Flightplan XML formats

FlightGear use a few different flightplan xml formats stored in property-list xml files. Due to having different needs the flightplans used in the route manager and AI scenarios and have different formats.

AI flightplans

See also AI Scenarios#Flightplans and Their Waypoints.

These flightplans contain only waypoints. By tying an AI flightplan to an AI model in a scenario xml file, an AI scenario will be created.

Waypoint tags

Each waypoint can contain the following tags:

• <name> - Waypoint name, if it is the last waypoint use EOF or, if you want the AI model deleted, use END.
• <lat> - Latitude, decimal degrees
• <lon> - Longitude, decimal degrees
• <alt> - Altitude above mean sea level, feet
• <crossat> - Crossing altitude, feet
• <ktas> - Knots true air speed
• <on-ground> - Set to true or 1 if on ground, if in air or in a tunnel set to false or 0
• <gear-down> - true for gear down, false for gear up, or any number between 0 and 1
• <flaps-down> - true for flaps down, false for flaps up, or any number between 0 and 1

Example

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<PropertyList>
  <flightplan>
    <wpt>
      <name>First!</name>
      <lat>53.6762</lat>
      <lon>-1.39984</lon>
      <alt>1000</alt>
      <ktas>120</ktas>
      <on-ground>false</on-ground>
      <gear-down>1<gear-down>
      <flaps-down>0.25<flaps-down>
    </wpt>
    ...
    <wpt>
      <name>END</name>
    </wpt>
  </flightplan>
</PropertyList>

Route manager flightplans

See also Route manager#Defining a Route.

Route manager waypoints are a bit more complex, for starters they contain departure and destination information and not just one type of waypoint.

Note that the first and last waypoint are the departure and destination airports.

There is also support for Level-D 767 SID:s and STAR:s in FlightGear.

Departure and destination tags

• <airport type="string"> - The ICAO identifier of the airport
• <sid type="string"> - Any available SID
• <star type="string"> - Any available STAR
• <transition type="string"> -
• <runway type="string"> - Departure or destination runway

Waypoint types and tags

• <type type="string"> - Either of:
  • runway - The number of the departure or destination airport's runway. Accompanied in the waypoint by the <icao> tag.
  • navaid - Any significant point along the route. Both airports, navaids and fixes.
  • offset-navaid - An point offset from a navaid by a bearing and distance. Note that true bearings are used here.
• <alt-restrict type="string"> - ? #FIXME
• <altitude-ft type="double"> - Altitude in feet
• <ident type="string"> - Identity of an airport, navaid or fixe
• <icao type="string"> - ICAO code of an airport
• <lon type="double"> - Longitude of the waypoint in decimal degrees
• <lat type="double"> - Latitude of the waypoint in decimal degrees
• <radial-deg type="double"> - True bearing from a navaid, fix or airport Do note that radials on charts are magnetic!
• <distance-nm type="double"> - Distance from a navaid, fix or airport

Example

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<PropertyList>
  <version type="int">2</version>
  <departure>
    <airport type="string">KOAK</airport>
    <sid type="string">(none)</sid>
    <runway type="string">29</runway>
  </departure>
  <destination>
    <airport type="string">KSJC</airport>
    <star type="string">(none)</star>
    <transition type="string"></transition>
    <runway type="string">11</runway>
  </destination>
  <route>
    <wp>
      <type type="string">runway</type>
      <departure type="bool">true</departure>
      <generated type="bool">true</generated>
      <ident type="string">29</ident>
      <icao type="string">KOAK</icao>
    </wp>
    <wp n="1">
      <type type="string">offset-navaid</type>
      <alt-restrict type="string">at</alt-restrict>
      <altitude-ft type="double">7500</altitude-ft>
      <ident type="string">SFO</ident>
      <lon type="double">-122.3738889</lon>
      <lat type="double">37.61947222</lat>
      <radial-deg type="double">88.22972768</radial-deg>
      <distance-nm type="double">16</distance-nm>
    </wp>
    <wp n="2">
      <type type="string">navaid</type>
      <alt-restrict type="string">at</alt-restrict>
      <altitude-ft type="double">10000</altitude-ft>
      <ident type="string">MISON</ident>
      <lon type="double">-121.890306</lon>
      <lat type="double">37.496806</lat>
    </wp>
    <wp n="3">
      <type type="string">runway</type>
      <arrival type="bool">true</arrival>
      <generated type="bool">true</generated>
      <ident type="string">11</ident>
      <icao type="string">KSJC</icao>
    </wp>
  </route>
</PropertyList>

Using the flightplans in FlightGear

Through the route manager

See Route manager for the main article about this subject.

For AI models

See AI Systems#AI Models for the main article about this subject.

Related pages

• AI Systems
• UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO
• List of Nasal extension functions#flightplan()
• Nasal Flightplan
• PropertyList XML File
• Howto:Create a flightplan, contains no information whatsoever on using flightplans in FlightGear though.