What do you want in a 3rd party flight planner ?

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

>Moving map accessed in FSX just like FS Navigatorplease see my post at: http://fsmillka.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!5...CB240!116.entryVersion 1 will have an external moving map.Martin

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

Hi Alfred,>I would like to be able to create SID's Star's easily with>user defined waypoints that can be loaded into FSX AND be able>to upload (and download) from a user database... (possibly>even from sources like PMDG etc.(Hope this makes sense))please see this post at: http://fsmillka.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!5...CB240!118.entryIts a similar problem. If you define stuff outside of FSX (no matter whether you use a cute GUI or handwritten xml), FSX wont take notice unless you recompile it into FSX BGL files using the FSX SDK. So it depends on how much you like FSX ATC. If you dont use ATC you can plan whatever you want.Martin

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

Hi Ray,>As the originator of that topic I'm delighted to see your>posting especially as any improvements to the default planner>won't make it until FS11 - probably 2 years away :-(Yep, i felt like that, too. But now that ive started my own thing, i hope MS doesnt touch the built in planner until FSXX or so .. ;-P>I see you're from Germany - just like Helge Schroeder. You're>not his twin brother are you? :-hahFunny coincidence that FsNavigator and FsCommander are from Germany too. I guess it has to do with the tight airspace over here ..>Al Jordan's post covered most of my needs and Alfred added the>other feature I wanted - the ability to create and share (via>uploads) SIDs and STARs. This feature is no longer supported>in FSNav and it was a great idea.Well, FSX has STARs (called transitions), but no SIDs. Maybe I will add support to import user defined SIDs that can be shared via AVSIM file library or so, cause i dont have my own server. That could easily be extended to sharing STARs, route fragments and complete routes as well. Most likely something for version 2.>Having 3 PCs and using Project Magenta means I don't need fuel>calculations for various aircraft but I'm sure such a feature>would be welcomed by many others. Yep. Version 2 ..>FS Nav is to me the perfect planner as it fully supports drag>'n drop to add waypoints and user created waypoints can also>be easily created. A measuring tool would be useful so I can>easily determine the point in my flight plan x miles from the>arrival airport and add a waypoint to my plan using that>point.I used FsNav for years. Being on cold turkey since i switched to FSX is one of the main reasons i started my own thing ..>The ability to run on a WideFS / SimConnect system would be>essential.I hope to get by just with SimConnect and the (W)LAN connection.>No doubt your program would be payware and that isn't a>problem at all. A support forum would be appreciated so we can>share ideas and help resolve problems.I cant host a forum myself, but i will talk to the AVSIM people when the time comes ..>It sounds like you've made good progress. If you have a>website and can share any screenshots when available I'm sure>you'll soon have a large fan club :-)Still no screenshots yet, but i hope that will change soon. Keep an eye on my blog ..Martin

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

Hi A.R.,>I agree with many of the past replies. However for me you>will need to duplicate a number of the FS Nav attributes to>succeed. FSX route planner will dvevelop a route for you but>not necessarily the one you might want. It is therefore>important to be able to create routes quickly by dropping and>dragging waypoints into a plan. You will be able to edit the route.>The moving map was also a must from FS Nav. But the really big>advantage of FS Nav for me was its connection to your FS>autopilot. This enabled you to fly online speak to ATC and not>worry about the aircraft following the flight plan precisely.The flight plan will be transferred into FSX GPS, so the FSX autopilot can fly it. However that only covers lateral (= horizontal) navigation. Automagically following the vertical plan would require an FMS/FMC module that controls the FSX autopilot speed and altitude settings. Fortunately, thats on top of my own wishlist for version 2 ..>Just as in real life. It also allows you to alter that plan>whilst your flying which is a real help if an online ATC>controller suddenly changes your plan by altering runways, SID>or STAR.Yep. I want to be able to switch to another approach/transition/STAR during flight very quick, too.> The other thing of course is an ability to upload and>download SIDs and STARs on a common site.I'm thinking about user definable SIDs, STARs and routes/fragments shared via AVSIM file library. Problem is that FSX ATC doesnt know about them unless they are compiled to BGL.Martin

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

Hi Reggie,>This is one of the big issues with the default FS Flight>Planner - not being able to alter a route when a flight is>under way.I think it would be possible to cancel the current flight plan and switch to a modified one, e.g. with a different runway.>I do wish the FSNav moving map was not stuck in FS2002 - but>included terrain details. Being a low/ slow flier quite often>FSNav just isn't good enough much of the time.Have you seen the manual for the Garmin 900 ? Several hundred pages to drool .. ;-PAnd my wishlist for my flight planner got a bit longer again. I think i saw the acronyms TCAS and TWAS on my list .. ;-PMartin

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

Hi thx1137,>Many of the planners would satisfy me except everything I>have tried has failed in one or two areas. UI design and/or>keyboard mouse usage.>>FSNav was the best of the bunch, pretty intuitive. I like>clicking on each SID or STAR and seeing the route change on>the map without having to refresh, rezoom, pan, etc.>>Two other features I liked:>1: when using the mouse wheel to zoom in the zoom point is the>location of the mouse cursor. It does a zoom and pan at the>same time.>>2: Being able to see the direction that the SID or STAR is in>relation to the airport without having to click on them all>was great. Yep. I have some ideas about context dependant auto-zoom and auto-pan. Generally i will try to copy the keyboard/mouse handling from Google Earth wherever it makes sense.Martin

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

Hi Alvega,>I, like many others, would like to able to run it from inside>FSX (like FSNavigator does with the F9 key in FS9). That is an>essencial feature for everyone who just runs FSX on 1 computer>and 1 monitor. If i get a flight planner/moving map program>that can do this i will pay for it and i'm sure lots of others>will do the same.well, i have to disappoint at least one, and thats you .. ;-PMy flight planner will be a stand alone application, but you can keep it running it while FSX is running. If you have only one monitor and one computer, you will have to switch between FSX and the flight planner with a hotkey. the flight planner will have the option to autofreeze while in the background. FSX has a similar option.But I am thinking about a somewhat limited display gauge that connects to my application running in the background, so that you dont have to switch all the time. But thats something for version 2 ..SorryMartin

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

Hi rhodges,>FSNAVhmm. short, but nevertheless precise .. ;-PMartin

[Guest FlightPlannerProject]

Hi,thanks for all your replies and suggestions. I hope my answers gave you an idea of what i am working on. Some features wont make it into version 1 (unless you want to wait til FS12 ..), but i plan to make many versions, causea) i badly need all that stuff myself:( its so much more fun than the boring database stuff ive done the last 20 years ..Keep an eye on my blog (url below).On major progress, i will drop a hint in this thread as well.Martin

[Ray Proudfoot 8,950]

Hi Martin,I'm both relieved and pleased to see a post from you and that your absence was nothing more than a holiday :-)I look forward to reading about your progress on your blog.Thanks,

[vgbaron 3,612]

In addition to all the fine suggestions that Ray and others have made, I want to stress that, for me, the moving map combined with display of multiplayer a/c is the thing I miss the most.Visit the Virtual Pilot's Centerwww.flightadventures.comhttp://www.hifisim.com/Active Sky V6 Proud SupporterRadar Contact Supporter: http://www.jdtllc.com/

[Guest ilubkov]

1. Integrated with FSX2. If exist SID and STAR for the from/to airports use them and only if they don

[Ray Proudfoot 8,950]

Hi,I've read your blog and see you've made excellent progress reading the raw data in the BGLs. I keep checking it every few days to see how things are going. :-)There's still no sign of any news on FS Navigator for FSX so you might enjoy a large part of the market for a 3rd party planner/moving map.Cheers,

[Stelios 11]

Colour. You must be able see the difference between land and water. You could make the sea and lakes light blue and land light brown.Stelios

[Ray Proudfoot 8,950]

Hi,Could you give us an update on progress please? I check your blog but there has been no update since 1 Aug.Thanks.