Does anyone know how to make a coordinates sometimes i see people like @Dr3ambigg3r use coordinates?
Hey there!
Have a look at the tutorials below:
Will they bee smooth is basically what Im asking
wdym by “smooth”.
You ever try @KSATplane_spotter
https://if-flightplan-tools.vercel.app/editor
I use that mixed with hand flying. Lmk if you need orbit tracks as well.
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SimBrief to IF
Let’s say I have these coordinates generated by SimBrief.
That would mean
| Airway | Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | IF Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASMAP4U | FM078 | 40°48.6’N | 029°16.3’E or 29°16.3’E | 4048N/2916E |
| ASMAP4U | PEPAK | 40°41.8’N | 029°19.3’E or 29°19.3’E | 4041N/2919E |
| ASMAP4U | NENVI | 40°35.2’N | 029°25.5’E or 29°25.5’E | 4035N/2925E |
| ASMAP4U | IBSIN | 40°36.7’N | 029°41.2’E or 29°41.2’E | 4036N/2941E |
| ASMAP4U | LECKI | 40°37.7’N | 029°52.4’E or 29°52.4’E | 4037N/2952E |
| ASMAP4U | VICEN | 40°39.9’N | 030°18.1’E or 30°18.1’E | 4039N/3018E |
OK so here’s the catch:
- Both IF and SimBrief use the earlier definition of 1NM, and they’re using Degrees Minutes Decimal format
Earth surface is assumed as a perfect circle, so it would have 360° angle in total, and each 1° can be divided to 60 minute, and 1 minute is considered as 1NM
- With that in mind, 40°48.6’N 29°16.3’E is 16.3NM away from 40°48.6’N 29°00.0’E
- The thing is, IF format only specifies to minute detail, not the minute decimal, so 4048N/2916E actually represents 40°48.0’N 29°16.0’E. That’s 0.6NM offset to the south and 0.3NM offset to the west.
- I haven’t found a way to input the minute decimal manually. You have to use IF FlightPlan Tools for this.
Google Maps to IF #1
Another exercise. Let’s say I want to input this random coordinate from Google Maps into IF
The coordinate is in Degrees Decimal format, so first thing we need to do is converting the decimal into minutes.
18.690925° = 18° + 0.690925° × 60’N = 18°41.455’N → 1841N (IF format)
110.054058° = 110° + 0.054058° × 60’E = 110°03.24348’E → 11003E (IF format)
Google Maps to IF #2
Another exercise. Let’s say I have another random coordinate. Well, actually it’s not that random. It’s the threshold of RWY30 at KIAD.
The coordinate is in Degrees Minutes Seconds format. Things just get easier now. We need to do little to no conversion since it’s already in Degrees Minutes, but here is for the curious minds
38°56’01.8’‘N = 38°56’ + 01.8 × (1 min/60 sec) = 38°56’ + 0.03’ N = 38°56.03’N → 3856N
77°27’23.9’‘W = 77°27’ + 23.9 × (1 min/60 sec) = 77°27’ + 0.3983’ W = 77°27.3983W → 7727W
Together it will be 3856N/7727W—offset 0.03NM latitude and 0.3983NM longitude, with Pythagorean theorem, it’s offset 0.399NM from what it should be. It might look like a little number but if you input that into IF, you’ll see that it makes quite a difference when you view it from a closer distance.
TL;DR
Know your format and convert it to Degrees Minutes for it to work in IF.
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