How to Create a CUB Airspace File for your LX Computer

I have posted a new video to my Fox One Corp YouTube channel showing how to create a CUB airspace file for your LX computer.

Check out the video at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a83E0tsrpSU

If you subscribe to the channel you'll get updates when I post new videos.


Dave Springford

If you you would like to make a regional CUB airspace file for cross-country use (as opposed to a contest file), you can do it much easier than this by using my website at http://www.soaringdatainfo. Here are the quick instructions:

1. Select the airports tab
2. Type in an airport identifier at or near the center of the region of interest on line 1., and set a radius for the region of interest.
3. On line for, select Airspace in SeeYou Binary CUB format.
4. Type "Soar" into the box on line 5, and press submit.
5. Download a .Zip file containing the CUB.

You will need to unzip the file (in windows, right-click the file and select "Extract All".

Lynn Alley
"2KA"

PS. The airspace files I produce are the base for the US airspace data on the Soaring Turnpoint Exchange as well. Contest files may be modified to include or exclude airspace (for example MOAs) that are or are not closed to a contest. My files include all special use and class airspace, as well as parachute jump areas.

A couple of important typos corrected below:

If you you would like to make a regional CUB airspace file for cross-country use (as opposed to a contest file), you can do it much easier than this by using my website at http://www.soaringdatainfo. Here are the quick instructions:

1. Select the airports tab
2. Type in an airport identifier at or near the center of the region of interest on line 1, and set a radius for the region of interest.
3. On line 4, select Airspace in SeeYou Binary CUB format.
4. Type "Soar" into the box on line 5, and press submit.
5. Download a .Zip file containing the CUB.

You will need to unzip the file (in windows, right-click the file and select "Extract All".

Lynn Alley
"2KA"

PS. The airspace files I produce are the base for the US airspace data on the Soaring Turnpoint Exchange as well. Contest files may be modified to include or exclude airspace (for example MOAs) that are or are not closed to a contest. My files include all special use and class airspace, as well as parachute jump areas.

Sorry, just one more thing. The airspace of the entire US in CUB format will fit in many modern glide computers unmodified. You can find it on the airspace tab at http://www.soaringdata.info.

L.

Question Lynn: I've been using an older airspace file that doesn't include the Mexico border. I've had to open Avare to keep track of the border. Do currently generated files include the borders?

Hi Steve,

The answer depends a bit.

Most modern glide computers that use the CUB format can use multiple airspace files at once. You can find the Mexico (and also the Canada) border CUB file on my website -- just look for border information on the airspace tab.. You put the file on your glide computer together with your regular airspace file, and just activate both of them at the same time. Since those files don't change, you probably never have to think of it again.

The subject of this thread is CUB files, but for completeness I will add that NDB files for the ILEC SN10 generated by my site DO include border information automatically. Dave Nadler provided lots of critical assistance in getting this done.

Lynn Alley
"2KA"

Sorry again, just two more things. I don't seem to be able to keep my mouth shut about this subject.

John Leibacher helped with testing of the code on my website that does the CUB format files, and I have shared the code with him. I believe that moving forward he will be using it to produce CUB format airspace files for contests directly on the Soaring Turnpoint Exchange, so no conversion will be needed.

I do recommend caution in using contest airspace files a year or two after the event for which they were produced. They can and do get stale, and outdated information in them can be seriously inaccurate. If you aren't actually preparing to participate in a contest event, it is better to get a current file from SoaringData.info.

Lynn Alley
"2KA"

Correction to the Soaring Info link:

https://soaringdata.info/aviation/airportsTab.html

(You're welcome, Lynn)

Yup, thanks! If I could type I would be really dangerous!

L.