Air Manager 4.0

[Corjan]

Hi,


Since AM 3.6 is ending its development, I can start laying out plans for AM 4.0
Note that these things are very prone to changes, so things can and will change as time goes on.
Since this is a major Air Manager release, an update fee will be in place. This will be similar to the AM 2.x -> AM 3.x upgrade.
Our plan is to release this at the start of 2020.

Navigation database
The navigation database will be expanded with more navigation types.
There will also be a way to import data from Navigraph, and maybe other populair sources.

The current navigation API functions will be expanded to query this data.

Routes
Routes (aka flight plans) can be configured within Air Manager.
An additional tab will be added with a moving map where you can see all navigation points (vor, ndb, airports, etc.), and create your own route using that data.
It will also be possible to create your own waypoints.

Routes can be imported from populair file formats, such as .gpx (GPX), .fms (X-plane) en .pln (FSX/Prepar3d).
Routes can also be exported to and imported from a .siff (Sim Innovations File Format).

Additional API functions will be created to both read and write this routing data.
All routing data will automatically be stored on the flight simulator computer, and will be distributed by our flight simulator plugin.
This means that if you change a route on one computer, it will automatically be synced to another.

Navigation map layer
An additional map layer will be added, that will automatically draw the active route on top of a map.

2D vector map
An additional base layer will be added, which relies on vector rendering instead of OSM PNG tiles.
This means that different objects within the map (roads, lakes, water, etc.) can be toggled or change color runtime.

Synthetic vision
A new terrain API will be added to support 3D synthetic vision in instruments.
Due to technical reasons, this will only work on Windows with DirectX enabled.


Corjan

[Keith Baxter]

Awesome Corjan,

Thank you for listening to us.

Keith

[Sling]

I think you mean Synthetic for that last one. That terrain probe is very exciting. I can't wait.

Are we nearly there yet.
Are we nearly there yet.
Are we nearly there yet.

[Ralph]

We're not going to probe the terrain but have our own elevation database. Terrain probing would only work on X-Plane, we rather have a system that is multi-sim.

[JackZ]

Looks promising.
About the terrain database, may I suggest to take into account the different granularity that may be required depending on applications:
- For synthetic vision, a 5 to 1-2m resolution should probably be advisable, as it requires the most details?
- For GPWS, a much larger scale is needed for the square grid resolution of elevations. Tried to find the info in my FCOM to no avail, but that should be around between 50x50 to 100x100m at least.
The image displayed on the Airbus ND is very “blocky”, don’t know if more recent systems on other planes have increased the worldwide resolution of their inboard terrain database.

So either a Terrain DB with two or more levels of granularity at least and/or some extrapolation being done « on the fly » from the most detailed DB to return the mean elevation of a desired boundary, and a kind of probe() function that takes into account a “projected path vector” or a boundary circle would be nice, in order to be able to implement such functions as a kind of “Universal Predictive GPWS”.

Jacques

[JackZ]

It seems to be even more complicated than what I thought, as it appears that the terrain DB in a real EGPWS system has different grid resolutions, which increases around selected airports for safety.

The EGPWS incorporates the functions of the basic Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS). This includes the following alerting modes:
- Mode 1: Excessive Descent Rate "Sinkrate" "Pull Up"
- Mode 6 : Advisory Callouts "Bank Angle" "Minimums" Selected Altitude Callouts
- Mode 5 : Excessive Deviation Below Glideslope "Glideslope"
- Mode 2 : Excessive Terrain Closure Rate "Terrain... Terrain" "Pull Up"
- Mode 3: Altitude Loss After Takeoff "Don't Sink"
"Don't Sink"
- Mode 4: Unsafe Terrain Clearance "Too Low Terrain" "Too Low Gear" "Too Low Flaps"
EGPWS Database
Additionally, Windshear alerting (Mode 7) is provided for specific aircraft types. Mode 7 provides windshear caution and/or warning alerts when an EGPWS windshear threshold is exceeded.
The EGPWS adds to these 7 basic functions the ability to compare the aircraft position to an internal database and provide additional alerting and display capabilities for enhanced situational awareness and safety (hence the term “Enhanced” GPWS).
The EGPWS internal database consists of four sub-sets:
1-A worldwide terrain database of varying degrees of resolution.
2-An obstacles database containing cataloged man-made objects 100 feet or greater in height located within North America, portions of Europe and portions of the Caribbean (expanding as data is obtained).
3- A worldwide airport database containing information on runways 3500 feet or longer in length. For a specific list of the airports included, refer to Honeywell document 060- 4267-000 or access on the Internet at website www.egpws.com.
4-An Envelope Modulation database containing information on airport approach and departure profiles to support the Envelope Modulation feature.

Source: Honeywell EGPWS manual
https://skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/3364.pdf

Jacques

[Keith Baxter]

In February 2018 I started with my instrument and here is the annunciator panel I did awaiting all of these features you talk of Jacques.

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=972#p8396

So for me, the wait, be it two years for all these wonderful features, cannot come fast enough.

Keith

[Ralph]

@ Jacques: Already taken care of, no worries

[JackZ]

Navigation database
The navigation database will be expanded with more navigation types.
There will also be a way to import data from Navigraph, and maybe other populair sources.

The current navigation API functions will be expanded to query this data.

Routes
Routes (aka flight plans) can be configured within Air Manager.
An additional tab will be added with a moving map where you can see all navigation points (vor, ndb, airports, etc.), and create your own route using that data.
It will also be possible to create your own waypoints.

Routes can be imported from populair file formats, such as .gpx (GPX), .fms (X-plane) en .pln (FSX/Prepar3d).
Routes can also be exported to and imported from a .siff (Sim Innovations File Format).

Navigation map layer
An additional map layer will be added, that will automatically draw the active route on top of a map.

Nice! Since you are at this:

- Hope the additional layers to be displayed over the moving map will also be able to include special use airpaces, with some kind of filtering according to their status (eg Military, restricted, terminal, etc...) and or floor/ceiling altitude AGL/ASL. Be aware that these airspaces can be very complex in terms of shape definition . For example in France there are some "High speed low level" military area corridors that spread all over the country.

(Source: SIA)
- Same applies for country geographical boundaries, for FIR/UIR regions whose shape sometimes follows the borders of countries.
- In that aspect, some ways in the API to query if you are inside or outside a specific area (vertically and laterally) given an x,y,z position would be super cool.
- Same for items selection, as the API should be able to return if any given point (in terms of Lat/lon) is over a database feature or not and either return the feature attributes, or at least say, yes or no.

- Same applies for Airways and fixes (Hi/lo en route),for RadNav facilities (terminal, en route) and for any kind of facilities (Airport with runways >1000m for example). In GPSes such as Garmin's, there is some display filters such as these ones, and also a "declutter" function which adds/removes some details of data, according to the zoom level. And one can select a feature using the mouse cursor.

- For the Nav map Layer, don't forget that if one wants to recreate an ND display using FMS data or a GPS data, the Nav Map Layer has also to be able to display simultaneously at least secondary FPLN, in dashed lines most of the time, and in a different color than the active FPLN. So provisions should probably be accounted for this (two nav layers?), as well as supplementary dashed/dotted/mixed lines for the canvas IMHO.

- Route import should contain as well elements for a vertical profile if provided. A look at what kind of Databases an extensive Navigation Planning software such as LittleNavMap is able to produce/read is advised.
- In order to create a comprehensive instructor station (one of my numerous projects on the shelf), the ability to create a profile view of the approach and the current position of the plane would be a plus, using the data returned.

Jacques

[Corjan]

Hi,


For who dares, there is a first BETA available:
https://siminnovations.com/wiki/index.p ... sktop_BETA


Corjan