Process for generating travel plans on the internet
A process for generating a flight plan includes accessing over a computer network from a client computer a selected composite flight navigation chart from among plural selected composite flight navigation charts stored at a server computer, each selected composite flight navigation chart including a flight chart merged with flight navigation waypoints. The selected composite flight navigation chart is downloaded from the server computer to the client computer. A flight route is indicated on the selected composite flight navigation chart at the client computer and transmitted to the server computer. The flight route is incorporated into the selected composite flight navigation chart at the server computer and returned to the client computer as a flight plan.
1. A process for generating a flight plan for preflight use by a pilot, comprising:
accessing over a computer network from a client computer a Web page having a housekeeping frame and a selected composite travel navigation chart from among plural selected composite travel navigation charts stored at a server computer, each selected composite travel navigation chart including a travel chart merged with travel navigation waypoints, the travel navigation waypoints including radio navigation aids;
downloading the Web page with the selected composite travel navigation chart from the server computer to the client computer as a two-dimensional array of map tiles that include up-to-date navigation data and cover an area over which a flight is to be planned;
indicating X, Y coordinates of each of a plurality of navigation waypoints on the selected composite travel navigation chart at the client computer;
sending the X, Y coordinates of each navigation waypoint to the housekeeping frame of the Web page; and
drawing over the selected composite travel navigation chart on the client computer route line segments according to the X, Y coordinates, as instructed by housekeeping frame of the Web page, to generate a flight plan for preflight use by a pilot.
2. The process of claim 1 in which the navigation waypoints are included in a frame that overlays the selected composite travel navigation chart at the client computer.
3. The process of claim 1 in which the route line segments are drawn on a frame that overlays the selected composite travel navigation chart.
4. The process of claim 1 further comprising displaying on the client computer less than all of the selected composite travel navigation chart that is downloaded from the server computer.
5. The process of claim 1 further comprising displaying the selected composite travel navigation chart that is downloaded from the server computer within a browser running on the client computer.
6. The process of claim 5 in which the route line segments overlay the selected travel chart and are formed as vector lines within the browser running on the client computer.
7. The process of claim 1 further comprising overlaying plural text labels on the selected composite travel navigation chart and preventing any of the text labels from overlaying another.
8. The process of claim 1 in which the flight plan is outputted at the client computer.
9. The process of claim 1 in which the flight plan is filed with a travel-regulating agency over the computer network.
10. The process of claim 1 in which the radio navigation aids include VORs (Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Radios) and NDBs (Non-Directional Beacons).
11. A process for generating a flight plan for preflight use by a pilot, comprising:
accessing over a computer network from a client computer a Web page having a housekeeping frame and a selected composite travel navigation chart from among plural selected composite travel navigation charts stored at a server computer, each selected composite travel navigation chart including a travel chart merged with travel navigation waypoints, the travel navigation waypoints including radio navigation aids;
downloading the Web page with the selected composite travel navigation chart from the server computer to the client computer as a two-dimensional array of map tiles that include up-to-date navigation data and cover an area over which a flight is to be planned;
indicating X, Y coordinates of each of a plurality of navigation waypoints on the selected composite travel navigation chart at the client computer;
sending the X, Y coordinates of each navigation waypoint to the housekeeping frame of the Web page;
drawing over the selected composite travel navigation chart on the client computer route line segments according to the X, Y coordinates, as instructed by housekeeping frame of the Web page, to generate a flight plan for preflight use by a pilot;
displaying on the client computer less than all of the selected composite travel navigation chart that is downloaded from the server computer; and
scrolling across the selected composite travel navigation chart at the client computer to display a portion of the selected composite travel navigation chart that was not previously displayed, without downloading from the server computer as part of the scrolling the portion of the selected composite travel navigation chart that was not previously displayed.
12. The process of claim 11 in which the travel navigation waypoints are included in a frame that overlays the selected travel navigation chart.
13. The process of claim 11 in which the route line segments are drawn on a frame that overlays the selected travel navigation chart.
14. The process of claim 11 further comprising displaying the selected composite travel navigation chart within a browser running on the client computer.
15. The process of claim 14 in which the route line segments overlay the selected travel chart and are vector lines within the browser running on the client computer.
16. The process of claim 11 in which downloading the selected composite travel navigation chart from the server computer to the client computer includes downloading a two-dimensional array of map tiles that together form the composite travel navigation chart.
17. The process of claim 11 further comprising overlaying plural text labels on the selected composite travel navigation chart and preventing any of the text labels from overlaying another.
18. The process of claim 11 in which the flight plan is outputted at the client computer.
19. The process of claim 11 in which the flight plan is filed with a travel-regulating agency over the computer network.
20. The process of claim 11 in which the radio navigation aids include VORs (Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Radios) and NDBs (Non-Directional Beacons).
21. A flight plan generating method, comprising:
providing a Web page having a housekeeping frame and a selected composite travel navigation chart over a computer network to a browser on client computer, the selected composite travel navigation chart including a selected travel chart merged with travel navigation waypoints, the travel navigation waypoints including radio navigation aids;
displaying at least a portion of selected composite travel navigation chart in the browser on the client computer as a two-dimensional array of map tiles that include up-to-date navigation data and cover an area over which a flight is to be planned;
indicating X, Y coordinates of each of a plurality of navigation waypoints on the selected composite travel navigation chart displayed in the browser on the client computer;
sending the X, Y coordinates of each navigation waypoint to the housekeeping frame of the Web page; and
drawing over the selected composite travel navigation chart in the browser on the client computer route line segments according to the X, Y coordinates, as instructed by housekeeping frame of the Web page, to generate a flight plan for preflight use by a pilot.
22. The method of claim 21 further comprising filing the travel plan computed at the server computer with an entity that receives filed travel plans.
23. The process of claim 21 in which the radio navigation aids include VORs (Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Radios) and NDBs (Non-Directional Beacons).