Flight Sim Tool Set

[Balu]

Flight Planning for DCS

 

The application is intended as a tool-set to provide the mission designer / mission controller the ability to generate specific flight plans for each flight. The flight plans are populated with data from the mission file and can be edited with this tool. Thereafter the flight plan can be exported as an excel file for even further modification, printing or saving as PDF from excel. The modification can only be done with MS Excel and not with Open Office because of the VBA Scripts.

 

This zip file contains an excel file “FlightLog.xls” which is used for the creation of flight plans. You can modify this file for your own purpose and squadron needs except of the first excel sheet. This will be used as an interface between the program and your flight-plan.

 

Special thanks to ED for supporting us.

 

 

Navigation Calculator

 

This program includes a variety of calculation functions:

 

• Unit Conversion
  
• Course and distance calculation between two latitude/longitude points
  
• Latitude and longitude calculation from latitude/longitude point and given course/distance
  
• Dead Reckoning
  
• METAR
  

Beaufort Scala

 

 

Download: Version 1.1a (updated)

Edited May 21, 2013 by Balu

[Eddie]

Outstanding. I've been looking forward to the release of software for ages.

 

Many thanks for the work you guys are doing and making it public.

[Snoopy]

Outstanding. I've been looking forward to the release of software for ages.

 

Many thanks for the work you guys are doing and making it public.

 

Can't say it any better!!! Thanks!

[ECV56_Tordo]

Thanks! Great tool!

[MTFDarkEagle]

WOW.......... :shocking:

[Balu]

Flight Planning Tool for DCS

 

• Adjustments for DSC 1.2.3 and 1.2.4 (A-10C and KA-50 are supported)
  
• Weapon drag index calculation for the A-10C (thanks to Eddie (476th) for info)
  
• Excel Flight Log extension TOT (departure delay, playtime over target area) for waypoints (VBA Scrips)
  

 

 

Navigation Calculator

 

• Small GUI improvements
  
• There has been a failure within the beaufort scala
  

 

Download: Version 1.1a

[UrbanTerrorist]

Amazing.

 

:thumbup:

[jrsteensen]

Awesome work!

[sumerion]

Great work!

[Yskonyn]

Great stuff and thanks for making it available!

[derelor]

"Danke" Balu for your continued and dedicated effort!

 

Good work :thumbup:

[Nealius]

METAR!

 

This is awesome. I just wish there were a way to get METAR for individual airports in a dynamic weather situation.

[Balu]

METAR!

 

This is awesome. I just wish there were a way to get METAR for individual airports in a dynamic weather situation.

 

 

Yes, it would be nice if there would exists an interface to determine a METAR for a specific point and time like an airfield or a FARP (parameter: latitude/longitude/timestamp). But in this case you need an interface that would only work for a running mission or ED would create something that is standalone without running the mission that you can embed into a separate program. Unfortunately, the algorithm is hard-coded with some weather parameters you can set within the mission editor and I have no clue how to interact with the weather engine of the program. But perhaps someone of ED can give a hint if it is possible to determine the weather an in that case a METAR.

 

Another way would be if ED would save the METAR for all airfields into the mission file depending of the dynamic weather condition for the mission start. That would mean round about 30 additional strings for all airfields plus FARPS. The disadvantage of this method is, that for running longer missions, 2 hours and more, you couldn´t get a valid METAR. In this case ED has to create additional METARs for later time.

[Nealius]

I think the temperature at airbases differs even in non-dynamic weather. I created a mission with +15C but sitting on the tarmac at Lochini my CDU says OAT is +12C.

 

Which may or may not have messed up my takeoff calculations. The takeoff speed I got from the chart was 132KIAS (rotation 122KIAS) but the program gives me a higher rotation, 129KIAS I think. Assuming takeoff is 10kts higher, takeoff speed would be 139KIAS and I think that's what my takeoff speed actually was. I went back to the charts about five times now and don't understand why the chart was wrong....the acceleration check was dead-on and my climb time was within 5 seconds of the charts :huh:

[Balu]

The base for my rotation speed calculation within the program is the takeoff airspeed chart from TO 1A-10A-1-1 (Screenshot). The correction value for rotation speed is at the moment -8 kt. So if you are looking for your actual weight and your flap setting (0° or 7°) you will get a specific takeoff speed and minus 8 knots that is the rotation speed. After testing in our squadron we decided, that 8 knots is the best correction value for the A-10C in DCS. The temperature is not taken into account for this calculation.

 

 

These values for the calculation are stored in an excel-sheet called “DCSData.xls” which is read at program start.

[PreAmp]

@Nealius:

 

After checking the aerodrome charts I found that Lochini's elevation is around 1500'.

As a rule of thumb in aviation temperature drops around 2°C every 2000' (in the lower parts of the atmosphere), so for 1500' it would drop 3°C, which is spot on with your observation.

Ofcourse it would imply that the temperature setting in the ME is the temperature at Mean Sea Level.

[Nealius]

Now it makes sense. I was using -10kts for rotation since that's what the -1's instructions said.

 

The odd thing though, is that I rotated at 122KIAS but I didn't actually lift off until around 138KIAS....

 

@Arrie: is it a 2C drop every 2000'? A drop of 3C at 1500' sounds more like 1C per 500'. Speaking of the charts, I can't find any info on runway slope. Is it safe to assume that runways in DCS world are perfectly flat?

[PreAmp]

Oops, I made a typo there...sorry...

It's 2°C every 1000'.

 

 

Regarding the slope:

There is no direct slope info, but on the aerodrome charts there is an elevation mentioned for each end of a runway, combined with the runway length you can figure out the slope yourself.

For example for Tblisi Soganlug RWY 13-31:

R13 elev=1504'

R31 elev=1464'

difference= 1504'-1464'=40'

Rwy length=8120'

For R13 it's a downslope of 100*40/8120=0.5%

For R31 it's an upslope of 0.5%

[hreich]

Can this fine tool be used for DCS Huey?

[Balu]

That should be no problem to integrate the Huey.I will see next week to collect all data for it.

[PeterP]

Balu , Thanks for your afford ! This is a great tool !

 

I would like to have a skype/PM conversation with you in the near future and pass my knowledge about writing this filghtplan-info directly into a file inside DCS . - so you can pass the printing at all and have your generated Cart directly available in cockpit.

Have a look on this to know what I'm talking about : KNEEBOARD_Tablet_Mod_PP_1.01_for DCSWORLD_1.2.4

 

And examine this post:

WIP-pics of today's labour:

 

 

 

 

This code is written in perpetration for a App that extracts Mission data from the *miz file and shows it on the Mission Data Card.

Once this works , Icemaker and I will release this mod.

 

I will update you from time to time what progress we made.

 

 

Icemaker is the man that has already programmed a effective way to write into DCS on the fly - so you can generate a new chart while already connected to Multiplayer - you just have to re-enter your slot after you have generated a individual chart to be able to see it in cockpit.

 

Let's put our knowledge together !

Edited June 23, 2013 by PeterP

[Balu]

I think a PM is the best way because I´m not a friend of skyp.

[icemaker]

So maybe Teamspeak.

Why i didn't have learned German !

[Balu]

Can this fine tool be used for DCS Huey?

 

I´m just integrating into the Flight planning tool, beside the A-10C and KA-50, the UH-1H, P-51D and all flyable aircraft of FC-3 so that the kneeboard tool of PeterP can be suported.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Balu

[hreich]

Thx...cant wait to use tools for uh-1h