4. Flight plan 4.1 Introduction. Flight plans are given a journey name which is used with the extension .fpl for storage in the \dat\Acmenav sub-directory. Acmenav doesn't come supplied with any flight plans so the first time you use the flight plan section of the main menu, you should select the new option. 4.2 New (Psion n). 4.2.1 Introduction. Flight plans are built up using the database files, although floating points may also be entered inot the routing. Acmenav does not yet have the ability to insert or delete legs so please ensure that you have an idea of your route before you start to build the flight plan. Rather than give a complete worked example of building a flight plan, this section of the manual will simply show how to use the various database files to build up a routing. 4.2.2 Weather data. You will only be prompted once for Weather data (wind velocity, temperature etc.) for the first leg of the flight plan. This weather data is then used for all subsequent legs until you activate the flight plan at which point you can change the weather data for each leg. 4.2.3 Operation. 4.2.3.1 Journey name, departure airfield and region The first dialogue box that reqiures completing for the entry of a flight plan is the one that will be presented to you upon selection of the new option from the flight plan section of the main menu. It requires you to enter the journey name, the departure airfield and the departure airfield's region. As was explained earlier, the journey name is for storage purposes only, so use an appropriate name! Once this dialogue box has been completed, Acmenav will try to match up your entered airfield with an entry in the airfield database. If a match is found, the airfield will be accepted as the departure point. If the entered departure airfield isn't found, you will be given the opportunity of entering it into the database. Care is required at this stage; if you respond to the "enter airfield in database?" dialogue box by pressing "y", you will HAVE to enter the airfield before progressing with the route building (see section 5.2.3.6). If you respond to the "enter airfield in database?" dialogue by pressing "n", you will be returned to the journey name dialogue box to enter an alternative departure airfield name. Pressing whilst the journey name input dialogue box is on display returns you to the Acmenav's main menu. 4.2.3.2 Weather data. Once the departure airfield has been accepted you will be presented with a series of dialogue boxes that require you to enter weather and associated data (wind velocity, TAS, pressure altitude, ambient air temperature and magnetic variation), initially for all legs. None of theese input dialogue boxes can be backed up by pressing ; pressing just advances the input sequence to the next input dialogue box. 4.2.3.3 Route building. With the exception of airways routing and entering floaoting points (which will be discussed in a seperate section), all other point types are handled in exactly the same way; consequently, familiarity with how one of the point types is used is sufficent to understand how the other options work. After the last weather data input dialogue box has been completed, you will be presented with a dialogue box that you will use for the entry of each point until the flight plan has been completed. It requires you to select the next point tpye from a list containing the following options: reporting point, navaid,VRP, airfield, join airway and lat/lon. The last of these two options will be discussed seperately. The meaning of the options displayed in the point type dialogue box should be fairly obvious, if your next point is a navaid, select the navaid option, similarly, if your next point is an airfield, select the airfield option. Once you have selected the point type and edited the region if necessary, you will be presented with a dialogue box that requires you to enter a search clue so that the point can be found in the database file. Once this dialogue box has been completed, the search will take place, and if a match is found, it will be displayed on the screen allowing you to confirm that it is the intended point. If you respond to the question dialogue by pressing "n", the search will continue, and any subsequent matches will be displayed until the end of the database file is reached, whereupon, you will be returned to the point type dialogue box. If you respond to the question dialogue by pressing "y", then the displayed point will be inserted into the flight plan file and you will be returned to the point type dialogue box for the entry of another point. If your entered search clue is not found you will be given the oppotunity to enter the point into the relevant database file, and if this oppotunity is taken the point will then be accepted as the next point. This process should be continued, until the route has been bult to your satisfaction. 4.2.3.4 Airways routing. An airway routing can be inserted into the flight plan at any stage. Upon selecting the airway option form the point type dialogue box, you will be asked for the name of the airway, and to confirm its region. Once this dialogue box has been completed a search of the airway databse file will then take place, and if the requested airway is found, a dialogue box will be presented that requires you to select the joining and leaving points along its route. Once this dialogue box has been completed by pressing , the airway route between the two selected points will be built up. If any of the navaids or reporting points along the airway route are not found in the relevant database file, you will be given the opportunity to enter them. If you deny this option, the route will be entered up to but not including the not found point, and you will be returned to the point type dialgue box. If your entered airway is not found in the airway database file, you will be given the oppotunity to enter it. 4.2.3.5 Floating points. If lat/lon is selected in the point type dialogue box, a dialogue box will be presented with a doalogue box that requires you to enter the latitude and longitude of the floating point. 4.2.3.6 After each point has been entered, and before you return to the point type dialogue box, you will be asked whether you wish to continue entering points or not. If you press "n" at this dialogue box you will be returned to the journey name dialogue box ready to input another flight plan. 4.3 Activate (psion a). 4.3.1 Introduction. The flight plan display acts not only as an in-flight log, but also allows access to some of the Acmenav modules that are particularly usefull in flight. 4.3.2 Operation. ON selecting the activate option from the flight plan section of the main menu (or using the hot key combination Psion a), a dialogue box will be presented that requires you to enter the name of the flight plan (the journey name) that you wish to have displayed. The display itself is fairly self explanatory; initially leg number 1 is displayed with the departure point at the top of the screen and the arrival point for that leg about half way down the screen. Just what is displayed depends upon the point type that is being displayed: Navaids have their name lat'/lon', type, type, frequency, and ident' displayed. Airfields have their name, lat'/lon', ICAO identifier, and elevation displayed. Reporting points have their name, and lat'/lon' displayed. VRP's their name lat'/lon' and airfield reference displayed. Floating points, have just their name and lat'/lon displayed. Whilst the flight plan is on display there are several key presses that perform specific operations: ESC-Displays the first leg of the flight plan. LEFT ARROW-Displays the previous leg for the flight plan. RIGHT ARROW-Displays the next leg for the flight plan. MENU-Activates the menu, from which various functions can be selected. All the menu options can be accessed whilst the menu isn't activated by using the hot key combinations that are indicated in brackets after each option. After being created initially, a flight plan will be stored on the ramdisk, and ideally this is where it should stay. This is because when using the active flight display the flight plan file will be updated every time you make a change. The operating system of the Series 3 will ensure that all deleted information is discarded from this file, consequently, the file will always occupy only the minimum amount of space. If you copy your flight plan to a disk and then you forget to remove write protection, you may have problems trying to remove write protection whilst flying your aircraft! There is of course no reason why you can't make a back-up copy of the flight plan on a disk, or use a disk for long term storage and then copy the plan onto the ramdisk for use. 4.3.3 Jumping to any leg of the flight plan (Psion n). You can jump to any leg of the flight plan by selecting the goto option from the leg section of the flight plan menu (or using the hot key combination Psion n), and entering the leg number you wish to display. 4.3.4 Displaying the weather data for each leg (Psion w). It was stated in section 4.2.2 that initially,the weather data for leg number 1 is used for all subsequent legs. For short flights, this will often be the case, however, on longer flights, this situation will not be acceptable. The weather data for each leg can be displayed and edited by selecting the weather data option from the leg section of the flight plan menu (or using the hot key combination Psion p) whilst the leg is on display. The weather data dialogue box comprises: Pressure altitude Wind direction Wind speed TAS all of which can be edited. 4.3.5 Effects of changing the weather data. With the exception of pressure altitude, changing any of the weather data for a leg will effect the general data for that leg because the wind velocity and TAS are both used in the calculation of a heading and a groundspeed, and because the groundspeed will change, so will the time data for that leg. To make any changes permanenet, the weather data dialogue box must be exited using the key. Pressing whilst the weather data dialogue box is on display will cause the dialogue to be cancelled along with any changes. All values that affect the flight plan if changed are enclosed in *'s. 4.3.6 Displaying the general data for each leg (Psion g). In the same way that the weather data can be viewed and edited, the general data for each leg can be displayed and changed. Unlike the weather data, the general data (with the exception of magnetic variation) will be unique to each leg, and comprises the following: Groundspeed Distance Magnetic variation Track Heading all of which can be changed. The general data dialogue box can be called up for each leg by ensuring the reqiured leg is on display and then selecting the general data option from the leg section of the flight plan menu (or using the hot key combination Psion g). 4.3.7 Effects of changing the general data. 4.3.7.1 Introduction. The excact effects of changing the general data will depend on exactly what is changed. However, in all cases, changing a value causes that value to be ammended in the flight plan file, consequently, any calculations that use that value will use the ammended figure. To make any changes permanenet, the general data dialogue box must be exited using the key. Pressing whilst the general data dialogue box is on display will cause the dialogue to be cancelled along with any changes. All values that affect the flight plan if changed are enclosed in *'s. 4.3.7.2 Changing the magnetic variation, heading or track values. Changing the magnetic variation,heading or track values will not effect the flight plan at all as these values are only calculated once. 4.3.7.3 Changing the groundspeed. If the groundspeed figure is changed then the time data for the leg will be adjusted to take account of the ammended groundspeed. 4.3.7.4 Changing the distance. If the distance figure is changed then the time data for the leg will be adjusted to take account of the ammended distance. 4.3.8 Changing data display units (Psion u & Psion r). The units used in the weather and general data display dialogue boxes can be changed by selecting the change units option from the modes section of the flight plan menu (or using the hot key combination Psion u). Selecting the revert to default option from the modes section of the flight plan menu (or using the hot key combination Psion r) causes the data display units to revert back to their default (imperial) settings 4.3.9 Displaying the time data (Psion t). The time data for each leg can be displayed by selecting the time data option from the leg section of the flight plan menu (or using the hot key combinaiton Psion t). Initially, an estimated elapse time for the leg is shown in hours and minutes which is calculated using the groundspeed and distance that are displayed in the general data dialogue box. 4.3.10 Arriving/departing (psion a). When you get airborne at the start of the flight or arrive at one of the turning points en-route, selecting the arrive/depart option from the time section of the flight plan menu (or using the hot key combinaiton Psion a) causes the system time to be registered for the leg currently being displayed. Once this time has been registered, an ETA for the next turning point will be displayed when the time data dialogue box is called up for that leg. 4.3.11 Further effects of changing the groundspeed. If the groundspeed is changed, then the distance figure for the leg should also be changed to reflect the distance left to run on that leg. This will then cause the ETA to be ammended so that it reflects the new groundspeed and distance. 4.3.12 Autonomous calculationas. The active fliht display allows you to carry out speed, distance, time and consumption, quantity, and time calculations autonomously (they don't effect the flight plan) by selecting the relevant option from the calcs section of the flight plan menu. 4.3.13 Accesssing other Acmenav modules. The special section of the flight plan menu gives access to several of the more usefull Acmenav modules. The following modules can be called: Visual circuit UK Weather minima Frequency pairing Database Morse All of these options work in exactly the same way as they would if they were selected from the main Acmenav menu with the exception of the database. If the database is called, you will not have to complete the action dialogue box; it is assumed that you will only want to display various points in the database, and maybe make use of the relative fix facility. Consequently, the only dialogue box that will require completing before the database is activated is the one that reuires you to select the file type that you wish to have displayed. 4.3.14 Exiting the active flight display (Psion x). If you select the exit option from the special section of the flight plan menu (or use the hot key combination Psion x), you will be returned to the journey name dialogue box. There is no reason why you cannot, at some later stage, go back into the the active flight display and call up a flight plan that haas already been previously activated at a later date. If you do do this, the flight plan will be displayed exactly as you left it.