DP Tool Club 26/CD_ASCQ_26_1295.iso/vrac/navsim2.zip/MANUAL.TXT

Text File | 1995-10-22 | 30KB | 655 lines

NAVSIM 2-      the Windows Navigation Calculator for Flight
              Simulator pilots.

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This is the unregistered shareware version of Navsim2. The airspeed
and fuel consumption rates have been limited.

Registered users receive the full version with limits removed and with
provision for position entry by latitude and longitude. Send
15 pounds sterling to:

John Crabb
Pax
Bishopswood
Chard
Somerset
TA20 3SD
UK

e-mail  [e-mail]
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OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS


NAVSIM OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

Description

NAVSIM is a program written to allow flight simulator pilots to
conduct pre-flight dead-reckoning navigation calculations and to
produce a flight log form on which to chart the progress of the
flight. This enables you to fly compass headings in any wind conditions
in the same way as the majority of private pilots would do. Even if
you habitually use radio navigation aids, NAVSIM will enable you to
calculate headings to counteract wind drift. Add realism to your
simulator flights!

THIS CALCULATOR REALLY WORKS, YOU WILL GET ENORMOUS SATISFACTION FROM
USING IT TO PERFORM ALL THE USUAL DEAD RECKONING CALCULATIONS, SETTING
OFF IN ANY WINDS AND ULTIMATELY SEEING YOUR DESTINATION APPEAR IN THE
WINDSHIELD AT THE RIGHT TIME!

NAVSIM is suitable for simulators using the original SubLogic/
Microsoft system  of North and East coordinates. NAVSIM is a flight
simulation version of a program used by pilots of real aircraft
in flight planning. It runs under Microsoft Windows version 3.0
or later, and utilizes a wide range of convenient Windows
features. It is almost entirely mouse driven - the only typing
required is when entering descriptive details for printing on
the hard copy flight log form. NAVSIM offers the following
facilities:-

* convenient mouse driven entry of windspeed, wind
direction, true airspeed, fuel consumption rate and
magnetic variation

* convenient mouse driven entry of turning point coordinates for
up to twenty individual flight legs

* immediate, simultaneous calculation of distance, track,
magnetic heading, ground speed, time and fuel consumption for each leg

* automatic on-screen graphical plot of track lines; watch
your route build as you enter details

* compilation of complete on-screen summary of your route,
including total time, distance and fuel

* file-save facility to allow previous trips to be
recalled and updated for new in-flight conditions

* hard-copy printed output of completed flight log form
for use in the cockpit

* weight, volume, speed, temperature and distance
conversions

* calculation of true altitude, density altitude and true
airspeed


Program layout

NAVSIM presents four different work screens to the user. In
addition there is an introductory screen from which the initial
selection of a work screen is made. The screens are:-

     * introductory screen and initial function selection

     * route planning screen

     * route summary screen

     * conversions work screen

     * altitude and speed correction work screen

The user may easily move from one screen to another, without
altering their content, by selecting the appropriate item from
a menu bar.

Using NAVSIM - an overview

The normal sequence of events in planning for a forthcoming
flight would be as follows:-

1. Decide the route you will be taking on your simulated flight
and note down the North and East coordinates of your departure and
destination airfields, as well as those of any intermediate turning
points. Set the "simulator grid offset" - see explanation later.

* If you are flying between airfields or navaids in the Microsoft default
environment you can short cut this stage by selecting locations from
the drop down AIRFIELDS and VOR menus. *

2. Set the wind conditions in which you wish to fly.

3. Load NAVSIM on to your PC and run by double-clicking the
icon. Full details for installing and running NAVSIM are given
at the end of the manual.

4. Select the "NAVIGATION" function by clicking on the
appropriate button in the INTRODUCTORY screen. The ROUTE ENTRY
screen will appear. This screen will allow you, simply and
easily, to enter the coordinates of your departure, turning and
destination points. (Remember the AIRFIELD and VOR menus for use in
the default environment). You will also be able to set the wind speed
and direction (make sure you set TRUE direction wind in your simulator
as ground level winds are often specified in MAGNETIC),
 true airspeed, fuel consumption rate and magnetic
variation for each leg. The necessary magnetic heading to
achieve your desired track will be automatically calculated.
NAVSIM also automatically calculates ground speed, time and
fuel consumption for each leg.

As you enter the North and East coordinates, you will see your
routing vectors plotted on a graphical work pad. Hopefully, on
a round trip, you will have the satisfaction of seeing that
your final leg actually returns you to your point of departure!

5. From the navigation screen you may, if you wish, switch to
the SUMMARY  screen to see a tabulated summary of the details
for each leg. Total trip distance, time and fuel consumption
are also reported on this screen. If you wish to alter any of
the in-flight conditions, wind speed, true air speed etc. this
may be done and the details for all legs will be automatically
adjusted to reflect the new conditions. You may exclude any
number of legs from this updating if you wish to allow for the
possibility that conditions may differ from leg to leg.

6. When your route details have all been entered you would
normally select the PRINT function. You will be invited to add
descriptive details for each leg which will be reproduced on
the printed flight log form. This is the only typing involved
in NAVSIM. When satisfied, select PRINT and a hard copy of
your flight log sheet will be printed on your printer. This log
is the same as that used by pilots to monitor progress of the flight.
It enables ETAs to be calculated.

7. Before quitting NAVSIM, select the FILE function and save
the details of your route to disk. If planning to repeat the
trip at a future date, saving the file will allow you to recall
the details and re-calculate headings etc. for changed flight
and meteorological conditions. You may not, however, alter the
distances or track bearings of any leg of a recalled file.

8. If, at any point, you wish to check on weight, distance,
speed or temperature equivalences; to calculate true airspeed
from indicated air speed or to determine true or density
altitude, simply select the appropriate work screen.

NAVSIM screen by screen

The following detailed instructions will guide you through
NAVSIM screen by screen. In case you are not totally familiar
with the operation of Windows, we define here two terms used
throughout the following sections:

"clicking" means moving the mouse to place the on-screen cursor
over the desired object and then pressing and releasing the
left mouse button.

"double-clicking" is the same except that the button is pressed
and released twice in moderately rapid succession.

INTRODUCTORY SCREEN

This is the self-explanatory menu screen which presents on
first activating NAVSIM. The user is presented with the choice
of three options:-

1. NAVIGATION.
 Clicking once with the cursor arrow on this button will cause
the ROUTE ENTRY screen to be loaded. This would be the normal
entry to NAVSIM. Using this screen you can enter the route of
your proposed trip. You can also access the ROUTE SUMMARY
screen from the ROUTE ENTRY screen.

2. CONVERSIONS
Clicking the mouse once with the cursor arrow on this button
will load the CONVERSIONS work screen. This screen allows you
to perform a number of volume, weight, distance, speed and
temperature conversions.

3. ALTITUDES/ SPEEDS
Clicking on this button loads the ALTITUDES/ SPEEDS work
screen. This enables you to perform some of the less common
correction calculations such as calculating True Air Speed from
Indicated Air Speed (rectified).

ROUTE ENTRY SCREEN

The ROUTE ENTRY SCREEN may be immediately recognized by the
bright green graphical work pad occupying most of the left hand
side of the screen. On the green pad are two vertical sliders
to allow entry of coordinates. The coordinates required are those
listed in the flight simulator documentation to define airfield
position. In a block to the right of the graphical pad are
the in-flight condition selectors. At the bottom of the
screen, the selected North and East coordinate values and the
resulting track and distance values for the currently active
leg are presented, as are the results of the navigation
calculations.

As you enter details of your route, bright red track vectors
will automatically be drawn on the graphical pad so that you
may see the pattern of your trip building up. The green pad is
approximately 160 miles wide and 130 miles deep. The first
action you must take is to select a starting point for this
representation of your trip, bearing in mind the predominant
direction in which your route lies. Although it does not matter
if the red route vectors leave the confines of the green pad,
it is more satisfying if they do not! Therefore, if your trip
will carry you in a predominantly easterly direction, choose a
starting point towards the left hand side of the green pad, and
so on. Place the cursor arrow at this point and click the left
mouse button once. A small red circle will be drawn at this
point, it represents your airfield of departure. If you do not
click somewhere on the green pad and cause a small red circle
to appear before setting coordinates, a message will pop
up to remind you.

There is no typing involved in entering values on this screen.
All details are entered using Windows "sliders". You may not
have come across these before but their operation is completely
straightforward. Each slider control has a small square sliding
knob or button. To obtain a particular value of windspeed, for
example, place the cursor arrow over the sliding knob, click
the left mouse button and hold it down, move the cursor and the
knob will slide with it. At the same time the changing
numerical value of, in this instance, windspeed will be shown
in the adjacent box. When you have achieved approximately the
value required release the mouse button. Small adjustments to
the value may be made by repeatedly clicking on the small
arrows which are located at the ends of each slider control. If you
hold down these arrow buttons, the values will change continuously.

So, after placing your starting circle on the green pad, the
next most sensible thing to do is select the appropriate flight
conditions. Using the sliders in the manner just described,
display the values of wind speed, wind direction,
------------------------------------------------------------------
(NB! remember that Navsim deals in TRUE wind directions,
make sure this is what you set in your simulator environment options)
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true airspeed, fuel consumption rate and magnetic variation
appropriate to the first leg of your trip. Normally, these
values will apply to the whole trip. If you wish to change them
for a particular leg, however, you may do so, but you should
not do so before you have read the description of how this is
achieved in the next section. If you have entered details for a
number of legs and then wish to alter flight conditions, you
may do so, but you will find the operation of the sliders
noticeably more sluggish as the computer struggles to perform a
large number of calculations. Do not worry, everything happens
eventually.

Next, return to the green pad and enter the listed North and East
coordinates of your departure airfield. Minor adjustments may be
made using the slider control arrows as described previously.
When these coordinates are displayed correctly in the two white
boxes below the green pad, click on the "next leg" button.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: The North/East grid used by the simulator is, in
general NOT aligned with true North. The angle by which the grid
has been rotated is stated on the navigation chart or airfield
coordinate list provided with your simulator or scenery disc. It is
VITAL that you enter this value using the SIMULATOR GRID OFFSET
slider. Otherwise the calculated magnetic headings will be out by the
same amount! Sometimes the grid is aligned and the offset is then 0.
(The AIRFIELDS and VOR menus take care of this for you in the default
environment.)

You will also have to discover the value of MAGNETIC VARIATION
assumed. In the later charts this is also usually marked. Otherwise
it should be available from an atlas, local map or some other such source.
Magnetic variation is the angular difference between true and magnetic
North. It varies from place to place and gradually with time. The
authors of your flight simulator will have used a typical value which,
obviously will not change with time. You just need to know what it
is or your headings will be wrong by the same angle.(The AIRFIELDS and
VOR menus take care of this for you in the default environment.)

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Then set the coordinates for your first turning point. As you do
you will see a red track vector swing round to reflect the
changes you are making. As you effect changes in either direction
or track, the values of magnetic heading, ground speed, time
and fuel consumption will be automatically calculated by the
program and displayed in the four light blue boxes at the very
bottom of the screen. Distance and track are reported in the small
green boxes.

When you are satisfied that you have entered the details of the
first turning point, again move the cursor over the NEXT LEG button,
located at the bottom of the green pad, and click once with the left mouse
button. A further small red circle will be drawn to terminate
this leg.

The next coordinate values which you scroll in will determine
details of the second leg of the trip, and so on. In this way
you will enter details of the whole trip, clicking on the NEXT
LEG  button between legs. Remember to terminate the final leg
by pressing the NEXT LEG button for one last time. A maximum of twenty
individual legs is allowed. Note that you may either regard a "leg"
as being the portion of the trip between turning points or, the portion
between waypoints on the same track. The calculated values
displayed in the boxes at the bottom of the screen refer only
to the latest leg being processed. The values calculated for
the previous legs are being stored by the program and may be
reviewed by displaying the SUMMARY screen as described in the
next section.

ROUTE SUMMARY SCREEN

The route summary screen is entered by placing the cursor arrow
on the word SUMMARY in the white menu bar, visible along the
top edge of the screen, and clicking once on the left mouse
button. The green graphical pad is replaced by a tabulated
summary of the route details so far entered. All the other
controls and data boxes that you used on the ROUTE ENTRY screen
remain visible. This screen may be entered at any time.

The table is largely self explanatory. The details of the last
eight legs of your trip only will be displayed on first
switching to this screen. The details  of earlier legs (if any)
will have been displaced leftwards off the screen. To view
these legs, click on the small control marked with a double
arrow at the bottom right hand corner of the summary table.
Earlier legs will shuffle into view as you repeatedly click on
this button. Likewise, if you wish to see the details of legs
which may lie to the right of the screen, click on the control
marked with left-pointing arrows.

Below each column of data boxes is a small square box with a
cross. The presence of the cross indicates that the calculated
heading and ground speed values etc. for that leg will be
updated to reflect any changes you may make to the flight
conditions with the scroll bars to the right of the screen. If,
for any reason, you wish to exclude a leg from being adjusted
in this way you may do so by:-

1. Using the left and right arrows to ensure the leg in
question is displayed.

2. Click the cursor on the small box with the cross
beneath that leg. The cross will disappear indicating
that this leg will be excluded from updating. Clicking
again on the box causes the cross to re-appear and will allow
updating to any future changes.

This mechanism is useful if you wish to enter different flight
conditions for separate legs. In this case, extinguish the
crosses for all legs except the one (or ones) you wish to
change, then move the control sliders to the appropriate
conditions.

If you wish to return to the previous screen to add further
legs, click the cursor on the word ROUTE in the white menu bar
at the top of the screen.

Printing the flight log
When you are satisfied that your trip details are complete, you
may choose to produce a printed flight log form. You must
obviously have a printer attached to your computer, and Windows
must have been set up to deal correctly with this printer.
Assuming that this has all been taken care of, simply click the
cursor on the word PRINT in the white menu bar at the top of
the screen. You will be offered two further options in a drop-
down menu box.

Normally you will click on ADD DETAILS to enable you to type in
descriptions of your starting and finishing points for each
leg, and the MSA and altitude at which you intend to fly. If
you have recalled a file for alterations to flight conditions,
this step will not be necessary, nor possible. Clicking on the
ADD DETAILS option causes a further form to be displayed .

When first displayed, the cursor will be flashing in the box
marked PILOT, simply type the name of the pilot in this box and
press the "enter" button on your keyboard. The cursor will move
to the DATE box, and so on. In the OBSERVATIONS box you may
type anything in the form of notes, reminders or trip details
which you would wish to see appear at the top of the flight log
form. The FILE box allows you the opportunity of noting the
file name under which you may wish to store your trip details.
These first four boxes are the only ones which may be amended
if you are dealing with a recalled file.

Once you have entered the file name, the cursor will move to
the FROM box. You will want to enter the name of your airfield
of departure, followed as always by pressing the "enter" key.
In the TO box, enter the name of the turning point at the end
of the first leg, or the name of the first waypoint depending
on how you have divided up your log. Then proceed to enter the
MSA and planned altitudes for that leg. The cursor will then
return to the FROM box for you to enter the name of the start
of the second leg; as this will normally be the same as the
name you entered as the end of the first leg this is displayed
for you and you need only press the "enter" key if this is
correct. You may change the name in this box by deleting the
displayed text with the "delete" key and enter the desired
name. The program will automatically prompt you for similar
entries for all the legs of your trip. You will automatically
be returned to the main screen once this process is complete.
Should you tire of it at any point, simply click on the return
button at the bottom right of the screen.

Assuming that you now wish to print your completed flight log,
select PRINT again from the menu bar and this time click on
PRINT when the drop-down menu is displayed. First make sure
that your printer is switched on, selected on-line and loaded
with paper. Printing should start almost immediately. If a
problem occurs at this stage, it is almost certainly because
the Windows operating system has not been correctly set up for
your printer. If the Windows Print Manager icon is visible on
the screen, double-click on this and sort the problem out
before continuing. If you cannot see the Print Manager icon,
save the route you have been working on and quit NAVSIM. If
your computer successfully prints from other Windows applications
programs you should have no trouble with NAVSIM.

Saving your route
To save your route, click on the word FILE in the white menu
bar, and then click on the word SAVE in the drop-down menu
which will appear. A file dialogue box will be displayed. At
this point you will need to enter the name of the file under
which you wish to save your trip details.

Type the name, in the upper text box. The file name you choose
must not be greater than eight characters long and may not
start with a numeral. It must end with the extension .pln.
Examples of valid file names would be:-

CARDIFF.PLN,  ROUNDTRP.PLN,  TRIP2.PLN  etc.

When satisfied with the name, press the "ENTER" key on the
keyboard. The route details will be saved under the chosen file
name in the same directory in which NAVSIM  resides. Normally
you need not bother about this, although you may select a
different drive or directory to store your files by using the
drive and directory lists on the right hand side of the
dialogue box.

Alternatively, if you wish to re-save a previously recalled
file under its original name you may double-click on this file
name which should be displayed in the list of files in the
larger of the two left hand boxes. File handling in NAVSIM is
identical to that used in other Windows applications.

Recalling saved files
To recall a previously saved file, select FILE from the menu .
This time when the drop-down menu appears, click on the word
OPEN. Find the file name of the appropriate file in the list
and double click on it. The previous route details will be
loaded into NAVSIM.

Note that only files with the extension .PLN will be displayed,
this is why it is so important always to add this extension to
the names of files which you save. If you don't, you may not be
able to find them again.

Modifying recalled files
There is only one thing which you can legitimately do with
recalled files, and that is to enter new values of windspeed,
wind direction, true airspeed, fuel consumption rate or
magnetic variation. This would be useful, for example, if you
wished to re-fly a previous trip on a different day.

It may also be convenient to prepare the flight plan for the
next day's trip the previous evening, even though wind
conditions may not be known. This may then be saved and
recalled the next morning to allow the latest winds to be
entered before printing the flight log.

To enter the new in-flight conditions, simply adjust the
appropriate slider on the right hand side of the SUMMARY
SCREEN. You will see the tabulated values of heading, ground
speed etc. change in sympathy. By default, all legs will be
recalculated but, as stated before, any particular leg of the
trip may be excluded from this updating by clicking to
extinguish the cross in the small box below the leg details. If
the leg is not visible, use the "shuffle right" or "shuffle
left" buttons to bring it into view.

As noted, the sliders may seem a little sluggish if your trip
has many legs.

Other items in the menu bar
Most of these have already been mentioned. In addition,
"SELECT" returns you to the initial INTRODUCTORY menu screen
and "QUIT" terminates the program without saving files. Note
that you may return to the INTRODUCTORY screen, and from there
to any of the other work screens with impunity at any time.

CONVERSIONS WORKSCREEN

In complete harmony with its name, this is the screen which
enables you to perform standard weight, volume, etc.
conversions.

Operation is simplicity itself. Simply adjust the slider in the
chosen section until the number against the quantity you wish
to convert is correct, the other boxes in the section give the
equivalent quantity in other units. So, for example, to convert
3240 feet to metres, move the slider until the number 3240
appears in the "feet" box. You may then read off  987.8 in the
metres box and, should you want it, 1080 in the yards box.

There is only one exception to this mode of operation and it
involves the control marked "AVGAS". If you wish to calculate
the weight of a given volume of avgas (SG=0.72), adjust the
volume slider to give the required volume figure, e.g. 40 US
gallons, then click the "AVGAS" button. The numbers which then
appear in the adjacent weight boxes are the equivalent weight
of that volume of avgas.

ALTITUDES/SPEEDS WORKSCREEN

This is perhaps the screen you will use the least. Many of the
functions included here, whilst they are found on standard
manual flight computers, are not usually of great significance
to most VFR pilots flying at modest speeds and altitudes. They
are, however,  included to complete the emulation of the
standard flight computer.

The upper group of controls allows you to set, PRESSURE
ALTITUDE, INDICATED ALTITUDE, QNH or QFE and TEMPERATURE. With
these quantities correctly set, the two lower left hand boxes
will report values of TRUE ALTITUDE and DENSITY ALTITUDE. The
lower right hand control allows you to set INDICATED AIRSPEED
and to obtain TRUE AIRSPEED in the box below.

The controls work like this. In order to calculate density
altitude, true altitude and true airspeed, the computer must be
given information on PRESSURE ALTITUDE and TEMPERATURE.
Temperature  is easiest, just move the slider to give the
appropriate temperature at the pressure altitude you are about
to enter.

To enter PRESSURE ALTITUDE, you would normally simply use the
slider provided - this is the way to do it if you know the
pressure altitude. Alternatively you may enter INDICATED
ALTITUDE and QNH or QFE, whichever datum is in use. The
equivalent value of PRESSURE ALTITUDE will be calculated and
displayed. The practical use of this procedure is to determine
pressure altitude when it is not known directly.

For example, if you wish to determine DENSITY ALTITUDE to help
assess take-off run, you could enter the known elevation of
your airfield in the INDICATED ALTITUDE box and the known QNH
in the QNH box; pressure altitude will be calculated for you.
Set the air temperature and the equivalent value of DENSITY
ALTITUDE will be displayed. Alternatively, set the INDICATED
ALTITUDE to 0, which would be the indicated altitude if your
aircraft were on the runway with QFE set, and enter the value
of QFE in the QNH/QFE box and you will get the same value of
pressure altitude.All pressures are in millibars.

It is obvious from the foregoing that the controls in the upper
panel are linked. The rules for their operation are:

1. Set pressure altitude directly if you know it.

2. If pressure altitude is not known, set indicated altitude
and qnh or qfe as just described.

Once set:

3. Changing qnh alone will cause a new pressure altitude to be
calculated, consistent with the value of indicated altitude
which remains unchanged.

4 Changing indicated altitude alone will cause a new pressure
altitude consistent with the value of qnh, which remains
unchanged.

5 Changing pressure altitude will cause qnh to change
consistent with the value of indicated altitude which remains
unchanged.

At all times NAVSIM displays consistent values of PRESSURE
ALTITUDE, INDICATED ALTITUDE  and QNH/QFE. Note that altitudes
may vary by up to ten feet.

INSTALLING NAVSIM
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To run NAVSIM you must have an IBM or compatible personal
computer with at least one megabyte of memory and a 286
processor (or better). Microsoft Windows version 3.0 or later
must be installed and running. You will not be able to control
NAVSIM without a mouse.

Navsim should be installed on your hard disk.

1. Place the NAVSIM floppy disk in drive A.

2. Locate and activate the Windows "MAIN" control window by
double-clicking on its icon on the screen. This step will not
be necessary if the MAIN control window is already open.

3. Double-click on the "FILE MANAGER" icon (a small filing
cabinet) in the MAIN control window.

4. When the FILE MANAGER is active, you will see a symbol in
the upper control bar for each of the disk drives installed on
your machine. Click on the drive symbol for drive A. A list of
the contents of the distribution disk in drive A will be
presented down the right hand side of the screen.

5. Double click on the list entry SETUP.EXE (nb NOT
SETUP1.EXE). This will load and run the installation program
which will keep you informed of its own progress. When
complete, a small aircraft icon with the label NAVSIM will
be visible on your screen. To run NAVSIM, double-click on this
icon.

6. On subsequent occasions when you switch on your computer,
the NAVIGATION COMPUTER icon will be visible and, as with any
other Windows application, you only need to double click on the
icon to run the program.
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Whilst every care has been taken in writing and checking the
functioning of NAVSIM, the author accepts no responsibility
for any consequences arising from its use. No warranty, specific
or implied, is given.

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