Tasks and waypoints

18Waypoints

Waypoint groups, the waypoint editor, and the shapes that turn a coordinate into a turnpoint, a start line or a sector.

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Waypoint groups#

Where Profile › Waypoints

Waypoints live in groups. A group is normally one competition, one site or one region, and it is the unit that gets shared, exported and attached to a task.

  1. Press the button to create a group.
  2. Give it a name and a description.
  3. Set the visibility: private, organization or public.
  4. Optionally choose a file to import straight away. Supported formats are .wpt, .cup and .gpx. Every waypoint in the file is created inside the new group.
  5. Save.

Tip

Importing at creation time is the fastest way in. If you already have a competition waypoint pack as a CUP file, one import gives you the whole set with names, coordinates and elevations.

The waypoint manager requires SkyTrackLight or higher. Without it the tab shows Waypoint manager is available from SkyTrackLight.

The waypoint editor#

Where Profile › Waypoints › Edit

The editor is a map with a list beside it. Click the map to set the position of the selected waypoint, and the geometry preview updates as you type. The editor tracks Unsaved changes and offers Undo, so experimenting is cheap.

Name
The short name, as it appears in the task and on the instrument. Keep it short. Competition instruments truncate long names.
Latitude / Longitude
The position. Clicking the map fills both in. Paste coordinates when you have them from an official waypoint list.
Elevation (m)
Ground elevation at the point. Matters for an elevated goal and for altitude related task checks.
Waypoint Type
Takeoff, Turnpoint, Goal
What the point is used as by default when it is added to a task. Only a default. A task can use any waypoint in any role.
Visibility
Private, Organization, Public
Private is only you, Organization is the members of your club, Public is everyone. Publish a set that other pilots should be able to use, keep a work in progress private.

Shapes: cylinder, line and sector#

A waypoint is a coordinate, but a turnpoint is a shape. The editor supports three.

Shape Defined by Used for
Cylinder A radius in meters around the point Ordinary turnpoints, start and end of speed section cylinders
Line A bearing and a total line length, centered on the point and perpendicular to the bearing Goal lines and start gates
Sector A bearing plus or minus 45 degrees, with a radius Classic FAI style sectors

For a line, the bearing is where the gate faces: 0 is north, 90 east, 180 south, 270 west, and the length is the whole gate, not half of it. A 400 m line extends 200 m to each side of the point.

Caution

A line with no bearing is rejected: Bearing (0-359 degrees) is required for a line. So is a line with a length of zero, and a cylinder with an invalid radius.

Using waypoints#

From a waypoint you can go straight to Add to Task, which opens the task editor with the point already placed. That is the normal route from a waypoint pack to a finished task.

A group can be exported as a file for your instrument, and a public group can be downloaded by anyone. Public groups also appear on the waypoint map at /waypoints-map, and on the page of the organization that owns them.

Note

The default cylinder radius for new points is a site setting, normally 400 m. The task editor can override it for a whole task at once.