.7.
Where To Get a Blank Form
Download DD Form 175 from the DoD Executive Services Directorate forms site at esd.whs.mil.5Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 175 – Military Flight Plan Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than a browser viewer, since the fillable fields often misbehave inside a browser.6Executive Services Directorate. DoD Forms 0001-0499 Base Operations offices also stock printed copies. Electronic filing is acceptable under service directives, and a printed electronic plan can substitute for the paper form at facilities with or without base operations.1Commander, Naval Air Training. FLIP General Planning – Chapter 4: Flight Plans
Filling Out the Blocks
The blocks group into three sets: aircraft identification, route and timing, and fuel, crew, and remarks.
Aircraft Identification
In the Aircraft Call Sign block, enter the official radio call sign assigned to the flight.5Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 175 – Military Flight Plan Check it against the scheduling system before writing it down — that is what controllers will use to identify you on frequency.
The Aircraft Designation and Type Designator (TD) Code block takes the standard ICAO type designator, for example “C17” for a C-17 or “F16” for an F-16. That tells controllers what performance and wake turbulence category to expect. It is not the tail number.
True Airspeed goes in knots. Controllers use it with your route to estimate sector crossings and fix times.
Route, Altitude, and Timing
The Departure Point uses a four-character airport identifier. Some Pacific and Alaska airports have both a three-letter and a four-letter code; use the four-letter version.1Commander, Naval Air Training. FLIP General Planning – Chapter 4: Flight Plans
The Route of Flight block spells out each leg using published airways, jet routes, NAVAIDs, or Fix-Radial-Distance format. “LIB 135060” means the Liberal VORTAC, 135° radial, 60 DME. If you’re filing under the National Route Program, plan the first and last 200 nautical miles on published preferred IFR routes, SIDs, STARs, or airways, put your waypoints in for the middle portion, and mark “NRP” in remarks after a clear-weather symbol.1Commander, Naval Air Training. FLIP General Planning – Chapter 4: Flight Plans
The Altitude block reflects your requested cruise altitude. At or above FL180, use flight-level notation like “FL280.” Below FL180, enter the altitude in hundreds of feet.
Estimated Time Enroute is entered in hours and minutes based on route distance and filed true airspeed.2Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order AIM Appendix 5 FAA Form 7233-1 Flight Plan Keep it realistic. An optimistic estimate can trigger a premature overdue alert at the destination.
Destination and Alternate use the same four-character identifier format as the departure point. Choose an alternate that fuel reserves can actually reach after flying the full filed route.
Fuel, Crew, and Remarks
Fuel on Board is expressed as hours and minutes of endurance, not pounds or gallons.2Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order AIM Appendix 5 FAA Form 7233-1 Flight Plan This gives controllers and rescue coordinators the maximum time the aircraft could remain airborne from departure.
The Crew/Passenger List Attached field indicates whether a separate manifest accompanies the plan.5Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 175 – Military Flight Plan Verify the manifest matches the people actually boarding.
The Rank and Honor Code field near the remarks section signals the protocol status of passengers, including whether military honors are to be rendered on arrival. The Remarks section carries mission-specific annotations, the NRP designation if applicable, nonstandard formation notes, and any special handling requirements. Pilots operating on Military Training Routes should check FLIP AP/1B for additional required remarks entries.
Formation Flights
For a formation, the flight leader files a single DD Form 175 for the whole group and indicates the number and type of aircraft in the appropriate block.7Federal Aviation Administration. Military Formation Flight The formation operates as a single aircraft for navigation and position reporting, and controllers issue clearances and separation only to the lead. If military requirements call for a nonstandard cell formation, list “nonstandard cell formation” as the first entry in the remarks.
Filing and Activation
Submit the completed form to Base Operations, which reviews it for accuracy and enters it into both military and FAA air traffic systems. You can also contact a Flight Service Station directly; FSSs accept military flight plan proposals, cancellations, and closures from any source.3Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order JO 7110.10 – Flight Plan Handling The plan has to be in the system before wheels-up. Activation happens at takeoff, and from that point controllers use it to manage separation, issue clearances, and hand you off between sectors.
Amending the Plan After Filing
Plans change in flight. Weather turns, the mission shifts, ATC offers a shortcut. The pilot-in-command can amend the original plan without filing a new DD Form 175 as long as the change does not penetrate an ADIZ, and for IFR flights, the controlling ATC agency approves the modification.4Air Force. AFMAN 11-202v3 – General Flight Rules Any change must also comply with host-nation rules where applicable and with special-use airspace or Military Training Route scheduling and coordination procedures in FLIP and NOTAMs.
If the amendment is a significant route change, tell ATC as early as you can. Controllers have already built your original route into their traffic flow, and a late change can force delays or rework of separation sequences.
Closing the Plan After Landing
What happens at the end of the flight depends on how you filed and where you land. An IFR plan closes automatically when you land at an airport with an operating control tower.8Federal Aviation Administration. ENR 1.10 Flight Planning The tower sees you arrive and handles it.
VFR and DVFR plans are never closed automatically. Towers may not even know you’re on a plan.8Federal Aviation Administration. ENR 1.10 Flight Planning The pilot has to contact a Flight Service Station, the originating base operations, or ask any ATC facility to relay the closure. Air Force pilots landing at non-towered civilian fields, or at part-time-towered airports when the tower is closed, carry the same responsibility.4Air Force. AFMAN 11-202v3 – General Flight Rules An IFR flight landing at an airport without an operating tower also requires manual closure.
Thirty minutes past your filed estimated time of arrival, an unclosed plan generates an overdue alert.9Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Order JO 7110.10 – Section 4 Flight Plan Handling That starts search-and-rescue coordination — FAA facilities begin locating the aircraft, and if they can’t, the process escalates to military SAR, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol, and local emergency services.10Federal Aviation Administration. Aeronautical Information Manual 6-2-6 – Search and Rescue Close the plan immediately after landing. Before refueling, before the terminal, before anything else.