Pre-Departure Clearances in the Vancouver FIR are issued upon request by the pilot or during high volumes of traffic.
PDC service is currently provided at CYVR, CYYJ, CYXX, CYLW, and CYXS. When available, "PDC Available on request" will be listed in the ATIS NOTAMS.
PDCs are issued via private message on all VATSIM pilot clients - pilots may request a PDC via voice or text. The format to a PDC will note similar information to an IFR clearance, as shown in the example below:
PDC - ACA123 - SQUAWK 1234 - CYVR - A320 - FL310 - JANEK SEKAB SEKAB4 - USE SID YVR2 - DEPARTURE RUNWAY 26L - DESTINATION CYLW - CONTACT CZVR_CTR 133.700 WITH IDENTIFIER 123A - END OF MESSAGE
You can speed up your PDC request by sending Departure Clearance Request
in the frequency chat!
Pilots should then call ATC when ready, noting the identifier assigned to their flight in the PDC.
Vancouver Center, ACA123, PDC Identifier 123A.
If there is an issue with the flight plan the controller will reply with the following message:
PDC UNAVAILABLE, REVERT TO STANDARD VOICE PROCEDURES
If you receive this message, the PDC clearance becomes void and you should contact ATC on the normal frequency.