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XX XX XXXXX XX XX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXX XXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XX XX XXXXXX XXXXXX XX XX XX XXX XX XX XXXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXX XX XX XXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX X XX XX XX XXXXX XXXXX XX XX XX XXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX X XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXX XX XX XXXXX XX XX XXXXX XX XX XX XX XXXXX XX XXX XXX XX XX XXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXXXXXX XX XX XXXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX X XX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XX XX XXXXXXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XXXXX XX XX XXXXXXX NAVPROGseven Aircraft Navigation & Flight Planning for the IBM Personal Computer, and most IBM PC compatibles. ===================================== Version F.03.06 PC-DOS Version F.03.06, IBM PC and compatibles (c) Copyright 1986, 1988 Alan Bose & Bruce Carson TABLE OF CONTENTS ================= Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 User-Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Registration and New Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Disc Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Start Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Airport/Navaid Data Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Update Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Aircraft Data Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Navigation -- Preparing a flight. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Automatic Route Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Pre-Planned Routes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Data File Listings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Database Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Program Specs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Program Revision History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 NAVPROGseven / Contents Page 2 An Introduction to NAVPROGseven Aircraft Navigation & Flight Planning ===================================== Alan Bose Past-President, Taildragger Flyers, Inc. Asst SysOp, Aviation Special Interest Group (AVSIG) on the CompuServe Information Service NAVPROGseven is a series of ten programs designed to prepare a flight log that is ready for use in the cockpit. NAVPROGseven stores data about each aircraft you fly and each checkpoint you fly over, and saves that information for subsequent flights. The features and functions of NAVPROGseven include: 1). Easy input & revision of the airport/navaid data base. 2). Two RNAV functions to provide latitude and longitude of a location based on fixes taken from known points. 3). Aircraft performance data stored for each of the planes you fly. 4). Easy access and display of checkpoint information as you plan your route of flight. Automatic flight planning selects navaids closest to your great circle route and plots several alternate routings. Often flown routes can be stored for later use. 5). Great circle navigation between checkpoints using aircraft performance data, and printout of a ready-to- use flight log. 6). Climb/descent profiles based on aircraft performance data. 7). Multiple sort criteria to organize airport/navaid data into easy-to-use printout. 8). A full database of VORs covering the conterminous United States. The NAVPROGseven program uses the latitude and longitude of your checkpoints to calculate the heading required for a great circle (the shortest distance between two points around a sphere). The printed flight log tells you the field elevation at your departure and destination points, navaid frequencies en- route, distances for each leg and total remaining, true and magnetic course, magnetic heading corrected for wind and magnetic variation, groundspeed corrected for climb and/or cruise & wind, ETE & ETA for each leg, fuel usage based on cruise or climb during the leg with startup/taxi/takeoff fuel accounted for, fuel remaining, and a warning if reserves will be less than VFR or IFR minimums. NAVPROGseven / Introduction Page 3 In addition a synopsis of the flight tells you fuel used, reserves in gallons and time, fuel/time/distance used to climb, and how far from your destination you should begin your descent and how fast your descent should be to maintain a gentle 2 degree descent gradient based on the groundspeed of your last leg. The descent profile assumes that you will be holding cruise airspeed during descent. The printed flight log has distance and true course of each leg conveniently arranged for easy entry into your aircraft navigation computer, if used. Or it provides a very useful flight log as you cross-check with your E6B in flight. You should note that NAVPROGseven is designed for the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere over distances normally associated with light aircraft. For European pilots, most functions have been designed to operate east and west of the Prime Meridian. The seed that started this series of programs was NAVPROG version 14.4 by Leland Young and his article on great circle navigation in the February 1980 issue of Microcomputing Magazine. Additional source material includes "Dutton's Navigation & Pilot- ing" (U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis) and the "VFR Encyclopedia of Mathematics" (Spherical trigonometry, Gellert/Kustner/Hell- wich/Kastner). NAVPROGseven was initially written & tested over a span of eighteen months and was introduced in early 1982 on the Heathkit H-89 computer using the HDOS operating system. In mid-1982 it was converted to CP/M by Glen Hassebrock. Both versions have been in use by hundreds of pilots who purchased the original programs through the Heath Users' Group. I am indebted to the many pilots who have offered their comments, suggestions and ideas over the years. Though technically a great circle route would involve con- stantly changing your heading during each leg, NAVPROGseven gives you a single heading for each leg that closely approximates a great circle -- just as a single heading taken 'mid-leg' from your Sectional or WAC chart will also approximate a great circle. (Your ruler's straight, it's the chart that's curved). Needless to say, it is vitally important that you always double and triple check your input. And although the system makes planning a cross-country flight quicker and easier, you should always question and verify your output. And it is nothing more than good navigating practice to cross-check your position at frequent intervals during the flight -- don't go charging off blindly, always question. NAVPROGseven / Introduction Page 4 The fate of the Air New Zealand 747 guided unerringly to- wards an Antarctic mountain bears a sober reminder that the most technologically advanced airplanes in the world are still subject to human error, whim and fancy. There is no replacement for common sense, no matter what 'the computer' says. Of course, it is recommended that you 'test fly' the program before you put it to actual use. Although it works well for the planes I fly, you should make sure that the output you get is within reason for your aircraft. Needless to say, there are many variables to a flight that this program simply does not, and cannot, take into account. Your comments, suggestions and ideas are always welcome. If you want to use electronic mail, I can usually be found nightly on AVSIG (the Aviation Special Interest Group) on CompuServe. I'm an Assistant SysOp (System Operator) on AVSIG; in other words I help run the board. While there are certainly other online services, such as the Source, Delphi, GEnie and others, I must admit that I am partial to CompuServe. CompuServe is the nation's largest public access network and offers a wide variety of services specially designed for pilots. And with so many pilots around, AVSIG has become on of CompuServe's Top 50 forums -- bringing together literaly thousands of online aviators -- commercial pilots, private pi- lots, students, military, corporate, night freight, balloonists, controllers, designers, engineers and journalists from around the country and around the glode. Add to that direct access to online weather from the NWS, radar and weather maps, direct flight-plan filing, and the many other avaition services, it is all quite worthwhile. Just type GO AVSIG and stop by and say hello. And thank you for using NAVPROGseven. Alan Bose CompuServe ID: 76703,3044 NAVPROGseven / Introduction Page 5 ***************************************************************** USER SUPPORTED SOFTWARE ***************************************************************** The author of a user-supported program freely distributes his work, and requests that users who find the program useful and of lasting value, send a suggested contribution (NAVPROGseven: $45). Unlike conventional software, the user is able to evaluate the software fully BEFORE spending any money. In return the author may send contributing users additional material such as printed documentation, source code and most importantly, notification of patches, bugs and upgrades. The system depends on the active participation of the user community, for without a flow of con- tributions for deserving programs, authors will soon abandon this worthwhile method of distribution. WARNING! These programs are subject to unlimited copying and distribution, and may eventually be obtained from a variety of private bulletin boards, shareware distributors, and other uncontrolled sources. The source code is readily available, and the aircraft & navaid data contained herein is readily alterable. The prospective user is hereby put on notice that the programs may contain or develop faults the consequences of which the author(s) cannot be held responsi- ble. The prospective user is, by virtue of obtaining and using these programs, assuming full risk for any and all consequences. NAVAID DATABASES can be found on many public bulletin boards, entered by your fellow NAVPROGseven pilots and uploaded for the common good. Such is the nature of 'shareware'. Many of you have sent me, unsolicited, your personal databases from many parts of the country. Other databases have been uploaded to the CompuServe data libraries. Some of the results of this sharing of navaid data have been gathered here for your convenience. However, for obvious reasons, this navaid & aircraft data is PROVIDED WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY WHATSOEVER. The DOS version of these programs were developed and tested on version 2.01 of the Microsoft MS-DOS operating system (HP BIOS A.01.02) and Microsoft Basic version 5.28, as distributed by Hewlett-Packard. The IBM version of NAVPROGseven (F.03.06) is currently operating on PC-DOS 3.30 and IBM PC Basic A3.30 as distributed by IBM. The author cannot predict that the programs will perform on future versions of DOS, Basic, or various supposedly compatible computers. However, if a version dependent problem surfaces, the author may make available to contributing users any fixes and upgrades. Individual attention to version or machine-dependent problems of this nature are not always possible and is left to the sole discretion of the author. NAVPROGseven / Introduction Page 6 ***************************************************************** NAVPROGseven is a copyrighted program, and is intended for your private, non-commercial use only. USER ALTERATIONS AND MODIFICA- TIONS MAY NOT BE RE-DISTRIBUTED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR. This includes conversions of the programs to operate on other computer brands. ***************************************************************** If you find this program a useful and valuable addition to your software library, the suggested contribution is $45 (US), sent to: Alan Bose NAVPROGseven 415 Bristol Lane Schaumburg, Illinois 60194 Contributing users will receive automatic notification of future updates. You will also receive a copy of the NAVPROGseven Special Edition User's Manual. If you'ld also like the source code, just ask -- and send along a second disc to hold it. You MUST include: o a blank, formatted DISC (3.5" or 5.25"), o a second disc for source code (if desired), o a suitable SELF-ADDRESSED MAILER, o appropriate RETURN POSTAGE, o please mention the version number on the first menu screen and where you acquired your first copy such that we can try to assure that only the latest versions are in circulation. o you might also mention the make & model of your computer(s). Fresh copies of the current distribution software may be obtained at no cost by sending: o a blank, formatted DISC (3.5" or 5.25"), o a suitable SELF-ADDRESSED MAILER, o appropriate RETURN POSTAGE, All out of discs? Haven't got a mailer? We'll supply both if you'ld kindly add $10 to cover the cost of the materials, shipping and handling. The most recent release of the distribution software is also available for downloading from CompuServe in the Aviation Special Interest Group (type GO AVSIG). While the layout of the AVSIG forum may change from time to time, just look for the Aviation Computer Program data library (currently LIB 13), and the file NAVIBM.ARC. If you need help downloading and/or un-packing the compressed file, just leave a note to SYSOP or 76703,3044. I am there nightly. MONEY BACK GUARANTEE: Even as a contributing user, if at any time you feel that NAVPROGseven hasn't met your expectations, your money will be cheerfully refunded! NAVPROGseven / Introduction Page 7 INSTALLATION ============ NAVPROGseven is designed to operate on a dual-drive system with 256K of memory using PC-DOS and BASICA. Format a PC-DOS disk and install on it a copy of BASICA. This will be your program disk. You may also make this disk capable of cold booting by including the operating system when you format the disc. Place the distribution disc on drive A: and your blank program disc on the B: drive. At the DOS A:> prompt type LOAD- PROG to copy the required program files to your working program disc. Format a second disk for data. When done, get to the DOS A:> prompt. Place the distribution disc on drive A: and your blank data disc on the B: drive. Type LOADDATA to copy the required data files to your working data disc. SINGLE DRIVE & HARD DISK OPERATION You may include both programs and data files on a single disc, especially with either Double-Sided, Double-Density drives, or a Winchester drive. Optionally, you may wish to format a second disk for data alone. The batch file, HARDDISC.BAT is provided to facilitate copying the program and data files. Again, all files may reside on a single disc if you so choose and have adequate disc space. HARDDISC.BAT will create a subdirectory \NAVPROG on your C: drive and copy all files from the A: drive. The IBM PC version of NAVPROGseven is set by default to look for the program files on drive A:, and for the data files on drive B:. An optional file NAVDISCS.DAT alters this flow by looking for all program and data files on the C: drive. If you wish to locate your programs and data on other drives, edit NAVDISCS.DAT as required -- the first line refers to the PROGRAM FILE drive, the second line refers to the DATA FILE drive. See below for a list of which files are required on each drive or location. To be operational, NAVDISCS.DAT must reside on the default drive as you run NAVPROG from the DOS prompt, otherwise the program will resort to looking to drives A: and B: for programs & data respectively. NAVPROGseven / Installation Page 8 When you have completed the installation your 'working discs' should contain the files shown below: PROGRAM DISK (for use on drive A:, or as specified in line 1 of file NAVDISCS.DAT) (CONFIG .SYS) operating system optional BASICA .COM your BASICA interpreter NAVDISCS.DAT Optional program & data drive specs Required for hard drive use. DISKAID .DAT disc identification file NAVCOLOR.DAT Optional for color monitors Delete for monochrome monitors. NAVPROG .BAT PC-DOS batch file NAVPROG .DOC general documentation (this file) NAVMENU .BAS the main menu program AIRINPUT.BAS input/revise airport & navaid data AIRCRAFT.BAS input/revise aircraft data AIRROUTE.BAS manual route preparation OLDROUTE.BAS retrieve a stored flight routing NAVPROG7.BAS navigation & flight log AUTONAV .BAS automatic route selection RNAVREF .BAS navaid bearing cross checks AIRALPHA.BAS prints database NAVMAINT.COM database maintenance DATA DISK (for use on drive B:, or as specified in line 2 of file NAVDISCS.DAT) DISKBID .DAT disc identification file LOADDATA.BAT batch file to initialize data disc N9815L . sample aircraft data -- DELete manually N81259 . or using program after you experiment AIRINDEX.RND { over 1,000 checkpoints in database, AIRPORTS.RND { can be revised from the program, { or DELete these two & start over. ROUTINGS.DAT sample index of routes on file. Update using program only. BEHLUK .GSH sample routes on file. X06C1H2 .JOT Update using program only. RUNNING NAVPROGseven ==================== Place your program disc on the A: drive and your data disc on the B: drive (if not using a NAVDISCS.DAT file), or on the drives specified in the NAVDISCS.DAT file (see above). When NAVPROGseven starts running it will check that the proper discs are accessible on the proper drives. If not the program will stop and request them before continuing. You may run NAVPROGseven at the DOS prompt by simply typing the word 'NAVPROG' followed by a carriage return. NAVPROGseven / Installation Page 9 INPUT/REVISE AIRPORT & NAVAID DATA ================================== Note that the carriage return is not required for any 'one- key responses' such as <Y>es, <N>o, <E>ast, <W>est or when se- lecting numbers from the menu. All facilities are identified by their FAA identifier, or if one is not assigned, feel free to make one up. Identifiers are usually 3 letters for navaids, 3 or 4 characters for airports, 2 letters for ILS compass locators, and a name or pseudo-word (usually 5 letters) for airway intersections and reporting points. NAVPROGseven uses up to 5 characters for checkpoint identifiers. You don't have to worry about duplicating identifiers be- cause NAVPROGseven accepts them as normal. For example, DPA is the identifier for DuPage County Airport, near Chicago, but DPA is also the identifier for DuPage Vortac located 4.3 nm to the west. Since the vortac is not at the airport I made separate entries for each. When asked for DPA the computer will find both and ask which one you want, the airport or the navaid. (See notes on co-location below). During new data input the computer will ask for the following: FACILITY CODE: What one would expect to find there. You can make up your own but 'V' and 'N' (VORs & NDBs) have special significance since you'll be asked to enter the frequency in the next step. Notes about facility code: Plotting a great-circle route over short distances than a nautical mile or so) can exceed the limits of the trigono- metric functions available under Basic. I've talked with the writers of other nav programs for other micros, and they've run into the same problem. When you're working on a global or continental scale, 1 or 2 miles from checkpoint to checkpoint is very small indeed. NAVPROGseven has a provision that seems to handle this dilemma quite nicely. You'll notice that the Facility Code field has space to enter 2 codes, not just one -- what the FAA refers to as 'co-located' facilities. In my database I have used 'AV' to indicate a VOR located at or near an airport, or 'AN' for an airport & NDB, etc. If the navaid is within 3 or 4 miles of the airport, I still consider them co-located, and enter the latitude and longi- tude of the NAVAID. At that distance the airport should be in sight when flying VFR. On an IFR flight, approach plates would be in NAVPROGseven / Airport & Navaid Data Page 10 use for this final approach phase. In either case, you wouldn't be looking at your flight log. FREQUENCY: If you entered a 'V' or 'N' above, you will then be asked the frequency of the navaid -- otherwise this step is skipped. If the facility is not a navaid but you want to have a communica- tions frequency listed, you can enter it later using the update mode, though I find it less confusing to know that all frequen- cies shown on the printout are NAV frequencies rather than mixing NAV & COM. NAME: Whatever you would like to call the checkpoint, navaid or airport. Be sure, however to include the state or province since the sorting program will separate that out of the name to organ- ize all of your data into a nice, neat printout by state. The state must be preceded by a comma, or a comma and a space, such as ', MI' for Michigan or ',IL' for Illinois. I've chosen to use the postal code abbreviations because they're short, but AR is Arkansas, not Arizona which is AZ; and I don't know if I'll ever keep Michigan (MI), Missouri (MO), Mississippi (MS), Minnesota (MN) and Montana (MT) straight, not to mention Massachusetts (MA), Maine (ME), and Maryland (MD). The code you use doesn't matter as long as you're consistent. LATITUDE & LONGITUDE: Take this from your charts, the Airport/Facility Directo- ries, or AOPA's Airports USA. Or you can use the pseudo-RNAV function to calculate the latitude and longitude of an intersec- tion or a landmark based on the distance and bearing from a navaid you already have on file, or based on the bearings from two navaids (like you do in the air). Note that coordinates are entered as degrees, minutes, and seconds; while they are stored internally and displayed in de- grees, minutes, and tenths of a minute format. When entering longitude you will be prompted to specify east or west longitude. Since west longitude is the default, North American pilots may simply hit a carriage return. European pilots should specify east or west longitude as required. NAVPROGseven / Airport & Navaid Data Page 11 When using the RNAV functions to calculate latitude and longitude, make sure the navaid(s) are in range. When using two navaids you should remember basic navigation procedures: if you draw a line between the two navaids, the closer you are to that line the worse your accuracy. And if you are on the line it is impossible to determine your position! It is best if the two navaids are about 30-60 degrees (or 120-150 degrees) apart. The accuracy of the RNAV functions can only be as accurate as your charts and the measurements you take. Since magnetic variation changes from year to year, it is best if you use true bearings for entry. With care the typical RNAV error should be less than one nautical mile. Use the latitude and longitudes published in the Airport/Facility Directory whenever possible. Also, it's wise not to use a point calculated with RNAV to calcu- late another point with RNAV as any errors will be cumulative. Notes on RNAV: The pseudo-RNAV calculations with bearings approaching due east or due west can strain Basic's accuracy as several trigonometric functions approach infinity. While normally still within the tolerance of VOR equipment, you should be aware that such discrepancies can exist under certain condi- tions, since NAVPROG may err in one direction while your VOR may err in the other. These cross-bearings are intended to be a handy reference for the VFR pilot who doesn't have air-borne RNAV equipment. If you have onboard RNAV capability you should ALWAYS enter waypoints into your equipment from published sources. European pilots: The RNAV functions mentioned here are not currently support- ed east of the Prime Meridian. MAGNETIC VARIATION: Read straight from your chart. Be aware that magnetic variation changes slightly from year to year. The flux goes one way then the other over a cycle of about 10-15 years. Science has several theories why the earth's magnetic field seems to wander, but the important thing to know is that small discrepan- cies in the magnetic course and magnetic heading calculations will become evident over a period of time. The only solution is to update the magnetic variation for each entry in your database on a periodic basis. RNAV calculations are also affected by this constant shifting of magnetic variation. NAVPROGseven / Airport & Navaid Data Page 12 ELEVATION: Right from your chart if it's an airport. Navaid elevations can be found in the Airport/Facility Directory. Elevations at other locations can be approximated from your charts. Notes on elevation: The primary use for the elevation in the program is for air ports. It is used to calculate your departure climb to altitude and the descent to your destination airport. If you choose to enter the elevation of navaids (which are given in the Airport/Facility Directory) the program will give a cursory check to see that your selected cruise alti- tude and climb/descent profile will clear the navaid. UPDATE MODE =========== In the UPDATE mode you can revise the data on file as often as you like. You can delete unneeded entries or let your library of checkpoints continually grow. In addition, the Database Maintanence program, NAVMAINT (see page 19), permits you to extract, merge, rebuild and update multiple NAVPROG databases. In the update mode entering a 'D' for the Ident will delete the entire entry -- erasing its subsector from the index & master file. Later, when you add new data, the program searches for any 'holes' left by a deletion and fills them in first. If a hole can't be found, the new data is added to the end of the file. To maximize disc space and retrieval speed, it is best you delete unwanted entries before adding new ones. Of course airports do close, navaids are decommissioned, moved, renamed or frequencies re-assigned. NOTAMS (Notices to Airmen) are an excellent way to assure that your database is current and up-to-date. NOTAMS are published every 14 days and subscriptions are available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The Airport/Facility Directories are published every eight weeks by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Ocean Survey Riverdale, MD 20840. AOPA's Airports USA is published yearly for members of the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association 421 Aviation Way Frederick, MD 21701 NAVPROGseven / Airport & Navaid Data Page 13 INPUT/REVISE AIRCRAFT DATA ========================== When you enter your aircraft N-number the performance data is read from the file, or if it can't be found you'll be asked to enter data from your Aircraft Operations Manual. The program takes into account fuel used for startup/ taxi/takeoff, fuel/time/distance to climb to your normal cruise altitude, fuel consumption, fuel-on-board, true airspeed, and the cost per hour to operate the plane. When entering your 'standard' cruise performance you might consider that optimum altitude for a normally aspirated engine at 75% power is in the 6-8000 foot range; giving the highest true airspeed for fuel burned. As the power setting is cut, the 'optimum altitude' increases. In actual flight, however, the winds aloft and the time & fuel used to climb there will probably effect efficiency more than optimum altitude. Also remember that flight at 75% power uses an average of 13% more fuel for only a 6% increase in speed over a flight at 65% power, while flying at 55% power uses 25% less fuel with only a 12% speed loss when compared to a flight at 75% power. It should be noted that in calculating your climb to alti- tude NAVPROGseven uses a straight line average based on the standards you enter here about your aircraft. Long, extended climbs at gross weight to higher altitudes than your 'standard' entered here may consume significant amounts of additional fuel. But I'm not telling you anything new, huh? Consult your Aircraft Operation Manual, please. Also, the 'standard cruise' speed & fuel consumption you enter here is guaranteed to vary on each flight depending on altitude, temperature, etc. However when each flight is calcu- lated you will have the opportunity to enter 'non-standard' cruise parameters that will be used for that given flight. Every plane is different, and your Pilot's Operating Hand- book and your own in-flight experience are the only authoritative sources for this information. The examples supplied with NAV- PROGseven are only that, examples of various users' aircraft data, for demonstration purposes only. NAVPROGseven / Aircraft Data Page 14 NAVIGATION ========== To prepare a flight, simply enter the identifiers for the checkpoints along your route of flight. If the route is one that you expect to fly again you can save it for future use. Note that the checkpoint data is not saved but rather index numbers that allow the computer to find the data in the main file at a later date. This way if you update checkpoint data, the next time you use the stored flight the new data will automatically be picked up. Of course, if in the meantime you've deleted one of the checkpoints, the program will abort and return you to the menu. Regardless, you will be asked to verify that the route of flight is correct before calculations begin. Next you would enter your aircraft's N-number, the Flight Service Station you'll close your flight plan with, and the winds at each checkpoint. Of course winds at your departure and desti- nation should be surface winds, while winds aloft should be used enroute. Surface winds and winds aloft may be obtained from your FSS, the NWS, or through an on-line service such as CompuServe or others. To enter no-wind for a checkpoint you can enter '0,0' (or a comma by itself followed by a carriage return gives the same result). The computer will then ask for your cruising altitude, true airspeed, fuel consumption & fuel-on-board. The computer will show the 'standard' situation you entered with the aircraft data, and by simply hitting a carriage return for each these questions the standard data will be used, or you can deviate by entering new data for the flight. Note that the computer does not adjust your true airspeed or fuel rate when you change altitude, nor does it take into account outside air temperature. While this could be done using some general rules-of-thumb, it's best that you refer to the Operations Manual for your plane and enter either the book values or values based on your experience. After you enter your cruise altitude the computer uses the departure elevation to calculate your climb profile, and the destination elevation to figure the descent profile. Note that during your climb to altitude the groundspeed printout is the average for the entire leg, taking into account your climb groundspeed (if you haven't reached altitude), cruise groundspeed (if you reach altitude before the checkpoint), and wind. The climb airspeed is an average based on the normal climb data, and CAS is based on your altitude on a standard day. These are guidelines, not hard numbers -- double check the Operations Manual for your plane. NAVPROGseven / Navigation Page 15 The computer then checks your cruising altitude with the elevation for each of your checkpoints enroute. If your cruise altitude brings you less than 1,000 feet AGL at any checkpoint the computer will caution you. Just because the computer clears this check DO NOT ASSUME THAT THIS IS A SAFE CRUISING ALTITUDE!!! The computer is only checking SURFACE ELEVATIONS, ONLY AT THE CHECKPOINTS YOU SPECIFIED, and ONLY AT THE CHECKPOINT ITSELF, NOT IN BETWEEN. The machine has no way of knowing if the elevation you originally entered was correct. It also has no way of know- ing that between the two checkpoints there is a 14,000 foot mountain and that there's a broadcast tower on top of the moun- tain! CHECK YOUR CHARTS and know your clouds -- steer clear of cumulus granite and stratus erectus! In the fuel column a single hashmark will appear if fuel re- serves are less than 45 minutes (below IFR and VFR night mini- mums), and a double hashmark signifies that less than 30 minutes of fuel remain (below VFR minimums). If the hashmarks appear you should plan to make an earlier fuel stop. It's usually inefficient to climb more than 10 minutes for each hour of estimated time enroute unless good tailwinds and high altitude cruising efficiency offset the fuel and time used to climb. With NAVPROGseven you can cycle through the flight as many times as you wish, plugging in new variables and printing out the best flight profiles at the end of each cycle -- compar- ing fuel vs. time vs. dollars in order to get the best use out of your airplane. NAVPROGseven / Navigation Page 16 AUTOMATIC ROUTE PREPARATION =========================== Enter your point of departure and your destination and this program scans the database, selecting the checkpoints along the way that most closely follow a great circle route. The program automatically prepares several alternate routings for you to choose from, and with each pass the checkpoints are closer and closer together. If needed you can enter a specific checkpoint to be flown over (located to one side of a restricted airspace, let's say) and the computer will first route you to that checkpoint before turning you towards your destination. The sharper the dog-leg however, the longer thetime required to calculate the route since more of the database must be repeatedly scanned. This program will not tell you the 'best' route to fly, but it will give you several logical alternatives. Military Operation Areas, large bodies of water, restricted & prohibited airspace are items the computer has no knowledge of. If your 172 gets intercepted by an F-16, don't tell them, "NAVPROG said this was the best route to fly", and expect to get off! On the other hand, NAVPROGseven is being used by several Coast Guard helicop- ter crews around the country, and I actually got a call one day at work from an Air Force general in Washington wanting a couple enhancements.... so who knows. The first pass through the database will give you the most direct route -- the fewest checkpoints and the longest leg lengths. Each subsequent pass will supply more and more interme- diate checkpoints from your database with shorter and shorter leg lengths, all the while trying to stay as close as possible to the great circle between the last checkpoint and your destination. The more checkpoints, the more zigs and zags. From the possible routes, you must take into consideration the reception range of your navigation equipment, which is of course affected by your cruising altitude, station power, obstructions, etc, and how direct you wish to fly given these parameters without invest- ing in an inertial navigation system for your Cub. NAVPROGseven / Auto Route Page 17 NAVIGATING A PRE-PLANNED ROUTE ============================== Any routings you generate using NAVPROGseven may be saved for use again at a later date. Only the routing information is saved, while flight particulars such as aircraft used, flight conditions, et cetera, are entered individually for each flight. Multiple routes between two points are also allowed, such as BEH to LUK via GSH versus BEH to LUK via SBN. The program will automatically distinguish routes based on the different VORs used as the first checkpoint after departure. If the first checkpoint is not a VOR, the "via" field remains empty. If neither of these techniques is suitable to uniquely identify a particular routing you can manually override the "via" information with any three letter code of your choosing. For example, you could call the first routing "RT1", the second "RT2", etc. When you choose to fly a pre-stored route the program re- trieves the checkpoints you had saved earlier. If the checkpoint data has been revised the new data is automatically used. If the checkpoint data has been deleted since the last time the route was flown, the program will abort and return you to the menu. A printout can be obtained of all routes on file including all RNAV cross-references. SORT AND PRINT DATA ON FILE =========================== The sort program uses a Schell-Metzner sort routine to arrange the airport/navaid data on file into easy-to-use print- outs. The data on file can be printed out by Identifier; by State & Ident; by State & City; by State, Facility & Ident; or unsorted straight from the file. NAVPROGseven / Pre-Planned Routes Page 18 DATABASE MAINTENANCE ==================== NAVMAINT is a separate, stand-alone program written by Bruce Carson that provides utility functions to maintain the NAVPROG7 database files: o Sort an existing database, o Re-build the Index file, o Extract records from existing database and build a customized subset of a database, o Update an existing database with records from a second database with Add, Change, and Delete functions. NAVPROG7 relies on two database files -- named AIRPORTS.RND and AIRINDEX.RND. The file AIRPORTS.RND contains all the perti- nent data such as latitude, longitude, frequency, and elevation for any and all entries such as airports, VORs, NDBs, waypoints, et cetera. The file AIRINDEX.RND contains an index of identifi- ers that allows the programs to find the appropriate data record quickly and efficiently. The NAVMAINT program does not alter your 'live' NAVPROG7 database files. Instead it will create new files with a .NEW extension, such as AIRPORTS.NEW. You can then make your newly created/modified databases 'live' by renaming them to AIRPORTS.RND and AIRINDEX.RND respectively. You can (and should) archive and backup your original files for safekeeping nonethe- less, if for no other reason than you may want to go back to them, or use them again as the basis for another customized database. Before you can use any of the changes you've made, you must rename the resulting files to AIRPORTS.RND and AIRINDEX.RND respectively. These are the two database filenames that NAVPROG7 looks for specifically. If they can't be found, the program will not work. And they MUST be matching "companion" files, since data in each file refers to data contained in the other. As you will see, the REBUILD INDEX program helps assure that the index file matches the data file. To run, simply type NAVMAINT at the DOS prompt. You must be in the current drive or directory that contains the NAVPROG7 databases you wish to work on. Default output for all files is to the current drive and directory. We will assume familiarity with the basic DOS operations like RENAME and COPY and such. NAVPROGseven / Database Maintenance Page 19 SORT function ============= This function prompts for the name of the Nav database to be sorted (i.e. AIRPORTS.RND). It then asks if a new Index file is to be built. It then prompts for the Fields to sort on. The allowable fields are: I -Waypoint Id F -Facility Type S -State code L -Latitude/Longitude Any combination can be specified, and the order in which they are specified determines the sort sequence. Fields must be separated by a comma or blank (i.e. S,I will sort by State and ID) A new Data base file will be created(AIRPORTS.NEW) and optionally a new index file (AIRINDEX.NEW). REBUILD INDEX Function ====================== This function prompts for the name of the Nav database to be indexed (i.e. AIRPORTS.RND). It then asks if a new Index file is to be built. A new index file will be created (i.e. AIRINDEX.NEW). This utility allows you to keep several databases (without indexes) for use by NAVMAINT in building other databases. Then, when you have a final database ready to use with NAVPROGseven, you can build the required index for that database only. In other words, NAVMAINT does not depend on the Index file, and can rebuild one for you here. The working NAVPROG system, on the other hand, does depend on the Index file to provide speedy data retrieval. This function is also useful if you suspect that your AIRINDEX.RND file has become damaged in some way, or doesn't match the AIRPORTS.RND file currently in use. The index and data files (AIRPORTS.RND and AIRINDEX.RND) must be properly named and used as a matched set, since data in each refers to data in the other. NAVPROGseven / Database Maintenance Page 20 EXTRACT Function ================ This function prompts for the name of the Nav database to be extracted from (i.e. AIRPORTS.RND). It then asks if a new Index file is to be built for the resulting file. It then prompts for the Fields to extract on. The allowable fields are: I -Waypoint Id F -Facility Type S -State code L -Latitude/Longitude Field identifiers must be separated by a by a comma or blank. Any combination can be specified and the fields are cumulative -- a match on all selected fields must be met, before the record is selected; i.e. S,F will extract on both State and Facility type code. The program will next prompt for arguments based on the selection fields. As many items as will fit on one line can be entered for each selection. Any match on a selection field value will satisfy the selection (i.e. CA,OH,WA for state and V,I for Facility type will cause all VOR or Intersection records in California, Ohio or Washington to be extracted.) (Note: Only integer degrees are used for the Lat/Long selections; i.e. 33,40. No decimals.) Your new extracted database will be a subset of the original and will be created with the name AIRPORTS.EXT and an optional new index file named AIRINDEX.NEW. The sequence of the new file will the same as the sequence of the input file. Of course, these files must be renames to AIRPORTS.RND and AIRINDEX.RND before you can use them with the working NAVPROG system. NAVPROGseven / Database Maintenance Page 21 UPDATE Function =============== This function prompts for the name of an UPDATE database -- the database that contains the latest 'updated' information that is to be applied to an existing database. Each database must be in NAVPROG7 format and could have been created through the EX- TRACT facility of this program, from an existing NAVPROG7 system, or edited from AIRINPUT program from the NAVPROG7 system. Next the program prompts for the name of a MASTER database to be updated (i.e. AIRPORTS.RND). It will then ask if a new index is to be created at the same time. Note, however, that the program will NOT actually change the original database. Instead a new database will be created (AIRPORTS.NEW) and optionally a new index created (AIRINDEX.NEW). These resulting files must be renamed to AIRPORTS.RND and AIRINDEX.RND before they can be used by the working NAVPROG system. The new 'updated' database is created based on ID and Facil- ity type. Both the UPDATE file and MASTER file are sorted By ID and Facility type first. Then: Records on the UPDATE file are compared to the MASTER file. If the UPDATE record does not exist on the MASTER it is added to the new database. If there is no UPDATE to an existing MASTER file record, the MASTER file record is simply copied, as is, to the new database. If a match is found, the UPDATE file record is used in the new database instead of the old MASTER file record. If the UPDATE record contains the characters '*D' in the first two positions of the DESCRIPTION field it signifies a DELETION, and the corresponding MASTER file record will not be copied over to the new file. A listing is produced of the records on the UPDATE file and the resulting new file. The sequence of the new file is by ID and Facility type. NAVPROGseven / Database Maintenance Page 22 PROGRAM SPECS AND NOTES ======================= Data for each airport, navaid, facility & checkpoint is stored on random file AIRPORTS.RND, five to a sector. A random index, AIRINDEX.RND, holds just the identifiers for each check- point and tells the computer the relative position of each sub- sector of data in the main file. RNAVLIST.DAT is a sequential file that saves the fixes you use in the RNAV mode. The primary database is contained in these three files which are constructed and maintained by AIRINPUT.BAS (RNAVREF.BAS automatically updates & maintains the RNAVLIST.DAT file after each flight). For maximum speed in retrieving airport and navaid data, the entire index is read into memory rather than doing repeated disc accesses. The standard 256K of RAM (or more)in today's personal computers will handle several thousand checkpoints. It should be noted that NAVPROGseven was designed for the general aviation pilot. This is not to say that you have to stick to one region of the country or stay within a thousand miles of home. No way. But by the same token, you're not Pan Am and this isn't an IBM mainframe. NAVPROGseven has an upper limit of 5400 miles for any given great circle computation. Since most flights tend to radiate out from one's home base, some pilots have chosen to set up separate data discs for flights east and west (or north and south) of home. Normally this was done because earlier machines only had 64K of memory and couldn't hold the entire index at once. This should be no problem on the current home computers. However, if you decide to do this: 1) make sure that all data files including your aircraft data and file DISKBID.DAT are copied over to your new data disc. 2) if divided between north & south data, provide some overlap to the north on your 'Southern' disc. Great circle routes north of the equator are always bowed towards the north pole. 3) as you edit your database, always delete unneeded check- points before adding new ones to make the most efficient use of disc and memory space. NAVPROGseven / Program Specs Page 23 AIRCRAFT.BAS takes data for each aircraft you fly and stores it in separate sequential files with the plane's N-number as the filename. Two aircraft, N73116 and N81259, are on file, with which you can experiment. ROUTINGS.DAT is an index of routes you have saved for later use -- it is created by AIRROUTE.BAS and called by OLDROUTE.BAS. The individual routes are stored in separate sequential files; i.e., information about a flight from Benton Harbor to Cincinnati Municipal (Lunken Field) is stored in file BEH.LUK. A file FLIGHT.SEQ is created temporarily by AIRROUTE.BAS or OLDROUTE.BAS to pass the file locations of the current route of flight to NAVPROG7.BAS and then to RNAVREF.BAS after which it is erased. RNAVREF.BAS looks at the route of flight and searches RNAVLIST.DAT for any checkpoints that were entered using RNAV cross-bearings, if so they are printed on your flight log for in-flight reference. Why doesn't NAVPROGseven generate my FAA flight plan for me? A good question. In the very first, experimental and unpublished versions of this program I included just such a routine. Rather simple actually, but why stop at a flight plan? Why not dump right into the autopilot and we can all fly around like so many locomotives on rails? My feeling is that preparing one's own flight plan form gives you time to pause, reflect and review the upcoming flight. I love computers, but it is the captain who has the final word. Let the computer do the number-crunching it does so well, but don't let it become the de-facto pilot-in-command of your plane as well. NAVPROGseven / Program Specs Page 24 PROGRAM REVISION HISTORY ======================== Listed by operating system and hardware. HDOS Version A.01.01, Heathkit H-8, H-89 (c) Copyright 1982 Alan Bose CP/M Version B.01.01, Heath/Zenith H-89, Z-90 Version C.02.01, Hewlett-Packard HP-120, HP-125 (c) Copyright 1982, 1984 Alan Bose and Glen Hassebrock MS-DOS Version D.03.05, Hewlett-Packard HP-150 Touchscreen Version E.03.05, Hewlett-Packard HP-110 Portable (c) Copyright 1984, 1986, 1987 Alan Bose PC-DOS Version F.03.06, IBM PC and compatibles (c) Copyright 1986, 1988 Alan Bose and Bruce Carson Where did you get your first copy of NAVPROGseven? ================================================== Is your favorite friend of bulletin board distributing the latest version? Let them know that the most recent distribution software can be obtained fron CompuServe in the Aviation Special Interest Group (type GO AVSIG) from Library 13 (Aviation Computer Programs) under the filename NAVIBM.ARC. NAVPROGseven / Program Revision History Page 25