Updates to AIS Website

[Mike Cross]

As a result of representations made by me on behalf of AOPA UK a number of changes have been made to the way the UK AIS Websaite at www.ais.org.uk (http://www.ais.org.uk) works.

Full details here. (http://http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/aip/current/misc/sigch.pdf)

These include:-

1. Automatic cookie-based login. If you click the "Remember Me" check box when logging in then a cookie will be placed on your computer and you will be able to bookmark pages within the site that normally require a login to access. Providing the cookie remains present you will be able to go direct to a page in the secure area without the need to log in.

2. There's a new gross error check. From time to time people use a route waypoint that is not what they think it is. For example IW used to be an NDB at Bembridge that has been withdrawn from service. The ICAO code IW was also used for a marker beacon at JFK New York (IW=Idlewild for those as old as me). Another example is to use SWB thinking its the ICAO for Shawbury when in fact it's the ICAO for the Sawmill VOR/DME in the USA. Previously you'd get loads of "irrelevant" stuff in your brief. Now you'll get a warning asking if you're sure you meant what you entered.

3. Choosing validity dates in the past or more than 7 days ahead will similarly produce a warning.

4. Saved briefings when being re-used where being automatically given a new briefing ID. That's now been stopped so if you create one called "Local" for your local area it will remain being called that.

5. Browser compatibility has been improved for Opera/Firefox users.

6. General improvements to error messages.

The software people are keen on getting user feedback so post your thoughts.

Mike

[beerdrinker]

Mike,

Many thanks for all your efforts on our behalf

BD

[Deeday]

Good job the "Remember me" function and the Firefox compatibility.

My modest suggestion would be to streamline the Autologin function a bit more, if possible, to something similar to e.g. Wikipedia, or PPRuNe itself.
That is, instead of an 'Autologin' button, separate from the 'Login' one, there could be just one button, 'Login', and the 'Remember me' tick-box.
If somebody logs in ticking the box, then the next time they visit the website and click on 'NOTAM', the whole login process (click on 'Existing users' and then log in) is skipped altogether, and the page with 'Route Brief', 'Narrow Route Brief' etc. appears.
Good to see that the website is developing anyway.

By the way, the link with the full details is broken (one 'http//' too many); the correct one is this one (http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/aip/current/misc/sigch.pdf).

Cheers :ok:

[phoneman]

Fell for the SWB Shawbury VOR mistake this weekend. After 17pp of notam print out I noticed it was going Gander/Greenland/Newfoundland! Out of interest what is the code to use for Shawbury VOR on a Notam narrow route brief?

[Mike Cross]

There isn't one. The Shawbury VOR is not an en-route waypoint and does not have an ICAO code (which is a different animal to its morse ID). What I understand from others is that the majority of the Mil navaids are there for the Mil and not for civilian use. They are therefore not required to tick all of the boxes required of a civilian en-route navaid. If you look in ENR 4 of the UK Civil AIP you won't find it listed and if it ain't in there you shouldn't be using it as an en-route waypoint.

If you have any queries on what is valid then the search facility of the AIS site is good.

Entering SWB as the identifier produces two entries
Identifier Country ICAO Code Type Name
SWB KZ DME SAWMILL
SWB KZ VOR SAWMILL

Entering "SHAWBURY" as the name produces no results.