How to create or change an OFP
The Flight Log Editor is accessed with the icon shown below:
Introduction
Selecting the icon will start the DOS based editor which is a standard DOS editor with the added benefit of enabling users to customize their finished flight plans. The editor makes it possible to select different typefaces for headings, notes, etc. as well as choose background patterns for blocks of text e.g. to draw the user’s attention to an important part of your flight plan by highlighting it with a shade of gray.
The editor also includes a list of * codes (known as star codes) available for your flight plan layout. These star codes allow the user to specify information to be presented on the flightlog e.g. *TYPE will show the aircraft type.
It should be noted that the Flight Log editor should only be used by those that are experienced in this aspect of PPS, seek assistance from support if in doubt
File Handling
After the icon above has been selected the DOS editor opens with a page similar to what is shown below.
The page shows the current list of available files to edit. To select a file use the cursor keys to move up and down and press ENTER. If on another page the user can return to this page by pressing SHIFT+F1.
Editing the Flightlog Layout
The flight plan is made up of 3 blocks:
– TOPTEXT
– NAVTEXT
– ENDTEXT
To determine which file to edit, use the diagram below.
Any text (.txt) file can be used for a flight plan layout, but its name must be specified in Data => Edit Aircraft Configurations => General Information for each aircraft to use this layout.
To make a special Toptext layout for an aircraft or aircraft version, load and edit pottop.txt and save it under a
new name e.g. “MEDICAL” for an ambulance version and insert this filename in the Toptext input field (Aircraft
Basic Information).
The name of the log file cannot exceed 8 characters.
The program will automatically change from PORTRAIT mode to LANDSCAPE mode if the printer width is set
to more than 120 characters.
Words starting with a * (e.g. *ACFT”) are codes which will be replaced with actual data when the flight plan
is printed out. These codes are also known as star codes.
All other text will be printed on the flight plan as displayed while in the editor.
The star codes used for identifying data in the flight plan are described here.
Flight log edit, key facts summary
- The name of the log file can’t be more than 8 characters long
- The width of the Navtext file adjusts the width of the whole document
- Wind summaries and ETOPS-codes only work in the Endtext part of the flight log
- Some codes cover an extensive portion of the flight log, where the largest is *CRUISEWINDS4 that is 82 characters wide. If the Navtext is more narrow than this, some of the data will be cut off.