Logging Flights Automatically with IGC Files
An IGC file is the flight-record format standardized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). A paragliding/hang gliding instrument (variometer) or GPS tracker records your position, altitude, and time at regular intervals during a flight and saves it as an .igc text file. One flight becomes one file.
What's inside an IGC file
- B records: latitude, longitude, barometric altitude, and GPS altitude at each moment. This is the core of the flight track.
- Header (H records): flight date, pilot name, glider info, and recording device.
- Task/event records: competition tasks or marked events (optional).
Getting an IGC off your device
Most varios (e.g. Flymaster, Skytraxx, Syride, XCTracer) and apps like XCTrack and FlySkyHy save an IGC file automatically once a flight ends. You can export it via USB, a memory card, or the app's share feature.
When you upload to FlyWise
Upload the file under IGC upload in the sidebar and FlyWise parses it and automatically computes:
- Takeoff and landing points and pure airtime (automatic takeoff/landing detection)
- The flight track, peak altitude, and cumulative climb/descent
- Basic flight metrics such as straight-line distance
Link the wing you used during the upload and it also counts toward that equipment's cumulative hours. No need to write down times by hand — one file records one flight.
Tip: even if you upload the same flight twice, FlyWise detects duplicates by file hash. Go ahead and upload your whole backlog at once.