Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 240; Flight Crew Total 22500; Flight Crew Type 5500
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
General None Reported / Taken
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Environment - Non Weather Related
Many separate problems with the Flight Plan. First it arrived 23 minutes late. I call the Dispatcher and noticed RLSE 02 and he said 'ZFW went down and redispatch plan wouldn't take in the computer; so I guess your still on 5%.' I was confused and asked him to send it to me; then once I saw it maybe I could figure out what he was talking about and that was another 6 minutes then the printer failed. Once airborne we lost data link around 80N and I attempted probably 15 times over the next 90 minute to contact any LDOC [Long Distance Operational Control] or Commercial Radio facility printed on the Arctic/Polar chart but never a response. I did send a full position report with FUEL and asked GANDER on HF to send to the company at NEUTR but after that lost them; but got Magadan OK at NALIM but no data link comm until just short of KUBON. We did comply with the 90 minute reporting on the 5% OPS SPEC B343 but can't prove it and Dispatch claims they never received the NEUTR report from Gander. The Dispatcher said he was filing a report and told of us of all the shortcomings in the computer system and I concur that we should no longer dispatch above 80N on the 5% because it's very difficult to comply since LDOC is about 50/50 over many years of trying.
Air Carrier Captain laments his company's computer flight plan and the poor communication capability above 80N.