(USA) FAA airport database in Google Earth (KML) files
Tuno
These kml files provide an easy way to browse airports in Google Earth
(current motivation is to examine privately owned strips for
landability -- yer welcome, 66!).
Each file covers an FAA region as follows:
CODE REGION NAME
---- -----------
AAL ALASKA
ACE CENTRAL
AEA EASTERN
AGL GREAT LAKES
AIN INTERNATIONAL
ANE NEW ENGLAND
ANM NORTHWEST MOUNTAIN
ASO SOUTHERN
ASW SOUTHWEST
AWP WESTERN-PACIFIC
Each file is subdivided into public and private airports.
Some notes to keep in mind while browsing:
- Only facilitytype = AIRPORT and GLIDERPORT are included in the
conversion. Lots of heliports and ultralight strips were dropped on
the floor.
- Private airports are plotted with green runways; public with blue.
Closed airports (public or private) are plotted with red runways.
- The NASR database has one RWY record for each runway at each
airport. However, most private airports (and a number of public ones)
do not have endpoint (base and reciprocal) geo locations in their
runway records; in this case, my conversation software assumes that
the given location for the airport is the center of the runway(s).
This is what you see when the plotted runway(s) are offset from the
Google Earth image (and multiple runways appear as an X).
- For the airports with complete RWY records, most of the data are
very good, with runway plots very closely matching the image in Google
Earth.
- There are still lots of errors in the FAA database. It has active
airports that haven't existed in years (see COOPER RANCH in Arizona --
it is just a hillside now). Some of the locations are off by a mile or
two (see SPENCER NOLF, the only airport in the database with 8
runways).
Enjoy
~ted/2NO
bildan
Very cool!
Now, we need people to go to these strips and photograph them from the
ground and post the photos on Google Earth with notes.
Andy
Which file includes Arizona? I tried ASW first, then ASO. My
computer is far too slow to try them all. It also seems I don't
support clamped polygons.
thnaks
Andy
kirk.stant
Now we just have to convince Google Earth that we need the whole world
in up-to-date 1m resolution!
(Check a recent AvWeek for a Frech proposal to do this, with an update
rate of monthly or so - commercially available! That'll piss off the
security freaks!).
Kirk
66
Andy
My next guess was AWP but that produces a parse error at line 1127
column 103.
Andy
Tuno
Arizona is in the AWP (Western-Pacific) file. You just needed to try
one more!
If you GE doesn't support clamped polygons you should probably upgrade
your version. Mine is 4.7.3xxxx. (I haven't yet found a runway that
wasn't clamped to the ground.)
2NO
Tuno
to use .xml extension instead of .kml. If you have trouble, check that
your pooter didn't do the same.
Also I've placed a copy of the NASR's schema file for the airport
database in the web site here:
http://www.justsoar.com/public/nasr_apt/nasr_spec/apt_rf.txt
You can browse the schema file and if you see any fields in there you
want to see in the .kml data (e.g. added to the popup description),
let me know. (The descriptions currently contain airport owner and
manager contact info and comm frequencies, when provided.)
-ted/2NO
Tuno
Regardless, I've removed the clampToGround altitude mode since that
should be the default for polygons in all versions, and refreshed the
files. Let me know if you have any more trouble.
~tuno
Andy
The refreshed AWP file does not give me the parse error and displays
ok. The parse error was unique to that file and did not appear in the
pre-refresh ASW or ASO files. GE version is 4.2.0181.2634 beta. It
does not tell me an update is available and that is what usually
prompts me to do it. It may be that my computer dos not support the
newer version. I'll check later.
Andy
bob...@aci.on.ca
flying in a new area.
Bob
Canada
On Nov 27, 9:48 pm, Tuno <tedcwag...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.justsoar.com/public/nasr_apt/
>
> These kml files provide an easy way to browse airports in Google Earth
>snip
noel.wade
better!
For those who prefer Google Maps, you can get the latest info (for
airports, weather conditions, and TFRs in the US) at:
http://www.runwayfinder.com
(Created by an EAA buddy of mine)
--Noel
(How did pilots keep track of all of this before the computer
revolution? Geez!)
Mike the Strike
You have entirely too much time on your hands. Time to get that
glider back in the air!
Mike
Tuno
Germany.)
Then winter training begins ...
2NO
Tuno
> revolution? Geez!)
I've heard rumors about paper things called "sectionals" that pilots
had to unfold and read in the cockpit.
And those flying in contests had to operate *film* cameras of all
things!!! Hard to believe stuff.
2NO
Martin Gregorie
> I've heard rumors about paper things called "sectionals" that pilots had
> to unfold and read in the cockpit.
>
In the UK its a requirement that you must have our equivalent of a
sectional in the glider during an XC flight, even if you don't look at it
because you're navigating by GPS or with a moving map system. Does the
same apply in the US?
I've flown there, but only doing local soaring.
--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |
Eric Greenwell
> Now, we need people to go to these strips and photograph them from the
> ground and post the photos on Google Earth with notes.
That would be great. and it wouldn't even have to be a ground visit to
be useful. Just a pilotflying over a strip and looking down can get the
information you need, if he posts it on Google Earth.
The next step would be a "checkbox" in Justsoar, directing it to include
the comments for all the strips when you downloaded a database, so you
could see them inflight, when it really mattered. The comments would
have to be dated, so the pilot could decide how much he wants to trust them.
--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org
ablac...@comcast.net
Nice job Ted. Now all we need is a way to program it all into a PDA
so we can fly GPS approaches into any airport in the database -- or at
least be able to pop up a satellite photo (and eventually pilot-
provided approach and field condition pics - appropriately dated).
Would be a really cool community activity to add the pics.
On my 'puter the fonts and pushpins are so big that it is hard to read
the map. There is a global preference for the font, but not for the
size/style of the pushpin as far as I can tell. Any thoughts here?
9B
Bob Whelan
> On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:16:39 -0800, Tuno wrote:
>
>> I've heard rumors about paper things called "sectionals" that pilots had
>> to unfold and read in the cockpit.
>>
> In the UK its a requirement that you must have our equivalent of a
> sectional in the glider during an XC flight, even if you don't look at it
> because you're navigating by GPS or with a moving map system. Does the
> same apply in the US?
claim to even know any, the only USA/FAA-inspired "map gotcha" of which
I'm aware is of the 'generic need' to not bust any airspace restrictions
(e.g. [moving or stationary] temporary flight restriction,
outright/unmoving restricted airspace, flavors of controlled airspace,
etc.). How a pilot accomplishes this is up to the pilot.
Whether (in the case of being busted) being able to point to (the
misread/unused) sectional in your cockpit will lessen the egregiousness
of busting restricted airspace is another question entirely, of course...
YMMV,
Bob W.
Andy
To the best of my knowledge there is no specific requirement for a
current chart to fly under part 91 but if you don't have one I suspect
the Feds would claim you were not familiar with all the available
information. I suppose if you memorize all the information on the
chart you don't need to have it with you. No matter what you did, or
what you take with you, I doubt anyone will have *all* the
information.
Section 91.103: Preflight action.
Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become
familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This
information must include—
(a) For a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an
airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements,
alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed, and
any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command has been
advised by ATC;
(b) For any flight, runway lengths at airports of intended use, and
the following takeoff and landing distance information:
(1) For civil aircraft for which an approved Airplane or Rotorcraft
Flight Manual containing takeoff and landing distance data is
required, the takeoff and landing distance data contained therein; and
(2) For civil aircraft other than those specified in paragraph (b)(1)
of this section, other reliable information appropriate to the
aircraft, relating to aircraft performance under expected values of
airport elevation and runway slope, aircraft gross weight, and wind
and temperature.
Andy