IGC flight replay question

[Andrew Brayer]

As a result of the Appalachian ridge seminar, I started playing with IGC flight replay, to learn by watching other pilots' flights. I went to the SSA page to download flight traces from previous contests, and I managed to watch a few flights with it. I have a question though:

When I downloaded the day's traces for a field of pilots from a race, it downloaded the flights in IGC replay format, and i was unable to tell whose file was whose. i did see the contest ID on the file names for CAI users, but for ClearNav files i couldn't figure out which flight belonged to which pilot. anyone know how to determine this?


if you are not familiar with IGC flight replay, i already recommend checking it out, and i've only been messing with it for a few minutes. It gives you a "cockpit" view of the route the pilot used, the speeds, altitudes, and vario readings amongst other things. what's great, especially for ridge soaring, is that it uses google earth, so you can become familiar with what transitions, checkpoints, terrain, and gaps look like, as well as a *general* idea of the number and slope of field in a particular area.

also, it's free. you do need google earth to run the viewer.

it can be found here:

http://ywtw.de/igcsimen.html

[[email protected]]

On Monday, February 3, 2014 12:16:32 PM UTC-5, Andrew Brayer wrote:
> As a result of the Appalachian ridge seminar, I started playing with IGC flight replay, to learn by watching other pilots' flights. I went to the SSA page to download flight traces from previous contests, and I managed to watch a few flights with it. I have a question though:
>
>
>
> When I downloaded the day's traces for a field of pilots from a race, it downloaded the flights in IGC replay format, and i was unable to tell whose file was whose. i did see the contest ID on the file names for CAI users, but for ClearNav files i couldn't figure out which flight belonged to which pilot. anyone know how to determine this?
>
>
>
>
>
> if you are not familiar with IGC flight replay, i already recommend checking it out, and i've only been messing with it for a few minutes. It gives you a "cockpit" view of the route the pilot used, the speeds, altitudes, and vario readings amongst other things. what's great, especially for ridge soaring, is that it uses google earth, so you can become familiar with what transitions, checkpoints, terrain, and gaps look like, as well as a *general* idea of the number and slope of field in a particular area.
>
>
>
> also, it's free. you do need google earth to run the viewer.
>
>
>
> it can be found here:
>
>
>
> http://ywtw.de/igcsimen.html

Hi Andy,

if you open an IGC file with a text editor (e.g. notepad) the identifying
info is listed at the top of the file, e.g.:

AFLA8NV
HFDTE310713
HFFXA500
HFPLTPilotincharge:Matt McKrell
HPCM2Crew2:
HFGTYGliderType:
HFGIDGliderID:N196H
HFDTM100GPSDatum:WGS84
HFCCLCompetitionClass:
HFCIDCompetitionID:6H
HFRFWFirmwareVersion:3.00
HFRHWHardwareVersion:1.0
HFFTYFRType:PowerFLARM-IGC
HFGPSType:u-blox NEO-6Q
HFPRSPressAltSensor:MEAS MS5607

Once you figure out who goes with which file, write down the 3 character
serial number of the flight recorder encoded in the filename. For the 8.3
short name, that's positions 5-7. For the 21.3 long name version, it's the
5th group in the name (positions 16-18). That will always remain the same for
the pilot in a contest unless they have to rely on a backup recorder.

Matt

[Steve Leonard[_2_]]

On Monday, February 3, 2014 11:16:32 AM UTC-6, Andrew Brayer wrote:
> I have a question though: When I downloaded the day's traces for a field of pilots from a race, it downloaded the flights in IGC replay format, and i was unable to tell whose file was whose. i did see the contest ID on the file names for CAI users, but for ClearNav files i couldn't figure out which flight belonged to which pilot. anyone know how to determine this?

Some contests list the log file name out to the side of the daily results. If not, I took the approach of pick a day, open each file, and make your own "decoder" to list who has what logger. Of course, some of us changed loggers from day to day during a contest.

I have one that I do not like to use on tall days, as it has an ever increasing error with altitude that has caused me a start penalty in the past. Didn't discover this error until long after the contest, and would rather not burden the scorer with a calibration sheet to review my log at and around start times.

Steve Leonard

[Brad Alston]

...

When I downloaded the day's traces for a field of pilots from a race, it downloaded the flights in IGC replay format, and i was unable to tell whose file was whose. i did see the contest ID on the file names for CAI users, but for ClearNav files i couldn't figure out which flight belonged to which pilot. anyone know how to determine this?


Andrew,

You can open an IGC file in a text editor and look at the "H" (header) records for names, competition IDs, and etc. If the information is not there, I think it will be pretty difficult (impossible?) to tell whose trace you're looking at.

Brad.

[Eric Bick (1DB)]

On Monday, February 3, 2014 9:16:32 AM UTC-8, Andrew Brayer wrote:
> As a result of the Appalachian ridge seminar, I started playing with IGC flight replay, to learn by watching other pilots' flights. I went to the SSA page to download flight traces from previous contests, and I managed to watch a few flights with it. I have a question though:
>
>
>
> When I downloaded the day's traces for a field of pilots from a race, it downloaded the flights in IGC replay format, and i was unable to tell whose file was whose. i did see the contest ID on the file names for CAI users, but for ClearNav files i couldn't figure out which flight belonged to which pilot. anyone know how to determine this?
>
>
>
>
>
> if you are not familiar with IGC flight replay, i already recommend checking it out, and i've only been messing with it for a few minutes. It gives you a "cockpit" view of the route the pilot used, the speeds, altitudes, and vario readings amongst other things. what's great, especially for ridge soaring, is that it uses google earth, so you can become familiar with what transitions, checkpoints, terrain, and gaps look like, as well as a *general* idea of the number and slope of field in a particular area.
>
>
>
> also, it's free. you do need google earth to run the viewer.
>
>
>
> it can be found here:
>
>
>
> http://ywtw.de/igcsimen.html

This is really good. I've been using SeeYou to replay .igc files. This has SY beat for this type viewing, I think. And it edges out using Google Earth by itself, since it shows the flight paths taken by others flying in a given area. OLC has all the info you need to find any glider area and flight files for that area - from high performance flights to low margin flights. Thanks.
Eric Bick -

[NG[_2_]]

If the data is in the header of the igc file, you can read the pilot name under the 'info' button on the IGCFR control panel, or as previously advised by others, look at the header records in the igc file with a text editor, usually the fourth line....