GlidePlan 1.1

Quick Start 9/23/06

Thanks for downloading or purchasing GlidePlan. If you have already installed the program, feel free to skip down to the Three Minute Tutorial section below. This will give you a quick overview of the primary features and functions of GlidePlan.

Installing or upgrading on a Windows Platform:

1. Download and run the Glideplan installer file . This will install the application along with a "maps" folder in the GlidePlan applications folder. It will also create a shortcut to the application on the desktop.

2. If applicable, delete any older copies of GlidePlan from your computer.

3. Download and run any Glideplan Sectional Map installers you need. Each installer will place a folder in the "maps" folder, inside the GlidePlan application folder, which contains the North and South maps for that sectional, as well as the .tfw geo-reference data files. It will overwrite any older folders of the same name, replacing the expired maps with the new ones.

4. The next time you open a Glideplan document that references an expired map, you will be asked to relocate the map file.  Select the new map file, and save your document.

Installing or upgrading on a Macintosh Platform:

1. Download the Glideplan application file and unstuff it.

2. Drag the application folder to your Applications folder.  It is OK to overwrite the GlidePlan application.

3. Download any Sectional files you want to use and unstuff them.  Each one will create a folder labeled with the sectional name.

4. Drag the Sectional folder(s) into the "maps" folder.

Upgrading Maps on a Macintosh Platform:

5. Download the new version of the Sectional of interest and unstuff it.

6. Drag the resulting Sectional folder into the "maps" folder.  If there was a previous edition folder already in the folder, it will be overwritten.  If your older maps were not in their own "maps" folder, you should locate and delete those maps by hand to avoid using an expired edition.

7. The next time you open a Glideplan document that references an expired map, you will be asked to relocate the map file.  Select the new map file, and save your document.

Three Minute Tutorial:

Launch GlidePlan and input your email and serial number if you have received them via email, or you can choose to run in Demo mode. Saving, printing and exporting are disabled in Demo mode.

Select menu FILE>LOAD NEW MAP, and pick one of the sectionals you installed earlier.

Start Exploring!  Zoom in on an area using the Zoom tool by dragging a box over the area of interest. Drag the map using the hand tool, and zoom in or out from the center of the screen using either the magnifying bars, or the VIEW menu. If you are zoomed way out, and want to inspect a portion of the map to check a frequency number, Airport altitude, etc., use the Loupe tool. Select it and click and drag anywhere on the map to get a circle of full scale magnification under your cursor. You can also access this tool temporarilly if you need to make a quick inspection by holding down the "L" keybefore clicking and dragging the Loupe. The Hand tool can be accessed in the same way by holding down the space bar (just like photoshop).

Select the "Add" tool in the right section of the toolbar and note that the "Altitude" mode tool is highlited (one of the three mode tools in the center section of the tool bar is always hilighted). Click on a sectional airport and enter the elevation of the airport in the pop-up box. A series of rings are drawn around the airport. Repeat the process for another airport.

Altitude mode creates contour rings of equal altitude. The altitude shown on each contour is what is required to make it back from that point to the airport at the selected arrival altitude. Place a landout at any landing spot you are comfortable using, given the glider type, your experience level, etc. Multiple landouts can be added to create a topographic profile of flyable area at any given altitude or distance from a landout.

Select the "Distance" tool from the toolbar, just to the right of the "Altitude" tool. The map is redrawn with the rings now representing contours of equal distance from the landout. This is the more traditional method of drawing XC charts. Note that the altitude required to make it to the landout is labeled on each distance ring. Check the "spectrum" box in the format tab of the parameters window and then click the "Apply" button. Each set of rings is redrawn in a unique color, to associate those rings with a particular landout.

The rest of the tools along the right side of the toolbar are used to modify the objects you have created in the currently selected mode (distance, altitude, task) by adding, moving, Inserting, deleting, etc. If you drag objects to the edge of the screen, the map will pan automatically, allowing you full access to any point on the map without the need to zoom in and out.

Adjust the map to the flight parameters of your glider. Change the glide ratio, best L/D, etc. using the controls in the "Flight" tab of the parameters window. Click the apply button, and the map is redrawn. Click the "Format" tab and tweak the display parameters of the graphics, like color, transparency, line thickness, etc.

The task tool allows you to lay down turnpoints for planning or analysis of a potential course. Select the "Task" tool in the center section of the toolbar. Roll over one of your previously placed landouts and note that it highlights when your cursor is near it. Click when it is highlighted, and the turnpoint will "snap" to the landout position. Note that the turnpoint inherits the altitude of the landout point as well. Click on a second point and a course line is drawn between the two points. Along the line, heading, distance, and duration are shown. Click a third point, and then click the original point. You now have a triangle course.

Select menu WINDOW>TASK SUMMARY and take a look at the table that contains your turnpoints. Total distance and duration are listed at the top. Click the Analysis disclosure triangle at the bottom of the window. You can see at a glance if your course qualified for any FAI distance tasks, and why. Select the move tool from the toolbar and click and drag one of the turnpoints to a new location. The analysis window updates automatically. Select a desired task (such as Gold Distance) from the pulldown menu and see how you task does against those specific requirements.

Zoom out to see the whole map using the menu VIEW>ZOOM TO FIT. Select the menu FILE>PAGE SETUP. Select your printer and paper size. (note: in demo mode you will not be able to print). Now select the menu FILE>SET PRINT AREA. Click on "Select page location" and click the "Locate" button.  The current location of the print area is boxed. Click and drag to move the box where you want the printed area to be. At a 1:1 scale, a Super A3 paper size covers a pretty good area: about 115 nm x 85nm. Click on the "Tile Pages" radio button, then click on "Show Tiled Pages" button to see what section of the map each numbered page includes.

Next select the menu WINDOW>LEGEND SETUP. This is where you define the legend for your printed map. Many of the parameters are already included, such as glide ratio, arrival altitude, etc. Title your chart, and add in any comments describing the chart's purpose or limitations. Click the "Locate" button and you will again see a floating box, this time representing the boundaries of the legend. Note that the rectangle of the printable area (or tiled pages) also appears to give you some reference as to where to place the legend.

If you are not running in Demo mode, select the menu FILE>SAVE to save your map. It's a snap to change the parameters some other day for another glider, different weather, new landouts, etc. The Sectional is edited non-destructively, with graphic elements on a different layer, so you never have to worry about permanently altering it.

As you gain more experience with the program, you will no doubt run across bugs, or features you've just got to have. Please take a moment to give us your opinions using the FEEDBACK menu or through the website. Don't assume everyone else found what you found. Your feedback is the absolute best and fastest way to improve the program. We want to hear about any little thing you feel is broken or that might make the program a little better.

Thanks again for your participation! I hope you have as much fun using GlidePlan as I had writing it!

Regards,

Matt Herron