MENU/PLAN Sub-mode

The PLAN sub-mode is used for route planning and correction and is a useful tool for when you need to modify the flight plan after new intelligence on enemy positions becomes available. PLAN sub-mode is selected by pressing the PLAN FSK button on the main MENU operating mode page.

3-25: MENU/PLAN sub-mode page

After the PLAN sub-mode FSK button has been selected, the ABRIS display will appear as shown above. Note that the display is static and may not accurately represent the aircraft‟s current position and state. It may be helpful to think of this as an in-cockpit mission editor.

Route Handling

One of the most important functions of the PLAN sub-mode is the ability to edit and create new flight plans in ABRIS. PLAN mode offers the following functions to support this:

 Creation of a route in either manual or automatic mode with the use of waypoint (WPT) callsigns.

 Storage of routes in the ABRIS database with the capability to save, load, and delete routes from the database.

 Automated route calculations based on entered parameters: true airspeed, altitude, weather information, distance between waypoint legs, fuel level, and fuel flow data.

Enhanced ABRIS capabilities are provided by the implementation of a number of additional functions:

 Manual input of WPTs not available in the loaded ABRIS database.

 Manual input of line type objects: points, boundaries, area object contours, etc.

A route created in ABRIS consists of an airfield departure point, a set of waypoints, and an airfield destination (terminal) point. To provide flight plan (FPL) calculations, the route may include TAS data, flight altitude, weather information, fuel loading, and fuel flow in different sortie phases. After pressing the PLAN FSK button, the main PLAN sub-mode page will display the active route.

3-26: MENU/PLAN sub-mode

Unload Active Route

To unload the current route displayed on the ABRIS and create a new route, press the SELECT FSK button and then select the UNLOAD option from the pop-up menu. In doing so, you will erase the route that was created in the mission editor. The DRAW FSK button will now be visible next to the SELECT FSK button and provide you the ability to draw a new flight route. It is important to understand that you must unload the current route before creating a new one.

3-27: UNLOAD route selected from pop-up menu

3-28: View of the PLAN sub-mode after unloading of current plan

Manual Waypoint Entry

A route consists of two or more waypoints joined sequentially. As such, we‟ll first need to learn how to place waypoints. After unloading the current plan, press the DRAW FSK button. The ABRIS map will now display a green-colored box . In the example below, the box is centered over the starting airfield. Additionally, a grey field with information appears in the flight information area.

3-29: MENU/PLAN display when waypoint entry mode is entered

The new waypoint information field (grey box) includes the following data:

1. 01 – Waypoint number in the route. This number is automatically assigned.

2. NEW STP – A conventional name of the steerpoint is added to the route; a yellow color indicates that if the steerpoint is included in the route, the field value will have to be changed (or it will be changed automatically). This is an editable field.

3. Waypoint-over option. Allows three options to determine how steering information will be provided between waypoints (FBY, OVR, or FIN)

4. MVR – The magnetic declination value for the area where the active marker is positioned.

5. Active marker’s coordinates. Displayed as latitude and longitude values, this field indicates the coordinates on the map of the green box marker.

To add a waypoint to a route, press ADD button: Before performing this operation, it may be necessary to change the coordinates of the waypoint to be entered. In doing so, it may be best to change the scale of the map by pressing the SCALE+ or SCALE- FSK buttons the necessary number of times. The current map scale value is displayed in the bottom right corner of the map.

After the map scale has been appropriately set, use the cursor manipulator to move the cursor to the map coordinate/object where you wish to place the waypoint. In the case of a first waypoint, this should be an airfield. Left click on the cursor manipulator knob to toggle between horizontal marker movement and vertical marker movement. Note that when the marker is moved that the coordinates are updated on the left side of the flight information area. When objects already plotted on the map are used to place a waypoint, the marker should be placed on top of the map object to be used (waypoints, airdromes,

beacons, etc.). A precise placement is not required (the available object will be entered into the waypoint input field by pressing the ADD FSK button), but the marker center is required to be over the map object. After a waypoint has been added to the route, the following options are possible: If there is no map object point under the active marker when the waypoint was created, the WPT conventional number in the route plan is assigned automatically and cannot be changed. Within the flight information area, a white colored box indicates the field to be edited; by default it is the waypoint name field. Information field values can be changed using the cursor manipulator knob. To cycle between the fields to be edited, press the ►► FSK button:

 WPT name field – To edit this field, rotate the cursor manipulator; right clicking the knob cycles to the next character space. Cycling to a different field enters the name.

 WPT OVER option – Determines the passing order of the aircraft turn. The permissible field values and their characteristics are shown in the table below.

Values of WPT OVER option field

3-30: Examples of the WPT OVER options

 Magnetic declination field – The value can be changed by using the cursor manipulator control and the permissible value is +/- 90.

 WPT coordinate field – This value is automatically changed by using the cursor manipulator control.

3-31: View of MENU/PLAN display after a WPT is entered at an arbitrary map point

1. WPT name

2. WPT OVER option

3. Magnetic declination field

4. WPT coordinates

When there is an aeronautical point under the active maker: When the marker has been placed over a map object creating a waypoint, the waypoint information fields have values similar to those described above, the difference being an additional field: AERONAUTICAL POINT TYPE. This displays the object type stored in the ABRIS database as white symbols against black background next to the WPT OVER field. The possible fields and their characteristics are shown in the table below: AERONAUTICAL POINT TYPE data fields

3-32: MENU/PLAN display after a waypoint is created over a map point

Only the WPT OVER options and MAGNETIC DECLINATION data fields are active in this case. The values of the other fields are determined by values stored in the aeronautical database for the map point: WPT name, AERONAUTICAL POINT TYPE, GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES. To complete the procedure for adding a WPT to the route:

Once the waypoint has been created, press the ENTER FSK button. After this is done, the screen will display a blue WPT marker on the map. To cancel addition of a WPT to the route, press the CANCEL FSK button.

Enter Waypoint by Callsign

The ABRIS includes a database of navigational points that can be fed to the PLAN sub-mode using the SEARCH FSK button. The SEARCH FSK is available from the PLAN sub-mode after you have added a waypoint to a route. A search in the navigational point database is made according to callsign. To enter a callsign search, press the SEARCH FSK button and then enter a callsign name in the field. As the first character of the WPT callsign is entered (by default, a 00001 string is used for the callsign), the field is cleared. To switch to the next character position, right click the cursor manipulator. Attention! To correctly select the WPT from the database, it may be necessary to enter ALL the callsign characters!

If you have switched from the first character position to the next without changing it, the field you are editing will be left intact. When a WPT is selected in this manner, only the WPT OVER field can be edited in the flight information area. Press the SEARCH FSK button a second time to save the WPT.

Use the following procedure to add a WPT by use of callsign:

1. Press the DRAW FSK button and the screen will display the map with a green colored box marker on it - , a grey field with WPT information appears in the flight information area.

2. Press the ADD FSK button after moving the marker with the cursor manipulator control. If there is a navigational point under the marker, it will be automatically included in the route. In case of an unintentional WPT input, press the CANCEL button.

3-33: MENU/PLAN sub-mode with available SEARCH function

3. Press the SEARCH FSK button and in the WPT (name) callsign field (box with blinking cursor) enter a full callsign.

3-34: Callsign input in search mode

4. Press the SEARCH FSK button again. There will be two possible results:

 The navigational point was found and the map view will center on that location. Careful: there may be several points with the same callsign in the database but with differing geographic coordinates or aeronautical point type. In such a case, press SEARCH again and try to find the desired point.

3-35: MENU/PLAN sub-mode display after successfully completing a navigational point search by use of callsign

 The navigational point was not found. In this case, the screen displays “NOT FOUND” message. The appearance of the message could be the result of the callsign not existing in the navigational point database or an error in the callsign input.

3-36: MENU/PLAN sub-mode display when callsign is not found in database

5. To complete the procedure of adding a WPT, press the ENTER FSK button.

3-37: MENU/PLAN sub-mode after waypoint has been saved

Editing a waypoint’s properties: After you have created a waypoint and entered it, you can always go back and edit its parameters. To do so, select the waypoint and press the EDIT FSK button. This will display the pop-up window; from this, select the EDIT option by rotating the cursor manipulator to the DRAW option. Upon doing so, you will be returned to the editing page for that waypoint. In addition to editing the initial properties, you can also select SPEED, VNAV, METEO and FUEL from the EDIT sub-menus. When you have a route consisting of multiple waypoints, you may rotate the cursor manipulator to cycle between the waypoints. The currently selected waypoint will have its entry line shaded in blue.

3-38: MENU/PLAN/EDIT sub-mode

Editing a waypoint’s location:

If you wish to adjust the coordinates of a waypoint, use the following procedure:

 From the main PLAN sub-mode page, press the EDIT FSK and then select the DRAW option from the pop-up menu.

 Select the waypoint you wish to edit (rotate cursor manipulator control when you have more than one waypoint in the route).

 Press the EDIT FSK button and then select the EDIT sub-mode option.

 Press MOVE FSK button. At this stage, a cursor in the form of a green box will appear over the waypoint you have selected .

 Use the cursor manipulator to adjust the coordinates of the waypoint. Note that green lines will connect the new waypoint position to the waypoints before and after it in the route.

 When you adjusted the waypoint‟s location to your satisfaction, press the ENTER FSK button to finalize the adjustment.

The coordinates of new position WPT and ranges are calculated automatically. If it is necessary to correct parameters of another route point (leg), repeat the procedure detailed above. Note that this function will not work for waypoints assigned to airfields or beacons

Deleting a waypoint: After you have added a waypoint to a route, you can always delete it. To do so:

 From the PLAN sub-mode page, press the EDIT FSK and then select the DRAW option from the pop-up menu.

 Select the waypoint you wish to delete (rotate cursor manipulator when you have more than one waypoint in the route).

 Press the DELETE FSK button to remove the selected waypoint from the route.

After this is done, the selected waypoint point will be deleted from the route and its graphic representation will disappear from the map. The graphic representation of the route will change to suit the new succession of waypoints. If it is necessary to delete several route points, repeat the operations described above. Inserting a new waypoint in route: Whereas a WPT is a single geographic point, a route is a collection of two or more waypoints linked together sequentially. Each WPT is represented by a blue dot and connecting them will be a blue line. This is the course line between them. One you have created your first WPT as described above, you now need to add a second to make an actual route. To do so, first press the EDIT FSK button from the PLAN sub-mode page and then select DRAW from the pop-up window. Next, press the EDIT FSK button and then select the INSERT option from the pop-up menu. This will allow you to add a waypoint in succession after the waypoint you currently have selected.

3-39: MENU/PLAN/EDIT sub-mode to add a new waypoint to route

After you select the INSERT sub-mode option, you will see a green box over the currently selected waypoint. Use the cursor manipulator control to move the box. The location of this box will determine the coordinates of the new waypoint you are inserting into the route. If the new waypoint is entered in the middle part of a route, the previous waypoint will shift upwards. Note that a blue line will connect the current waypoint to the green marker box. When you have placed the marker at the desired location of the next waypoint, press the ADD FSK button. After having placed the new waypoint, you can then assign it its properties.

3-40: Inserting new WPT

in the MENU/PLAN sub-mode 3-41: Editing new WPT in the MENU/PLAN sub-mode Pressing the ENTER FSK will return you to the initial waypoint insertion list. You may rotate the cursor manipulator to cycle selection of all the waypoints in the route. In this manner, you may repeatedly add waypoints to a route to create a route plan from start to finish. You can also go back at any time and select any of the route waypoints for edit.

3-42: MENU/PLAN sub-mode view after WPT has been added to route

When there is more than one waypoint in a route, the ABRIS will provide additional information concerning legs and the entire route.

1. ACFT True Heading on the route leg - TH

2. True Track Angle - TCA

3. DiSTance between the WPT - DST

When the next WPT is entered in the middle part of the flight information, the previous one is shifted upwards. An additional information line appears between them and contains TCA, TH, and DST.

Return to the Initially Activated Route

If the route is altered during a sortie (the mission editor-created route is corrected or replaced with a new one), and it becomes necessary to return to the mission editor route, you can use the following procedure:

 Select the PLAN sub-mode page and press the SELECT FSK button

 From the pop-up menu, select the REVISE option and press the SELECT button again

 Press the ACTIV FSK button

3-43: Return to the Initially Activated Route

Editing a waypoint’s data for route calculations

In addition to setting a waypoint‟s initial properties such as name, WPT OVER type, magnetic declination, point type and coordinate, you may also enter data to assist in route calculations. This includes:

 Time of departure from the IWP and the aircraft‟s true airspeed on the route legs.

 Flight altitude on the route leg (flight altitude on the route leg and distance from/to the WPT).

 Weather information on the route legs (wind speed and direction, air temperature on the planned flight level).

 Data on the amount of fuel and fuel flow on the route legs.