Removing last waypoint (FAF) as an option?

1st Official Post

    Now that the airplanes have made a huge step forward I would love to (roughly) add SIDs and STARs to my plans: downloading charts and then sort of copy them into the flightplan by simply clicking here and there on the Navigation map. It doesn't have to be perfect. I noticed while flying the Airbus a lot lately that I often ran into problems... or should I say: flew into mountains, if I didn't watch it. Now adding a SID (roughly) can be done but adding a STAR often is impossible due to that last fixed waypoint. Now I do love it that Aerofly FS 2 adds that FAF automatically to a flightplan because it makes quick flights quite easy to plan and fly and you know you will always end up right before the runway but well, as I said, now that the airplanes (like the Airbus) have made a huge leap forward I would LOVE it if I could roughly sort of copy a STAR into my plan and for that I simply need to get rid of that last waypoint...

    Now that waypoint is added automatically: would it be very hard to unlock that waypoint? So that even if it is there we could select it an move it...? Or delete it? Somewhere there must be a line of code that adds that waypoint: can't we somehow delete that line ourselves maybe...? ;)

    I have read that whenever ATC comes to Aerofly this may also bring SIDs and STARs to Aerofly but well... that will take a while, I presume, and if that last waypoint can be made optional somehow (doesn't sound too complicated but what do I know...) I would be very happy already. ;)

    EDIT

    Obviously if we CAN get this done somehow it would be real nice if we also had a way to save those flightplans (including SID and STAR) somehow... but that's probably asking too much. ;) The fact is, I don't even need a complete SID and STAR as long as I can copy the first part of the SID and the last part of the STAR, maybe even just one or two waypoints, so I can fly the Airbus without having to fear I might end up on the side of a mountain.

    I suggested the same exact thing when trying to fly into LOWI without flying through the rocks, (more than a month ago). I suggested IPACS simply add the ability for the users to move that automatically generated and fixed FAF. My suggestion fell on deaf ears, but, I see thst Jet-Pack gives yours a thumbs up. Duh.

    Regards,

    Ray

    Ha. Sounds a lot like a communications understanding.

    How do you spell semantics  

    If I delete a fix and add one to replace it, the net result is the same as if I moved it. IRL the IPACS last auto fix is not the same as the FAA approach in many instances.

    It is a problem for me when the FAF is a few hundred feet below the surface.

    Regards,

    Ray

    • Official Post
    Quote from Jetjockey10

    I suggested the same exact thing when trying to fly into LOWI without flying through the rocks, (more than a month ago). I suggested IPACS simply add the ability for the users to move that automatically generated and fixed FAF. My suggestion fell on deaf ears, but, I see thst Jet-Pack gives yours a thumbs up. Duh.

    Regards,

    Ray

    I gave it a thumbs up because I agreed, this is a valid point, this needs fixing/a redo.

    As I said in the past there isn't really a point in creating a smarter algorithm to avoid mountains (I agree manually moving or deleting the final approach fix should be allowed), if we redo the entire route planning anyway and use the real world approaches. Then there is no FAF inside of mountains anymore and life is good :) The way to go is adding the real world approaches and this will most likely happen during the ATC development as far as I know. So this will come automatically and we are working on ATC, so just be a little patient please, we know this is an issue and we we're working on it :)

    Quote from Jet-Pack

    So this will come automatically and we are working on ATC, so just be a little patient please, we know this is an issue and we we're working on it

    Thanks, but I knew this would come with ATC. ;) I was hoping there was a very simple solution to get rid of that FAF for the moment being... ;) I can imagine it's nothing more than one line of code that adds this point to the plan: shouldn't be too hard to get rid of that line... But ok, I will be a little patient please. ;)

    • Official Post

    It might be as simple as commenting out one line of code but it may also cause other issues that we can't foresee from the outside. I'm going to ask anyway, to be honest I also tried to move the FAF in the past and was a bit disappointed. Especially for Innsbruck this is really annoying, I just wanted a quick loop around but the FAF was messing everything up.

    Since I know the FAF is important for the vertical flight plan as well, how would you like that to be handled? How should the vertical profile look like if you just remove the last waypoint? Should it be identical in terms of profile over distance?

    Quote from Jet-Pack

    Since I know the FAF is important for the vertical flight plan as well, how would you like that to be handled? How should the vertical profile look like if you just remove the last waypoint? Should it be identical in terms of profile over distance?

    Good point. Profile over distance sounds good enough to me.

    And I do understand that simply removing one line of code (or anything) could cause havoc elsewhere... ;) If this can't be taken care of easily, then it's okay with me, but well, I simply asked because maybe there is some sort of simple solution. ;)

    BTW I already fooled around with the main.mcf, which stores the flightplan ;) but unfortunately that FAF isn't added to it as a 'hardcoded' waypoint: it clearly is being calculated on the fly somehow.