XPlane Simulated ForeFlight and FlightStream Syncing

[ingramleedy]

Cool details. I haven’t tried with Garmin Pilot, but yeah would would need to be able to convert those files to the proper FMS format that xplane uses. I suspect this the same issue with the other fixes and SIDs, etc. The transformation /converter method may need an overhaul to add additional functionality.

[midlifeflyer]

Cool details.

I'm experienced.
I used to work for a financial software company where I was famous for finding ways to break it during early testing.

[ingramleedy]

1. The transfer works with the XP12 stock pseudo G1000 and GNS. It does not work with the Reality XP GTN.

Not sure about this -- I am using RealSimGear G1000. Would assume it should work the same, as the app is just sending the .FMS file to the UDF port on Xplane 12 API. This is a feature of Xplane 12.

2. It does not work with Garmin Pilot (I have both GP and Foreflight). That's just because the GP export file content is different. As you know, Foreflight exports a fairly simple xml file. The Pilot file is is a little more well... I can't attach the file itself but I've attached a graphic of KTTA

The app is designed for ForeFlight, however, I just published 1.1.1 version that can handle either ForeFlight.fpl or GarminPilot.gfp files based on the shared media content (I haven't tested the Garmin pilot side, I have it, but I've never setup flight plans in it - let me know if it works)

3. When you transfer the file, it comes out as a series of waypoints with no information. Once you either go Direct to a waypoint or activate a leg (basically activating the flight plan), the rest of the data (courses, distances, etc) fill-in.

This might be function of Xplane and how it deals with Flightplans. I find the avionics outdated in my opinion. I've been using MSFS for IFR mostly. We'd need to look at this some more.

4. If you load a SID or STAR in the Foreflight flight plan, the FPL file unpacks it into its series of waypoints. IOW, the RDU.DRONE2 arrival comes in as RDU-TYI-DEEND-CVI-DRONE rather than as the named arrival.
5. Unlike the STAR, a loaded approach does not transfer at all. Not as an approach package and not as a series of waypoints. Not even if you unpack the route in Foreflight before sharing it. The FPL I send from foreflight included the KORF RNAV 32 from HELBA.

I did add some STAR and DEP procedures into the latest code, I dont know how well it works, and it may be also another limitation of Xplane 12. More research needed.

I've been looking at a way to export to MSFS, but it doesn't seem to have any network API that I could use without having to write and install some local server/port app on the local machine its running.

Anyway, version 1.1.1 has been published. Hopefully I didnt break anything.

[ingramleedy]

Ingram, the new version just worked for me... nice!!
Thanks,
Wayne

Thanks Wayne! I miss your videos and travel blogs especially with the three amigos.

[midlifeflyer]

Testing 1.1.1

Foreflight.
1. No change to the export/import of STAR and approach. Still expands the STAR into it's component waypoints. Just to check, I did a separate flight plan with a SID. Same result. The procedure expanded into it's component waypoints. One thing I noticed this time. The SID I chose, CHS SWPFX3, has "climb via" altitude restrictions. The target altitudes did come through. Sorta. The altitude restriction at ANGRE is 2000; 4000 at SWPFX, but the procedure also has an initial turn at or above 546'. The pic shows the Flight Stream X import on the left, the same procedure loaded from the database within x-plane on the right.

2. Still nothing coming through for an approach.

3. Reality XP.

Not sure about this -- I am using RealSimGear G1000. Would assume it should work the same, as the app is just sending the .FMS file to the UDF port on Xplane 12 API. This is a feature of Xplane 12.

Still no. I'm not deep into the workings of x-plane or RealityXP, so this is a WAG. RealityXP uses the Garmin PC trainer for Windows, not the x-plane GPS interface. Even my group of saved flight plans in Output/FMS do not show up in the Reality XP GTN flight plan catalog. Maybe it's just different pathways and connections.

Garmin Pilot
No change. Nothing comes across.

[ingramleedy]

Foreflight.
1. No change to the export/import of STAR and approach.

2. Still nothing coming through for an approach.

Below is what ForeFlight.fpl generates for your plan. ForeFlight is NOT generating all the details we need to identify arrivals, stars, sids, etc. If it did we would process it and convert it to the .FMS file format for Xplane.


The schema "xmlns="http://www8.garmin.com/xmlschemas/FlightPlan/v1" allows for richer details, but unfortunately ForeFlight's implementation is incomplete. When using ForeFlight/Garmin FlightStream they must have provided a more complete version, but for the export feature it is limited.

It looks like the best we are going to get for now are all the waypoints.

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<flight-plan xmlns="http://www8.garmin.com/xmlschemas/FlightPlan/v1">
<created>20250110T18:43:41Z</created>
<aircraft>
    <aircraft-tailnumber>N238PS</aircraft-tailnumber>
</aircraft>
<flight-data>
    <etd-zulu></etd-zulu>
    <altitude-ft>8000</altitude-ft>
</flight-data>
<waypoint-table>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>KTTA</identifier>
        <type>AIRPORT</type>
        <lat>35.582439</lat>
        <lon>-79.101338</lon>
        <altitude-ft></altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>RDU</identifier>
        <type>VOR</type>
        <lat>35.872522</lat>
        <lon>-78.783342</lon>
        <altitude-ft></altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>TYI</identifier>
        <type>VOR</type>
        <lat>35.976725</lat>
        <lon>-77.703731</lon>
        <altitude-ft></altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>DEENE</identifier>
        <type>INT</type>
        <lat>36.075794</lat>
        <lon>-77.49761700000001</lon>
        <altitude-ft></altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>CVI</identifier>
        <type>VOR</type>
        <lat>36.372914</lat>
        <lon>-76.871544</lon>
        <altitude-ft></altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>DRONE</identifier>
        <type>INT</type>
        <lat>36.529231</lat>
        <lon>-76.67084699999999</lon>
        <altitude-ft></altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>HELBA</identifier>
        <type></type>
        <lat>36.730333</lat>
        <lon>-76.115808</lon>
        <altitude-ft>2000</altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>FAMEX</identifier>
        <type></type>
        <lat>36.796025</lat>
        <lon>-76.051858</lon>
        <altitude-ft>2000</altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>EVAPE</identifier>
        <type></type>
        <lat>36.849239</lat>
        <lon>-76.136386</lon>
        <altitude-ft>1300</altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>RW32</identifier>
        <type></type>
        <lat>36.888587</lat>
        <lon>-76.199022</lon>
        <altitude-ft>57</altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
    <waypoint>
        <identifier>KORF</identifier>
        <type>AIRPORT</type>
        <lat>36.894604</lat>
        <lon>-76.201229</lon>
        <altitude-ft></altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>
    
</waypoint-table>
<route>
    <route-name>KTTA TO KORF</route-name>
    <flight-plan-index>1</flight-plan-index>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>KTTA</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type>AIRPORT</waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>RDU</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type>VOR</waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>TYI</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type>VOR</waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>DEENE</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type>INT</waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>CVI</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type>VOR</waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>DRONE</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type>INT</waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>HELBA</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type></waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>FAMEX</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type></waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>EVAPE</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type></waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>RW32</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type></waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
    <route-point>
        <waypoint-identifier>KORF</waypoint-identifier>
        <waypoint-type>AIRPORT</waypoint-type>
    </route-point>
    
</route>
</flight-plan>
ForeFlight.fpl
Displaying ForeFlight.fpl. 

3. Reality XP.
Still no. I'm not deep into the workings of x-plane or RealityXP, so this is a WAG. RealityXP uses the Garmin PC trainer for Windows, not the x-plane GPS interface. Even my group of saved flight plans in Output/FMS do not show up in the Reality XP GTN flight plan catalog. Maybe it's just different pathways and connections.

Yea, even the UDP interface I am using for Xplane doesn't seem to refresh the flight plan once it loaded until you do the direct. And if you are replacing the traditional way xplane uses .FMS that would make sense. Maybe someone at Xplane could better explain or fix the UDP API. There really isn't any documentation for any of this.

<quote>
Garmin Pilot
No change. Nothing comes across.
[/quote]

This is because from what I can tell, Garmin Pilot isn't creating the documented file format or filename. The documentation I found says it's suppose to create GarminPilot.gfp files. See if you can somehow get it to create this file and the app should process it according to docs I have. Can you send me the file it creates?

[midlifeflyer]

When using ForeFlight/Garmin FlightStream they must have provided a more complete version, but for the export feature it is limited.

I have no doubt that a FlightStream "share to panel" from Foreflight is very different than the file being shared in the simple XML of the .fpl file. What I find more interesting though is that the approach waypoints in the fpl. aren't appearing. From you printout of the fpl, everyhting from

Code: Select all

  <waypoint>
        <identifier>HELBA</identifier>
        <type></type>
        <lat>36.730333</lat>
        <lon>-76.115808</lon>
        <altitude-ft>2000</altitude-ft>
    </waypoint>

until the airport does not transfer to x-plane.

This is because from what I can tell, Garmin Pilot isn't creating the documented file format or filename. The documentation I found says it's suppose to create GarminPilot.gfp files. See if you can somehow get it to create this file and the app should process it according to docs I have. Can you send me the file it creates?

The file Pilot creates, at least when I share it to a file or via email isn't a gpf. It's a gplts. I can share it, no problem, with another Pilot user and everting comes across. Here's what it looks like opened in Notepad++ (there are probably some nonprintable in there). I'm going to try to send you the file itself via private message, but I'll probably have to change the extension to something acceptable.

Code: Select all

Z¥-ϝ’–_a¶^CYm½"Ðvܸ_¦
˜öÞR©‘I„1“»S2‹B^E7#Ùô3Ö
<}ÍC“lŸ&#œYc—¶Út!Þ¬…K›“#;ì¥ZÆ!‰Y¤ûX\´SUˆ›”7ÎO¤yÖ¡LSYíOKžOž
¢x¦Ë*(ð˜RIºH!åŠR3D¡ì—å
ò¢ÄÉW’Pæqtÿ,!®5»3ðޏƒzÍﯸ¾hwнµ¾ØÊCöœ‡>ažo·ûÇdHkãµ]Ø9hjèn}ŒZ¹{ÛÒ¯ Ë`víí½Di:há÷
ÃÏô…¦µ‹©ÈÊáÑëØ-·À­låÌÄ.«†°•lÀHL‘Bu
%–wÀzÌxŸZd¡ªsÒ4– ¢¶¦¼X’ÎVoO‚¯ƒ½ocf€X.NÇ‹Øx<ꤦgM«DuüÙ”3ͽJf½Î…@ÁÎÊ«—<Ö·Y¦g fåÚþ¡^{{—¥×àlBô7½*ÖS–ª;Z`¥bE
ÀÌ`þà34aTƒø
ã˜tï9žÁöžâ3ŠÂ<F©²kªìªEr H‰¹}B?…A¥˜Ï•‘U_à’ÊË“ÎÉ|qd>]ø9Ã;§c²ðß
ZiêÇ{‰9”D}…|€9Ù›"f	g#UäwI[€<ø7xîh¿HÀ,ò†{å7°r18Û£‚B+w)ŠX•ç›C7¥ÎڐF#üéøE—©y1M=V¨+€†žqrÙ13h@"aÂ6[É"SœŠÔ
ïèÁc¿î2ø3Œ.L|÷¸My›J­8œ~ˆØ;ÁÜbøÓÁ^bZفHgÂhðèõ¶JÊÞéov ™Æ±Ö³úCwúÍéeÕ!Û}¥»Ø[ÿ^ÕøŽ#V¨­ªCÀÁZã5$¢Æ`äÏbxfwYbBb
Ty¥‘Éqàá‰õžžºÁ£°é€ªûw¨Hç*ü·ûƒ€zd¤–ÎéÎ0ˆ®w—b • "u®ŒÖº¬rYnJDÓ.¡Ðù§••ÇBQ‡¦
NAÞ÷’nñ£üš\Š·^æ Î1;^>Á…ÌŒY´QÙËiŠ;:Ä¥°7±ISÞ»’XN»3Ž|'L8ýœJòþíåv<ËÿýËo®År8tÜ×ýù‹TMлޏ_{¹RŽ‹ëå7oFÇ~ê)¨Ëë$Kàéj¼¸iè®^àE_ Eú¬7$Å@WS˜¹™.ç[,™ÛehÜE^r^ÍM=I]ž?¨¿¥1#'P[;îuÍ1J¡bù{þ4.–uÂAtì­› FägÃÙô’ÛAÎ72nã.3m`§úŠúfÿŽH¹	mG„n‡åõ@Ù˜¨áq5
c9l+Wœ@„´Z4êC·ÐþÓtô8¶«ÑgcbÑ^Óxðâ<ü¦Q4—¬È*úíyÊ&„¿¬ž-p£ú®Rô.~¬Pð³*MóC©S¯ÚµQŸ½õ]»K]æÅQöFö‚ÏLÄÙm%Ä´°zQ³Zrš¶ú·µi>N% r¤˜ˆ?fô¦Œzq4Ñ$öØGPwy\8$drÛh,Ås¡5¹¦‡„&²–à Ö
x²uX(ÄSî×G[:ß[îÙîMkÚ ýÃ0 Ë «û¥¨ÓýŠÚ¦±Vhð¡›™=p¯µ<‹™H ±R6@’v€ç2ÿŸ?zØ4<¸µ&)웨߃ƒw..´ÅQÂ_8Ñ4öu'3,Ì߁ÝæÖ_)9tÞ'ÿøìy˜Ê4n·§83^x±sdû=¨Ubeï*€’C¾ÉsÍÝN·{¡mðvEeh¹Q
,Þ#÷j_ïH¥dö99ªïm7þFWãEÖb€µÉŸVÌKVœ­¬2¼Èu˜ï&£AFÍg*Àul€ÃµD~ƒ³LvcyE†Œ5YðDœ»>&ûï&¤ÚM`¢¾CqmØk¸C4 Û²ÿÅÛè^ΙôqÐë|žlã¤Kµ]›G¯jø òc/—ê¶Ë†ÐD¬¡O?Òž“r¯õ:ŠüË۪˧4	Æ”5£7áú)I!Xw«E#bÊ}õ¦(©ª.ç­ó‚dßùŸ.B!†ðCq‘¢£Öx)’ƒq”0IIšÈŽj/»‘¼¶¦BDôÕÈaA¬ÉH Ö°äڿλº¤j:¸Æ_”¹°çVY?…"p!ÑaÈà>‰„ë~Nc}gP}ÁÆ/`,ÚwææYáñkgÃrBÅâ?ٝ­
§gléyƒ{l¡¶i5ûg)¶µ·¢›Ì”°€¦ùJ°_Á;Ép»×Lî½—ËCpú«ŸÓf2kŸ·¡Ú¨VÐ
À]JÄïu‰ER†"%_çɹuªj	»Z6A·ß4,¥Ç.bh7YF
†Ÿ~Ò˜x
S
rì%þšBþûýöŽ}Ã÷–ãð·úIWM\€àkD4+Ÿ¼gÕÆ*Ñ× !îã2!m?¹â	q…q|>xVÔ9çòíYŠ÷
MÚ}šèTCYûû:ª¦æMÖ‚.¹È«¢šHcy‚6_øíH÷¹ìÞIßÛ¥¥>x¢¡ À[Ÿ§„–å?¾4,ó*º/ÕQ°H†âu
ºö›Û@Ñ{CØ8x¼ô˜Ž"tÄ{}yÞw4(+ZƒªùbeÖ‰+¥1jÁ¢S­^¨l“Q“%pøÍÄÉ.Pº¦€¿O’¹Ô™á060#I‚ 0°1àásŠ\„g­ñ2vœ2A9é†o³ébrèyWÒ]l5SùQÛ_y$½€AÇJG:ê—/QNa˜áZÇø!WVž†Ÿ°ò ý+bp/ïÌa½Ç‰Æ3‰Vþ›Ý\„íãä¾ +hRîƒñýFëìhθ¦ŸµÔ@0!Û¹(­*a•­´Õâîd2â,­
¶ZÒWP;^5Ñ;oM‰¢p~e <É=’.¦?à››jÝ_#5Øâ3iÑ$ÖÔ’uzÁ•Ø°ŒÜ€f/ù§ YÈ‚¾‡lÍ^?…n‹Ã–ù PèCã7Æ*lD¯›ž	¼ø"à¢Å¡@3ÃÝ­t5?T’£`Å“™Á–œ’ƒùžz긿¥è˜¤7

I probably can't