Waypoint set altitude removed on Validate

[Kawfee Bassie]

Issue: Changing an altitude on a waypoint manually invalidates the flight plan. Validating the flight plan overwrites manual altitudes on waypoints.

As an example, doing the FLIPR4 arrival into KMIA, the altitude for FLIPR is either 10000 or 12000. When loading the arrival into Pilot2ATC, the altitude for FLIPR seems to be calculated (for my cruise of FL320, it was set to FL310). If I click the altitude column and change the altitude to 12000, it invalidates my flight plan if already validated or filed. When I click Validate the altitudes are re-calculated and any altitudes I have set manually are overwritten.

[Dave-Pilot2ATC]

Thanks for the report.

I will be addressing this in a coming update.  Not sure it will make the next one, but we'll see.

You still won't be able to change the altitude of waypoints with altitude restrictions, but your changes to others will be maintained.  The down side is that if you want to get P2A's calculated altitudes again, you will have to start your flight plan over from scratch.

Dave

[frangrau]

Hi, Dave

I just bumped into the same problem. Flying from EHAM to LFPG, there are waypoints (IDOKO, MATIX) with altitude restrictions that are not respected by Pilot2ATC when creating a FP (Max. altitude FL195, assigned altitude FL250). Also, when changing the altitude manually, at validation the program recalculates the altitudes and overwrites them.

Have you had the chance to take a look at this?

BTW, I'm a new user and I love Pilot2ATC, congratulations.

Frank

 

[Dave-Pilot2ATC]

What SID, STAR, Approach are in your flight plan?

If a SID waypoint has a restriction of FL195, then it is likely you will be cleared to "climb via the xxx departure maintain FL250".  You are then expected to follow any restrictions in the SID.

If you can post the full flight plan with the procedures, I can have a look at it.

Thanks,

Dave

[frangrau]

Hi Dave,

This is the flight plan:

FlightPlan by Francisco Grau, en Flickr

As I understand it, the FL in NICKY or IDOKO should be no higher than 19500Feet. Is this correct? But the assigned altitude is FL300 in all the waypoints.

If I change the FL manually in any of those restricted waypoints to FL190, P2ATC will get back to the original settings after validation or filing the plan. Is this normal?

The same Flight plan in Simbrief, for instance, looks like this:

FlightPlan2 by Francisco Grau, en Flickr

 

Maybe the restrictions will be reflected in the ATC instructions and not in the plan itself, I don't know. I just want to know if the behaviour of the program is normal. Thanks in advance for the clarification.

Francisco

[Dave-Pilot2ATC]

Thanks for posting the flight plan.

Airway altitudes are not enforced or considered when P2A calculates the enroute altitudes. However, if you change them manually, they should be remembered.

I'll check the code and get it fixed for the next update.

Dave

[frangrau]

Hi Dave, 

I found that at least in one case, this is happening still. I have read the manual but unless I am doing something wrong, the "Ignore Airway Altitude Restrictions" checkbox is not working properly.

These are my settings:

Please, check out this simple flightplan:

First of all, the FP has been calculated and the restriction of 24500 has not been taken into account. Also, if I manually try to enforce the restriction at BARKO and ZMR to FL240, when I validate the value is changed again to FL250, which it shouldn't.

I haven't checked other cases, so this may be just an exception to the rule, but I wanted to let you know.

 

Thanks and keep up the excellent work. I enjoy very much Pilot2ATC.

Francisco

[Dave-Pilot2ATC]

Thanks for the report and the detail.  I'll look into it.

Dave

[quickthrottle]

Hi,

Was this issue fixed? I recently had trouble with modifying altitudes in the JIMS3 STAR for a flight from KBOS to KPHL. The route was: KBOS SSOXS5 SSOXS DCT BUZRD DCT SEY J121 BRIGS JIIMS3 KPHL.  I tried chaining the altitude at BRIGS to 14000, IROKT to 9000 and JIIMS to 8000. These changes were reverted back to the default altitudes when I filed the flight plan.

 

[Andydigital]

You can't edit waypoints that are part of a published procedure. If they are showing as wrong in P2ATC make sure your navdata is current and if it is then inform whoever you get your nav data from of the error.