DCA Flights Database

Bob Thompson, 1145

Version 4

August 8, 2004

This database lists many of the flight schedules on the DCA website.  In general, they are flights that do not have specific navigation or procedural requirements such as charters and the challenge flights.  It is intended as a convenience for those who want an easy way to find flights that depart or arrive at a specific airport.  It doesn't do much more than that.


The Routes_v04.mdb file is the entire database and requires Microsoft Access or a database program that can read and convert Microsoft's .mdb file formats. If you can open and use this file, you don't need the CSV files.

All of the .csv files are exported from the database for the convenience of those who may not own or for some reason can't use the Access database files.  CSV files are plain ASCII comma delimited files which can be read and imported by almost any program.

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The following three files are the main data files (or tables in database terms).  All of the other files are derived from these three.

1 - Flights.CSV - This is a table with Flight number, ICAO codes for the departure and arrival airports, distance of the flight, and the name of the file that the route author has provided with navigational and other information.  This reference file is not part of the database and must be downloaded or viewed at the DCA home web.

2 - DCA_Hanger_Locations.CSV - The locations included as of the version 5 DCA scenery available on the DCA Scenery downloads page.

3 - Airport.CSV - A lookup table of ICAO codes and the associated data for the airport.

If you have the earlier versions of the the database (the .mdb file) and have added queries of your own, you could just copy your own queries and reports into the new database.  If you haven't made any changes to the structure of the tables, your own queries should work fine.  I would suggest making a backup copy first.

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All of the rest of the CSV files are exports of queries (sometimes called views) based on the three table files.

In no particular order, they are:

 - Flight Detail.CSV - All of the DCA flights and airport information.  There are currently 1757 flights listed.

 - Flight Domestic.CSV - Same except start and end airports have to be in same country.

 - Flight International.CSV - Same except start and end airports are in different countries.

 - From Home Field.CSV - All flights that depart from a field with DCA scenery.

 - To Home Field.CSV - All flights that go to a field with DCA scenery.

 - Round_Trip.CSV - All flights that come from an airport to another and then return.  These flight pairs will let you avoid the use of "R" in the PIREP to denote a return trip.  (Please note however, some of the flights have an "R" added on by the author.)  If you use one of these pairs, you should file one PIREP for the outbound leg using the first flight number and a second PIREP for the return trip with the second flight number. 

 - HomeFields.CSV - DCA Scenery airports with a litle more info than the DCA_Hanger_Locations.CSV

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Please post questions or comments in the forum.  I usually check there several times a week.

Bob