See all of Aerofly FS4's airports

  • I was intrigued by the every growing list of airports in Aerofly's airport database. So I clobbered together a quick visualization:

    Airports of Europe

    My first approach made my browser a stuttering mess, but after some fiddling with MapBox I would like to present to you:

    The Missionsgerät now shows Aerofly's airports

    The map is now part of the Missionsgerät, and can be used without actually entering a flight plan. So if you are on the go and like to know if an airport exists in AFS4, here you go.

  • Dear Armitage

    Great, it works.

    If you have a bit of time to help me to embed an imported flight plan.

    I don't understand what to do: "The Aerofly Missionsgerät converts Aerofly FS 4's main.mcf (and other flight plan file formats) into a custom_missions_user.tmc file (and other flight plan file formats), using your current flight plan and other settings to generate a shareable mission."

    My aim is to create a flight plan with Navigraph > export it as a MS FS2020 .pln file > import it in Missionsgerät (it works, including the SID, STAR, TRANS, APPR points) > embed it in Aerofly FS 4 to fly it. Knowing that most of the waypoints of Navigraph (AIRAC 2401) are unknown from the Aerolfy data base (~AIRAC1301).

    Thank you.

    I fly therefore I am
    MacBook Pro | M3 Max 36 Gb RAM | Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition | Winwing URSA MINOR Airline Joystick
    X-Plane 12 | ToLiss A319 A320neo A321(-neo/LR/XLR) + KOSP Project | ToLiss A330neo + Mango Studios
    simHeaven | BetterPushback | X-ATC Chatter | X-RAAS2 | FlyWithLua
    iPad | SimBrief | Navigraph (latest AIRAC)| WebFMC | MetarTaf

    Edited once, last by FrankLFRS (February 5, 2024 at 11:45 AM).

  • Great map. Can you show the handmade airports in a different colour?

    Actually I am trying to improve on the rendering of the airports. I am still learning on how to use MapBox Studio, but today at least I fixed the font issues.

    Stay tuned for even nicer airport symbols. ;)

  • My aim is to create a flight plan with Navigraph > export it as a MS FS2020 .pln file > import it in Missionsgerät (it works, including the SID, STAR, TRANS, APPR points) > embed it in Aerofly FS 4 to fly it. Knowing that most of the waypoints of Navigraph (AIRAC 2401) are unknown from the Aerolfy data base (~AIRAC1301).

    Actually this is more or less everything you need to do:

    1. Upload the pln to the Missionsgerät.
    2. Add the settings which the pln file does not contain, like weather and aircraft.
    3. Download the TMC file from the Missionsgerät.
    4. And than stick to https://fboes.github.io/aerofly-missio…stallation.html on how to add the TMC file to your AFS4. Your mission should now be visible as custom mission in AFS4.

    FrankLFRS Does this help you? Or is there any other explanation missing I might supply?

    And indeed this method should allow to import fixes and waypoints into AFS4 which it does not have - because the Missionsgerät will import waypoint names and geo coordinates and convert them into Aerofly's free form waypoints. A smart way to have Navigraph data at least for your flight plan. ;)

  • Does this help you? Or is there any other explanation missing I might supply?

    Yes it worked, thank you.

    I had to create the missions folder before copying the custom_missions_user.tmc file.

    It's not elegant (not your fault), but it works: hard to retrieve the mission among many, the plane is in middle air at launch, etc. But it works including unknown waypoints, and as expected, no constraints in the flight plan.

    Loading a .tmc or a .pln file from the navigation menu is a hope from IPACS.

    I fly therefore I am
    MacBook Pro | M3 Max 36 Gb RAM | Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition | Winwing URSA MINOR Airline Joystick
    X-Plane 12 | ToLiss A319 A320neo A321(-neo/LR/XLR) + KOSP Project | ToLiss A330neo + Mango Studios
    simHeaven | BetterPushback | X-ATC Chatter | X-RAAS2 | FlyWithLua
    iPad | SimBrief | Navigraph (latest AIRAC)| WebFMC | MetarTaf

  • the plane is in middle air at launch

    Well, maybe I can do something about it. Is there a way for me to obtain the pln you were using? I can take a look if there is some clever way for the Missionsgerät to improve the starting point.

  • Is there a way for me to obtain the pln you were using?

    Here it is.

    I renamed it as a .txt file to be downloadable here, but, it is a .pln file as a MS FS 2020 flight plan from Navigraph.

    The flight plan includes the runways, so if there's a way to include them... [edit: but some runways number will not fit Aerolfy's]

    Thank you for taking care of it.

    Quote

    On the Mac, I intend to do:

    1. Creating a flight plan with Navigraph;
    2. Exporting it as a .pln file;
    3. Converting it as a .tmc file;
    4. Importing it using a magic script to a custom_missions_user.tmc;
    5. And, fly it ;).

    And, I will make do without constraints, and without STAR and without SID (they exist anyway as a suite of points, and by the way, I will avoid the autopilot fails to follow them).

    Files

    I fly therefore I am
    MacBook Pro | M3 Max 36 Gb RAM | Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition | Winwing URSA MINOR Airline Joystick
    X-Plane 12 | ToLiss A319 A320neo A321(-neo/LR/XLR) + KOSP Project | ToLiss A330neo + Mango Studios
    simHeaven | BetterPushback | X-ATC Chatter | X-RAAS2 | FlyWithLua
    iPad | SimBrief | Navigraph (latest AIRAC)| WebFMC | MetarTaf

    Edited 5 times, last by FrankLFRS (February 6, 2024 at 8:54 AM).

  • A complex one: Nantes > Geneva.

    The arrival:

    In green a waypoints of the STAR that turns around from INDIS to go back to INDIS to intercept the ILS.

    I didn't try it yet in Aerofly :/!

    Files

    I fly therefore I am
    MacBook Pro | M3 Max 36 Gb RAM | Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition | Winwing URSA MINOR Airline Joystick
    X-Plane 12 | ToLiss A319 A320neo A321(-neo/LR/XLR) + KOSP Project | ToLiss A330neo + Mango Studios
    simHeaven | BetterPushback | X-ATC Chatter | X-RAAS2 | FlyWithLua
    iPad | SimBrief | Navigraph (latest AIRAC)| WebFMC | MetarTaf

  • FrankLFRS Thank you for your input and testing. I fixed the bug where the flight plan would start you aircraft up in the air on importing pln flight plans. You are now starting on the ground. ;)

    I also improved the documentation - this helps to understand how to use the map to fix the start position of your plane by dragging it to the right spot. (This is actually a trick I used to modify my jet flight plans to fly through narrow valleys.)

    The runways get read by the Missionsgerät, but it does not yet create the waypoints necessary for Aerofly FS4, as they need to match names known to Aerofly FS 4 (at least the last time I checked). As the magnetic heading of runways has changed in the last few years, some runways are today named differently from the names used by Aerofly. But maybe I come up with another idea on how to fix this.

  • Dear Armitage

    Thank you for all the care.

    I will give up the idea of using Navigraph because it is not integrated to Aerofly. And especially because the .pln export file does not include the approach waypoints (under AIRAC 2401 the RNAV to Innsbruck can be flown to the runway, same with Aspen, etc. which is not possible today in Aerofly). And after all of all, the latest waypoints, those from the approach, are the most important and the most missing in Aerofly today.

    Aerofly deserves Navigraph as much as Navigraph deserves Aerofly

    Thank you, keep on improving Missionsgerät...

    I fly therefore I am
    MacBook Pro | M3 Max 36 Gb RAM | Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition | Winwing URSA MINOR Airline Joystick
    X-Plane 12 | ToLiss A319 A320neo A321(-neo/LR/XLR) + KOSP Project | ToLiss A330neo + Mango Studios
    simHeaven | BetterPushback | X-ATC Chatter | X-RAAS2 | FlyWithLua
    iPad | SimBrief | Navigraph (latest AIRAC)| WebFMC | MetarTaf

  • Armitage

    I think I killed EDDB with my tests with LFBO-EDDB.

    It's impossible to SID, STAR and APPR at EDDB.

    (custom_mission_user.tmc deleted)

    I fly therefore I am
    MacBook Pro | M3 Max 36 Gb RAM | Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition | Winwing URSA MINOR Airline Joystick
    X-Plane 12 | ToLiss A319 A320neo A321(-neo/LR/XLR) + KOSP Project | ToLiss A330neo + Mango Studios
    simHeaven | BetterPushback | X-ATC Chatter | X-RAAS2 | FlyWithLua
    iPad | SimBrief | Navigraph (latest AIRAC)| WebFMC | MetarTaf

  • Thank god you found out that the custom missions did not kill you navigation database. I was slightly concerned. ^^

    The best solution definitely would be if all current SID, STAR and other procedures would be right inside Aerofly. IPACS mentioned the prohibitive costs of this option, so let's start a fund raising. ^^

    Second best would be to load flight plans (pln, fms, tmc) via a small dialog directly from thr navigation screen in Aerofly. I remember that IPACS liked the idea, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

    Aerofly Wettergerät - Load live METAR weather data into Aerofly FS 2 and Aerofly FS 4

    Aerofly Missionsgerät - Convert flight plan files into an Aerofly FS 4 custom missions file

    Edited once, last by Armitage: Added links (February 7, 2024 at 8:29 AM).

  • Thank god you found out that the custom missions did not kill you navigation database. I was slightly concerned. ^^

    I was about to write it to you to make you comfortable.

    The best solution definitely would be if all current SID, STAR and other procedures would be right inside Aerofly. IPACS mentioned the prohibitive costs of this option, so let's start a fund raising. ^^

    It must be very expensive, for example, Navigraph is almost 11€ per month.

    Second best would be to load flight plans (pln, fms, tmc) via a small dialog directly from thr navigation screen in Aerofly. I remember that IPACS liked the idea, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

    I do agree at all. Because I am used to using http://onlineflightplanner.org/ with AIRAC1301, and I would be able to enter the route in one click.

    Thanks for all.

    I fly therefore I am
    MacBook Pro | M3 Max 36 Gb RAM | Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus Edition | Winwing URSA MINOR Airline Joystick
    X-Plane 12 | ToLiss A319 A320neo A321(-neo/LR/XLR) + KOSP Project | ToLiss A330neo + Mango Studios
    simHeaven | BetterPushback | X-ATC Chatter | X-RAAS2 | FlyWithLua
    iPad | SimBrief | Navigraph (latest AIRAC)| WebFMC | MetarTaf

  • Short info: I updated the map on the Missionsgerät, so it shows the current state of Aerofly FS4's airports. New feature: the colour of the airport shows the file size of the airport, which may be an indicator how many buildings and objects an airport has. ;)

    (I landed on some very lonely airports, bare of buildings and other aircraft, so now there is a way to anticipate the state of the airport you are going to land.)

  • The map of the Missionsgerät has been updated with the latest changes from Aerofly FS4. If you care for the statistics:

    Martijn22 I still have not found a way to decompile the airports to find quality metrics better than the file size. ;)

  • Jugac64 ...and thank you for your UDP map client. Quite interesting to hear how you build that, I shared your story with my development colleagues.

    The map data was compiled via the following steps:

    1. Got a directory listing from Aerofly's "airports" folder. In there are WAD files, with every filename being an airport ICAO code.
    2. I got myself an open-source airport database to get the geo coordinates for the airports.
    3. I converted this into a GeoJSON file containing all of Aerofly's airports with their coordinates.
    4. Finally I uploaded the GeoJSON file to MapBox and got the beautiful map.

    The map is open source right now, so everybody is free to use it. The GeoJSON file as well as the converter programm I did not publish (yet).

    Which part of the project above may be helpful to you? I am glad to help.

  • Hi Armitage , thank you very much! now I understand. Thanks for pointing me to the airport's folder and explained about the files with ICAO names/codes.

    I will try to do something with this and I will be following your projects, that are very interesting.

    I didn't know Mapbox before, it is great! I will try keeping working with Open Street Map and pure Python, but will do some research about Mapbox in the future.

    Thanks and best regards!

    Edit: I found an airport database: https://ourairports.com/data/ - great.