55. Loading Airspaces

Airspaces are shown from the Navigraph database, simulator database or online flying services and can also be loaded from a user defined directory.

You can select one or more airspace sources to show in the main menu Scenery Library -> Airspace Libraries. Note that the selection of airspace sources is independent of the settings in the sub-menu Navigraph of the menu Scenery Library.

55.1. FSX, Prepar3D and MSFS Airspaces

Little Navmap reads all airspaces from the scenery library of FSX, P3D and MSFS. These airspaces are added in the airspace source Simulator.

55.2. Airspace Boundaries for Online Flying

Little Navmap normally shows online centers (like towers, departure, ground and more) from IVAO, VATSIM or other online services as circles since the boundary geometry is not available for these at first. The size of the circles and other settings can be changed in options on page Map Online.

User airspaces can be used to depict centers using real boundaries. This is done by matching the center callsign to a boundary id. See the chapters below for boundary sources.

Enable the airspace source Online in the menu Scenery Library in sub-menu Airspace Libraries. Disable other airspace sources to avoid confusion.

Save all airspace files into a separate directory like VATSIM or IVAO from where your can load them into Little Navmap.

Note

You have to reload the user airspace for the respective online service when switching between VATSIM and IVAO.

These files do not match all airspace types. You will still see circular airspaces for towers, for example.

55.2.1. VATSIM

VATSIM boundaries can be downloaded from the VATSpy Data Project.

You have to click on the file Boundaries.geojson file on the Github page and then click on the download icon (down arrow) in the top right corner to get the file.

The direct download link is Boundaries.geojson. Use the web browser Save as, Save page or a similar function to save the file to your computer.

Additional files are firboundaries.json and traconboundaries.json.

55.2.2. IVAO

IVAO boundaries in JSON format can be downloaded at Little Navmap Downloads - Airspace Boundaries. These files are updated twice a month.

Extract the boundaries into a directory and load them from there into Little Navmap.

55.3. Airspace Formats

Little Navmap can read three airspace formats from a user defined directory.

See Airspace Libraries for more information on airspace sources.

55.3.1. OpenAir

Little Navmap can read OpenAir airspaces (OpenAir airspace format) from X-Plane or a user defined directory.

Note that the publicly available airspace files can contain errors which may prevent the loading of an airspace file. These hard errors are reported after loading the scenery library. Other errors only affecting single airspaces or the geometry are reported in the log file only.

Additional airspace files can be downloaded from the OpenAirspace Directory, Soaring Services, openAIP or Luftraumdaten Deutschland, for example.

Airspace files must have a .txt extension and are loaded from the following directories by Little Navmap:

The files can be encoded in any UTF format but must have a BOM to be recognized properly. Otherwise Windows ANSI coding (Windows-1252) is used. Special characters like umlauts or accents are not displayed correctly in names if the encoding is not correct. All other functionality is unaffected.

You can convert the files using any advanced editor like Notepad++ for example.

Airspaces will appear as duplicates in the map if an airspace file is found in more than one of these directories or sources.

Airspace types recognized in OpenAir format:

  • R: restricted

  • Q: danger

  • P: prohibited

  • A: Class A

  • B: Class B

  • C: Class C

  • D: Class D

  • E: Class E

  • F: Class F

  • G: Class G

  • GP: Glider prohibited

  • CTR: CTR

  • W: Wave Window

  • RMZ Radio Mandatory Zone / Class G

  • TMZ: Transponder Mandatory Zone / Mode C

Internal airspace types:

Little Navmap passes an airspace type through to its scenery library database if it is not one of the recognized types above. This means you can additionally use these types which are only recognized by Little Navmap:

  • C: Center

  • CA: Class A

  • CB: Class B

  • CC: Class C

  • CD: Class D

  • CE: Class E

  • CF: Class F

  • CG: Class G

  • FIR: FIR

  • UIR: UIR

  • T: Tower

  • CL: Clearance

  • G: Ground

  • D: Departure

  • A: Approach

  • M: MOA

  • R: Restricted

  • P: Prohibited

  • CN: Caution

  • W: Warning

  • AL: Alert

  • DA: Danger

  • NP: National park

  • MD: MODEC

  • RD: Radar

  • GCA: Control area

  • MCTR: MCTR

  • TRSA: TRSA

  • TR: Training

  • GP: Glider prohibited

  • WW: Wavewindow

55.3.2. GEOJSON

This is a general format which can contain all kind of geometry types. Little Navmap reads only polygons and ignores all other geometry features when reading a GEOJSON file. Little Navmap can load this format for online airspaces which can be downloaded for VATSIM boundaries at the VATSpy Data Project.

The extension is .geojson.

55.3.3. IVAO JSON

A special format specific to IVAO boundaries. It can be downloaded at Little Navmap Downloads - Airspace Boundaries, for example.

The extension is .json.

55.3.4. VATSIM JSON

A special format specific to VATSIM boundaries. It is used by the files firboundaries.json and traconboundaries.json.

The extension is .json.

55.4. X-Plane Airspaces

X-Plane 11 and 12 come with a single airspace file that can be found in YOUR_XPLANE_DIRECTORY/Resources/default data/airspaces/.

Little Navmap reads X-Plane airspaces from the following locations:

  • YOUR_XPLANE_DIRECTORY/Resources/default data/airspaces

  • YOUR_XPLANE_DIRECTORY/Custom Data/Airspaces

These airspaces are added to airspace source Simulator.

55.5. User Airspaces

These airspaces are added in the airspace source User. You can load them by selecting Scenery Library -> Load User Airspaces.

Airspaces read with this function will be added to the airspace source User and are stored in a database independent of flight simulator databases.

55.6. Online Airspaces

Online centers are displayed as circular airspaces in Little Navmap per default and provide the same functionality as the other airspaces (tooltips, information and more). They are loaded with the online data when connected and are only stored in a temporary database which is deleted on exit.

Little Navmap can use real center boundaries instead of the circular airspaces. First you have to enable one or both options in the options dialog on page Map Online under Online Center Boundary Lookup in User Airspaces. These are enabled per default.

There are two options:

  1. Create an OpenAir airspace file which contains a single boundary for a center. Give the file the same name as the callsign for the center, i.e. name the file EDDB_TWR.txt for the center with the callsign EDDB_TWR.

  2. Create an OpenAir airspace containing the boundaries for all the centers you need. Give the file any name but name the boundaries according to the callsign of the centers. You need a line in the file containing AN EDDF_TWR (AN = airspace name) to use the boundary for a center with the callsign EDDB_TWR.

Now place the file or files into you user airspace directory and reload the user airspaces. See above User Airspaces how to do this.

Once done the center should show the correct boundary.