AIRAC Cycles and Navigraph: Keeping X-Plane Data Current

You download a perfect route from NG ROUTE, load the .fms file in X-Plane, and the MCDU reports NOT FOUND IN DATABASE for a fix in the middle of the leg. The planner did not break — your simulator navigation data is probably on a different AIRAC cycle than the database NG ROUTE uses. Understanding cycles and update tools like Navigraph closes that gap.

What AIRAC means

AIRAC (Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control) is the global schedule for publishing navigation changes. New waypoints, airway reorganizations, and procedure updates take effect on fixed cycle dates, roughly every 28 days. Each cycle has a number like 2406 or 2605 encoding year and release.

NG ROUTE compiles routes from periodic navdata files and may display the active cycle on the planner interface. X-Plane ships with a snapshot that ages with each sim version unless you update it.

Why mismatches happen

Common causes of missing fixes:

• X-Plane default navdata is one or more cycles behind NG ROUTE
• A fix was added in the real world recently and exists only in newer data
• An airway was renamed or resegmented
• Typo when manually entering a waypoint (less common when loading .fms directly)

The route geometry is still valid geographically — the sim simply lacks that identifier in its local table.

What to do immediately

NG ROUTE and the user guide recommend a practical workaround:

1. Skip the unknown waypoint in the MCDU/FMS entry sequence
2. Enter the next recognized fix
3. The aircraft flies direct between valid points

For occasional flying this is acceptable. For regular IFR simulation, updating navdata is worth the cost.

Navigraph for X-Plane

Navigraph provides subscription-based AIRAC updates for X-Plane 11 and 12. After subscribing, you install their Navigraph FMS Data Manager, link your X-Plane directory, and download the current cycle. Restart X-Plane and reload your NG ROUTE .fms file — most missing fixes reappear.

Navigraph also supplies charts and SimBrief integration in the broader ecosystem; for NG ROUTE users the critical piece is synchronized waypoint and airway names matching the planner output.

Microsoft Flight Simulator note

MSFS receives world updates through sim patches and navigraph data packs depending on your setup. PLN files from NG ROUTE generally load in the World Map; missing fixes are less prominently reported than in X-Plane's MCDU, but route integrity issues can still appear. Keep MSFS updated and consider Navigraph's MSFS navdata product if you fly complex airways frequently.

Aerofly FS limitation

Aerofly FS currently offers no user-facing AIRAC update path comparable to X-Plane. NG ROUTE still exports missions, but expect more frequent unknown fixes on long international routes. Shorter European or US domestic legs within Aerofly's baked-in coverage work more reliably.

Verifying sync after an update

1. Note the AIRAC cycle NG ROUTE shows when you build a plan
2. Confirm the same cycle in Navigraph FMS Data Manager after download
3. Load a recent plan and compare the first five nav log fixes against the MCDU LEGS page

When cycles match, manual fix entry becomes rare and VATSIM route filings align with what your FMS accepts.

Planning ahead across cycle changes

If a new AIRAC effective date falls between your planning day and fly day, regenerate the route on or after the cutover. Airways that existed in the old cycle may be replaced. Saved .fms files do not auto-migrate — rebuild from NG ROUTE for free.

Takeaway

NG ROUTE always uses maintained navdata for routing. Your sim is the variable. Treat Navigraph (or equivalent updates) as part of the cost of serious IFR simulation, the same way rudder pedals or a yoke upgrade hardware — it keeps the software pipeline from planner to cockpit consistent.