Where to find pre made IFR flight plans for GA flying?

[captain420 3,099]

I would love to do some short flights between 30 minutes to 1 hour using GA planes with the G1000 NXi. Are there any websites or resources I can find online that has a collection of already pre-made flight plans I can use. I'd like to try out the capabilities of the NXi using SID/STAR and ILS for the approach but having a difficult time of choosing a nice route.

[ryanbatc 12,855]

1 hour ago, captain420 said:

I would love to do some short flights between 30 minutes to 1 hour using GA planes with the G1000 NXi. Are there any websites or resources I can find online that has a collection of already pre-made flight plans I can use. I'd like to try out the capabilities of the NXi using SID/STAR and ILS for the approach but having a difficult time of choosing a nice route.

You don't really do canned flight plans for GA props etc (SD Flyer might chime in with some TEC route knowledge on the west coast - then you will chose a route or ATC will chose one for your aircraft type - but that's only really really busy airspaces - east coast too probably in some areas).  That's the beauty of GPS.  And most of the time in these smaller aircraft you aren't flying from big class B primary airport to class B primary.  It's more like class C/D airports to the same or uncontrolled etc etc.  I just use skyvector to look at interesting weather, and then either make the most direct route, pick an altitude that would comply with the minimum IFR altitude on the chart (typically you'd have to fly higher if not on an airway), and then go!

Example I want to go from Mackinac Island to Frankfort (both in northern Michigan).  I go to skyvector, and I can either find an airway, and right click on my origin airport, press PLAN, then right click on PLN vor and PLAN, and then TVC (PLAN), and then right click on KFKS and do the same.  Plots a route you might see in the real world.  Or you can just go KMCD direct KFKS.  Also totally legal and doable.  I selected 8000 for an altitude and planned 110 knots true airspeed.  Says 59 min if I take the airway.  You can again right click your destination airport, hover your cursor over the airport name and approaches will show up.

I decide I have the weather and notams at KFKS so I choose the RNAV 33 from YULYU.  After you've entered your route into the NXi (the one we chose above), once airborne, just press PROC, and load the RNAV 33 at KFKS from that fix.  If you're simulating ATC and they've cleared you for the approach, example, "N12345, cleared direct YULYU, cross YULYU at or above 4000, cleared RNAV RY 33 approach, Frankfort airport" you can just ACTIVATE it on your NXi and it will take you to that first IAF.  For descent, prior to that fix you can either VNAV down or just use VS and select a rate which would get you low enough to intercept the glide path (in this case this approach is LNAV mins only so irl there's no vertical guidance just advisory from the VNAV I believe).  In the sim APR mode will fly you down a pretend glide path.

All the above assumes you're flying with the CDI set to GPS (magenta).  You could fly the route using airways (and VLOC green needle using VORs) but you could not fly the approach without equipping your aircraft with GPS.  You'd want to fly to Traverse City KTVC and shoot a traditional ILS approach etc.  In real world at TVC you'd get radar vectors but many smaller airports you'd need to navigate to the IAF some way without ATC intervention.

mcd_fks_airways by Ryan Butterworth, on Flickr

mcd_fks_direct by Ryan Butterworth, on Flickr

YUYLU by Ryan Butterworth, on Flickr

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by ryanbatcund

[captain420 3,099]

I fly without ATC, and would like to use the NXi to fly short flights. Trying to have it automated as much as possible. So realistically in the real world, GA planes like C182, C172, DA62 fly from and to smaller class-C airports like you mentioned? And I'm guessing at those smaller airports don't have ILS runways? So what type of approaches will I most likely see at those smaller GA airfields? I'm also guessing that they wouldn't have SID/STAR since those are for busy international airports? I'm so use to commercial jets and flying tubeliners from big international airports and would like to replicate the same with smaller GA planes as much as possible. But seems like these smaller GA airports don't have those capabilities. What is the next best thing then to simulate an automated flight in a GA plane equipped with the NXi?

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

49 minutes ago, captain420 said:

I fly without ATC, and would like to use the NXi to fly short flights. Trying to have it automated as much as possible. So realistically in the real world, GA planes like C182, C172, DA62 fly from and to smaller class-C airports like you mentioned? And I'm guessing at those smaller airports don't have ILS runways? So what type of approaches will I most likely see at those smaller GA airfields? I'm also guessing that they wouldn't have SID/STAR since those are for busy international airports? I'm so use to commercial jets and flying tubeliners from big international airports and would like to replicate the same with smaller GA planes as much as possible. But seems like these smaller GA airports don't have those capabilities. What is the next best thing then to simulate an automated flight in a GA plane equipped with the NXi?

For GA aircraft, ignore STARs and simply use RNAV approaches.

Just to get a feel for it, try my standard test flight from KPIE to KTPA.

Select (PROC) and activate the RNAV R01L approach via FITPA.

Start by flying at 2600 feet in NAV and ALT mode and watch the airplane fly to FITPA, do a teardrop hold and, when passing FITPA a second time, you press APR for an LPV landing.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Bert Pieke

[jmdriskell 178]

I find more than half the fun in sim flying is planning flight routes and the actual landing using current approach plates.  If you don't have a flight planer software, consider getting one.  Navigraph has a complete selection of Jeppson plates and approaches.  Within the US, the FAA has free approach plates.  I like to navigate using local VORs, NDBs and approach plates, but it's almost as much fun to use an autopilot (George), after you have created your flight plan.  I fly (sim) all over the world without ATC but try to observe good practices while I'm doing it.  At lease that's the way I learned when I was actually PIC.

[captain420 3,099]

17 hours ago, Bert Pieke said:

For GA aircraft, ignore STARs and simply use RNAV approaches.

Just to get a feel for it, try my standard test flight from KPIE to KTPA.

Select (PROC) and activate the RNAV R01L approach via FITPA.

Start by flying at 2600 feet in NAV and ALT mode and watch the airplane fly to FITPA, do a teardrop hold and, when passing FITPA a second time, you press APR for an LPV landing.

Bert, I'd like to give this route a try to test the NXi. Since I don't fly online or with ATC, could you please let me know what runway I should depart and should I use a SID?

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

26 minutes ago, captain420 said:

Bert, I'd like to give this route a try to test the NXi. Since I don't fly online or with ATC, could you please let me know what runway I should depart and should I use a SID?

Just take off from whatever runway looks good to you (into the wind preferably).  Turn on the autopilot when gear is up and select NAV and VS to get to to 2600 feet and heading towards FITPA.  Activate the approach if not already done.

I just flew it in the Turbo Bonanza.  🙂

ps If you use Teamspeak, we could fly it in multiplayer, if that helps at all..

Edited September 24, 2021 by Bert Pieke

[captain420 3,099]

Bert I don't have teamspeak. I'm having trouble with the hold, after FITFA it goes on to a hold at SNORK, and then it goes back to the HOLD at FITFA in an endless loop. I have made sure i activated the approach and also hit the APR button as well. Any ideas?

Also what is the purpose of having that hold? I just want to do an approach without the hold. Is the hold part of the approach and is it absolutely necessary to enter the hold in order to complete the approach?

UPDATE: Nevermind, it finally capture the GP and taking me down now.

Edited September 24, 2021 by captain420

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

5 minutes ago, captain420 said:

Bert I don't have teamspeak. I'm having trouble with the hold, after FITFA it goes on to a hold at SNORK, and then it goes back to the HOLD at FITFA in an endless loop. I have made sure i activated the approach and also hit the APR button as well. Any ideas?

Not offhand.. the flightplan should go FITPA-SNORK- etc without a hold at SNORK..

Did you activate the RNAV 1L approach with a course reversal at FITPA?   Maybe a screenshot of the flightplan would help..

Edited September 24, 2021 by Bert Pieke

[captain420 3,099]

8 minutes ago, Bert Pieke said:

Not offhand.. the flightplan should go FITPA-SNORK- etc without a hold at SNORK..

Did you activate the RNAV 1L approach with a course reversal at FITPA?   Maybe a screenshot of the flightplan would help..

Not sure what I did that it made me enter a hold at SNORK. I just landed, don't have a screenshot to reference. I'll redo the approach again to see if I may have done something wrong. A few questions though.

If I had done the same approach on runway 01L using ILS, wouldn't it also be pretty much the same as the RNAV approach? I mean I'm assuming both would take all the way down to the runway had I not set a minimums. So why would one choose one approach over the other since the ILS 01L will also take me down?

Also can I choose no for this? Since I don't want to fly the hold.

Edited September 24, 2021 by captain420

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

1 minute ago, captain420 said:

Not sure what I did that it made me enter a hold at SNORK. I just landed, don't have a screenshot to reference. I'll redo the approach again to see if I may have done something wrong. A few questions though.

If I had done the same approach on runway 01L using ILS, wouldn't it also be pretty much the same as the RNAV approach? I mean I'm assuming both would take all the way down to the runway had I not set a minimums. So why would one choose one approach over the other since the ILS 01L will also take me down?

Many smaller airports do not have an ILS, but do have an RNAV approach.

For this runway, you can choose either.. that is correct.

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

ILS vs RNAV.. once you get used to it, the RNAV approach is less complicated in that you do not have to select the ILS frequency, nor switch the GPS to VLOC mode.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Bert Pieke

[captain420 3,099]

5 minutes ago, Bert Pieke said:

Many smaller airports do not have an ILS, but do have an RNAV approach.

I see, so as far as automation goes, RNAV is the 2nd best type of approach then? Sorry, I've been use to flying commercial tubeliners at busy international airports, and still working out on GA flying.

Edited September 24, 2021 by captain420

[captain420 3,099]

This time I answered NO to 'Fly course reversal at FITPA'

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

6 minutes ago, captain420 said:

Also can I choose no for this? Since I don't want to fly the hold.

Sure, you can fly via FITPA as the IAF and make a sharp turn north.  Coming from KPIE, the course reversal gives you a more comfortable lead in to the final leg..