67. GlossaryΒΆ

3D
X-Plane airport which contains at least one 3D object. May be a fully constructed major airport.
Add-on airport

FSX/P3D: All scenery data that is found outside of the base flight simulator Scenery directory is considered an add-on.

X-Plane: All airports in the Custom Scenery directory are considered add-on airports and will be highlighted accordingly.

Approach Procedure
An approach procedure is a series of maneuvers for the transfer of an aircraft in instrument flight conditions from the initial approach to a landing or to a point from which a landing may be made visually. If a flight plan includes a standard arrival procedure (STAR), an approach procedure will normally follow the STAR.
Arrival Procedure
Approach, transition or STAR procedure.
BGL
A binary file with the extension BGL which is part of a flight simulator scenery containing airport, navaid or airway information. These files can also contain traffic, landclass, elevation or other information which is not relevant for Little Navmap.
CSV
Comma-separated values text file.
DAT
A text file format used by X-Plane to store airport, navaid and procedure information.
Departure Procedure
SID (standard instrument departure) procedure.
DME
Distance measuring equipment or a radio navaid.
Empty airport
An airport that has no taxiways, no parking positions or gates, no aprons and is not an add-on airport and is not a water airport.
FACF
Final approach course fix. A point aligned on the final approach course of an instrument procedure.
FAF
Final approach fix. The point where the final approach segment begins on the instrument approach.
Fix
This term refers to a waypoint, radio navaid or an calculated point on a procedure.
Flight Plan Position
An user-defined waypoint which is part of the flight plan.
FLP
Flight plan format used by the X-Plane FMS, Aerosoft Airbus and other add-on aircraft.
FMS
X-Plane flight plan format.
FS9
Flight Simulator 2004.
FSX
Flight Simulator X or Flight Simulator - Steam Edition.
ft
Feet. 0.3048 meter.
GIS
A geographical information system like Google Earth for example.
ILS
Instrument landing system.
Initial Fix
This is the first fix of a procedure.
MAP
Missed approach point. The point on the final approach which represents the termination of the final approach and the start of the missed approach.
MSFS
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.
Navaid
VOR, VORTAC, TACAN, NDB or waypoint/intersection.
NDB
Non directional beacon - radio navaid.
NM
Nautical miles. 1.852 km.
P3D
Prepar3D v2 to v5.
Parking
GA ramp, cargo ramp, fuel box or gate at an airport.
PLN
FSX and P3D flight plan format. Can save all information in flight plans using annotations.
POI
Point of interest. An userpoint type.
Procedure
A STAR, SID or approach and the respective transitions.
Radio navaid
VOR, VORTAC, TACAN or NDB.
Rating
Airport zero to five star rating depending on facilities.
Rhumb Line
When using a magnetic compass or direction indicator it is more convenient to fly a constant track direction. This can be achieved by following a rhumb line track, rather than a great circle track. Note that the rhumb line connecting two points on earth is longer than the great circle path. Also, near the poles and for longer distances the rhumb line is not usable.
Scenery Library Database
This is an internal database (SQLite) that is created by Little Navmap when reading all the flight simulator BGL or DAT files. It allows fast complex searches and map display.
SID
A standard instrument departure is an air traffic control departure procedure that helps to simplify clearance delivery procedures. A SID will keep aircraft away from terrain but it is optimized for air traffic control route of flight and does not necessarily provide the best climb gradient. It provides a balance between terrain and obstacle avoidance, noise abatement and airspace management.
SimConnect
A programming interface that allows applications to read and write flight simulator parameters.
STAR
A standard terminal arrival is a flight route that usually covers the phase of a flight between the last point of the route filled in the flight plan and the first point of the approach to the airport, normally the initial approach fix (IAF). A STAR connects the en-route phase with the approach phase of the flight.
Start position
Used for departure in flight plans. Either runway, helipad, GA ramp, cargo ramp, fuel box or gate.
TACAN
Tactical air navigation system - radio navaid used by military aircraft.
TOC
Top of climb.
TOD
Top of descent.
VOR
VHF omni directional radio range - radio navaid.
VORDME
VHF omni directional radio range with distance measuring equipment- radio navaid.
VORTAC
Co-located VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) beacon and tactical air navigation system (TACAN) beacon.
Userpoint
An user-defined waypoint like a bookmark, point of interest or visual reporting point (VRP).
UTC
Universal coordinated time. Also: Greenwich time or zulu time.
VRP
Visual reporting point for VFR flights. An userpoint type.
Waypoint
Navaid defined by coordinates.