30 August, 2022

Contents
OzRunways User Manual 1
Introduction 1
Basics 1
Starting Screens 1
Databases 2
Startup 2
App Screens 2
Map Page 3
Basic Interaction 3
Map Interaction 4
Toolbars 6
Left Sidebar (Overlays) 6
Fuel mode 7
Weather Overlay 8
KML Overlays 8
Right Sidebar 8
Drop Marker (Man Overboard) 9
Screen Lock 9
Screen Brightness 9
Cursor 10
Artificial Horizon (only shown when a compatible AHRS device is connected) 10
LSALT Assistant (only shown when in a plan and a route leg selected) 10
Horizontal Terrain 10
Plan Progress (only shown when in a plan) 10
Map View Options (Cogs) 10
Share 12
Help 13
Bottom Left Bar 13
Map Mode 13
Radar 14
Choose Map 14
Bottom Right Bar 16
Plan Sheet 16
Plans (lines and dots) 16
Search 16
Traffic / Timers 16
Traffic 17
Timers 18
Airspace 18
GPS HUD 19
ScratchPad Page 19
Airfields Page 20
Airfields List 20
Airfields in Plan 21
 Favourites 21
Search 21
Smart Airfields 22
Search 23
Recents 23
Airfields in plan 23
Outside of a plan 23
Viewing aerodrome documents 23
Document List 24
Draw on documents 25
Screen Lock and Screen Brightness 26
Options 26
Clipboard 27
Traffic 27
Weather 28
Documents Page 28
AIP 30
SmartBrief & Brief Page 32
SmartBrief 32
Graphical Area Forecasts (GAF) 32
NOTAMs for Plan 34
Significant Weather (SIGMETs & AIRMETs) 34
Charts 35
Location Briefings 35
NOTAM grading system 36
Grid Point Wind/Temperature (GPWT) 36
Troubleshooting 38
Basic Brief (Brief) 38
Favourites 39
In Plan 39
Weather in Plan 39
Charts 39
Settings Page 39
Subscriptions 40
Database 40
Downloads 41
Regions 41
Download Status Indicator 42
Local File Sharing 42
Preferences 43
Data Management 44
Simulator Mode 44
Dropbox Integration 44
Information 45
Integrations 45
Help 45
 Frequently Asked Questions 45
Online Support Form 45
Email Support 46
Aircraft 46
Logs 46
Track History 46
User Waypoints 46
Pilots 46
NAIPS 46
Traffic 46
Device Options 46
TracPlus 46
Planning 47
Plan Background 47
Initiating a plan 48
Quick Planner 48
Plan Details 49
Plans List 50
Map Planning 51
Plan Sheet 52
Waypoints 53
Alternates 54
LSALT (Lowest Safe Altitude) 54
Altitude 54
TAS (True Airspeed) 54
TRK (Track) 55
Wind 55
HDG (Heading) 55
GS (Groundspeed) 55
Distance 55
ETI (Estimated Time Interval) 55
EET (Estimated Elapsed Time) 55
ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) 55
FR (Fuel Remaining) 55
Fuel Log 56
REV (Revised ETA) 56
ATA (Actual Time Of Arrival) 56
Notes 56
Plan Winds 56
Optimiser 57
Edit Mode 57
Fuel Planner 58
Weight and Balance Planner 59
Printing Plans 60
Exporting Plans 61
Weather 61
 Wx/Notams 61
Weather Radar Overlay 63
Aerodrome Weather 64
Windy / BoM Radars / Satellite View 64
Windy.com 64
BoM Radars 65
Satellite View 65
SmartBrief / Brief 66
PDF Pack 66
Aircraft 66
Creating a new Aircraft Profile 67
Viewing/Editing an existing Aircraft Profile 67
Detailed Performance Editor 69
Weight and Balance Setup 70
Fuel Tables 72
Importing & Exporting 73
Duplicate 73
GPS HUD 73
HUD box options 74
Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) 77
GPS Accuracy Dot 77
Terrain and Airspace 77
LSALT assistant 77
Terrain Overlay 79
Horizontal Terrain 80
Plan Mode 80
Fly Mode 81
Active Restricted Airspace System 82
User Waypoints 83
Creating a User Waypoint 83
Editing a User Waypoint 84
Importing / Exporting User Waypoints 85
Exporting 86
Importing 86
Waypoint URLs (ozwpt://) 86
Logs 87
Exporting 88
Troubleshooting 88
Traffic 89
OzRunways Traffic System (in-app) 89
Setup & Options 89
tx.ozrunways.com (traffic wesbite) 91
ADS-B Traffic 91
ADS-B Receiver Setup 91
ADS-B Receiver Troubleshooting 91
Portable ADS-B Out 92
EFB Safety 92
Power 92
Heat 92
Data 93
Backup 93
Navigation 93
Graphic Overlays 93
Opening and Displaying Graphic Overlays 93
Intro to KML 94
KML Examples 94
Simple KML Placemark 94
KML Polygon 95
KML LineStrings 96
Special Features 96
Bullseye! 96
Range Rings 97
Device Requirements 98
Software Requirements 98
Hardware Requirements 98
OzRunways User Manual

OzRunways User Manual

This guide covers all of the functionality in the OzRunways app. It is suggested that you have your iPad with you to
follow along as you read this.

Introduction

Basics
Welcome to the OzRunways User Guide!
Firstly, we will cover some important aspects of the iPad as a source for your aviation maps and data. The iPad or
iPhone is a touch sensitive device. If you are not sure what to do, touch the screen, especially the little buttons that
are displayed at various places around the screen. You can not break the app by tapping.
When in doubt, tap the screen.
OzRunways does not come with the maps preloaded. When you first start the app the maps are retrieved from an
internet server which OzRunways can only reach if you have an internet connection. The app will attempt to load
sections of the map as required on demand. That is, if you select a map and zoom and pan, the app attempts to
download only the parts of the map you are trying to view. If you are not on a WiFi or 3G/4G network you will not
have access to those maps. If you are seeing black patches on your map this is most likely due to not having
downloaded the maps you require.
For this reason, it is important to download the maps you require for your flight because once airborne, you may not
have reliable access to a 3G/4G network (despite how good these networks are in Australia). Wireless networks are
good, but they are not perfect. When you have downloaded the maps to your device then they can be accessed any
time without the need for an internet connection. Think of this as preflighting your iPad or iPhone.

Seealso
For more information on how to download maps and other data see the Downloads section on the Settings page.

The chapter on EFB Safety contains information on other issues of which to be wary when using EFBs in flight.
Finally, OzRunways is constantly evolving. If a screenshot does not quite match what you see in the app you can
assume things have moved on. We apologise for any confusion that may arise. If you have any queries please get in
touch with us at [email protected]

Starting Screens
Having downloaded OzRunways from the App Store, locate the OzRunways icon on the iPad home screen and tap
on it. When starting up for the first time ensure you are connected to a WiFi or mobile network as the app will need to
download a variety of information, including maps and other aviation data.

Warning
You should not go flying until you have downloaded the maps you require in Settings → Downloads. For more
information see the Downloads section in the Settings chapter

While at home on a good network, the app will seemingly function just fine. The fact is that it is loading the maps and
other data on demand (i.e. from the internet) and only those map portions that you actually look at will be
downloaded. If you do not download the maps or other data (ERSA pages for example) and you go flying where the
mobile network coverage is poor (or you don’t have a SIM card or sufficient mobile data available) you will not be
able to download the maps. This will result in, at worst, the map displaying nothing and at best, patchy maps.
So the very important message is: always ‘preflight’ your OzRunways by making sure all maps, ERSA documents,
IFR plates, and any other data you need for your flight are loaded. (If it sounds like we are repeating ourselves, we
are. This is important!)

1
OzRunways User Manual

The app will start up after some introductory screens. These present the Licence Agreement (EULA), ask you to
enter your existing Username if you have one (if not, select the 30 day free trial) and then prompt for permission for
OzRunways to access your Location (answer yes to this or the GPS tracking features will not be enabled).

Databases
In OzRunways a lot of the magic is created by the use of databases. Often confusion may reign when we talk about
‘the database’, because there are quite a few. The database that users will frequently come across is the ERSA
database, which is frequently seen loading when you start or restart the app. This is the database that takes care of
waypoints and map metadata.

Startup
After going through the startup screens above, you will land on the Maps page where you will see the
OpenStreetMap displayed. This map has been constructed using a standard OpenStreetMap (open source) with
custom airspace added by OzRunways. Later you will learn how to change maps.

App Screens

The 6 main pages (or ‘App Screens’) in OzRunways

Along the bottom of the iPad there are 6 buttons. These are used to switch between the main pages in the app. They
are described below.
Map Page
The map page provides moving map functionality, planning, weather and a variety of other information.
ScratchPad Page
The ScratchPad page provides you with a free form entry page on which to take ATC notes, ATIS reports, etc.

2
Map Page

Airfields Page
The Airfields Page provides ERSA airport data and, if you have subscriptions, Pilot’s Touring Guide and OzRunways
Airfield Guide data.
Documents Page
The Documents Page provides additional ERSA data (the front and rear matter), Australian CAOs, CARs, CASRs,
CAAPs and the AIP. This page is described further in Section 4.
SmartBrief & Brief Page
The Brief and SmartBrief Pages contain various weather forecast products. If you have an Australian Standard
subscription, or are outside Australia you will see the ‘Brief’ page. If you have an Australian Premium subscription
you will see the SmartBrief Page.
Settings Page
The Settings page is where you can check up on your account information, setup aircraft profiles, and much more.

Map Page

Basic Interaction
Firstly, there are a number of things you can do on the map page and likely, while en-route flying, you will spend
most of your time here. For this reason, it is important to familiarise yourself with the diverse capabilities provided on
this page. Some functionality is available simply by tapping, swiping, pinching or pressing on the map. Other
functionality is available via buttons at the top, side and bottom of the screen.
The operations available are:
Pan map
Press, hold and drag your finger on the screen
Zoom
‘Pinch zoom’ is achieved by placing your thumb and forefinger on the screen at the same time and pressing,
holding (briefly) and moving them apart (zoom in) or together (zoom out).
One finger zoom can be achieved by tapping twice on the map, but on the second tap keep your finger in
contact with the screen and swipe up or down to zoom in or out.
Measure
The same as for zoom, but press and hold your thumb and forefinger until a ruler appears. Then while keeping
your fingertips contacting the screen, manipulate them to adjust the position of the ruler. Tap and hold on the
ruler to reveal more options: distance unit, course type (rhumb or great circle), and bearing type (ºT or ºM).
Enter a plan
See Planning
Get the weather
Tap near an aerodrome (AD). The Closest Points popup will appear, tap on the AD in this popup. Tap
‘Wx/Notams’ in the subsequent menu.
Create a User Waypoint
Tap on the map where you want the waypoint. Tap on the ‘+’ in the top left corner of the subsequent ‘Closest
Points’ popup. Tap ‘Add User Waypoint’.
Follow your progress as you fly (moving map mode)
See Map Mode button later in this chapter.
View Grid LSALTs
Access various IFR aids
Find your GPS location

3
Map Page

Map Interaction
Tap once anywhere on the map and the ‘Closest Points’ popup will appear (Image 2.1). This list shows the waypoints
closest to where you tapped on the map. Below and beside each item in the list is some information about the
waypoint. If you have tapped near an aerodrome then it will be prioritised and appear as the first entry in the list, and
some more quick actions are associated with it.

Closest Points popup

Note
You can choose the type of waypoints that appear in the ‘Closest Points’ popup in Settings → Preferences →
Waypoint Sub-Types.

If you have tapped in an area with few waypoints you will see ‘New Custom Waypoint’ at the top of the list (Image
2.2). This item is used to create a User Waypoint. To learn more about creating & editing User Waypoints see the
User Waypoints chapter. If the ‘New Custom Waypoint’ option does not appear in the list you can use the ‘+’ symbol
in the top left corner to create a User Waypoint.

4
Map Page

Closest Points popup showing ‘New Custom Waypoint’ option

Tap on a waypoint for more options (Image 2.3). The options are described below.

Waypoint Details view

Direct To
When you select ‘Direct To’, a User Waypoint is dropped at your current position and a plan is constructed from
the newly created User Waypoint, to the selected waypoint. If you were already in a plan, that plan will continue
after reaching the ‘Direct To’ point.

5
Map Page

‘Direct To’ is a handy option for a quick change of plan, e.g. a diversion. There are better ways to create an
actual flight plan, these methods are described in the chapter on Planning
Set As Origin of Plan / Add To Plan
Tapping ‘Set As Origin of Plan’ creates a flight plan with the selected waypoint as the initial point in the plan. (If
you already have a plan active, the button will be labelled ‘Add To Plan’) This is one method you can use to
create a flight plan. To add more waypoints to your plan: tap near the desired waypoint on the map → select the
waypoint in the subsequent Closest Points Popup → tap ‘Add To Plan’. For more information see the chapter on
Planning.
Remove From Plan
(Only shown if this waypoint exists in the currently active plan) Removes the waypoint from the plan.
Recentre On Map
Positions the screen with the selected waypoint in the centre.
Wx/Notams
Tapping on ‘Wx/Notams’ results in a tabbed popup that provides access to various weather & NOTAM
information.
The options here are covered in the Weather chapter.
Satellite Map
Opens a Satellite Map popup with the waypoint shown as a pin drop on the map.
Range Ring
The Range Ring feature is discussed in Special Features
Public Notes
Use the Public Notes system to share information about airfields with other OzRunways users. Before you can
submit a Public Note you will need to set up a nickname in Settings → Subscriptions.
Fuel Prices
For waypoints that have associated fuel prices, these are shown here. Tap to edit or enter new fuel information.
Below these options a list of documents for the airfield is shown. Tap a document to view.

Toolbars
There are a number of toolbars around the edge of the map, the function of these toolbars and their buttons are
described below.

Left Sidebar (Overlays)

The Left Sidebar (also known as the Overlays Bar) bar is accessed by tapping the show/hide button along the left
hand edge of the map page. This bar controls the display of the waypoint overlay symbols, fuel prices, weather radar
overlay, and graphic overlays/KMLs.

6
Map Page

Tap a waypoint icon to turn the respective overlay on/off. The presence or absence of the waypoint overlay symbols
also controls various other functionality e.g. if the AD or ALA overlays are switched on, they will appear in the
Horizontal Terrain display.
By default, a single tap on Show/Hide Toolbars will hide the Left Sidebar. This behaviour can be configured with a
long press on the Show/Hide Toolbars button. A popup will appear (as depicted in Image 2.4) allowing you to select
which toolbars and screen elements will be shown or hidden when you tap the Show/Hide button. In this popup there
is also an Icon Size slider used to adjust the size of all toolbars.

Resulting popup after a long press on the Show/Hide button.

Fuel mode

7
Map Page

Tap the Fuel Mode button to turn on the fuel overlay. The icon is green when Fuel Mode is switched on, and grey
when switched off. Image 2.5 is indicating that Orange (YORG) may have Avgas, Jet A1, and Mogas available and
that Bathurst (YBTH) may have only Avgas and Jet A1 available.
Last reported fuel price (where available) is displayed underneath the waypoint, colour coded to the fuel type. The
price shown reflects the fuel type for the Active Aircraft Profile as set in the Traffic popup. To view prices for other
fuel types you can either change the aircraft profile in the Traffic popup, or, tap near the waypoint → tap the waypoint
in the resulting Closest Points popup. Fuel information is displayed here in the waypoint details view.

AD & ALA fuel prices

Weather Overlay

Tap the Weather Overlay button to switch the weather radar overlay on/off. The icon is green when the Weather
Overlay is switched on, and grey when switched off. See the chapter on Weather for more information.

KML Overlays

This button is only shown if you have imported a KML overlay, or if you have regional KML overlays available with
your subscription. For more information see Graphic Overlays. When any KML Overlay is turned on, the icon is
green. When no KML Overlays are turned on the icon is grey.

Right Sidebar

8
Map Page

Drop Marker (Man Overboard)

Tap the Drop Marker button to drop a User Waypoint at your current GPS location. While User Waypoints can be
added by tapping on the screen, the Drop Marker button gives the most accurate and fast way of adding a waypoint
at your current location, and includes a timestamp (handy for recording visual position fixes!). Waypoints thus added
are initially of group ‘Dropped Marker’.

Screen Lock

Tapping Screen Lock will prevent any interaction with the map page and remove non-critical menu buttons. The
padlock closes and turns green when the screen is locked. Tap again to unlock. This is useful in turbulence when
you don’t want extraneous taps being registered. If the screen lock is switched on and you try to tap the screen, a
message will appear reminding you that the screen has been locked. Tap the padlock to unlock.
The Weather Overlay, Traffic, and Man Overboard buttons may still be used while the screen is locked.

Screen Brightness

Tapping the screen brightness button brings up a slider that can be used to control the screen brightness. Screen
brightness has a significant impact on power draw, turning the brightness down can improve battery life. You may

9
Map Page

also wish to use the option in the iPad/iPhone Settings app → General → Accessibility → Smart Invert Colours to
improve night vision.

Cursor

Switches the cursor on/off. The cursor is a horizontal and vertical dashed line intersecting in the middle of the map
screen. When the cursor is switched on, the coordinates (and elevation, if you are a Premium subscriber) at the
centre of the cursor appear in a box on the right hand edge of the screen. The cursor can be used as an aid to verify
coordinates or to assist in adding accurate User Waypoints. Tap once on the coordinates box to change
coordinate/elevation units, or tap and hold to copy the coordinates only to the clipboard. When creating a User
Waypoint with the cursor switched on, the waypoint location will be the centre of the cursor (otherwise it is added
where you tap your finger).
The icon is green when the Cursor is switched on, and grey when switched off.

Artificial Horizon (only shown when a compatible AHRS device is connected)

When a compatible AHRS device (e.g. the Appareo Stratus 3) is connected, tapping this button opens an Artificial
Horizon box. The box can be dragged around the screen. Tap this button again to dismiss the AH.

LSALT Assistant (only shown when in a plan and a route leg selected)

The LSALT Assistant is described in the Terrain and Airspace chapter.

Horizontal Terrain

The Horizontal Terrain feature is described in the Terrain and Airspace chapter.

Plan Progress (only shown when in a plan)

From left to right the Plan Progress box displays: the last passed waypoint & time, ETA to the active waypoint, and
next landing point ETA. Tap the left arrow to sequence the plan back one waypoint, tap the right arrow to sequence
the plan forward one waypoint. Press and drag the box to move it around the screen.

Map View Options (Cogs)

10
Map Page

The Map View Options popup is accessed by tapping the ‘Cogs’ button. The popup is shown below in Image 2.6.
Tap an item to switch it on or off. A blue tick, or an ‘i’ in a circle indicate the option is turned on. Items with blue ticks
can only be switched off or on. For those items with an ‘i’, tap on the ‘i’ to access more settings.

Map View Options.

The options are as follows:

Own Ship Position
This switches on/off the aircraft symbol which indicates your position. When switched on tap the blue circle to
access more settings - you can change the colour and size of the icon, and switch between different icon images
e.g. rotary wing, turboprop, jet…
Show Track History
Controls the ‘cookie crumbs’ left behind your path across the map (as a set of coloured crosses). Tapping the
blue circle to change the colour and size of the track history markers.
Show GPS HUD

11
Map Page

Switches the GPS HUD on/off. The blue circle takes you to the settings for the track pointer (the 10NM line
pointing ahead of your aircraft symbol). These settings do not affect the GPS HUD.
Clear Track History (This option only appears when there is track history to clear)
Clears the track history (cookie crumbs) from the map.
Show Bearing Line
Switches the bearing line on/off. The bearing line is a green dashed line that leads you to your next waypoint
(when in an active flight plan).
10NM Circle
Switches on/off the 10NM circle around your aircraft symbol. Tap the blue circle to adjust the range of the circle
(10NM by default).
Airspace
This list controls the types of airspace that appear in the list when you long-press on the map. For ops in
Australia, you should turn on CTA, CTR, and PRD. It also dictates what types of airspace are displayed in the
Horizontal Terrain view.
Show LSALT Boundaries
Turns the Grid LSALT display on for a selected segment in a plan. A plan must be loaded before the LSALTs will
display. Tap on the segment you wish to examine either on the map or on the segment summary popup from the
Plans button. The splay for calculating the LSALT is shown around the selected segment. Tap the blue circle to
adjust the LSALT splay category.
Show Runways
Shows the runways (overlaid on the map) for the next destination of the selected segment in a plan. You need a
plan selected for this to work. The AD has to have an ERSA entry for the runway(s). In other words, the data for
these comes from Airservices Australia.
Show Sector Entry
An aid to an IFR aid approach. A plan must be loaded for this feature to work. Tap the blue circle and set the
inbound track and whether it is a left or right entry. The sector entry pattern is then displayed on the map.
Show Rocket Boxes
Enables/disables the ‘rocket boxes’ i.e. the lozenge shaped boxes near the start of the planned track line that
show bearing and distance.
Show Top of Descent
Show/hide the Top of Descent marker along the magenta track line.
Show Sector Features
Show/hide sector features such as CP/PNR, fuel critical point etc. along the magenta track line.
Show 10NM Plan Markers
Show/hide the 10NM markers along the magenta track line.
Show AD Weather Colours
eAWIS is created from unverified one-minute observation data from BoM. For situational awareness only.
Show/hide the coloured dots inside waypoint symbols that indicate meteorological conditions based on
METAR/eAWIS observations. The colour criteria is detailed in the image below.

Show Terrain Overlay (Australia/NZ Premium subscribers only)

Turns the terrain overlay on/off. The Terrain Overlay feature is described in the Terrain and Airspace chapter.

Share

12
Map Page

Tapping the ‘Share’ icon opens a menu that provides a number of options for sharing. The left side of Image 2.7
shows the share menu when no flight plan is loaded. The right hand side shows the share menu when a flight plan is
loaded.

(Left) share menu with no plan active (Right) share menu when a plan is active

Tapping ‘Open Tracking Website’ takes you out of OzRunways, opens a tab in Safari, and loads the OzRunways
Traffic website (https://tx.ozrunways.com)
Tapping ‘Current Plan’ or ‘Current Aircraft’ opens the iOS Share Sheet - from here you can share the selected item
via AirDrop, email, or any other option you see on the Share Sheet. If you want to share a plan or aircraft with
someone who is remote from you, use the email sharing option.
Tapping ‘Print’ allows you to print the current section of map displayed on screen. You will be asked to select a
printer from any AirPrint printers that are available nearby. To learn more about AirPrint see
http://support.apple.com/en-au/HT201311.
If you have an appropriate subscription, the option to share/export your current plan to a Dynon unit will appear here.

Help

Tapping the Help button reveals labels for all buttons on the map screen. It also provides options for More Help, such
as links to our user documentation and support website.

Bottom Left Bar

Map Mode

13
Map Page

The Map Mode button toggles between static mode (where the map does not move) and moving map modes (where
the map tracks your GPS position).
There are two moving map modes: North Up and Track Up. Cycle between the modes by tapping on the Map Mode
button. Static → North Up → Track Up → Static … etc. etc. The current Map Mode is denoted by the colour of the
Map Mode button. It is clear (grey) in static mode, green in North Up mode, and magenta (or purple) in Track Up
mode.
In order for the moving map modes to work, the iPad needs to know your GPS position, which means you need to
have the iPad’s Location Services turned on. When you tap the Map Mode button and transition into one of the
moving map modes, the map will recenter and place your aircraft symbol in the centre of the screen (North Up
mode), or in the bottom third of the screen (Track Up mode).
In North Up mode, you may pan or zoom the screen to wherever you want and the tracking will continue with the
offset and zoom you have selected.

Radar

The Radar Button brings up a popup with three options: a Windy.com weather display, the closest Bureau of
Meteorology (BoM) radar to the middle of the screen, and the national Satview (satview.bom.gov.au).
The features in this popup are covered in depth in the chapter on Weather

Choose Map

The ‘Choose Map’ button lets you select the map you wish to display. The maps shown in the list are based on the
current location you are viewing on screen.
Image 2.8 shows a typical Choose Map popup in the vicinity of Melbourne.

14
Map Page

Choose Map popup

Tap on the VFR or IFR boxes to show/hide the VFR or IFR maps. In Image 2.8 both VFR and IFR are selected.
Maps are listed top to bottom in decreased order of detail (or scale). So, for instance, the National 250k
Topographical map is listed at the top as it is the most detailed map for that area. As you get into more rural areas,
only the WAC and perhaps the ERC (Low/High) will show. The Hybrid VFR and ERC Low National always appear at
the top of the list as these are the most frequently used.
The currently selected map is highlighted blue (e.g. in Image 2.8 the Melbourne VNC is the selected map).
The WAC (AU) is a global map for Australia derived by combining all individual WACs. This means there is no need
to select or know the particular WAC you need for a given area. We have similarly created a nation-wide ERC for
both Low and High versions (named ERC Low National and ERC High National respectively). However, the
individual ERCs are still selectable as on some occasions, the boundary of one ERC may overlay detail on an
adjacent ERC that is required. In that case you can swap to the individual ERC in question.
There is also a Hybrid VFR map provided for Australia which when zoomed out shows the WAC. As you zoom in,
and if they are available, you will see in sequence, the VNC, VTC and inset for the area at which you are looking.

15
Map Page

If a legend is available for the selected map, the word ‘Legend’ will display in the top left corner of the popup on
iPads. On iPhone it will also appear at the very bottom of the list of maps.
If you have not downloaded a particular map, a ‘cloud’ icon displays next to it on the right. You can tap the cloud to
download the map here rather than going to Settings → Downloads. Once tapped, the download progress will be
shown. If you want to delete a map, you still have to go to Settings → Downloads → (Country) and perform that
action there.

Bottom Right Bar

Plan Sheet

Tap to open the Plan Sheet for the currently active plan. The function of the Plan Sheet is covered in Planning.

Plans (lines and dots)

The Plans screen is divided into two sections. The top section contains the Quick Planner and the bottom section
contains the list of previously created plans. For more information on making a plan and accessing saved plans see
the chapter on Planning
Tapping Plans when a flight plan is already active will result in the Plan Details view, as described in the Planning
chapter.

Search

The Search button allows you to search for an airport or waypoint by name, partial name or ICAO code. It also
provides you with the closest ADs, ALAs and other waypoints relative to your current GPS position. It is often useful if
you have to do a quick diversion. For example: tap ‘Airports’ to view a list of AD, ALA, and HLS closest to your
current GPS position. Or, type in the search box to search for a waypoint manually. You can also perform an Apple
Maps search e.g. try searching for ‘The Big Rocking Horse’. This popup may be left open and distance and bearing
information will continue to update (potentially useful if you are approaching a waypoint and want a quick view of the
distance remaining).
For users in Australia with a Premium Subscription, this is where you access the Offline Street Address Search
function. Offline Street Address Search is covered in the Special Features chapter.

Traffic / Timers

16
Map Page

Traffic

The elements of the traffic icon gives a visual indication of the status of both the OzRunways traffic system, and any
connected ADS-B device.

Traffic icon legend

Tap the traffic icon to reveal more options. If you have a SkyEcho connected this is where you can configure the
settings. (iOS 13 or above required)

Left: Standard traffic popup Right: Popup with SkyEcho connected (iOS 13 or above required)

17
Map Page

fig_traffic_broadcast_all below demonstrates the appearance of the traffic icon under the following conditions:

• OzRunways traffic broadcasting

• SkyEcho ADS-B OUT broadcasting using callsign EFB, and squawk code 1200

Note
The OzRunways traffic system will only broadcast your position to other users when it detects you are flying. i.e.
the aeroplane symbol won’t be green unless you are flying.

Timers

Tapping the Timers button opens a menu where you can access the Flight & Engine Timer settings.
Engine Timer
There is an engine timer and a flight timer. You can start the timers manually, or have them automatically start.
The engine timer may be started automatically by listening for ambient engine noise. This is setup by tapping the
Volume Switch and then tapping ‘Auto’ and adjusting the volume control while you have your engine running.
Adjust volume from highest to lowest so that the timer starts reliably. When the engine is stopped, the timer
should automatically stop. You may have to experiment with the setting to get it right for your aircraft.
Flight Timer
The flight timer may be automatically set by tapping ‘Air Switch’ and selecting an air speed at which you wish to
start the flight timer.
The respective timers may be reset at the bottom of the popup. If the timers are set and operating, their values are
displayed to the right of the timers icon.

Airspace
The left screenshot in Image 2.11 shows the result of a long press near YPED (Edinburgh, SA). On releasing your
finger after a long press a list appears detailing the airspace under your finger at the time you did the long press. The
types of airspace that appear in this list can be selected in Map View Options (cogs). A tap on the bottom airspace
listing (Edinburgh airspace R234) results in the display on the right in Image 2.11.

18
ScratchPad Page

Airspace information

When viewing restricted airspace details in the above manner the information box will be coloured either yellow,
orange or red. The orange colour indicates that clearances may be given to transit that airspace (i.e. RA2). A red
colour indicates you are unlikely to get a clearance through the airspace (RA3) and yellow illustrates that clearances
are routinely given (RA1). The active hours (where available) are shown in UTC.

GPS HUD
Below the title bar menu there are a number of dark boxes which display information. This is called the GPS HUD
and is described in detail in the GPS HUD chapter.

GPS HUD

ScratchPad Page
The ScratchPad page gives you a place on which to take ATC notes, ATIS reports, etc.
There are three boxes down the left hand side, each one is an individual screen. i.e. you have 3 screens of note
taking available to you.
Use your finger as a pen. Use the colour selector at the top to change pen colour. The black circle is an eraser. The
backward arrow is an undo button, it will undo the last stroke (defined as finger on, to finger off.) The red ‘X’ clears all
content on the current screen.

19
Airfields Page

Any content on these pages is retained until deleted using the ‘X’. If you uninstall the app the ScratchPad content will
also be removed.

ScratchPad

Airfields Page
Depending on your subscription type you will see either Smart Airfields (Premium subscriptions) or the old style
Airfield List (Standard subscriptions). If you have a Premium subscription you have the option to switch between the
two.

Airfields List

20
Airfields Page

Airfields List

Tap an Airfield in the list to view the associated documents. To learn more about the functions when looking at a
document see the Viewing aerodrome documents section later in this chapter.
In the top left corner of Image 4.1 we can see that the region is set to Australia. A tap on ‘Australia’ results in a popup
that lists the possible regions. Set appropriately. Note: you can set to ‘All’ which will give you a very large set of
airfields to search (so you probably don’t want to do this).

Airfields in Plan
If you have a plan entered, those airfields with documents will appear in this list.

Favourites
Airfields you have previously added to favourites will appear here. To learn how to add a favourite to this list see
‘Options’ in the Viewing aerodrome documents section further down. Use the Edit button to reorder or delete items in
the list.

Search
Image 4.2 demonstrates how to activate the search function. Just start typing into the search field and matching
airfields will appear below in the popup. Here we have typed ‘Parafield’ and the popup shows a selection of matching
entries. The search is not case sensitive.
You can use airfield names or codes, document types (FAC, RNAV, SID etc.) and more in the search box. e.g.
searching for ‘can ils’ will show the ILS charts for Canberra. Searching for ‘ypad star’ will bring up all the STAR charts
for Adelaide.

21
Airfields Page

Search in the Airfields List

Smart Airfields
The Smart Airfields page (Image 4.3) is available with an Australian VFR Premium or Australian IFR Premium
subscription. Use the ‘Smart’ and ‘List’ buttons to switch between the ‘old style’ list of airfields, and the new Smart
Airfields Page.
Smart Airfields is designed to give you the information you need without having to scroll through a large list. Where
available, there is a small diagram of the runway layout and a windsock next to the airfield name. The windsock
changes direction based on the current METAR wind to give you a quick indication of which runway might be in use.
For airfields with a large amount of charts, the charts will be grouped into folders. Tap on a folder to reveal all charts
of that kind.

Smart Airfields

22
Airfields Page

Search
There’s an intelligent search bar which can be used to search by aerodrome codes, procedure types, procedure
names and more. E.g. searching for ‘CAN ILS’ will display the ILS procedures for Canberra aerodrome. Searching
for ‘YPAD STAR’ will bring up all the STAR charts for Adelaide.

Recents
The Recents section displays your most recently accessed charts & documents so that you can return to them
quickly and easily. This section is always displayed at the top of the list.

Airfields in plan
After the ‘Recents’ section, the first airfield displayed is the airfield you are at now (nearest airfield within 2NM of your
location) followed by a list of airfields in your plan (if you have a plan loaded).
Following the list of airfields in your plan, OzRunways will choose a few airfields in the general vicinity along your
flight path that may be useful to you e.g. in case of diversion. Note: If your plan contains more than 10 airfields then
no extra airfields will appear in the list, only those that are in your plan.

Outside of a plan
If you don’t have a plan loaded the Smart Airfields page will display a list of airfields closest to your current location.

Viewing aerodrome documents

When viewing an aerodrome document, a new set of menu buttons appear across the top of the page. These are
described subsequently.

23
Airfields Page

Aerodrome document view

Document List

Image 4.5 illustrates the result of tapping the ‘Book’ icon in the top right corner. This lists all documents and
procedures available for the selected airfield. Here we can see Parafield has a FAC page, a runway distance
supplement (RDS), a Manoeuvering Area Map, an Aerodrome Chart, and numerous approach and departure
procedures (if you have a VFR subscription you will not be able to access the departure & approach procedures).
If you have access to the OzRunways Airfield Guide, Pilots Touring Guide or any other additional subscriptions (or
your own items from Dropbox), this is where entries will appear for those products.

24
Airfields Page

Document list

Draw on documents

Note
This feature is only available for documents less than 5 pages long. It is not available for the OzRunways Airfield
Guide.

Tap the Pencil icon to enter editing mode. Use the controls at the top of the page to select your desired colour and
pen type (pen or highlighter.) There is an undo button to remove the last stroke, or a red ‘X’ which will clear all
drawings on the document. When you have finished drawing, press the Done button to exit edit mode.
Any drawings you make will be retained until you delete them or a new version of the document is published, for
example an update to the ERSA.

25
Airfields Page

Drawing on the Parafield aerodrome chart

Screen Lock and Screen Brightness

These operate as per the Map page.

Options

Tapping the cogs symbol will bring up a list of more options. It depends on what type of document you are viewing as
to what options appear in the list. The options are described below.
Add to favourites
Add this airfield to the favourites menu seen back on the main Airfields page.
Print
Print the document you are currently Viewing
Swipe to change plates
If this setting is enabled you can swipe between documents like reading a book. Swipe from the right edge of the
page to the left to move forward one document. Swipe from the left edge of the page to the right to move back
one document.
Show Timer Button
If this setting is enabled a timer will appear in the title bar as seen in Image 4.4 The timer works in 3 stages: Tap
the Play icon to start the timer. Tap the Pause icon to pause the timer. Tap the ‘X’ to clear the timer and start
again.
Own Ship Position (only shown when viewing a georeferenced document)
Enable this setting and your position will be shown on the document as a small red aircraft icon.
Show Magenta Track (only shown when viewing a georeferenced document)
When this option is enabled, your planned track will be displayed on the plate or runway diagram.
Annotations (only shown when viewing certain document types)

26
Airfields Page

Used to add text to the plate or diagram you are currently viewing. The text can then be moved around the plate.
An example use for this features is to have the text ‘xxxxx’ and use it to mark an unserviceable taxiway.
Show Circling Area (only shown when viewing certain document types)
You can display circling areas, as shown below in Image 4.7 Select the desired category (or categories) and the
circling area will be displayed on the plate.

Circling areas at YPPF

Clipboard

Tapping this icon results in the view shown in Image 4.8 which adds a set of boxes across the top of the page. To
add the current page to the clipboard, tap the blue ‘+’ sign at the far right of the boxes, then tap the box that you wish
to have as the quick reference for the page you are viewing.

Clipboard

When you have populated all the boxes you will have to choose one to eliminate if you want to add another. Usually,
the way to use this is to populate the boxes with the FAC, runway diagram and any approach procedures you might
need on approach to an airport (or departure procedures on departure). The clipboard works like an old car radio
station select - you replace one page with another. Tap and hold any box on the clipboard and the option to ‘Clear
All’ will pop up.

Traffic

27
Documents Page

This option is only shown when viewing a georeferenced document

Toggles traffic bubbles on/off. Blue = on and grey = off. When switched on, traffic bubbles will be displayed on the
plate. The traffic bubble appearance is the same as that on the map page i.e. blue bubble with callsign and altitude
information.

Weather

Tap the Weather button and if available, the NAIPS location briefing will de displayed e.g. TAF, METAR and
NOTAMs.
Note: the weather button will not appear unless the appropriate weather files have been downloaded.
If you have no network or a poor connection, it will not appear.

Documents Page

Documents Page

The documents page is shown above in Image 5.1. The documents shown here are region specific and will depend
on your subscription type. In Australia this page provides access to the AIP, the front matter of the ERSA
(conversions, special Procedures etc.) and a variety of other Airservices documents that you may require. See the
Dropbox Integration section in the Settings Page chapter to learn how you may add your own documents to this
page.
The cog symbol in the top right corner allows you to add your own folders to this page. You can add your own
documents from other apps by invoking the share sheet on the document and selecting ‘Copy to Oz RWY’. Any
documents loaded in this manner will appear on the Documents page. From here you can move those documents
into folders created using the cogs button. Folders created using the cogs button will have a green icon. Folders
added using the Dropbox method will have a purple icon.

28
Documents Page

When inside a folder, use the cogs button in the top right corner to download all documents in that folder (includes
documents in sub-folders), or to delete all downloads (Clear Cache). Using Clear Cache does not delete the
documents from the folder, it simply removes the downloaded file from your device. This setting may be used, for
example, if there is a corrupt download and you need to download a document again.

List of documents in a folder

When viewing a document, as shown in Image 5.3, you can search for text within the document using the search
button, or you can quickly swipe/slide through pages using the index at the bottom. Use the share icon to send or
save the document.

29
Documents Page

Viewing a document

AIP
The Aeronautical Information Publication is accessed by tapping ‘AIP’ on the Documents page. The AIP screen is
shown below in Image 5.4

30
Documents Page

AIP

If you have subscriptions for multiple countries, use the region selector in the top right corner to select the applicable
country. The effective date is displayed at the top centre of the screen. The search bar is very smart, type in some
text and matching results will be displayed in context. If the search function is not working, ensure you have
downloaded the entire AIP file in Settings → Downloads. For more information see the Downloads section on the
Settings Page. Alternatively, you can use the index on the right hand side to quickly track to the section you want.
Use your finger to swipe up and down the index.
When viewing a particular section of the AIP, you can search for text within the document using the search button, or
you can quickly swipe/slide through pages using the index at the bottom. Use the share icon to send or save the
document.

31
SmartBrief & Brief Page

SmartBrief & Brief Page

SmartBrief

SmartBrief overview

SmartBrief, available with an Australian Premium subscription, is an interactive map that combines a variety of
different weather sources. You can access the Graphical Area Forecasts (GAF), NAIPS location briefings, SIGMETs,
AIRMETs, Grid Point Wind & Temperature (GPWT) and more. When you first open SmartBrief you will see a map of
Australia with the GAF regions overlaid (Image 6.1) The sections below describe how to interact with the various
elements of SmartBrief.
A video demonstration of SmartBrief is also available at https://ozrunways.com/learnmore/smartbrief

Graphical Area Forecasts (GAF)

Zoom in to the map to see more detail. You will notice that the GAF regions and areas are drawn on the map. Tap on
an area to bring up the forecast text, as shown in Image 6.2

32
SmartBrief & Brief Page

GAF in SmartBrief

Coloured items in the forecast text are tappable (for example, in the image above ‘B2’, ‘YMES/YDLI’ and ‘B1’ can be
tapped on). When tapped, the text and the corresponding depiction on the map will turn orange to help you locate it.
You can adjust the size of the text box by sliding the grab handle. Surface vis and wx, along with associated cloud,
icing and turbulence is depicted. Use the ‘X’ to dismiss the text box. There is a PDF button to load the original GAF
PDF.
The translate button converts the acronyms to plain text (as shown in Image 6.3)

33
SmartBrief & Brief Page

GAF text translated

In the top right corner of the page is the time slider box (Image 6.4)

Timeslider

Use this slider to control the forecast period you want to view. Periods where a GAF is available are shown as boxes,
tap the boxes to automatically jump the slider to the relevant time period. Tap once in a blank section of the box to
change to local time. Tap again to change back to UTC time. Double tap inside the box to return the slider to the
current time. The current UTC time is always displayed in the top right corner of this box for your reference. If you
have a plan loaded a magenta line is displayed above the slider to give you an indication of what forecast times are
relevant to you. Make sure you have your ETD set correctly in the plan for this to work.

NOTAMs for Plan

The ‘NOTAMs for Plan’ button is only shown when you have a plan loaded. Tap to see a list of NOTAMs relevant to
the airfields and areas contained in your plan. For more information about the symbols next to the NOTAMs see
NOTAM grading system further down.

Significant Weather (SIGMETs & AIRMETs)

If there are any SIGMETs or AIRMETs valid for the selected time they will be drawn on the map in red (SIGMETs) or
yellow (AIRMETs). Tap on a SIGMET or AIRMET to view more information.

34
SmartBrief & Brief Page

Tap the Significant Weather button to see a list of all SIGMETs and AIRMETs valid within the set forecast time. You
can tap a SIGMET or AIRMET in the list and it will become highlighted on the map. The Significant Weather button is
not shown if there are no valid SIGMETs or AIRMETs for the set forecast time.

Note
If for any reason a SIGMET or AIRMET shape cannot be drawn on the SmartBrief map, a warning will appear
prompting you to check the list.

Charts
The Charts button opens a chart directory. Here you can find various charts produced by different meteorological
authorities, along with the original PDF versions of the GAFs, GPWTs, and SIGWX charts.

Location Briefings
To access location briefings zoom in on the map until the location waypoints appear. Tap a location to bring up the
briefing. Image 6.5 shows the location briefing for YORG (Orange). Once again there is a translate button but please
note that at this stage only the TAFs can be translated.

Location Briefing in SmartBrief

eAWIS is created from unverified one-minute observation data from BoM. For situational awareness only.
Locations that have an eAWIS/METAR available will be colour coded according to the observed meteorological
conditions. The criteria for the colours is shown in Image 6.6 below. Where wind data is available a wind indicator is
also shown on the waypoint, with each full barb indicating 10kts and a half barb indicating 5kts.

35
SmartBrief & Brief Page

METAR/eAWIS colour coding

NOTAM grading system

There are two symbols next to each NOTAM: a star and a thumbs down. Use these symbols to sort the NOTAMs.
Press the star to mark the NOTAM as important. Press the thumbs down to mark the NOTAM as junk. The list of
NOTAMs is sorted as follows: 1. Unread 2. Important 3. Junk
The idea of this system is that it’s easier to read through a bunch of NOTAMs, as those that you have already read
and marked as junk go to the bottom, new NTOAMs always appear first, and NOTAMs marked as important after
those.

NOTAM grading system

Grid Point Wind/Temperature (GPWT)

Switch to the GPWT view by pressing the windsock in the bottom left corner. The GPWT overview shows different
coloured squares overlaid across Australia as shown in Image 6.8.

36
SmartBrief & Brief Page

GPWT in SmartBrief

These boxes give a graphical representation of the data from the GPWT charts. The colour indicates temperature
(see colour scale in bottom right corner) and the arrow represents wind direction and strength, the longer the arrow
the stronger the wind. Zoom in to see the actual figures for each square as shown in Image 6.9. The figures are
interpolated for altitude and time.
Use the slider in the bottom right corner to adjust the altitude. The selected altitude in Image 6.9 is 5000ft. As with the
GAF, use the time slider in the top right corner to adjust the forecast time you want to view. The available GPWT
periods are pre-filled in boxes so that you can easily switch between them.

37
SmartBrief & Brief Page

GPWT in SmartBrief

Troubleshooting
If you have an Australian Premium subscription but don’t have access to SmartBrief, try pressing and holding the
‘Brief’ icon in the menu bar. The option to switch between Brief and SmartBrief will appear.

Switch between ‘Brief’ and ‘SmartBrief’

Basic Brief (Brief)

38
Settings Page

Basic brief

Basic Brief provides easy to access weather and NOTAM information relevant to your route in one place.

Favourites
If you have set up any Favourites on the Airfields Page (see Favourites), then those airfields will be displayed at the
top of the Basic Brief page for quick access to their location briefings.

In Plan
If you have a plan entered then all the airfields in your plan will be displayed in the list underneath the Favourites
section. Tap an airfield to load the location briefing.

Weather in Plan
The Weather in Plan section is only displayed when you have a plan entered. This section provides Area Briefings,
GAF, and GPWT charts relevant to the areas your plan crosses. Tap an item in the list to view the chart or briefing.

Charts
The Charts button in the top right corner opens a chart directory. Here you can find various charts produced by
different meteorological authorities, along withs PDF versions of the GAFs, GPWTs, and SIGWX charts.

Settings Page
The Settings page is accessed by tapping the bottom right Settings button.

39
Settings Page

On the iPad the screen is split into two views. A selection is made on the left pane and the resulting view is displayed
on the right. The tabs are described subsequently. On an iPhone only the left selection field is shown and the view is
replaced by the selected field.

Subscriptions

Settings → Subscriptions

The Subscriptions page provides infromation about your OzRunways username/email address, your current
subscriptions, and also provides access to Emergency Mode. Your Username/email address and your nickname for
the Public Notes feature are displayed at the top of the page. Use the edit button to add or update your email
address, or to add or change the password for your account.
The Sign Out button in the top right corner is used to sign out of the app. You may need to do this if you are signed in
to the incorrect account, or in order to sign in on another device.
Emergency Mode may be used if you are having account issues (i.e. the app doesn’t recognise your subscription). It
can be used once a year and lasts for 3 days so that you have a chance to get in touch with us and sort out any
problems.

Database
The top section of the database screen lists the current active AIRAC cycle, and any pending cycle (note: there is not
always a pending cycle). The current cycle should always be selected, however you are able to switch to the pending
cycle in order to check on new upcoming data - just ensure that you switch back to the current cycle afterwards! The
bottom section shows which regions are available to you based on your subscription/s. The database for each region
contains the list of maps for that region (not the actual maps themselves) and the waypoints for that region. A tick on
the right indicates a region database is active. If you are experiencing issues you can untick and re-tick a region to
force a fresh download of the database.

40
Settings Page

Downloads

Settings → Downloads

The Downloads screen shows a list of regions as selected on the Database page, along with some options for the
automatic downloads system.
Inaccessible Files
This option is only shown if there are downloaded files for a region you no longer have access to. This may be
because you don’t have a current subscription for that region, or you have deselected a region on the Settings
→ Database page. Tap the ‘?’ to reveal the list of inaccessible files. Tap the broom icon to delete all
inaccessible files.
Download on Startup
If this option is switched on OzRunways will attempt to download new data in enabled groups each time the app
is opened.
Background Downloads
If this option is switched on OzRunways will attempt to download new or missing data overnight (only when your
device is connected to WiFi). Background downloads is a ‘best effort’ service and there are situations where
background downloads may not occur such as:

• If you are using a metered connection, e.g. hotspot to your phone

• If you have ‘Low Data Mode’ enabled on your WiFi connection
• If you force close OzRunways
Clear Expired Data
If this option is switched on, OzRunways will automatically delete out of date data 5 days after it expires.

Regions
Tap on a region to view and select the data groups you would like to download.

41
Settings Page

Settings → Downloads → Region

Download Status Indicator

The Settings icon doubles as a status indicator for quick visual confirmation on the status of your downloads.

Settings icon shows status of downloads

Note
Watch the video below for a demonstration of the Downloads system

Local File Sharing

Local file sharing enables you to send or receive aeronautical data to/from OzRunways on another device. There are
a few situations where this could be helpful, for example:

42
Settings Page

• You are unable to connect your iPad to the internet to download the latest aeronautical data, but there is
someone nearby who has the latest aeronautical data on their OzRunways
• To save on internet data allowance/quota. One device can download the data as per usual from the internet,
and then provide the data to any other nearby devices, minimising internet usage
Devices must be connected to the same network in order to share data, this could be a Wi-Fi network or you could
hotspot one device to the other. The sending device must turn on Share files from this device and the receiving
device must turn on Download files from another device. The receiving device must enter the Server IP address
which is shown underneath the Share files from this device option on the sending device, as shown below in
Image 7.5.
If a receiving device is unable to receive some or all files it will attempt to download them from the internet, if
available.

Local File Sharing options

Preferences
The preferences tab allows you to set a variety of options. These may change with time. Don’t change them if you
don’t understand what the option does. (Or, change, investigate, and if you don’t see a change, change back to the
default state). At the time of writing the preferences are as follows:

• Waypoint Sub-Types – tapping the arrow takes you to a screen that allows you to select which waypoints are
used in searches. GPS waypoints are typically turned off as they clutter up the search displays. If you are a
fixed wing pilot for instance, you might turn off the helicopter landing sites.
• Hide Tab Bar – Hides the bottom tab bar when you are looking at airfield data
• Double-tap or long-press HUD – this is used when you are in a turbulent environment. When enabled, every
interaction on the GPS HUD requires two taps (or a long-press on “Cancel”) instead of the normal one tap. That
way you don’t exit a plan ahead of time in turbulence.
• Retain Direct To Plans After Use – keep DirectTo plans – normally they and their (temporary) waypoints are
deleted as they clog up the plans menu and the user waypoints.
• Double Tap on Map – This enables or disables the double tap on an AD jumps to runway/FAC ERSA page
functionality.
• Head Office Notam - Include Head Office NOTAMs in normal NOTAM briefings
• MGRS and UTM - Display MGRS coordinates.
• NZTM - Display New Zealand NZTM format coordinates.

43
Settings Page

• Send UserID in NAIPS/IFIS - Used for AMSA or RCC to help find you for SAR.

Data Management
The Data Management tab allows the removal and backup of various files. Under normal circumstances you should
not need to access this tab, but in certain situations you may be required to remove or reset things. If you have
acquired a new device you can come here to export all your data which can then be imported into the new copy of
OzRunways.
The Cache Management section provides the following operations:

• Clear Map Tile Cache - clears out downloaded map tiles

• Clear Terrain Data - delets all terrain data as used in the Horizontal Terrain Viewer and Smart Terrain/LSALT
Assistant features
The User Data section provides the following operations:

• Bakcup User Data - Export your User Database: Aircraft profiles, plans, user waypoints, pilot profiles, and
waypoint range rings
• Destroy User Data - Deletes all aircraft profiles, plans, user waypoints, pilot profiles, and waypoint range rings
• Reset User Settings - Resets any user selected settings back to default e.g. anything set in map view options,
Settings > Preferences etc.. sometimes helps with weird problems
• Delete All Range Rings - delete any and all range rings associated with waypoints

Simulator Mode
OzRunways has a Simulator mode, which allows you to fly at home using your favourite flight simulator. The App
interfaces with XPlane-11, Microsoft Flight Simulator (FSX) and ELITE. To enable, turn on the Simulator Mode button
and for X-Plane 11, turn on the Use Broadcast button. For X-Plane 9 leave this off. You may also turn on a button
that remembers your settings on startup of OzRunways - this eliminates the need to turn the simulator on every time
you startup OzRunways. A Server IP Address should appear below the X-Plane 11 Broadcast Mode button if you are
using that mode. More than one server may be listed. Choose the server you want.
On the machine that is running X-Plane 11, you must do the following: Tap the Settings bar, then Data Input &
Output. Select the Data Set tab. Enable (tap for tick) the far left box (Internet via UDP) for fields 18, 20 and 21. Tap
the top left X to exit that screen. Then tap Settings then Net Connections. Tap the iPhone/iPad tab. Tap “send AHRS
data to Foreflight, Wing X Pro, or Sky Demon on All iPads or iPhones”. Tap the top left X to exit that screen. For
X-Plane 9, Elite and FSX
(https://support.ozrunways.com/kb/en-gb/2-3rd-party-hardware-integrations/26-flight-simulators) outlines what you
must do for non-broadcast mode. If the simulator does not work on your network, you may have to investigate any
firewalls installed in your routers. Describing solutions to this is beyond the scope of this book. Call your local
network guru.

Dropbox Integration

44
Settings Page

Settings → Dropbox

The Dropbox tab allows you to import PDF files via Dropbox. Dropbox is a cloud file sharing facility that provides you
with a certain amount of shared filespace that you can access. You can choose to share access to certain files. For
instance, businesses can share certain files of interest. (e.g. company specific approach procedures).
If you are not familiar with Dropbox go to their website (www.dropbox.com) and research.
Once logged in, you are presented with a list of your Dropbox directories (folders). When you enable a directory, it
will then list the directory (and contents) under the main Documents tab. If the directories contain PDFs with file
names starting with the airport ICAO code, those files will appear in any list of files available for that AD/ALA.

Information
The Information tab has a variety of information relating to the App. The most important field is the Version - you may
be asked to check that you are running the latest version, especially if you are experiencing an issue. This is where
to find this number.

Integrations
This is where you enter your credentials for various integrations throughout the app. e.g. NAIPS, MetFlight (NZ)…

Help
The Help screen provides access to various support resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

This button will take you to the FAQ page on our support website.

Online Support Form

This button will take you to our support system where you can start a discussion with us.

45
Settings Page

Email Support
Click here to automatically compose a new email to [email protected] The email will be pre-filled with
information such as your OzRunways User ID and which version of OzRunways and iOS/iPadOS you are running.
Please note that this requires that you have a mail account setup in the Apple default ‘Mail’ app.

Aircraft
The Aircraft tab provides access to your existing aircraft profiles, or to add new ones. At the bottom of the listing of
aircraft there are tabs to do the following: The operation of the Aircraft Editor is covered in the Aircraft section

Logs
In OzRunways version 6.7 and onwards the Logs system has replaced the old Track History system. Operation of
the Logs system is covered in the Logs chapter.

Track History
The Track History system has been superseded by Logs. Any track histories that were recorded before the Logs
system was introduced will appear here. If there are no entries you won’t see the Track History tab.

User Waypoints
Use of this tab is described in the User Waypoints chapter.

Pilots
The controls are at the top right. ‘+’ adds a new pilot entry. Tap on the new entry to edit the details. Tapping ‘Edit’
allows you to select multiple pilots for deletion. When a default pilot is set, that pilot will be used in any newly created
plans.
Personal Callsign
If a Personal Callsign is entered here, and the pilot is used in a plan, any flight notification submissions will
default to using this callsign instead of the one set in the aircraft profile.
Remark
Text entered here will flow through to the RMK/ field on any flight plan submissions. Useful for PIFR strings.

NAIPS
The NAIPS tab allows you to enter your Airservices Australia account login and password to allow submission of
NAIPS flight notifications. Note that Airservices Australia occasionally requires you to reset your password(for
security reasons) so, if your NAIPS submissions from OzRunways fail, first try to log into NAIPS on the Airservices
Australia website. Once you have sorted that out, enter the username and password you have used there in this
panel.

Traffic
OzRunways has its own self contained traffic system which is described in the Traffic chapter. The App can also
receive ADS-B traffic via an external ADS-B receiver such as the ones we sell on our website
https://www.ozrunways.com/store/adsb

Device Options
Enable or disable connecting to various types of external devices (e.g. ADS-B receivers).

TracPlus
If you have connected a TracPlus device, like the RockAir, you can configure the settings here.

46
Planning

Planning

Plan Background
A typical plans popup is shown in Image 8.1.

Plans popup

The Plans popup is divided into two sections: the top section contains the Quick Planner, and the bottom section
contains a list of previously created plans. Please note: if a plan is currently active, pressing the Plans button will
display a summary of the plan as shown in Image 8.3
The Quick Plan section is used to make a plan by typing in codes or names of waypoints, coordinates, or bearings &
ranges. That is described more in the Quick Planner section below.
The basis for flight planning calculations is shown in Image 8.2. The method of calculation of times and fuel
consumed are illustrated. The figures primarily come from the values you have entered for the aircraft you are using
in the plan. Fuel and time are calculated on a per leg basis. At the initial takeoff point you can set the fuel available
on takeoff, and at each landing point you can select whether to add fuel or not.

47
Planning

Planner calculation method

When using basic performance figures the calculations are straightforward. The fuel/time is calculated every 1000’
by interpolation for climb, followed (if applicable) by a cruise segment. Descents are not calculated, instead a cruise
leg is used. This produces more conservative results, albeit only marginally different for light aircraft. Anecdotally, the
author has found that simple straightforward performance numbers yield quite accurate results for small aircraft (i.e.
Cirrus SR22, Robinson R44). Image 8.2 shows a typical flight plan, with calculations for Time, Fuel, and Distance,
made every 1000’ for the climb. Then the remainder of the leg is calculated at Cruise Fuel Burn and TAS to the
destination; no descent is calculated.
Alternate legs are calculated using a climb leg from the destination elevation to a nominated altitude, plus the
remainder of the segment at cruise. Alternate fuel calculations do not include a variable reserve.

Initiating a plan
To start a plan you need a starting point. You can do this three ways on the Map page, namely:

• Enter a Quick Plan (described in next section)

• Tap near the starting point on the map, select the location in the resulting Closest Points popup, and then select
‘Set waypoint As Origin of Plan’ (covered below in Map Planning)
• Tap the ‘Search’ button on the map page, search for the waypoint textually, select it and then select ‘Set
waypoint As Origin of Plan’
A brief demonstration video on how to initiate a plan is available on our YouTube channel.

Quick Planner
The Quick Planner is perhaps the easiest way of entering a plan. To use the Quick Planner, first tap on the Plans
button, then tap in the Quick Plan field and start typing a waypoint. The Quick Planner will show suggestions as you
type. For example start typing ‘Adelaide’ and you will see YPAD at the top of the suggestion list. Use the toggle in the
top left corner to switch between VFR or IFR. When IFR is selected the Quick planner will suggest IFR waypoints,
and any applicable air routes. At any time press space to insert the top suggestion into the plan. Continue on until
you have filled in all the waypoints you desire then press ‘Go’. If only one point is entered into the Quick Planner the
‘Go’ button is replaced with ‘DCT’. Pressing ‘DCT’ creates a Direct To plan from your current location, to the
waypoint entered in the Quick Planner.
As well as names and codes the Quick Planner will accept coordinates in various formats, and also radial/distance
type waypoints. e.g.

48
Planning

S3448E13837 (S34º 48’, E138º 37’)

YPAD04015 (040ºM 15NM from YPAD)
The Quick Planner functionality is demonstrated in the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPb1rHAgX6M

After pressing ‘Go’ (or ‘DCT’) the Plan Details screen is displayed. The Plan Details screen is described in the next
section. To get back to the Plans List / Quick Planner screen, tap the top left button ‘Plans’. Tap on a waypoint to
reveal options for ‘Direct To’ and ‘Activate Leg’. Alternatively, tap and hold a waypoint to activate that leg. Previous
legs can be activated as necessary.
The GPS HUD on the map page will give you information to navigate to the active waypoint (the active waypoint is
always shown in the bottom right GPS HUD box). For more information see the GPS HUD chapter.

Plan Details

Plan Details

The Plan Detail screen has the following entries:

Back to Plans List / Quick Planner
Tap this button to return to the Quick Planner / Plans List.
NAIPS/IFIS
This button opens the NAIPS flight notification (AU) or IFIS flight plan (NZ) submission form.
Plan Sheet
This button opens the Plan Sheet (navigation log). For more information see the Plan Sheet section below.
Share / More Options
Duplicate: creates an exact copy of the plan. The new plan will have the same name with the word ‘copy’
appended.
New Inverted: creates a new plan with all the same waypoints in reverse order. Commonly used when you
reach your destination, and want to fly back along the same route! The original plan is saved and can be
accessed back in the Plans List.
Share: Used to share a plan with other OzRunways users. Tap to reveal options e.g. AirDrop, Mail etc.
Export: exports the plan in the given format.
Copy route to Clipboard: once the route is copied to the clipboard, you can paste the text into another app e.g.
into an email. The original plan is saved and can be accessed back in the Plans List.
PDF Pack: generates a PDF document containing the user-selected items (plan sheet, weather, NOTAMs)
Copy to Quick Plan: pressing this will return you to the Quick Planner / Plans List screen with all the waypoints
from the plan pre-filled into the Quick Plan section. Useful if you want to edit your plan using the Quick Planner.
Edit

49
Planning

After tapping the edit button you can do two things: change the plan name, or delete multiple waypoints. To
delete waypoints in edit mode, tap on them and a checkmark will appear on the left hand side. Select all the
waypoints you wish to delete and then press the red trash icon in the top bar. When you have finished editing
press ‘Done’.
Go
Pressing Go dismisses the Plan Detail screen and returns you to the map page ready to fly the plan!
Route overview and details
Below the title bar you will see the overview of your route, the total distance, the total time, and the total
expected fuel burn (flight fuel only, excluding reserves). The calculations are based on which aircraft profile is
selected for the plan (see below).
Aircraft
Select the aircraft profile to use in this plan.
Pilot
Select the pilot profile to use in this plan.
Departure Date / ETD
Set the ETD for the plan. If you are submitting a plan to NAIPS or IFIS, this ETD will automatically be filled into
the plan.
Flight Type
Select the flight type (General Aviation, Scheduled, Non-scheduled, Military or Other)
Flight Rules
Select the flight rules (VFR or IFR). This is sticky in that once you set it, the next plan you create will be of the
same type.
Route
All the waypoints in your route are shown in this list. If you have a waypoint set as a landing point this will be
indicated by the Landing symbol. Tap on a waypoint to reveal more options: Activate Leg, Direct To, and View.
Alternatively, long press on a waypoint to activate it. Below each waypoint are some calculations: distance from
preceding waypoint, track from preceding waypoint, and ETA. These calculations are based on which aircraft
profile you have selected, and the set ETD. When flying the calculations to the next waypoint are dynamic e.g.
distance and time will count down as you get closer.

Plans List

Plans List

50
Planning

A typical Plans List is shown in Image 8.4. Every time you create a plan it will automatically be stored in the Plans
List and will stay there until you delete it. To delete a plan (or multiple plans), tap the ‘Edit’ button, select the plans
you would like to delete, then press the red delete button. You can also ‘swipe delete’ individual plans. To ‘swipe
delete’ you hold your finger on the right of the plan you wish to delete and swipe (move your finger while contacting
the screen) to the left. A red ‘Delete’ (rubbish bin) icon will appear for that plan. Tap it to delete.
The Plans List can be sorted using control in the top left corner. The sort options are as follows:
Plan Name
Sort plans alphabetically.
Distance
Sort by total distance of the plan.
Departure
Sort by ETD set in the plan.
Created
Sort by date of creation.
Closest
Sort by distance from your location to the plan departure location.
Tap the sort button to select a sort option to sort in descending order. To sort in ascending order select the same
option a second time.
Tap on a plan to activate it and enter the Plan Details view.

Map Planning
To create a flight plan on the map page, first tap near the waypoint that you would like to set as the origin of the plan.
After tapping on the map the Closest Points popup will appear (Image 8.5). From here you can either use the ‘Add to
Plan’ or ‘Direct To’ shortcut buttons, or, tap on the appropriate waypoint and select ‘Set xxx as Origin of Plan’

Planning shortcuts on the Closest Points popup

You can continue adding waypoints to the plan using the method described above.
You can also insert waypoints into the middle of a plan as described below:

1. Identify the segment where you wish to insert a waypoint

2. Tap and hold the magenta track line until it turns yellow and a purple blob appears (keep your finger on the
screen)
3. While keeping your finger on the screen, drag the blob until you get near the waypoint you wish to insert
4. Take your finger off the screen

51
Planning

5. The Closest Points popup will appear, listing nearby waypoints

6. Tap on the waypoint you wish to insert
7. The plan will redisplay with the new waypoint inserted

Plan Sheet

The Plan Sheet, or navigation log, is accessed from the map page by tapping the Plan Sheet button in the top left
corner. There is also a Plan Sheet button on the Plan Details window. The Plan Sheet is shown below in Image 8.6.

Plan Sheet

There is a set of buttons across the top. Waypoints are listed sequentially down the left of the page. Light blue fields
are editable, as are the pale yellow/straw coloured fields. Additionally, there are two special boxes in the top ‘origin
row’. If you tap on the ‘ETA’ box you can set the departure time. If you tap what is the Fuel Log box in the top row you
can set the fuel you will have on Startup (Ramp Fuel) from the origin.
From left to right the buttons at the top of the Plan Sheet are:

• Done – go back to the map view

• Plan options – opens a menu that allows you to set values for the overall plan such as the name of the plan,
aircraft, pilot and departure time
• Charts viewer - the Charts viewer is covered in more detail on the SmartBrief & Brief Page
• Plan/Fuel/W&B – use this control to switch between the planner page (Plan), the fuel planner (Fuel) or the
Weight and Balance planner (W&B)
• Print – reveals options to print the plan sheet, fuel plan, or W&B
• Windsock - described below in ‘Plan Winds’
• Optimiser – tap this to get an Optimiser which automatically calculates groundspeed, ETI, and Fuel Burn for
each leg at different altitudes
• Edit – tap this to allow the insertion and deletion of waypoints in the plan.
You can scroll the planner horizontally as well as vertically. This is how the planner works on the iPhone. To aid entry
in large plans, a ‘fill down’ option is available in the LSALT, ALT and WIND columns. Simply tap on an entry in these
columns, enter the value, then tap the fill down arrow (initially it will be greyed out), then tap enter. Rows including
the one you tapped and all those below will be filled in with the value you entered (Image 8.7).

52
Planning

‘Fill down’ button

A ‘Notes’ column is available on the right hand side of each segment, and there is also a large block section at the
bottom of the Planner that can be used for notes.
The columns in the Plan Sheet are described below.

Waypoints
The waypoints listed in the left hand column in blue capitalised text are as per the plan. You can edit these legs by
tapping the ‘Edit’ button in the top bar, which will reveal ‘+’ and ‘-’symbols. See Edit Mode for further details. Tapping
on a waypoint will designate that waypoint as a landing and optional refuel point. The popup in Image 8.8 will result.

Setting & landing/refuel point

Use the toggle to choose between refuelling and not refuelling (green toggle = refuelling, grey toggle = not refuelling).
You can also enter your expected stopover time in minutes. This time will be taken into account for calculating ETAs,
and when pre-filling the NAIPS or IFIS flight plan submission form.
If you have designated the landing point as a refuel stop then a blue cell appears in the waypoint row, next to the
Fuel Remaining (FR) column. The fuel amount in this cell comes from the ‘Default Start/Refuel Amount’ (or ‘Fuel
Capacity’ if default amount is not set) as per the aircraft profile. You can change this amount by tapping on the blue
cell.

Note
If you are not refuelling, you should adjust the fuel in the Fuel Log column after every landing.

All landing points will be indicated on the Plan Sheet with a ‘Landing’ label underneath the waypoint name. The final
waypoint in your plan will be assumed to be a landing point and will automatically display the landing label.

53
Planning

Alternates
Tapping on the very last waypoint in the plan turns that waypoint into an alternate. The alternate label will appear
underneath the waypoint name, and the landing label will move to the destination above, as shown in Image 8.9

Setting and alternate

The app will treat the alternate calculations as a new climb/cruise segment, starting at aerodrome elevation of the
previous leg. The alternate will be added to the NAIPS flight notification ‘Alternate’ field. The alternate fuel will be
shown in the fuel tab. Alternate fuel comprises of a climb from the previous waypoint altitude to the specified cruise
altitude, cruise from TOC to overhead the destination plus variable for the route total.

LSALT (Lowest Safe Altitude)

Note
There is an LSALT Assistant feature in OzRunways that can help you calculate your LSALTs. See Terrain and
Airspace for more information.

When planning by a recommended IFR route where an LSALT is available for a segment in the Airservices Australia
dataset used by OzRunways, it will be automatically shown in the LSALT column. If there is no LSALT present, the
user can enter the desired LSALT. The displayed LSALT can be overtyped by the user at any time by tapping on the
cell.

Altitude
Altitude is entered in the FL format. For example, 5500 ft is entered as A055. Tapping on the bottom right ‘fill down’
tile in the number pad allows the altitude to be set for all legs, as shown in Image 8.7. A descent point is displayed for
the last leg on the map, using the descent rate/TAS provided in the aircraft profile.

TAS (True Airspeed)

Cruise TAS is displayed as per the aircraft profile. This is for display purposes and does not include climb TAS,
however climb TAS is used in the time/fuel calculations.

54
Planning

TRK (Track)
Track is displayed in degrees Magnetic (ºM) for the appropriate leg.

Wind
Winds are entered & displayed in degrees True (ºT). OzRunways converts to degrees Magnetic (ºM) for all
calculations. Wind can be set for legs individually, or all legs using either the ‘fill down’ button from a leg entry, or the
auto-fill winds. Auto-filling winds is described below in the Plan Winds section.

HDG (Heading)
HDG required to ‘make good’ planned track. Shown in degrees Magnetic (ºM).

GS (Groundspeed)
The groundspeed which has been calculated for a leg, including wind. For a leg which involves a climb, the GS
shown is the average GS for that leg. Groundspeed is calculated at cruise altitude until destination.

Distance
Distance of the leg, in NM.

ETI (Estimated Time Interval)

Estimated Time Interval of the leg (i.e. the length of time the leg will take to fly). Display is in minutes. Where Airwork
is desired at a waypoint, the waypoint ETI button (blue background) can be pressed to add a delay (DLA) in minutes.
The entry can reflect either Airwork (AWK) or Hover (HVR), however the AWK/Hover toggle will only appear when
the Hover Burn is present in the aircraft profile being used. Once a number of minutes is entered, press the
AWK/HVR toggle to switch between the type of entry. The delays entered will use the appropriate fuel burns form the
aircraft profile (AWK/Holding Burn and Hover burn respectively) however the DLA entered into the Flight Notification
will be the cumulative amount of both delays. This ensures that for rotary wing operations, where fuel burn in the hold
can vary markedly from the hover, that the calculation is accurate. No variable is calculated for AWK/HVR fuels.
Once a AWK and/or HVR delay is entered, it will be shown as orange number(s) underneath the ETI. The delays will
be added to the EET and ETA columns as well. For fixed wing aircraft, the hover fuel burn entry in the planner can be
repurposed where a different burn rate is required during airwork.

EET (Estimated Elapsed Time)

The elapsed time of the plan to that waypoint in minutes. This field will be reset for waypoints after each landing point
(i.e. it restarts at zero for a landing/refuel leg).

ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival)

Tapping on the blue word ‘ETA’ brings up some sliders you can use to set the plan Estimated Departure Time (ETD).
Where a waypoint is listed as a landing/refuel waypoint, the allocated stopover time in minutes will be added to the
ETA at the point, with the resulting time serving as the subsequent Estimated Departure time. For example, if the
ETA for an intermediate landing point is time 0135, and a stopover time of 30 minutes was set, then the planner will
automatically set the departure time as 0205 for the next leg. If the ETI for the next leg is 20, the ETA for that next
waypoint will be 0225 (0135 + 30min delay on the ground + 20 minute ETI to next waypoint).

FR (Fuel Remaining)
The Fuel Remaining Column displays the calculated fuel remaining based on the fuel burnt on a leg. The first leg will
show a FR reflecting the subtraction of Taxi fuel. The fuel burn on a leg includes climb and cruise fuel (‘flight fuel’)
plus the variable which has been set in the aircraft profile; any AWK and/or HVR fuel burn for that leg.
For example, on a leg which is the first leg of a plan: Start fuel 217L. Taxi fuel is 5L. Climb fuel is 10L. Cruise fuel of
15L. AWK of 30 minutes at 20L/hr. Variable 10%. Start Fuel – Taxi – Flight Fuel plus variable – AWK – HVR = Fuel
Remaining, i.e.

55
Planning

217 – 5 – [(10+15)*1.10] – [0.5*20] ; 217 – 5 – 27.5 – 10 = 174.5

FR = 174.5, however only 174 will be displayed. The decimal value is still carried by the cell and applied to
subsequent legs. This means even though the decimal is not visible, it is still being used for subsequent leg
calculations.
Updating the wind during a flight will update the plan from that leg onward, including FR.
For the Alternate leg, the Fuel Remaining reflects a climb and cruise from the planned destination to the nominated
cruise height. This leg is calculated using the normal cruise methodology, just as a first leg of a plan would.
See the Fuel Planner and Alternates sections for more detail on the fuel plan as well as how to add allowance for
holding and approach fuels.

Fuel Log
The first field of the fuel log is the start fuel field (blue background). This is the ramp fuel. The ramp fuel is used in the
calculation of the W&B, therefore it is important to ensure it is correct for the planning and the W&B, if it is used. Tap
on this field to edit. The subsequent fuel log fields can be tapped on to enter fuel remaining at those waypoints for
logging purposes. (Note that if the plan is edited, these entries may be lost.) Entries are stored even after a plan is
exited, and must be cleared manually if you wish to use a plan again. The landing point does not have an editable
fuel log field.

REV (Revised ETA)

Where desired, the pilot may enter a revised estimated time of arrival into this column. Note that if the plan is edited,
the entries may be lost. Entries are stored even after a plan is exited, and must be cleared manually if you wish to
use a plan again.

ATA (Actual Time Of Arrival)

This column is used to log the time of arrival at a waypoint. The time will be logged automatically when overflying the
waypoint. This value can be overtyped, or a value manually entered if desired by the pilot.

Notes
This section may be used to add notes to a leg as required.

Plan Winds
To access the auto-fill wind, press the windsock button. Two options are presented as described below:
GPWT Forecasts Low-level (Australia only)
Selecting this option will use data from the Grid Point Wind & Temperature charts. The data is interpolated for
both altitude and time. This data is valid from SFC - 14,000ft, and only in Australia. For operations outside these
conditions, use the NAIPS Wind/Temp option or fill the winds in manually.
NAIPS Wind/Temp
Selecting this option will fetch the NAIPS Wind & Temperature profile, exactly as you would get if you were
logged in to NAIPS on the Airservices Australia website.
GFS (NZ only)
Available for New Zealand users, select this option to import Global Forecast System model winds into your
navigation log. This is generally more reliable for NZ (especially below 5000ft) than the NAIPS Wind/Temp
option.

56
Planning

Optimiser
The Optimiser calculates the optimum Altitude or Flight Level to fly for each leg of your plan, given the forecast
winds. The app calculates Groundspeed, ETI, and Fuel Burn for every 2000 feet. Upon entering the optimiser, the
app will automatically select the optimum altitudes (based on time) for each leg based on the available results.
Although the optimiser can calculate the results on any leg based on the wind profile, the pilot needs to analyse the
information to ensure the results meet their needs; the app does not know whether an altitude change between legs
is sensible or not. Tapping on an altitude for a leg in the optimiser will cause the subsequent optimiser values to
recalculate based on your selection. If LSALTs are included, these are also taken into account (Altitudes below
LSALT are greyed out - not selectable). To use the Optimizer first press the windsock button and obtain the winds.
Then open the Optimiser by selecting the slider button on the Plan Sheet. Once selections are complete, tap the
route name in the top left corner to return to the plan sheet. Image 8.10 shows the result of examining the detail of a
run of the optimiser. The arrows at the top right are for progressing from one segment to the next (i.e. takeoff to
landing). Within a page, each leg will be shown (i.e. waypoints between takeoff to landing).

Plan optimiser

Edit Mode
By tapping the ‘Edit’ button on the Plan Sheet you enter Edit mode as shown in Image 8.11

57
Planning

Editing the Plan Sheet

Additional rows are added between existing waypoints with green plus signs in them. Red minus signs appear to the
left of each existing waypoints. Tapping the plus sign will allow you to insert a waypoint between the waypoint above
and the waypoint below. Tapping the minus sign deletes the associated waypoint. Tap the ‘+’ and a popup appears
allowing you to search for a waypoint. You can either type in the desired waypoint in the search box, or tap one of the
waypoint types to get a list of waypoints, waypoints closest to the centre of the segment in question will be displayed.
This way, you simply define origin and destination and use this function to recursively select intermediate ADs/ALAs
until you have all the waypoints you desire.

Fuel Planner
The Fuel Planner is accessed by tapping the ‘Fuel’ button at the top right of the Page Planner. A typical view is
shown in Image 8.12

Fuel Planner

On this flight we land and refuel at YGTH.

If the number of segments exceeds five, two arrows appear in the top menu that can be used to move between
segments. The light blue entries in the table may be edited. The Fuel Margin will turn red if you are burning into your
reserve fuel or if the segment uses more fuel than is loaded at the start of the segment. Below is a breakdown of
each item of the Fuel Planner, and explains how it is calculated.
From/To
Shows the origin and destination.
Climb
Calculated as per the aircraft profile, for the cumulative climbs across the plan.
Cruise

58
Planning

Calculated as per the burn rates specified in the aircraft profile.

Hover
As per the Hover times set in the plan, at the rate specified in the aircraft profile.
AWK (airwork)
As per the AWK times set in the plan, at the rate specified in the aircraft profile.
Sub Total
Sub total of climb, cruise, hover, and AWK fuel.
Contingency
Contigency fuel calculated as per the values specified in the aircraft profile, applied to the climb, cruise,
airwork/hover, and approach total.
Alternate
Reflects the climb and cruise from the planned destination to the alternate at the altitude nominated in the plan.
Final Reserve
As specified in the aircraft profile.
Approach
Additional fuel for IFR approaches can be added. Time is automatically calculated according to AWK/Holding
burn rate in aircraft profile.
Additional
Additional fuel can be added here where required.
Holding
User set, in minutes. Calculates at the AWK/Holding burn specified in the aircraft profile. For example,
INTER/TEMPO holding.
Taxi
The amount of taxi fuel as set in the aircraft profile.
Fuel Required
Cumulative totals of all fields.
Discretionary
A place to add (or remove) fuel not otherwise required by legislation, at the pilots discretion.
Fuel Margin
Calculated by subtracting the Fuel Required figure from the Endurance fuel or the specified Margin Burn rate as
set in the aircraft profile.
Endurance
Cumulative totals of Fuel Required and Fuel Margin. This time is used in the Flight Notification. Calculated at the
AWK/Holding Burn Rate or the Cruise Burn rate, as specified in the aircraft profile.

Weight and Balance Planner

The Weight and Balance Planner may be accessed by tapping the ‘W&B’ button at the top right of the screen. A
typical view is shown in Image 8.13

59
Planning

Weight & Balance Planner

The weight and balance tab uses the active W&B profile (set up in aircraft profile). Users MUST ensure they are
using a correct profile before relying on the W&B sheet. Multiple W&B configurations can be defined in a singular
aircraft profile. Where this is the case, you can select which profile to use using the dropdown box at the top of the
W&B sheet. Individual station weights can be changed by tapping on them. Fuel displays based on the plan sheet
start fuel, planned landing fuel (as per last FR on plan sheet), and critically Zero Fuel CG. Ramp weight, TOW,
Landing Weight, and Zero Fuel Weight are shown at the bottom of the graph colour coded to the plots on the graph.
Total Moment for the ramp weight is also displayed. Where a plot appears outside the envelope it will be shown in
RED. Each segment of the plan (segment = takeoff to landing) has its own Weight & Balance sheet which can be
found by scrolling down the page. Where an alternate is specified, the W&B profile shows the alternate as the
landing point.

Warning
The OzRunways W&B is simply a calculator that relies on accurate input of data - it has NO way of knowing if the
data you enter is correct or not, compared to your aircraft. The system is not capable of warning you if inaccurate
data is entered into the app. You must be proficient at W&B to use this system safely, and you must ensure the
data you enter is correct.

Printing Plans
Tap the Printer icon to reveal some printing options as shown in Image 8.14

60
Weather

Print Plan

You can choose between Portrait or Landscape orientation. Use the check boxes to select which items you want to
print. Add Blank Lines will add a blank row beneath each waypoint on the plan sheet, handy if you want to jot down
your own notes after printing.
Devices running iOS 10 and above can also export to PDF by expanding the print preview box as demonstrated in
the video below.

Exporting Plans
Tap the Share button at the top of the Map Page and select ‘Share Current Plan’
Alternatively, use the Share button on the Plan Details screen.

Weather

Wx/Notams
Weather for a specific AD may be accessed by tapping on the map near the waypoint of interest, tap on the waypoint
in the resulting Closest Points popup, then tap Wx/Notmas (as illustrated in Image 2.3 on the Map Page). In some
cases you may see a weather icon shortcut for the top result in the Closest Points popup. Tap this to achieve the
same result.

61
Weather

Wx/Notams view
eAWIS
Created from unverified one-minute observation data from BoM. For situational awareness only.
eAWIS by OzRunways uses the one-minute observation data from the Bureau of Meteorology, available at
locations with an Aerodrome Weather Station. Presented similar to a METAR but updated every minute.
TAF
If available, the TAF from the NAIPS Location Briefing for the selected location is displayed.
Area Briefing
Displays the area briefing (including area NOTAMs) for the area which the selected waypoint is located within.
This tab also has quick links to the GAF & GPWT charts for the area.
NOTAM
If available, NOTAMs from the NAIPS Location Briefing for the selected location are displayed.
RAIM
GPS RAIM prediction.
TAFG
If there is a TAF for the selected location then this tab will display a graphical version (TAFG or TAFGRAF). In
the TAFG display, the textual TAF is displayed in a scrollable window above the graphical TAF. Tapping on a
graphical element will highlight the corresponding text in the TAF and popup a plain text explanation
momentarily at the top of the graphical TAF window.

62
Weather

Plain
Where a TAF is available, this tab will display a ‘Plain Text’ version e.g. no abbreviations are used, and times
are in local timezone (as per the set device timezone). This format is experimental and should be only used for
educational purposes.
Naturally, TAFs or NOTAMs are not displayed when an AD/ALA has none.

Weather Radar Overlay

Weather Radar Overlay

The Weather Overlay is a weather radar feed that is overlaid on whichever map you are viewing. The overlay shows
rain, clouds and lightning.

63
Weather

When switching on the Weather Radar Overlay, the radar data will be fetched on-demand from the internet. Until the
data can be loaded a set of boxes with red crosses are shown. As the data downloads the boxes will disappear and
be replaced with the radar data. This makes it easy to distinguish between areas that have no weather, and areas
where the data has not been downloaded yet.
Image 9.2 shows a typical overlay with both lightning and rain. The intensity of the rain is graded from light green,
through yellow, to red, purple and eventually, white. There are three cycles of animation to show the direction of
weather. Significant cloud overlays are also shown in grey. A table that shows colour to rainfall rate may be found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBZ_(meteorology)

Aerodrome Weather
The NAIPS Location Briefing for an aerodrome can also be viewed when looking at a document pertaining to that
aerodrome. This is described in the Weather section of the Airfields chapter.

Windy / BoM Radars / Satellite View

These items are accessed by pressing the Radar button on the Map Page. Use the control in the top left corner to
switch between Windy / BoM Radar / Satview
BoM is Bureau of Meteorology.

Windy.com

Windy.com view

Windy is a forecast tool. The time of the forecast can be advanced using a menu at the bottom of the display. Wind,
cloud, temperature, rain (and snow), and atmospheric pressure may be displayed (and forecast). In addition, where
appropriate, the altitude may be set. Windy is a private company that accesses a publicly available weather database
produced by worldwide weather agencies (including the BoM) that provides forecasts into the future on a grid basis
(i.e. one latitude degree by one longitude degree).

64
Weather

The label in the top right hand corner shows what information is currently being overlaid on the map. Tap on the label
to reveal more options. Here you can choose from a variety of overlays, and also adjust the forecast altitude and
other settings. Tap on the Windy map and a picker will appear. This picker will show the exact weather at this point,
depending on the displayed overlay. For example if the Wind overlay is enabled, the picker will show the wind
direction and speed at this point.

BoM Radars

BoM radar view

Displays the BoM radar closest to the centre position of the map screen. e.g. if you scroll the map to Melbourne City
and then come into the BoM Radar view, you will see the Melbourne radar. The name of the radar you are currently
viewing is displayed in the centre at the top. Use the controls in the top right corner to change resolution, or see the
Doppler Wind. (These options may not be available on all radars.)
A list of BoM radar sites is available here: http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/ If you notice a BoM radar is
missing from the app please get in touch with us and we can add it in.

Satellite View

65
Aircraft

Satellite view

This satellite view is from the Bureau of Meteorology website: http://satview.bom.gov.au Press the Play button to see
the time lapse images, spaced 10 minutes apart for 4 hours. Selecting the Layers button in the bottom left hand
corner enables you to activate multiple features such as Lightning, Cities, Roads, and more.

SmartBrief / Brief
SmartBrief is an interactive map that combines a variety of different weather sources. You can access the Graphical
Area Forecasts (GAF), NAIPS location briefings, SIGMETs, AIRMETs, Grid Point Wind & Temperature (GPWT) and
more. For more information about SmartBrief see the SmartBrief & Brief Page

PDF Pack
For a given plan you can generate a single PDF document containing the plan sheet, fuel plan, weight & balance,
NOTAMs, aerodrome weather briefing and other weather charts.
You can find the PDF Pack on the Plan Details view in the Share/Export menu.

Aircraft

66
Aircraft

Settings → Aircraft

Any aircraft profiles you have setup appear here. Use the buttons in the top right corner to add new aircraft profiles,
or duplicate or export existing ones. These options are described below.
If you are just starting out with OzRunways you will see one aircraft already in the list named OZ-RWY, a Cessna
C172.

Creating a new Aircraft Profile

Tap the ‘+’ to create a new aircraft profile using one of the following options:

1. New Blank
Create and setup an aircraft profile from scratch (i.e. all fields will be empty).

2. New Aircraft From Library

Our aircraft library contains profiles for many common aircraft types. Some of these profiles have been provided to
us by OzRunways users, and some we have manually created using the POH for the aircraft type. It’s important
when using a profile form the library that you go through and make sure the details in the profile match your
POH/AFM. To use this option, tap on New from Library, then tap on the profile you want to add in the resulting list,
and finally tap Import in the top right corner You will be returned to the main Aircraft screen and the selected profile
will appear in the list.

Viewing/Editing an existing Aircraft Profile

Tap on an aircraft profile in the list to view and/or edit the details. The following screen results (Image 10.2).

67
Aircraft

Aircraft edit view

For more information on a particular field tap the ‘?’ icon next to the field name.
Tapping Undo will revert any changes that have been made since opening the aircraft profile.
When editing fuel and performance values further down the page (Image 10.3) you can tap the blue unit label to
change the unit type, this will also perform a conversion to the newly selected unit.

68
Aircraft

Aircraft edit view, changing units

Detailed Performance Editor

Be careful when setting Detailed Performance figures as they override any values you have entered back on the
main aircraft setup page. Frequently users have ‘played around’ with Detailed Performance details and then
forgotten they did this. With rubbish values in the Detailed Performance table, you get rubbish results. The easiest
thing is to just enter the default values in the Performance section and leave Detailed Performance figures until you
have mastered the app. Detailed Performance figures yield more accurate results for higher performance aircraft
(e.g. Bombardier LR45).
The Detailed Performance Editor presents a table where you can enter performance details for your aircraft at
specific altitudes. The performance at any altitude is then calculated by interpolation from the values you entered int
he table. In the time and fuel calculations for any plan, during climb the values are calculated every 100 feet.

69
Aircraft

Detailed performance table

Tap the top right ‘Edit’ button, then tap the green plus ‘+’ at the left of the screen in the row that has just been
created. If values have already been set back in the standard ‘Performance’ section then they will appear after
pressing the ‘+’. Tap on a value to change it. Start at 0 ft. Make adjustments and then press the green plus again to
add another row. The altitude will automatically increment by 5000 feet, which can be edited, and the previous values
repeated. Edit the fields as necessary. When creating a new row the altitude will always increment by 5000’ e.g. if
you enter 1000’ the next row created will be at 6000’. Tap to edit if necessary.
When you have finished entering all values, tap ‘Done’ in the top right corner
You now have a table of performance values for your aircraft. The performance at any intermediate altitude is
interpolated.
To remove a row tap ‘Edit’, then the red minus ‘-‘ sign on any rows which you wish to delete. When finished tap
‘Done’ in the top right corner.

Note
Values in the Detailed Performance Table override any details entered in the standard Performance section.
Incorrect details here will result in incorrect performance calculations (rubbish in = rubbish out). If you are not
comfortable with using Detailed Performance, delete any values in the table and use the standard Performance
section instead.

Weight and Balance Setup

First a word of explanation. This is where you create and setup the Weight and Balance (W&B) configuration for your
aircraft. This includes details such as Basic Empty Weight, Moment & Arm, and defining the envelope and stations.
Station weights are entered and changed during the Planning phase. You can create multiple W&B configurations for
a given aircraft. For example, if your aircraft has removable doors you might have one configuration for doors on, and
another for doors off. The configuration can be selected when planning.

Note
Set the units correctly on the main aircraft page before you start editing W&B configurations.

70
Aircraft

When you tap on ‘Config:’, existing W&B configurations are listed first, followed by a button to ‘Add new Config’. Tap
the ‘i’ to edit an existing configuration. Tap ‘Add new Config’ to create a new one, then tap the ‘i’ next to the new
configuration that has appeared in the list (Image 10.5)

W&B setup - configuration selection

At the top of the screen is the W&B diagram (Image 10.6). Note that this plots Weight on the vertical axis and Arm on
the horizontal axis. Beware: Some aircraft POH’s specify Moment on the horizontal axis. You must divide the
Moment by the Weight for that data point to get the Arm. The Moment-Arm or the Moment may be specified for the
Base Data section. The App will calculate the missing value.

W&B setup - editing a configuration

Scroll down to show the station entries and the longitudinal envelope. Weights entered for stations are default
values. For example if you are always the pilot you can enter your own weight next to the applicable station and the
Weight & Balance planner will always default that station to that weight.

71
Aircraft

W&B setup - editing a configuration

Any station entry with the word ‘Fuel’ in it is assumed to be a fuel tank. Fuel is divided in the ratio of the entered
weight of a fuel tank. If you want more complex fuel scenarios, you can use Fuel Tables. The Lateral Envelope will
appear if any lateral arm is non-zero in the station list. Tapping the Edit button in the top right corner will allow you to
add or delete stations and envelope points using the green plus ‘+’ or red minus ‘-’ symbols.

Fuel Tables
Fuel tables provide a means of specifying the weight and corresponding movement of the fuel arm for complex
aircraft. In essence you specify the arm for the particular weight. As fuel burns off, the arm can move in mysterious
ways (i.e. not just linearly), if that is what your aircraft requires. The first step in using fuel tables is to turn the feature
on. This is achieved by turning on ‘Use Fuel Tables’ in the section of the aircraft profile.
When ‘Use Fuel Tables’ is switched on the Fuel Capacity for the aircraft back in the Fuel section will display [Table]
next to the capacity. The capacity can no longer be changed there as it must be defined in the Fuel Table.
Image 10.8 shows a simple fuel table. It indicates for 0gal (empty) up to 107gal the arm is 126.8in, then from there
until 182gal (max capacity) the arm is 135.5in. To add entries to the Fuel Table tap ‘Edit’ in the top right corner and
use the green plus ‘+’ or red minus ‘-’ to add or delete entries. When finished tap ‘Done’.

72
GPS HUD

Fuel table defined in W&B editor

Importing & Exporting

To export/share an aircraft, tap the profile in the list then tap the action button in the top right corner (sqaure/arrow
icon). The share sheet will appear and you can choose to export via a variety of options including AirDrop, Email,
Dropbox, and others.
Aircraft Profiles can be imported in various ways. If somebody is sharing an Aircraft Profile with you via AirDrop then
a prompt will appear with an option to ‘Open with Oz RWY’. If an Aircraft Profile file has been shared with you via
some other method (email, dropbox etc.) tap and hold the file icon until the share sheet appears, then choose ‘Copy
to Oz RWY’.

Duplicate
To copy/duplicate an aircraft profile, tap on the action button in the top right corner, then choose Duplicate. The new
aircraft profile will appear in the list with ‘-1’ appended to the registration.

GPS HUD

73
GPS HUD

GPS HUD

The GPS HUD appears across the top of the Map Page. With no plan selected there is only one row of fields (6 on
the iPad or 3 on the iPhone.)
When you begin to plan, the GPS HUD converts to a two row display. The plan is now active and if desired can track
your position on the map and update the GPS HUD fields with information such as Track, Ground Speed, Distance
To Go, etc. The far right bottom box is the ‘Cancel’ box which, if tapped, will exit the current plan. By default only a
single tap is required, however there is an option in the Preferences section of the Settings page called ‘Double-tap
HUD’ which when enabled requires a double tap on the Cancel button. This can be handy for turbulent conditions.
If you don’t want the GPS HUD displayed tap the Map View Options button and turn off ‘Show GPS HUD’. A long
press on any of the GPS HUD boxes will bring up a list of available fields. Tap an item in the list to switch the GPS
HUD box to the selected data option.
A single tap (or double tap if that setting is enabled) on one of the HUD boxes will open a larger popup showing that
field on the main map display. That popup may be dragged around to reposition it, and is retired with a double tap or
by tapping the red cross in the top right. These boxes remain on the map until dismissed even if the GPS HUD is
turned off.
Some data requires an accurate GPS signal (think GS, ETA etc.), or an internet connection (QNH, TMP). If data is
not available due to lack of GPS signal or internet connection then ` - - ` will be displayed.
In the top right corner of the GPS HUD there is a small coloured dot. This is explained below in GPS Accuracy Dot

HUD box options

Tap and hold (long press) on any GPS HUD field and a popup will result displaying various option as described
below:
BRG (FROM)
Bearing from the last waypoint
BRG(TO)
Bearing to next waypoint
BULLSEYE
Bullseye set on waypoints. The Bullseye feature is described in Special Features chapter
COM
Compass. Note: Tapping the compass HUD box does not bring up a map overlay version

74
GPS HUD

CRSR BRA
When the cursor is enabled, this will display the position of the cursor location in reference to your current
position
CRSR BULL
When the cursor is enabled, this will display position of cursor in reference to the set Bullseye
CTA LL
Lowest Level CTA step for current GPS position (CTA must be ticked in Map View Options → Airspace)
CURSOR
Shows the coordinates of the cursor position in either Degrees Decimal Minutes (DD MM.M), or Degrees
Minutes Second (DD MM SS) format
DA
Relative Density Altitude at nearest aerodrome
DFW
Distance from last Waypoint
DTG
Distance remaining until reaching next waypoint (great circle distance)
ETA
Estimated Time of Arrival at next waypoint
ETA(DEVICE)
Estimated Time of Arrival at next waypoint, displayed in local time (as per the device timezone)
ETA(LAST)
Estimated Time of Arrival for the final waypoint in the plan
ETE
Estimated Time Enroute
FIA
Area frequency (Class G) based on your current GPS position
FIA E
Class E airspace area frequency based on current GPS position
FIA NEXT
Next Class G area frequency based on your current heading
FIA/NXT
Current and next Class G area frequency combined into one box
FL
First Light at your current position
GCB(TO)
Great Circle Bearing to the next waypoint. When this option is selected the app will display the Great Circle
(curved) track for your plan as a grey dotted line, in addition to the standard magenta track.
GPS ALT
Altitude according to the device GPS source
GPS Error
Displays the current GPS error as calculated by the device. The lower this is, the better fix you have. Normally it
is around 10m. It can be used to give you an indication of the best place to position your iPad in the aircraft.
GS
Ground Speed in the units selected for the aircraft profile in use
HAG
Height Above Ground based on GPS altitude and the current terrain altitude to estimate your height rather like a
synthetic ground radar. As the terrain data is on a 900 metre grid, this can be in error for rapidly changing terrain
(i.e. a cliff face)

75
GPS HUD

HSI
Horizontal Situation Indicator. A mini version of the HSI is displayed. At the bottom of the mini-HSI a ‘t’ bar
indicates deviation left or right of track. The arrow indicates the bearing to the waypoint to which you are
tracking. Tap once to see full sized HSI display on map page which is described in further detail below.
LAT
Current GPS latitude
LAT/LON
Current GPS latitude/longitude consolidated in one box
LCL
Local Time (device timezone)
LL
Last Light for your current GPS position
LON
Current GPS longitude.
LSALT
Lowest Safe Altitude. Displays the Airservices Grid Lowest Safe Altitude for your current GPS position
NZ FREQ
Displays the relevant New Zealand OCTA MBZ/CFZ/FISCOM frequency for your current GPS position
NZ FREQ NXT
Displays the next relevant New Zealand OCTA MBZ/CFZ/FISCOM frequency based on your current heading
QNH
Displays the SmartBrief QNH for the nearest airport with a METAR service. If the SmartBrief database is more
than 1 hour old ‘– –’ will be displayed.

Warning
OzRunways HUD box QNH is not an approved source of actual QNH.

SELF BULL
Displays the bearing from your current position to the set Bullseye
SUNSET
Sunset time at your current GPS position
TDR
Total Distance remaining to the next landing point in your plan
TMP
Temperature at closest METAR location
TRK
Current GPS track
TRN
Turn Indicator
UTC
UTC (Zulu) Time
VS
Vertical Speed
XTK
Cross Track Error

76
Terrain and Airspace

Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI)

The HSI is a special case, in that when selected as a GPS HUD field, a small display is shown. A single tap (or
double tap if that setting is enabled) on a HUD box containing the HSI results in a fully fledged HSI being displayed
on the map as shown on the left in Image 11.2

(Left) traditional HSI view (Right) HSI range view

The yellow arrow (and text) is the GPS track. The purple arrow is the course to the next waypoint. There is an orange
bug that can be tapped, held and moved to set a direction (i.e. a runway direction for situational awareness). The
green text is the destination name and distance. The figure above shows a view of the HSI where the aircraft has
drifted left of track. This is indicated by the misalignment of the arrows and indeed the values reported on the HSI.
The dots in the centre of the HSI represent 2 degrees per dot.
Tap three times on the HSI to see a 70 degree view ahead of your track (as shown on the right in Image 11.2).
Range buttons in the bottom left and right (+/-) can be used to increase or decrease the range, which is shown in
green at the top left. ADs and ALAs are shown in their relative position and distance. Three taps gets you back to the
original HSI display.

GPS Accuracy Dot

In the top right corner of the GPS HUD there is a small coloured dot. The colour of the dot gives a quick visual
indication of horizontal GPS accuracy as follows:
Green: Good accuracy, 30m or less
Yellow: Poor accuracy, between 30m and 200m
Magenta/purple: Very poor accuracy, between 200m and 5km
Red: No GPS signal
If horizontal GPS accuracy is worse than 200m (i.e. a magenta or red dot) OzRunways will no longer display your
location on the map, other data in the HUD that relies on GPS position may no longer function. If this happens, check
that OzRunways has the approproiate permissions to access location services in the device settings. You may need
to move the device to a different location in the aircfaft away from any obstructions.

Terrain and Airspace

LSALT assistant

77
Terrain and Airspace

Note
Available in OzRunways v10.3. Requires iOS / iPadOS 13 or above, and an Australia/NZ Premium subscription

LSALT assistant

To open the LSALT assistant make a plan and select (tap) a leg, the leg will highlight yellow and the LSALT assistant
button will appear on the Right Sidebar as in Image 12.1
The LSALT assistant uses the obstacle dataset from Airservices Australia, and terrain data from NASA. The
assistant will find the highest obstacle and terrain, within the selected splay, for each leg of your plan and overlay
these on the map. The assistant will then provide LSALT options based on this information with appropriate buffers,
as well as route and grid LSALT options as applicable (as shown in Image 12.2). Opening the LSALT assistant also
turns on the Terrain Overlay. The function of the Terrain Overlay when using the LSALT assistant is described
below.

78
Terrain and Airspace

LSALT assistant legend

Tap on the desired LSALT option, or manually set the LSALT for that leg using the ‘–’ and ‘+’ buttons. You can also
tap and type into the text field. The value set here will follow through into the plan sheet.
As you adjust the LSALT the Terrain Overlay updates to give you an indication of terrain height relative to the
selected LSALT. Yellow shades show terrain that is approximately 1360ft below the selected LSALT. Anything red
indicates less than 1360ft buffer between terrain and the selected LSALT. The Terrain Overlay is a tool to help you
visualise terrain and should not be used for terrain avoidance.
A video demonstration of the LSALT assistant is available on our YouTube channel.

Terrain Overlay

Note
Available in OzRunways v10.3. Requires iOS / iPadOS 13 or above, and an Australia/NZ Premium subscription

79
Terrain and Airspace

Terrain Overlay

The Terrain Overlay can be turned on/off in Map View Options (Cogs)
The Terrain Overlay is an aid to visualise surrounding terrain. In flight, yellow shades indicate terrain that is close to
your altitude. Red is anything above you. When on the ground, and for 1 minute after takeoff, the Terrain Overlay will
use airfield elevation + 1500ft to prevent you seeing a ‘sea of red’. As you descend to land the Terrain Overlay will
stop adjusting once it recognises you are ‘on final’ (i.e. passing 3NM straight-in, or lining up on 500ft). If a missed
approach or go around is detected the Terrain Overlay will immediately resume until it detects you are on final again.
When used in combination with the LSALT assistant the function of the Terrain Overlay is slightly different, see
LSALT assistant above.
The Terrain Overlay is a tool to help you visualise terrain and should not be used for terrain avoidance.

Horizontal Terrain
Prior to using the Horizontal Terrain feature you should check that your airspace display list is configured correctly.
You will find this in Map View Options → Airspace. In general you will want CTA, CTR and PRD selected. This will
result in the cleanest display and also show the most important airspace from the point of view of infringement. You
should also ensure that you have the terrain data downloaded in Settings → Downloads.
The Terrain and Airspace display has two modes, Plan and Fly.

Plan Mode

80
Terrain and Airspace

Horizontal Terrain - Plan Mode

In Plan mode the terrain and airspace along the selected segment (a segment is defined as takeoff to landing) will be
shown. You use this mode in conjunction with the map and by reference to the ground, to determine altitudes to
avoid infringing airspace and terrain.
To enter Plan mode, tap on a track segment on the map (the magenta line). The selected track segment will turn
yellow, and the terrain and airspace details will be displayed in the Terrain and Airspace viewer. In Image 12.4 we
have selected the SPR to YMIA segment.
You can swipe your finger sideways to move between segments. The selected segment is reflected on the Map
Page as a yellow track line. You can swipe your finger up and down to increase or decrease your altitude for that
segment, the new altitude is then reflected on the Plan Sheet.
Double tap inside the Terrain and Airspace window and the mode will switch to an overview of all segments. You can
still swipe your finger to change between segments and adjust altitudes in this view.
The wind (if wind is entered in the Plan Sheet) is depicted by wind arrows every 2000’. The arrows are red if the wind
is a headwind and green if the wind is a tailwind. Wind barbs indicate wind speed with every full length barb
representing 10 knots and the fractional barbs proportionately.
Flight levels are displayed across the entire width of the window. They are colour coded i.e. green if it conforms to
the recommended hemispherical levels (for VFR or IFR) or orange otherwise.

Fly Mode

81
Terrain and Airspace

Horizontal Terrain - Fly Mode

When you are in Fly mode (no track segment selected) the display shows the terrain and airspace in front of you at a
scalable range up to 80NM. Adjust the range by swiping left or right in the window.
The height of the highest point in front of the aircraft for the range shown is labelled. Your GPS altitude is shown at
the top left of the display. Any ADs or ALAs in front of the aircraft are displayed along with their altitude and distance
from the aircrafts track with an offset left or right.
If you tap somewhere within the display any airspace under the tap point will be displayed on the main map page and
noted in the terrain/airspace display. For example, in Image 12.5 we can see ‘Adelaide CTA C3’ is highlighted on the
map, and the corresponding tap point in the Terrain & Airspace viewer is denoted by an ‘X’.

Active Restricted Airspace System

82
User Waypoints

Active restricted airspace

The option to highlight active restricted areas is found in Map View Options → Airspace. When enabled, active
restricted airspace is shaded red. The status of restricted airspace is determined by requesting the NAIPS Restricted
Area Briefing. OzRunways will request the restricted area briefing every 10 minutes and update the red shading
accordingly. (Your device requires an internet connection in order to request the NAIPS Restricted Area Briefing.)

Note
Not all restricted areas appear in the NAIPS Restricted Area Briefing (e.g. TRAs from AIP SUP or NOTAMs). If an
area appears deactivated, please check the status with ATC or NOTAM as applicable.

In some cases we may manually add temporary airspace overlays (from SUP or NOTAM) to the map. If activation
times are clearly defined the area will be shaded red while active. If activation times aren’t defined we may
permanently shade the area red to bring it to the attention of pilots. In all cases, please confirm the status of
restricted airspace before entry.
Military CTRs (e.g. Townsville MIL CTR displayed in Image 12.6) are not restricted areas, and therefore do not
appear in the restricted area briefing. We have shaded these areas blue to remind pilots to check the status of the
Military CTR with ATC or other means as applicable.

User Waypoints
A User Waypoint is a custom waypoint that you can create anywhere on the map. They can be used in flight planning
just like any other waypoint. User Waypoints can also be shared with other OzRunways users.

Creating a User Waypoint

User Waypoints can be created two ways:

1. Tap on the map where you would like to create the waypoint. The Closest Points popup will appear, tap the blue
‘+’ in the top left corner. Tap ‘Create User Waypoint’. The newly created User Waypoint will appear on the map
as a red ‘X’.

83
User Waypoints

2. Use the Search function on the Map Page to enter coordinates. Various formats are accepted: Decimal degrees,
degrees decimal minutes, degrees minutes seconds, UTM… Enter the desired coordinates and then tap on the
resulting entry in the list. Tap ‘Create User Waypoint’. The waypoint will be created at the selected coordinates.

Editing a User Waypoint

User Waypoint editor

To edit a user waypoint tap near it on the map, select it in the resulting Closest Points popup, then scroll down and
edit the fields as required.
Alternatively, you can use the User Waypoint editor in Settings → User Waypoints as shown in Image 13.2.

84
User Waypoints

User Waypoints on the Settings page

Waypoints are shown in their respective groups. Tapping on a waypoint allows you to view and edit the information.
There are controls at the top right for Editing, Exporting and Deleting. Tapping the edit button allows you to
multi-select waypoints which you can then delete or share using the respective icons. After tapping the Edit button,
grab handles (three horizontal lines) appear at the right of each waypoint. Use these grab handles to rearrange
waypoints or move them in to different groups. Tap and hold the grab handle and then slide the waypoint around to
move it.
Tapping the share button allows you to export a single or multiple groups of waypoints in GPX, CSV, or URL format.
Exporting via GPX or URL only includes the waypoint code, name, group and location. Exporting via CSV also
includes elevation, frequency, colour and notes.
Tapping the delete button allows you to delete a single or multiple groups of waypoints.

Importing / Exporting User Waypoints

85
User Waypoints

Exporting user waypoints

Exporting
Tap the Share icon in the top right corner (square/arrow). A popup will result allowing you to select groups of
waypoints. Tap on a group and a checkmark will appear next to it. Select all groups that you would like to export and
then choose either Export as .gpx, or Export as .csv The share sheet will appear allowing you to choose how to send
the file.
Select the “Share as link” option to generate an “ozwpt://” URL. This method is described below in further detail.

Importing
User Waypoints can be imported in various ways. If somebody is sharing waypoints with you via AirDrop then a
prompt will appear on your screen with the option to ‘Open with Oz RWY’. If a User Waypoint file has been shared
with you via some other method (email, dropbox etc.) tap and hold the file icon until the share sheet appears, then
choose ‘Copy to Oz RWY’.

Waypoint URLs (ozwpt://)

Waypoint URLs are automatically generated when selecting the “Share as link” option in the user Waypoint Export
popup or the “Editing a User Waypoint” dialog, above. However, they can also be created manually following the
format below:
ozwpt:// coordinate OR radial range OR ICAO code ?code= waypoint code name= waypoint name group=
waypoint group
The ? (question mark) and following parameters are optional.
For example: ozwpt://YPAD040100 would be a radial range waypoint at 040º 100NM from YPAD. To give it a
name and code you would use ozwpt://YPAD040100?code=ADRR&name=AdelaideRadialRange

Note
URLs cannot directly contain spaces. In order to achieve a space you will need to use %20. This is known as
URL encoding, if you need some help there is a handy tool available here: https://www.urlencoder.org

86
Logs

As an example, the two %20 parts of this name are replaced by spaces, so the waypoint would be named
“Adelaide Radial Range”:
ozwpt://YPAD040100?code=ADRR&name=Adelaide%20Radial%20Range

The coordinates can be provided in degrees, minutes, seconds or decimal degrees, in the formats accepted by the
search popup. For example:

• ozwpt://S345156E1383322?name=Sample%20DMS%20point is the point 34° 51’ 56” S 138° 33’ 22” E.

• ozwpt://S34.866E138.556?name=Sample%20DD%20point is the point 34.866° S 138.556° E (the same point
expressed as decimal degrees).
Tap on an ozwpt:// URL and OzRunways will open and show a User Waypoint dialogue, as depicted in Image 13.4

Import from ozwpt:// URL dialogue

Logs

87
Logs

Settings → Logs

All new flight logs will appear in Settings → Logs. Logs created prior to OzRunways v6.7 are still available in Settings
→ Track History (old system).
Your location will be logged while OzRunways is open or running in the background. After 15 minutes in the
background (3 minutes on iPhone) without movement (speed stays below 11kts) OzRunways will stop logging.
If you’ve set your Air Switch speed to something sensible (Vs0 minus 10 kts is a good guide), we’ll automatically
detect and log your flights. These will then appear in Settings → Logs. (Note that you will only see your flight there
AFTER you are below your air switch speed, not during your flight.) Landings, including touch & go’s, are
automatically logged. Departure and arrival aerodrome/ALA is automatically recorded if the aerodrome/ALA is in our
database.
Tap on a log to view and edit the details. Below is a brief description of each field:
Trip Name
Enter a name for the log file. Exporting to GPX will use this name as the file name.
Start/End
Adjust the start and end time of the log file. The track log will update to show the flight path during the selected
time frame.
Duration
Total flight duration including taxi time. Essentially, this is engine time.
From/To
Departure and arrival airport.
Aircraft ID / Aircraft type
If you are flying a plan, this will be filled automatically from your aircraft profile. Else, you can enter this yourself
e.g. VH-EFB.
Flight Crew: PIC
The name of the PIC.
Flight Times: PIC
PIC flight hours.
Landings
The number of landings including touch & go’s. This information is recorded automatically if your Air Switch is
set to auto.

Exporting
Logs can be exported as a GPX file which can be opened in Google Earth or other mapping software. Tap on the log
entry you would like to export, then tap the share icon in the top right corner (square/arrow). The GPX file name will
mirror the ‘Trip name’ field. GPX files includes track, altitude and speed information. If you have a Premium
subscription, you can export to LogTen Pro.

Troubleshooting
If your location is not being logged, or log entries aren’t automatically being created, check the items below:

• Ensure location services are switched on for OzRunways in your devices’ Settings app → Privacy → Location
Services.
• OzRunways must be active for the duration of your flight in order for a Logs entry to be automatically created. If
you close OzRunways (by double pressing the home button and ‘swiping up’) then a Log entry will not be
automatically generated.
• Set your Air Switch (in the ‘Timers’ menu) to something sensible e.g. Vs0 minus 10kts.
• Use the ‘Add Flight’ button in Settings → Logs. Enter a start and end time for the log and your track history
between those times will automatically populate.

88
Traffic

Traffic

OzRunways Traffic System (in-app)

Settings → Traffic

OzRunways has implemented a traffic system based on the use of mobile (3G/4G) networks. The way this works is
as follows. If you opt in and are network connected, the App detects whether you are flying. If you are, it starts
sending data packets to the mobile network that hold your id, your position, heading and climb/descent rate. In
addition, if you have an active plan, that plan is sent to an OzRunways server. The traffic system data usage is below
1 megabyte per hour (very minimal). The server receives the data and determines whether there are any aircraft in
your vicinity and sends those aircraft back to your App, which are then displayed on the Map Page. The aircraft icon
at the top of the map screen enables or disables the traffic display. The traffic displayed is the closest 18 active
aircraft to your current location.
Each light blue traffic icon displays a callsign as specified in the Settings → Traffic → Callsign field. If no callsign is
specified here, it will use the callsign from the aircraft profile in use. If neither of these options are available the
dummy callsign ‘Unknown’ will appear. Below the callsign is the altitude relative to your current altitude in 100’s of
feet. For example see Image 15.4. VH-KEG is 800ft above us, and VH-OTY is 4900ft above us. Additionally, the
direction of travel is indicated by an arrow on the circumference of the circular icon. In the figure VH-KEG is tracking
south, and VH-OTY is tracking west. If you tap on a traffic icon it will momentarily zoom, and if the user has an
OzRunways plan active it will display that plan as a purple line.

Setup & Options

The first time you start the app you are prompted to enable or disable the traffic system. You can turn the system on
or off any time in Settings → Traffic, along with various other options.
If you wish to see other OzRunways traffic on the map you must also broadcast your own position. If you wish to hide
your callsign then turn off the ‘Share my callsign’ option. Your callsign will then appear as ‘Unknown’.
The Traffic system can also be controlled from the Map Page using the traffic icon on the top menu bar.

89
Traffic

The elements of the traffic icon gives a visual indication of the status of both the OzRunways traffic system, and any
connected ADS-B device.

Traffic icon legend

Tap the traffic icon to reveal more options. If you have a SkyEcho connected this is where you can configure the
settings.

Left: Standard traffic popup Right: Popup with SkyEcho connected

fig_traffic_broadcast_all below demonstrates the appearance of the traffic icon under the following conditions:

• OzRunways traffic broadcasting

• SkyEcho ADS-B OUT broadcasting using callsign EFB, and squawk code 1200

90
Traffic

Note
The OzRunways traffic system will only broadcast your position to other users when it detects you are flying. I.e.
the aeroplane symbol won’t be green unless you are flying.

tx.ozrunways.com (traffic wesbite)

OzRunways traffic is also displayed on the website https://tx.ozrunways.com This is displayed on a normal web
browser (not the app). Aircraft are illustrated on the map as red directional arrows. Tap on any of these arrows for
more information. If a plan is available for that aircraft it is displayed in blue. Airspace is also displayed on the map
and can be indicated by tapping on the airspace in question.
The traffic website keeps a history previous flights you have completed (provided you had the traffic system switched
on and working). Tap on ‘My Flights’ at the top of the website and log in with your OzRunways username to see your
flight history. A list of flights is presented with some icons to the right of each entry. You have the option to share your
flight via Twitter or Facebook, or you can preview the flight on the map or download it as a KML or GPX file.

ADS-B Traffic
OzRunways supports ABS-B receivers that connect via WiFi and use the GDL90 protocol. A Premium subscription is
required.

ADS-B Receiver Setup

Connect your iPad or iPhone to the ADS-B receiver in iPad Settings → WiFi. (Note: The ‘No Internet Connection’
warning is normal)
The receiver should now be sending information to OzRunways. Check that the receiver appears in OzRunways →
Settings.

ADS-B Receiver Troubleshooting

If you have confirmed that you are connected to the ADS-B receiver via WiFi and it is still not working follow these
steps:
Open OzRunways and go to Settings → Device Options. Ensure that ‘Enable GDL90/Stratux/Flightbox’ is switched
on.
The receiver should appear as a menu item in the Settings menu underneath ‘Device Options’. Tap to view device
statistics including the number of currently visible ADS-B aircraft.
Your iDevice can only be connected to one WiFi network at a time. If you usually ‘hotspot’ internet from another
source (such as a phone) you may not be able to do this concurrently, unless you can connect to the hotspot using
Bluetooth instead.
To use ADS-B functionality a Premium subscription is required. Check your subscription type in OzRunways →
Settings → Subscriptions.
On the map page, ADS-B traffic is displayed just like regular OzRunways traffic but in a darker shade of blue (Image
15.4)

91
EFB Safety

Traffic bubbles

Portable ADS-B Out

Low cost, portable ADS-B OUT devices are coming to VFR aircraft in Australia!
These portable devices allow all pilots to enjoy the benefits of increased situational awareness, with ADS-B IN
receiver functionality to see other aircraft on your EFB, and ADS-B OUT functionality so these aircraft can now see
you too.
For comprehensive information on ADS-B Out devices and how they work with OzRunways, see this article on our
knowledgebase: https://support.ozrunways.com/kb/en-gb/2-3rd-party-hardware-integrations
The traffic system, including SkyEcho settings, can be configured directly on the Map Page as demonstrated above
in Setup & Options.

EFB Safety
In many instances, EFBs have largely replaced their paper counterparts in the cockpit. They have graduated from
oddity to full time flight critical components. As a result of their criticality to many flights, we must examine in detail
their failure modes and plan for these potential failures. A failure in an EFB means an inability to access the data you
require. There are three main failure modes:

• Power failure
• Failure due to heat
• Absence of data

Power
An EFB is a battery operated device. Batteries have limited capacity. Therefore, we must plan for the limited battery
lifetime of an EFB. The easiest way of prolonging battery life in a portable EFB is to plug into the aircraft power
supply via (usually) a USB power adapter. If this is not possible, you can carry one of the many USB power packs.
These can dramatically extend the useful period of your EFB. Finally, you can practice a ‘power up’ minimisation
strategy for your EFB. This might be to use it as takeoff and landing and only intermittently while enroute to check
your current position by reference to the map and the ground.
One of the major battery drains is the screen backlight, therefore if you lower your screen brightness to the minimum
usable level this can drastically reduce power consumption and increase battery life.

Heat
EFBs can rapidly heat up if placed on the black dashboard and an aeroplane in the midday (Australian) sun. If the
device gets too hot it results in a shutdown of the iPad while it cools off. To alleviate this condition, avoid placing the
device in direct sunlight, or if that is unavoidable, try to direct some air onto the back of the device. If you exit the
aircraft while (while refuelling for example) place the device somewhere out of direct sunlight.

92
Graphic Overlays

Data
Arguably the most likely failure mode is lack of data. This could be because the app crashes unexpectedly or the
data just isn’t loaded into the app. Maps and aeronautical data are loaded in an on-demand scheme. If you have a
good network (read - you are at home), then as you change maps or access ERSA pages, the data is loaded
seamlessly and you hardly know it’s happening. However, if you have ‘gone bush’ and you are sitting under the stars
with no network and you have not downloaded your maps and data you will see nothing, nix, nada, zip, butkus, zero,
zilch, diddly-squat. Or, at best, a ‘holey’ map. So, to avoid this embarrassment in front of your flying friends, always
download your maps and data that are required for a given trip. That means going to Settings → Downloads → (your
region) and downloading everything you need. Be especially careful when leaving for a long trip in which the AIRAC
cycle will switch over. Look at the top of the country page in downloads and see if there are two date panels (one in
the future). If the future date is during your trip tap that and download the maps and any other data (e.g. ERSA) that
you require for the duration of the trip. A good practice, while in the peace and quiet of your home, is to download all
of the ERSA and Approach Plates - it’s not that much data on a fast network. For basic VFR maps, download the
WAC, Open Street Map, Hybrid VFR, Planning Chart and ERC Low National. Also download the required Terrain
Data (at the bottom). Download all of the ERSA.

Backup
It is foolhardy not to carry some backup if you are using an EFB. This can be in the form of another EFB or paper.
Don’t rely on a single EFB.

Navigation
Remember OzRunways can only be used as a situational awareness tool and an aid to primary navigation by
reference to the map and to the ground. Do not ‘contour fly’ controlled areas and do not rely on the GPS in the iPad
as your primary source of navigation. It goes without saying that you may not use the app for IFR navigation.

Graphic Overlays
Graphical overlays may be used for a variety of functions. For example, one application could be the display of
power lines for safety or inspection reasons. Another application might be to indicate search and rescue patterns.
Any time you need a semi-permanent geographically defined overlay on an OzRunways map, this functionality may
be used. Overlays are specified in the KML (Keyhole Markup Language) language which is used by Google Earth for
the specification of geographic data. It may be displayed and defined/entered in Google Earth. KML is summarised at
the end of this chapter. The underlying KML language is not for the faint hearted and it is not expected that a pilot
understand this format. Much of the information in the latter parts of this section is for IT types. The pilot should
concentrate on how to access overlays (next section).

Opening and Displaying Graphic Overlays

The first step in the process is to get the KML file into OzRunways. This is achieved by emailing yourself a KML file.
Open the email on the iPad and press and hold on the attachment icon. Then select the ‘Copy to Oz RWY’ option.
This is the same for any other data you are importing into OzRunways. The KML file is copied into OzRunways and
displayed. Tap on the KML Overlays icon (see KML Overlays in the Map Page section) to reveal a menu where you
can switch the overlay on/off. When on, the KML file name will be highlighted in light green in the list, and white when
off. Toggle the KML file off/on by tapping it.
Some subscriptions already include a pre-loaded list of KML files available to use. These appear in the KML
Overlays menu underneath user imported KMLs (if any), for example in New Zealand the Department of
Conservartion (DOC) Protected Areas.
Swipe (right-to-left) on any KML file in the list to reveal more options. You can delete the file, or share it with other
users.

93
Graphic Overlays

Example KML overlay

Intro to KML
KML is an extensive language and has many features. OzRunways implements a subset of KML that allows basic
graphical overlays. Specifically, OzRunways can deal with:

• Placemarks (basically a location with a name)

• Polygons (a shape with a colour)
• Lines (an outline shape with colour and line thickness)
More complex shapes such as arcs and circles must be constructed from the above primitives. To review, in KML
terms, currently, OzRunways deals with:

• Styles (including StyleUrls)

• LineStrings
• Points
• Polygons
• Placemarks

KML Examples

Simple KML Placemark

The first example is a KML Placemark. It looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
<Placemark>
<name>YSTW</name>
<description>Tamworth</description>
<Point>
<coordinates>150.84833,-31.08333,0</coordinates>
</Point>
</Placemark>

94
Graphic Overlays

</kml>
A Placemark is the simplest KML object. It has a name, description and position (Point). Poi
KML Placemark with Icon
A Placemark with an icon looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
<Placemark>
<name>YSTW</name>
<description>Tamworth</description>
<Style>
<IconStyle>
<scale>1.3</scale>
<Icon>
<href>http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/shapes/airports.png</href>
</Icon>
<hotSpot x="32" y="2" xunits="pixels" yunits="pixels"/>
</IconStyle>
</Style>
<Point>
<coordinates>150.84833,-31.08333,0</coordinates>
</Point>
</Placemark>
</kml>

The <Style> statement adds an icon which is scaled 1.3 times from it’s base size. The icon comes from a Google
collection although the web reference can be anywhere (i.e. you can define your own icons and use them). The
‘hotSpot’ parameter indicates where the icon may be tapped to display the name and description fields. The
description field is HTML savvy so you can customise what information gets displayed when you tap on an icon
(Placemark). This is extremely powerful and extensible and general purpose in nature. If you insert the description
field then when you tap on the area, a popup will result. It has the side effect of shielding underlying waypoints. So if
you have a large polygon but you wish to access waypoints underneath the polygon, omit the description field and
place point items for identification (i.e. an icon).

KML Polygon
Next we show a KML Polygon. It looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
<Document>
<name>KmlFile</name>
<Style id="transBluePoly">
<LineStyle>
<width>1.5</width>
</LineStyle>
<PolyStyle>
<color>7dff0000</color>
</PolyStyle>
</Style>
<Placemark>
<name>YSTW Surround</name>
<styleUrl>#transBluePoly</styleUrl>
<Polygon>
<outerBoundaryIs>
<LinearRing>
<coordinates>
150.9,-31.1,0
150.9,-31.2,0
150.8,-31.2,0
150.8,-31.1,0
150.9,-31.1,0

95
Special Features

</coordinates>
</LinearRing>
</outerBoundaryIs>
</Polygon>
</Placemark>
</Document>
</kml>

A polygon is defined as a list of coordinates as illustrated above. Styles can be defined at the start of the KML and
referenced as ‘StyeUrls’ within particular polygons. The color field is a hex representation aaggbbrr where aa is
transparency, gg is green, bb is blue and rr is red. A hex value of ff (255) would indicate full intensity (1.0 on a scale
of 0 to 1.0). A hex value of 80 would indicate a value of 0.5 or half intensity. The color show (7dff0000) is a slightly
transparent blue line. (We use the US spelling for color, as that is how Google defines it …. naturally).

KML LineStrings
Next we show a KML LineString (line). It looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
<Document>
<name>KmlFile</name>
<Style id="transPurpleLineGreenPoly">
<LineStyle>
<color>7fff00ff</color>
<width>4</width>
</LineStyle>
<PolyStyle>
<color>7f00ff00</color>
</PolyStyle>
</Style>
<Placemark>
<name>Absolute</name>
<description>Transparent purple line</description>
<styleUrl>#transPurpleLineGreenPoly</styleUrl>
<LineString>
<coordinates>
150.9,-31.1,0
150.9,-31.2,0
150.8,-31.2,0
150.8,-31.1,0
150.9,-31.1,0
</coordinates>
</LineString>
</Document>
</kml>

LineStrings have a style and a list of coordinates. Through the style you can set the colour and thickness of the line.

Special Features

Bullseye!

96
Special Features

Setting a Bullseye

The Bullseye feature is useful to both Military and General Aviation pilots; when added to the GPS HUD the Bullseye
provides bearing and range information from your current position to the set Bullseye (BULLSEYE option in the
HUD), from the Screen Cursor to the Bullseye (CRSR BULL in the HUD), and from your current position to the
Screen Cursor (CRSR BRA).
To activate Bullseye:

1. Press and hold on one of the GPS HUD boxes and select ‘BULLSEYE’ in the resulting menu. Repeat for CRSA
BRA and CRSR BULL if desired.
2. Set the Bullseye position by tapping on the map → tap on the desired waypoint in the Closest Points popup →
tap ‘Set as Bullseye’.
Bullseye circles are scaled in 50NM increments, out to 500NM in degrees Magnetic (ºM). The circles correctly
account for latitude scale variations at southern latitudes on Mercator projection maps. The Northern radial is
darkened for reference. (NOAA worldwide magnetic model is used for calculating magnetic deviation -
https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/WMM/soft.shtml)
To disable Bullseye simply replace the BULLSEYE GPS HUD box with a different selection.

Range Rings
Range rings can be set on any waypoint. Tap near a waypoint on the map, select the waypoint in the resulting
Closest Points popup, then tap ‘Range Ring’. Turn on the Show / Hide Range Ring toggle and select your distance
and colour options. An example is shown below in Image 18.2.

97
Device Requirements

Setting a Range Ring

Device Requirements

Software Requirements
OzRunways is compatible with devices running iOS/iPadOS 12 (and above). If your device is not running
iOS/iPadOS 12 or above you will not be able to get the latest version of OzRunways which includes critical fixes and
updates.
To learn how to update your iOS/iPadOS version see this article: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204204
Be aware that if you have a vintage or obsolete iPad, it will say that the software is up to date, even though it is too
old to support OzRunways. If you see iOS/iPadOS version 9 or 10 after following the software update instructions,
then this is likely to be the case.
If your device does not support iOS/iPadOS 12 or above you will need to obtain one that does. Compared to
hardware you install in your aircraft that is expected to last the 20+ year lifetime of the aircraft, iPads are consumer
hardware that need to be replaced every so often (e.g. 5 years). The disadvantage is you need to get a new one
every now and again, but the advantage is that you can have fast hardware with better battery life, screen
brightness, and speed / responsiveness.

Hardware Requirements
Much of the functionality in OzRunways requires your GPS position and for this reason we recommend choosing a
Wi-Fi + Cellular model iPad. The GPS is integrated with the cellular chip meaning the Wi-Fi only versions of the
iPad do not have GPS.

98
Device Requirements

Note
Hotspotting from another iOS device will not provide your Wi-Fi only iPad with a GPS position, except
intermittently. Please, do not purchase a Wi-Fi only device expecting a phone to provide GPS position to the
iPad, as this does not work.

If you do choose to purchase a Wi-Fi only iPad, OzRunways will work but you won’t get all the awesome GPS
functionality unless you buy an external GPS for around $120. You also won’t have access to the internet driven
features unless you mess around connecting the iPad to your iPhones internet. If you want GPS and the full
OzRunways experience it is best to spend the little bit extra and get the Wi-Fi + Cellular version.
While you don’t need to put a SIM card into the iPad for the GPS to work, there are many features in OzRunways
that rely on a data connection. NOTAMs, met, radar and traffic all require a data connection. You can get data via
hotspot from an iPhone, but setting that up can be fiddly and as mentioned above it won’t give you a GPS position.
The best combination is a Wi-Fi + Cellular model iPad and a data plan or pre-paid data SIM.

99