Part 15: Model Aircraft Missions with Aviator

STK Premium (Air) or STK Enterprise
You can obtain the necessary licenses for this tutorial by contacting AGI Support at support@agi.com or 1-800-924-7244.

This lesson requires an internet connection and version 12.1 of the STK software or newer to complete in its entirety.

The results of the tutorial may vary depending on the user settings and data enabled (online operations, terrain server, dynamic Earth data, etc.). It is acceptable to have different results.

Capabilities covered

This lesson covers the following capabilities of the Ansys Systems Tool Kit^® (STK^®) digital mission engineering software:

STK Pro
Aviator

Problem statement

Aircrew mission planners require analytical tools that allow them to determine how atmospheric phenomena and terrain will affect the performance of an airborne mission. Furthermore, they need the ability to model real-world aircraft performance that accounts for variations in airframe performance characteristics and mission requirements. You want to fly a small commuter jet from the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport to the Telluride Regional Airport using navigational aids (NAVAIDs) as waypoints. You want to determine how much fuel is required for the planned payload in a fast and easy way.

Solution

Use the STK software's Aviator capability to design a cross-country flight route by defining elements of the mission. Load airfield runway data into the scenario for takeoff and landing procedures using the Aviator Catalog Manager, and add NAVAIDs using the Aviator catalog interface to simulate physical devices on the ground that aircraft can detect and fly to along its route. Finally, determine payload requirements and the amount of fuel consumed during the flight using data providers included with the STK application.

What you will learn

Upon completion of this tutorial, you will understand the following:

How to use the Aviator Catalog Manager and Aviator catalog interface to insert mission elements
How to create analytical objects from the Aviator Catalog Manager
How to model an aircraft mission using the Aviator propagator
How to use Aviator tools to define an aircraft and to create and modify phases and procedures of a mission

Video guidance

Watch the following video. Then follow the steps below, which incorporate the systems and missions you work on (sample inputs provided).

Creating a new scenario

First, you must create a new scenario, then build from there.

Launch the STK application ().
Click Create a Scenario in the Welcome to STK dialog box.
Enter the following in the STK: New Scenario Wizard:

Option	Value
Name	Aviator_Intro
Location	Default
Start	Default (recommend changing the time to 18:00:00.000 UTCG for daylight)
Stop	+ 1 hr

Click OK when you finish.
Click Save () when the scenario loads.

The STK application creates a folder with the same name as your scenario for you.

Verify the scenario name and location in the Save As dialog box.
Click Save.

Save () often during this lesson!

Decluttering labels in the 3D Graphics window

Your analysis will take place in very mountainous terrain, which can obstruct object labels. Enable the Label Declutter option to separate the labels on objects that are in close proximity for better identification in small areas.

Bring the 3D Graphics window to the front.
Click Properties () on the 3D Graphics window's 3D Window Defaults toolbar.
Select the Details page when the Properties Browser opens.
Select the Enable check box in the Label Declutter panel.
Click OK to confirm your selection and to close the Properties Browser.

Using the Aviator Catalog Manager

The small commuter jet will take off from the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and land at Telluride Regional Airport. The Telluride Regional Airport runway sits on a plateau and dips slightly in the center, which can provide a challenging landing for a pilot. Weather conditions in the area often rapidly change, and pilots must be aware of issues impacting the airfield, such as high terrain exceeding 14,000 feet, as well as the runway's location on a plateau with a 1,000-foot drop should the aircraft slide off of the runway. To aid in mission design and planning, the Aviator capability provides a catalog structure for the loading and saving of aircraft, airports, NAVAIDs, runways, VTOL points, and waypoints. Each of these mission elements has an associated catalog in the STK application.

Loading navigation data using the Aviator Catalog Manger

The Aviator Catalog Manager is a utility that allows you to view the contents of catalogs, create new items, copy or edit existing items, and search for specific items. You can use the Aviation Catalog Manager to import catalogs of compatible data to define mission elements like runways and waypoints. Open the Aviator Catalog Manager from the Utilities menu and load a ARINC424 data file containing navigation information. ARINC424 data files are the only valid data sources for NAVAID and airport sites.

Select the Utilities menu in the Menu Bar.
Select Aviator Catalog Manager... ().
Resize the Aviator Catalog Manger window by extending it out to the right so that you can see more space in the large blank area.
Expand () Runway () in the hierarchy tree of catalogs.
Select ARINC424 runways ().
Click the Use Master Data File ellipsis ().
Navigate to <Install Dir>\Data\Resources\stktraining\samples when the Open dialog box appears.
Select the FAANFD18 data file.
Click Open to select the FAANFD18 file and to close the Open dialog box.
Click Save when you return to the Aviator Catalog Manager.

Determining the length of a runway

The aircraft will fly to and land at Telluride Regional Airport, which is located in Telluride, Colorado. Your commuter aircraft requires a landing distance of 4,000 feet to land, meaning that a (dry) runway length of 6,680 feet is required with the regulatory safety factor. Determine the length of the runway using the information displayed in the Aviation Catalog Manager to ensure your jet can safely land at Telluride.

Enter Telluride in the Filter field.
Select the Enter key.
Select TELLURIDE RGNL 09 27 () in the tree hierarchy under ARINC424 runways ().

Note that TELLURIDE RGNL 09 27 () is marked with a red dot (). Items marked with a red dot in the Aviator Catalog Manager and the Aviator catalog interface are read only and cannot be modified.

Examine at the properties on the right.
Locate the Length field.

The data tell you the runway at Telluride Regional Airport is 7,111 feet long, meaning you have enough runway to safely land.

When looking at runway data in the Aviator Catalog Manager, the two numbers next to the runway are reciprocal headings of the runway. For instance, 09 is 90 degrees (meaning it points east) and 27 is 270 degrees (meaning it points west). If you're landing on runway 09, you are approaching it from the west. If there is more than one runway pointing in the same direction (that is, parallel runways), each runway is identified by appending left (L), center (C) and right (R) to the number to identify its position, when facing its direction; for example, runways one-five-left (15L), one-five-center (15C), and one-five-right (15R) are parallel runways on headings of 150 degrees.

Inserting the Telluride Regional Airport

You can create a Facility, Place, or Target objects using the location properties of the currently selected waypoints, airports, navaids, runways, and VTOL points in the Aviator Catalog Manager. You can also define a color for the object to be created and add it to an existing Constellation object. The center point of the runway will form the coordinates of the Place object. Use the Aviator Catalog Manager to Add the runway at Telluride Regional Airport as a Place object for situational awareness.

Right-click on TELLURIDE RGNL 09 27 ().
Select Create STK Object from waypoint... in the shortcut menu.
Open the Type of object drop-down list when the Create STK Objects window opens.
Select Place.
Click OK to confirm your selection and to close the Create STK Objects window.

Inserting the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport

Now, add a runway at the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport as another Place object.

Enter Colorado Springs in the Filter field.
Select the Enter key.
Right-click on CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS MUNI 17L 35R () in the tree hierarchy under ARINC424 runways ().
Select Create STK Object from waypoint... in the shortcut menu.
Open the Type of object drop-down list when the Create STK Objects window opens.
Select Place.
Click OK to confirm your selection and to close the Create STK Objects window.
Close () the Aviator Catalog Manager when finished.

You can search for sites using the ATA or ICAO code of the airport where the site is located (in this tutorial, TEX or KTEX for Telluride and COS or KCOS for Colorado Springs) in addition to the normal name string terms.

Obtaining situational awareness

Now that you have added the center points of both runways entered as Place objects, you can quickly zoom to them to view the runways and the surrounding terrain features.

Bring the 3D Graphics window to the front.
Right-click on CITY_OF_COLORADO_SPRINGS_MUNI_17L_35R () in the Object Browser.
Select Zoom To in the shortcut menu.
Use your mouse to change the view so that you can view the runway and its surroundings.

City of Colorado springs municipal airport

Because you are using the AGI Terrain Server for analysis, you can see the terrain features surrounding Colorado Springs.

Right-click on TELLURIDE_RGNL_09_27 () in the Object Browser.
Select Zoom To in the shortcut menu.
Use your mouse to change the view so that you can view the runway and its surroundings.

Telluride regional airport

Note you can see the dip in the runway's center, though it is exaggerated by the granularity of the terrain data.

Inserting an Aircraft object

Insert an Aircraft object, which you will use to create a flight plan.

Bring the Insert STK Objects tool () to the front.
Select Aircraft () in the Select An Object To Be Inserted list.
Select Insert Default () in the Select A Method list.
Click Insert....
Right-click on Aircraft1 () in the Object Browser.
Select Rename in the shortcut menu.
Rename Aircraft1 () Mission_Acft.

Using the Aviator capability

The STK software's Aviator capability provides an enhanced method for modeling aircraft — more accurate and more flexible than the standard Great Arc propagator. An aircraft using Aviator is defined by the type of aircraft and by the mission it performs. With Aviator, the aircraft's route is modeled by a sequence of curves parametrized by well-known aircraft performance characteristics, including cruise airspeed, climb rate, roll rate, and bank angle. This structure allows you to utilize an Aircraft object for much more than simple point-to-point travel. The precise state of an aircraft at any given time can be computed analytically — swiftly, and without excessive data storage needs. To use this capability, you must first set your Aircraft object to use Aviator as its propagator.

Right-click on Mission_Acft () in the Object Browser.
Select Properties () in the shortcut menu.
Select the Basic - Route page when the Properties Browser opens.
Open the Propagator drop-down list.
Select Aviator.
Click Apply to confirm your selection and to keep the Properties Browser open.
Read the information in the Flight Path Warning dialog box that appears.
Click Optimize STK for Aviator to set the scenario globe reference to Mean Sea Level (MSL) and the Animation mode to X Real Time.

Aviator performs best in the 3D Graphics window when the surface reference of the globe is set to MSL instead of the default reference of WGS84. Likewise, setting the animation mode to X Real Time allows for smoother animation and better data display performance.

Click OK to close the Fight Path Warning dialog box.

Selecting and configuring the aircraft

When you selected Aviator as the propagator, this brought up the mission window. The mission window is used to define the aircraft's mission, which is a sequence of procedures that utilize aircraft performance models to define the vehicle's route and flight characteristics. It describes not only where the aircraft goes, but how it goes there and what it does along the way. Whether a mission is as simple as a transit between two points, or as complex as a patrol mission in which the aircraft has been retasked to respond to a threat, the method for designing a mission is the same in principle. To define a mission, you must:

Select and configure the aircraft model that you wish to use
Insert and define the phases of the mission and select the performance models you wish to employ in each
Insert and define the procedures that the aircraft will execute in each phase

The process of defining a mission in Aviator, therefore, encompasses much more than merely selecting route points. The mission window contains three toolbars — Initial Aircraft Setup, Phases of Flight, and Procedures and Sites — that enable you to define the aircraft that you are modeling and to create, modify, and delete phases and procedures.

Selecting the aircraft model

Defining the aircraft model is the first step in the process of defining a mission. An aircraft model defines the physical characteristics of the aircraft, the aircraft's configuration, and the modes of flight — performance models — that define how the aircraft flies in any given situation. The buttons on the Initial Aircraft Setup toolbar are used to define the aircraft model that will be used in the mission. To define a model, begin by selecting a base model, then customize specific performance parameters as required to determine how the aircraft will fly different mission segments. Then, edit the aircraft weights, payload, and fuel configuration. Since this is an introduction to Aviator, you will only make some minor changes. Start by selecting an aircraft to use in your mission from the Aviator catalog interface. The basic models found in the Aviator aircraft catalog are representative of an aircraft type, but not a specific aircraft. It's up to you to customize the model you choose to match actual aircraft characteristics.

Click Select Aircraft () on the Initial Aircraft Setup toolbar.
Note the User Aircraft Models () tree hierarchy when the Select Aircraft dialog box opens.

Within Aviator, catalogs are integrated into the relevant sections of the user interface. The aircraft catalogs open in a separate dialog box — the Select Aircraft dialog box — while the airport, navaid, runway, waypoint, and VTOL points catalogs open within the Site Properties dialog box. The catalog interface is comprised of a hierarchy tree of all of the folders and the objects that they contain and a toolbar along the top. At the top of the catalog hierarchy are the available data sources, and within each data source you will find one or more folders of the appropriate data type.

Right-click on Basic Business Jet ().
Select Duplicate in the shortcut menu.

Basic Business Jet () is read only (). To make any modifications, you must copy the model.

Right-click on Basic Business Jet Copy ().
Select Rename in the shortcut menu.
Rename Basic Business Jet Copy () to COS_to_TEX.

COS is the IATA airport code for City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and TEX is the code for Telluride Regional Airport.

Select COS_to_TEX () in the User Aircraft Models () tree hierarchy.
Click OK to confirm your selection and to close the Select Aircraft dialog box.
Click Apply to confirm your changes and to keep the Properties Browser open.

Note that COS_to_Tex is now listed in the initial Aircraft Setup toolbar. You will use this model throughout your mission.

Editing the Acceleration performance model

Performance models are used to define the behavior of the aircraft in flight. By specifying performance models to use with each phase of the mission, you can vary the manner in which the aircraft performs based on the priorities of the mission. How an aircraft flies with Aviator depends on the performance model definitions and the specific procedures used to build a mission. The starting settings and performance models are set by the aircraft you have selected from the catalog. For this mission, you'll mostly use the default settings, but in this case you want to update the aerodynamics strategy used to define the methods used to compute lift, drag, angle of attack The angle between the body X axis and the projection of the velocity vector onto the body XZ plane. The velocity vector is the velocity of the object as observed in the object's central body fixed coordinate system., sideslip and intermediate / derived values. The Aircraft Properties are used to define the settings and performance models of the aircraft. Any changes you make to the aircraft’s properties will be applied to the aircraft's definition in the catalog.

Click Aircraft Properties () on the Initial Aircraft Setup toolbar.
Select the Acceleration () Built-In Model () in the Performance Models list when the COS_to_TEX dialog box opens.

This performance model is comprised of four tabs: Basic, Aerodynamics, Propulsion, and Dynamics / Moments. Its aerodynamic and propulsion characteristics are used to calculate parameters defined in the mission profile, and may be used in trajectory calculations depending on specific procedure options selected.

Select the Basic tab.

The Basic tab defines the basic turning, climb and descent transition, and attitude characteristics of the aircraft. It is comprised of three panels — Level Turns, Climb and Descent Transitions, and Attitude Transitions.

Select the Aerodynamics tab.

This tab allows you to define strategies to model attitude characteristics.

Open the Strategy drop-down list.
Select HighFast.

The High Fast aerodynamics strategy uses thrust to generate a lift vector, which provides the ability to track fuel burn during lift. Additionally, it generates the forces perpendicular to the velocity vector to provide maneuvering.

Read the data in the AeroProp Warning dialog box.

The High Fast aerodynamics strategy must be paired with its High Fast propulsion counterpart.

Click OK to confirm your changes and to close the AeroProp Warning dialog box.
Select the Propulsion tab.

Note that the Propulsion Strategy automatically has been set to HighFast.

Select the Dynamics / Moments tab.

The Dynamics/Moments tab allows you to specify control parameters for the aircraft. They allow for the calculation of the aircraft's performance characteristics, but are not used to calculate its trajectory.

Changing the Cruise performance model parameters

The Basic Cruise performance model is comprised of a simple set of parameters that define the flight characteristics of the aircraft during level flight. Since this is a fairly short flight, the aircraft will climb to 25,000 feet and level off.

Select the Cruise () Built-In Model () in the Performance Models list.
Enter 25000 ft in the Default Cruise Altitude field.
Click Save.
Click Close to close the COS_to_TEX dialog box.
Click Apply to confirm your changes and to keep the Properties Browser open.

Updating the Configuration settings

You can edit the aircraft's station and fuel configuration for the mission by updating its Configuration.

Click Configuration () on the Initial Aircraft Setup toolbar.
Select the Basic tab when the Aircraft Configuration dialog box opens.

The Basic tab is used to define the empty parameters of the aircraft, and displays the total values, based on the stations and fuel tanks defined for it.

Enter 31000 lb in the Empty Weight field.

This is where you add payload weight. For instance, this will account for the pilot, instructor, any passengers and baggage.

Select the Tab key.
Note the Max Landing Weight value of 40000 lb.
Note the Total Weight value of 51000 lb.

This is the empty weight plus the default fuel weight of Mission_Acft, which is 20,000 pounds of fuel.

Understanding the Stations tab

The Stations tab is used to define internal fuel tanks, stations, and external fuel tanks that are attached to the stations.

Select the Stations tab.
Select Internal Fuel () in the list of currently defined stations.
Note the Capacity and Initial state values.

After your initial analysis, you may need to adjust the initial fuel state.

Click OK to confirm your changes and to close the Aircraft configuration dialog box.
Click Apply to confirm your changes and to keep the Properties Browser open.

The changes made to the aircraft’s configuration are only saved to the current mission, not to the Aircraft Catalog. To alert you of this, the Configuration button now displays an exclamation mark () alerting you that your configuration is different from the catalog aircraft's default configuration.

Adjusting the Mission Wind Model

Use the Wind and Atmosphere Model tool to simulate wind and atmospheric conditions for the scenario, a mission, a specific procedure, or a group of selected procedures. For the purposes of this scenario, you will use a Constant Bearing / Speed wind model for your analysis.

Click Mission Wind Model () on the Initial Aircraft Setup toolbar.
Note that the Model Type defaults to Constant Bearing/Speed when the Mission_Acf (UI) wind/atmosphere model dialog box opens.
Enter 180 deg in the Wind Bearing field in the Wind panel.
Enter 20 nm/hr in the Wind Speed field.
Click OK to confirm your changes and to close the Mission_Acft (UI) wind/atmosphere model dialog box.
Click Apply to confirm your changes and to keep the Properties Browser open.

Building the phases of flight with sites and procedures

Phases are the basic logical unit of a mission, and serve as containers for the procedures that define the aircraft's actions. Every mission must have at least one phase and can have as many phases as you desire. You can select a specific set of performance models to use with each phase, allowing you perform one mission with multiple performance characteristics.

The mission list in the mission window provides an overview of the mission by listing each of the mission phases and the procedures within them, in the order in which they will be executed. Your aircraft's mission will have a single phase. It will take off from the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and fly direct to the Blue Mesa VOR/DME. A VOR/DME is a radio beacon that combines a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) with a distance measuring equipment (DME). Turning at the Blue Mesa VOR/DME, the aircraft will fly to the Cones VOR/DME, then begin its final approach to and land at Telluride Regional Airport.

Selecting the takeoff runway site

Each phase is composed of procedures and sites. A site defines the location and the nature of the position at which the procedure takes place. If you have ARINC424 airport data available in the Aviator Catalog Manager, you can define a site using an airport in that data using a Runway from Catalog site type.

Note that Phase1 () is the only phase listed in the mission list.
Click Insert Procedure After () on the Procedures and Sites toolbar.
Select Runway from Catalog () in the Select Site Type list when the Site Properties dialog box opens.
Enter Colorado Springs in the Filter field.
Select the Enter key.
Select CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS MUNI 17L 35R () under ARINC424 runways () in the tree hierarchy.
Click Next >.

Selecting a Takeoff procedure

A procedure defines an action that the aircraft executes. There are many procedure types that an aircraft can perform, though the exact selection of procedure types available is dependent on the currently selected site and the immediately previous procedure. A procedure is executed using the performance models specified for the phase that it is contained within. Start with a Takeoff procedure, which launches an aircraft from a runway site into the air.

Select Takeoff () in the Select Procedure Type list in the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Enter COS Runway in the Name field.
Note that the Use runway heading 173 Mag 180 True (Headwind) option in the Runway Heading panel is automatically selected.

This selection is based on the values that you set in the Mission Wind Model tool. Selecting the Use headwind runway will line you up on the same runway. The first numerical value indicates the bearing relative to magnetic north and the second value indicates the bearing relative to true north. These values are derived from the runway site definition.

Note the Mode is set to Normal.

With this mode, the aircraft pulls up off the runway and flies up to the departure altitude at the takeoff climb angle, ending the procedure in a climb-out.

Enter 7 ft in the Runway Altitude Offset field.

Most aircraft models used in the STK application have their center point in the middle of the 3D model. You have to adjust this if you don't want your aircraft to visually appear half buried in the terrain.

Select the Use Terrain for Runway Altitude check box.

This will use the terrain data to define the runway's ground level altitude. The Aviator capability will find the highest altitude along the runway and use that value for its takeoff roll.

Click Finish to confirm your changes and to close the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Click Apply to apply the changes and to keep the Properties Browser open.

If you made a mistake in the setup of your site or procedure, the mission list provides two extensive right-click menus of commands, one for phases and one for procedures, which you can use to edit the existing phase or procedure without having to recreate it in its entirety. You can double-click on the site or procedure for editing purposes.

Inserting an End of Previous Procedure site type

The end of the previous procedure can be used as a waypoint to define the site of the next procedure. In this instance, due to terrain, you want to gain altitude prior to flying to Blue Mesa VOR/DM, which is located in mountainous terrain.

Click Insert Procedure After () on the Procedures and Sites toolbar.
Select End of Previous Procedure () in the Select Site Type list when the Site Properties dialog box opens.
Enter Climb in the Name field.
Click Next >.

Selecting a Basic Maneuver procedure

A Basic Maneuver procedure is a single action undertaken by the aircraft. It is unlike most procedures in Aviator, which represent sets of actions that together comprise a common flying procedure. Each Basic Maneuver requires at least one stopping condition, which dictates when the maneuver will end regardless of whether any other goals are met. You can define more than one stopping condition if you want, and the maneuver will be stop if any one of them is met.

Select Basic Maneuver () in the Select Procedure Type list in the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Enter Straight 25 nm in the Name field.
Select the Horizontal / Navigation tab.
Note that Straight Ahead is selected for the Strategy.

The Straight Ahead strategy is a horizontal plane strategy in which the aircraft flies straight ahead, holding a constant heading The direction that the aircraft is pointing. or course.

Open the Strategy drop-down list to view other strategies.
Leave Strategy set to Straight Ahead when done.
Clear the Time of Flight check box in the Basic Stop Conditions panel.
Enter 25 in the Downrange field.

This is the maximum ground distance that the aircraft will fly.

This procedure will end if your aircraft reaches zero pounds of fuel or flies straight ahead for 25 nautical miles, whichever comes first.

Selecting the vertical / profile strategy

Vertical / Profile strategies can be specified for non-3D maneuvers.

Select the Vertical / Profile tab.
Leave the Strategy set to Autopilot - Vertical Plane.

The Autopilot - Vertical Plane strategy is a vertical plane strategy in which the aircraft uses a control system to maintain a specified altitude, altitude change, altitude rate, or flight path angle, or to fly a ballistic flight path.

Open the Mode drop-down list in the Altitude panel.
Select Specify Altitude Change.

With this mode, the aircraft will attempt to achieve a specified altitude relative to the aircraft's altitude at the beginning of the maneuver.

Enter 10000 ft in the Relative Altitude Change field.
Click Finish two times to confirm your changes and to close the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Click Apply to confirm your changes and to keep the Properties Browser open.

In the Mission Profile, you can see that the aircraft climbs 10,000 feet in altitude from the end of its COS Runway procedure to over 16,000 feet.

Selecting the Blue Mesa NAVAID

If you have ARINC424 NAVAID data available in the Aviator Catalog Manager, you can define a site using a NAVAID from that data.

Click Insert Procedure After () on the Procedures and Sites toolbar.
Select Navaid from Catalog () in the Select Site Type list when the Site Properties dialog box opens.
Enter HBU in the Filter field.
Select the Enter key.

HBU is the FAA designator for the Blue Mesa VOR/DME near Gunnison, Colorado.

Right-click on HBU () in the ARINC424 navaids () tree hierarchy.

Note that HBU () is read-only ().

Select Create STK Object from waypoint... in the shortcut menu.
Open the Type of object drop-down list when the Create STK Objects window opens.
Select Place.
Click OK to confirm your selection and to the Create STK Objects window.
Click Next >.

Selecting a Basic Point to Point procedure

A Basic Point to Point procedure is a basic traverse between two waypoints. That is, it smoothly accelerates/decelerates under a constant climb/descent to arrive at the specified speed, altitude, and heading. Using basic point to point, the aircraft uses the cruise performance model to determine speed and fuel flow. When altitude and push/pull radii can’t satisfy performance and flight path constraints specified by the user, extra maneuvers are inserted at the beginning of the procedure. The aircraft always achieves the specified speed and altitude, but may require extra maneuvers such as circle climbs to accomplish this.

Select Basic Point to Point () in the Select Procedure Type list in the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Enter Blue Mesa in the Name field.
Leave the Use Aircraft Default Cruise Altitude check box selected in the Altitude panel.

This will define the altitude of the procedure using the default cruise altitude specified in the currently selected cruise performance model. In this case, the default cruise altitude is 25,000 feet, which you defined earlier on the aircraft's built-in Cruise performance model. The aircraft will slowly climb in altitude reaching 25,000 feet MSL when it reaches HBU.

Open the Nav Mode drop-down list int he Navigation Options panel.
Select Fly Direct.

Setting the Nav Mode to Fly Direct tells the aircraft to fly direct to Blue Mesa from the end of the previous procedure, turning as necessary.

Enter 5.00 in the Turn Factor field in the Enroute Options panel.

The Turn Factor is the maximum amount, expressed as a multiplier, that the turn radius will be increased to minimize the bank angle required to complete the turn.

Click Finish to confirm your changes and to close the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Click Apply to confirm your changes and to keep the Properties Browser open.

Selecting the Cones NAVAID

Add the Cones NAVAID for the next procedure in the flight.

Click Insert Procedure After () on the Procedures and Sites toolbar.
Select Navaid from Catalog () in the Select Site Type list when the Site Properties dialog box opens.
Enter ETL in the Filter field.
Select the Enter key.

ETL is the FAA designator for the Cones VOR/DME near Telluride, Colorado.

Right-click on ETL () in the ARINC424 navaids () tree hierarchy.
Select Create STK Object from waypoint... in the shortcut menu.
Open the Type of object drop-down list when the Create STK Objects window opens.
Select Place.
Click OK to confirm your selection and to close the Create STK Objects window.
Click Next >.

Selecting a Basic Point to Point procedure

The aircraft will start its turn prior to reaching Cones in order to line up with its decent into Telluride Regional Airport. It had climbed to approximately 25,000 feet at Blue Mesa. Now, it will start a slow descent to Cones while decreasing airspeed. It should be at approximately 15,000 feet when it reaches Cones.

Select Basic Point to Point () in the Select Procedure Type list in the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Enter Cones in the Name field.
Clear the Use Aircraft Default Cruise Altitude check box in the Altitude panel.
Enter 15000 ft in the Altitude panel.
Enter 5.00 in the Turn Factor field in the Enroute Options panel.
Open the Airspeed Type drop-down list int he Enroute Cruise Airpseed panel.
Select Other Airspeed.

This will allow you to define a constant airspeed.

Enter 250 nm/hr in the Airspeed field.

Note that CAS Calibrated Airspeed: the speed reported by the airspeed indicator, corrected for position and instrument error. or calibrated airspeed is the default selection. Calibrated airspeed provides a closer approximation of the actual dynamic pressure acting on the aircraft surfaces.

Click Finish to confirm your changes and to close the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Click Apply to confirm your changes and to keep the Properties Browser open.

Selecting the landing runway

Add the landing runway at Telluride Regional Airport for the final procedure of the flight.

Select Insert Procedure After () on the Procedures and Sites toolbar.
Select Runway from Catalog () in the Select Site Type list when the Site Properties dialog box opens.
Enter Telluride in the Filter field.
Select the Enter key.
Select TELLURIDE RGNL 09 27 () Under ARINC424 runways ().
Click Next >.

Inserting the Landing procedure

A Landing procedure brings an aircraft down from the air to a runway site.

Select Landing () in the Select Procedure Type list in the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Enter Telluride Runway in the Name field.
Open the Approach Mode drop-down list.
Select Intercept Glideslope.

Using the Intercept Glideslope approach mode, the aircraft will perform a landing following Visual Flight Rules (VFR); it will use Basic Point to Point methodology to fly to the Initial Approach Fix Range and then descend to landing along the glideslope.

Leave the Use runway heading 096 Mag 105 True (Headwind) options selected in the Runway Heading panel.
Enter 7 ft in the Runway Altitude Offset field in the Landing Options panel.
Select the Use Terrain for Runway Altitude check box.
Click Finish to confirm your changes and to close the Procedure Properties dialog box.
Click OK to confirm your changes and to close the Properties Browser.

Using the Message Viewer

The STK application uses the Message Viewer window to display error messages, warning messages, and informational messages. Currently, there is a warning in Message Viewer.

Select the View menu in the Menu Bar.
Select Message Viewer.
Look at the last message when the Message Viewer window opens.

Message Viewer Warning

The maximum landing weight for the aircraft is 40,000 pounds. It is too heavy. You must remove some fuel.

At the bottom of Message Viewer, you'll see a tab named All Messages.
Right-click on the All Messages tab.
Select Clear All Tabs in the shortcut menu.
Close () the Message Viewer window.

Creating a custom report

To determine how much fuel to remove, you need to determine the payload requirements and the amount of fuel consumed during the flight. Start by creating a custom report to determine the amount of fuel consumed during the mission and the weight of the aircraft.

Building your report in the Report & Graph Manager

Open the Report & Graph Manager and create a new report style for your custom report.

Right-click on Mission_Acft () in the Object Browser.
Select Report & Graph Manager... () in the shortcut menu.
Select the My Styles () folder in the Styles panel list when the Report & Graph Manager opens.
Click Create new report style () on the Styles toolbar.
Enter Fuel and Weight as the new report name.
Select the Enter key to set the new report name and to open the report's properties.

Selecting the data provider elements

The Flight Profile By Time data provider has the elements required for your analysis. You will use the Flight Profile By Time data provider and the following elements in your custom report:

Time
Fuel State: The total weight of fuel on board the aircraft in pounds.
Fuel Consumed: The amount of fuel consumed during the mission in pounds. At mission start, the value is zero.
Weight: The total weight of the aircraft = Empty Weight + FuelState, in pounds.

Flight data is sampled using a constant time step between grid points. This report style is only available for Aviator-propagated vehicles.

Select the Content page when the Properties Browser opens.
Expand () the Flight Profile By Time () data provider in the Data Providers list.
Move () the following data provider elements () to the Report Contents list in the order shown:

Time
Fuel State
Fuel Consumed
Weight

Click OK to confirm your changes and to close the Properties Browser.

Generating your custom report

Now that you have added the data provider elements to your report contents, generate and review the report.

Select the Fuel and Weight () report style in the My Styles () folder.
Click Generate....
Scroll through the report until you get to the last group of numbers.

You can see the correlation between fuel state, fuel consumed and the weight of the aircraft. The initial fuel load was 20,000 pounds of fuel. You used approximately 2,800 pounds of fuel. Your landing weight is approximately 48,200 pounds. The maximum landing weight of the aircraft is 40,000 pounds. Using these numbers, you can determine how much fuel you need to fly from the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport to Telluride Regional Airport. When adjusting the initial fuel load, you want to land with a reserve fuel load of between 500 and 1,000 pounds in case of a missed landing, emergency, and so on.

Keep the Fuel and Weight report open.

Updating your aircraft configuration

Do some simple math and approximation. The most important thing is to get under the maximum landing weight while having at least 500 pounds of fuel in reserve. You're using a constant wind speed and direction. Realistically, at altitude, winds will change, especially in the mountains. You need to remove approximately 8,200 pounds of fuel to be under the maximum landing weight. If you remove 9,000 pounds of fuel, that would also get you under your maximum landing weight, but you'll still have over 8,000 pounds of fuel remaining. So you can adjust that amount by removing a total of 16,600 pounds of fuel.

Adjusting the initial fuel state

Remove the unneeded fuel by adjusting the initial fuel state of the aircraft.

Open Mission_Acft's () Properties ().
Select the Basic - Route page when the Properties Browser opens.
Click Configuration () on the Initial Aircraft Setup toolbar.
Select the Stations tab when the Aircraft Configuration dialog box opens.
Select Internal Fuel ().
Enter 3400 lb in the Initial state field.
Click Apply.
Click OK to confirm your change and to close the Aircraft Configuration dialog box.
Click OK to confirm your change and to close the Properties Browser.

Refreshing the Fuel and Weight report

Refresh your report to account for the updated initial fuel state.

Return to the Fuel and Weight report.
Click Refresh (F5) () on the report toolbar.
Scroll to the bottom of the report.

Focusing on fuel consumed, fuel state and the weight of the aircraft, you can see that the plane is now well below its maximum landing weight of 40,000 pounds and that you landed with plenty of reserve fuel.

Close the Fuel and Weight report and the Report & Graph Manager when you are finished.

Viewing the flight route in the 2D Graphics window

Use the 2D Graphics window to get a good view of the flight route.

Bring the 2D Graphics window to the front.
Zoom in until you can see the flight route.

2D Graphics Window View of the Flight Route

Viewing the flight in the 3D Graphics window

Use the 3D Graphics window to observe the mission.

Bring the 3D Graphics window to the front.
Zoom To Mission_Acft ().

Aircraft on Runway

Adjust (, ) the time step as desired.
Click Start () to animate the scenario.
Click Reset () when finished.
You can zoom to ETL () and HBU () to view the actual VOR/DME ground transmitter sites.

If you are flying in mountainous terrain, when using Aviator, it's a good idea to zoom out to view the entire flight route. Make sure none of the route enters and exits terrain. If that's the case, you will have to adjust your current procedures or add new ones to ensure a safe mission. This is a perfect example of why you need terrain data. If you are using the STK application where the Internet is not available, you should obtain local terrain data to be used in your scenario.

Saving your work

Clean up your workspace and close out your scenario.

Close all reports and windows except the 2D and 3D Graphics windows.
Save () your work.
Close the scenario when finished.

Summary

Using the Aviator capability, you planned a flight route for a small commuter jet taking off from the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and landing at Telluride Regional Airport. You began by loading runway data using the Aviator Catalog Manager. During the initial aircraft configuration, you added 1,000 pounds to the aircraft to account for increased payload. You tweaked performance models to determine how much fuel was required for the flight. You added a constant wind bearing and speed to your analysis. You were introduced to multiple site properties and procedures that allowed you to mission plan an aircraft flight route from the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport to Telluride Regional Airport via Blue Mesa and Cones NAVAIDs. After the original analysis, you determined that you needed to remove excess fuel due to the aircraft being overweight during landing. After removing fuel, you determined how much fuel to use in order to fly between the airports and to land with an acceptable fuel reserve.

On your own

Throughout the tutorial, hyperlinks were provided that pointed to in-depth information of various tools and functions. Now's a good time to go back through this tutorial and review that information. You can continue to adjust performance models and reanalyze the mission. Use a different aircraft model, and try different procedure types. In this scenario, you flew straight ahead for 25 nautical miles. Try some barrel rolls or loops. Have some fun.