[Solved] Need Tutorial on How to code Arrival, Departure Procedural Leg Types

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Good afternoon all, please I would need assistance (or tutorial) on how to code ARINC 424 procedure Leg Type SIDs, STARS, Approaches (including missed approaches) for MFS.
I have been trying my hands on the SDK and on the samples…it is not easy :wink:

Thanks in advance.

Have a blessed day.

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It took me several days to find when and why it’s working. To be honest, it’s a pretty undocumented area. So where to start at best? The basics (my view)
You have airports and navigation data used by msfs which are coming from different sources. Airports are generated out of bing map data and asobo development work. Navigation/geo data are provided through icao based data sources like NAVIGRAPH. VORs NDBs waypoints approaches departures are structured in regions (like ‘ED’ for Germany or ‘LF’ France etc.) and used by msfs. If you use the tool little navmap, you can browse through this combination of data like msfs is using it (kind of).
The details:
Depending on these 3 situations there are diffences in dealing with

    • standard airports that are fully available
    • standard airports that are missing
    • user defined airports
      because the regions seem not to be usable in cases 1+2 if you would like to change things except adding an ILS. At least nothing worked for me
      In case 3. you need to start from scatch and I haven’t found anything to define a new VOR or NDB.
      What I found is that you can use an define, except from ils, departures, arrivals and approaches based on regions like that start with ‘X’ like ‘X1’. I have only worked on 2.(FSIA) + 3. (EDTH my virtual private airport close to EDDH).
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I suggest little navmap Alex Projects (albar965.github.io)
msfsbglxml - [(1) msfsbglxml - convert MSFS (2020) BGL files to XML | FSDeveloper]
(https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/msfsbglxml-convert-msfs-2020-bgl-files-to-xml.450677/)
Seychelle International Airport (FSIA) • Flight Simulator 2020

image
image1026×800 43.3 KB

You’ll also find a pdf here Writing Airport Approaches in Airport Design Editor | FSDeveloper

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@GuiHuy thanks for the information.
Using my free time to work on DNAS and learning along the way :relaxed:

Have a prosperous 2021

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Please be aware most crash to desktop will be happen if you are using a non existent waypoint.

So make sure you type the waypoint correctly and create them before using!

As discussed Nittle navmap is good for getting an idea about the procedures.

Most tricky thing is in my opinion to understand the TF/DF/… meaning and the usage of it.

Good is for first usage using a TF (track to fix) when using waypoints. Then later correcting them if you are understanding what is going on with these.
Track to fix means go from and initial fix to the next fix waypoint

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I found these two documents that explain all this stuff pretty accurate. The 1st one is from icao, the 2nd one from an avionic business company. I only have a ppl but to my navigational knowledge that’s all somebody needs to know about to be able to understand all navigation documents about SID, STAR, …

  1. 09 RNAV Procedure Design (icao.int)
  2. Untitled (uasc.com)
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@firedevil579 :blush: thank for the confirmation on CTD … I have experienced a couple previously.

… backtrack/PI :thinking:

@GuiHuy :innocent: thanks

Have a blessed week

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Hi, I have drawn up an RNAV approach with the directions found on FSDEVELOPER on an existing LIBR airport.
I tried to create a new RNAV named with suffix A.
I structured as follows the sentence in the xml, in the rbuilding it does not give me error, when I choose it from the MCDU, in the A320 FBW, it seems not accepted by the MCDU because it does not give me the ok to insert.
If on this sentence I remove the Missed Approach section and the Transition, that is the VIAS, it works. It is not clear to me if it is the wrong sentence in the xml or it is the missing MCDU of something.
Below is the sentence xml

RNAV
RNAV1784×773 405 KB

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There’s a lot of good information at www.fsdevelopers.com

here’s one example.

I had to design approaches for KASH as they were missing until the last rev. It took me a couple of weeks to learn from scratch, but I did eventually learn how to write them.

If you still have FSX loaded, I used the FSX version of Airport Design Editor in Approach mode to

  1. load my airport and export the xml of the approaches to study how they were written. I did the same for other airports, like KBOS which has a ton of different types of approaches for more examples.
  2. Given the approaches from 2006 are wayyyy different from those of today (no more ndb’s, rnav approaches are much different today, etc.), I had to write a new set of approaches and debugged them using ADE by both using Approach mode to create what I could, and then exporting the xml of the approaches I just wrote and handwriting what I couldn’t create in ADE and then importing it back in (the functionality is not 100% complete in ADE, so there’s some stuff you can’t use the editor to write, but it does read it and display it).

A bit laborious, but it really helped to see them graphically.

If you’re creating approaches for an airport in the US, you can download the latest CIFP, which is a text file of all the navigational and runway data in the US, which GPS companies use to keep their databases up to date. The language FS uses is basically that of the CIFP (ARINC 424).

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/digital_products/cifp/download/

The CIFP is a text file that seems like gobbelygook, but, it’s a fixed record length (so don’t use word wrap), there is a key out there for reading it. The easiest thing to do is search for your airport, and you’ll come across a bunch of records that start with the airport icao. Cut out that section down to the next airport definition and save that portion to make it easier to use. And then with a little study you’ll be able to figure out how to read it.

Here’s a few tutorials I used (jvile was an expert on the subject, unfortunately he passed away).

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@FlyingsCool5650 thanks for the info.

I am still learning (working) on DNAS when possible … work/studies permitting.

Have a blessed weekend

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There will be an Arinc 424 database for the world. In the US, we have free access, as noted above. I don’t know about anywhere else.

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After much delay, learning and fun …

Or this

More refinements or other airports soon

Have a blessed week

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Hey there, sorry if this is a stupid question, but where do I place the XML file with the data? And where would a find the xml files of a msfs stock airport? I would like to add a visual departure to LSGS and be able to choose it in the CRJ. Would this even be possible?

Gabriel

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Hello @gabster1501 , no problem … those are not stupid questions.

I don’t think this is available at the moment. Any edit and/or addition to the stock airports in MFS means creating the desired airport from scratch. Ideally, learning to use the MFS sdk appropriately.

this would be inserted in the appropriate tags within the xml file that would be generated from the MFS sdk or like applications.

This would be nice, and it is possible to do. You just need some time to learn the MFS sdk and enjoy yourself while at it… :wink:

Have a prosperous 2022 …

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Thanks! Just found that the CRJ has its Navdata in a txt file for every airport. So adding a custom SID was very easy that way for the FMC. Thought it might be the same with MSFS itself. I wonder how navigraph adds data to the sim, maybe I can hook into that process.

Best wishes
Gabriel

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Hello
Could you help me in order to create RNVA approch in XML. We have create a fictionnal airport. Do you have a layout of the XML ? I think a must comile the XML in BGL ? Where I put the BGL file ? Thank you

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Hello @EricSky42 check post #8 and #9 above for hints on the XML layout.

MFS sdk help would also assist with compilation. The community folder is where you copy/install all addons.

Have fun

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The Navigraph folks use the method I described above to take the Airinc 424 data and process it into FS data structures and then create a package of all updated airports and essentially replace the FS airport runway and navdata information.

I don’t know how they handle taxiways as I don’t own the product, they probably just don’t replace that information.