APPROACH, ARRIVAL, AND DEPARTURE XML PROPERTIES

This page lists the different elements and attributes required to generate properly formed XML for approaches, arrivals, and departures into and from airports. The information on this page is used along with the information for creating an Airport - since approaches are specifically for airports - which can be found here:

 

The <Approach> , <Arrival> and <Departure> elements would go inside of the <Airport> element, and you can (and normally would) define multiple approaches, arrivals, and departures in a single airport.

NOTE: Editing Approach, Arrival and Departure data may prevent the simulation performing further automatic updates to the navigation data for the airport. Please see the following section for more information: Note On Navigation Data

 

 

<Approach>

This element is used to add an approach to an <Airport>, and you can have multiple approach elements for each airport. Approaches are made up of three components, which must occur in the following order:

  1. <Approach>
  2. <ApproachLegs>
  3. <Transition>

 

The attributes used when defining an approach are as follows:

 

Attribute Description Type Required
type The type of approach.

Enum:

  1. GPS
  2. ILS
  3. LDA
  4. LOCALIZER
  5. LOCALIZER_BACKCOURSE
  6. NDB
  7. NDBDME
  8. RNAV
  9. SDF
  10. VOR
  11. VORDME
 Yes
runway The runway number the approach is attached to. Note that you do not suffix the designator onto this value, but instead define it separately in the designator attribute.

Integer:

  1. 1 - 36

 

or Enum:

  1. EAST
  2. NORTH
  3. NORTHEAST
  4. NORTHWEST
  5. SOUTH
  6. SOUTHEAST
  7. SOUTHWEST
  8. WEST
 No
designator Designator of the runway being added.

Enum:

  1. NONE
  2. C
  3. CENTER
  4. L
  5. LEFT
  6. R
  7. RIGHT
  8. W
  9. WATER
  10. A
  11. B
 No
suffix Single character identifier.

String

 No
gpsOverlay Whether it has a has a GPS overlay or not. Bool No
fixType The type of FAF.

Enum:

  1. NDB
  2. TERMINAL_NDB
  3. TERMINAL_WAYPOINT
  4. VOR
  5. WAYPOINT
 Yes
fixRegion The station region of the FAF (maximum 3 characters, based on iso-3166-2). String Yes
fixIdent The station identity of the FAF (maximum 5 characters).

String

 Yes
altitude Altitude for final approach in meters.

Float

 Yes
heading The final course heading start, from 0.0° to 360.0°. Float Yes
missedAltitude Missed approach altitude in meters.

Float

 Yes
lnav RNAV approach has LNAV category. Bool No
lnavvnav RNAV approach has LNAV/VNAV category. Bool No
lpv RNAV approach has LPV category. Bool No
lp RNAV approach has localiser precision category. Bool No
rnpAr RNAV approach requires authorisation. Bool No
rnpArMissed Missed approach requires authorisation (can be non-RNAV approach type). Bool No

 

 

<ApproachLegs>

This sub-element of <Approach> is used to add approach legs to an airport approach. The <ApproachLegs> element has no attributes and is used as a container to hold a list of <Leg /> elements which describe the individual segments of the approach. You normally have multiple <ApproachLegs> sub-elements in a single <Approach> definition.

 

 

<MissedApproachLegs>

This sub-element of <Approach> is used to add legs for a missed approach path to an airport approach. The <MissedApproachLegs> element has no attributes and is used as a container to hold a list of <Leg /> elements which describe the individual segments of the approach. You normally have multiple <MissedApproachLegs> sub-elements in a single <Approach> definition.

 

 

<Transition>

This sub-element of <Approach> is used to add transitions to an airport approach. A <Transition> element contains a list of <DmeArc /> and/or <TransitionLegs> sub-elements, and if both are present the <DmeArc> must be entered first. The <Leg /> and <DmeArc> elements describe the individual segments of the transition. The attributes you can apply to this element are as follows:

 

Attribute Description Type Required
transitionType The transition type.

Enum:

  1. FULL
  2. DME
 No
fixType The type of IAF.

Enum:

  1. NDB
  2. TERMINAL_NDB
  3. TERMINAL_WAYPOINT
  4. VOR
  5. WAYPOINT
 No
fixRegion The station region of the IAF (maximum 3 characters, based on iso-3166-2). String No
fixIdent The station identity of the IAF (maximum 5 characters).

String

 No
altitude Altitude of the first leg of the transition in meters.

Float

 No
name The name of the transition. String No

 

 

<DmeArc />

This sub-element of <Transition> is used to add a DME arc to an approach transition. Note that this is a self-closing element and has the following attributes:

 

Attribute Description Type Required
radial The angle of the arc from the transmitter, from 1.0° to 360.0°. Float No
distance DME distance.

Float

 No
dmeRegion DME station region (maximum 3 characters, based on iso-3166-2). String No
dmeIdent DME station identity of the associated navaid (maximum 5 characters).

String

 No

 

 

<TransitionLegs>

This sub-element of <Transition> is used to add legs for a transition during an airport approach. The <TransitionLegs> element has no attributes and is used as a container to hold a list of <Leg /> elements which describe the individual segments of the transition.

 

 

 

<Arrival>

This element is used to add an arrival route to an <Airport>, and you can have multiple arrival elements for each airport. Arrival routes are made up of multiple components, which must occur in the following order:

  1. <EnrouteTransitions>
  2. <CommonRouteLegs>
  3. <RunwayTransitions>

 

The only required attribute when defining an arrival is as follows:

 

Attribute Description Type Required
Name The name of the arrival route as defined by the official airport charts, eg: "LIBER4" String Yes
rnpAr RNAV approach requires authorisation. Bool No

 

 

<Departure>

This element is used to add an arrival route to an <Airport>, and you can have multiple arrival elements for each airport. Arrival routes are made up of multiple components, which must occur in the following order:

  1. <RunwayTransitions>
  2. <CommonRouteLegs>
  3. <EnrouteTransitions>

 

The only required attribute when defining an arrival is as follows:

 

Attribute Description Type Required
Name The name of the departure route as defined by the official airport charts, eg: "GLEEN7" String Yes
rnpAr RNAV approach requires authorisation. Bool No

 

 

<EnrouteTransitions>

This is a sub-element of both the <Arrival> and <Departure> elements. This is a required element, although if you have no transitions you can make this a simple self-closing element, eg: <EnrouteTransitions />. This element has no attributes and is a container element for <EnrouteTransitionLegs>.

 

 

<EnrouteTransitionLegs>

This is a sub-element of the <EnrouteTransitions> container, and is used to list the various legs that comprise the transition route. This element should contain multiple <Leg /> elements and has a single attribute:

 

Attribute Description Type Required
Name The name of the route transition as defined by the official airport charts, eg: "PUYVO" String Yes

 

 

<CommonRouteLegs>

This is a sub-element of both the <Arrival> and <Departure> elements. This is a required element, although if you have no common routes you can make this a simple self-closing element, eg: <CommonRouteLegs />. This element has no attributes and is a container element for multiple <Leg /> elements.

 

 

<RunwayTransitions>

This is a sub-element of both the <Arrival> and <Departure> elements. This is a required element, has no attributes and is a container element for one or more <RunwayTransitionLegs>.

 

 

<RunwayTransitionLegs>

This is a sub-element of the <RunwayTransitions> container, and is used to list the various legs that comprise the runway transition. This element should contain multiple <Leg /> elements and has the following attributes:

 

Attribute Description Type Required
number Number of the runway the transition legs belongs to. Note that you do not suffix the designator onto this value, but instead define it separately in the designator attribute.
  1. Integer:
  2. 1 - 36

 

or Enum:

  1. EAST
  2. NORTH
  3. NORTHEAST
  4. NORTHWEST
  5. SOUTH
  6. SOUTHEAST
  7. SOUTHWEST
  8. WEST
 Yes
designator Designator of the runway the transition legs are being added to.

Enum:

  1. NONE
  2. C
  3. CENTER
  4. L
  5. LEFT
  6. R
  7. RIGHT
  8. W
  9. WATER
  10. A
  11. B
  12. E
  13. N
  14. NE
  15. NW
  16. S
  17. SE
  18. SW
  19. W
 Yes
clearanceAltitudeJet The initial altitude clearance used by ATC for jet aircraft on this runway transition. Only used when the transition is part of a <Departure> procedure. Float No
clearanceAltitudeProp The initial altitude clearance used by ATC for propeller aircraft on this runway transition. Only used when the transition is part of a <Departure> procedure. Float No

 

 

<Leg />

This element is used to add legs to the following elements:

  1. <EnrouteTransitionLegs>
  2. <CommonRouteLegs>
  3. <RunwayTransitionLegs>
  4. <TransitionLegs>
  5. <ApproachLegs>
  6. <MissedApproachLegs>

 

The specific information required to define the leg depends on the type. Note that this is a self-closing element and has the following attributes (a table of required and optional attributes is included further down the page):

 

Attribute Description Type Required
type The type of leg. The meaning of each 2-letter approach leg code is defined in the 424-16 specification document maintained by ARINC Incorporated and is a standard used in navigation databases and flight management systems. You can order the complete specification, which includes complete definitions and illustrations of each type, from the ARINC web site. For additional information on this parameter please see the Leg Type Information section.

Enum:

AF
CA
CD
CF
CI
CR
DF
FA
FC
FD
FM
HA
HF
HM
IF
PI
RF
TF
VA
VD
VI
VM
VR

 No
fixType The type of fix.

Enum:

  1. NDB
  2. TERMINAL_NDB
  3. TERMINAL_WAYPOINT
  4. VOR
  5. WAYPOINT
 No
fixRegion The fix region code (maximum 3 characters, based on iso-3166-2). String No
fixIdent The fix identity (maximum 5 characters).

String

 No
flyOver This indicates whether the leg is intended to fly over (TRUE) the given point, or fly by (FALSE) the given point Bool No
turnDirection Turn direction supplied for this leg, which can be L (Left), R (Right) or E (Either), where the default is E.

Enum:

  1. L
  2. R
  3. E
 No
recommendedType Type of "target" for this leg.

Enum:

  1. NDB
  2. TERMINAL_NDB
  3. TERMINAL_WAYPOINT
  4. VOR
  5. WAYPOINT
  6. RUNWAY
  7. LOCALIZER
 No
recommendedRegion 2 or 3 character region code, based on iso-3166-2. String No
recommendedIdent 5 character (max) identity code String No
theta The heading, from 0.0° to 360.0°. Float No
rho Distance, in meters. You may suffix the value with "N" to get nautical miles, eg: "34N" String No
trueCourse True North course, from 0.0° to 360.0°. If used, then do not enter a value for magneticCourse. Float No
magneticCourse Magnetic North course, from 0.0° to 360.0°. If used, then do not enter a value for trueCourse. Float No
distance Distance, in meters. You may suffix the value with "N" to get nautical miles, eg: "34N". If used, then do not enter a value for time. String No
time Time, in minutes. If used, then do not enter a value for distance. Float No
altitudeDescriptor Value that describes how altitude1 and altitude2 are interpreted. For additional information on this parameter please see the Leg Type Information section. String No
altitude1 First altitude level, in meters. Float No
altitude2 First altitude level, in meters. Float No
speedLimit   Integer No
verticalAngle   Float No
arcCenterFixType The arc center fix for RF legs.

Enum:

  1. AIRPORT
  2. LOCALIZER
  3. NDB
  4. RUNWAY
  5. TERMINAL_NDB
  6. TERMINAL_WAYPOINT
  7. VOR
  8. WAYPOINT
 No
arcCenterFixIdent   String No
arcCenterFixRegion   String No
isIAF Defines whether this is an initial approach fix, ie: the fix depicted on instrument approach procedure charts that identify the beginning of the initial approach segment(s). Bool No
isIF Defines whether this is an intermediate fix, ie: the segment between the intermediate fix or point and the final approach fix. Bool No
isFAF Defines whether this is a final approach fix, ie: the segment between the final approach fix or point and the runway, airport, or missed approach point. Bool No
isMAP Defines whether this is part of the missed approach procedure, ie: the segment between the missed approach point or the point of arrival at decision height and the missed approach fix at the prescribed altitude Bool No
arcRadius   Float No
requiredNavigationPerformance   Float No
speedLimitDescriptor Defines how thespeedLimit should be interpreted for the leg.

Enum:

  1. "+" - Speed constraint at or above speedLimit.
  2. "-" - Speed constraint at or below speedLimit.
  3. "@" - Speed constraint at speedLimit.
 No

 

 

Leg Type Information

The table below describes each of the different type acronyms available for the element.

 

Type

 Name

Description
AF Arc to a Fix Leg This defines a track over ground at specified constant distance from a database DME navaid.
CA Course to an Altitude Leg This defines a specified course to a specific altitude at an unspecified position.
CD Course to a DME Distance Leg This defines a specified course to a specific DME Distance which is from a specific database DME navaid.
CF Course to a Fix Leg This defines a specified course to a specific database fix. Note that TF legs are preferred over CF to avoid magnetic variation issues.
CI Course to an Intercept Leg This defines a specified course to intercept a subsequent leg.
CR Course to a Radial termination Leg This defines a course to a specified radial from a specific database VOR navaid.
DF Direct to a Fix Leg This defines an unspecified track starting from an undefined position to a specified fix.
FA Fix to an Altitude Leg This defines a specified track over ground from a database fix to a specified altitude at an unspecified position.
FC Track from a Fix to a Distance Leg This defines a specified track over ground from a database fix for a specific distance.
FD Track from a Fix to a DME Distance Leg This defines a specific track from a database fix to a specific DME Distance from a DME Navaid.
FM From a Fix to a Manual termination Leg This defines a specified track over ground from a database fix until Manual termination of the leg.
HA HA leg This defines racetrack pattern or course reversals at a specified database fix terminating at an altitude.
HF HF leg This defines racetrack pattern or course reversals at a specified database fix terminating at the fix after a single pattern.
HM HM leg This defines racetrack pattern or course reversals at a specified database fix with a manual termination
IF The Initial Fix Leg This defines a database fix as a point in space. This is only required to define the beginning of a route or procedure.
PI Procedure Turn leg This defines a course reversal starting at a specific fix, includes outbound leg followed by 180 degree turn to intercept the next leg.
RF Constant Radius Arc Leg This defines a constant radius turn between two database fixes, lines tangent to the arc and a centre fix.
TF Track to a Fix This defines a great circle track over ground between two known databases fixes. Preferred type for straight legs.
VA Heading to an Altitude termination Leg This defines a specified heading to a specific Altitude termination at an unspecified position.
VD Heading to a DME Distance termination Leg This defines a specified heading terminating at a specified DME distance from a specific database DME navaid.
VI Heading to an Intercept Leg This defines a specified heading to intercept the subsequent leg at an unspecified position.
VM Heading to a Manual termination Leg This defines a specified heading until a Manual termination.
VR Heading to a Radial termination Leg This defines a specified heading to a specified radial from a specific database VOR navaid.

 

All of the leg types either require, or can take as optional, an altitude code letter (the altitudeDescriptor field) and either one or two altitude values. The following table shows the range of values and how they are interpreted:

 

altitudeDescriptor altitude1 Required altitude2 Required Description
+ - Fly at or above altitude1
- - Fly at or below altitude1
(space) - Fly at altitude1
A - -  
B Fly at or above altitude1 and at or below altitude2
C - Fly at or above altitude2
G - -  
H - -  
I - -  
J - -  
V - -  

 

The following table shows the different Leg types and their associated Required and Optional attributes:

 

Attribute AF CA CD CF CI CR DF FA FC FD FM HA HF HM IF PI RF TF VA VD VI VM VR
fixType                
fixRegion                
fixIdent                
flyOver                        
turnDirection    
recommendedType      
recommendedRegion      
recommendedIdent      
theta                
rho                    
trueCourse    
magneticCourse    
distance                    
time                                  
altitudeDescriptor
altitude1
altitude2                  
speedLimit                                              
verticalAngle                                              
arcCenterFixType                                              
arcCenterFixIdent                                              
arcCenterFixRegion                                              
isIAF                                              
isIF                                              
isFAF                                              
isMAP                                              
arcRadius                                              
requiredNavigationPerformance                                              
speedLimitDescriptor                                              

 

Related Topics

  1. Airports And Facilities
  2. Airport XML Properties
  3. The Scenery Editor
  4. Runway Objects
  5. TaxiwayPath Objects
  6. SimpleNavData

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