https://github.com/rwellinger/xp_pilot
X-Plane 12 plugin for macOS & Windows: Flight Logger with HTML logbook, Auto QNH sync, and Rain Blocker — all in one native plugin.
https://github.com/rwellinger/xp_pilot
flight-simulator plugin x-plane
Last synced: 2 months ago
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X-Plane 12 plugin for macOS & Windows: Flight Logger with HTML logbook, Auto QNH sync, and Rain Blocker — all in one native plugin.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/rwellinger/xp_pilot
- Owner: rwellinger
- License: gpl-3.0
- Created: 2026-04-02T13:43:14.000Z (2 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-04-02T21:09:39.000Z (2 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-04-03T02:39:57.824Z (2 months ago)
- Topics: flight-simulator, plugin, x-plane
- Language: C++
- Homepage: https://forums.x-plane.org/files/file/99159-flight-logger-v120-lua-native-plugin-version-100-mac-intelarm64/
- Size: 116 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# xp_pilot
A native X-Plane 12 plugin for **macOS (ARM + Intel)**, **Linux** and **Windows** that combines three quality-of-life features for general aviation and jet simulation:
- **Flight Logger** — records every flight and generates an HTML logbook with route maps and landing analysis
- **Auto QNH** — automatically keeps the altimeter in sync with actual sea-level pressure
- **Rain Blocker** — suppresses X-Plane's 3D rain particle effect at high speed (>120 kts)
---
## Features
### Flight Logger
Records a complete flight from engine start to shutdown and saves it as JSON plus an HTML report.
- Detects takeoff, airborne phase, landing, and shutdown automatically via a state machine
- Samples track points every 10 seconds (lat/lon, altitude, speed, vertical speed)
- Captures landing data at touchdown: descent rate (fpm), G-force, pitch, float time, flare quality, wind (headwind/crosswind)
- Rates each landing: **BUTTER!** / **GREAT LANDING!** / **ACCEPTABLE** / **HARD LANDING!** / **WASTED!**
- Thresholds are profile-based per aircraft category (see [Aircraft Profiles](#aircraft-profiles))
- HTML reports include a mini route map and charts; an `index.html` lists all flights
- Reports are stored next to the plugin: `data/flights/` and `data/reports/`
### Auto QNH
- Monitors the difference between actual QNH and the pilot's altimeter setting
- Shows an on-screen warning when the drift exceeds ~1.7 hPa
- Optional auto mode (toggle via menu) silently syncs both pilot and copilot baro to actual QNH
- Shows a second warning if pilot and copilot altimeters disagree by more than 0.01 inHg
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| `xp_pilot/qnh/set_qnh` | One-shot: set both baros to current QNH |
| `xp_pilot/qnh/set_flightlevel` | One-shot: set both baros to 29.92 inHg |
### Rain Blocker
Suppresses X-Plane's 3D rain particles above 120 kts groundspeed. Hysteresis: rain returns below 80 kts. Toggle via the plugin menu or the command `xp_pilot/rain_blocker/toggle`.
---
## Installation
Download the ZIP from the [releases page](../../releases) and copy the `xp_pilot` folder into your X-Plane 12 plugins directory:
```
X-Plane 12/Resources/plugins/xp_pilot/
├── mac_x64/xp_pilot.xpl ← macOS (ARM + Intel universal binary)
├── lin_x64/xp_pilot.xpl ← Linux (x86_64)
├── win_x64/xp_pilot.xpl ← Windows
└── data/
└── flight_logger_profiles.json
```
Flight records and HTML reports are stored next to the plugin at runtime:
```
data/
├── flights/ ← JSON flight records
└── reports/ ← HTML reports + index.html
```
No FlyWithLua required. No license needed for OpenStreetMap usage in reports.
---
## Building from Source
**Prerequisites:** CMake 3.21+, Xcode Command Line Tools (macOS), GCC/Clang + libGL-dev (Linux) or MSVC (Windows)
```bash
make setup # Download X-Plane SDK, Dear ImGui, nlohmann/json
make build # Build the plugin (universal binary on macOS)
make install # Install + code-sign to X-Plane (macOS only)
```
---
## Plugin Menu
Under **Plugins → xp_pilot**:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto QNH | Toggle automatic QNH sync (checkbox) |
| Open / Close Logbook | Open the in-sim flight logbook window |
| Rain Blocker | Toggle rain suppression at high speed (checkbox) |
---
## Aircraft Profiles
Landing quality thresholds are configured per aircraft category in `data/flight_logger_profiles.json`. The plugin matches the aircraft's ICAO type code against the `match` strings in order.
| Profile | Butter | Great | Acceptable | Hard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `ultra_light` | < 75 fpm | < 150 fpm | < 250 fpm | < 400 fpm |
| `light_ga` | < 100 fpm | < 200 fpm | < 300 fpm | < 500 fpm |
| `medium_ga` | < 125 fpm | < 250 fpm | < 350 fpm | < 600 fpm |
| `turboprop` | < 150 fpm | < 275 fpm | < 400 fpm | < 650 fpm |
| `vlj` | < 200 fpm | < 350 fpm | < 500 fpm | < 750 fpm |
| `heavy_jet` | < 250 fpm | < 400 fpm | < 600 fpm | < 850 fpm |
The `shutdown_trigger` setting controls when a flight is finalised: `engine` (all engines off), `beacon` (beacon light off), or `nav_light` (nav lights off). Default is `engine`; can be overridden per aircraft entry.
---
## Releasing
### Versioning
Dev builds (`make build`) embed `SNAPSHOT` as the version string. Only release builds show the real version number from `VERSION.txt`.
### Release process
1. Ensure all changes are committed and pushed to `main`
2. Run the release command:
```bash
make release VERSION=1.3.0
```
This will:
- Write the version to `VERSION.txt`
- Create a commit (`release 1.3.0`)
- Create an annotated git tag (`v1.3.0`)
- Push the tag to origin
3. On GitHub, [create a release](../../releases/new) from the pushed tag
4. The CI pipeline detects the `release` event and builds all three platforms with the real version number
5. The resulting `xp_pilot.zip` (containing macOS, Linux, and Windows binaries) is automatically attached to the GitHub release
### Local release build
To build locally with the real version (e.g. for testing before release):
```bash
make release-build
```
---
## Development
```
src/
├── main.cpp Plugin entry points, draw callback, menu
├── flight_logger.* State machine, data acquisition, JSON save
├── html_report.* HTML/index generation, JSON parsing
├── logbook_ui.* Dear ImGui logbook window
├── auto_qnh.* Altimeter monitoring and auto-sync
└── rain_blocker.* Rain suppression at high speed
```
`sdk/` and `vendor/` are populated by `make setup` and are not committed to the repository.
---
## Platform
macOS 12+ (arm64 + x86_64 universal binary) · Linux (x86_64) · Windows · X-Plane 12