CDU & User created waypoints

[SuperSix2]

Hey all,

I've been playing now since May or June and have finally figured out to deploy weapons, start-up without a checklist though i still use it as a reference like every pilot should. I figured out how input coordinates from JTAC so I can set it as a waypoint and then engange. So, the question. Why is that when I want to find the waypoint I just created and the knob is on mission that there are all of these other waypoints, just not named though? Do they do that so you just have to replace the name and put in a coordinate? I dont have a track, but after creating a waypoint i cycle to lets says "TGT" waypoint, but yet there's still all of these others one that I scroll through?

[Jona33]

Mission contains all the waypoints loaded on that plane, your flight plan waypoints, all the airfields, and the custom ones.

[SuperSix2]

Alright cool, that's what I was thinking, just wasn't that sure. Thanks for the reply! :)

[Vortex225]

Alright cool, that's what I was thinking, just wasn't that sure. Thanks for the reply! :)

 

You can always add your user-generated waypoints (or markpoints) to a custom flight plan. This will allow you to view the navigation lines connecting your waypoints and avoid cycling through all of the airfields and other miscellaneous waypoints loaded into the CDU at mission start.

 

As an example, I always create a custom flight plan when I'm landing. When I contact ATC with an inbound call, they provide a range and bearing from your current location. I place an overhead markpoint as soon as this occurs, and create an offset waypoint from this markpoint using the ATC bearing and range data. I then look-up the waypoint number of the desired airfield and add it with my custom offset waypoint to a new flight plan.

 

This provides me with a nice navigation line along the glide slope to the runway and removes all of the superfluous waypoints from your HUD (i.e. when cycling with the UFC rocker).

 

Hope this helps!

[slicker55]

I have followed a youtube tutorial and learned how to create a custom flight plan using the CDU but I can't see any way of saving this for future use. Just wondering if this is possible and if so, how to do it?

 

Here's a link to the tutorial should others be interested:

 

 

 

 

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Edited October 22, 2015 by slicker55

[PFunk1606688187]

Scrolling through all your waypoints is inefficient, as is putting every created waypoint into a flight plan. Much simpler to just remember the names/numbers of your new waypoints and select them directly on the Steer Info page.

 

The whole flight plan trick is just a way to bypass a lack of familiarity and proficiency with the systems. It means doing things in a pinch is not your practiced method and that you lose your confidence and situational awareness when things aren't already set up this way and leaves you open to task saturation as you try to get your overcomplicated set up of flight plan waypoints done when you should be flying the airplane.

 

Flight plans are better used for planned segments of a flight, not for ad hoc target data management.

[slicker55]

Hi P*Funk,

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post but I'm confused by your explanation. Please bear in mind that I am new to this and doing my best to understand your advice.

 

I have recently learned how to use the mission-editor and created a very basic training mission to assist me with practising navigation.

 

Then I found the youtube tutorial demonstrating how to create a flight plan using the CDU.

 

I created a flight plan using the CDU and flew it successfully but later couldn't find a way of saving it for future use.

 

I appreciate a 'mission' and a 'flight plan' are different things but you may agree that in it's simplest form a 'mission' (containing only waypoints) is, in itself, a flight plan.

 

So, if this is correct, why not just create a mission (which can be saved) using the mission-editor instead of the CDU method shown in the youtube tutorial?

 

 

 

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Edited October 22, 2015 by slicker55

[Hansolo]

Hi Slicker55,

 

You should be able to create a custom flight and save it for later. You need to go to the Mission Editor and select Prepare Mission. Then you start up your aircraft, make your flight plan and exist. You will come back to Mission Editor and can now save the mission with your newly made flight plan. Bear with me it's been along time since I tried so may not work. Secondly as I recall it only works on first flight plan. If you make more they will not be saved.

 

Another way of doing this is by enterting the Mission Editor and select Initial Point Object from left side bar. Then you set it unto the map where you want it and give it a unique name, e.g. KOBULTI CITY. Then you make another with new name, and another and. Well you get the picture. Our squadron has about 500 preplanned initial point objects in the CDU. A mix of navgation point, entry/exit point for airport and kill box corners. After making all your initial point objects you just save the mission. The CDU can hold over 2000 of such created Initial point objects.

The good thing is that once created, you can actually open the mission, then copy and paste the initial point objects into another mission :smilewink:

 

I myself uses flight plans a lot. One for simple navigation to/from mission area, and others for mission area it self.

 

Cheers

Hans

 

I believe what P*funk is referring to is that

[slicker55]

Hi HMA,

 

Another sterling response to my questions - very impressed and grateful to you guys for being so helpful - I'll have another play and see if I have understood you correctly - fingers crossed.

 

Either way, it's all good stuff - it's surprising how much you learn whilst trying something else out.

 

Cheers again... :)

[BSS_Sniper]

Hey all,

I've been playing now since May or June and have finally figured out to deploy weapons, start-up without a checklist though i still use it as a reference like every pilot should. I figured out how input coordinates from JTAC so I can set it as a waypoint and then engange. So, the question. Why is that when I want to find the waypoint I just created and the knob is on mission that there are all of these other waypoints, just not named though? Do they do that so you just have to replace the name and put in a coordinate? I dont have a track, but after creating a waypoint i cycle to lets says "TGT" waypoint, but yet there's still all of these others one that I scroll through?

 

This isn't really important, but...every airline I've flown with, the check list part of engine start up was "engines started". There was never a step by step engine start up check list. It's a flow that's memorized. Just FYI. :thumbup:

[slicker55]

Hi BSS Sniper,

 

I appreciate your last reply is for SuperSix2 but this is something I was curious about. Thanks for enlightening us - it just goes to show, 'you never know what goes on behind closed doors' :)

[PFunk1606688187]

Hi P*Funk,

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post but I'm confused by your explanation. Please bear in mind that I am new to this and doing my best to understand your advice.

 

I think I was mostly responding to Echo's advice and should have quoting him directly.

 

The limitations of the systems are entirely sim based and not very realistic. In reality you'd be uploading your mission data to the aircraft, so you'd be preparing flight plans and saving them in an out of pit utility and uploading during start up (DTS upload). Mission editors can approximate this effect somewhat through the method HMA describes, but its really a work around and not very flexible if you're not the mission creator yourself.

 

The simpler solution is also mentioned by HMA and that's to include the same points in all missions you make and therefore you have a common database of points to use and you plug those into flight plans as you need them during start up or later in the flight.

 

The method for how to go about utilizing these points and the CDU tools like flight plans is another debate that I alluded to in my confusing post before.

[slicker55]

Thanks for clearing that up - much appreciated :)