A B747-400 FLC DEVIATES FROM TRACK TO AVOID SOME TSTMS AND FORGETS TO RETURN TO ASSIGNED TRACK FOR 30 MINS IN NADI AIRSPACE. DEV WAS 20-30 MI OFF OF COURSE.

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CRUISING AT FL280 IN NADI OCA. TSTM ON FILED RTE. DECIDED TO DETOUR A FEW MI R OF COURSE. ENDED UP MORE THAN A FEW MI R OF FILED TRACK (20-30 MI ONLY AN APPROXIMATION) FROM SNY TO LAX. WE WERE USING FANS FOR COMS WITH ADS. I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO SEND ATC THE WX DEV MESSAGES. AFTER I REALIZED IT I WAS ASTOUNDED AND WONDERING WHY I NEGLECTED SOMETHING I HAD BEEN DOING FOR YRS. I AM USED TO INTL FLYING ON NAT TRACKS WHERE THERE ARE NUMEROUS TRACKS AND MUCH TFC. FROM SNY TO LAX ON THIS DAY THERE WAS 1 TRACK AND VERY FEW AIRLINES IN THE AIR UNTIL WE WERE ABEAM HAWAII. PERHAPS I WAS LULLED INTO COMPLACENCY BY THE LACK OF TFC. REALIZED MISTAKE BY THE TIME WE GOT TO OAKLAND OCA AND USED NORMAL PROCS FOR REST OF FLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR PARTICIPATED IN THE FANS STRUCTURED CALLBACK PROGRAM. RPTR IS A LOW TIME EXPERIENCED PLT WITH FANS. HE DID NOTHING WRONG OR IN ERROR WITH FANS UNIT; HE DIDN'T USE THE PROPER PROC OF DEVIATING FROM COURSE WITH ATC APPROVAL; AND THEN WHEN HE DID DEVIATE HE FORGOT TO RETURN TO COURSE MUCH EARLIER THAN HE DID. HE LIKES TO USE THE FANS EQUIP. IT HAS MANY ADVANTAGES OVER HF RADIO. IT IS EASIER TO UNDERSTAND AND IT IS FASTER. HE FIGURES THAT THE LACK OF TFC RELAXED HIM TO THE POINT THAT HE BECAME UNAWARE OF HIS DEV. HE STATED THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED HAD HE BEEN FLYING THE NORTH ATLANTIC; BECAUSE; THE TFC THERE IS SO HVY THAT EVERYONE IS VERY CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT BEING ON TRACK. THE INFREQUENT TFC REDUCES HIS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.