to open the Select Position Point window
to choose a different reference point. Click Reset to reset
the offset point definition to the object's center.Introduction | Designing Missions | The Mission Window | Initial Aircraft Setup | Phases of Flight | Procedures and Sites | 3D Mission Editing| Catalogs
Initial State | Runway | Waypoint | VTOL Point | End of Previous Procedure | Sites from the Catalog | STK Object Waypoint | STK Static Object / Vehicle
There are eleven site types in Aircraft Mission Modeler - Initial State, Runway, Runway from Catalog, STK Object Waypoint, STK Static Object, STK Vehicle, Waypoint, Waypoint from Catalog, VTOL Point, VTOL Point from Catalog, and End of Previous Procedure. The Initial State site is only available for the first procedure of a mission, while the End of Previous Procedure site is only available for procedures after the first. The STK Object Waypoint, STK Static Object, and STK Vehicle sites are only available if there are objects in the scenario that are eligible to be used for those sites.
The Initial State site allows you to define an Initial State procedure. Enter a name for the site, if desired. All other parameters to be defined for an Initial State are contained within the procedure.
A Runway is a ground based location. When you select the Runway site type, specific details of the runway location must be defined manually, as indicated in the following table.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Enter a name for the runway, if desired; this field is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| Latitude | Defines the latitude of the center point of the runway. |
| Longitude | Defines the longitude of the center point of the runway. |
| Relative... | Click to define the site as a relative point. Specify the latitude, longitude, radial, and range in the window that opens. |
| Waypoint... | Click to define the site based on a waypoint, runway, or VTOL point in a catalog. This button is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| Altitude | Enter an altitude or click Get Terrain Alt to populate this field with the value of terrain data loaded into the scenario. |
| Runway Heading | Define the Low End and High End runway headings and select True or Magnetic north reference from the drop-down menu. |
| Length | Defines the length of the runway. |
| Add to Catalog | Click to save the runway you have defined to a catalog. This button is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| From Catalog... | Click to define the runway from a runway catalog. This button is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| Copy Site | Copies the current site definition to the clipboard. |
| Paste Site | Pastes the definition of the site from the copy currently on the clipboard. |
A waypoint is used for selecting in-flight procedures. When you select the Waypoint site type, specific details of the site location must be defined manually, as indicated in the following table.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Enter a name for the waypoint, if desired; this field is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| Latitude | Defines the waypoint's latitude. |
| Longitude | Defines the waypoint's longitude. |
| Relative... | Click to define the site as a relative point. Specify the latitude, longitude, radial, and range in the window that opens. |
| Add to Catalog | Click to save the runway you have defined to a catalog. This button is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| From Catalog... | Click to define the runway from a runway catalog. This button is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| Copy Site | Copies the current site definition to the clipboard. |
| Paste Site | Pastes the definition of the site from the copy currently on the clipboard. |
A VTOL Point is used for selecting VTOL procedures, and has a specified altitude. When you select the VTOL Point site type, specific details of the site location must be defined manually, as indicated in the following table.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Enter a name for the waypoint, if desired; this field is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| Latitude | Defines the waypoint's latitude. |
| Longitude | Defines the waypoint's longitude. |
| Relative... | Click to define the site as a relative point. Specify the latitude, longitude, radial, and range in the window that opens. |
| Waypoint... | Click to define the site based on a waypoint, runway, or VTOL point in a catalog. This button is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| Altitude | Enter an altitude or click Get Terrain Alt to populate this field with the value of terrain data loaded into the scenario. |
| Add to Catalog | Click to save the runway you have defined to a catalog. This button is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| From Catalog... | Click to define the runway from a runway catalog. This button is not displayed when working with the Catalog Manager. |
| Copy Site | Copies the current site definition to the clipboard. |
| Paste Site | Pastes the definition of the site from the copy currently on the clipboard. |
When defining a mission with an aircraft with the VTOL performance model active, you can select End of previous procedure to define the site as the end of the previous procedure - provided that both the current and previous procedures are VTOL procedures. Enter a name for the site, if desired.
In addition to manually defining a site, you can select Runway from Catalog, Waypoint from Catalog, or VTOL Point from Catalog to define a runway or waypoint from a catalog item.
An STK Object Waypoint is used to define a waypoint at or relative to the position of another object within the scenario at a specific time. Enter a name for the site, if desired, and select the reference object from the Link To list. Other aircraft objects using Aircraft Mission Modeler whose Properties Browsers are open at the same time will not appear in the list to avoid potential circular reference errors.
The Time parameters display the minimum and maximum times within the scenario that the object is available as a site; enter a fixed time in the Waypoint field, or select Minimize Time Difference with Procedure to attempt to force the procedure and site times to converge; this will not always be successful, but this option at least ensures that the smallest difference achievable will be applied. Each time through the calculation process, the internal time maintained by the site is updated and saved. This might result in slight changes with each calculation run until a steady state is achieved when procedures employ certain "look ahead" features (e.g., the "arrive on heading for next procedure" mode). If you encounter this behavior, either disable Minimize Time Difference with Procedure or manually update the mission calculation until it reaches a steady state using the Update All right-click command in the mission list of the Mission Window.
If you want the site location to be relative to the object's
position, select Bearing/Range or VGT Point from the Offset
drop-down menu. A Bearing/Range offset is defined by entering
values for Bearing and Range and selecting True or
Magnetic north reference from the drop-down menu. A VGT Point
offset is a reference point associated with the object; by default
this point is the object's center. Click to open the Select Position Point window
to choose a different reference point. Click Reset to reset
the offset point definition to the object's center.
STK Static Object Waypoints and STK Vehicle Waypoints are used to define a waypoint at the position of another object within the scenario over time. Enter a name for the site, if desired, and select the reference object from the Link To list. Other aircraft objects using Aircraft Mission Modeler whose Properties Browsers are open at the same time will not appear in the list to avoid potential circular reference errors.