Hit the Submit button (above) and wait. Patience is important since there are generally hundreds of image frame names that must be parsed. Wait time should range between 1 second and a minute. Some browsers will show status messages, others will show a blank status window.
An additional wait may be required after the flight track window pops up. Another 10-60 seconds may be required.
Configure your browser to allow popups and to run JavaScript.
Be sure to set your connection type. Default is from DSL/Broadband. Connection speed is important, and improper setting will cause dropped frames, or even complete browser lock-up.
If your control buttons disappear, or if the flight track is not found, you may have to kill your browser completely, and do a thorough flushing of the cache before trying again.
If you wish to narrow your time period, use the time selection form in the left frame. Do not exceed the bounds of the time period that is initially displayed (reload the page if you have changed the times, but can't remember the initial start/end times).
This tool pushes the current limits of browser capabilities. Be aware that not all browsers are compatible with this tool, and you need a very recent release of a browser.
Minimum System Specs: for a PC running either Linux or Windows, P4 1000 MHz or greater; display size 1024x768 or greater.
A pulsing red dot on the flight track shows you aircraft position for the image being displayed in the viewer window.
The flight track is an active flight track -- select anywhere on the track, and the displayed image will change to one at the selected point in the flight. The aircraft position indicator will also move to the new position. [Note: in IE, the pulsing of the target point may stop, with the target point freezing at either a small or large size.]
The progress indicators below the time lapse image are also active, and clicking will move you to a frame part-way through the image series.
A recent browser is essential. Most browsers are still available for free, so please update to meet or exceed the recommendations.
Keep in mind that different browsers behave differently. Even when they work with this tool, they tend to work differently and implement different features with varying degrees of success.
This tool has been tested and found to work with the following browser/operating system pairs:Obviously, there are many untested browser/OS pairs. There are currently no plans to try to get this image viewer to work with the lower revs of the various browsers (they just don't have the necessary set of features implemented).
The old standard applies: faster machines are better. A good machine for use of this tool, assuming images are stored on local disk:
Anything beyond this minimum is a definite plus. Maximum frame rates depend directly upon disk access speed and processor speed, for a given browser. Note that some browsers are faster than others at certain of the viewing tasks. Frame rates of over 25 fps have been achived on current highest-end systems.