Loading a flight plan changes the flight plan file

fahv · Post by **fahv** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 9:05 am

Flightplan files can only be used once, because P3Dv2 changes the file after loading it. Especially the coördinates of "user" waypoints are stripped sending you the next time you try to use the flightplan to the middle of the earth.Also ATCWaypointTypes are changed.

I made the following test-flight plan in P3Dv2:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<SimBase.Document Type="AceXML" version="1,0">

<Descr>AceXML Document</Descr>

<FlightPlan.FlightPlan>

<Title>TestPlan</Title>

<FPType>VFR</FPType>

<CruisingAlt>3500</CruisingAlt>

<DepartureID>KRMN</DepartureID>

<DepartureLLA>N38° 23' 53.15",W77° 27' 19.69",+000212.00</DepartureLLA>

<DestinationID>KDCA</DestinationID>

<DestinationLLA>N38° 51' 7.53",W77° 2' 15.80",+000015.00</DestinationLLA>

<DeparturePosition>PARKING 3</DeparturePosition>

<DepartureName>Stafford Regl</DepartureName>

<DestinationName>Ronald Reagan Washington Natl</DestinationName>

<AppVersion>

<AppVersionMajor>10</AppVersionMajor>

<AppVersionBuild>9448</AppVersionBuild>

</AppVersion>

<ATCWaypoint id="KRMN">

<ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 23' 53.17",W77° 27' 19.69",+000212.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAOIdent>KRMN</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="BRV">

<ATCWaypointType>NDB</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 20' 10.62",W77° 21' 10.45",+000145.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAORegion>K6</ICAORegion>

<ICAOIdent>BRV</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="MD83">

<ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 31' 15.02",W77° 4' 5.00",+000170.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAOIdent>MD83</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="OTT">

<ATCWaypointType>NDB</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 42' 21.12",W76° 44' 41.08",+000210.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAORegion>K6</ICAORegion>

<ICAOIdent>OTT</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="MACKG">

<ICAO>

<ICAORegion>K6</ICAORegion>

<ICAOIdent>MACKG</ICAOIdent>

<ICAOAirport>W00</ICAOAirport>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="MX">

<ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 55' 10.61",W76° 52' 16.41",+000074.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAORegion>K6</ICAORegion>

<ICAOIdent>MX</ICAOIdent>

<ICAOAirport>KADW</ICAOAirport>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="KDCA">

<ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 51' 7.52",W77° 2' 15.80",+000015.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAOIdent>KDCA</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

</FlightPlan.FlightPlan>

</SimBase.Document>

After loading the flight plan P3Dv2 wrote the following XML back to the file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<SimBase.Document Type="AceXML" version="1,0">

<Descr>AceXML Document</Descr>

<FlightPlan.FlightPlan>

<Title>TestPlan</Title>

<FPType>VFR</FPType>

<DepartureID>KRMN</DepartureID>

<DepartureLLA>N38° 23' 53.12",W77° 27' 19.69",+000212.00</DepartureLLA>

<DestinationID>KDCA</DestinationID>

<DestinationLLA>N38° 51' 7.51",W77° 2' 15.80",+000015.00</DestinationLLA>

<DeparturePosition>PARKING 3</DeparturePosition>

<DepartureName>Stafford Regl</DepartureName>

<DestinationName>Ronald Reagan Washington Natl</DestinationName>

<AppVersion>

<AppVersionMajor>10</AppVersionMajor>

<AppVersionBuild>9448</AppVersionBuild>

</AppVersion>

<ATCWaypoint id="KRMN">

<ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 23' 53.15",W77° 27' 19.69",+000212.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAOIdent>KRMN</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="BRV">

<ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 20' 10.60",W77° 21' 10.45",+000145.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAORegion>K6</ICAORegion>

<ICAOIdent>BRV</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="MD83">

<ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 31' 15.01",W77° 4' 5.00",+000170.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAOIdent>MD83</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="OTT">

<ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 42' 21.10",W76° 44' 41.08",+000210.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAORegion>K6</ICAORegion>

<ICAOIdent>OTT</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="MACKG">

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="MX">

</ATCWaypoint>

<ATCWaypoint id="KDCA">

<ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 51' 7.51",W77° 2' 15.80",+000015.00</WorldPosition>

<ICAO>

<ICAOIdent>KDCA</ICAOIdent>

</ICAO>

</ATCWaypoint>

</FlightPlan.FlightPlan>

</SimBase.Document>

As you can see waypoints MAGKG and MX are emptied.

The waypoint type of OTT and BRV changed from NDB to User.

Quentin · Post by **Quentin** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 9:27 am

Yes. That's the issue i experienced, too. But even when you load the plan for the first time, the altitude for the whole flightplan remains the same. So, if you have an altitude of 98 feet at your departure airport, the whole flightplan shows 98 feet for every waypoint. only the altitude of your arrival airport is shown right in the navigation log. The only way i found to change that, was to manually type in the altitudes at the different waypoints of the flightplan prior to loading it. Problem is, i don't even know if the program really incorporates those changes, or if only shows the right altitude in the navigation log. In any case, when i load a flightplan with those manual changes, ATC tells me to climb to 0 feet after take off. When i'm handed over, i'm told to climb. Not necessarily to the altitude that's written in the plan, though. So i'm not sure.

And yes. Trying to load the same plan a second time, sends you straight down to the middle of the earth.

lionheart · Post by **lionheart** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:59 pm

Question; Is the flight plan created in V2 or another program? If you are using a program outside of V2, is it setup to run with P3D V2 yet? Could it be they need to make an adjustment for V2 on their software end?

Not all addons are running perfectly yet with P3D. I would verify with the addon maker first and make sure their software is working right 'with' V2.

Also, I would not try flight plans created in 1.4 or FSX and expect them to work in V2. Remember, V2 is a new sim platform.

Quentin · Post by **Quentin** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:06 pm

Quote:
Quote from lionheart on December 8, 2013, 13:59

Question; Is the flight plan created in V2 or another program? If you are using a program outside of V2, is it setup to run with P3D V2 yet? Could it be they need to make an adjustment for V2 on their software end?

Not all addons are running perfectly yet with P3D. I would verify with the addon maker first and make sure their software is working right 'with' V2.

Also, I would not try flight plans created in 1.4 or FSX and expect them to work in V2. Remember, V2 is a new sim platform.

The program i use is PFPX. It's the version 1.12, which is updated to work with V2. But if i use a flightplan that is created with Prepar3d V2, the same thing happens. If i save it and load it the first time, all the altitudes are the same as the departure airport. It only changes for the arrival airport. If i try to load it a second time, the flightplan is totally "garbled".

lionheart · Post by **lionheart** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:13 pm

Ahhh so. I haven't had that issue but haven't done a lot of flight plan flights yet.

Quentin · Post by **Quentin** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:25 pm

Just try to save a flightplan in Prepar3d V2. Then maybe log off the program and log back in. Load the plan and look at the altitudes in the navigation plan. Then log out again. Go back in, log into the Flight Planner, click load, load the plan again. Then go to "Find Route". That's what i did, when i saw that the altitudes weren't right. Because i wanted to change the "Cruising Altitude" there. Just clear the plan and load it again. Get out of the Flight Planner and look at the map under the "World" tab.

fahv · Post by **fahv** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 7:19 am

Answering Lionheart:

I usually build my flight plans with my own software in combination with Google Earth, but the flight above plan was created with the flight planner of P3Dv2.

lionheart · Post by **lionheart** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 9:13 am

When you click 'Find Route', you are 'generating' a new flight plan. Your altitudes will indeed change from the last one. If you are 'loading' a flight, you do not wish to click the 'Find Route'. Find Route is like the 'calculator mode' for your flightplan and indeed it will change your settings.

If you have a flightplan, its all setup and you are happy with it, just load it. Do not go into 'Find Route'.

fahv · Post by **fahv** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:08 am

I never click 'Find Route'.

Here's exactly what I do:

(menu) Flights\Flight Planner

Load (click on the desired flightplan)

OK and another OK

and the flightplan is loaded in a correct manner and can be used but the file is damaged and can not be used a second time

a small example (only the damaged waypoint):

before loading:

<ATCWaypoint id="WP1">

<ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>

<WorldPosition>N38° 39' 10.33",W77° 1' 3.84",+001500.00</WorldPosition>

</ATCWaypoint>

after loading:

<ATCWaypoint id="WP1">

</ATCWaypoint>

when loading this flightplan it is accepted but probably the WP1 waypoint is interpreted as having coordinates 0,0,0.

hermes82 · Post by **hermes82** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 3:10 pm

I'm having the same issue with v2, I can create a flightplan in p3d v2 and fly from that, if I exit p3d then restart and reload the same flight I have one waypoint off the coast of west Africa and one at my destination losing all other waypoints, I set a new flightplan using fsx then saved and closed fsx, I copied the flightplan from the fsx folder to a desktop folder, started p3d and loaded the flight from desktop folder and all was well, closed p3d then restarted and tried to load the same flightplan from desktop, now i'm back with the same 2 waypoints, reloaded the flightplan from inside fsx folder and all was well, closed p3d and started fsx, loaded the flightplan and all waypoints are lost except the two mentioned earlier, it seems as if p3d is scrambling the flightplan after use

lionheart · Post by **lionheart** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:19 pm

What if V2 doesn't use the same world location points? Im out on a branch here trying to help you guys and probably shouldn't as I am not that well versed in flight plans, but 'what if' the system uses a slightly different 'world location' system different then how yours is written. It would then not be able to find that and it wouldn't save it, I would think.

Could it possibly be that perhaps flights from FSX and even 1.4 (flight plans) are 'not' working in 2.0 because there is a new system to world coordinates?

To test this, one could create a sophisticated flightplan, save, then open it and compare it to another from FSX and see if there are differences in the location code strings. If there are, then you know then that there must use a new system for creating flight plans, or at least the waypoints. (There are like 4 or more ways to write GPS coordinates, but FS only uses 1, and perhaps V2 uses a new one).

This is my theory. Im only trying to help you guys out. I could be way off, but from diagnosing issues myself in the past, this sounds like it might be an issue with the coordinates, the way they are written. If you do not write in the BGL coordinates of objects to be located in scenery, it will not show up. SO this could be 'that' issue.

fahv · Post by **fahv** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 5:35 am

I tried all that out. Made a flightplan with two airports and one user-waypoint.

First in Fsx, then in P3Dv1.4 and finally in P3Dv2. The results were similar.

So P3Dv2 uses the same syntax for the coördinates as Fsx and P3Dv1.4. It also accepts all three flightplans when I load them.

And interpretes the coördinates in a correct manner during that flight. But directly after loading the flightplan it overwrites the flightplan with an empty user waypoint making it useless for a next flight.

And as I tried to show in my first larger example P3D mutilates more then only user-waypoints: waypoint types were changed from NDB to User.

cannow · Post by **cannow** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 5:32 pm

Same issue load a flight plan works if you save the flight or go to reload the flight plan it is corrupted . Can work around for short flights but longer flights where you have to save I am keeping a backup uncorrupted flight plan to reload as soon as it is loaded in to v2 file is useless . Plans are created in Plan g v3 . Have not experimented with V2 own flight planner will try soon.

eminyilmaz · Post by **eminyilmaz** » Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:38 am

I've reported this error before at another thread, I am happy to see I am not alone. It's not just created flight plans, for me even default flight starts at middle of nowhere (middle of Atlantic, somewhere near West Africa actually, It's a 0,0 point). I've installed P3d to different PCs but I experienced same phenomenon. I don't know what's causing this but, this makes sim unusable at the moment. Developer team, please also add this to you correction list for 2.1 release.

lionheart · Post by **lionheart** » Thu Dec 12, 2013 7:41 am

Its also reported to the team. Hopefully it will be repaired in the update.