G1000 - importing user waypoints?

[akos.maroy]

Hi,

I'm using a DA-40-180 (XLS) with a G1000 that has SVT as well. I managed to import flight plans (FPL files) from an SD card into this G1000, but there is one problem with it. it seems that it will ignore waypoints in the imported flight plan that are not present in the G1000 itself. This makes this import process a lot less useful than it could be, as manually entering these waypoints is the most tedious part of creating these flight plans.

(technically, it tells that that these user waypoints are locked, and not imported. in the flight plan there will be a placeholder for each of these waypoints, with text 'lockd' or something similar, pointing to some unrealistic location, but ignored by the flight plan itself)

all these waypoints have a short name (less than 8 characters), and the FPL file was created by Jeppesen FliteStar.

Is there a way to import user waypoints on mass, so that they will be found when importing a flight plan? I did not find an 'import' option where user waypoints are managed / edited in the G1000.

best regards,


Akos

[peterh337]

Would the solution be to use waypoints which are in the G1000 database i.e. VORs, NDBs, airway intersections, etc?

I use only such waypoints and have used them since I got the PPL 11 years ago. They make life a lot easier because ATC knows them, etc.

[akos.maroy]

actually, the waypoints I'm trying to use are the official waypoints to be used. it's just that they are not in the G1000 database - most probably because they are VFR navigaton waypoints.

to be totally specific, for example the officially recommended VFR transit route in Slovenia, from east to west is DIMLO ME4 VELIKANEDELJA MS3 CELJE RADECE TREBNJE PONIKVE LAZE RAZDRTO DIVACA PE1 (see here: Republic of SLOVENIA (section ENR-3.5) valid from 28 JUN 2012 (http://www.sloveniacontrol.si/acrobat/aip/Operations/2012-06-28-AIRAC/html/eAIP/LJ-ENR-3.5-en-GB.html?#VFR-RECOM-2) ) - and, apart from DIMLO, none of these navigation points are present in the G1000's database.

[B2N2]

Useless info for you but the G1000 does come with the caution that not all waypoints and procedures are in the database.
My guess would be to make a one-time manual entry of these waypoints on the "user waypoint" page. You should then be able to import the flightplans.

[akos.maroy]

yes, I guess the manual entry is the work-around. but actually this is the most tedious part, entering the coordinates manually using the 'turn turn' knob interface of the G1000. this is what I wanted to escape doing :)

[peterh337]

Those points e.g. VELIKANEDELJA are visual reference points (VRPs) which are probably not available in the G1000.

The waypoints which will work are IFR waypoints e.g. DIMLO.

Using IFR waypoints is a more "universal" way of planning a route, not usually taught in the PPL.

[akos.maroy]

yeah, I know. but if this is the route suggested in their AIP, I guess I should follow it.

OTOH, the FPL file I get from Jeppesen FliteStar lists these waypoints with type INT-VRP (in the XML file for the waypoint, it has an element with <type>INT-VRP</type>). while other waypoints are simple of type INT (<type>INT</type>). I wonder if I just change the types to INT, if this would work?

is there a proper documentation of the FPL format available anywhere to see what types are allowed, etc?

[tdbristol]

Akos,

It is possible to import your own waypoints if you use Jepp Flitestar - I have done it; I also have a DA40-180 XL with G1000.
However, I understood it depended upon the version of s/w in the G1000 (although I guess yours is reasonably recent with SVT?)
I used 5 letters for the waypoints.

[peterh337]

but if this is the route suggested in their AIP, I guess I should follow it.You can fly anywhere in Class G-E, VFR, in general, in Europe. Routings are just recommended...

VRPs are for the guidance of fools, and those who fly with a stopwatch :)

ATC is entitled to request a VFR flight to report at some VRP but arguably one should not use them for enroute flight planning, partly because many are very hard to find visually (unless you know the area) and partly because even if they are shown in GPS databases they are usually not available as waypoints for route planning.

[soay]

VRPs are for the guidance of fools, and those who fly with a stopwatch ... and those who want to land VFR at a French aerodrome. It would be handy to have those VRPs preloaded in the G1000, as life's too short to input them manually.

[akos.maroy]

in these countries ATC actually guides you through VRPs. they tell you to fly to VRPs, report VRPs, some of which are mandatory reporting points. some are part of the VFR approach procedure to airports. so it's not for fools, but for people who want to be able to navigate or follow what ATC tells them.

I guess the fool would be the one who can't fly according to them. I guess the guys in the tower would laugh out loud when you'd reply: "unable to fly to XXX as its not in my G1000's navigation database"

but this is all totally beside the point. please only post next time to this thread if you have a suggestion on how to solve the original issue.

[akos.maroy]

It is possible to import your own waypoints if you use Jepp Flitestar - I have done it; I also have a DA40-180 XL with G1000.
However, I understood it depended upon the version of s/w in the G1000 (although I guess yours is reasonably recent with SVT?)
I used 5 letters for the waypoints.

can you send me such a file, to see how the waypoints are described?

[cvlux]

Try to land VFR in EBBR without knowing where they VRP are.

[peterh337]

This is an area where the handhelds are a lot better.

As far as I have been able to check, the current Garmins (the 695, 795, etc) do have the VRPs listed in the AIPs.

I have a similar system for VRPs - see e.g. in this report (http://www.peter2000.co.uk/aviation/barcelona/).

Try to land VFR in EBBR without knowing where they VRP are. Read my last post again :)

[akos.maroy]

I've found the solution.

The G1000 actually imports user waypoints fine. what it doesn't handle are Visual Reference Points. these are saved as <type>INT-VRP</type> in the FPL file.

the solution is to do a mass replace on the word 'INT-VRP' to 'USER WAYPOINT', and then all works fine.