Altair Glide Computer and Navigation System User Manual Page 1

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1 INTRODUCTIONLast flight statisticsThe previous flight’s statistics are automatically saved when XCSoar is shut down, and loadedagain at startup. This

11 CONFIGURATIONFail-safeIf the XCSoar software crashes due to an unrecoverable error while loading a file, the file will beremoved from the configuratio

11 CONFIGURATION11.1 SiteThe dialog specifies most of the important files that must be configured when flying at a new site.• Map file The name of the map

11 CONFIGURATION11.2 AirspaceThis page is used to determine how the airspace information is displayed and how warnings areissued.• Airspace display Co

11 CONFIGURATIONThis page also has Colours which can be used to review or change the colours/patterns usedby each airspace class. When pressed, the fo

11 CONFIGURATION11.3 Map DisplayThis page has options relating to the map display.• Labels This setting determines the label displayed with each waypo

11 CONFIGURATION• Target up when circling This is equivalent to track-up in cruise and the bearing to nextwaypoint up when circling.• North/track Nort

11 CONFIGURATION11.4 Terrain displayThis page sets how terrain and topology is drawn on the map window.• Terrain display Draws digital elevation terra

11 CONFIGURATIONColour schemesXCSoar Manual (Altair version) • XCSoar-A-EN 100

11 CONFIGURATION11.5 Glide computerThis page allows glide computer algorithms to be configured.• Glide terrain line This determines whether the glide t

11 CONFIGURATION• NAV by baro altitude When enabled and if connected to a barometric altimeter, barometric alti-tude is used for all navigation functi

1 INTRODUCTION1.5 Using XCSoar safelyThe use of an interactive system like XCSoar in flight carries with it certain risks due to the potentialdistracti

11 CONFIGURATION11.6 Safety factorsThis page allows the safety heights and behaviour in abort mode to be defined.• Arrival height The height above terr

11 CONFIGURATION11.7 PolarThis page allows the glide polar to be defined.• Type This contains a selection of gliders of different performance classes,

11 CONFIGURATION11.8 DevicesThe Devices page is used to specify the ports used to communicate with the GPS and other serialdevices. The default settin

11 CONFIGURATION11.9 UnitsThis page allows you to set the units preferences used in all displays, InfoBoxes, dialogs and inputfields. Separate selectio

11 CONFIGURATION11.10 InterfaceThis page defines some general display features of XCSoar.• Safety lock This determines whether the configuration setting

11 CONFIGURATION11.11 AppearanceThis page defines various display styles used by symbols and InfoBoxes.• Glider position Defines the location of the gli

11 CONFIGURATION• ON/Scaled FLARM radar enabled, map display enabled and auto scaled.When auto scaling is enabled, the FLARM targets on the map displa

11 CONFIGURATION11.12 InfoBoxThis page allows the configuration of InfoBoxes to be defined in each InfoBox display mode (circling,cruise, final glide and

12 DATA FILES12 Data FilesData files used by XCSoar fall into two categories:• Flight data files These files contain data relating to the aircraft type,

12 DATA FILESSeveral commercial and freely distributable programs exist for converting between different way-point formats.If the elevation of any way

2 USER INTERFACE2 User InterfaceThis section describes the fundamental user interface concepts used by XCSoar, and is intendedas an overview. More det

12 DATA FILES08 (RL1,7) 17 (RL53) 26(R) 35 (R)COMMUNICATIONS:CTAF - 122.5 REMARKS: Nstd10 NM rad to 5000’REMARKS:CAUTION - Animal haz. Rwy08L-26R and

12 DATA FILES*LS-3 WinPilot POLAR file: MassDryGross[kg],*MaxWaterBallast[liters], Speed1[km/h], Sink1[m/s],*Speed2, Sink2, Speed3, Sink3373,121,74.1,

12 DATA FILESThe polars built in to XCSoar are documented in the table below.Name Empty Ballast V1 W1 V2 W2 V3 W3mass mass(kg) (kg) (kph) (m/s) (kph)

12 DATA FILESDG-500 PIL 570 160 107.5 -0.66 141.33 -1.19 176.66 -2.1DG-800 15m 468 120 133.9 -0.88 178.87 -1.53 223.59 -2.5DG-800 18m Wnglts 472 120 1

12 DATA FILESNimbus 4DM (26m PIL) 729 168 94.31 -0.46 141.47 -0.82 179.9 -1.5Nimbus 4D PAS 743 303 107.5 -0.5 142.74 -0.83 181.51 -1.6Nimbus 4D PIL 65

12 DATA FILES12.9 ProfilesProfile files (extension .prf) can be used to store configuration settings used by XCSoar. Theformat is a simple text file contai

12 DATA FILES12.12 Flight logsThe software flight logger generates IGC files (extension .igc) according to the long namingconvention described in the FA

12 DATA FILES12.15 StatusStatus files are text of the form label=value, arranged in blocks of text where each block corre-sponds to an individual statu

13 ABOUT XCSOAR13 About XCSoar13.1 Product historyXCSoar started as a commercial product developed by Mike Roberts (UK), where it enjoyed asuccessful

13 ABOUT XCSOAR• Data integrity Airspace and waypoint files need to be kept up to date, and it often takes peoplewith local knowledge to do this.• Prom

2 USER INTERFACE• Dialog windows Larger dialog windows, usually containing graphics and buttons, are used topresent detailed data to the pilot regardi

13 ABOUT [email protected] try to coordinate our activities to avoid conflict and duplicated effort, and to work together as a

13 ABOUT XCSOARXCSoar Manual (Altair version) • XCSoar-A-EN 124

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2 USER INTERFACEIf the user doesn’t interact with the computer for a certain time, the menu will close automatically.This menu timeout is configurable.

2 USER INTERFACE• Team Code Opens Team Code . See 7.10 for more details.• AAT Target Configuration of the AAT target settings. See 4.1 for more details

2 USER INTERFACE2.1.4 CONF menu• Setup MC Opens Setup MacCready . See 5.2 for more details.• Setup Basic Opens Basic Settings . See 5.4 for more detai

2 USER INTERFACE• Analysis Show Opens Analysis . See the different ‘Analysis dialog: ...’ parts of this documentfor more details.• Checklist Opens Che

2 USER INTERFACE2.2 InfoBoxesThe customizable InfoBoxes are used to display informations re-garding atmosphere, flight, task, etc. The available fields

2 USER INTERFACEIn some dialogs, items that are not relevant or valid are not displayed (e.g. AAT details in a non-AATtask).We will now list all dialo

Notesi XCSoar Manual (Altair version) • XCSoar-A-EN

2 USER INTERFACE• Dsp Mode Change display mode. For more details see 2.2 resp. 5.1.• Airspace Airspace settings. For more details see 11.2.• Gliderang

2 USER INTERFACE2.3.11 Airspace BrowserAccess: CONF  Settings AirspaceDescription: Search and modify display settings of airspaces. For more details

2 USER INTERFACE2.3.20 ChecklistAccess: INFO  Check listDescription: Checklist can display several pages of user-defined free text, typically this is

2 USER INTERFACEAircraft• Longitude Aircraft’s longitude• Latitude Aircraft’s latitude• Altitude Aircraft’s altitude• Max height gain xxxxxxx• Near Ne

2 USER INTERFACE• GPS lock Whether a GPS source is connected.• Satellites in use Satellites used for GPS reception.• Vario Whether a variometer is con

2 USER INTERFACERules• Valid start Whether a valid Start was recognized• Start time Start time• Start alt Start altitude• Start point Start task point

2 USER INTERFACE• Local time Local time• Flight time Flight time• Takeoff time Takeoff time• Landing time Estimated landing time• Sunset Sunset at fini

2 USER INTERFACETo enter text, rotate the knobs to choose a character with the cursor and press Enter. When thekeyboard is open, the buttons on Altair

3 DISPLAY ELEMENTS3 Display ElementsThis section describes the different elements of the display.3.1 Zoom and map scaleThe map is generated in a proje

3 DISPLAY ELEMENTS3. When done, pan mode should be disabled, by activating the menu again:DISP  Pan Offor by pressing ESC.When pan is active, the tex

PrefaceRevision historyRevision Date Status Author Changes, comments1.6 EN 15/09/2007 released J.Wharington Standard XCSoar manual1.7 EN 08/01/2008 dr

3 DISPLAY ELEMENTS3.4 TrailAn optional trail is drawn on the map showing the glider’s path history. The colour and thickness ofthe trail depends on th

3 DISPLAY ELEMENTSCONF  Setup WindThe trail drift display is useful also to show more clearly when thermals are cranked due to windshear.3.5 Glide ra

3 DISPLAY ELEMENTSThe moving map shows:• Waypoints• Terrain and topology• MarkersThe map is drawn in a projected coordinate system (not latitude and l

3 DISPLAY ELEMENTSTerrain and topology display can be switched on or off individually in the configuration settings, ortogether over the following menu

3 DISPLAY ELEMENTSStart/finish Start/finish Taskpoint TaskpointLine Cylinder Sector AATFinal glide barAn arrow on the left side displays the calculated

3 DISPLAY ELEMENTSGPS not connectedGPS waiting for fixCruiseClimbFinal glideXCSoar Manual (Altair version) • XCSoar-A-EN 28

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKS4 Cross Country TasksThis section describes the handling of tasks in XCSoar.Please note that there is always an active task in XC

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSHere you can chose a taskpoint from the list of the waypoints available in the task.• .. LandingPt Opens the following dialog:Thi

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSThe following fields are displayed:• Select TP Taskpoint to modify.• Distance Distance of the AAT target withinthe AAT area.• Radi

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKS• Save and Download Save and declare task.• Save only Only save task.• Download only Only declare task.If you want to declare a t

CONTENTSContents1 Introduction 11.1 Organisation of this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 System requirements . . . .

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSPage: OverviewOn this page, a brief summary of the task is displayed:• Task type Standard or AAT• Distance Task distance• Enroute

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSOn this page, you can set the task options:• Name Task file name.• Type Standard or AAT• Advance Type of advance to the next taskp

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSPage: WaypointsOn this page, all task points are listed. The following buttons are available:• Insert With this button, new task

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKS• Landable Sets the field ‘Type’ to ‘Landable’. All landable waypoints are displayed.• Airport Sets the field ‘Type’ to ‘Airport’.

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSPage: RulesOn this page you can set the rules for the current task:• Start max Speed Maximum allowed velocity in start area. 0 =

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSPage: IGC SettingsOn this page you can specify the IGC specific task parameters used for declaration.4.3 Task calculatorThe task c

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKS• Set range (Only AAT) Allows modification of turning point positions inside the remaining AATareas (-100% to +100%) and shows the

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKS• Near Sets the field ‘Distanz’ to 25km. When pressed again, the value changes to 50, 75 and100km. All waypoints within this dista

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKS4.6 AATAAT TargetsA target is a point within an AAT area that the pilot intends to fly to. These targets can be movedwithin the AA

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKS• While the aircraft is in the AAT sector and the distance from the previous target to theaircraft is greater than the distance f

CONTENTS3 Display Elements 213.1 Zoom and map scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213.2 Panning the map . . . . . . .

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSIn the OLC analysis page, the aircraft track is shown as a thin green line, and after optimisation,the optimal path is shown as a

4 CROSS COUNTRY TASKSCONF  Setup LoggerXXXXXXXX –¿ 1zu1 bernehmen aus Altair maintenance?!XCSoar Manual (Altair version) • XCSoar-A-EN 44

5 GLIDE COMPUTER5 Glide ComputerThis section focuses on how XCSoar’s glide computer works and is recommended reading so youunderstand the specific deta

5 GLIDE COMPUTER• DISP  Setup Display• F7For informations about individual customization of the InfoBoxes see 11.12.5.2 MacCready settingsWhen connec

5 GLIDE COMPUTERSimilarly, when below final glide altitude, the MacCready ring setting my be decreased, resultingin a lower speed to be commanded. Beca

5 GLIDE COMPUTERThe build-up of bugs on the wing’s leading edge, as well as rain droplets on the wing, affect theaerodynamic performance. It is the pi

5 GLIDE COMPUTERThe QNH is only updated if the aircraft is on the ground for more than 10 seconds, so that ifXCSoar is restarted during flight, QNH wil

5 GLIDE COMPUTERSpeed to fly with riskThe speed to fly system can be compensated for risk, in which the MacCready setting used forcalculating the speed

5 GLIDE COMPUTERThe safety heights are:• Arrival height This is the elevation above ground at which the glider is required to arrive at fora safe land

5 GLIDE COMPUTERWhen calculating the arrival heights of landable fields (for map display purposes and in abortmode), a safety MacCready value can be sp

CONTENTS6.8 Analysis dialog: Wind, Temperature, Barograph and Climb history . . . . . . . 627 Airspace, Traffic and Team Flying 657.1 Airspace display

5 GLIDE COMPUTER5.8 Display of altitude requiredOn the left side of the map display, a box displays the calculated height difference required for theg

5 GLIDE COMPUTERIn this situation, if the glider is climbing, the pilot can assess whether to leave the thermalearly and commence a final glide descent

5 GLIDE COMPUTER• Task speed instantaneous This is the instantaneous estimated speed along the task. Whenclimbing at the MacCready setting, this numbe

5 GLIDE COMPUTERit will arrive at the waypoint in minimum time. When the wind is negligible, or when the computeris in final glide mode, this arrow wil

5 GLIDE COMPUTERglide polar, this enables investigation of whether the glider is being flown optimally with respect toflap settings and also to investig

6 ATMOSPHERE AND INSTRUMENTS6 Atmosphere and InstrumentsXCSoar maintains an internal model of the atmosphere based on statistics gathered from thefligh

6 ATMOSPHERE AND INSTRUMENTS6.2 Air data inputsWhere additional aircraft dynamics or air mass data are provided by an intelligent variometer, XC-Soar

6 ATMOSPHERE AND INSTRUMENTSOne of the following estimation methods can be set either in the configuration settings (page ‘GlideComputer’, field ‘Auto W

6 ATMOSPHERE AND INSTRUMENTSThe wind value can be saved so that the estimate is restored next time XCSoar starts.At any time during flight, the pilot c

6 ATMOSPHERE AND INSTRUMENTS6.7 Convection forecastIf the glider is equipped with an outside temperature and humidity probe, a simple convectionforeca

CONTENTS11.3 Map Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9711.4 Terrain display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6 ATMOSPHERE AND INSTRUMENTS• Temp trace This page is only available if a supported instrument is connected to XCSoar thatproduces outside air tempera

6 ATMOSPHERE AND INSTRUMENTSXCSoar Manual (Altair version) • XCSoar-A-EN 64

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYING7 Airspace, Traffic and Team FlyingA database of Special Use Airspace (SUA) can be loaded into XCSoar and used for b

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYINGThe default colouring of Class C, D, E and F airspace is consistent with ICAO charts.7.2 Incursion eventsThree type

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYING7.4 Airspace warning dialogThis dialog shows the most recent airspace warnings. The following details are shown:<

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYING7.5 Airspace warning acknowlegementWhen Airspace Warnings is visible and an airspace warning is active, the dialog

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYINGThe airspaces can be filtered by Name, Distance, Heading and Type (class or status). Four buttonshave specific filter

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYINGTo search airspaces, you can use the same filtering methods as in Airspace INFO (see previoussubsection).Modify sett

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYINGChoose a class and press Enter. You can now modify the warnings and visibility settings.Changes of airspace display

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYINGBrowse opens Airspace Browser .7.9 FLARM traffic displayIf connected to a FLARM device, FLARM traffic is displayed on

1 INTRODUCTION1 IntroductionThis document is a pilot’s manual that describes the functionality of XCSoar when used with Altair.XCSoar is an open sourc

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYINGThe FLARM gauge display shows FLARM traffic in colours according to the threat level:• Green for level 0• Yellow for

7 AIRSPACE, TRAFFIC AND TEAM FLYING7.10 Team flyingTeam code is a system to allow pilots flying within a team to communicate their position to eachother

8 AVIONICS AND AIRFRAME8 Avionics and AirframeThis section discusses XCSoar as a subsystem of the aircraft. It covers the integration of XCSoarwith ex

8 AVIONICS AND AIRFRAME• Airbrake• Flap position (positive, neutral, negative)• Landing gearOther logical inputs from Vega include computed quantities

8 AVIONICS AND AIRFRAME8.6 Other avionics devicesSupport for the Honeywell Digital Compass HMR3000 is under development.8.7 Slave modeA device type in

9 QUICKSTART9 QuickstartThis section provides instructions for using XCSoar in typical cross-country tasks. It is separatedinto simple scenarios to de

9 QUICKSTART9.2 FAI TaskIn this scenario, the pilot intends to fly a triangle FAI task with a single start sector and automaticwaypoint advance.Prior t

9 QUICKSTARTAfter landingAs described in subsection 9.1.9.3 FAI Task, Manual StartIn this scenario, the pilot intends to fly a triangle FAI task with a

9 QUICKSTART• The estimated elapsed time to complete the task with different MacCready settings can beexplored by pressing Calc . Adjusting the ’range

9 QUICKSTART• At all times the black track arrow will point at the next target. The target is the location withinthe AAT sector at the range specified

1 INTRODUCTION• Powering on Press and hold the PWR/ESC button for one second. The LED in the button willlight up, and XCSoar will start after Altair h

9 QUICKSTART9.5 Task with alternate start sectorsIn this scenario, the pilot intends to fly a task with alternate start sectors and manually arm theway

10 INFOBOX REFERENCE10 InfoBox ReferenceInfoBox data types are grouped into logical categories.All InfoBoxes display their data in user-specified units

10 INFOBOX REFERENCETrackMagnetic track reported by the GPS.Airspeed IASIndicated Airspeed reported by a supported external intelligent vario.G loadMa

10 INFOBOX REFERENCENext L/DThe required glide ratio to reach the next waypoint, given by the distanceto next waypoint divided by the height required

10 INFOBOX REFERENCEVarioInstantaneous vertical speed, as reported by the GPS, or the intelligent variototal energy vario value if connected to one.Ne

10 INFOBOX REFERENCESpeed MacCreadyThe MacCready speed-to-fly for optimal flight to the next waypoint. In cruiseflight mode, this speed-to-fly is calculat

10 INFOBOX REFERENCESpeed Task AverageAverage cross country speed while on current task, compensated for altitude.Speed Task InstantaneousInstantaneou

10 INFOBOX REFERENCEAA Distance TgtAssigned Area Task distance around target points for remainder of task.AA Speed TgtAssigned Area Task average speed

10 INFOBOX REFERENCENext Time To GoEstimated time required to reach next waypoint, assuming performance ofideal MacCready cruise/climb cycle.Task Arri

11 CONFIGURATION11 ConfigurationXCSoar is a highly configurable glide computer and can be customised to suit a wide variety ofpreferences and user requi