Does EFB2 delete the flight plan in FSX after landing?

[bmaik]

I have done two successful flights with EFB2 so far, and I'm not quite sure yet whether I will continue to use it. It seems that everytime after landing EFB2 deletes the Flight Plan which I created in PFPX and sent it to FSX, EFB2 and various other add-ons with the effect that other add-ons such as SuperTrafficBoard which I have used for ages lose all information about the flight plan after landing. In the case of SuperTrafficBoard this means that the boards goes black after landing because it no longer knows what the departure and arrival airport were according to the flight plan. Why does this happen? Do I have a wrong setting somewhere?

[KiloJuliett]

Are you sending the FPL directly from PFPX to FSX or through EFB?

[lonewulf47]

42 minutes ago, bmaik said:

I have done two successful flights with EFB2 so far, and I'm not quite sure yet whether I will continue to use it. It seems that everytime after landing EFB2 deletes the Flight Plan which I created in PFPX and sent it to FSX, EFB2 and various other add-ons with the effect that other add-ons such as SuperTrafficBoard which I have used for ages lose all information about the flight plan after landing. In the case of SuperTrafficBoard this means that the boards goes black after landing because it no longer knows what the departure and arrival airport were according to the flight plan. Why does this happen? Do I have a wrong setting somewhere?

It depends on the way you send the Flightplan to EFB v2.If you use the Uplink Option then the Flightplan is deleted as soon as it is uplinked to and accepted by EFB v2. If you want to keep it stored in either the FSX or the EFB v2 path for later use, you simply save it after successful uplink. There are exporters for both FSX/P3D and EFB v2 format.

[bmaik]

Thanks Oskar for your reply,

 

I send the flight plan direct via the export option of PFPX to EFB2 such that it can be loaded under Company Routes, I've never used uplink. The problem occurs only after landing when EFB2 dectects that the aircraft has touched down and deletes the active flightplan and saves it as a log as I suppose. Is there a way to prevent this from happening`??? EFB1 never did this, I could taxi to the gate and the flight plan was kept active until I disconnected EFB.

[lonewulf47]

32 minutes ago, bmaik said:

Thanks Oskar for your reply,

 

I send the flight plan direct via the export option of PFPX to EFB2 such that it can be loaded under Company Routes, I've never used uplink. The problem occurs only after landing when EFB2 dectects that the aircraft has touched down and deletes the active flightplan and saves it as a log as I suppose. Is there a way to prevent this from happening`??? EFB1 never did this, I could taxi to the gate and the flight plan was kept active until I disconnected EFB.

Well, this is not what EFB v2 does either. I can't see what you are describing. The flightplan (Routing) saved to the routings directory is still there after landing as it should be. There is no reason for EFB v2 to delete it. To what folder do you save the route after creation in PFPX?

[bmaik]

Thank you Oskar for looking into it. I save it  to the standard folder:

 

C:\Users\<username>\Documents\AivlaSoft\EFB2\Client\Routes.

 

What I mean ist that during the flight I can access the Flightplan/Flightlog via the FPL tab but as soon as I touch down the FPL tab doesn't show the flightplan anymore but is empty awaits a new one. Therefore something must have happened or be deleted while landing which makes my STB go crazy.

 

draci

[aivlasoft]

This is by design. After the aircraft has landed, from EFB's point of view, there is no need to keep the flight plan. It will be cleaned up.

However, EFB does not delete the flight plan file after landing. It does only remove the flight plan from the default GPS system, but this is just a command via FSUIPC to the simulator.

 

You can easily verify it. When EFB is creating/updating the GPS flight plan, it creates a file named "EFB_current_gps.pln" in the simulators flight plan folder. This file remains after landing.

[lonewulf47]

37 minutes ago, bmaik said:

Thank you Oskar for looking into it. I save it  to the standard folder:

 

C:\Users\<username>\Documents\AivlaSoft\EFB2\Client\Routes.

 

What I mean ist that during the flight I can access the Flightplan/Flightlog via the FPL tab but as soon as I touch down the FPL tab doesn't show the flightplan anymore but is empty awaits a new one. Therefore something must have happened or be deleted while landing which makes my STB go crazy.

 

draci

I'm afraid we are talking of two different Flightplan/routing files. The file you create and save with PFPX is of the *.efbr format stored at the path mentioned above ( C:\Users\<username>\Documents\AivlaSoft\EFB2\Client\Routes). It will remain available unless you manually delete it. A flightplan for FSX would be in *.PLN format and stored at another location (usually at C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files). If you don't store a routing explicitly at this location, it will not show up there. It is not needed anyway for EFB v2 ops, as you can't load it directly from there. You would need to move it into the "uplink" folder.

 

I'm afraid that I have no idea what STB is using for what purpose.

[RayProudfoot]

1 hour ago, aivlasoft said:

However, EFB does not delete the flight plan file after landing. It does only remove the flight plan from the default GPS system, but this is just a command via FSUIPC to the simulator.

 

Hi Urs,

 

STB or Super Traffic Board is a 3rd utility that shows the status of all Ai aircraft at an airport including the user aircraft providing a flight plan is loaded into FSX/P3D.

 

Once that plan is removed the user aircraft disappears from STB. As a fellow user of STB I have some sympathy for the OP because it would be nice to see the status of my aircraft until I set the p/b.

 

Would it be possible for the removal of the flight plan from the GPS to be user controlled via an option? Either on landing or when p/b is set. Thanks.

[lonewulf47]

1 hour ago, RayProudfoot said:

 

Hi Urs,

 

STB or Super Traffic Board is a 3rd utility that shows the status of all Ai aircraft at an airport including the user aircraft providing a flight plan is loaded into FSX/P3D.

 

Once that plan is removed the user aircraft disappears from STB. As a fellow user of STB I have some sympathy for the OP because it would be nice to see the status of my aircraft until I set the p/b.

 

Would it be possible for the removal of the flight plan from the GPS to be user controlled via an option? Either on landing or when p/b is set. Thanks.

Sorry, Ray

I'm just trying to find out what you are sayinge here ? So you are landed at an airport, you see that (hopefully) in your Simulator and (hopefully again) in EFB v2. So my (simple, I admit) guess is that you might well be aware of your status, uhm... of course I mean the status of your A/C by two means, the Simulator and EFB v2. And now you really do ask for a THIRD means to check the status of your A/C? Forgive me, but I'm simply overstrained by that....?

[bmaik]

Sorry Urs,

 

Ray is completely right. The problem is that some add-ons rely on the flight plan loaded into the default GPS to work properly. If EFB2 (rather selfishly) removes this flight plan after landing (once again I don't get the reason for this, why not simply leave it untli the EFB2 user enters a new flight plan via the FPL dialogue which he would do anyway if he really wanted to fly again???), these add-ons cease working. It would not help much to remove the flight plan when setting parking brake because you want the traffic board to display information during the whole flight sim session even after deboarding pax because it also displays information about surrounding AI aircraft. The only reasonable solution would be not to remove the flight plan at all. I have been flight simming for more than 20 years now, my home cockpit is quite advanced and I'm running a myriad of add-ons which all work seamlessly together in my network (after many years of fiddling....) So it's a pity, although I admit that I recognize some of  the benefits EFB2 has over EFB1 this a major disadvantage I cannot live with if my other add-ons which have become indispensible to me over the years do no longer work. EFB1 definitely belonged to this category for me for a long time so I wiil prefer the old version I guess.

 

draci

[RayProudfoot]

12 hours ago, lonewulf47 said:

Sorry, Ray

I'm just trying to find out what you are sayinge here ? So you are landed at an airport, you see that (hopefully) in your Simulator and (hopefully again) in EFB v2. So my (simple, I admit) guess is that you might well be aware of your status, uhm... of course I mean the status of your A/C by two means, the Simulator and EFB v2. And now you really do ask for a THIRD means to check the status of your A/C? Forgive me, but I'm simply overstrained by that....?

 

Hi Oskar,

I know my aircraft status of course. I suppose it would help if you had Super Traffic Board and saw what it presented. In the real world display boards inside airports don't remove the flight from  this board as soon as the main gear touches down. It's removed some time after the aircraft reaches the gate.

 

Whilst it's not a major thing for me as much as draci it would be nice (not essential) for STB to show the user aircraft status as Taxi In assuming that would be the displayed status.

[bmaik]

On my STB not only the user aircraft is removed BUT ALL FLIGHTS as soon as the gear touches down, which means essentially the Traffic Board goes black!!! That's why it really IS a major thing for me because the purpose of a traffic board is to have traffic displayed WHEN ON THE GROUND and not in the air! I guess the reason why Oscar didn't understand what STB really does, is your way describing it Ray, the traffic board is not so much about showing the state of the user aircraft (I think I know myself when I'm in the air and when I am on the ground, I don't need an add-on to show me that!) but much more an info board for passengers as every airport in the world has it, showing all arriving and departing flights with flight number, departure time, destination, gates etc. You would admit Oscar that it is essential to have THIS TYPE of traffic board working when arriving at destination (in flight it's pretty much useless!) but if EFB2 removes the flight plan from the GPS mine goes BLACK, as I said, which is equivalent to useless! I think it would be easy for the developer to change this behaviour (still I don't see the purpose for removing the plan from the GPS and nobody explained to me so far why EFB2 does this!!!!), simply don't send the FSUIPC command for removing and problem solved. What do you think?

 

draci

[aivlasoft]

I will have a look at this.

[RayProudfoot]

@bmaik, I have P3D v3 and the other flights remain on STB. Maybe you need to check with the author if they're all disappearing. That doesn't sound right.

[bmaik]

Thank you Urs for having a look, please keep me updated.

 

Best regards, draci

[bmaik]

Just tested tonight that VoxATC is just another add on that does not work if EFB2 is started before it, it isn't able to identify the departure airport because EFB2 overwrites the GPS flightplan. By the way I noticed that in my active profile the option "Forward flightplan to default GPS" is unchecked, nevertheless a Garmin_current_EFB_pln is produced,

 

draci

[aivlasoft]

7 hours ago, bmaik said:

if EFB2 is started before it, it isn't able to identify the departure airport because EFB2 overwrites the GPS flightplan.

I don't understand this. If EFB is started before, then it will (if available) create the GPS flight plan which can then be read from the other program

 

Quote

By the way I noticed that in my active profile the option "Forward flightplan to default GPS" is unchecked, nevertheless a Garmin_current_EFB_pln is produced,

The file "EFB_current_garmin.pln" is from EFB v1, not from v2.

 

Do you run both programs (EFB v1 and v2) simultaneously ?

 

[bmaik]

Thank you Urs for trying to help. No, but I have both programs installed side by side which doesn't seem to be a problem. Until the problem with the GPS flight plan is sorted, I won't uninstall EFB1. Can you explain to me, why you send the FSUIPC command to delete the GPS flightplan after landing and whether it is correct that EFB1 did not do this? (Since I've been running the latter for years without the slightest issue)

And would it be possible to release a version without this deletion since I really like EFB and would like to continue using the latest version.

 

Best regards,

Maik

[aivlasoft]

6 hours ago, bmaik said:

Can you explain to me, why you send the FSUIPC command to delete the GPS flightplan after landing and whether it is correct that EFB1 did not do this?

New programs bring new ideas ?. No seriously, it's just to keep the cockpit clean. From my point of view there is no need to keep a flight plan after landing.

 

6 hours ago, bmaik said:

And would it be possible to release a version without this deletion since I really like EFB and would like to continue using the latest version.

With next update you can optionally keep the flight plan in the GPS system after landing. It will then no longer be removed by EFB (as it was in EFB v1).

 

[bmaik]

Thank you Urs, that's great to hear. Can you already estimate how long we have to wait for this update?

[KiloJuliett]

Until it is published ... ?

[lonewulf47]

On 8/17/2018 at 11:17 PM, bmaik said:

 If EFB2 (rather selfishly) removes this flight plan after landing (once again I don't get the reason for this, why not simply leave it untli the EFB2 user enters a new flight plan via the FPL dialogue which he would do anyway if he really wanted to fly again???)

This question is easily answered. I wouldn't know of any "mature" navigtion system that keeps a completed flightplan after landing. Even the highly sophisticated FMS/FMC/FMGC system of any large transport do that because simply noone ever needs this flightplan anymore. As Urs said, the *.pln file (the main source for any GPS Flgithplan in EFB) is still retained and any reasonable software using a current flightplan should use this file as a) it is always available until it is recreated for the next flightplan and b) it also contains the most recent changes. There is no reason to call EFB selfishly as all information can still be retrieved from its source. If the coders of any other add-on software would just recognize...

[bmaik]

Thank you Oscar for your reply, but believe me, as a real world pilot, I am quite experienced with FMC. Unfortunately the flight simming environment IS NOT reality (and never will be!) since as a user dealing with a myriad of add-ons, all from different developers I'm forced to live with their ideas and decisions without being able to influence them. It doesn't help much to mention that "other developers could use this information if they just recognized". The fact is that they DON'T and this is all that matters for me as a user. It is a fact that other add-ons rely on that flightplan which is deleted by EFB2 and this is a real deal breaker. It doesn't help that the .pln file is still there, the add-ons in question won't reread it until I load it manually again, not very realistic either, you must admit.  If I pay for add-ons, all I want that they are compatible to a certain minimal extent to enhance my flight simming experience and deleting a flight plan on which other add-ons rely - no matter whether this reflects reality or not - is simply frustrating. Please keep in mind, even the best add-on in the world isn't of much use if doesn't work nicely together with others and will not be bought. However, Urs already confirmed further above that he takes my point serious and will soon offer a solution and that's all I asked for.

[KiloJuliett]

Maik, if you read your post above again but assume that you had EFB already and then added your other add-on, you wouldn't ask EFB to change anything, but just the other add-on developer. You can't honestly expect EFB to deal with any possible and impossible behaviour of other add-ons, just because you have them setup the way they are.

But it's also good to know that Aivlasoft actually seems to be the only one recognizing that you have an issue and offer a fix within just a few days. Wow!

However, you still might want to address your issues and the proposed solution to the developer of the other add-on. Maybe, they take you more seriously than you think once you tell them about your problem ...