Free online IGC to KMZ converter

What the IGC format is

IGC is the standard flight-recorder format used for gliding, paragliding, hang-gliding, and other air-sports activities. Its text-based records store time, latitude, longitude, pressure altitude, GPS altitude, fixes, task information, and sometimes security or event records.

Flight instruments and loggers from manufacturers such as LXNAV, Flymaster, Naviter, Brauniger, and Flytec commonly export IGC files. You may encounter them after downloading a flight from an instrument, retrieving a competition score, or exporting a track from flight-analysis software. An IGC file is primarily a track log, not a visual map document.

What the KMZ format is

KMZ is a ZIP-compressed package containing a KML file, normally named doc.kml. KML describes geographic features such as paths, placemarks, points, altitude modes, colors, and labels for applications including Google Earth.

KMZ is useful when you need to open or share a flight track in Google Earth, attach icons or other referenced resources, or reduce the size of a KML package. A single KMZ file is easier to distribute than a KML file accompanied by separate assets.

How to convert IGC to KMZ

Using GPSBabel and Google Earth Pro

1. Install GPSBabel, then place the source file in an accessible folder, for example flight.igc.
2. Convert the IGC track to KML from a terminal or command prompt:
   gpsbabel -i igc -f flight.igc -o kml -F flight.kml
3. Open flight.kml in Google Earth Pro with File → Open.
4. Check the track, altitude profile, timestamp behavior, and map position.
5. In Google Earth Pro, select the imported item and use File → Save Place As. Select KMZ as the file type and save it as flight.kmz.

Google Earth Pro creates the KMZ package and handles the internal KML structure automatically. GPSBabel is useful when you need repeatable batch conversion or want to convert many IGC files before reviewing them.

Creating the KMZ package manually

If you already have a valid KML file, copy or rename it to doc.kml, place it at the root of a ZIP archive, and rename the archive from flight.zip to flight.kmz. Do not place doc.kml inside an additional folder in the archive.

For a no-installation option, upload the IGC file to 101convert.com, choose KMZ as the output format, and download the converted file. Inspect the resulting track in a compatible map application before sharing it.

Quality and compatibility considerations

The conversion changes the container and map representation; it does not add missing flight points or improve the original recorder data. The visible path depends on the fixes recorded in the IGC file and on how the converter interprets pressure altitude, GPS altitude, timestamps, and missing records.

Some IGC files contain multiple altitude fields. KML viewers may display terrain-relative altitude, absolute altitude, or a flattened path depending on the generated altitude mode and viewer settings. If vertical accuracy matters, verify the altitude profile in the output rather than relying only on the map view.

Digital signatures and specialized IGC records are generally not preserved as meaningful KML features. KMZ is therefore suitable for visualization and sharing, but retain the original .igc file for scoring, verification, and archival purposes.