Figure 1. Approach Plate configuration tool.

DiSTI Approach Plate Tool

Approach Plate Tool Pack

The Approach Plate Tool Pack converts digital Instrument Approach Procedures (IAP) charts produced by the FAA, National Aeronautical Charting Office, into correlated geo-referenced GL Studio objects suitable for a variety of aeronautical based applications. These charts are publically available for download in Adobe PDF format and cover all U.S. airports.

The Approach Plate Tool Pack consists of the Approach Plate Configuration Tool and the Approach Plate Viewer. Together these elements convert and configure the Approach Charts and enable rendering in user customized applications.

Approach Plate Configuration Tool

The Approach Plate Configuration Tool prepares the electronic IAP charts for use in the Approach Plate Viewer. The tool converts the PDF documents into textures suitable for loading into GL Studio and creates an XML definition file of the charts latitude, longitude, clip region and scale based on user inputs. Since charts are updated every twenty-eight days, the tool allows users to load new chart's for a visual inspection of any changes in configuration parameters.

Approach Plate Viewer

The Approach Plate Viewer is a GL Studio RSO component that can be loaded into any type of user based application for rendering the configured IAP charts. Functionality of the component includes the following features:

Figure 2. Approach Plate tool executable showing inverse color feature.

• Chart color inversion
• Pan/Zoom
• Aircraft icon
• Icon latitude/longitude
• Icon rotation/scale/color
• Off chart arrow
• Arrow scale/color
• History trail mode (dots/line)
• History trail frequency/size