DelHel

DelHel helps VATSIM controllers by automating repetitive delivery duties in EuroScope.

The plugin performs validation of FPLs (flight plans), sets the appropriate SID (standard instrument departure) depending on runway config and changes the cleared flight level to the initial value of the respective SID. If available, NAPs (noise abatement procedures) will be respected during SID assignment.

Table of Contents

• Getting started
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation
• Usage
  • Basics
  • Tag items
  • Tag functions
  • Chat commands
  • Airport config
  • Custom runway configs
• Contributing
  • Development setup
• License

Getting started

Prerequisites

Since DelHel was developed as an EuroScope plugin, it requires a working installation EuroScope. The initial development was started using EuroScope version v3.2.1.25, although the plugin should most likely also work fine with previous and later versions. As development continues, compatibility to the latest beta versions of EuroScope will be maintained as long as possible and feasible.

Installation

1. Download the latest release (DelHel.zip) of DelHel from the Releases section of this repository
2. Extract DelHel.dll and airports.json and place them in the same folder (most likely somewhere inside your EuroScope sectorfile/profile setup, where other plugins are already set up)
3. Start EuroScope and open the Plug-ins dialog in the settings menu (OTHER SET)
4. Load the plugin by selecting the DelHel.dll you extracted and ensure the proper version is displayed DelHel will also confirm successful initialisation by logging its version to the Messages chat: [08:34:10] DelHel: Version 0.0.1 loaded.
5. Close the plugin dialog and open the departure list columns setup dialog (small S at the left side of your departure list)
6. (Optional) Add the Flightplan Validation column to your departure list by clicking Add Item and selecting the DelHel / Flightplan Validation Tag Item type. Pick a Header name and set a Width of 4 or greater. This column will display warnings and the status of each flightplan processed by DelHel, but is not strictly required for the plugin to function
7. Assign the DelHel / Process FPL action as the Left button or Right button action of any of your tag items as desired. Triggering this function processes the selected flightplan using the default settings of DelHel (described in more detail in the Process FPL section below)
8. (Optional) Assign the DelHel / Validation menu action as the Left button or Right button action of any of your tag items as desired. Triggering this function opens the flightplan validation menu, allowing for more fine-grained processing of the selected flightplan (described in more detail in the Validation Menu section below)
9. Close the departure list settings by clicking OK

Usage

Basics

By default, DelHel only performs some basic validations of flightplans, displaying warnings for potential issues found for each aircraft in your departure list via the Flightplan Validation tag item. Additionally, flightplan processing and more detailed validations can be triggered manually using the Process FPL tag functions.

At the moment, DelHel supports the following validations and processing:

• SID validation: ensures FPL has a valid SID fix for the departure airport and runway config as its first waypoint. Upon processing a flightplan, the calculated SID will be confirmed (added to the filed route in the FPL) so any changes to runway configs or different controller setups should have no effect.
• NAP assignment: if available (and enabled), noise abatement procedure SIDs will be assigned as appropriate based on runway config.
• CFL (cleared flight level) validation: verifies correct CFL is set for selected SID. Processing a FPL automatically sets the correct CFL for the calculated SID.
• RWY (runway) validation: displays a warning if a runway assignment has been found in the flightplan as this might influence SID selection. Should no RWY be selected by EuroScope automatically (e.g. the filed SID fix does not have a SID for the active RWYs), DelHel will attempt to match the SIDs defined for all RWYs set as active in EuroScope to find an alternative valid departures (as defined in the airports.json file).
• Flightplan cleanup: when processing a flightplan, some cleanup will be performed, removing any additional information the pilot might have included before the SID fix (e.g. a SID filed by the pilot), only leaving a valid speed/level group or a runway designation included. This prevents SID assignments filed by pilots from selecting an incorrect runway or procedure by accident.
• INV (Invalid routing): verifies that the filed flightplan contains a valid routing according to the maintained routing.json file. Those routes can e.g. be the SAXFRA compulsory routings or special Vatsim Event routings. Each route contains at least an entry point (= last waypoint of the SID) and optional waypoints. If waypoints are maintained, the flightplan has to contain those waypoints in identical sequence in order to pass the routing validation. "DCT"/"DIRECT"/Speed-Altitude-Blocks in the FP are omitted.

Flightplans can be processed manually using the Process FPL tag function or automatically by toggling the automatic processing setting on.

Tag items

Tag items are used to display information about flightplans in aircraft lists, such as the departure or arrival list.
At the moment, DelHel only adds one (optional) tag item to EuroScope:

Flightplan Validation

The Flightplan Validation tag item displays the result of the flightplan validation performed by DelHel for each aircraft. It contains any warnings or errors the plugin encounters while checking the FPL and is also the suggested column to interact with the DelHel tag functions.
To save space, only one indication will be displayed at a time in the order they are encountered during processing, so you might see multiple warnings for a single flightplan while handling it.

The following indications are available:

ADEP

Error, displayed in red.
The plugin did not find the departure airport of the aircraft in its airport config and thus cannot perform any validations or processing. This might indicate an incorrectly filed departure ICAO code or an airport currently not supported by DelHel.

CFL

Info, no/default color.
Indicates the current CFL set does not equal the initial CFL defined for the SID assigned. This most likely indicates the flightplan has not been processed yet or the aircraft was assigned a cleared flight level that deviates from the default.

RFL

Caution, orange color.
Indicates the RFL filed in the FPL is below the initial CFL defined for the SID assigned. While this does not always indicate an error, caution is advised so minimum altitudes or other restrictions are not violated.
This warning is disabled by default and can be toggled using the Toggle RFL below inital CFL chat command.

RWY

Info, no/default color.
Indicates a runway designation (e.g. LOWW/16) has been found in the flightplan route. This is most likely the result of a manual runway assignment by a controller (via the TopSky plugin), but could also have been filed by a pilot, thus reminding you to ensure the correct RWY (and therefore SID) has been assigned.

Info, green color.
Indicates a runway designation (e.g. LOWW/16) has been found in the flightplan route of an already processed FPL. This is most likely the result of a manual runway assignment by a controller (via the TopSky plugin), but could also have been filed by a pilot, thus reminding you to ensure the correct RWY (and therefore SID) has been assigned.

Error, displayed in red.
Indicates an error with the runway config, as no departure runway could be assigned by EuroScope. Ensure you have at least one departure runway set as active in your EuroScope runway dialog. Alternatively this could indicate an error in the FPL route as no suitable RWY could be found.

SID

Error, displayed in red.
Indicates no valid SID fix has been found in the flightplan, the pilot has either filed an invalid FPL route without a proper departure waypoint set or the route is malformed and no proper fix could be detected. Open the flightplan and check the route, adapting it manually if required, or ask the pilot to file a new flightplan with a proper route.

VFR

Info, no/default color.
Indicates pilot filed a VFR flightplan, so little to no validations can be performed. This just serves as an additional reminder about VFR flights.

Info, green color.
Indicates pilot filed a processed VFR flightplan, so little to no validations can be performed. This just serves as an additional reminder about VFR flights.

MIN

Caution, orange color.
Indicates, that the Requested Flight Level (RFL) is below the minima for the filed route.