How to Use FlyWay
Contents
Basics
FlyWay starts up displaying a blank route. Use the 'Edit->Insert Waypoint After' command to input the desired waypoints. The Return key may also be used as a shortcut instead of using the pull-down menu.
A line editor will appear, allowing a search string to be entered. The three or five letter ID of the airport, navaid or intersection may be used. Also, a search string can find the desired waypoint from its name or its location. If multiple waypoints match the string, a dialog will allow the desired one to be chosen.
Once waypoints have been entered, clicking on the waypoint line will select it and show an arrow to the left of the line. Details about the selected waypoint will show up in the lower pane of the window. The Edit menu commands that refer to waypoints generally operate on the selected one. Also, clicking on a waypoint with the right mouse button will show a context menu with the applicable edit commands.
Searching
The search strings used to find a waypoint allow the use of multiple keywords. The keywords may match any of the following: the waypoint's identifier, name, city or state. The '*' wildcard may be used at the beginning or end of a word to search with a partial string. Wildcards in the middle of a word are not supported.
In the search results dialog, the list of waypoints can be filtered to show only certain types of waypoints (only airports, for example). The search may also be repeated by adding a new search string at the top of the dialog.
Parameters
The Edit menu also has the 'Change Parameters' and 'Change Departure Time' menu items. These allow you to change the airspeed, the wind conditions, the departure time and the time format. The most recently used airspeed and time format will be recalled when the program is restarted. The wind will default to none.
Flight Plans
Selecting 'Flight Plan->Show' will either toggle the display of an existing flight plan or create a new one. The flight plan will be displayed in a separate window. Clicking in a flight plan field or using the arrow keys will change which field is selected (shown by a thicker border). The field can then be edited by hitting enter. Double-clicking will also edit a field. The Departure Point, Destination, and Time Enroute fields can not be selected, since they are set from within the route.
Once a flight plan is created, it will be saved when the route is saved. There are also defaults for most entries stored as user preferences. To update the preferences with the settings from the current flight plan, choose 'Flight Plan->Update Defaults'. To set the current flight plan back to the default settings, use 'Flight Plan->Reset to Defaults'.
Weather
Selecting 'Tools->View Weather' will toggle a view for retrieving weather information about the route. The information source can be set to either NOAA via http protocol or DUATS via telnet protocol. DUATS is the better source, since it includes winds aloft (FD) information and is generally more current than NOAA. However, DUATS requires an access code and password from DynCorp (available for free for pilots at <http://www.duats.com>), and may be blocked if telnet is not allowed by your firewall. For NOAA, access is not a problem. If you use a non-authenticating proxy for web access, simply assign the proxy and port to an environment variable, such as: 'http_proxy=http://someproxy.com:3128'.
Other controls in the weather view select the types of reports to include (METAR's, TAF's and Winds Aloft), plain language or encoded reports, and the stations' maximum distance from the route. Since there are few winds aloft stations, the distance is increased by a multiplication factor for these reports. The factor defaults to four but can be set in 'Tools->Preferences'.
After setting the controls, use the 'Update' button to proceed. If using the DUATS source without a saved password, a dialog will ask for an access code and password. A check box allows the code and password to be saved in an insecure manner. To erase a saved password, unselect 'Tools->Preferences->Remember DUATS password'.
Note that the information given is not a full weather briefing, since it doesn't include NOTAM's and other necessary information. This data should be used for preliminary planning only.
Maps
Selecting 'Tools->View Map' will toggle the display of a rough map for the route's waypoints. The map scale is not 100% accurate, but it is good enough for a quick graphical look. Buttons at the top of the window will show additional airports, navaids and fixes within the map bounds. Moving the mouse near any waypoint will show the waypoint's description below the map.
Printing
When printing with the default options, the route table is printed first, then the flight plan (if it exists), then detailed information for each waypoint, then the weather information (if it exists). Any of the four parts may be turned off in the Print Options dialog. A preview will be shown before printing (but after hitting 'OK' on the normal print dialog box) by default. The print preview will show more detail if its window is made larger.