finding approach chart URLs

[Dave Butler]

I know I can find them at various web sites, please don't bother to
respond to tell me about them.

Here's what I'd like: given an airport identifier, say "KLHZ", I'd like
an programmatic, algorithmic way or a table lookup to find all the NACO
approach chart URLs, like:

http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131IL5.PDF
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R5.PDF
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R23.PDF
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131VDA.PDF
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/SE2ALT.PDF

I can see that the file names have some logic to them, like IL for ILS,
R for RNAV, etc, and the runway numbers are part of the name. If I knew
beforehand that LHZ had an ILS approach to runway 5, I might even be
able to generate the name for that chart, but I'd like to be able to
start from just the airport identifier and generate the list of approach
chart URLs.

I'm missing the information that relates a given airport to its list of
approach charts.

Anyone?

Thanks.

Dave

[Paul Tomblin]

In a previous article, Dave Butler > said:
>http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131IL5.PDF
>http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R5.PDF
>http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R23.PDF
>http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131VDA.PDF
>http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/SE2ALT.PDF
>
>I can see that the file names have some logic to them, like IL for ILS,
>R for RNAV, etc, and the runway numbers are part of the name. If I knew
>beforehand that LHZ had an ILS approach to runway 5, I might even be
>able to generate the name for that chart, but I'd like to be able to
>start from just the airport identifier and generate the list of approach
>chart URLs.
>
>I'm missing the information that relates a given airport to its list of
>approach charts.

I ordered this data on a CD from Sporties once, and discovered that there
was an XML index file called digTPP_hier_All_Watt.xml. I bet if you poked
around some of those sites, you'd find it.

As a matter of fact, here is is on Kyler Laird's site:
http://aviationtoolbox.org/raw_data/FAA/TPPs/current/digTPP_hier_All_Watt.xml


--
Paul Tomblin > http://blog.xcski.com/
Microsoft: bringing the world to your desktop -- and your desktop to
the world.
-- Peter Gutmann

[Dave Butler]

Thank you, Paul! ...and it looks like it is either part of or derived
from the FAA ATA100 files. I'll poke around there.

Dave

Paul Tomblin wrote:
> In a previous article, Dave Butler > said:
>> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131IL5.PDF
>> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R5.PDF
>> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R23.PDF
>> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131VDA.PDF
>> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/SE2ALT.PDF
>>
>> I can see that the file names have some logic to them, like IL for ILS,
>> R for RNAV, etc, and the runway numbers are part of the name. If I knew
>> beforehand that LHZ had an ILS approach to runway 5, I might even be
>> able to generate the name for that chart, but I'd like to be able to
>> start from just the airport identifier and generate the list of approach
>> chart URLs.
>>
>> I'm missing the information that relates a given airport to its list of
>> approach charts.
>
> I ordered this data on a CD from Sporties once, and discovered that there
> was an XML index file called digTPP_hier_All_Watt.xml. I bet if you poked
> around some of those sites, you'd find it.
>
> As a matter of fact, here is is on Kyler Laird's site:
> http://aviationtoolbox.org/raw_data/FAA/TPPs/current/digTPP_hier_All_Watt.xml
>
>

[Frank Stutzman[_2_]]

Dave Butler > wrote:

> Here's what I'd like: given an airport identifier, say "KLHZ", I'd like
> an programmatic, algorithmic way or a table lookup to find all the NACO
> approach chart URLs, like:

Well, if you work in an open source world (linux, freebsd, maybe cgywin),
I may have something for you. See:

http://www.stutzman.com/frank/flying/software/taco and
http://www.stutzman.com/frank/flying/software/salsa

Taco is tool that given, say an airport identifier, batch downloads all
the IAPs from the NACO web side. Salsa does something simular,but does
it for the airport facilities directories.

These are perl based, command line tools that make use of pipes to some
tools commonly found on Linux/freeBSD systems like wget. As such, I
suspect they would be hard to port to other operating systems. Don't
know as I tend to avoid other operating systems if I have chance.

I wrote these things some months ago. Neither of them are particularly
polished, and there are a lot of tweeks that could be done to them.
My attention has wavered and I havn't done anything with them for a
while.

There is no external documentation for these things, but if you do
'taco --help' or 'salsa --help' there should be enough there to get
you going.

--
Frank Stutzman
Bonanza N494B "Hula Girl"
Hood River, OR (soon to be Boise, ID)

[Dave Butler]

Thanks, Frank. Solaris at work, cygwin at home. I'll give these a try. Dave

Frank Stutzman wrote:
> Dave Butler > wrote:
>
>> Here's what I'd like: given an airport identifier, say "KLHZ", I'd like
>> an programmatic, algorithmic way or a table lookup to find all the NACO
>> approach chart URLs, like:
>
> Well, if you work in an open source world (linux, freebsd, maybe cgywin),
> I may have something for you. See:
>
> http://www.stutzman.com/frank/flying/software/taco and
> http://www.stutzman.com/frank/flying/software/salsa
>
> Taco is tool that given, say an airport identifier, batch downloads all
> the IAPs from the NACO web side. Salsa does something simular,but does
> it for the airport facilities directories.
>
> These are perl based, command line tools that make use of pipes to some
> tools commonly found on Linux/freeBSD systems like wget. As such, I
> suspect they would be hard to port to other operating systems. Don't
> know as I tend to avoid other operating systems if I have chance.
>
> I wrote these things some months ago. Neither of them are particularly
> polished, and there are a lot of tweeks that could be done to them.
> My attention has wavered and I havn't done anything with them for a
> while.
>
> There is no external documentation for these things, but if you do
> 'taco --help' or 'salsa --help' there should be enough there to get
> you going.
>

[kevmor]

Thanks Frank, I've been looking for something like this.

On May 9, 5:20 pm, Frank Stutzman > wrote:
> Well, if you work in an open source world (linux, freebsd, maybe cgywin),
> I may have something for you. See:
>
> http://www.stutzman.com/frank/flying/software/tacoandhttp://www.stutzman.com/frank/flying/software/salsa
>
> Taco is tool that given, say an airport identifier, batch downloads all
> the IAPs from the NACO web side. Salsa does something simular,but does
> it for the airport facilities directories.

[Frank Stutzman[_2_]]

kevmor > wrote:
> Thanks Frank, I've been looking for something like this.

Your welcome.

If folks actually find these tools useful I might get motivated to
fix/update/extend these things. Probably would be tough in the near
future as I'm moving the household in mid-June. By late August,
though, I may have some time on my hands and could get back into
hacking and whacking this stuff.

--
Frank Stutzman
Bonanza N494B "Hula Girl"
Hood River, OR (soon to be Boise, ID)

[Greg Siemon]

Try ATP software:
http://cmensys.com/

"Dave Butler" > wrote in message
...
>I know I can find them at various web sites, please don't bother to respond
>to tell me about them.
>
> Here's what I'd like: given an airport identifier, say "KLHZ", I'd like an
> programmatic, algorithmic way or a table lookup to find all the NACO
> approach chart URLs, like:
>
> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131IL5.PDF
> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R5.PDF
> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R23.PDF
> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131VDA.PDF
> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/SE2ALT.PDF
>
> I can see that the file names have some logic to them, like IL for ILS, R
> for RNAV, etc, and the runway numbers are part of the name. If I knew
> beforehand that LHZ had an ILS approach to runway 5, I might even be able
> to generate the name for that chart, but I'd like to be able to start from
> just the airport identifier and generate the list of approach chart URLs.
>
> I'm missing the information that relates a given airport to its list of
> approach charts.
>
> Anyone?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Dave

[Robert M. Gary]

On May 9, 11:32 am, Dave Butler > wrote:
> I know I can find them at various web sites, please don't bother to
> respond to tell me about them.
>
> Here's what I'd like: given an airport identifier, say "KLHZ", I'd like
> an programmatic, algorithmic way or a table lookup to find all the NACO
> approach chart URLs, like:
>
> http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131IL5.PDFhttp://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R5.PDFhttp://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131R23.PDFhttp://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/09131VDA.PDFhttp://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0704/SE2ALT.PDF
>
> I can see that the file names have some logic to them, like IL for ILS,
> R for RNAV, etc, and the runway numbers are part of the name. If I knew
> beforehand that LHZ had an ILS approach to runway 5, I might even be
> able to generate the name for that chart, but I'd like to be able to
> start from just the airport identifier and generate the list of approach
> chart URLs.
>
> I'm missing the information that relates a given airport to its list of
> approach charts.
>
> Anyone?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Dave

Sounds like you want to make it look like your web site is offering
charts but then get them from someone else?

-robert

[John T]

"Robert M. Gary" > wrote in message
ups.com
>
> Sounds like you want to make it look like your web site is offering
> charts but then get them from someone else?

I thought it just as likely he's trying to write his own chart retrieval app
to make his flight planning a bit easier. I looked into something similar a
while back, but found it would take a few years of Sporty's DVD subscription
fees to break even. So I've spent my time working other apps, instead.

--
John T
http://sage1solutions.com/blogs/TknoFlyer
Reduce spam. Use Sender Policy Framework: http://openspf.org
____________________

[Dave Butler]

John T wrote:
> "Robert M. Gary" > wrote in message
> ups.com
>> Sounds like you want to make it look like your web site is offering
>> charts but then get them from someone else?

What web site would that be?

> I thought it just as likely he's trying to write his own chart retrieval app
> to make his flight planning a bit easier.

That's exactly the case. I just like to fool around with creating
software for my own use. I write/maintain software for my day job, and I
like to take busman's holidays.

Not sure where Robert was coming from. Are you attributing some evil
motivation, Robert? Suppose I were doing as you suggest, Robert (which
I'm not). Are you saying that would be a BadThing? There are many such
web sites out there, I use them and appreciate them. Government data are
bought and paid for with my taxes. They are not copyrighted. I'm free to
republish them as I wish. No different from airnav.com's linking to
approach charts, or weather.com's repackaging of government weather data.

Dave