Putting Waypoints/Flight Plan Into the Garmin G1000

[Yellow Son]

The G1000 system is a wonderful bit of kit, but it can be tedious to insert a multi-leg flight plan - especially as the standard checklist dictates that you do this after engine start, which doesn't seem to me to be a productive use of time/fuel/hours. Garmin provide an obvious solution, which is to prepare the flight plan offline (eg on a PC at home), write it to a SD card, then pop the SD card into the slot designed for the purpose on the G1000.

Great - except that I can't find out how to get the Flight Plan onto the SD card in the first place. Oddly, the documentation is quite helpful in explaining how to get a Flight Plan out of the G1000 onto a SD card, though it doesn't explain why anyone would want to do that. I have tried asking Garmin what the format should be, and what Flight Planning packages, if any, support it; but I haven't had an answer which I can make any sense of. They did email me this link, but it doesn't work.

Brief description of the problem:
Escalation from KANA On Demand Self Service Subject: Input flight plan sd card Message: What format must a flight plan be in to export it from my PC to the G1000 by SD card? What flight planning software packages will allow this? Knowledge Session Log URL:http://iqc.garmin.com/eCustomer/KODSelfService/sample.jsp?session={b4e9e2b0-c37d-11e0-c838-000000000000}

My query is - has anybody out there succeeded in transferring a PC-generated Flight Plan by SD card to the G1000? If so, how?

[Yellow Son]

A Partial Answer

OK, by fiddling with the corrupt links I have just partly answered my own question. This is what I eventually found in Garmin's FAQs:

Question: </SPAN>Can I plan an aviation route or flight plan on the computer and transfer it to the GPS?

Answer:

There are several Garmin devices that will import flight plan information created on a computer. Currently, the following products with the lastest software support imported flight plans:

• G1000
• 400W-500W series
• G3X
• GPSMAP 696 / 695

Garmin does not sell or provide programs that can create the flight plans. However, flight plans created on Jeppesen's FliteStar and Seattle Avionics' Voyager programs are compatible.

Last modified on: </SPAN>04/26/2011

So Jepp's product and Voyager(?) will both do what I want. That does not answer my original question about formats, because I might not choose to buy either of these packages! So I would still love to find out:

1. What are their output formats (so I can search for other packages using the same)?
2. Has anybody actually done it, using one of these packages or any other?

[dublinpilot]

I haven't done it myself, but I know PocketFMS can output the file in the required format.

But pay particular attention to Garmin's note about "with the latest software". Your G1000 needs the latest software to be able to import flight plans, and many of them in Europe do not have this latest software and therefore aren't capable of importing flight plans unless upgraded.

[englishal]

It'd have to have a serious number of waypoints to take more than a few minutes to enter?

[FlyingStone]

You could always do it the simple way - enter first couple of waypoints (it depends on the distance and speed you'll have) on the ground and then the rest when the workload permits - either when stabilized and trimmed in climb or in cruise. I really see no real advantage of having ALL waypoints of a flight plan entered in the GPS during the takeoff and initial climb - unless you can enter them without depleting the aircraft battery or idling on the ground.

[Zsolt Szabo]

Flight plan import

Hello

I had the same problem and took some time to find the solution.
You can import the flight plan to G1000, if You have the Synthetic Vision upgrade only. I make my flight plans in Jepp Flitestar and export from the Flitestar to Garmin FPL format and copy on Sd card. I have not tried any other flight planning program yet.
Good luck

[Yellow Son]

Definitive Answer?

I have just received this from Garmin. It is the first refence I have seen to the .fpl file extension:

"The file must be created and saved as a .fpl file. The only programs that we are aware that have this capability are the Seattle Avionics Voyager, Jeppesen Flite Star and fltplan.com software products.


Thank you and best regards,

Aaron S.

Aviation Product Support Supervisor

Aviation Portable and Pilot Operations

1200 E. 151st Street | Olathe, KS 66062, USA | Phone: [phone] | email: [email protected]"

[Yellow Son]

Englishal says "It'd have to have a serious number of waypoints to take more than a few minutes to enter? ".

Entry of waypoints to the G1000 is pretty easy if they are named chart items, eg beacons, airfields or intersections. Not so slick if you choose to input in Lat and Long, as I am about to do for a trip round as many White Horses as I can find in Southern England.

[Hodja]

Did you guys manage to get a detailed look at this *.fpl format used by the G1000 on the SD card?

Last time I checked the format looked slightly complex. Apart from the route fixes of the flight plan, I think inside the .fpl file there's a lat/long description of ALL fixes as well.

This is probably required in order to ensure integrity between the current G1000 fix database and the fpl when it was saved, in case some of the fixes changed in the meantime.

[eloigorri]

Importing Flightplans from Flitestar into the GNS400/500

The fpl format is XML.
The Garmin export/import mechanism also allows the export of user defined waypoints for inclusion in a flightplan which can ve very handy.

The main gotcha with the fpl format is that the GNS at least, can only accept waypoints with a maximum of 5 characters in the name. Flitestar allows waypoint names of any length, so you need to be careful, otherwise you will just get a cryptic "not a valid flightplan" error from the Garmin importer when trying to import the flightplan.

I regularly import from Jepessen Flitestar into the Garmin GNS400/500.
I have step by step notes of how it can be done for the GNS. I am assuming it must be almost identical for the G1000.
If you want copy, I have them in pdf format. Feel free to PM
E

[Chick-S]

Instructions On Use Of Computer to Enter Waypoints

You offered .pdf file telling how to use the external card input for the Garmin 400/500. I have a G1000, and friends have 400/500's. I'd like the detailed instructions on their use, if you don't mind.

Thanks,

Chick

[AN2 Driver]

Hi, yes, me too. I have a GNS 430 and I am not aware of any way to import flightplans into it, would love to hear how it's done.

[24Carrot]

if you google:

"waypoint-table" waypoint route "route-point"

you can find examples of FPL files.

They do appear to be xml files in a pretty simple format, which could be put together with a text editor. That would be error-prone, so you probably want to use a program.

It would be easy for a flight-planning program to output that format. The actual programming is trivial. Since most don't, I suppose there might be some legal issue.

Garmin do not publish the fpl schema (data layout), which would tend to support that idea.

[star57]

Importing flight plans from FPLAN, Voyageur or Jeppesen

For G1000 you need to have the latest version with Syn. Vision
For the G430/530 you need to have the WAAS version.

Happy Landings

[sriganesh3275]

FPL CREATOR FOR GARMIN GPS500W

Hi all
After going through the posts, I have come up with a small solution for the eternal *.fpl problem.
This is a excel sheet.
Feed in the waypoint and route data and click to generate a *.xml.
Open this generated *.xml file on a notepad
Use save as option to rename it with a extension ."fpl" (case sensitive), select file types as all files and encoding as UTF-8.
and there is your fpl file you so badly wanted.
I assume every one knows what is to be done after this.

I had created a route with user waypoints, airports and VORs and it worked perfeclty fine(cos that was my requirement"). This is primarily for gps500w, but I guess will work for other Garmins too. I would be glad to help if anyone is getting stuck. Before you start you may want to note the co-ordinates(in DD.DDDDDD format) of the Jeppsen waypoints and the airfield elevation in feet from the GPS and keep it with you. Leave the comments to null every where. country code is not to be entered for user waypoints. As a rule use CAPS and Numbers without spaces (or any special charecters). Ok i have tried to make the excel sheet more self explanatory so if any one wants any help feel free to mail me.

*******JUST THE USUAL DISCLAIMER*************
Naturally I cant certify it for any kind of accuracy or inaccuracy..... But I can tell you tthat it worked for me
Before you write a flight plan to a memory card just be sure its spare able and has no data on it, Else you will end up formatting your Aviation database or terrain card just like me!!!!!!!!
The excel file is attached below, I had to take of the extension as it was not uploading. First thing download the file , open with excel and enable macros.
The excel file is locked with a password of either 12345 or 123... If you know what you are doing feel free to unlock it and work on it.
Enjoy, Feedbacks and solutions welcome.....

Here is the download link Download FPL GENERATION TOOL GPS500W.xlsm

[sriganesh3275]

Excel sheet

I just found that with the excel sheet and workbook protected it dosent work so well. So unprotect the sheet and the workbook (under review tab) using the passwords "12345" and "123".

[gottaloveflying]

Hi sriganesh, sorry for digging up an old post but I'm currently trying to import 400ish user waypoints, I have everything sorted on how to do it except for the .fpl formatting, and your FPL generation workbook looks to be a lifesaver. Unfortunately the link is no longer valid, if you still have it and its not too much trouble would you be able to create a new download link?

[gottaloveflying]

Actually disregard, found it else where on the web, for anybody interested here is the link http://www.jackscott.org.uk/aviation...0GENERATOR.xls
Thank you sriganesh this is very handy!

[cambioso]

"400 user waypoints".........WTH??
Flyingstone (#5) has the right idea.
We use the G1000 regularly in our Citation Mustang, its a super piece of kit (the Garmin not the a/c!!) and it rarely takes longer than 2 mins to put in a full plan to (say) Malaga anyway.
Jez

[BossEyed]

SkyDemon has an option to "Save As..." Routes to "Garmin Flightplan Files(.fpl)"

Does that work for the G1000?

(It also has another option for Garmin GTN format)