Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skyvexsoftware.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
The Flight Tracking plugin sends a periodic position update to Skyvex on the interval set by the airline’s Tracking Interval (15 / 30 / 60 seconds). Every report carries a small set of core fields that Skyvex needs to draw the live map and bill the flight; everything else is opt-in.
This page lists the optional fields, the exact key each one uses on the wire, and what it represents, so VA admins know what they’re enabling and what to expect on the Skyvex side.
In your Skyvex admin: Airlines → <your airline> → Plugins → Flight Tracking → Position Report Fields.
Tick any combination of the 74 optional fields. The selection is stored on the airline and applies to every pilot the next time they (re)start a flight — Stratos pulls the list from /api/plugins-config/flight-tracking/airline at the start of each flight.
Lower the Tracking Interval and tick more fields only if your crew system or downstream tooling actually consumes them. Each extra field is more bytes per pilot per tick — fine in isolation, noticeable at scale across hundreds of pilots flying simultaneously.
Always-sent core fields
These five are sent on every position update regardless of configuration. They are the minimum Skyvex needs to track the flight on the live map and reconcile flight time:
| Key | Description | Unit |
|---|
latitude | Aircraft latitude in WGS-84 | ° (decimal) |
longitude | Aircraft longitude in WGS-84 | ° (decimal) |
altitude | Altitude MSL | ft |
heading | True heading | ° |
ground_speed | Ground speed | kts |
Optional fields
The full list of opt-in fields, grouped the way they appear in the admin UI. The Key column is what lands in the JSON payload on Skyvex’s side — useful when building dashboards, reports, or custom integrations against Skyvex’s flight-position data.
Position & Navigation
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
vertical_speed | Climb / descent rate | number, fpm |
indicated_airspeed | IAS from the air data computer | number, kts |
true_airspeed | True airspeed | number, kts |
altitude_agl | Altitude above ground level (aircraft reference point) | number, ft |
altitude_agl_gear | Altitude AGL measured at the main gear — useful for landing analysis | number, ft |
miles_to_go | Great-circle distance remaining to the destination | number, nm |
cruise_altitude | Filed / selected cruise altitude | number, ft |
Orientation
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
pitch | Pitch attitude (positive = nose up) | number, ° |
bank | Bank angle (positive = right wing down) | number, ° |
Flight Controls
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
gear_control | Gear handle position (true = down) | boolean |
flaps_control | Commanded flaps lever position | number, % |
flaps_left_position | Actual left flap position | number, % |
flaps_right_position | Actual right flap position | number, % |
on_ground | Sim’s on-ground flag | boolean |
Engine Data
engines_count reports how many engines the current aircraft has — useful for ignoring engine3_* / engine4_* on twins. Per-engine fields are reported for all four engine slots regardless of how many engines the aircraft actually has; unused slots will be zero or false.
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
engines_count | Number of engines on the aircraft | number |
engine1_firing | Engine 1 is producing thrust | boolean |
engine2_firing | Engine 2 is producing thrust | boolean |
engine3_firing | Engine 3 is producing thrust | boolean |
engine4_firing | Engine 4 is producing thrust | boolean |
engine1_n1 | Engine 1 N1 (fan / low-pressure spool) | number, % |
engine2_n1 | Engine 2 N1 | number, % |
engine3_n1 | Engine 3 N1 | number, % |
engine4_n1 | Engine 4 N1 | number, % |
engine1_n2 | Engine 1 N2 (high-pressure spool) | number, % |
engine2_n2 | Engine 2 N2 | number, % |
engine3_n2 | Engine 3 N2 | number, % |
engine4_n2 | Engine 4 N2 | number, % |
engine1_pct_rpm | Engine 1 RPM as a percentage of redline (piston / turboprop) | number, % |
engine2_pct_rpm | Engine 2 RPM % | number, % |
engine3_pct_rpm | Engine 3 RPM % | number, % |
engine4_pct_rpm | Engine 4 RPM % | number, % |
Fuel
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
fuel_quantity | Total fuel weight on board | number, lbs |
fuel_used | Fuel burned since flight start | number, lbs |
Weather
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
wind_direction | Wind direction (true, from) | number, ° |
wind_speed | Wind speed | number, kts |
pressure_qnh | QNH at the aircraft’s position | number, hPa |
altimeter_settings | Pilot’s selected altimeter setting | number, inHg |
Simulation Time
The simulator’s in-world clock. Useful when you want to log what time it is in the sim, not in the real world.
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
clock_hour | Local clock hour (0–23) | number |
clock_min | Local clock minute (0–59) | number |
clock_sec | Local clock second (0–59) | number |
zulu_hour | Zulu (UTC) hour (0–23) | number |
zulu_min | Zulu minute (0–59) | number |
zulu_day_of_month | Zulu day of month (1–31) | number |
zulu_month_of_year | Zulu month (1–12) | number |
zulu_year | Zulu year (4-digit) | number |
local_day_of_month | Local day of month (1–31) | number |
local_month_of_year | Local month (1–12) | number |
local_year | Local year (4-digit) | number |
Aircraft Info
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
aircraft_type | Sim-reported aircraft model name | string |
aircraft_icao | ICAO type designator (e.g. B738, A320) | string |
aircraft_livery | Livery / title from the sim | string |
aircraft_empty_weight | Empty weight of the aircraft | number, lbs |
zero_weight_plus_payload | Zero-fuel weight plus payload | number, lbs |
Simulator State
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
simulator_version | Detected simulator + version string (e.g. MSFS 2024, X-Plane 12) | string |
pause_flag | Simulator is paused | boolean |
slew_mode | Aircraft is in slew mode (free move, not flying) | boolean |
simulation_rate | Sim time multiplier (1 = real time, 4 = 4×, etc.) | number, x |
is_in_menu | Sim is showing a menu / not in active flight | boolean |
is_xplane | True when the connected simulator is X-Plane | boolean |
Warnings
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
stall_warning | Stall warning is active | boolean |
overspeed_warning | Overspeed warning is active | boolean |
crashed | Sim has flagged the aircraft as crashed | boolean |
Landing Analysis
These are only meaningful after touchdown. They stay at their last-known values for the rest of the flight, which makes them easy to spot in flight history.
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
g_force_touchdown | Vertical G at touchdown | number, g |
landing_rate | Calculated landing rate (touchdown vertical speed) | number, fpm |
touchdown_normal_velocity | Touchdown vertical velocity from the sim | number, fpm |
touchdown_latitude | Latitude at the moment of touchdown | number, ° |
touchdown_longitude | Longitude at the moment of touchdown | number, ° |
landing_distance | Distance from touchdown to where the aircraft stopped (or turned off) | number, ft |
Navigation
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
transponder | Transponder squawk code | string |
com1_freq | COM1 active frequency | string |
com2_freq | COM2 active frequency | string |
nav1_freq | NAV1 active frequency | string |
nav2_freq | NAV2 active frequency | string |
Flight Phase
| Key | Description | Type / Unit |
|---|
phase | Current detected flight phase — one of unknown, boarding, push_back, taxi, take_off, rejected_take_off, climb, cruise, descent, approach, final, landed, go_around, taxi_in, arrived, deboarding | string |
Payload shape
When fields are enabled, they appear alongside the core fields in the JSON body of each position update Stratos POSTs to Skyvex. A representative payload with a small selection enabled looks like:
{
"latitude": -33.9461,
"longitude": 151.1772,
"altitude": 3500,
"heading": 162,
"ground_speed": 218,
"vertical_speed": -480,
"indicated_airspeed": 210,
"flaps_control": 20,
"on_ground": false,
"phase": "approach"
}
null. Skyvex stores whatever it receives, so anything you forget to enable today and turn on later will start appearing in updates from the next flight onwards.
Field availability by simulator
Not every simulator populates every field. The general rules:
- MSFS 2020 / 2024 / FSX / P3D (SimConnect): populate the full set, including all engine slots up to four.
- X-Plane 11 / 12 (UDP DataRef): populate the same set, but some weather and aircraft-info fields depend on whether the relevant DataRefs are available in the aircraft you’re flying.
If a field isn’t available from the sim, Stratos reports it as 0 (numbers), false (booleans), or an empty string. It won’t fabricate values.
