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Exporting EFB Flight plans to VPilot


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Hi

 

I have been using EFB for some time now and find the flight plan aircraft specific export feature very useful.

 

I was wondering if it is possible to save and export flight plans from EFB into VPilot specific format for use on Vatsim in some way?

 

Thanks

 

Iain

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Hi Urs

 

As far as I'm aware VPilot can read squawkbox flight plans, I think they are SFP files, the other format that can be opened from the option menu seems to be "VPilot" format, I am unsure what the actual file format of these are though.

 

I also read that other formats from other programs such as FS Build and PFPX use SB3 and SB4 Formats which seem to be understandable and exportable to VPilot.

 

FsInn and SB4 also seem to be widely supported formats for VPilot export and indeed a format I currently use to export plans from one of the virtual airlines I am a member of.

 

I don't think FSX pln plans can be directly read by VPilot.

 

So all that seems to be needed is the correct export format from EFB which is readable to VPilot, which may be much easier said than done :D

 

 

Thanks

 

Iain

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Hi Urs

 

The plans I can currently export to Vpilot are *.sfp plans. I have never used Squawkbox as a client for connecting to Vatsim but the *.sfp files are recognised as a format that can be opened under "Squawkbox Flight Plans" within the drop down menu of Vpilot itself.

 

To illustrate I have attached a couple of screenshots. Firstly, an example of the formats I can export to VPilot that are produced by my virtual airline dispatch and secondly, the dialogue box that appears within VPilot to select the flightplan to import.

 

Thanks

 

Iain

post-3268-143100406529_thumb.jpg

post-3268-143100406537_thumb.jpg

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Hi Urs

 

Opening up the load dialogue in Vpilot there is no option to load a *.sbp and the file is not recognised. However changing the file name of the file you attached to

KMEMKORD01.sfp allows VPilot to import the data, I'm not sure if this is all the data but the first screen shot illustrates what was loaded into VPilot.

 

The second screenshot is one of a recent flight plan I used from my VA dispatch which was in *.sfp format for comparison as to the information that is imported including flight times, enroute times, fuel available times, cruise speed and additional imported remarks.

 

Cheers

 

Iain

post-3268-14310040654_thumb.jpg

post-3268-143100406546_thumb.jpg

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Hi Iain,

 

thanks for testing this flight plan. EFB does not provide more data in a flight plan so I fear that screen one is the most we can expect. Screen two most probably comes from a flight plan which has been created by a flight planning program like PFPX.

If it's only the file type which I must change from "sbp" to "sfp" then I guess I could upload a flight plan handler within the next 24 hours.

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Hi Urs

 

Yes, I think the plans that they use are generated within Sim Brief or indeed PFPX

 

I think it would be great to have an export facility from EFB to VPilot and as you suggest a change to *.sfp would seem to be the answer :)

 

Thanks

 

Iain

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Hi Urs

 

Thanks for that I have installed the dll file in the plugins directory but after restarting the data provider and display unit there doesn't seem to be any new option to save in the new format. I also had the same problem when updating the recent Airbus installer.

 

All files seem to be in the correct locations but as I say I don't see any new saving formats in the options.

 

Cheers

 

Iain

post-3268-143100406562_thumb.jpg

post-3268-143100406567_thumb.jpg

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Thanks Urs

 

I installed the updated dll but still no option to save the new file format I'm afraid, perhaps it is something unique in my system.

 

Can anyone else confirm if they have got this file format to export to VPilot?

 

I have even tried reinstalling EFB but no change to report I'm afriad :?

 

Thanks

 

Iain

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It works flawlessly on my server/client setup. I installed the dll to my efb/plugins dir on the client machine and directed the save position to .../my docouments/vpilotfiles.

I agree with earlier poster about the lack of information in the saved file, but I realize efb does not calculate flight time and such, but as for saving the route for loading in vPilot, it does just that fine. Problem is cross checked and reported :D

I like the fact that I can also tic Prosim737 and save as coroute.

 

Actually, to get more automated functionality in my cockpit environment, EFB should be able to import flightplan from Prosim. We generally don't use Rfinder or VATroute to plan trips, as they tend to often be to old vs AIRAC. Our prefered service is not listed in EFB.

It would be great if EFB flightplan could import/load saved plan from Prosim coroutes.xml or vPilot files. As vPilot can save as squawkbox format, this might already work.

 

 

 

Happy landings

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Hmm must be something unique in my system as the dll's are not recognised within the programme, no option to save as a VPilot plan.

 

Gier, so you now get an option to export a VPilot plan from the main save options?

 

Further investigation required!

 

Iain

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Hmm must be something unique in my system as the dll's are not recognised within the programme, no option to save as a VPilot plan.

 

Gier, so you now get an option to export a VPilot plan from the main save options?

 

Further investigation required!

 

Iain

 

No, we get an option to save as Squawkbox file format.

In vPilot/Flight Plan, click "load" and set "File type" to Squawkbox. Then you will be able to load the flightplan that you have made in EFB and saved in your vPilot files directory.

 

Waypoints and ORIGN/DEST will be filled in to your vPilot flight plan, but you will have to manually fill in the other text fields.

 

------

I will try to make a plan by following the formula in EFB Documentation (FROM{ETD} {SPDALT} {SID{.TRNS}} {Enroute} {STAR{.TRNS}} TO{ETA} {ALTN}

), but I'm a little confused about the documentation remarks saying "not yet used in EFB".

If I COULD use all those entries, It is possible for us to export a full flight plan from CDU to specified directory for EFB to load it.

 

... but this is really information that belong to a new post. I will make a new topic on the matter.

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Hi Geir,

 

"not yet used in EFB" means that the information is not yet used in EFB, but you can use it in the route description. E.g.: you can use the ETA in your route description, but ETA has no use in EFB. Have a look at the examples at page 10 and 11 (section 5, Route) in the manual. There you will see that some information are provided which has no impact in EFB.

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