When must you forward a position report over the last reporting point in the transferring facilities area?

The requirement to forward a position report over the last reporting point in the transferring facility's area primarily seeks to ensure the seamless flow of information between air traffic control facilities, allowing controllers to maintain situational awareness of the aircraft. When the time differs by more than 3 minutes from the estimate given in the flight plan or previous communications, this discrepancy indicates that the aircraft's progress is not aligning with expectations.

Such a situation often necessitates an updated position report to alert the receiving facility about the actual location and status of the aircraft, enabling proper planning for separation and traffic management in the airspace. This helps in maintaining safety and efficiency in operations, ensuring that controllers have the most accurate and up-to-date information to work with.

In contrast, other scenarios such as reporting every 10 minutes, only upon requests from the pilot, or limiting the reporting to peak hours do not adequately address the necessity for timely updates based on flight progress discrepancies, which could jeopardize safety and flight coordination.