Christmas-Tree
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Christmas-Tree
There is an A 380 on a test flight over Germany painting a christmas tree with its flight track.
https://www.flightradar24.com/AIB232E/fd1fd63
https://www.flightradar24.com/AIB232E/fd1fd63
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Superb! 
More seriously : That is amazing what one can do when programming an FMS . This one is a bit complex , with the 360s to simulates the balls, so I guess this has taken a little while to program . For those in the know. : is that just done on a PC in an office and a then sticking a USB flashdrive to plug in somewhere, , or 1/2 hour of typing coordinates on a FMS keyboard ?
More seriously : That is amazing what one can do when programming an FMS . This one is a bit complex , with the 360s to simulates the balls, so I guess this has taken a little while to program . For those in the know. : is that just done on a PC in an office and a then sticking a USB flashdrive to plug in somewhere, , or 1/2 hour of typing coordinates on a FMS keyboard ?
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Airbubba :
Thanks for the reply . But AFAIK a Flight plan is strictly coded: waypoints , 5 letters codes. DCT, etc... Outside of these I believe it is only Lat/long and Distance in between. Tedious work to make a Xmas tree no? . Plus I would not know how to enter a perfect 360 on a flight plan 
most flight plans these days are uplinked over the radio using data protocols that are claimed to be notoriously insecure
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I wonder if there is a Boeing article somewhere on their recent effort that might explain the process. The Gulfstream test pilots out of SAV also seem to do a little drawing at times but I don't know if it's generated in advance.
It's been a long time since I've done a maintenance test flight but the actual filed flight plan was simple and we requested altitudes and headings once airborne.
Here is a piece on the recent 787 track during an ETOPS test flight:
https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/b...ng-etops-test/
It's been a long time since I've done a maintenance test flight but the actual filed flight plan was simple and we requested altitudes and headings once airborne.
Here is a piece on the recent 787 track during an ETOPS test flight:
https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/b...ng-etops-test/
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Due to the very shallow turns, I would suspect they flew using airspace fixes only as a reference and much of the nav planning was done manually prior to the flight, using the FMC data for drift correction and not primary navigation control, although I suppose one could limit the bank angle using MCP or FMC. Of course, this would be a cinch to accomplish via coordinated ATC vectors.
Tannenbaum shape and the country of origin and flyover is quite fitting.
Tannenbaum shape and the country of origin and flyover is quite fitting.