9.8.1 Aircraft types and performance
Create or edit an aircraft type
This section describes how to create or modify a “Type” of aircraft. When created, the properties of the Type are inherited by all of the aircraft assigned this Type.
To create or edit an aircraft type:
- Tap Settings > Aircraft Type Database to enter the Aircraft Type Database.
- To create a new aircraft type, press + at the top right hand side of the window. OR
- Tap on an existing type to edit it. A window is displayed with two sections: Basic Aircraft Details and Advanced Details. Rows are displayed as: Basic Performance, Weight and Balance, Detailed Performance.
Editing an existing profile
If you wish to change the details of an aircraft profile already installed on your device:
- Tap Settings > Aircraft Type Database > [your type] > Basic Performance.
- Scroll down to the Basic Performance section:
- Edit the figure(s) required. When editing a figure, only the number needs to be entered then tap the return key – no need to enter kt or lt/hr (or lb/hr) for example: the values will automatically be assigned your selected default units.
- If some of the figures are greyed out (see below), it indicates that a Detailed Performance Profile is associated with this aircraft.
- If you don’t require a detailed profile on this particular aircraft and would rather use the Basic Performance details, tap Settings > Aircraft Type Database > [your type] > Detailed Performance, then tap the Delete Profile button at the bottom of the screen.
Saving your changes
Once you have created or updated the profile, select Back until AvPlan asks whether to save or discard the changes. The label beside Back shows the page you will return to.\n\n
- Tap the back button two or three times, until the app prompts you to save or discard your changes. Tap Save changes.
Configure basic type details and performance
The Basic Information window allows you to enter information for the aircraft type:
| Type information | |
|---|---|
| Type Name | e.g. C182T or P2002 |
| ICAO Type Identifier | e.g. PA44 or EC30. Required when submitting a plan to NAIPS/IFIS. The ICAO type identifier for your aircraft can be found at: http://www.icao.int/publications/DOC8643/Pages/Search.aspx NOTE: If your aircraft has no ICAO type code, enter ZZZZ |
| Description | e.g. Cessna 182T or Tecnam Sierra |
| Performance category | Select whichever reflects the normal speed in approach configuration (Note: this is NOT cruise speed) |
| Wake turbulence category | Select most appropriate from a list of MTOW levels. |
| Pilots Operating Handbook .PDF URL | e.g. http://www.jabiru.net.au/Manuals/Pilot%20Operating%20Handbooks/J160-C_Section0-9_Rev3.pdf. This will make that document available for easy download and viewing in the POH option within the Text tab |
| Is this aircraft a helicopter? | If the aircraft is specified as a helicopter, then the Nearest Items view will display nearby helicopter landing sites. If this setting is set to NO, then HLSs are hidden. |
| Aircraft icon | Select from the various icon options. This icon will be displayed on the map when this particular aircraft type is selected in an open flight plan. To change the icon displayed when no flight plan is open, you’ll need to change the Default Icon in User Settings. |
| Units | |
|---|---|
| Weight Units | The weight units used for passengers, baggage or cargo to be loaded in the aircraft (kg or lbs) |
| Fuel Units | The units used by the fuel calculations – both in filling the fuel tanks and the fuel burn calculations (Litres, US Gallons or lbs |
| Fuel Type | Select between AVGAS, AVTUR, MOGAS or OTHER |
| Fuel Specific Gravity | Used by AvPlan to calculate the weight of the fuel load. This will be entered automatically when a Fuel Type is selected. Only adjust this if you know why you need to |
| Fuel Cost | Will allow flight costings in the flight plan or stage summary |
| Arm Units | Used in the weight and balance setup, select between mm or inches |
INFO
Data entered in the aircraft profile are stored within AvPlan EFB in a set of consistent internal units. The values are converted when displayed to reflect the unit settings chosen above. For example: the details from the POH can be entered in Pounds and USG, and then the units later changed to KG and Litres for operational use. You are not stuck with the units provided in the POH for operations. Each aircraft has its own set of preferred units.
| Weights | |
|---|---|
| MTOW | Maximum Takeoff Weight (aka Max Gross Weight. Required for ALL aircraft) |
| MLW | Maximum Landing Weight. If not specified in the POH, set equal to MTOW |
| MZFW | Maximum Zero Fuel Weight. If not specified in the POH, can be left blank |
| Max Ramp | Maximum Ramp Weight. If not specified in the POH, set equal to MTOW |
| Basic Performance | |
|---|---|
| Cruise TAS | Planned cruise true airspeed in knots |
| Climbing IAS | Cruise climb indicated airspeed |
| Climb fuel flow | Aircraft’s fuel flow during an enroute climb |
| Cruise fuel flow | Aircraft’s basic fuel flow at cruise |
| Holding fuel flow | Aircraft’s fuel flow when at endurance power settings |
| Final Fuel (Fixed reserve) fuel flow | Fuel flow for the Final Fuel (fixed reserve) fuel component |
| Rate of climb | Average rate of climb for an enroute climb in feet per minute |
| Rate of descent | Cruise descent average rate in feet per minute |
| Total fuel | Total fuel capacity of the aircraft |
| Service ceiling | Important for app performance during wind/altitude calculations, the app won’t calculate winds above the service ceiling |
| Glide Ratio | The :1 is assumed. e.g. if the glide ratio is 10:1, enter the figure 10. If it’s 12.7:1, enter 12.7. Used in the Pro feature Glide Planning. Note that the glide ratio is not scaled- i.e. it is in ft/ft, m/m. If you are unsure of what your aircraft’s glide ratio might be, Wikipedia is illuminating. |
| Glide IAS | The best glide indicated airspeed, used in the Plus/Premium feature Glide Planning. Assume the worst-case scenario: i.e. at MTOW. Did you know that best glide speed is typically equal or very close to the average of Vx and Vy? If best glide speed is not given in your POH, you can use this simple method to estimate it. |
| Minimum Runway Length | Used in the Pro feature Glide Planning, where appropriate airfields are pointed out on the map in flight. Any with runways below this length will not be displayed |
| Plan Using High Level Routes | Switching this on forces AvPlan’s IFR auto-route function to select high air routes over low ones – good for turbine aircraft |
| Other Details | |
|---|---|
| Aircraft password | Optional; adds a password to the file so that you cannot edit it without knowing the password. This is NOT a secure protection of the aircraft file, but may help prevent accidental editing |
| Aircraft Model version | Optional: You can give your aircraft file a version name, then copy it and make another version if you wish. |
| Advanced Performance (for Plus/Premium subscribers) | |
|---|---|
| Optional Critical Point paramaters | Specifying values here will allow AvPlan to calculate up to two additional Critical Points along the route. In addition to the default CP corresponding to normal cruise TAS in both directions, you can have two optional CPs at reduced TAS values corresponding, for example, to single engine flight in a multi engined aircraft, or depressurised flight at lower than optimum altitudes. The default CP is labelled simply ‘CP’ when displayed on the en-route chart and in the Flight Plan Table. The two optional CPs can be given short custom names such as, for example, ‘OEI’ or ‘DEPR’. The custom names will display on the enroute chart and Flight Plan Table if optionally enabled |
| CP1 name | Optional. A name for the first of two optional additional Critical Points. e.g. OEI for One Engine Inoperative |
| Reduced TAS 1 | Optional. TAS value corresponding to e.g. OEI, used for Calculations related to CP1 |
| Reduced fuel flow for CP1 | Optional. Allows AvPlan to calculate the fuel burn at the the reduced TAS values specified for e.g. OEI |
| CP1 Altitude | Optional. Altitude normally flown when in the e.g. OEI condition. If specified, will be used to determine the winds at the OEI level for more accurate CP1 calculation |
| CP2 name etc | Optional. Data for a second degraded performance condition- (typically depressurised), as described above |
| For some Enterprise customers only | |
| IU Formula | Optional. A Formula that describes the relationship between Moments and Index units |
| %Mac Formula | Optional. A Formula that describes the relationship between Moments and the CofG in terms of Mean Aerodynamic Chord |
WARNING
When you have completed creating or editing an aircraft, it is important to tap the back button ( the “<” symbol at top-left) to get back to the main list level, where you will be prompted to save or discard your changes. Ensure you tap Save Changes whenever prompted.
Import or export Web performance rows
Open an aircraft type and enable Advanced Performance, then select the required profile under Perf Profiles.
- Select Export CSV to download its current performance rows.
- Select Example CSV to download a correctly structured example.
WARNING
Imported CSV rows replace every row in the selected performance profile. Export the current rows first when you need a recoverable copy, and verify all imported values against the approved aircraft data before saving.
- Select Import CSV, choose the file and confirm the replacement when the profile already contains rows.
Basic Aircraft Details: Type Weight and Balance
Longitudinal (forward-aft)
The first part of this section deals with normal Longitudinal weight and balance envelopes used by all aircraft. The additional complication of Lateral weight and balance required for helicopters is also addressed in AvPlan if the aircraft type requires it.
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Creating the envelope
AvPlan Uses Weight and Arm Values.
AvPlan EFB uses two pieces of data for each corner, a weight and arm (length), to build the envelope.
From your POH, use this type of graph (from a C172):
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- Tap Settings > Aircraft Type Database > [your type] > Weight and Balance.
- Tap the Edit button in the top-right corner of the screen. You should see green plus signs appear down the left side of the window.
- Tap a green plus to add a corner. This will form Corner 1. It doesn’t matter what corner you start in, AvPlan always moves clockwise around the envelope. However, it’s always a good idea to start in the bottom-left of the envelope.
- You’ll need the weight and the arm. In the above example (figure 6-8), Corner 1 would be 35 inches at 1500 lbs. Note that you can set the weight and arm units on the Basic Details page of your aircraft profile.
- Tap the back button to return to the list. There should now be one entry.
- Tap the green plus, and add Corner 2’s details. In the above case, it’ll be 35 inches at 1950 lbs. Corner 3 will be 41 inches at 2550 lbs.
- Continue around the envelope until the complete shape is created. The amount of corners will depend on the structure of the shape. In the above C172 example, there are five corners required. (note, there is no need to create Corner 1 twice)
It may look slightly different as the scale of the graph may differ to the one in the POH. This doesn’t mean the graph is incorrect, as long as the relative shape is correct.
Your envelope will typically look like a plain (or truncated) rectangle
The correctly completed envelope shown below is constructed for a PA28 Archer in exactly the same way as described above.
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If you wish to also add the Utility Category envelope to the display, continue around the envelope for a second time, but with the corners associated with the reduced limits. You’ll end up with around 10 corners.
Some POHs do not explicitly show the envelope
Sometimes, a graph is not provided by the manufacturer in the POH, so the envelope needs to be created from a word picture. These are usually found somewhere in the Limitations section.
Consider this scenario:
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You’ll also need to know the MTOW, which will give you half the corner details.
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So, the only other information you need to obtain is the empty weight of the aircraft. For the purposes of the example, we will use 306 kg.
Corner 1 will be 1860 mm at 300 kg. (a weight just below the empty weight) Corner 2 will be 1860 mm at 599 kg. (MTOW) Corner 3 will be 2040 mm at 599 kg Corner 4 will be 2040 mm at 300 kg. This will create a rectangular envelope, which most two-seat wet-wing GA aircraft have.
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If the shape is completely different, something is wrong: have you used moments instead of arms?
AvPlan does not use Moment values.
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WARNING
Moment Limits are not used by AvPlan
If your POH describes the CofG envelope in terms of weights and moments, then you must convert the moments to arms. Recall that moment = weight x arm, so take the moment values and divide by the corresponding weights to get the arm values.
A further complication is that moment values are often (correctly) very large numbers. To make these large numbers more manageable, moment-envelopes are frequently published in terms of Index Units (IU). Index Units are just moments divided by a scale-factor (100, 1000, 10000 are common scale-factor values). If you have to deal with IU’s just divide by the corresponding weights and multiply by the scale factor to get back to arm values.
Adding load stations
Load stations are added in a similar way to envelope corners. Tap the Edit button in the top-right to reveal an Add button.
At a minimum, each station requires the Load Station Name and Load Station Arm to be entered.
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The Load station max weight is optional, as not all stations have a promulgated maximum weight. Mostly, this will be used for cargo/baggage storage locations with a placarded maximum weight. In the Aircraft loading / weight and balance / fuel planning page, if a weight is entered higher than the station’s maximum weight the row’s text will turn red. The Load Station
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If there is no promulgated maximum value, then leave as zero.
The Load Station Type defaults to “unknown” if not specified otherwise, which effectively means that the load station can be either pax or cargo (or indeed both), but will default to cargo unless the Aircraft Loading/ Weight and Balance / Fuel Plan section in a flight plan usining this aircraft type specifies otherwise .
- For a baggage area, the Load Station Type should always be “Cargo”.
- For Crew Seats, it is recommended to use “Crew”
- For passenger seats, select either “Pax” or “Both” (i.e. pax and/or cargo) according to your intended use.
WARNING
For correct formatting of load sheets, it is recommended to specify an appropriate load type for each load station when setting up the aircraft type.
Load Station Lateral Arm can be left blank, unless the aircraft is a helicopter with lateral arm values presented for the load station in the POH
INFO
Whether you combine load stations with the same station length together or separate them out is up to you. i.e. you can combine seats to have Front Seats and Rear Seats if you choose, or you can set up Seat 1, Seat 2, Seat 3, Seat 4.
Adding Fuel tanks
Fuel tanks are added below the FUEL TANKS subheading.
Add a row. You’ll need to name the row, set the maximum capacity and provide the fuel tank’s arm figure.
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Note, in the above example that L and R wing tanks have been combined into one entry. If you have a second fuel tank with a different arm, add a second (or more) row.
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Note: The order of the tanks in this view determines the fuel burn order. Fuel is burnt from the top tank down. You can quickly reorder fuel tanks (and load stations too) whilst in edit mode by dragging the row from the handle on the far right (three horizontal bars icon).
Advanced fuel tank arms can also be added. These allow different moment arms for different fuel levels (e.g. for swept-wing aircraft, or those with an unusually-shaped fuel tank system). Moment arms are linearly interpolated between values in the table. Only use this option if you are given an advanced fuel burn arm table in the POH.
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Usable Fuel vs Unusable Fuel
Only Usable fuel quantities should be included in tank capacity values. Unusable Fuel should not be included in tank capacity values. The weight associated with unusable fuel is included in an aircraft’s Basic Empty Weight.
Detailed Type Performance (optional)
The Detailed Performance page provides the ability to define one or more optional detailed performance models for the aircraft type.
More than one performance model associated with an aircraft type is supported. Each should be given a meaningful name and can be selected for use when creating a flight plan. A model is built with series of altitudes and temperatures and the performance values at those altitudes.
Detailed performance models are of particular use in turbine powered aircraft where aircraft performance is a strong function of altitude (and temperature). For piston engined aircraft typically operating below 10,000’, detailed performance tables can also be configured for different power settings, but are not essential.
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Performance values at intermediate altitudes will be linearly interpolated within the chosen performance table by AvPlan EFB.
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When one or more Detailed Performance profiles have been created, the basic performance data are shown in grey to indicate that they are not in use. i.e they are ignored.
Creating a profile
To create a detailed model, select the Performance tab:
- Press + to create a new performance model.
- Enter a suitable name (e.g. ‘75% Power’, ‘ISA Max Cruise’ or ‘ISA+10 Long Range Cruise’ etc).
- Press < Performance to go back. You will notice that the new performance model has been created, but is empty.
To build the performance model:
- Select the Edit icon on the bottom of that window.
- To add a new row, press Add. Each row is a snapshot of the aircraft’s performance at a given altitude and temperature.
- Values from the flight manual can then be added for each row. Go back to the Performance view and add rows as required.
- The more entries, the more accurate fuel/flight planning will be. A single engine piston aircraft may only need a handful of entries to cover its performance spectrum, whereas a turbine powered aircraft will benefit from more entries as the performance values change rapidly with altitude.
- AvPlan EFB will linearly interpolate values between altitudes listed in a performance profile.
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The number of rows you add is up to you, but you need at least two – one at sea-level and one at the top of your normal altitude range. How many you put in between will depend on the performance characteristics of your aircraft. The simplest example might be for a small piston aircraft to add one row for sea-level, and another for 10,000ft. For some aircraft, such as turbojets, performance detail in the flight levels will be much more important, with only a couple of rows required to represent low-level flight.
Deleting a Detailed Performance profile
To delete a performance profile tap Delete Profile. A window will pop up asking which profile is to be deleted.
WARNING
When a profile is deleted, any rows associated with that profile will also be deleted.
INFO
If all advanced performance profiles are deleted, the basic performance data will become live again and will show in normal black text rather than grey.
Advanced Weight and Balance
Lateral (side-to-side) WnB Envelope construction (Premium feature)
If an aircraft type has a lateral CofG envelope, it can be constructed in the same manner as above from POH data. Similarly, loading stations will have lateral arms that should be entered at each loading station.
If a lateral envelope exists for an aircraft selected for use in a flight plan, then the envelope and relevant loading options will be presented in the Planning>Aircraft Loading etc page. The lateral envelope will also appear in the Advanced Load Sheet.
Loading Profiles & Optional Equipment (Premium features)
If you routinely set up an aircraft in different configurations (fewer or more seats in the cabin etc) and /or with with certain optional equipment (survey camera gear, medical equipment cabinets and so on) then your aircraft can be set up in advance with a number of Loading Profiles, each of which can have sets of Optional Equipment.
Loading Profiles
Loading profiles are added using the Profiles button at the top right of the Weight and Balance editing screen. Loading profiles do not change the CofG envelope of the aircraft, but will reflect standard sets of basic Empty Weight/Arm values and corresponding loading stations and limits, if set.
Here is an example of setting up two loading profiles for an aircraft that has all six seats in one profile, and only four seats in another:
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Swipe left on a Profile name to reveal a menu to To Rename, Copy, Approve or Delete it if you are the designated Weight Control Authority.
Note- if you swipe too quickly you may only see the Delete option.
If you select Delete, you will be given the option to confirm or cancel. Deletion is permanent.
Optional Equipment
The Edit button at the top right of the Weight and Balance setup page is used to add Optional Equipment packages to a Loading Profile. Named optional equipment packages are assigned to named locations (i.e. load stations) in the aircraft, and are simply defined by their weights and longitudinal (and lateral) arms. Any number of Optional Equipment packages can be created… and then selected as required for the actual W & B calculation in Planning.
Load Profile Approval by a Weight Control Authority (Premium feature)
If your organisation uses a WCA to verify and approve weight and balance calculation systems, then the WCA can be given permission to access your Aircraft files and “Approve” them electronically. When this has been done, the parameters defining CofG envelopes and aircraft loading parameters for an aircraft cannot be changed. WCA Approval (or lack of it) is annotated at the bottom of the Advanced Load Sheet. Contact AvSoft Australia for information regarding being registered as a WCA for an organisation.
Once approved by a WCA, a load profile and its optional equipment package definitions are given a green tick of approval, are locked and can no longer be edited.
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Once approved, Load Profiles can no longer be changed.
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Optional Equipment cannot be added to an Approved Load Profile.
If you need to change an approved loading profile or change equipment packages, then simply copy a profile that you already have (its optional equipment will also be copied), then edit it and get it approved. It is not possible to “unapprove” an approved profile in order to make it editable