Self calculating navigator's log

The "Queen of the Skies"
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MatsH
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MatsH »

I have continued the development after a long lay off.

Some new features:


The flightplan is now in an American Airlines 40's style I got from a book on long range flight:
Image

The navigator's log is in TWA style inspired by a photo of the log of Hughes record coast-to-coast Connie flight:
Image

Now the planned route is displayed on a map along with the route travelled. Weatherships, HF-stations and LORAN-stations from the weathership gauge are also plotted;
Image

There is a flight graph showing your progress against time and fuel. It also shows fuel margins, points of safe and no return for 3, 2 or 1 engine operation:
Image

I am working on a few things:
- An option to use knots & nm or mph & sm.
- An airline management page to buy and sell aircraft, get passenger revenue for every flight.

The navigation equipment in my Connie:
Image

Please let me know if you would like to try it!

MD-82
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MD-82 »

Yes please !!

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MatsH
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MatsH »

Okay!

Here is the latest version: -

Please use it and give me feedback! I spent a lot of time during the holidays working on it. I will try to squash any bugs you find but new features will take some time.

Please check the following new features and instructions for me:
Logbook page:
- You should be able to paste the entries from earlier versions. You might have to unprotect the sheet to do that. The password is: connie. It is only there to prevent unintentional changes!

Flightplan page:
- Does the option to use statute miles work?
- Does the option to use rhumb line or GC legs work? (Before it was only GC!)
- Are the times and locations for sunrise and sunset correct?

Nav log page:
- Does the log calculate correctly when statute miles are chosen on the flightplan page? (Mph must be used for speed!)
- Now uses rhumb line courses!
- Make sure to enter the "ramp" times!

The notes page is now the Flight analysis page:
- Does the triangulation section work? Enter positions of radio stations and the bearing TO them!
- "Fuel loaded" must now be entered in gallons.
- Make sure to enter windspeed in knots regardless of setting on the flightplan page!

Flight map page:
- Do you have any suggestions of things to add to the map?
- 3D maps and Bing map plugins are available but too complex for me to work with!

Flight graph page:
- Does the graph calculate correctly?
- You must use the "update" button after every nav log or planning change!

Regarding performance settings:
- Only the 377 is anywhere complete!

Have fun and please report any findings back! And I am very happy to provide support if you run into trouble!

/Mats
Last edited by MatsH on 19 Jan 2021, 17:08, edited 3 times in total.

MD-82
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MD-82 »

Hey MATS,

many many thanks. Just arrived in Casablanca on a 24 hour layover. Working on our flight from VTBD to VHHH(X). Unfortunately the pictures above are all forbidden. But I'm using my imagination and have just opened the ol' log.

A question regarding the NavLog page. I can still use only Plan-G to import the log correct? Because Plan-G currently has problems with reading P3Dv5 data.

Thanks again,

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MatsH
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MatsH »

There is a beta version of Plan-G available that handles P3D5! It is available through the TASoftware-forums! The availability of that version drove me do the latest improvements.

It is important to use the proper nav data for your sim in Plan-G for magvar to be calculated correctly!

MD-82
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MD-82 »

Saw that just now. Thanks for the tip. We'll try to use it on tomorrow's trip ....

Cheers ...

MD-82
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MD-82 »

Hello,

I am trying to create a flight with the DC-6B from VTBD to VHHH. So far I have followed the steps in the how-to with the only addition of adding the airport temperatures together with their elevation (see picture). The notes sections is all good and pre-filled as well. When I press the get performance button, it computes the figures but for some reason it sticks in the CLIMB section. My PPH section throws an error and I don't see an updated ToC waypoint. With ToD it's as advertised, with ToD being all the way at the bottom on the 1st run, then moving to the correct location in the waypoint sequence. I press the get performance again to update that. But the ToC waypoint is nowhere in the waypoint list. I'm wondering if I may be missing data not mentioned in the how-to on page 2?

Other than that, when I press the NM/SM tickbox or the GC/Rhumb tickbox I get a 1004 error. But it may be because my flows have yet to be completed. If you see any error on my part please let me know ;-)

Image

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MatsH
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MatsH »

Just to give you a quick answer: Enter the data manually in all green boxes if you just want to get airborne. IAS for your cruise is missing, that could mess up the waypoints.

IAS should be collected from the performance sheets though! Use manual override if it doesn’t and you just want to fly! Insert time and fuel to altitude manually as well!

EDIT: I cannot replicate the 1004 error. So I am sorry I cannot help with that!

MD-82
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MD-82 »

Thanks a lot for the info.

I managed to get it sorted by manually inserting some data it did not get from the data tables for some reason. After that I believe all is sorted.

The boxes I had to fill out manually were;

1. Alternate distance (Was not computed for me)
2. Fuel flow PPH/E in climb
3. Time to Climb
4. Fuel to CLimb
5. IAS in cruise

Once inserted, all number were crunched.
Regarding error 1004, that was my bad. I didn't unprotect the sheet. After this, I ran the converters and it seems to check out.

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MatsH
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MatsH »

Great MD-82!

I found some bugs and hopefully squished them! There was a bug with the DC-6 and the TOW wasn't calculated based on your fuel load. Now add your fuel before you click the GET PERFORMANCE button. If all is well you will get a green checkmark. If you need to add more fuel or reduce power you will get a red X. Some links in the Plan-G page were broken but are fixed, that affected the distance to alternate calculation.

Here is the latest version with the fixes: -

Did you complete your flight? If so, how did you find the flight graph and map features?
Last edited by MatsH on 19 Jan 2021, 17:07, edited 3 times in total.

awralls
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by awralls »

MD-82 wrote: 16 Jan 2021, 14:16

Once inserted, all number were crunched.
Regarding error 1004, that was my bad. I didn't unprotect the sheet. After this, I ran the converters and it seems to check out.
I've been suffering the 1004 error for the last couple of years and never got to the bottom of it. When you say that you ran the converters, what exactly were you converting to/from?

Thanks

Andy

MD-82
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MD-82 »

Cool MATS,

thank you for your efforts ... Regarding the new features. We flew to Kai Tak. A user airport had to be created. And I don't know if it was because of that, on the map, VHHX was somewhere in the Pacific. However the flight plan figures were accurate. Except for destination, the route depicted correctly. As for the flight graph section, I believe it still has a flight from somewhere in Canada to Shannon in there. Possibly because I did not fill out the NavLog. Time was limited and I'm leading back into it slowly.

Cheers !
MatsH wrote: 16 Jan 2021, 17:17 Great MD-82!

I found some bugs and hopefully squished them! There was a bug with the DC-6 and the TOW wasn't calculated based on your fuel load. Now add your fuel before you click the GET PERFORMANCE button. If all is well you will get a green checkmark. If you need to add more fuel or reduce power you will get a red X. Some links in the Plan-G page were broken but are fixed, that affected the distance to alternate calculation.

Here is the latest version with the fixes: DROPBOX

Did you complete your flight? If so, how did you find the flight graph and map features?
Last edited by MD-82 on 18 Jan 2021, 06:11, edited 1 time in total.

MD-82
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Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MD-82 »

Hello,

MATS put in the update two options in the Flight Plan sheet. Both convert values in the FlightPlan. One is to switch between statute- and nautical miles, and the other switches between rhumb line or great circle distances (I believe). Because the sheet was locked, I got the 1004 error. That is now gone.

Your 1004 error from previous version was the same for me. It rendered the sheet unusable for me. However with the new version, that has gone as well.

Good luck ...
awralls wrote: 17 Jan 2021, 05:04
MD-82 wrote: 16 Jan 2021, 14:16

Once inserted, all number were crunched.
Regarding error 1004, that was my bad. I didn't unprotect the sheet. After this, I ran the converters and it seems to check out.
I've been suffering the 1004 error for the last couple of years and never got to the bottom of it. When you say that you ran the converters, what exactly were you converting to/from?

Thanks

Andy

awralls
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Posts: 16
Joined: 08 Nov 2004, 04:59

Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by awralls »

Brilliant; thanks for the helpful explanation.

Andy

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MatsH
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Joined: 20 May 2011, 05:34

Re: Self calculating navigator's log

Post by MatsH »

awralls

Does that mean that you no longer suffer 1004?

The flight map collected north or south, east or west from the wrong table. It is now fixed!

New version: -

EDIT: There was some sort of problem with Dropbox so I switched to Mega for the download. Thanks a lot for your testing! It really helps!
Last edited by MatsH on 19 Jan 2021, 17:08, edited 2 times in total.

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