I’m using LittleNavMap for my flight plans, and I’ve recently run into a puzzling problem where MSFS wants to start me at a runway instead of at the chosen parking spot. It also adds a departure procedure which I also have not chosen.
I’ve used LNM for years and don’t remember ever having this issue. I’ve asked about this on the LNM forum, but the author has no idea, and I assume this isn’t a problem with his program, but something else which is causing it.
The only thing I can pinpoint this to, is the issue only happens at airports that have a departure procedure. If I choose a parking spot at a smaller field when I create the plan in LNM, then it starts me at the chosen parking with no issue. But a larger field always now wants to place me at a runway. This has nothing to do with addon scenery either, as it happens at stock MSFS fields.
Anyone have any idea why this has started happening? I have to think it’s an addon which is causing it, but with so many in my /Community folder it would be a Herculean task to figure out which one.
Thanks again, but this isn’t what is causing this issue. I’m not touching the planes or livery before loading a flight plan.
This is something which has happened recently, last week or so I’d guess. Before, I was able to load LNM flight plans and start at the chosen parking spots without a problem. But now, when loading the flight plan, MSFS is changing somehow and putting me at a runway start and also with a departure procedure which I also did not choose.
Does this happen with every plane? How are you getting your flight plan from LNM to MSFS? Do you choose your parking space in LNM or after you open MSFS? If you post a sample flight, I’ll try the same flight here.
II. Did you validate the route including cruise altitude by running the Flight Route Wizard (Wand with Red Asterisk Icon)?
III. Did you ensure you suppressed SIDs/STARs? (Load these in-cockpit separately).
The World Map Planner steps on LNM in a few ways:
LNM requires you to have a start position at the Origin Airport before it will allow a .PLN export.
Once imported into World Map Planner, the Origin start point appears to be a runway. However, if you zoom into the map, you will see a defined path from your selected start point in LNM to what the Planner believes is the Active runway. Note this is not 100 percent honored once you press Fly Now.
World Map Planner, not LNM, forces a SID and/or STAR.
Things I do to make sure I get the plan I made in LNM appears in the FMS once I’m in World Map Planner:
A. if you are going to make any adjustments to settings other than the flight plan - do those first -i.e., weather, time of day, traffic, MP.
B. Zoom into the map and select the same ramp spot you picked in LNM from the drop-down menu and override the runway. Clicking on the ramp spot and selecting Departure using the map overlay does NOT force this - only picking the ramp spot from the dropdown does.
C. Deal with SID/STAR last - and use the dropdowns to select “Direct” in each. Note the World Map Planner can play what I like to call “Route Roulette” in which suppressing those procedures can result in the route readout (directly underneath the Origin/Destination fields in the top bar) changing. Notably, the route depiction in the World Map Planner will change. Your current route appears in Blue, alternative routes appear in Ghosted Gray. Make sure the route readout atop is identical to the route readout in LNM - use the horizontal scroll to view the entire route.
D. I don’t trust World Map Planner to give me correct runways and I almost always fly in Live WX. That’s why I wait until I’m in-cockpit and confirm via ATIS wind direction and airport conditions including active runway. Then I amend the plan for any applicable SIDs depending on the type equipment I’m in. STARs I await until I’m closer to ToD. This also makes the gameplay very realistic.
It does happen with every plane. I thought to check if maybe it was an addon plane, but the stock MSFS planes happen with this as well. I choose the parking spot in LNM first, then export the flight plan it to a folder where I open it in MSFS.
This only happens with IFR. If I change the flight in LNM using the drop down to VFR, then everything’s ok (with the exception of it not being the flight type I need). What you talk about is the auto flight route calculation, and yes I use that for 99% of the flights. I don’t use the cruise alt check very often, as I understand the rules for altitude. I also never use SID/STAR as all my flights are GA. If for some reason I would need one, I would add it in cockpit with the G1000. Same as I do for approaches.
Again, this is something which is new. I’ve used LNM for years now and never had this issue. And it’s not a horrible one, I can of course solve it by choosing a parking spot manually in MSFS and removing the SID. But it’s annoying to have to do so and the SID’s are often added to my G1000 flight plan as well, which is unnecessary and causes me to have to scroll down to skip it.
I’m hesitant to report it as a bug, as I’m sure they’ll just blame it on LNM, which it’s not. Is there any other flight plan software which allows you to chose your parking beforehand? Maybe that’s my next step.