Frequently Asked Questions

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If you previously entered your password details into Command Flight Planner with capitalisation different from the capitalisation stored on our records then login will fail.   Re-enter your password in the Command Flight Planner with special regard to capitalisation.

If you can successfully log in to our web site using a user name and password, then that user name and password is what you should use in the Command Flight Planner.   If you no longer remember your password then you can use the web site Forgotten Password facility to gain access to set a new password.

The submit button on the NAIPS flight plan submission window will be greyed out if any essential information is not filled in.

All fields on the NAIPS submission window which have a pale blue background must be filled in for ALL flight stages.  The most common missing item is the departure time.

A common cause of NAIPS connection problems is your Internet Explorer web browser settings. Command Flight Planner uses components of Internet Explorer to communicate with NAIPS over the Internet (This is true even if you use Firefox, Opera, or another browser yourself).

Run Internet Explorer and check the following:

1. Select ‘Tools’ -> ‘Internet Options’.
2. Click on the ‘Settings’ button in the middle right hand side of the window under ‘Temporary Internet Files’. Ensure that any option other
than ‘Never’ is selected, then click ‘Ok’.  The default value is ‘Automatically’ and that should be adequate.
3. Click the ‘Delete Files’ button next to the ‘Settings’ button. Tick the box that says ‘Delete all offline content’ and click ‘Ok’.   If that option is
not visible then you should delete “Temporary Internet Files” and “Cookies”.  This may take a minute or so to complete if you have a lot of
browsing material accumulated on your system.  More information on these processes can be found on Microsoft support pages:

In 2019 NAIPS upgraded their internet security by dropping support for TLS 1.0. The unexpected result, from NAIPS perspective, was that older windows computers would no longer be able to communicate with NAIPS. If you are using a legacy computer running Windows XP, you can select the NAIPS proxy setting in the NAIPS settings screen to overcome the restriction. CFP will use a proxy service to upgrade the secure protocols to ones that are acceptable to NAIPS.

Endurance time is the longest time the aircraft could be expected to stay airborne under planned conditions, assuming any alternate is used, all reserves are burnt, and including the extra cruise time any remaining fuel would give you.
To compute the endurance time Command Flight Planner estimates the amount of time and fuel required, at relevant consumption rates, for each of these stages of flight:

– Climb, cruise, and descent
– Fuel required for planned holds or delays
– Any fuel required to reach a specified alternate airfield from the primary destination
– Fuel required for variable reserve
– Fuel required for fixed reserve time
– Fuel required for taxi

The total of all the fuel quantities above is subtracted from the total fuel on board to give a fuel margin.  The fuel margin is converted to a potential flight time at the cruise rate.

The airborne endurance time is computed by adding all the time periods computed above excluding taxi (which is spent on the ground) and the additional time that the fuel margin supplies.  At the end of this time airborne one would expect complete fuel exhaustion.
The process above is performed for each stage of the flight plan.  The figures can be seen on the Fuel Management panel and some of the printed output of the Command Flight Planner.

If you are regularly flying at altitudes at or below 10,000 feet, then there is no need to load the high-level wind data. You can save a little bit of time when requesting briefs by only loading the low-level winds. If a high-level winds update is available Command Flight Planner will automatically download the data before requesting the NAIPS brief. As the files are quite large, on slow internet connections, it can take some time for the download to complete.

The amount of textual information returned in an SPFIB briefing can depend on the options selected in the SPFIB briefing request screen. Briefing involving multiple areas can result in the consumption of many pages when printed. To minimise the size of the returned briefing, review the options selected in the SPFIB request screen prior to actioning.

No. You can just download for the area you need.

Go to Settings > Data Downloads and you will be presented with a map. Find the state/region you would like to download and tap within its borders on the map, then select Download. This will download the charts, maps and airport information documents that apply to this region.

The Mega VFR map includes all WAC, VNC and VTC maps for the region, all in the one convenient seamless map. This covers your map carrying requirement.

If you have tapped Settings > Data Downloads, downloaded the region(s) you fly in (ie, the area is now shaded green), you have the basic requirements. If you choose to download the individual maps as well, that is fine too if you have plenty of storage space on your device. If you are short of storage space on your device, consider not downloading the individual charts as once downloaded, the data is stored on your device.

Yes. Go to Settings > User Settings > Automatic Data Download. This allows you to enable AvPlan EFB to download data when on a Wi-Fi network.

Go to Settings > Data Downloads > Other Downloads and click on the maps you would like to download. The PCA is listed at the top.

When you purchase a subscription on our website you will enter in an email address and a password. To activate the subscription, open AvPlan EFB and tap Settings > User Settings > Username. Sign in with the same email address and password you used on our website.

If you have purchased via iTunes (ie in-app), you’ll need to open AvPlan EFB on the device you made the purchase on. Tap Settings > Subscriptions. Note the User ID code near the top of the screen. Then, open AvPlan EFB on your other devices, tap Settings > Subscriptions and make sure the User ID is the same.

Within AvPlan EFB, you can tap Settings > Subscriptions, and the current subscriptions attached to your login profile will be displayed under the words ‘My Subscriptions:’

You may just need to sign in. When you purchased your subscription(s) on our website, you will have logged in with an email address and a password. If you are already inside the app, tap Settings > User Settings > Username. If the app has paused at the blue welcome screen, tap the Login Details button in the lower-right corner of the screen. Type your email address in the upper field and the password in the lower field. You will then see the words ‘log in successful’.

AvPlan EFB allows you to run your one subscription across three (3) devices and allows the subscription to run across multiple platforms. For example, an iPad and two iPhones; or an iPad, an Android Tablet, and an Android phone, or two iPads and an Android phone, etc.

In a business/enterprise context, we license AvPlan EFB by the number of users. Contact support@avplan-efb.com for more details regarding Enterprise accounts.

Yes, you can email or airdrop your aircraft profile.

In Settings > Aircraft Type Database > Your Type, scroll to the bottom and under Options select either Email Aircraft Details or Send Aircraft Details.

For information on how the aircraft type database works click here

For information on creating/editing an aircraft type click here

For information on creating a weight and balance profile click here

For information on adding loading profiles or extra equipment click here

For information on setting up an advanced performance profile for your aircraft click here

For information on creating/editing an aircraft instance click here

Yes, you can email or airdrop your aircraft profile.

In Settings > Aircraft Type Database > Your Type, scroll to the bottom and under Options select either Email Aircraft Details or Send Aircraft Details.

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our support documents

Find out about this in our product manual

Find out about this in our product manual

Find out about this in our product manual

Find out about this in our product manual

As of 13^th July 2014 flight planning requirements for GNSS navigation capabilities are changed.  From this date the categories AUSEP, GPSRNAV and GPSOCEANIC will no longer apply.

In the Command Flight Planner all the relevant changes are made on the Nav Com SSR panel of the aircraft definition editor.  Follow the sections below, in conjunction the with AIP, to change to the new flight plan indicators.

Night VFR Area Navigation or IFR Area Navigation

• Enable the “G – GNSS” option.
• Under the “Z – Other Equipment” check box manually add RNP2 to NAV/.
• Under the “Z – Other Equipment” check box manually remove GPS, GPSRNAV, GPSNPA, or GPSOCEANIC from NAV/ if present.

RNAV(GNSS) Non-precision Approach

• Enable the “G – GNSS” option.
• Enable the “R – PBN Approved” option.  This will enable the box of Item 18 PBN/ options immediately below.
• Enable the “S1 – RNP APCH” or “S2 – RNP APCH with BARO-VNAV” PBN option as appropriate.
• Under the “Z – Other Equipment” check box manually remove GPS, GPSRNAV, GPSNPA, or GPSOCEANIC from NAV/ if present.

Area Navigation to RNP1 for SID or STAR

• Enable the “G – GNSS” option.
• Enable the “R – PBN Approved” option.  This will enable the box of Item 18 PBN/ options immediately below.
• Enable the “O1 – Basic RNP1 all permitted sensors” or “O2 – Basic RNP1 GNSS” PBN option as appropriate.
• Under the “Z – Other Equipment” check box manually remove GPS, GPSRNAV, GPSNPA, or GPSOCEANIC from NAV/ if present.

GNSS for Oceanic Area Navigation

• Enable the “G – GNSS” option.
• Enable the “R – PBN Approved” option.  This will enable the box of Item 18 PBN/ options immediately below.
• Enable the “L1 – RNP 4” PBN option.
• Under the “Z – Other Equipment” check box manually remove GPS, GPSRNAV, GPSNPA, or GPSOCEANIC from NAV/ if present

Inertial Systems for Area Navigation

• Enable the “I – Inertial Navigation” option.
• Enable the “R – PBN Approved” option.  This will enable the box of Item 18 PBN/ options immediately below.
• Enable the “B1 – RNAV5 all permitted sensors” or “B5 – RNAV5 INS or IRS” PBN option as appropriate.
• Under the “Z – Other Equipment” check box manually remove AUSEP from NAV/ if present.

Other less common GNSS options follow a similar pattern. From Command Flight Planner version 7.5 the editor no longer has the convenience check boxes for GPSRNAV, GPSNPA, or GPSOCEANIC.

The following procedure applies to both the purchased and demonstration versions.

The steps are:

• Download. Download the full install package for Command Flight Planner. Obtain the software from:
  • If you have purchased the software and your subscription is current log on to the Command Software website using your username and password. Click on the Software Updates link under the Members Menu heading to the right of the page. Then click on the download link under the Flight Planner heading.
  • To download the Command Software demonstration software go to the Aviation Software page and click on the Download Demo link next to the Buy Now button.

• Save. Save the downloaded file to a location you will be able to find it later. Usually the My Documents folder (Windows XP), or Libraries Documents (Windows Vista/7) are good choices. The file will be called “InstallCFP3_XXX.exe” or “InstallCFP3_DemoXXX.exe” (where XXX is the latest version number).

• Install. Install the program by double-clicking the “InstallCFP3_XXX.exe” file to launch the Command Flight Planner installer. The installation is a straightforward process from this point. Generally, the default values on each installer page are adequate.

• Activate. The software prompts for activation when started.
  • If you have purchased the software, the necessary name, company, and serial number are available on your My Account page on the Command Software web site. The name and company details are case sensitive.
  • The demonstration version will run for 14 days before requiring activation to continue.  Just click Continue Evaluation to use the software.

• After Install.  There are two places in the Command Flight Planner that require user name and password details in order to function fully:
  • NAIPS.  Click “NAIPS Link” in the left tool bar, and then click “Setup” from the options in that group.  On this panel supply the user name and password you use to access the Airservices Australia NAIPS service and click “Save Settings”.  Test the connection by clicking “Connect” in the left tool bar.
  • My Account.  If you have purchased the software click “My Account” in the left tool bar.  On this panel, top right, enter the user name and password you use for the Command Software web site and click “Retrieve My Data”.  Providing these allows the program to check and download updates when you visit this panel.

From time to time it becomes necessary to move a Command Flight Planner installation from one machine to another. The process is fairly simple but there are a few steps involved in copying aircraft definition and user way points.

The steps are:

1. Make sure your existing version is up to date or within a couple of releases. (Files exported from out of date versions may not be compatible with the latest version)
2. From the File menu select Backup User Data and save to resulting backup file somewhere you can find it.  You may need to adjust the backup settings under Settings > Backups.  The easiest option is to select “Prompt for backup location each time” so that you are asked where to place any new backup you make.
3. Copy the backup file to your new machine.  You can use a USB thumb drive or network.
4. On the new machine download the full CFP installer from our web site.  You should go to our web site (http://www.commandsoftware.com.au), log in using your Command Software user name and password, select your “My Account” page, and scroll down to find the installer.
5. Install it and provide your serial number to register it.  Your serial number details are visible on the page you downloaded the installer from.
6. From the File menu select Restore User Data and select the backup file you copied across.

At this point you should have a working installation on the new machine with your aircraft etc. If you no longer require the old installation, or you are exceeding your three installation licence, then you should uninstall it using the standard Windows Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.

If you previously entered your password details into Command Flight Planner with capitalisation different from the capitalisation stored on our records then login will fail.   Re-enter your password in the Command Flight Planner with special regard to capitalisation.

If you can successfully log in to our web site using a user name and password, then that user name and password is what you should use in the Command Flight Planner.   If you no longer remember your password then you can use the web site Forgotten Password facility to gain access to set a new password.

REGISTRATION

NAIPS Error: REGISTRATION

Info: Airservices records indicate correct aircraft type is [xxx]

Then Airservices Australia does not think the specified aircraft registration (e.g. VHABC) and aircraft type code (e.g. C152) match each other.  If you are operating an RA-Aus, Australian military, or foreign registered aircraft then this will be a constant issue.  Airservices Australia’s idea of the ICAO type code for the aircraft may also be incorrect  (e.g. C182 rather than C82R for a Cessna R182): you can check here.  If you are certain the details are correct then the “Force Submit” or “Ignore reg/type mismatch” check box at the bottom of the notification form will instruct NAIPS to skip the check.

INVALID

NAIPS Error: INVALID

Info: Invalid content was found starting with element ‘ndd:ssr-equip’. One of ‘{“http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/naips/xsd”:surv-equip}’ is expected.

The submit button on the NAIPS flight plan submission window will be greyed out if any essential information is not filled in.

All fields on the NAIPS submission window which have a pale blue background must be filled in for ALL flight stages.  The most common missing item is the departure time.

A common cause of NAIPS connection problems is your Internet Explorer web browser settings. Command Flight Planner uses components of Internet Explorer to communicate with NAIPS over the Internet (This is true even if you use Firefox, Opera, or another browser yourself). 

Run Internet Explorer and check the following:

• Select ‘Tools’ -> ‘Internet Options’.
• Click on the ‘Settings’ button in the middle right hand side of the window under ‘Temporary Internet Files’. Ensure that any option other than ‘Never’ is selected, then click ‘Ok’.  The default value is ‘Automatically’ and that should be adequate.
• Click the ‘Delete Files’ button next to the ‘Settings’ button. Tick the box that says ‘Delete all offline content’ and click ‘Ok’.   If that option is not visible then you should delete “Temporary Internet Files” and “Cookies”.  This may take a minute or so to complete if you have a lot of browsing material accumulated on your system.  More information on these processes can be found on Microsoft support pages:
  • How to delete cookie files in Internet Explorer
  • How to Delete the Contents of the Temporary Internet Files Folder

• Click on the ‘Privacy’ tab at the top of the ‘Internet Options’ window, and ensure that it is set to ‘Medium’, ‘Low’  or ‘Accept all cookies’. Click ‘Ok’ to close the ‘Internet Options’ window.
• Select the ‘File’ menu and ensure that there is NO tick next to ‘Work Offline’ (near the bottom of the menu).

Close Internet Explorer… assuming you have entered your correct username and password for NAIPS (this is not the same as your Command Software password) and that your other settings are correct per the user guide, everything should now work properly!

If you have any further problems, disable any internet security products you have (such as Norton Internet Security) as these have been known to incorrectly block legitimate sites including NAIPS if the blocking levels are set too harshly. After you ascertain this is a problem, you can re-enable it and adjust the product’s settings.

In 2019 NAIPS upgraded their internet security by dropping support for TLS 1.0. The unexpected result, from NAIPS perspective, was that older windows computers would no longer be able to communicate with NAIPS. If you are using a legacy computer running Windows XP, you can select the NAIPS proxy setting in the NAIPS settings screen to overcome the restriction. CFP will use a proxy service to upgrade the secure protocols to ones that are acceptable to NAIPS.

Endurance time is the longest time the aircraft could be expected to stay airborne under planned conditions, assuming any alternate is used, all reserves are burnt, and including the extra cruise time any remaining fuel would give you.

To compute the endurance time Command Flight Planner estimates the amount of time and fuel required, at relevant consumption rates, for each of these stages of flight:

• Climb, cruise, and descent
• Fuel required for planned holds or delays
• Any fuel required to reach a specified alternate airfield from the primary destination
• Fuel required for variable reserve
• Fuel required for fixed reserve time
• Fuel required for taxi

The total of all the fuel quantities above is subtracted from the total fuel on board to give a fuel margin.  The fuel margin is converted to a potential flight time at the cruise rate.

The airborne endurance time is computed by adding all the time periods computed above excluding taxi (which is spent on the ground) and the additional time that the fuel margin supplies.  At the end of this time airborne one would expect complete fuel exhaustion.

The process above is performed for each stage of the flight plan.  The figures can be seen on the Fuel Management panel and some of the printed output of the Command Flight Planner.

The amount of textual information returned in an SPFIB briefing can depend on the options selected in the SPFIB briefing request screen. Briefing involving multiple areas can result in the consumption of many pages when printed. To minimise the size of the returned briefing, review the options selected in the SPFIB request screen prior to actioning.

By copying the settings file and creating a new icon to launch Command Flight Planner multiple independent settings can be supported within a single installation of the program with a shared aircraft and waypoint database. You might use this to start the program with different default pilot details or a different default aircraft.

In this example we will create a new settings collection called “Biggles” for a particular pilot. The steps are:

1. On the machine with an installation of Command Flight Planner locate the installation directory.   This will usually be one of these:
   • C:\Program Files\Command Flight Planner, or
   • C:\Program Files (x86)\Command Flight Planner
2. Locate the Data directory inside the install directory
3. Locate the CFP.INI file in the Data directory.  This may appear as a file “CFP” of type “Configuration Settings” and should be between 3 and 6 kilobytes in size
4. Copy and paste the file.  This will create a file “CFP (Copy)” or the like in the same directory
5. Rename the copy “Biggles.INI”
6. On the machine Desktop locate the “Command Flight Planner” icon
7. Copy and paste to create a new icon “Copy of Command Flight Planner” or the like
8. Right-click the new icon, select Rename, and rename the icon to something like “Command Flight Planner Biggles”
9. Right-click the new icon and select Properties
10. On the Shortcut tab, in the Target field, add -config “Biggles.INI” to the command so it looks like:
    • “C:\Program Files\Command Flight Planner\CFP.EXE” -config “Biggles.INI”
11. OK the changes.
12. Start Command Flight Planner using the new icon and adjust the settings to suit Biggles.

You can create as many new sets of settings as you wish in this way.

Check First:

• iPad is connected to Dynon Wi-Fi.
• SkyView is powered-on and completed start-up.
• Wi-Fi dongle properly installed.
• Dynon connection enabled and details displayed in Dynon Status window (Settings>External Devices).

Possible Actions (in order):

• Toggle Dynon connection OFF/ON in AvPlan-EFB.
• Restart Dynon.
• Restart AvPlan-EFB.

Check First:

• See checks for (1) above.
• Setting “Use Dynon as GPS Source” selected.
• Dynon GPS installed and operational.

Possible Actions (in order):

• Toggle “Use Dynon as GPS Source” OFF/ON in AvPlan-EFB.
• Restart Dynon.
• Restart AvPlan-EFB.

Check First:

• See checks for (1) above.
• Option is displayed further down pop-up menu – review remainder of menu.

Possible Actions (in order):

• Toggle Dynon connection OFF/ON in AvPlan-EFB.
• Restart Dynon.
• Restart AvPlan-EFB.

Check First:

• See checks for (1) above.

Possible Actions (in order):

• Toggle Dynon connection OFF/ON in AvPlan-EFB.
• Restart Dynon.
• Restart AvPlan-EFB.

Check First:

• See checks for (1) above.

Possible Actions (in order):

• Toggle Dynon connection OFF/ON in AvPlan-EFB.
• Restart Dynon.

Check First:

• See checks for (1) above.
• Setting “Use Dynon as AHRS Source” selected.
• Dynon AHRS source installed and operational.

Possible Actions (in order):

• Toggle “Use Dynon as AHRS Source” OFF/ON in AvPlan-EFB.
• Restart Dynon.
• Restart AvPlan-EFB.