FSX flightplans

[dragonflightdesign 98]

I've just opened an FSX flightplan (the very first time I've done that, would you believe it! ) and got a bit of a shock. I was expecting to see the same sort of layout as FS9 but was faced with this odd xml file. Most of it is comprehensible after a short while, but the ICAORegion tag eludes me e.g.

 

<ICAORegion>K5</ICAORegion>

 

For the United States I understand that the ICAO identifier is the letter K, so what does the numeral 5 represent and where does it come from? Pointers to other topics accepted gratefully. I'm developing an INS system that needs to write flightplans in FS9, FSX and Prepar3D format.

 

-Dai

[spokes2112 179]

Dai,

 

 Found this for what it's worth.. http://www.avcodes.co.uk/icaonat.asp  Since you're doing a INS the ICAO region probably isn't necessary since you using Lat/Lon. Have you tried loading a hand edited plan with all the <ICAORegion></ICAORegion> entries removed? If it works then no worries.

[dragonflightdesign 98]

I'll give that a try - I wasn't sure how much data can be removed from the flightplan before the entire display falls over. Guess I'm going to find out . The INS doesn't need an FS flightplan as everything is done internally but I wanted to give the user something to check his/her INS entries against.

[spokes2112 179]

Dai - Here's a flight plan generated in Plan-G which works just fine in FSX. There is not one entry for <ICAORegion> so it looks like you could be good to go. B) 

CODE REMOVED

[spokes2112 179]

ADMIN BOT! Please put this back into the "MSFS Aircraft and Panel Design Forum" .

 

 

I'm developing an INS system that needs to write flightplans in FS9, FSX and Prepar3D format.

 

A bunch of code is ready to be posted and it doesn't fit here. - Thanks

[dragonflightdesign 98]

Shoot it.

 

As it happens, thanks to your info I'd found out that you can remove the ICAORegion tag without upsetting FSX at all. I did find a funny though while testing. The FSX Flight Planner won't let you create a round robin - it absolutely refuses to believe that you'd really like to land at the airport you've just left!

 

-Dai

[FloG 148]

 

 

ADMIN BOT! Please put this back into the "MSFS Aircraft and Panel Design Forum" .

Oh boy, I messed up again. I'm terribly sorry, I should read more carefully before taking action, but I put the thread back where it belongs.

I apologize for the trouble.

[spokes2112 179]

No problem Florian...

NOT ENOUGH COFFEE! 

 

Dai,

This topic has piqued my interest too. (different reason) So along with the morning java I did some testing and it may help out in your cause.

1. A bunch of unneeded stuff was removed from the "header"

2. The first & last waypoint must be a <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType> (This may help out in a "round robin") for the NAV LOG to work.

3.The last  waypoint may be <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType> but the NAV LOG will not work. (Open ended)

4 The rest of the waypoints are "User" even though they are airport LLAs.

5 The map & GPS views all work. 

 

This works nicely as a INS output   and works fine.

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

 

<SimBase.Document Type="AceXML" version="1,0">

    <Descr>AceXML Document</Descr>

    <FlightPlan.FlightPlan>

        <Title>INS OUT</Title>

        <FPType>IFR</FPType>        

        <DepartureID>Wpt01</DepartureID>        

        <DestinationID>Wpt06</DestinationID>     

        <DepartureName>Start WYPT</DepartureName>

        <DestinationName>End WYPT</DestinationName>        

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt01">

            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>

            <WorldPosition>N44° 31' 45.00",W114° 13' 07.14",+005068.00</WorldPosition>

            <ICAO>

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt01</ICAOIdent>

            </ICAO>

        </ATCWaypoint>

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt02">

            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>

            <WorldPosition>N44° 35' 29.68",W114° 49' 23.32",+005498.00</WorldPosition>

            <ICAO>

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt02</ICAOIdent>

            </ICAO>

        </ATCWaypoint>

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt03">

            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>

            <WorldPosition>N44° 48' 29.69",W114° 48' 33.33",+004199.00</WorldPosition>

            <ICAO>

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt03</ICAOIdent>

            </ICAO>

        </ATCWaypoint>

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt04">

            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>

            <WorldPosition>N44° 58' 04.69",W114° 43' 58.33",+003644.00</WorldPosition>

            <ICAO>

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt04</ICAOIdent>

            </ICAO>

        </ATCWaypoint>

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt05">

            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>

            <WorldPosition>N44° 58' 46.69",W114° 44' 05.33",+003625.00</WorldPosition>

            <ICAO>

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt05</ICAOIdent>

            </ICAO>

        </ATCWaypoint>        

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt06">

            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>

            <WorldPosition>N44° 53' 22.91",W116° 6' 04.64",+005019.00</WorldPosition>

            <ICAO>

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt06</ICAOIdent>

            </ICAO>

        </ATCWaypoint>

    </FlightPlan.FlightPlan>

</SimBase.Document>

[WarpD 824]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 
 
 

<SimBase.Document Type="AceXML" version="1,0">
 

    <Descr>AceXML Document</Descr>
 

    <FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
 

        <Title>INS OUT</Title>
 

        <FPType>IFR</FPType>        
 

        <DepartureID>Wpt01</DepartureID>        
 

        <DestinationID>Wpt06</DestinationID>     
 

        <DepartureName>Start WYPT</DepartureName>
 

        <DestinationName>End WYPT</DestinationName>        
 

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt01">
 

            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
 

            <WorldPosition>N44° 31' 45.00",W114° 13' 07.14",+005068.00</WorldPosition>
 

            <ICAO>
 

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt01</ICAOIdent>
 

            </ICAO>
 

        </ATCWaypoint>
 

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt02">
 

            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
 

            <WorldPosition>N44° 35' 29.68",W114° 49' 23.32",+005498.00</WorldPosition>
 

            <ICAO>
 

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt02</ICAOIdent>
 

            </ICAO>
 

        </ATCWaypoint>
 

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt03">
 

            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
 

            <WorldPosition>N44° 48' 29.69",W114° 48' 33.33",+004199.00</WorldPosition>
 

            <ICAO>
 

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt03</ICAOIdent>
 

            </ICAO>
 

        </ATCWaypoint>
 

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt04">
 

            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
 

            <WorldPosition>N44° 58' 04.69",W114° 43' 58.33",+003644.00</WorldPosition>
 

            <ICAO>
 

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt04</ICAOIdent>
 

            </ICAO>
 

        </ATCWaypoint>
 

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt05">
 

            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
 

            <WorldPosition>N44° 58' 46.69",W114° 44' 05.33",+003625.00</WorldPosition>
 

            <ICAO>
 

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt05</ICAOIdent>
 

            </ICAO>
 

        </ATCWaypoint>        
 

        <ATCWaypoint id="Wpt06">
 

            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
 

            <WorldPosition>N44° 53' 22.91",W116° 6' 04.64",+005019.00</WorldPosition>
 

            <ICAO>
 

                <ICAOIdent>Wpt06</ICAOIdent>
 

            </ICAO>
 

        </ATCWaypoint>
 

    </FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
 

</SimBase.Document>

[dragonflightdesign 98]

My thanks to you both. I'd got as far as substituting all waypoints for 'WPn' but hadn't tried chopping out bits of the header yet, nor had I tried opening and closing the flightplan with airports. As this will be only a visual check of the INS waypoints, I believe that all waypoints declared as User will be okay for me. However, it strikes me that opening and closing with an airport would be far neater.

 

-Dai

[spokes2112 179]

Dai,
 
 

As this will be only a visual check of the INS waypoints, I believe that all waypoints declared as User will be okay for me.

 
Just to reiterate the 1st waypoint must be an "Airport" otherwise the plan will not load.. Be it my back yard full of dog doo, a lat/lon over the ocean, or my exes lat/lon,  (for targeting reasons)    whatever. From that point it's good unless you want the end user to have a FS generated NAV Log, then you must  have a ending "Airport". Without an ending airport you get the GPS and MAP views only.
 

Looking forward to what you have "brewing".

[dragonflightdesign 98]

You can load the plan if the first and last waypoints are 'user' but it won't let you edit those waypoints and the flight type must be VFR. A map view was all I wanted; trying to use it as an FS flightplan would really mess up what I'm doing (I think - better test that idea! ). The flight planner is also quite happy for you to enter all waypoints as zero feet.

 

I really appreciate the help. I get my head so buried in panels and gauges and aircraft systems that - truthfully - I don't even know how a good portion of FS actually works. For instance: I've only recently discovered internet enabled weather! :o :ph34r:

 

-Dai

[Propwash 2]

I've just opened an FSX flightplan (the very first time I've done that, would you believe it! ) and got a bit of a shock. I was expecting to see the same sort of layout as FS9 but was faced with this odd xml file. Most of it is comprehensible after a short while, but the ICAORegion tag eludes me e.g.

 

<ICAORegion>K5</ICAORegion>

 

For the United States I understand that the ICAO identifier is the letter K, so what does the numeral 5 represent and where does it come from? Pointers to other topics accepted gratefully. I'm developing an INS system that needs to write flightplans in FS9, FSX and Prepar3D format.

 

-Dai

Hello Dai,

 

I see you have moved beyond this question now, but the answer to your initial question about the "5" can be found here, page 9.

 

Bob

[COBS 25]

You can load the plan if the first and last waypoints are 'user' but it won't let you edit those waypoints and the flight type must be VFR. A map view was all I wanted; trying to use it as an FS flightplan would really mess up what I'm doing (I think - better test that idea! ). The flight planner is also quite happy for you to enter all waypoints as zero feet.

 

-Dai

Dai ,

 

I did a "Mission Adaptive Flight plan Editor" for my freeware panel.

- Entries are made using the keyboard.

- Can enter airport ICAO's.

- Can enter Lat/Long in 3 formats ;

(i) D:M:S  (Degrees:Minutes:Seconds)

(ii) D:M to 2 decimal places

(iii) D to 4 decimal places

or

(iV) Lat/Long as nominated anywhere on the radar display screen

 

- any waypoint entry can be made your set flight plan index of choice.

- all entries can be made as either ;

(i) ADD- Add waypoint

(ii) DTO- Direct To

(iii) REP- Replace any existing waypoint

 

This editor can modify existing saved flight plans or create flight plans from scratch,

however to create a flight plan from scratch it must be started with a DTO , then

you can add as many waypoints as you desire up to 99 legs.

 

Waypoints can be added at any location in a flight plan , including before the first and

after the last waypoint of a flight plan if that is desired.

 

The created or modified Flight plans are only for the current flight sim session , they cannot

be saved , but they do show up on the Map or the Radar .

 

It is configured to be operated " in cockpit" and either prior to take off or in flight.

 

The "Mission adaptive Flight Plan Editor" is incorporated into a MFD as 3 pages :

(i) ICAO entry.

(ii) Lat/Long and Radar pick up entry.

(iii) Stand Off page ( not yet uploaded )

 

It is supported by :-

- a separate Radar that has the flight plan lines , waypoint index text ,

the onscreen position Lat/Long nomination, airport ICAO's , and a scrollable Flight Plan text listing .

- a separate 14 line Nearest airport listing (with ICAO's)

- a separate "clipboard" with 5 pages of abbreviated global airport ICAO's.

These support instrument provide a source of  ICAO's  and aid in the visual interpretation of

a flight plan as it is being constructed.

 

I have included the "Stand Off" capability to enable flight plans to be created at any distance 

away from the aircraft's current position.

The Stand Off mode of the radar allows the radar display to be projected to any part of the world

as a part of the flight plan creation process.

Essentially you can create a flight plan on the other side of the world away from where you are

currently situated , ( an extreme example ) , usually  you would be doing diversions or

alterations only a couple of hundred miles away.

 

Some screenshots are included at the following links.

 

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/dual-function-switch-for-mfd.425488/

 

 

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/radar-for-global-reach-navigation-and-flight-planning-help-pls.427000/

 

 

http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/radar-stand-off-panning-display-aspects.428124/

 

Cheers

Karol

[dragonflightdesign 98]

Hello Bob

 

As it happens, I've downloaded that but not read it :blush:

 

Hello Karol

 

That looks really interesting - seriously!

 

Unfortunately something's happened today that I think has killed off the entire project I was working on. I'm just waiting for confirmation of that.

 

-Dai