Self calculating nav log - Help with magvar and the sun!

[matsh]

Hello!

This is my first post here but I have been lurking this forum for something like 20 years!

I am working on improving a self calculating nav log I made a couple of years ago. Read more here: Self calculating nav log on A2A forums.

New features include:
- Calculation of points of no return
- Flight graph showing progress graphically.
- TWA style 1940s nav log format.
- AAL style flightplan format.
- Option to use nautical or statute miles
- Option to use great circle or rhumb line navigation.

Now I would like to ask for help with a few things:
- The real life AAL flightplan form has entries for position and time for sunrise and sunset. I would like to add this as well as it can be useful information when planning your navigation. I already have the tools to calculate sunrise or sunset at a known location. But in this case the location is also unknown. Does anyone have any good ideas of how to do it? I'm using MS Excel.
- Until now the calculation of magnetic variation for each waypoint has been a quick and dirty method by using the difference between magnetic course and true course from Plan-G. There must be a more precise way! Can anyone point me to an Excel-based WMM2020 calculator?

I am using Ed Williams' excellent avform.xls with his permission for much of my calculations and his file can compute sunrise and sunset for a known location.
edwilliams.org/

Please let me now if you have any good ideas! And if you would like to try the log the earlier version is available here: DOWNLOAD.

/Mats

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

Looks like a nice log system, thanks.

Once the navigator selects the flight the location is now known and the log program can calculate the sunrise and sunset. If you need lat and long values, just add those to your flights database, or to a separate page that relates the name of the station to its lat and long. Or if you want the sunrise/sunset for each waypoint, the lat and long of those are known too when the navigator enters them.

The magvar values in FS are not too accurate, and thus probably should be taken from the sim as you do now. You can't use a system that uses modern data because the magvars have changed between 2003 (FS2004), 2005 (FSX), later for P3D, and today.

[Erik]

Mats, how great to see you here. I have been working through your great tool and found a few errors, I think, including the one that causes the erratic Magvar values. I wasn't too sure about how to get in touch with you as the A2A topic has been quiet for a rather long time. I am not near my FS pc now but will get back to you here within a few days.
For now, many thanks for the nav log, something I had been hoping to exist for a long time until Stearmandriver pointed me towards it through his China Clipper series.

Erik

[Erik]

Just to inform, I haven't forgotten, just a bit busy. 2B continued!

Erik

[matsh]

Hello again!

I had a breakthrough when Plan-G for P3D5 was released so I can get magvar data from there to fly the A2A Connie in P3D5. That inspired me to do some more work. Sunset and sunrise are also calculated now.

For instructions please see this post on the A2A forums.

Download from Dropbox

EDIT: You need:
Microsoft Excel
Plan-G which is a freeware flight planning tool.
Performance figures for your aircraft.

If you are interested in using it I would appreciate feedback to make it more accurate!


AJ Crowley using an earlier version during a Pacific crossing in the M-130.

Some screenshots of the latest version:

Flight plan page:


Nav log page:


Flight map with planned route and actual positions, weatherships, LORAN and HF-stations.


Flight graph showing: actual and estimated fuel against distance, distance against time, points of no return for 4-1 engine operation.