Hello,
Can anyone tell me whether or not the weight limit for runways can be changed and will AI aircraft respond accordingly. For instance, I decompiled an AF2 file using a program called BGLXML and discovered the following lines of data
number="13" designator="CENTER" />
<TaxiwayPath type="RUNWAY" start="18" end="46"
surface="ASPHALT" width="45.72" weightLimit="500000"
drawSurface="TRUE" drawDetail="TRUE"
centerLine="FALSE" centerLineLighted="FALSE"
I am trying to modify this code to force AI planes to use selective runways. So far it seems like a bigger problem then what I can explain.
Keith
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QUESTION ON RUNWAY WEIGHT LIMITS FOR AI
Re: QUESTION ON RUNWAY WEIGHT LIMITS FOR AI
Keith,flyerkg wrote:Hello,
Can anyone tell me whether or not the weight limit for runways can be changed and will AI aircraft respond accordingly. For instance, I decompiled an AF2 file using a program called BGLXML and discovered the following lines of data
number="13" designator="CENTER" />
<TaxiwayPath type="RUNWAY" start="18" end="46"
surface="ASPHALT" width="45.72" weightLimit="500000"
drawSurface="TRUE" drawDetail="TRUE"
centerLine="FALSE" centerLineLighted="FALSE"
I am trying to modify this code to force AI planes to use selective runways. So far it seems like a bigger problem then what I can explain.
Keith
A year ago I did an empirical study of how FS9 ATC assigns departure runways to AI at multiple active runway airports. Here is a copy of a brief writeup that I did at the time:
Since both engine type and empty weight are involved in the FS9 assignment of AI departure runways and the runway weight limit you found is so much larger than what I found in the above study, I doubt that what you are attempting will work to control AI runway assignments, but then I am certainly no expert on the matter.Note 1: My observations during this study indicated that at least at my test airport with the Star technique used to activate all the runways, FS9 considers the closest runway to a parked AI to be the runway with the closest centerline or extended centerline to the center of the AI's parking spot. Obviously the closest runway centerline or extended centerline point is the point that a line drawn from the center of the AI's parking spot intersects the runway's centerline or extended centerline at a 90 degree angle.
These are the results:
SINGLE PISTON ENGINE AI
1.All single piston engine AI were assigned to depart on the closest runway with a length greater than 2500 feet.
Multi Piston Engine AI
2. All multi-engine piston AI were assigned to depart on the closest runway with a length greater than 4000 feet.
Turboprop AI
3. All turboprop AI were assigned to depart on the closest runway with a length greater than 4000 feet.
JET ENGINE AI WITH AN EMPTY WEIGHT EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN 99,955 POUNDS
4. All jet AI with an empty weight less than 99,955 Pounds were assigned to depart on the closest runway with a length greater than 5000 feet. Jet AI with an empty weight of up to 10,045 pounds were assigned to depart from the closest runway with a runway length of at least 5001 feet, but all other jet AI greater than this weight, but equal to or less than 99,955 pounds, were assigned to depart from the runway with a minimum length equal to 5001 feet plus, the difference between their empty weight and 10,045 pounds times the factor 0.02222 feet per pound or in other words calculated by the following formula:
Minimum Departure Runway Length for Jet AI with an Empty Weight Between 10,046 and 99,955 Pounds =
5001 feet + ((Jet AI Empty Weight - 10,045 pounds) X 0.02222 feet/pound)
JET ENGINE AI WITH AN EMPTY WEIGHT GREATER THAN 99,955 POUNDS
5. All jet AI with empty weights greater than 99,955 pounds were assigned to depart from the closest runway with a length of 7000 feet or longer.
All of these base AI departing runway assignments were determined with no wind and with light departing AI traffic in order to only determine the relationship of AI engine type and empty weight with assigned AI departing runway length.
I hope these results are helpful to AFCAD designers applying the "Star Runway Technique" for activating multiple runways in determining what to expect for AI departure behavior from their multiple active runway airports.
The AI arrival runway assignments in FS9 at multiple active runway airports are more complex and will require a more involved study, which I will leave to those with more knowledge of and experience with the AI flightplanning and approach programming in FS9 than I.
I hope this helps.
Mike
So far I measured these parameters against Vance AFB and put a couple of T-1s and T-6s into action to see how they would respond to the different runways. There was one trick I had to use to ensure Rwy 35R/17L would only be used by T-6s. In reality the short runway at Vance KEND is slightly over 5000 ft. 5024 to be exact. In MSFS 2004 the default scenery gives us 5007 ft. I shaved off a bit more than 7 ft and the T-6 I use gets cleared to this runway while the T-1s were cleared to 35C. All this was successful without anything funny like 2 AFCADs running the same airfield or anything you have seen me use before. If I could just tweak the short runway at Laughlin AFB, I would be very satisfied.
Thank you!
Keith
Thank you!
Keith
Keith,flyerkg wrote:So far I measured these parameters against Vance AFB and put a couple of T-1s and T-6s into action to see how they would respond to the different runways. There was one trick I had to use to ensure Rwy 35R/17L would only be used by T-6s. In reality the short runway at Vance KEND is slightly over 5000 ft. 5024 to be exact. In MSFS 2004 the default scenery gives us 5007 ft. I shaved off a bit more than 7 ft and the T-6 I use gets cleared to this runway while the T-1s were cleared to 35C. All this was successful without anything funny like 2 AFCADs running the same airfield or anything you have seen me use before. If I could just tweak the short runway at Laughlin AFB, I would be very satisfied.
Thank you!
Keith
I'm glad to hear that the information was of use to you.
Mike