The Notam facility at fly.dsc.net is now pretty well tested now and has been very well received. You can use it to get a route brief online in less than 30 seconds. The URL to read more about it is:
As explained therein, unfortunately there is no reliable free source of the Notam data which makes the job quite difficult. As such you should be very careful to check the indication at the top of each briefing to see if it is using the current data. And even then, of course, it's not "official".
Both area and route briefs are very quick. It covers quite a few FIR, not just the UK ones. There are lots of output filters and the results are designed to be easy to read. You can also plot whatever you find on a Google Map. Lastly the text briefs have been shown to be useable even on a PDA or Blackberry browser, over a slow connection.
Why, oh why can't systems like this be the norm, rather than left to individuals to improve on the 'correct' and 'official' systems available (with no graphical presentation, just reams of text gobbledegook)?
Makes the AIS NOTAM site look pretty inadequate.
Well done to all involved, and I hope the UK AIS suits sit up and see what can be achieved..
Thanks it's very useful. Nice work - Clever chap. But... isn't there always a 'but'? Can it do a route from UK to France? I ask this as every time I enter EGHH to LFRC I get routed from Bournemouth to some place that makes whiskey - Lamphroig (or sumfink) Cheers
Can it do a route from UK to France? I ask this as every time I enter EGHH to LFRC I get routed from Bournemouth to some place that makes whiskey - Lamphroig (or sumfink) Cheers
You need to change the "country" in the top box to plan outside the UK.
Change it to "any" and it will allow you to cross international boundaries.
Let's say I do a route from AAA to BBB (where BBB is a navaid) and there is another navaid called BBB in Mongolia (often the case), how is this resolved? The ais.org.uk software picks the nearer one, which seems to work but I am just curious.
Let's say I do a route from AAA to BBB (where BBB is a navaid) and there is another navaid called BBB in Mongolia (often the case), how is this resolved? The ais.org.uk software picks the nearer one, which seems to work but I am just curious.
First off, this is one advantage of picking a country when planning, rather than setting "Any". However, if you're planning a route involving more countries then read on...
Any ambiguities are ultimately resolved by you being shown a list of what matches what you entered and you choosing which you want. If you put in 'LAM' you get the VOR by Stapleford just north of London, but you also get the the NDB in Iran.
It does apply a bit of logic to try to pick the right one for you though. If you've entered a waypoint where there is only one match (as is often the case if you're using Navaids) then it will look for a match for this waypoint in the same country. So for example, if you plan a route from EGTR to LFAT and use LAM as a turning point it will choose the LAM in the UK over the one in Iran. If however you are routing from Tehran to Dubai, it'll choose the NDB in Iran. Using the nearest would also work, but is more work computationally, though not really significantly.
Ultimately this exact thing is the purpose of the very rough and ready graphical representation of your route at the bottom of the plan screen - so you can see if your route looks "sensible". If you're planning Norwich to Southend and the yellow line seems to go to India first you've probably not got the right waypoints.
IO540, as with most things with this stuff, the trouble with airways is the data. If someone gives me the lat/lon of all the airways then it'd be no big deal to add that function. Until then, just enter the VORs that define the airways (which will be okay but for the kinks in them). Actually I guess an intersection database would probably get us most of the way there.
IO540, as with most things with this stuff, the trouble with airways is the data. If someone gives me the lat/lon of all the airways then it'd be no big deal to add that function. Until then, just enter the VORs that define the airways (which will be okay but for the kinks in them). Actually I guess an intersection database would probably get us most of the way there.
You can get this information from the Eurocontrol database. Go to http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/ register for EAD Basic, log in, wait some time for lots of Java to load, select 'SDO reporting', wait another while, then you can generate reports of various things including upper and lower airspace routes. The routes are not given in lat/long but by referencing navaids / waypoint names which you'd then have to deal with. You can download the database of those too though.
Just done my QXC and used it to double check my calcs before I set off. Also downloaded airfield plans for each airfield so no stumbling around for exits and holds when i got there. Instructor also mightily impressed with it and added to list of favourites. First class site and facility.
IO540, as with most things with this stuff, the trouble with airways is the data. If someone gives me the lat/lon of all the airways then it'd be no big deal to add that function. Until then, just enter the VORs that define the airways (which will be okay but for the kinks in them). Actually I guess an intersection database would probably get us most of the way there.
I see somebody has already answered this so I will just add that it "should" be easy to get all this data, worldwide, because somebody has done an airways overlay for the NASA World World Wind software. It must be there somewhere. I would start with DAFIF but that database will be closed to the public (courtesy of Osama BL) this autumn. After that, EAD Eurocontrol is the next place to look.
