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6.16 Time
6.16.2 Describe the six figure systems of indicating date/time groups.
Purpose of the Six-Figure Date/Time Group
It provides a precise, unambiguous reference for date and time.
It avoids confusion across time zones and ensures everyone interprets the time the same way.
Commonly used in flight plans, weather reports, NOTAMs, and operations logs.
Structure of the Six-Figure Date/Time Group
The six-figure format is written as:
DDHHMMZ
Where:
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DD | Day of the month (01–31) |
| HH | Hour in 24-hour format (00–23) |
| MM | Minutes (00–59) |
| Z | Time zone indicator (usually Z for Zulu/UTC) |
Example:
141530Z = 14th day of the month at 15:30 UTC.
Key Points
Always use two digits for day, hour, and minutes.
Example: 5th day at 8:05 = 050805Z.
Time is usually expressed in UTC (Z) to standardise communication globally.
No punctuation is used between numbers. The sequence is continuous.
Common usage:
Weather reports: TAFs and METARs
Flight plans: Estimated departure/arrival times
Mission logs: Coordinating operations
Quick Visual Example
| Six-Figure DTG | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 011200Z | 1st day of the month, 12:00 UTC |
| 250945Z | 25th day, 09:45 UTC |
| 300005Z | 30th day, 00:05 UTC (just after midnight) |
6.16.4 Define:
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