Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
May 2011
Revisions
No. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Revision Date November 2 , 2009 February 9 , 2010 February 16 , 2010
th th nd
Comment First edition Update Slight layout and text changes due to proofreading New software version New software version Update New software version Update New "SaveAs" Dialog
May 9 , 2010 November 12 , 2010 December 11 , 2010 March 11 , 2011 March 31 , 2011 May 21 , 2011
st st th th th
th
For more information contact: AivlaSoft GmbH 8627 Grningen Switzerland www.aivlasoft.com support@aivlasoft.com
Table of contents
Section 1 - Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 FEATURES .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 PROGRAM UPDATES, SUPPORT ........................................................................................................................................ 3 CREDITS, LICENSES ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Section 2 - DataProvider........................................................................................................................................ 1 MENU BAR ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 UPDATING FSX DATA, INSTALLING OR REMOVING SCENERY .................................................................................................... 2 MESSAGES ON THE DATAPROVIDER WINDOW ..................................................................................................................... 3 Messages that need attention from the pilot....................................................................................................... 3 The "Runways.txt" file .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Different scenarios ............................................................................................................................................... 5 Solution................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Section 3 - DisplayUnit .......................................................................................................................................... 1 AREAS OF THE DISPLAYUNIT ............................................................................................................................................ 2 MENU BAR ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Status and Time .................................................................................................................................................... 3 Route dependent modules.................................................................................................................................... 4 Chart dependent options ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Sub menus ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 CHARTS ORGANIZATION .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Route oriented ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 Airport oriented .................................................................................................................................................... 7 REMOTE CONTROLLED FROM FSX MENU ............................................................................................................................ 8
Section 4 - Airport Database ................................................................................................................................. 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 SELECTING AIRPORT DATA................................................................................................................................................ 3 Selection criteria ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Arranging the results ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Using the touch screen keyboard ......................................................................................................................... 4 Custom filters ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 Combining filters .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Edit a custom filter ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Runway assignment warning ............................................................................................................................... 9
Section 5 - Route Setup ......................................................................................................................................... 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Valid route ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 SELECT A ROUTE ............................................................................................................................................................ 3 Load an EFB route ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Load a saved route ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Load a route from VATroute ................................................................................................................................. 5 Load a route from RouteFinder ............................................................................................................................ 7 Create a route from an ATS route description ...................................................................................................... 8 Create a simple route ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Define alternate airports .................................................................................................................................... 12 Clear route .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 Preview route ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Save route........................................................................................................................................................... 14 Activate route ..................................................................................................................................................... 16 Modify route ....................................................................................................................................................... 16 Insert/Remove Enroute waypoints ..................................................................................................................... 18 Creating a Garmin GPS flight plan ...................................................................................................................... 20
Section 6 - Progress ............................................................................................................................................... 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Charts organization .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Automatic chart switching ................................................................................................................................... 3 Manual chart switching ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Checklists organization ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Section 7 - Charts .................................................................................................................................................. 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Chart Header ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 Communications ................................................................................................................................................... 2 Chart details and Legend ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Toolbar ............................................................................................................................................................... 13 Chart objects ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Chart dependent menus ..................................................................................................................................... 14 GROUND CHART .......................................................................................................................................................... 15 Submenu............................................................................................................................................................. 15 Chart Objects ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 DEPARTURE CHART ...................................................................................................................................................... 20 Submenu............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Chart Objects ...................................................................................................................................................... 24 ENROUTE CHART.......................................................................................................................................................... 25 Submenu............................................................................................................................................................. 25 ARRIVAL CHART ........................................................................................................................................................... 28 Submenu............................................................................................................................................................. 28 APPROACH CHART........................................................................................................................................................ 29 Submenu............................................................................................................................................................. 29 Plan view ............................................................................................................................................................ 31 Vertical Profile view ............................................................................................................................................ 32
Briefing Strip ....................................................................................................................................................... 33 Descent values .................................................................................................................................................... 33 Panel Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 "ACTIVATED" PROCEDURE VS. "SELECTED" PROCEDURE ....................................................................................................... 36
Section 8 - Flight Information System .................................................................................................................... 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 ACCURACY ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 FLIGHT INFORMATION PANEL ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Information shown along the flight profile .......................................................................................................... 5 About descent altitude constraints ................................................................................................................. 12 RATE OF DESCENT (ROD, R/D) ..................................................................................................................................... 14 SPECIAL INDICATIONS.................................................................................................................................................... 15
Section 9 - METAR ................................................................................................................................................. 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 METAR DATA SOURCES ................................................................................................................................................. 3 MEANING OF METAR DATA ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Surface Conditions ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Derived data ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Flight Conditions ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Upper Level Conditions ......................................................................................................................................... 5 METAR Remarks, Other Info, and limitations on weather data ........................................................................... 6
Section 10 - Flying "online" ................................................................................................................................... 1 PREREQUISITES.............................................................................................................................................................. 2 FLYING ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Start/Stop data download .................................................................................................................................... 2 FEATURES .................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Frequency Ribbon ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Setting the frequency ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Digital ATIS ........................................................................................................................................................... 5 Chart Details ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Online Traffic Preview .......................................................................................................................................... 7 FLYING ALONG THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN TWO FIRS/ARTCCS ............................................................................................... 8 STARTUP SEQUENCE ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 SCREENSHOTS ............................................................................................................................................................... 9
FLIGHT LOG REPRESENTATION........................................................................................................................................... 2 Timestamps .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Max Flight Time and Fuel Flow ............................................................................................................................. 3 Passing waypoints ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Saving the flight log.............................................................................................................................................. 4
Section 12 - Checklists ........................................................................................................................................... 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 NORMAL CHECKLIST ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 ABNORMAL CHECKLIST .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Conditional and non-conditional items ................................................................................................................ 5 CHECKLISTS-EDITOR ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Creating or changing a checklist .......................................................................................................................... 7
Section 13 - Library................................................................................................................................................ 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 ADDING DOCUMENTS ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 Flexibility of the library ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Section 1 - Introduction
Page 1 of 3
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 1 - Introduction
Overview
The EFB system replaces the traditional and unhandy "paper" flight-bag and provides the following information in digital format Aeronautical Charts and Airport Information Routes, Route Information Weather information (METAR) Flightlog Checklists Documents Library
One of the main benefits of the EFB system is the reduction of the pilot's workload for all paper-based activities. It's possible to do as much as possible of the necessary configuration before the flight happens. During the flight pilots should not be distracted with unnecessary work so that they can concentrate on flying the aircraft. The interface is user friendly (font sizes which are readable 'in flight') and can be displayed in a special touch-screen format which allows you to operate the flight-relevant tasks by your fingers. To activate the touch-screen layout, please check the appropriate option in the settings. (See the "Installation and Configuration" document.)
Features
It's the philosophy of the EFB system to provide an application to pilots "as it could exist in the real world." It provides flight-relevant information to pilots and helps reducing the workload.
Page 2 of 3
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 1 - Introduction
Credits, Licenses
Gabriel N. Schenker Many thanks to Gabriel Schenker who was a patient teacher to me in spherical geometry and mathematics as well. From him I could also learn a lot of things concerning agile development, test driven development, and so on. He is a member with the famous "Los Techies Group." Please visit his blog at: http://www.lostechies.com/blogs/gabrielschenker/default.aspx Travis Guy Many thanks to Travis Guy for proofreading the English manuals. With his aviation knowledge he always is a reliable source of good and feasible ideas on how to improve EFB. Also many thanks for programming the METAR decoder software and many of the flightplan export/import modules. Also a big "thank you" for all the help you provide to our users due to your fast and qualified support. Beta Testers In alphabetical order: "Andydigital", Wycliffe Barrett, Dave Birch, "CoolP", Bruno Emmenegger, Peter Koller, Bernhard Lienemann, Patrick Maeyens, Torsten Reuter, Gnter Steiner, Oski Wagner, Walter Zach. Navigraph The default AIRAC 1101 dataset is provided by Navigraph. Many thanks to Navigraph for this generous gesture. Current revisions may be purchased from http://www.navigraph.com. log4net http://logging.apache.org/log4net/license.html http://htmlagilitypack.codeplex.com/license
HtmlAgilityPack
GSHHS Global Self-consistent Hierarchical High-resolution Shorelines. Distributed under the GNU Public License: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/wessel/gshhs/gshhs.html Castle Project The project is released under the terms of Apache Software Foundation Ed Williams http://williams.best.vwh.net/ On this very interesting website concerning aviation stuff I found the source code for the calculation of the magnetic variation. The source code has been released under the GNU GPL. IGRF International Geomagnetic Reference Field http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/
Page 3 of 3
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 2 - DataProvider
Page 1 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 2 - DataProvider
Menu bar
On the menu bar at the top of the screen you will find 3 items: Menu item: File There is only one function in this menu: Stop and Quit. This will stop all connections to the DisplayUnit(s) and then terminate the DataProvider. You may also press "Ctrl+Q" to initiate this function.
Menu item: Data There is only one function in this menu: FSX Scenery Data Update. This function should be used after every change in your FSX data (e.g., installation of new scenery, removal of scenery).
Menu item: Extras Settings: Allows you to change the settings. About / Info: Tells you something about the current version. Enter license key: This function is only available as long as you don't have a personal license installed. After product installation this menu will no longer be available.
Page 2 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 2 - DataProvider
Most of these messages you don't have to care about. They all are written into the DataProviders logfile and are only interesting to the developer or the supporter. If you need support from AivlaSoft you should have these logfiles ready to be sent to AivlaSoft (support@aivlasoft.com). Please see the installation section for more information about "Files and Folders."
In the screenshot above you can see warning lines (yellow) on the DataProvider's window because of an unsuccessful request. The sequence starts with the line This is the point where the DataProvider gets the request from a DisplayUnit. The IP-address 127.0.0.1 is the address of the requesting DisplayUnit, where 127.0.0.1 means the internal loopback address (in other words, this request came from the same machine than the DataProvider is installed on). Request for Airport [PAFA]
Page 3 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 2 - DataProvider
After getting a data request, the DataProvider tries to create the data package consisting of Navigraph data and FSX data. These warnings derive from the conflict between Navigraph and FSX data. Usually Navigraph data represents a more current situation as opposed to the FSX data which generally represents the time where the data had been integrated into FSX (dating back to 2005). Therefore it might happen that there is a difference between these data sources. In the above shown screenshot you may see several warnings which should help to resolve the conflict. ident 02 on airport PAFA could not ident 02C Available FSX runways are 01, 19, 01L
As you may see, the Navigraph runway identifiers are slightly different from the FSX identifiers. In such a situation the DataProvider is telling you that it is not able to assign the identifiers because it cannot know why and how the runway identifiers have been changed. At this point your interaction is needed.
This file contains information about the correct assigning of FSX-runway identifiers and Navigraph runway identifiers. To enter a new assignment you need to open this file using Notepad.exe or a similar product. The Notepad.exe is a program which is installed on your Windows-computer by default. You may start this program as follows: Select "Start" on the Windows Taskbar, then press "Run." The "run-window" appears. Type "notepad.exe" (without quotation marks) in the textbox and press "OK." The notepad window will appear.
On the Notepad-Menubar select "File - Open" and navigate to the "Runways.txt"-file. Once the file is opened you may enter a new assignment.
Page 4 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 2 - DataProvider
As you see in this screenshot there are already some assignments for different airports. Whenever the DataProvider gets a request from a DisplayUnit to provide airport data it looks FIRST inside this file whether there is an assignment sequence for the certain airport or not. If an assignment sequence has been found in this file it will be used. It is really IMPORTANT to always define ALL RUNWAYS from a certain airport, although only one runway identifier might have changed.
Different scenarios
There are two different scenarios which may be solved this way: The designator of a runway existing in FSX has been changed in the real world (and therefore in the Navigraph data). A runway existing in FSX does no longer exists (or is no longer operable) in the real world.
For both of the above described situations you may define a new assignment according to the instructions within the Runway.txt file.
Page 5 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 2 - DataProvider
Solution
Let's define the new assignments for the airport PAFA Fairbanks International, Alaska - US. First we need more information about this airport from the Navigraph data. You will find this information in a file called "wpNavAPT.txt." This file is located in the following folder: Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\AivlaSoft\NavData
Open this file and search for PAFA. For every runway at PAFA there is one line in this file.
Every line consists of the following information: AirportName, ICAO-Ident, Runway-Identifier, Length in feet (highlighted grey section), Heading, and more. The remainder of the data in every line is not relevant for the purpose of this solution.
Page 6 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 2 - DataProvider
Next what you should do is open the airport information in the DisplayUnit. (Please refer to the documentation of the DisplayUnit for further details on how to open the airport information.)
With both windows open you should have the necessary information be able to assign the FSX runways to the Navigraph runways.
Enter the following lines in the file "Runways.txt" PAFA 01 02 PAFA 19 20 PAFA 01L 02L PAFA 19R 20R PAFA 01R 02R PAFA 19L 20L PAFA 01Water 02C PAFA 19Water 20C
Page 7 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 2 - DataProvider
Now save the "Runways.txt" file by selecting File - Save (or Ctrl-S) from the menu. The next few actions you have to take are as follows: Open the DisplayUnit settings Go to the "Miscellaneous-Tab" and press the button "Reset airport data cache". This will clear the local airport data cache so that a new request for a previously loaded airport will be done anyway. Open the "Airports - Database" and search for the airport (PAFA in the above described scenario). Press "Get Airport Data" and the data will be RELOADED from the DataProvider.
Page 8 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 3 - DisplayUnit
Page 1 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 3 - DisplayUnit
Status bar
Menu bar
Modules area
Menu bar
This area provides the basic buttons to operate the DisplayUnit and shows the status of the DisplayUnit.
Modules area
In this area all charts, checklists and documents are presented.
Status bar
The status bar (from left to right) holds the following information: Latest logfile entry, current AIRACcycle number, size of the DisplayUnit, program version. If an entry with a yellow or a red LED-icon is shown, something has gone wrong. It could be that nothing would affect your flight, but in cases where a situation occurs that hinders your use of EFB, please don't hesitate to send all the logfiles and a short description of what happened to support@aivlasoft.com. A click on the error item reverts to the latest normal ("green") entry.
Page 2 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 3 - DisplayUnit
Menu bar
Status and Time
Sub menus
A press on a button opens the module or the submenu. If it's a submenu a second press on the same button closes the submenu. An opened module cannot be closed by a second press on the module button.
Everything is ok, the DisplayUnit is properly connected to the DataProvider, and the DataProvider itself is connected to FSX.
The DisplayUnit is connected to the DataProvider but the DataProvider has no connection to FSX. Occurs whenever FSX is not running, or paused. This will also happen whenever you open a menu item within FSX and therefore the connection to the DataProvider is paused (as your flight is also). NO connection to the DataProvider is available. Only the system menu is available. Note: Once the Flight Information Panel is visible, clicking on the UTC clock toggles between visible/hidden (for details about the Flight Information Panel, please see section 8, "Flight Information System").
Page 3 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 3 - DisplayUnit
Page 4 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 3 - DisplayUnit
Sub menus
Airports
As long as no route has been activated, most buttons of this submenu are not available. The button "All Airports" opens the Airport Database. Please see the section "Airport Database (4)" for more information.
As soon as a route has been activated, the submenu provides some buttons for direct access to all route relevant airports whereas the Progress Module shows you all the needed charts for the current route in a chronological sequence. The last selected airport (selected from the airports database) will always appear in this menu. This is for more convenience if you have to access this airport again.
Page 5 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 3 - DisplayUnit
Modules
The Checklists Module provides direct access to all checklists. For further information on the Checklists Module please see section "Checklists (12)." The METAR Module provides textual decoded weather information from several sources. Details can be found in the section METAR (9). The Library Module is a collection of documents that can be referenced in flight. It is further described in section "Library (13)." The NOTAMs Module displays a website within the context of the EFB Display Unit. The URL for this website can be defined in the Settings.
System
Every press of the "Menu Position" button will change the position of the menu bar according to the sequence LEFT TOP - RIGHT - BOTTOM. The "Checklist Editor" is the tool for creating and maintaining the checklists for all aircrafts. Please see the description of this editor in the section "Checklists (12)." With the "Aircrafts Editor" you can create and maintain aircraft data. It's a simple editor with the functions "New," "Update" and "Delete." There is no further description of this editor because its behavior seems to be as simple as possible. "Settings" will open the Settings dialog where you can change various settings of the DisplayUnit. For further information on the settings please see "Installation and Configuration" which is described in Section 1. "Switch off" will disconnect and terminate the DisplayUnit. Its the same as closing the DisplayUnit window. You will be asked to confirm this action.
Page 6 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 3 - DisplayUnit
Charts organization
The EFB system provides the charts in two different ways. A) Route oriented B) Airport oriented
Route oriented
If a route is activated, the required charts will be usually viewed in the Progress Module. The Progress Module shows all the required charts in a chronological sequence which is oriented on a typical flight profile: Ground chart of the origin airport Departure chart of the origin airport Enroute chart from the origin to the destination airport Arrival chart of the destination airport Approach chart of the destination airport Ground chart of the destination airport
Airport oriented
Whether a route is activated or not, the airport oriented view contains all charts from one airport: Arrival chart Approach chart Ground chart Departure chart
The airport oriented chart view can be selected via the "Airports" menu (Airports > All Airports, or Airports and then a predefined Airport of the current route). See also page 6 in this section.
Page 7 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 3 - DisplayUnit
Important to know: If your DisplayUnit is NOT on the same computer than FSX, you will NOT have this On-Screen menu because you will not need it. This On-Screen menu is used to give you more ease of control if all components are installed on the same machine. This On-Screen menu is only available if EFB is currently displaying a chart or the flightlog.
Page 8 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Page 1 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Overview
The Airports Database is one of the basic modules which you will use at several points when operating the DisplayUnit. The Airports Database Module is where you will select airport data either for your route while preparing your flight, or whenever you want to get access to a certain airport within FSX.
The module is subdivided in two areas. Above you will find the "Selection area" and below you will find the "Result area." When pressing the "Get Airport Data" button, the DisplayUnit is requesting the data for the currently selected airport (which is indicated in blue letters, below this button) from the DataProvider.
Page 2 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
In the above shown example just move the "Country" column header to the area above. If you do so, you will get the results grouped by "Country." See next screenshot: Now you may open/close the country you want to see by clicking on the "+" sign or the "-" sign respectively. You may also drag another column header onto the area above the column headers. This way you may create a hierarchical sort of your airports. If you no longer want to have the results arrange in this manner, just drag the column header ("Country" in this example) back to the other column headers and the results are presented as when you started your search.
Page 3 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
With the touch screen keyboard you will be able to enter text in the textboxes for ICAO code and/or City name. To enter text in the textbox "City" please press in this field before so it will have the light yellow background color. Special keys are: SPC Spacebar. CLR Clears the whole textbox. BKSP Backspace functionality. MODE Changes between different layout modes (ABCDEF, QWERTY, QWERTZ and on the numeric pad you may change the layout to have the "1" on the top left button or the "7").
Page 4 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Custom filters
If you are flying an Airbus A330 or a Boeing 737 or another heavy aircraft, you may not be interested in small airfields with grass strips or (even worse) landing areas in the water. In this case it's better to create a custom filter to reduce the results. Of course you may also define a filter if you're flying a Cessna 172 and you don't want to see airports which have runways made of concrete and a length of 2 or more kilometers If you move the mouse pointer over the column headers you might have seen that in the top right corner of a header there will be shown a small funnel icon (see the red ellipse below).
Press on this "funnel" to open an area (see below) where you may select predefined selection criteria or create a custom filter.
In the drop down are now select "Custom" to open the custom auto filter dialog.
Page 5 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Open the drop down box to select the criterion you want to have applied to your results. For this example, please select "is greater than or equal to".
In the textbox beside please enter "1800" (without the quotation marks). Press "OK" to create this filter, or press "Cancel" to abort.
Now you have defined a custom filter that filters your result and will only show you airports where the longest runway is at least 1800 meters. In the bottom left corner of the results you will see that you have now a custom filter defined and this filter is also an active filter. If you want to temporarily de-activate such a filter, simply uncheck the filter. If you want to remove this filter, you may do this by clicking on the "X." This will remove the filter definitely and you will have to recreate this filter as described above to use it again.
Page 6 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Combining filters
It's also possible to combine filters. If you want to add more restriction to the above defined filter (in case you are still flying an A330, B737 or anything else you don't want to have all the water landing areas shown in your results list). Define a new filter criterion by selecting the funnel-icon at the 'Surface' column header. Now select "Custom" and then from the dropdown box select "does not equal." Enter "Water" in the textbox beside the dropdown list. From the dropdown box below select again "does not equal" and then enter "Gravel" in the textbox. Please bear in mind that this text is case sensitive. Your filter criteria should now be equal to the next screenshot, then press "OK" to activate this filter.
On the bottom of the result list your current filter settings are indicated as follows:
The "down-arrow" (highlighted with the red circle below) opens a history of the filter creation. If you press this button you may select from different filters that you have created before.
Page 7 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
After you pressed on this button you get the "Filter Builder" dialog opened, wherein you have the possibility to edit all items of a custom filter. The following sequence shows the way to change the "is greater than or equal to" part of the filter. Just move your mouse over the area you want to have changed.
The mouse pointer changes to the "hand" symbol just as it would in your Internet browser when moving over a link. Click on this link and a submenu will open:
Page 8 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
From this submenu select the criterion you want to apply to your filter ("Is less than" for this example).
After the selection has been done the Filter Editor should appear as follows:
Page 9 of 9
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Page 1 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Overview
The first thing you will encounter whenever you open the route setup is the "Getting Active Route " indicator. This means that this module is requesting the active route from the DataProvider when opening the module. If there isn't an active route, you will start with the empty route setup screen and only the button "Select" will be enabled. If there is an active route available the route will be shown on the screen.
A yellow background color on the top of the module indicates that the current route isn't activated.
Valid route
A route is valid if the following items are fulfilled: Both the Origin and Destination Airport must be defined. The Cruise Altitude must be greater than 0 feet.
As soon as these items are fulfilled the route is valid and the buttons "Modify," "Clear," "Preview," "Save" and "Activate" will be enabled.
Page 2 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Select a route
Press the button "Select Route" in the top left corner of the module. This will open a sub screen where you may select the route generator from where you want to load a route.
There are several ways to get a route, either a file based route, a route from an Internet based service, or an ATS route description: Load and re-use an already saved EFB-route. Load an already saved route from one of the route providers which are listed in the dropdown menu. Load a route from the VATroute website. Load a route from the RouteFinder website. Add (copy/paste) an ATS route description.
Page 3 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Now the flight plan will be analyzed and presented as in the following screenshot which shows an example of a flight plan from "Vancouver (Canada)" to "Anchorage (Alaska, US)." Note that you can tell the route has not yet been activated because the yellow background on the top is still visible.
Page 4 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Select a departure airport and a destination airport and press "Go!" In the following screenshot you see that from Zurich (LSZH) to Munich (EDDM) there are three different routes available.
Just press the "OK" button and the EFB system analyzes the content of the current webpage.
Page 5 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
In case of multiple routes you will be asked which route you want to select by the following screen:
Select the route by checking the box on the left side of a row and press "OK."
Note that the route is not yet valid because the cruise altitude is not yet defined. After a cruise altitude (or flight level) has been entered the route is valid and can be activated
Page 6 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Enter your Departure airport, then enter your Destination airport, then select the Airac cycle. You may choose from the NATs-box whether you want to have the North Atlantic Tracks enabled or not. (If you fly over the Atlantic it's recommended to enable the NATs.) You can also select to use an AIRAC that is comparable to the one you are using with EFB. Other options allow you to specify routes that match SIDs and STARs from your target airports, specify your cruise altitude, and so forth. Once you have finished, press "Find route. Please wait a few moments until the detailed route is displayed. Now press the "OK" button to load this route into EFB.
Page 7 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
FROM
Origin airport: 4-letter ICAO code, or 3-letter airport code (US and Canada only) 4 figures for the departure time UTC First cruising speed and first cruising level: Cruising Speed Kilometers per hour, expressed as K followed by 4 figures (e.g., K0830), or, Knots, expressed as N followed by 4 figures (e.g. N0485), or, Mach number, to the nearest hundredth of unit Mach, expressed as M followed by 3 figures (e.g., M082). Cruising Level Flight Level, expressed as F followed by 3 figures (e.g. F085; F330), or, Standard Metric Level in tens of metres, expressed as S followed by 4 figures (e.g. S1130), or, Altitude in hundreds of feet, expressed as A followed by 3 figures (e.g., A045; A100), or, Altitude in tens of metres, expressed as M followed by 4 figures (e.g. M0840)
mandatory
ETD SPDALT
optional (* ) optional (* )
2
Examples of speed K0830 (830 Kilometers) N0485 (485 Knots) M083 (Mach 0.83)
SID
Name of the standard departure route or the term 'SID', or the term 'DCT'. The name of the route may contain one dot (e.g. TYGER6.01B). Name of the transition of the SID. The transition name has to be separated by a dot (.).
optional
.TRNS
.ECA, .FOB,
optional
Page 8 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Element
Description
Examples
Remarks
Enroute
If the enroute part is given, it may consist of the following items: 5-letter ident for fixes (e.g. VEBIT) 3-letter ident for a VOR(DME) or NDB (e.g. WIL) 2-letter ident for an NDB Geographical coordinates (see description below) - Degrees only (7 characters) - Degrees and minutes (11 characters) - NAT type - Coordinate waypoint pairs A 3- or 4-character ICAO code of an airport. Airway to Waypoint (e.g. UZ345 FGR) Speed/Altitude advisories (see SPDALT above) in combination with a waypoint whereas the waypoint must be the first item (e.g. BALIX/N0478F370
WIL VEBIT WIL VEBIT WIL ULMES RKN UL980 DLE T207 BATEL GTK M594 MLLER/M083F330 M594 AMENO DCT 38N050W/M083F350
optional
STAR
Name of the standard arrival route or the term 'STAR'. The name of the route may contain one dot (e.g. CIVET5.24R). Name of the transition of the STAR. The transition name has to be separated by a dot (.). Destination airport: 4-letter ICAO code, or 3-letter airport code (US and Canada only) 4 figures for the arrival time UTC Destination alternate airport(s) 4-letter ICAO code, or 3-letter airport code (US and Canada only) There is no limitation on how many alternate airports are listed.
optional
.TRNS
.HEC, .PGS,
optional
TO
mandatory
ETA ALTN
optional (* ) optional
* =
2
* = the speed is not yet used within EFB, the first occurrence of an altitude/level advisory is used to set the cruise altitude
Page 9 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Degrees only (7 characters): 2 figures describing latitude in degrees, followed by N (North) or S (South), followed by 3 figures describing longitude in degrees, followed by E (East) or W (West). Make up the correct number of figures, where necessary, by insertion of zeros, e.g., 46N078W. Degrees and minutes (11 characters): 4 figures describing latitude in degrees, and tens and units of minutes followed by N (North) or S (South), followed by 5 figures describing longitude in degrees and tens and units of minutes, followed by E (East) or W (West). Make up the correct number of figures, where necessary, by insertion of zeros, e.g., 4620N07805W. NAT type (5 characters): like 5020N, whereas the first two figures are the latitude north and the second two figures are the longitude west. N stands for NAT. Coordinate waypoint pairs (5 and 6 characters) like 'N6500 W08000', or like 'N6500/W08000', where the latitude always must be the first item within a pair.
Examples of routes (tested with AIRAC cycle 1101): Frankfurt/Main to Los Angeles, route contains coordinate waypoints EDDF DCT BIBOS NAPSI SPY UL602 SUPUR UP1 ROLUM UP13 ASKAM UL7 SUM UM125 GONUT N6400 W01000 N6600 W02000 N6700 W03000 N6800 W04000 N6800 W05000 N6800 W06000 CANEL N6730 W07000 N6600 W08000 N6330 W09000 N5930 W10000 EPTIR YVC J540 LORNA KU12M N4200 W11600 KL36K DCT KLAX Frankfurt/Main to Los Angeles, route contains NAT type waypoints EDDF DCT BIBOS NAPSI SPY UL602 SUPUR UP1 ROLUM UP13 ASKAM UL7 LIRKI 6510N 6720N 6830N 6840N 6750N EPMAN 6570N 6380N 6190N YYL J539 YYN LWT TCH DTA MLF OVETO HEC DCT KLAX Geneva to Zrich LSGG DCT MOLUS N871 BERSU DCT LSZH Zrich to Geneva, two variations LSZH SID WIL FRI ULMES STAR LSGG LSZH SID WIL DCT FRI DCT ULMES STAR LSGG London Heathrow to Munich, departure time 10:20z, via departure route DVR6J, arrival time at EDDM 12:10z, with alternates Zrich and Salzburg EGLL1020 DVR6J DVR UL9 KONAN UL607 AMASI UM149 BOMBI T104 BURAM EDDM1210 LSZH LOWS Concord to Los Angeles, via departure route KANA2 with transition ECA, via arrival route SADDE6 with transition DERBB KCCR KANA2.ECA ECA V109 PATYY V585 VOLTA V109 PXN V107 AVE SADDE6.DERBB KLAX
Page 10 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Kingston to Trondheim, via departure route MLY5, initial cruise level FL320, alternate is Orland MKJP N0494F320 MLY5 MLY UG633 BENET/N0492F330 UB882 GTK M594 MLLER/M083F330 M594 AMENO DCT 38N050W/M083F350 47N040W 53N030W/M083F370 57N020W DCT BALIX/N0478F370 UP59 NINEX UN593 BAMRA UN584 SUM UP612 FLS UZ108 LASAG ENVA ENOL Boston to Los Angeles, via departure route WYLYY7, transition BOSOX, and arrival route CIVET5.25L, transition PGS KBOS WYLYY7.BOSOX ALB J82 JHW J554 GIJ J146 JOT J18 ALBRT J64 TBC J128 PGS CIVET5.25L.PGS KLAX
Page 11 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
To add an alternate airport select the "Add" button and the Airport Database will be opened. Select the airport you want to set as an alternate and press "Get Airport Data." You will be returned to the Route Setup Module. While in the alternates list, whenever an airport is selected the buttons "Remove" and "As Destination" will be enabled. To remove an alternate airport, just select the airport in the list and press "Remove." The button "As Destination" will set the selected airport as the current routes destination airport. Alternate airports will appear on the charts as you fly. And on the enroute chart, EFB will constantly calculate the nearest alternate airports distance and bearing.
Clear route
If you want to clear the active route press "Clear." This will clear the active route and send a message to the DataProvider where it will be broadcast to all DisplayUnits.
Page 12 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Preview route
Press on this button to get a rough preview of the current route which will be presented on a globe. The route is indicated with a red line whereas the great circle between to two airports is indicated with a dashed blue line. The "Show Alternates" command allows you to show/hide the alternate airports of the current route.
Page 13 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Save route
If you intend to use this route again at a later time - or if you run some add-ons that could use the current route in their format you may save the route by first pressing the button "Save." The following dialog appears:
This dialog lists all the flightplan export modules which are currently present in the "plugins" folder and are capable of writing a certain flightplan format. Future flightplan export modules can be found on the Download area at AivlaSoft.com. The "plugins" folder is located in the EFB installation path, e.g. C:\Program Files\AivlaSoft\EFB\plugins Each flightplan export module can be individually activated or deactivated by just checking or unchecking the box to left of its name. As soon as a module is unchecked, the textboxes and the buttons will be disabled and the name will no longer appears in "blue" (e.g., KML Route and Placemarks module). For each module you can individually define the folder where the plan will be saved (just press the button "Select"), and also the filename for the plan. The filename of the plan is automatically created following a pattern which can be defined on a separate dialog. Just press "Change" and the following dialog appears:
Page 14 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
The left pane contains all the elements from which you may choose to create the pattern. The right pane shows the elements used in the current pattern. To add a pattern element to the right pane, just select the element in the left pane and press " Add >" or simply double-click on the element. The element will always be added at the end of the list of the right pane. Every element in the right pane can individually be moved up or down by pressing the buttons "Move up", "Move down". Whenever the pattern changes, the name of the flight plan is recreated and shown in the read-only textbox below the two panes. If you would like to remove a certain pattern element, select the element and press "< Remove" or simply double-click on the element. If you would like to remove all elements by one action, just press the button "Clear all". As long as you don't press the OK button, all of the changes can be reverted by pressing the "Cancel" button. Once you press "OK," the pattern will be saved. Then the pattern will be applied for all future flight plans which will be saved with this export module.
Page 15 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
The meaning of the elements: ICAO_FROM ICAO_TO ARPT_FROM ARPT_TO CITY_FROM CITY_TO CNTRY_FROM CNTRY_TO # ## ### <to> <from> <dash> <bracket open> <bracket close> <space> <EFB> <VFR/IFR> 4-letter ICAO code of origin airport 4-letter ICAO code of destination airport Name of origin airport Name of destination airport Nearest city from origin airport Nearest city from destination airport Country of origin airport Country of destination airport next number (0 - 9), one digit next number (00 - 99), two digits next number (000 - 999), three digits "to" "From" "-" "(" ")" " " (space) "EFB" "VFR" or "IFR", according to the route type
Activate route
Press the "Activate" button to send this route to the DataProvider as the active route. Every DisplayUnit which is connected to the DataProvider will now recognize this route as the active one. When activating the route, the DataProvider will also create a new flight log and - if this option is selected in the current settings - save the route as an FSX route as well. The option "Create Garmin GPS flight plans" in the DisplayUnits settings allows the DataProvider to load the route into the Garmin GPS as the active flight plan if the DataProvider is connected to FSX when the route is activated. After activation of the route the Progress Module will be activated automatically.
Modify route
With this sub module you have the possibility to enhance your already defined route by inserting: Standard Departure Routes (SID) Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STAR) Approaches Enroute waypoints
Page 16 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Please bear in mind that not every airport will have all possible procedures available. It may happen that you have created a route from airport A to airport B and neither of them will have a procedure to select here. If you open this sub module you may se e the "Loading " indicator if the DisplayUnit has to request the airport data not yet loaded from the DataProvider. Please see "DisplayUnit Settings, Miscellaneous" for information about the data request behavior. After the route has been loaded you should see the route waypoints in the lower pane of the screen. If the route contains Enroute waypoints they will have a light blue background. This is for better readability. If the current selected weather source provides information about the wind direction you will see a list of favored runways according to the current wind situation. Please be aware that while these runways are listed as favored they may or may not be active in FSX when you are ready to fly them. For selection of the weather source, please see Section "METAR (9)" later in this document.
The first tab (Departure Routes) gives you the opportunity to add/remove a departure procedure to the current route. You may select the runway, the departure procedure, and (if available) a transition to this procedure. After selecting a procedure, press "Insert SID" to insert the procedure. You can press "Remove SID" to remove a procedure from the current route definition. To insert an arrival procedure and/or an approach procedure select the appropriate tab and then proceed as described with the insert/remove of a departure route. Every tab has an "LED" on its title. A green "LED" indicates that you have the corresponding chart type selected in the Progress Module.
Page 17 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Whenever you select a waypoint from the lower pane of the route (POWOL in this example) you will get a selection of navaids in the upper pane. These navaids are all within the range you may choose from. By default the navaids in the upper pane are ordered by their distance. You may change the ordering by selecting a columns header. The corresponding tab in the upper pane changes automatically according to the selected item from the lower pane (e.g., If you select a waypoint from the SID the "ICAO Departures" tab will be opened, if you select a waypoint from the enroute part of the route the "Enroute" tab will be opened, and so on). Select "Include NDB's", and/or "Include Fixes", and/or "Include Airports" according to your needs. Please note that the option to include fixes may lead to a huge amount of navaids especially if you have selected a wide range. A selected Enroute waypoint (in the lower pane) may be removed from the route by pressing the button "Remove selected waypoint." You may NOT remove a waypoint from a STAR nor from a SID nor from an APPROACH. These predefined route-segments are STANDARD (hence their names) and cannot be changed. You would have to remove the entire segment, or leave it as part of your route.
Page 18 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Waypoints are inserted after the currently selected waypoint. As an example below, if you want to insert an Enroute waypoint before all other waypoints, you must select the origin airport (# 1). If you want to insert a waypoint after the waypoint YZT (# 7 in the list) then select YZT.
Now, look at the data for the following waypoint (# 8). You see that the course to fly to this waypoint from YZT is 295 for a distance of 225.2 nautical miles. So you would select an appropriate waypoint from the upper pane (see next screenshot) which has a bearing that is the nearest to 295. Then press "Insert Enroute Waypoint." For this example the selection has been expanded by checking the option "Include NDBs" and the range has been set to 250 NM. Now press on the column header "Brg" (Bearing) and scroll down the list until you find the NDB named "ZT - Port Hardy". As soon as you select this navaid in the selection list, the button "Insert selected waypoint" will be enabled. Now press "Insert selected waypoint" and "ZT - Port Hardy" will be inserted after YZT.
After the route has been modified, press "Done" to go back to the Route Setup Module.
Page 19 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
A/C on ground
A/C airborne
---
FSX flight plan GPS flight plan FSX flight plan GPS flight plan FSX flight plan GPS flight plan FSX flight plan GPS flight plan FSX flight plan GPS flight plan
---
---
---
---
---
Clear route
---
---
---
---
---
---
n.a.
---
---
n.a.
---
Actions taken: A) Creating an FSX flight plan containing all waypoints from currently activated route. B) Creating and loading a GPS flight plan containing all waypoints from currently activated route. C) Creating and loading a revised (*) GPS flight plan, the logically next waypoint will be determined automatically. D) Creating and loading a revised (*) GPS flight plan, next waypoint is defined by "Direct-to" selection.
Page 20 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
(*) Revised GPS flight plan: 1. First, EFB searches for the last waypoint that has been passed. 2. All waypoints before (and including) this last passed waypoint will be dropped. 3. A new waypoint is created, called "PRVPOS" (previous position). This waypoint is the first waypoint in the new revised GPS flight plan. 4a Alternative to 4b) The next waypoint will be determined. Beginning with the first waypoint that has not yet been passed, EFB checks whether the aircraft is within a sector of +/- 65 to this waypoint. If it is within this sector, the waypoint will be taken as the next waypoint. If the aircraft is not within this sector, the next waypoint will be checked. This repeats until the end of the flightplan. Alternative to 4a) If the pilot is using the "Direct-to" function and the selected waypoint is part of the current flightplan, the selected waypoint will be taken as the "next" waypoint. If the selected waypoint is not part of the flightplan, then the waypoint will also be taken as the next waypoint but additionally a warning box will be shown for 3 seconds, because selecting a waypoint that is not part of the current flight plan may cause a strange routing. All remaining waypoints from the current flight plan will be taken over and will be appended after the "next" waypoint.
4b
5.
In order for flight plans to be loaded by the Garmin GPS unit, you must have both your DataProviders and DisplayUnits FSX Flightplans folder set to the location of the default FSX flight plan folder in your computers \Documents\ or \My Documents\ folder. Please see the EFB Installation and Configuration manual, Section Configuration (3) for details.
Page 21 of 21
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 6 - Progress
Page 1 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 6 - Progress
Overview
Charts organization
The Progress Module shows you all the route relevant chart types in a chronological sequence which is oriented on the typical route profile as shown in the following screenshot.
Top of climb
Ground
Departure
Enroute
Arrival
Approach
Ground
The Progress Module contains all the route relevant charts which will be rendered on demand. These chart types are: Origin airport: Ground chart Origin airport: Departure chart Enroute chart Destination airport: Arrival chart Destination airport: Approach chart Destination airport: Ground chart
You can manually select each of these charts by pressing on the progress bar at the top of the module. The selected chart type is indicated by a yellow border (in the screenshot above it's the Enroute chart).
Page 2 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 6 - Progress
If you want to see some other chart types from a route airport please select a route airport from the "Airports submenu" which is shown below (see also section DisplayUnit (3)). As soon as a route has been activated, the submenu provides several buttons for direct access to all route relevant airports whereas the Progress Module shows you all the needed charts for the current route in a chronological sequence.
Page 3 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 6 - Progress
If the "MovingMap" mode is "active" and a switch to another chart happens, EFB checks whether the current aircraft position is within a "range" which allows the current mode to remain "active" or not. Otherwise the mode will temporarely set to "inactive". After switching back to the previous chart, the "MovingMap" mode will be set to "active" again automatically. The "range" is defined as follows: Starting with a range of 15NM around the first waypoint to a range of 15NM around the last waypoint of a certain procedure. As an example the following diagram shows the range for the arrival chart:
Radius = 15NM
10
11
12
13
14
SID
Enroute
STAR
Approach
If the aircraft is flying towards waypoint #7 (which is within the enroute part) and "MovingMap" is activated, a switch to the "arrival" chart will result in a temporarely de-activated "MovingMap" because the current aircraft position is not within the relevant range. Switching back to the enroute chart will reactivate the "MovingMap" again (picture below).
Activation Area SID Activation Area APPROACH
Radius = 15NM
11
12
13
14
SID
Enroute
Current chart type MovingMap is ON
STAR
Approach
MovingMap is OFF
switch
Page 4 of 6
Activation Area APPROACH
Section 6 - Progress
Although the aircraft is still within the enroute part, a chart switch at this position would let the "MovingMap" status remain active because now the aircraft is in the range where the current status is taking over.
Radius = 15NM
10
11
12
13
14
SID
Enroute
Current chart type MovingMap is ON
STAR
Approach
MovingMap remains ON
switch
Direct-To
If a "Direct-To" is activated and "MovingMap" is activated and the aircraft is flying towards this waypoint Activation Area APPROACH then the aircraft is considered "within the procedure range" although it might not be within the above described range.
Activation Area ENROUTE Activation Area STAR
11 10
12
13
14
9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
SID
Enroute
Current chart type MovingMap is ON
STAR
MovingMap remains ON
Approach
switch
Radius = 15NM
Page 5 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 6 - Progress
Checklists organization
Whenever a flight phase has been selected by pressing on the appropriate button on the progress bar, the corresponding checklists will be made available via the blue checklists button
Pressing the blue button will open the menu. A second press of the button will close the menu. The screenshot to the left shows the list of Departure Checklists followed by the button "Abnormal Checklists." This button is always available. If you select a checklist, the Checklist Module will open wherein you can go through all the steps of a checklist. After closing the Checklists Module you will be redirected to the Progress Module again.
For more information about creating and maintaining checklists, please see section "Checklists (12)."
Page 6 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Page 1 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Overview
The structure of all chart types is more or less identical. Every chart is subdivided in several sections.
Chart Header
The chart header shows information about Airport (ICAO code, airport name, and nearest city & country) Airport elevation and position Transition Altitude and Transition Level Active procedure with transition
Communications
The communications section holds the available frequencies for an airport and is organized in several groups. These groups hold the several FSX specific communication types as follows: ATIS / WX: ATIS, ASOS, AWOS Clearance: Clearance, Clearance Pre-Taxi, Remote Clearance Delivery Airport: Tower, Ground Terminal: Approach, Departure VFR: CTAF, UNICOM, Multicom, FSS Enroute: Center
In the screenshot above, all of the groups are marked by a green line at the top of the group name/button. A green line over the group button means that there are frequencies available for one of the services that are hold in this group. You may press on such a group button to get the frequencies displayed in the line below the button. You cannot press a group button if there is no green line at the top. Please read the section "DisplayUnit Settings, Charts, Communication groups" in the Installation and Configuration manual to get familiar on how to define which groups should be available on a certain chart type. The number beside the group name indicates the shortcut used to select the frequency group from within FSX. Please see the DataProvider settings for setting/changing these shortcuts. These shortcuts are only available if the DisplayUnit and FSX are installed on the same computer.
Page 2 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
A blue background means that the frequency is set as your COM1 standby frequenc
A green background means that the frequency is set as your COM1 active frequency
Select the radio (COM1, COM2) and whether you would like to set the selected frequency as the "Active" one or only as "Standby".
Page 3 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
On the Airport Ground Chart (when the moving map mode is activated) the chart orientation can be relative to the aircrafts heading if chosen in the System - Settings Charts Ground dialog. Therefore 'North' would not always at the top of the chart (when the screenshot on the left was been taken, the aircraft was positioned at runway 18 at EDDF (see right) and therefore North would be behind the aircraft). If the moving map mode is activated and the wind indication is selected from the charts menu (see "charts menu" later) the wind indicator will be shown in the top left corner of a chart. It shows you the current wind direction and velocity, the crosswind, and the tailwind/headwind components. The arrow shows you the wind direction relative to the aircraft. From the settings you may select whether the direction shall be indicated as magnetic (M) or as true north (T). Aircraft altitude and groundspeed, and wind indicators If selected in System Settings Flight Information, as soon as the moving map is activated and the aircraft is airborne, the altitude (210 means 21,000 feet) and groundspeed (330 means 330 knots) values are indicated below the aircraft symbol. The wind direction is shown if this option is selected (see settings for further information). For Concorde and test pilots, groundspeeds above 999 knots are shown. In the bottom left corner of every chart type you will see the current scale of the appropriate chart. The value on top indicates the distance in nautical miles whereas the value below shows the according distance in kilometers. The scale on a chart is changed by pressing the "Zoom-In" or "Zoom-Out" buttons. Current position of your aircraft. In moving map mode, your aircraft is always the center point of every chart type.
Page 4 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
GASA = Geographic Area Safe Altitude: The highest elevation within a square of 1 Latitude by 1 Longitude, rounded up to the next hundred, then - if result <= 6000 ft, then a 1000 ft safety altitude buffer is added - if result > 6000 ft, then a 2000 ft safety altitude buffer is added - if result < 2000 ft, then 2000 ft as a minimum altitude is set
To see these values you must have selected the corresponding option (see "Installation and Configuration" manual, section 3, page 17).
MEF = Maximum Elevation Figure: According to FAA sectional charts: The highest elevation within a square of 0.5 Latitude by 0.5 Longitude, rounded up to the next hundred, then a 300 feet safety altitude buffer is added.
To see these values you must have selected the corresponding option (see "Installation and Configuration" manual, section 3, page 17).
For both, GASA and MEF, the values are derived from the SRTM data which covers an area between 60 north and 54 south. Please note that the values which appear on the charts are not the same values that are found on real-world charts those values account for direct observation of man-made obsticles that cant be accounted for within FSX. For more information on SRTM data please see http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/coverage.html
Page 5 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Low Zoom
Airports with at least one IAP (Instrument Approach Procedure) are drawn in GREEN, airports without IAP are drawn in BROWN.
An ICAO identifier within a solid box shows either the origin airport or the destination airport of the currently activated route.
An ICAO identifier within a green dashed box shows an alternate airport of the currently activated route. An ICAO identifier within a brown dashed box shows also an alternate airport of the currently activated route, but it has no IAPs.
Moderate Zoom
Associated city names are shown above the airport name. The city name is shown in capital letters. The airport identifier (ICAO) is in parentheses follows the airport name.
If the airport name and city name are the same, or if the airport name contains the city name, or if the city name contains the airport name, only the airport name is shown.
Page 6 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Detailed Zoom
At a high detail level, the following additional information is shown: 31 Elevation of the airport (e.g., 31 feet)
L Runway edge lighting is available. If no lighting is available a dash "-" is shown instead of the "L". 92 Longest runway length to nearest 100 feet, or 50 meters (depends on the current settings). The value is divided by 100 for better readability. The sample value of 92 means that Moffett Federal has a runway of 9'200 feet. 42 would indicate 4'200 feet/meters, 102 would indicate 10'200 feet/meters, 9 would indicate 900 feet/meters, and so on. (A) Weather information is available. ATIS, AWOS, ASOS is considered. If an airport has more than one of these services, only one is displayed (from the order shown). 124.175 Frequency for weather information.
This example shows an additional bit of information that is attached to the length of the longest runway. 12s "s" indicates a "soft" surface which represents the following surface types: gravel, grass, dirt, sand, coral, oil-treated, brick, planks, steel-mats, shale and clay. "i" indicates an "ice or snow" surface. "w" indicates a "water" surface. For all other surface types (concrete, asphalt, tarmac, macadam, bituminous) no additional sign is shown. They are commonly referred to as "hard" surface types.
Detailed information about the origin/destination airport of the current activated route.
Detailed information about the origin/destination airport of the current activated route when night light mode is selected.
Page 7 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Navaids
Radio NAVagational AIDs are represented in all EFB charts using the same icons and callouts, although details are removed at extreme low levels of chart detail. (I.e., when zoomed out.) VOR Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Radio This type of facility provides directional bearing information, but no Distance Measuring Equipment. The VHF frequency for this station is 113.85 MHz. Its name is DIGNE. This station is equipped for (H)igh-altitude transmission. VOR DME Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Radio with Distance Measuring Equipment This type of facility provides directional bearing and (D)istance measuring information. Its frequency is 111.00 MHz. Its name is REGGIO CALABRIA. VOR DME (Low altitude) This type of VOR DME is designed for (L)ow-altitude transmission with a maximum range of usually less than 50nm. VOR DME (High altitude) This VOR DME facility is designed to broadcast for high-altitude reception usually with a reception range of over 120nm. Both this and the preceeding stations names are MALAGA. DME Distance Measuring Equipment In FSX these are usually representations of a military TACAN transmitter. This type of navaid broadcasts a DME signal only. In FSX, the ID signal for these stations is not transmitted making it the only navaid type to not do so. The VHF frequency for this high-altitude facility is 113.60 MHz.
NDB Non Directional Broadcast This facility broadcasts a UHF signal for directional bearing information. Ranges are usually far less than VOR facilities. The frequency for station BERN is 335 kHz. Co-located NDB and DME There are two stations here, a high-altitude DME at 110.55 and a NDB transmitter at 490 both named DONAUESCHINGEN.
Page 8 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
This image shows sections of a route spanning the German / Dutch border from AMSAN to ETEBO to RKN on a named airway UL980. Waypoints are indicated by triangular icons, the route legs by an orange line. RKN is a high-altitude VOR DME. Both waypoints use RKN as their DME source, as noted below their names. AMSAN is 12.8nm distant from RKE on a radial of 085 degrees, while ETEBO is 4.1nm distant on a radial of 86 degrees. Bearings and distance for each leg are found above and below the airway designator respectively.
Direct routing
If the same route were to be flown without use of airways, the section from AMSAN to RKN would be depicted as shown below. AMSANs position relative to RKN is the same, but there would only be one route leg of 13 nm depected as DCT to indicate the leg is flown directly.
Page 9 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Other unique airway and route designators are: IBER3A is the name of a STAR that begins at waypoint IBERO the final enroute waypoint for this route, leaving airway A43.
"VEBIT2W" is the name of a SID that ends at waypoint VEBIT - the first enroute waypoint for this route, entering airway T51.
A dashed-arrow line indicates that a section of a route leg is meant to be flown visually until either ATC provides vectors, or until activating the next navaid fix. Here a SID from PHLI runway 03 is to be flown on an 080 vector before making a turn to the right and proceeding on a course of 117 to the next waypoint.
Other traffic If the corresponding chart object is selected you will see these symbols for other traffic. It shows you the following information (top down): Airline operator and flight number Groundspeed and Altitude Aircraft Type The vector shows the current aircraft heading (true north)
Page 10 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Ground charts
Gate & Ramp Parking and Fuel Points The size of the circle is according to the size of the spot.
Green icons are used for Ramp parking Coral is used for Fuel points.
Parking spots noted with blue icons are Gates. If the circle has a border then there is a jetway available.
Magenta: this shows the target position "Taxi to" (selected from the TaxiwaySelector)
Airport Reference Point and Tower The ARP is the noted center of the airport, usually (but not always) plotted at the center point of all runways. The TWR icon represents the airports main Control Tower.
Page 11 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Taxiways Taxiways are noted with alphanumeric indicators on each segment. Runway Dimensions Runway length and width values are listed parallel to their path. Runway Designator and Bearing Designators and bearings are listed at each end of a runway.
Page 12 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Toolbar
The chart buttons are only available when the DisplayUnit shows you a chart. The position of the toolbar can be selected in the settings. It's also possible to select the option which shows descriptive text for every button. The buttons size is dependent on the touch screen configuration. The "Moving map" button is only available if you are in "greenmode" which means that the DataProvider must be connected to FSX and your DisplayUnit is presenting you a chart. Toggles the moving-map mode (ON/OFF) Zoom-IN and Zoom-OUT buttons. To get a more detailed view or to get a wider area for an overview. (availability of these buttons is selectable from the settings dialog) Arrow buttons (left, right, up, down): These move the center position of a chart by small steps. You may also set a new center position by just clicking with your mouse pointer somewhere within the chart area. (availability of these buttons is selectable from the settings dialog) Color Mode: Toggles between a daytime presentation of the charts, whereas the other mode is the "red-light" mode or nighttime mode. Press on the "moon" symbol to get the nighttime representation. Press on the "sun" symbol to get the daytime representation. Full Screen view: Changes to a full screen presentation of the chart module. Normal view: When in full screen mode, press on this button to get back to the normal view of the chart module. Panel Options: Opens a side menu where you may select which panels shall be shown or not (only available on approach charts).
Page 13 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Chart objects
On every chart type you will find a small menu bar which allows you to select the chart objects you want to have shown on the corresponding chart type. You may select from several objects (depending on the chart type) as follows: Vectors to runways Other airports Navaids (VOR, VORDME, DME, NDB) Fixes Range Compass Alternate airports Wind Traffic / Online Traffic preview
The menu bar itself can be placed at the bottom, on the left side, at the top or on the right side of a chart. To change this position just press on the "POS" button. Every press of the "POS" button will change the position of the menu bar according to the sequence LEFT - TOP - RIGHT - BOTTOM. You can select whether this menu bar shall be hidden as soon as the mouse pointer leaves the area of the bar. To set this option, please select the "HDN" button. It will be highlighted with a green border if the option is activated. Once the menu bar is hidden just move the mouse pointer back to that area and the menu bar will come to the foreground again. On the picture above you see that two options (Airports and VORs) are selected, followed by some more options that are available but are not selected. On the right side of the available options you see two options which are currently unavailable because FSX was not running when this screenshot has been taken.
Page 14 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Ground chart
Submenu
The ground-chart submenu consists of the following sub modules and submenus: Select Taxiways METAR (please see "METAR (9)") Airport Information
Select Taxiways
The taxiway selector shows you all of the named taxiways on a certain airport. With the taxiway selector you might select the taxiways from a parking position to a runway or the opposite, from a runway to a parking position. Before the taxiways are shown you must select either the button "Taxi to RUNWAY" or "Taxi to PARKING." After that selection has been made, the named taxiways will be shown. Below the selected button you will find two menus from which you may select the runway or the gate/park position. The content of the menus below the buttons will be filled according to the selected button. Select the taxi path you have to follow, usually given to you by the ATC controller. Then press "OK" to show the selected taxiways on the ground chart. Press "Reset" to clear the selection, or press "Cancel" to abort. The path that you entered will be highlighted in magenta. If you are using this function when FSX is not running, or the moving map is not activated, you must know that the EFB system will not have the aircrafts position. In this case it's not possible to correctly show an entry point to a taxiway. Therefore the first (beginning) taxiway will be highlighted in its entirety.
Page 15 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Note:
Unfortunately the taxiway selector cannot show the selected taxiways correctly at each airport. To be able to find a path which contains each of the selected taxiways, each of these taxiways must be unique and all segments of a taxiway must be connected to each other. Especially with third-party (add-on) airports you might observe some strange taxiway lines. In such a situation the taxiway selector will show you a warning that it cant find a connected path. See the following screenshots: The screenshot to the left shows you the taxiway "MIKE" in its representation from some add-on scenery. You can see that the taxiway is not entirely connected. If you would like to find a way from the parking position N1 to a runway using taxiways MIKE and ALPHA you will get a warning as shown below. The relevant taxiways will still be highlighted however, which will aid in apron navigation.
Page 16 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Airport Information
The information about the selected airport is subdivided into 5 sections. For better readability the sections are organized in the two groups: "General Info" / "Communications" and "Runways", "Landingaids" / "Navaids."
Next Sunrise and Next Sunset values are calculated for the airport using formula supplied by NOAA (see Credits). The values displayed indicate the UTC time and the True compass heading of the sun when it is postioned at the horizon. When it is currently night at the airport, the Next Sunrise will appear first and when it it is currently daytime, the Next Sunset will appear first. In the example above, it is daytime at EDDF and the sun will set at 17:07 UTC at a postion of 261 True (West-SouthWest). The sun will rise again at 06:06 UTC the next day (March 3rd) at a position of 101 True (East-SouthEast).
Page 17 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Chart Objects
Vectors to runways
If the aircraft stands at the gate (e.g., "109" at EDDM) and you would like to know in which direction the selected runway is, just select the "Vectors to runways" button to have an indication where all the runways are. If one of the runways is currently assigned (by selecting a departure route) then the target runway is indicated in a green box, whereas all other runways remain as a yellow box.
From the options (Charts - Ground) you may select whether this indication goes away automatically at the moment when the aircraft is airborne, or a taxiway selection has been done
Once the Vectors to runways indication has been disabled automatically you must select it again manually if you want to have it shown again.
Windrose
Please see "Chart details and Legend"
Page 18 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Traffic
If the "TRFC" option is selected (and the corresponding settings have been activated -> Settings, Charts, Traffic) you will see the other traffic that is around you. FSX must be running and the moving map must be activated too. Other aircraft will be shown as an aircraft symbol. The color that is used for this can be selected from the settings. As a prerequisite for the depiction of other aircraft on the charts, the corresponding settings in FSX must be set. If no AI traffic is generated by FSX you wont see all these aircraft symbols on the chart.
Page 19 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Departure chart
Submenu
The Departure Chart submenu consists of the following sub-modules and submenus: SID Overview Select SID Direct to (please see the Enroute chart menu) Vector to (please see the Enroute chart menu) METAR (please see "METAR (9)") Airport Information (please see the Ground chart menu)
SID Overview
The 'SID Overview' submenu is subdivided in the 4 groups: Departure north direction, from 315 to 45 Departure south direction, from 135 to 225 Departure west direction, from 225 to 315 Departure east direction, from 45 to 135 Press "Reset" to remove the overview from the chart.
If an airport has no procedure within a certain sector the appropriate button is disabled.
Page 20 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
If a sector has been selected the overview shows the available departure routes with their corresponding exit waypoints (next screenshot).
Page 21 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Select SID
The "Select SID" dialog let you select the requested departure route. There are two important types of information available in the upper area of the dialog: current wind direction, as well as wind-favored runways, and target waypoint (first enroute waypoint)
Please remember that although EFB can assist in pointing out which runways would be favored for departure, local ATC reserves the right to grant clearance to the runways of their choosing.
Page 22 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
First you select the runway where you intend to take off, then you select the the procedure name. If a transition is available for a certain procedure it would be shown in the right-hand column. If the amount of procedures is too much you can reduce the listed procedures by applying one or more filters which are placed above the procedures list. After the selection has been made, press "OK" to close the dialog and the route will be rendered on the chart. Press "Cancel" to abort, or press "Reset" to clear the selection.
When selecting a departure route the center of the chart will be placed at the airport reference point (ARP). You may move the chart by use of the buttons or by clicking on the map.
This chart shows the departure route SAM3J from EGLL Heathrow (UK) which ends at the Southampton VORDME.
Page 23 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Chart Objects
These chart objects are available on the following chart types: Departure Enroute Arrival Approach
On all these chart types you will find the "chart objects menu bar" as follows:
ARPT: shows all the (filterable) airports. VOR: shows navaids like VOR, VORDME DME: shows DME NDB: shows all Non Directional Beacons. FIX: shows all fixes (waypoints). Note: To reduce cluttering the fixes are only visible at a high zoom level. RNG: shows several concentric rings from different distances where the center for all these rings is either the center of the map or the position of the aircraft respectively. CMPS: shows a compass rose on the corresponding chart. ALTN: if the current route setup has alternate airports defined, an arrow to the nearest alternate airport will be indicated. (The origin airport is also considered to be an alternate airport.) The currently selected alternate airport will also be indicated at the top of the chart area (see next screenshot). WIND: shows the wind indicator. TRFC: Shows other aircraft around you (if moving map is activated)
Page 24 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Enroute chart
Submenu
The Enroute Chart submenu consists of the following sub-modules and submenus: Direct to Vector to METAR (please see "METAR (9) ")
Direct to
The "Direct-to" function is available on the following chart types: Departure Enroute Arrival Approach
Open the "Direct to" dialog to select either a waypoint from the current route (Route only selected) or a navaid (VOR, NDB, DME, Fix).
Page 25 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
After the selection has been done press "OK" and EFB will change the current Garmin GPS flightplan in a way that the selected waypoint/navaid will be the next waypoint towards which the autopilot would flythe aircraft.
This screenshot shows the situation after the waypoint "GIMRU" has been selected as the "Direct-to" waypoint. A blue dashed line with an arrow points to the waypoint and the selected waypoint is also indicated at the top of the chart. The arrow also shows the magnetic heading and the distance to the navaid. The arrow will remain active even if you switch to another chart type. Don't confuse the dashed direct-to blue line with the dotted blue line that shows the great circle line between the origin and destination airport. As soon as the aircraft is closer than approx. 2.5 nautical miles to the navaid, the arrow disappears automatically. Apart from that, if the arrow is no longer needed it's possible to remove it by re-opening the dialog, then pressing "Reset" followed by "OK." This will hide the arrow.
Page 26 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Vector to
The "Vector-to" function appears similar to the "Direct-to" function, although only an arrow will be indicated in the chart. There is no change to the route, only the addition of a newarrow with a distance and a heading label. The arrow is indicated in magenta color.
If a "Direct-to" arrow is simultaneously active, you will see both targets indicated at the top of the chart.
Page 27 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Arrival chart
Submenu
The Arrival Chart submenu is equal to the departure chart menu, except that the STAR procedures overview is organized by the arriving directions. If an airport has no procedure within a certain sector the appropriate button is disabled. For a description of the submenu items please see the "Departure Chart submenu" which was described earlier in this documentation.
Page 28 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Approach chart
Submenu
The Approach Chart submenu consists of the following sub-modules and submenus: Select Approach Direct to (please see the Enroute chart menu) Vector to (please see the Enroute chart menu) METAR (please see "METAR (9) ") Airport Information (please see the Ground chart menu)
Select Approach
Similar to the other procedure selector dialogs, this dialog also offers you information about the current wind direction and the favored runways according to the current wind direction. Above to the right you see
Page 29 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
the latest arrival-procedure waypoint (if an arrival route has been selected), or (if no arrival route has been selected) the latest enroute waypoint. The "Select Approach" dialog lets you select the requested approach procedure. First you select the runway where you intend to land. If there is no procedure for a certain runway, the button for this runway will not be enabled. After selecting the runway the available procedures will be shown. If a transition is available for a certain procedure it would be shown in the most right column. After the selection has been made, press "OK" to close the dialog and the approach procedure will be rendered on the chart. Press "Cancel" to abort, or press "Reset" to clear the selection. And again, although EFB can assist in pointing out which runways would be favored for arrival and approach, local ATC reserves the right to grant clearance to the runways of their choosing.
When selecting an approach route the center of the chart will be placed at the FAF (final approach fix). You may move the chart by use of the buttons or by clicking on the map.
Page 30 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Plan view
The top-down Approach chart view is commonly called the Plan View, as all horizontal twists and turns are laid out like a plan. Below is the ILS 28R (MEHTA transition) approach into KSFO, an American aerodrome noted for its many foghorns. All approachs share common elements the Initial Approach Fix (IAF) in this case is the transistion fix of MEHTA, with an altitude restriction of at or above 4100ft. The approach proceeds via the solid black line on an approach vector of 283 past the Final Approach Fix (FAF) of AXMUL with an altitude constraint of exactly 1800ft. The approach concludes past the runway threshold at the Touchdown Zone (TDZ) of runway 28R. In case of a missed approach, the missed approach procedure is charted with gray dashed lines here climbing at or above 3000ft to waypoint VIKYU where a right-turn hold starts.
You can also spot other elements that can appear on other approaches there are three approach markers (Outer, Middle and Inner). Plus with this being an ILS (with a DME element) approach the ILS arrow feather and ILS transmitter frequency and ID callout are both present. (The ID being noted in English and in Morse code.)
Page 31 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
With approaches being the most critical phase of flight, approach charts also show the vertical elements in whats called the Profile View. Here is the profile of the previous approach ILS 28R (MEHTA): Starting on the right you can see the Initial Fix (IF) for the approach CEPIN and its altitude constraint of 3200ft. (3188ft above the TDZ altitude of 12ft as noted on the left.) Then at the FAF AXMUL you see the ILS glideslope feather begin, indicating this is the glideslope intercept point. Again the Outer, Middle and Inner approach markers are noted. The Decision Height point where the aircraft should reach the approachs Decision Height is only shown if it's an ILS CAT I approach, where the DH is 200ft. On ILS CAT II (DH=100ft) and ILS CAT III (DH=50ft) the point is not shown because there is little space in which to draw. On "non precision approaches" like a VORDME approach the Missed Approach Point (MAP) is shown at a distance of 0.5 nautical miles from the runway threshold. On RNAV procedures the MAP is right at the runway threshold (distance = 0.0 NM). Beneath all of that is a rule indicating the distances (in NM) from the runway threshold. Finally on the left is a table with Rates of Descent and Times (in mm:ss format) from the FAF to the runway. So if you were landing in a jetliner travelling with a groundspeed of 160kts, once you receive the Outer Markers signal it should take you 2 minutes exactly to reach the runway providing you maintain speed and an ROD of 892 ft/mn. While you fly the approach and the "MovingMap" is activated you will see the current values shown in the lowest row of the table (see the green box on the left side)
Non-ILS approaches look a little different in Profile View. For example, here is the VORDME 34 approach at LSZH, a quaint European airfield with a wonderful coffee shop (so weve heard): There is no ILS glideslope feather, so the FAF of EGABI is marked with a bold X ("Maltese cross"). As you approach the runway, you will first reach the Minimum Descent Height (MDH) of 500ft AGL from where you fly horizontally to the Missed Approach Point (MAP) which is located 0.5 NM before the runway threshold. This is the point where you have to decide whether you continue landing or you have to make a "Go-around".
Page 32 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Briefing Strip
The briefing strip is only available on approach charts.
The briefing strip contains information about the Approach procedure that you intend to fly. It gives you an overview of the most important data for the approach. This includes the frequency of the landing system (ILS, Localizer or VOR when flying VORDME approaches), the approach course (and runway bearing in case of an offset approach, see screenshot below), the altitude and height at the final approach fix (FAF), the decision altitude and decision height, and the runway touchdown zone elevation (TDZE) as well as the length of the runway. On the right side you will see the symbol of the runway approach lighting system for the currently selected runway (the symbol on this side shows you the ALSF-II system). At the bottom of the briefing strip, you will be informed about the missed approach procedure using English text. (As noted above, the missed approach procedure is also charted on the Approach Plan View chart using grey dashed lines.)
Descent values
The descent value table is only available on Approach charts.
The descent values provide you with information about the necessary altitudes/heights at given distances from a navigation aid nearby the runway. Further information that you will find is the glide slope angle (in degrees), the distance from the TDZ (touchdown zone) to the navigation aid, and the angular relationship of the DME source to the TDZ. "Inbound" - landing aircraft will be travelling towards the DME "Outbound" - landing aircraft will have passed the DME "R-nnn" - landing aircraft will be on a radial from the DME that is not parallel (or within +/- 10, measured at FAF) to the runway.
Page 33 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
The next image shows the ILS 26 approach at EBOS with an example of the R-nnn indication.
Its important to remember that DME distances on charts are typically given as horizontal distances without accounting for altitude differences between the aircraft and the DME source.
Page 34 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Panel Options
The approach chart offers you a side menu where you can select which parts of the approach chart you want to have shown. This way you can focus on the panels that are important to you. To make the menu visible just press on the "Panel Options" button from the charts toolbar. Pressing a button toggles between ON and OFF. A symbol with a red cross (e.g. on the left) signals that the panel is currently not shown whereas the panels with a green tick are currently visible. From the settings dialog you may select whether the table with the "Descent values" is automatically hidden as soon as on an approach no DME source is available (the screenshot below shows that this option currently is selected, and therefore the button is disabled). The size of the profile view can be changed using the two buttons "Profile view size".
Pressing the "Close" button or a second push on the "Panel Options" button will close the side menu.
Page 35 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Page 36 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
In this picture you see that the current route doesn't have a departure procedure defined and therefore you see a straight solid magenta line from the airport (EDDM) to the first enroute waypoint (MIQ). After the procedure MIQ8N has been selected from the "Procedure-Selector" you get the information bar on the top of the chart and now you can activate this procedure. After activation of this procedure the straight solid line will disappear since by then the departure route would be defined in detail. If you don't want to activate this procedure, press the "back arrow"-button on the left side of the information bar. This will cancel the activation, but not remove the selected procedure from the viewew. If you don't want to change the current route but you want to remove the selected procedure from the chart viewer just reopen the Procedure-Selector and press "Reset" followed by "OK". Your current route will then remain unchanged. A combination of "activated procedures" and "selected procedures" may appear if a previously defined (and activated) procedure becomes invalid (due to some weather change) and a new procedure must be selected.
Page 37 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 7 - Charts
Page 38 of 38
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Page 1 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Overview
The "Flight Information System" is a subsystem to your EFB which provides information about the progress of the route that is currently flown by the aircraft. The system is intended to be used when flying aircraft that are not equipped with "Flight Management Computers" (FMCs) but can easily work with an FMC if desired. The system mainly provides you the following data: Time/Distance to "Top of climb" (T/C) Time/Distance to "Top of descent" (T/D) Time/Distance to "next waypoint" Time/Distance to "destination airport" Proposed descent rates when the aircraft is descending towards the next waypoint
The system can be activated / deactivated from the settings menu "Flight Information". The "Flight Information Panel (FIP)" will be shown as soon as a route has been activated.
Accuracy
There is one word to say concerning the accuracy of the values shown on the FIP. Since EFB doesn't know the exact performance values of each aircraft and engine it is just using the information available by FSX. That means that the calculations are mainly based on current groundspeed and vertical speed. This is a simplified way and not a highly sophisticated calculation method, but it does give you good data about the progress of your flight.
Definitions
Top of climb (T/C):
The point of flight where the aircraft has finished its climb and is at its planned cruise altitude. (Notwithstanding any ATC instructions or weather deviations.)
Page 2 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
b) after T/D has been passed if aircraft is higher or lower than 50 feet above/below nominal descent path. if the deviation is more than +/- 100 feet, a red arrow can show whether you have to increase or decrease your descent rate to get back to the nominal path.
Page 3 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Destination information
It is approx. 147 nautical miles to the destination airport and it will take approx. 34 minutes until the aircraft will land. Estimated time of arrival is arround 14:00 UTC.
Aircraft information
There are several helpful values taken from the current state of the aircraft.
Buttons
The "Adjust CRZ Alt"-button is explained later in this section ("Changing / adjusting the current cruise altitude (7, 8, 9)"). The "Descend now"-button is also explained later ("Early descent / Descend now (11)") The "Mtrs" button allows you to switch from altitude values shown in feet or meters.
Page 4 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
2
PETAL
T/C FL210
1500 AGL
4
Cruise altitude reached
On ground / takeoff
Climb (3)
After passing 1500 feet AGL the yellow bar disappears and the current altitude is shown. Then the following route/profile relevant data is shown on the panel:
Top of climb:
Alt: Cruise altitude, taken from the current route. Dist: Distance until "top of climb (T/C)", based on current groundspeed and vertical speed. Time: Time until "top of climb (T/C)", based on distance and current groundspeed.
Page 5 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Next waypoint:
Ident: Name of the next waypoint according to the current flight plan. Dist: Distance until "next waypoint." Time: Time until "next waypoint", based on distance and current groundspeed.
Destination:
Dist: Distance until "destination." Time: Time until "destination", based on distance and current groundspeed. ETA: Estimated time of arrival, based on time, presented as UTC.
Aircraft:
GS: Groundspeed in nautical miles per hour / knots. Alt: Altitude. V/S: Vertical Speed, current rate in feet per minute. FF: Current fuel flow in kgs/hr or lbs/hr. This may be selected from the settings. FOB: Fuel on board, total amount of fuel, in kgs or lbs. T max: Maximum flight time, based on current fuel flow and FOB. While the aircraft is still climbing this value must be considered carefully because it is not relevant for the whole flighttime.
Cruise (4)
As soon as the aircraft reaches an altitude that is at least 300 feet below cruise altitude the flight information system changes its mode to "cruise mode". At this point the panel slightly changes the order of the labels and now shows the values concerning "top of descent":
Top of descent:
Dist: Distance until "top of descent (T/D)." Time: Time until "top of descent (T/D)", based on distance and current groundspeed. CRZ: Current cruise altitude which will be taken for the T/D calculation (in combination with the descent gradient values, which might be defined for each aircraft type using the "Aircraft Editor").
For each aircraft type two descent gradient values can be defined. One value for the descent path above 10,000 feet and one value for below. The default values are 3.5 above 10,000 feet and 3.0 below 10,000 feet. The following rule of thumb gives you an idea about the vertical speed (V/S) which must me set to achieve a given descent gradient: GS * 5 = 3 GS * 6 = 3.5 GS * 7 = 4 Multiply the current groundspeed with 5 to get the vertical speed for a descent gradient of 3.0. Multiplied by 6 it will give you an approx. vertical speed for a gradient of 3.5 and so on e.g., if the aircraft is flying with a groundspeed of 280 kts and you want to descent with an approx. angle of 3.0 then calculate 280 * 5 = 1'400, ==> V/S -1400 ft/Min
Page 6 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
5
FL230
+ 300 ft - 300 ft
9
FL210
7 6
Climbing out of CA Descending below CA During step climb to FL230 Before adjusting CA CA adjusted to FL230
Climb above / descent below current cruise altitude (5, 6) Top of descent:
CRZ: As soon as the altitude is more than 300 feet below or above the current cruise altitude, you see the deviation shown in blue.
Page 7 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
FL230
10
CF14 4000
4 sec
4 sec
Page 8 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
T/D
11
CF14 4000
Page 9 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
T/D
12
13
CF14 4000
14
Descending:
R/D nom (12): Shows the nominal descent rate (see next chapter "Rate of descent"). R/D crnt (13): Shows the current descent rate (see next chapter "Rate of descent"). Which type of "rate of descent (R/D, ROD)" you want to have indicated can be selected from the settings dialog. Deviation: Deviation from the optimum descent path. If the deviation is more than 100 feet a red arrow is additionally shown. This "red arrow" is telling the pilot in which direction it should intervene. If the deviation is below 50 feet the indication is "--". Nxt: Name and altitude of the next waypoint which has an altitude constraint.
Page 10 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
15
16
17
Page 11 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
The EFB Flight Information System only considers the latter two types when calculating the nominal or current Rate of Descent for your aircraft. Because the goal of the descent phase is to get you from your cruise altitude to the runway altitude, the FIS main focus is to calculate the most direct descent rate possible. There is an optional setting (found on the Settings dialog) that compels the FIS to Use the first altitude restriction in any approach as an FIS constraint. In many approach-procedures the first waypoint with an at exactly altitude constraint is the FAF (final approach fix). Often the waypoint before doesn't have a constraint or may have an "at or above" constraint only. As a result of this, EFB will calculate the descent path based on the altitude constraint at the FAF. The following picture shows an example of such a situation:
This is the ILS 35 approach into PHLI Lihue Hawaii. If the option "Take the first altitude " is NOT selected, EFB will use the FAF waypoint AKULE (green box) to calculate the descent path because AKULE has the "at exactly 1900" altitude constraint whereas the previous waypoint MORKE (yellow box)
Page 12 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
is "at or above 1900." This common altitude level (1900 feet here) is important to consider when starting an approach. For many approaches, this altitude is called the Intercept Altitude, the Intermediate Altitude, the Approach Gate Altitude, or the Platform Altitude. Whatever you call it, it is the published altitude at which pilots are expected to intercept the real (or synthetic) glideslope for final approach. (Although on any given approach, ATC may have their own idea of what altitude a pilot should use for interception.) So in this case it would be better if the EFB descent target waypoint were MORKE at 1900, since we want to come in under the glideslope. With the option "Take the first altitude " selected, EFB will use MORKE as the descent target waypoint the approach gate for this approach. If the option were not selected, EFB will use AKULE as the descent target waypoint.
If you are flying a non-published approach either a pattern approach or a direct visual approach the FIS Rate of Descent will be calculated to bring you to the runway altitude. As in all cases it is up to the Pilot in Command to ensure their aircraft meets minimum altitude restrictions for obstacles and terrain, as well as for pattern altitude entry.
Page 13 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
2
RODnominal: 1800 ft/min RODcurrent: 1200 ft/min Next waypoint with altitude constraint DEV: - 500 ft
Section
When looking at this picture you should make a distinction between the green values and dashed lines T/D and the blue values and dashed lines. The green values show the "nominal" descent rate/path whereas the blue values show the "current" descent rate/path. From the settings dialog you may select which of the values (nominal or current) you want to have shown on the "Flight Information Panel".
FAF
The values are calculated considering the current section where the aircraft is. A section is meant as "in between two waypoints which have an altitude constraint". If there would be another waypoint without an altitude constraint then this waypoint would not be considered when the calculation is made. The first of Section Section Section these sections starts after T/D whereas the final section is the section between the FAF and the runway. The calculation for the "nominal" (green) values of a section is done approx. 0.8 NM before passing the beginning waypoint and is then recalculated as soon as the groundspeed changes. The "current" (blue) values are permanently recalculated. Aircraft 1 is above the optimum descent path. To follow the optimum descent path it should descend with a vertical speed of 1'800 ft/min. Since the aircraft is above the optimum descent path, the red arrow and the deviation value indicate + 500 feet. If the pilot doesn't change the vertical speed then the deviation remains at +500 feet although the aircraft is descending (Aircraft 2). The closer the aircraft comes to the end of a section, an increasingly higher (perhaps even impossible to achieve) value would be indicated if the selection were set to "current (blue) (Aircraft 2). Aircraft 3 is too low but is flying the nominal rate of descent of 1800 ft/min. The "current" ROD would be less than the nominal value because the blue dashed line is less steep than the green line. The "deviation" is showing a value of -500ft.
Page 14 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Special indications
The value for the fuel flow (FF) is only shown if the groundspeed is more than 30 knots.
If it is not possible to climb until T/C (Top of Climb) is reached (e.g., due to a too low vertical speed), the cruise altitude and the current aircraft altitude will be simultaneously highlighted.
Page 15 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Time values are always shown as HH:MM. Because seconds are not shown, a presented value of 00:01 means from 00:01:00 to 00:01:59. All values from 00:00:00 to 00:00:59 will be presented as "< 1 min".
If the calculated time remaining to destination is longer than the "Tmax" time, both of the values will be highlighted.
If the calculated time remaining to destination is less than "Tmax" and "Tmax" is equal or below 30 minutes, then the value for "Tmax" is highlighted by a yellow bar.
Page 16 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
If the calculated time remaining to destination is less than "Tmax" and "Tmax" is equal or below 15 minutes, then the value for "Tmax" is highlighted by a red bar.
If T/C is not yet reached and the aircraft is leveled off, or if the vertical speed is 0 or nearly 0 then the distance and the time are set to "n.a." until the vertical speed has increased and the aircraft is climbing again.
Page 17 of 17
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 9 - METAR
Page 1 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 9 - METAR
Overview
The METAR module provides you textual decoded METAR information. (The term METAR may come from MEteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report or MTorologique Aviation Rgulire.) The METAR data can be taken from several sources. Currently the following four sources are supported: FSX Active Sky weather data file REX weather data file Online from NOAA
The METAR data can be requested for any airport in the FSX database, but only airports that report METAR data will return data to the DisplayUnit using FSX weather. A certain airport can be selected either from the drop down menu called "Route Airports" where obviously all the airports are listed which are part of the current route, or you may select an individual airport using the airport selector. Each time you select/change the weather provider or you press the "Refresh" button the METAR data is loaded / refreshed.
Page 2 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 9 - METAR
If youre preparing for takeoff or landing, then you might want to look at FSX weather data for two reasons: it represents the data currently being simulated, and it shows upper-level winds / gusts / shear conditions / temperatures / icing reports / visibility levels. For destination / alternate planning, NOAA/weather-engine data would be the source you would want to view. This data is available for all weather-reporting stations worldwide, plus it includes data beyond what FSX uses for example trends that describe what local weather reporters believe will occur. If you use one of the two currently supported add-on FSX weather engines, then the data is probably already on your FSX computers hard drive so it would be available for you without making an extra Internet connection. Otherwise, NOAA weather data is just a click away. Finally, the source document used to guide us in METAR decoding is NOAA's Federal Meteorological Handbook No.1.
Surface Conditions
Generally this is the weather youd feel if you were on the ramp, walking around your aircraft performing your pre-flight checks. (You always perform a pre-flight, dont you?). Essentially its nothing more than the temperature, dew point, winds, surface air pressure, how the sky appears from the ground, and any precipitation falling on your head. (You always wear a pilots cap, dont you?) All of that data, plus the surface visibility (how far you can see towards the horizon) is modeled fairly well in FSX. One bit of surface data that isnt used in FSX (and so its only found in NOAA and weather engine
Page 3 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 9 - METAR
reports) is RVR Runway Visual Range. This data is obtained by special instruments sited at various points on runways and which describes the surface visibility (and possibly trends) thereof.
Derived data
Some EFB METAR data points are derived from weather reports. Relative Humidity, for example, is calculated from the Temperature (dry bulb) and Dew Point (wet bulb) values. Pressure Altitude and Density Altitude values are derived from Temperature and Air Pressure. The Virtual Temperature is derived from Temperature, Dew Point, and Air Pressure.
Flight Conditions
Perhaps the most important bit of weather information for a given airport is the current Flight Conditions that are in effect the conditions that spell whether takeoffs and landings must be conducted under IFR or VFR rules. EFB follows the FSX model which uses American FAA standards for all airports worldwide. These standards use Cloud Ceiling (the lowest level of clouds that obscure 4/8 Visibility to define four distinct Meteorological Conditions:
ths
This is the worst visibility to fly in. Its defined by having a Ceiling less than 500 ft Above Ground Level (AGL) and Visibility of less than 1 mile. Unless you have a severe in-flight emergency which warrants it, try not to land in these conditions unless youre flying a CAT II or IIIA ILS approach with RADAR equipped aircraft. You literally wont see the runway until you land on it.
This is normal IFR weather conditions. Here you can have a Ceiling up to 1000 ft AGL and/or Visibility up to 3 miles. You want to land with an ILS if possible, but if ones not present at your destination, youll want to fly an instrument approach and pay very close attention to your progress down the synthetic glideslope on your EFB approach chart.
The skies may look good, but VFR-rated pilots should check forecasts and trends, and proceed with caution as IMC may not be far off. MVMC Ceilings can range from 1000 to 3000 ft AGL with Visibility anywhere from 3 to 5 miles.
Clear and open skies! File your flightplan, preflight your Skyhawk, Cub or Baron, tell everyone on your radio what your intentions are, takeoff, and enjoy the view. Ceilings are over 3000 ft AGL and visibility is greater than 5 miles.
Page 4 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 9 - METAR
3000
2600
2200
min. 5 NM
1000
850
500
350
0
0 to below 500 L-IMC 500 to below 1000 IMC 1000 to below 3000 M-VMC Greater than 3000 VMC
While non-FSX weather data can include reports on multiple layers of clouds, currently EFB only reads upper level conditions from FSX weather data. Relevant values here include Winds, Temperature, and Visibility for various levels sometimes even with repeated values for the same levels. Upper level data also can include mentions of turbulence, wind shear, precipitation and icing. Pilots are advised to always check upper level conditions at their departure airport before takeoff from the surface level up to their intended cruise level, as well as conditions at their arrival airport before Top of Descent to plan for any rough air along the way.
Page 5 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 9 - METAR
Some remarks could be recordings of special conditions that arent modeled in FSX but would be present if you were near to the airport in real life. In most cases, these would be example of local flavor that online weather reports can add, and would not affect your FSX flights.
It can occur that METAR reports arent updated to weather reporting services on schedule and old METAR data is kept in current reports. If EFB notices that METAR data is tagged with a time/date stamp thats over 2 hours old, it can signal this by including a yellow-triangle warning icon on the Observation time UTC field. (This action can be suppressed in the DisplayUnit Settings if you are flying using historical weather conditions or with FSX weather themes.) So sometimes conditions (now) might not be as bad as they seemed (then). Always check the report time.
Finally, no matter how current the weather reports are, no matter what the source, and no matter how accurately its been decoded by EFB, this data should never be relied upon for real-world aviation. If you plan on taking to the skies for real, always first contact your local weather office or flight service station for up-to-the minute information.
Page 6 of 6
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Page 1 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Prerequisites
First, you must already be familiar with online flying and you must run separate client software to manage your connection to your onling flying network. EFB does not monitor your connection to your online network and only maintains a connection to its own servers. Please see the "Installation and Configuration" manual to see the requested settings.
Flying
Start/Stop data download
The decision whether a flight will happen under the control of one of the online networks must be taken in the Route Setup module. Only if the online data files are available (see "Installation and Configuration" manual) you will have the "Online data check" (red rectangle) available. Otherwise this feature is invisible.
The default setting after the DisplayUnit has been started is "Disabled". Once the state has been manually changed to "enabled", it will remain "enabled" until you change it manually or the DisplayUnit will be terminated. After restarting the DisplayUnit it must be manually set to " enabled" again. This state cannot be saved and started automatically.
Page 2 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
If you press the "Check " button a dialog appears where you may select from the two network providers.
Select your prefered provider and then press "Start" to activate the data download. According to the provider you've selected, the data will be refreshed every 2 minutes (VATSIM) or every 5 minutes (IVAO). These interval settings cannot be changed, they are definded by the corresponding network officials. If you want to stop the download press "Stop". If you would like to change the online data provider (VATSIM or IVAO) you first have to stop the current one by pressing the "Stop" button, before you can change and start the other provider. When you are ready to start your flight, just press "Close" on the lower right side of the dialog.
The first column holds either the country if the entry is for an airport, or "empty" if it's a FIR/ARTCC. Clicking on a column header will sort the data according to the columns data. A click toggles between an "ascending" and a "descending" sort order.
Page 3 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Features
After the route has been activated the progress module becomes the active module. EFB now analyzes the currently online available ATC services and shows the staffed areas on the several charts and the frequency ribbon (next picture).
Frequency Ribbon
The frequency ribbon shows all the frequencies that you could use along your route in a chronological sequence from left to right. The following screenshot shows a route from LGAV to LGRP. The ribbon consits of several frequency boxes. A box can contain several frequencies. E.g., the frequency box for LGAV consists of several frequencies like ATIS, Tower, Approach and Departure.
For this flight the ribbon contains 3 boxes. The LGAV airport box, followed by the box for the LGGG FIR/ARTCC (Athens Control) and then the airport box for LGRB.
Page 4 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Every box contains the currently active frequencies/services. Whenever the online data is updated, the content of the ribbon might change due to newly activated services or services that meanwhile have terminated. EFB automatically determines the active frequency box and will change to the next following box if one of the following events happen:
Digital ATIS
Whenever a staffed service is providing textual ATIS information this is indicated beside of a frequency. The "i" information icon indicates "text in the ATIS field" and hovering over it would display the text in a tooltip. If one is in touchscreen mode a click on the frequency opens a menu where the ATIS can be selected ("Show digital ATIS"). Moving the mouse pointer away - or clicking the tooltip - will hide the text.
Page 5 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Chart Details
On the charts the following items are depicted (colors may be changed in the settings). The orange triangle ("gold" with nightlight) represents a "compulsory waypoint". This is the point where you should change the current frequency to the next one to announce your flight to the next ATC service. From the user settings you can select the symbol for the compulsory waypoints (triangle or circle). A staffed FIR/ARTCC is covered by squared dotted lines. Here you see that the FIR "LOVV" is currently staffed.
Airports that offers online ATC are shown as one or two concentric circles. The inner circle (a 10 NM range) is depicted if the TWR is staffed, the outer circle (a 30 NM range) is depicted if either the APP/ARR/DEP service is staffed. On the left side you see that at EGSS and EGKK the tower is staffed whereas at EGLL the tower and approach/departure or arrival is staffed.
FIR/ARTCC is staffed
UIR is staffed. On VATSIM there are also UIRs known (Upper information region). Commonly this is an area that includes several FIRs below it and it controls air traffic at higher levels (above FL 245). UIR and FIR is staffed.
Page 6 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
"Other traffic" symbol which shows the following information: Position (depicted as a square) Heading true north (as a vector out of the rectangle) Airline name and Flight number Destination airport (if available) Groundspeed, Flight Level, or Altitude Aircraft type
If your pilot client software (Squawkbox / FSInn / IvAp) is NOT connected to the network while the online data download from EFB is enabled, you won't see any other aircraft.
"Other traffic" on ground chart doesn't show information instead only an aircraft symbol.
Page 7 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
The route goes along the border of the two ATC services "Munich Radar" and "Vienna Radar". Currently none of them are staffed.
"Munich Radar" is now active. The distance between the two compulsory waypoints (in the vicinity of "DORAP") is less than 15 NM and therefore these two waypoints are not listed in the frequency ribbon. The first "real" compulsory waypoint is shortly after "GAPTO", just before entering the "Munich Radar" FIR/ARTCC.
Page 8 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Startup sequence
The following sequence is a rough idea about the "right" startup sequence when flying online: Start EFB Open "Route Setup" Press "Check ...", select provider, press "Start" Get a brief overview about the staffed services Select and activate route or select an individual airport Switch to "Ground chart"
Start FSX Use the "online traffic preview" function to see where other aircraft might be Select your position (gate or parking, NOT "active runway"!) Connect your pilot client (Squawkbox, FSInn, IvAp) Activate the EFB-"Moving Map"
Screenshots
North-West area of Europe with several FIRs/ARTCCs and UIRs and airports staffed (daylight representation)
Page 9 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Outside of the airport's 30NM range, frequency set to "Athens Control" 129.8
Page 10 of 10
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 11 - Flightlog
Page 1 of 4
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 11 - Flightlog
Overview
Every pilot knows about the importance of correctly filling in the different values in a flight log. The EFB system will do this job for you. The EFB flight log is created using the information of the active route. The flightlog will be created whenever you activate a route. If there is an already activated route and the DataProvider is getting a new or updated route from a DisplayUnit, it will update the active flightlog. To reset/clear an active flightlog you must clear the route.
The flightlog system starts at the moment when the aircraft is on the ground and the engines of your aircraft are spooling up, or a route has been activated while the engines are already running.
Whenever the automatic system has been started, the 4 buttons on the top of the module will be enabled so you always have the opportunity to manually override the automatically detected time stamps.
Page 2 of 4
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 11 - Flightlog
Timestamps
The startup of your engines or (as above explained) the detection of a running engine is the signal to set the first information into the flightlog: this is the "Block-off" time. This is also the time point when you get the flight log indicated on your DisplayUnit.
The flightlog system will recognize the engine start, the takeoff, the touchdown, and the shutdown of the aircrafts engine(s). These are the points when the corresponding time stamps Block-off, Takeoff, Touchdown and Block-on will be set. The blue highlighted line shows you the active (next) waypoint to be passed.
The "Max Flight Time" value is calculated as follows: Fuel on board (FOB) divided by the average fuel flow per hour. The result is indicated on the top of the module; the average fuel flow is indicated below. This information is updated every 15 seconds, but is not visible before 10 seconds after takeoff. As soon as the system detects a touchdown the fuel flow indication disappears.
Page 3 of 4
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 11 - Flightlog
Passing waypoints
"Passing a waypoint" means that you fly over a waypoint or you fly by a waypoint within a range of approximately 2.5 nautical miles from the waypoint. The first waypoint is always the point of the AirportReference-Point (ARP) of the departure airport. It will be set as "passed" when you go by this point within a range of 1.5 NM, or if you start at a place that is more than 1.5 miles away from the ARP, as soon as the aircraft is airborne which means > 50 ft AGL. Whenever a waypoint has been passed the system will set the values for Current time (UTC) and flight time in total Current altitude and groundspeed Average fuel flow (within the past 10 seconds) and total fuel on board
Note:
There is one situation where you won't get a new flight log after the activation of a new route: If you don't shut down the engines between the last landing and the activation of a new route, you won't get a new flight log. You must first shutdown the engines (this will also set the Block-On-Time and the log will be saved) and then restart the engines. This is to properly "close" the current flight that the recognition is able to detect a new start.
Page 4 of 4
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 12 - Checklists
Page 1 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 12 - Checklists
Overview
The checklists of the EFB system are grouped by the aircraft type and then by the flight phases where the flight phases are organized into 4 groups: Departure Enroute Arrival Abnormal
This grouping allows you to assign the checklists to a specific sequence of the flight profile and therefore it reduces the workload of the pilots when searching for the needed checklists. The checklists can be found either in the "Modules > Checklists" menu or (if a route has been activated) via the "Blue Button" on the top right corner of the Progress Module. If the checklists are opened via the "Modules > Checklists" menu, the following screen will be shown:
On the top of the module the current aircraft type is indicated. To change the current aircraft, please open the settings and select the "Miscellaneous-tab". Below there (on the left side) are the four categories of checklists. Selecting one of these buttons will show you the list of the corresponding checklists. The next screenshot shows a list of the Departure checklists. They are listed in a sequence (from top left to bottom right) that you can define when you create and/or maintain the checklists. Creating and maintaining checklists is described later in this section.
Page 2 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 12 - Checklists
Normal checklist
Item to check Criterion Done-button: sets a green tick beside the criterion
Page 3 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 12 - Checklists
Pressing the "Reset" button will reset the checklist by removing all green tick marks. Pressing the " Show Info" button will show additional information to a certain item. A second press of this button will hide the additional information. An item that has additional information is indicated by a small "info" icon at the right edge of the item. In the above screenshot the first item "Gear Pins" has additional information. After the checklist has been completed, press "Done" in the top right corner. This will close the current checklist.
Abnormal checklist
The following screenshot shows an example of an abnormal checklist. You can see that some of the items are displaying additional information.
In addition to the regular checklist items described before, this checklist has several "conditional" items. These are indicated by a yellow triangle followed by the word "IF". Usually a conditional item is followed by one or more items within the same "IF"-part. You may define conditional items in a "Normal" checklist as well as in an Abnormal checklist.
Page 4 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 12 - Checklists
The item with the green border is a "regular" or "non-conditional" item. The item within the blue border is a "conditional" item consisting of the condition-text and the item-text. The items within the magenta border are items that follow a conditional item. They have the same representation like a "regular/non-conditional" item but they are indented to indicate their relationship to the condition.
Page 5 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 12 - Checklists
Checklists-Editor
To create or update a checklist, open the "System" menu, and then the "Checklist Editor." First you must select the aircraft type from the list of available aircrafts. If your favorite aircraft isn't yet available in this list, just press the button "Aircraft Editor". This will open a dialog where you may enter the manufacturer and the aircraft type. After pressing the "Save" and "Close" the system will create the folder for this aircraft. Then you may select the aircraft. After the aircraft type is selected, the checklist category selection, the available checklists, and the other buttons on this screen will be enabled (depending on the content of the "available checklists").
From the checklist category you select the group where you want to add a new (or update an existing) checklist. The "Departure" group is selected by default. After a category has been selected you will see the "Available Checklists" in the list below. If the list is empty you obviously have to create your first checklist by pressing the " New Checklist" button. Otherwise you should select the list that you intend to change and then press "Change Checklist," or "Remove Checklist." Please be aware that if you press "Remove Checklist" this will irretrievably delete the checklist from the folder. ATTENTION: You must press the "Save" button to write all changes to any checklists to your hard disk. Pressing the "Cancel" button rejects all the changes you made on all checklists. If you would like to share your checklists with your colleagues you may export all the checklists from the currently selected aircraft to a single file by pressing the "Export" button. If you download someones
Page 6 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 12 - Checklists
previously exported checklist and you would like to import it, press the "Import" button, then follow the instructions presented by the dialog that follows. On the AivlaSoft Website (see Downloads) you will find checklists that are free to use with many popular aircraft. The sequence of the checklists in "Available Checklists" will also be the sequence within the corresponding menu. You may change the sequence of the menus by selecting the menu and then pressing the "Move up" or "Move down" button. By the way: It is highly recommended to save the aircrafts folder by integrating it in your daily backup procedure. Even better is to integrate the whole "UserData" folder in your daily backup procedure. Don't you save your data regularly?
Before pressing the "Change item" button or the "Remove Item" button you must select an item from the list. If you want to add a new item, press "New Item". A new item will always be added at the end of the list. You may use the buttons "Move Up" and "Move Down" to change the position of an item within the list.
Page 7 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 12 - Checklists
Select whether or not this is a conditional item. Depending on your selection the text box to enter the condition will be enabled or disabled. Select whether the item follows a conditional item. It cannot be both (condition and following a condition). Select the crewmember that has the responsibility to carry out the item. Enter the item text and also the criterion text. If needed, enter additional text as information for this item. Press "OK" to save the item in the current checklist. Press "Cancel" to reject the changes.
Page 8 of 8
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 13 - Library
Page 1 of 4
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 13 - Library
Overview
The Library module offers you the possibility to organize and view your documents through the EFB interface. The current version of EFB supports the following document types: *.pdf *.rtf *.txt *.htm *.html
Adding documents
Any document you want to be available in the EFB library module must be copied to the following folder:
VISTA / Win7
C:\Users\[User Name]\Documents\AivlaSoft\EFB\UserData\Library
WinXP
C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\ My Documents\AivlaSoft\EFB\UserData\Library The organization of this folder is up to you. You may also create subfolders below the "..\Library" folder. Document types other than the types listed above will not be shown. When opening the library ("Modules" > "Library"), the subfolders and documents will be shown as in Windows Explorer. On the left side will be the subfolders (if created) and on the right side will be the documents which are contained in the current folder. The folder "Flight logs" is a static folder which cannot be removed. It contains the flight logs from your previous flights.
Page 2 of 4
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 13 - Library
After the webpage has been saved I opened the folder using the Windows Explorer. Now you see that there is an HTML document and also a subfolder:
Now open the library and select the folder named "Boeing 737". The content of this folder will be shown as follows:
Page 3 of 4
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com
Section 13 - Library
Note that the "Back" button is enabled and - if you press on it - you will return to the library folder.
Continuing with this example, the current presentation of the contents of the folder "Boeing737" need a brush up because the names are not yet much expressive. Rename the file "pf_800tech.html" to a more readable name like "Specifications.html." The second thing to do is to check the box "Show only files in this folder." This option is made especially for subfolders which contains saved web pages. Most often when saving a webpage, your browser creates a subfolder which contains some additional files like images, stylesheets, etc. These folders and files need not be shown in the library dialog. After the corrections have been done the library should now look like this:
It's a good strategy when using a network based installation, to store such documents in a folder which is shared among all DisplayUnits in an EFB system. If you have a Microsoft Office license, you can create HTML files from Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, or PowerPoint slides. This ability to save most Office files as HTML has been present since the 1997 version of MS Office. The HTML parser used by the EFB Library Module can execute JavaScript, so you could include HTML pages that could be used as an E6B Calculator or other helpful utilities.
Page 4 of 4
Copyright 2011 by AivlaSoft GmbH - www.aivlasoft.com