NAS North Island

[md11driver44]

Can someone here turn this file into a P3D file for me? The helos do not show up in my sim. Or show me how to change these from a BMP file to a DDS file.

[Jorgen]

Search for a tool called "bmp2dds".

Jorgen

[md11driver44]

Thank you. That is so easy.

[TimC340]

If the models don't show at all, that is not a texture-file problem. BMPs work perfectly well in P3D. I've answered this over at FSDev, but in case you see it here first:

the likelihood is you're using the aircraft and traffic files that came in that FS9-era package. FS9 aircraft will generally not work in P3D and must be converted. That conversion has almost certainly already been done and will probably be available in the Download Hangar. Similarly, the traffic files won't work - and will suppress ALL traffic for a significant radius around the airfield. The files must be converted to FSX or P3D formats (either will do) and, again, that's almost certainly already been done and will be available here.

If you tell us which aircraft and traffic files are with that package, we can identify where the replacements are.

[md11driver44]

If the models don't show at all, that is not a texture-file problem. BMPs work perfectly well in P3D. I've answered this over at FSDev, but in case you see it here first:

the likelihood is you're using the aircraft and traffic files that came in that FS9-era package. FS9 aircraft will generally not work in P3D and must be converted. That conversion has almost certainly already been done and will probably be available in the Download Hangar. Similarly, the traffic files won't work - and will suppress ALL traffic for a significant radius around the airfield. The files must be converted to FSX or P3D formats (either will do) and, again, that's almost certainly already been done and will be available here.

If you tell us which aircraft and traffic files are with that package, we can identify where the replacements are.

What did I do to cause this?

[md11driver44]

If the models don't show at all, that is not a texture-file problem. BMPs work perfectly well in P3D. I've answered this over at FSDev, but in case you see it here first:

the likelihood is you're using the aircraft and traffic files that came in that FS9-era package. FS9 aircraft will generally not work in P3D and must be converted. That conversion has almost certainly already been done and will probably be available in the Download Hangar. Similarly, the traffic files won't work - and will suppress ALL traffic for a significant radius around the airfield. The files must be converted to FSX or P3D formats (either will do) and, again, that's almost certainly already been done and will be available here.

If you tell us which aircraft and traffic files are with that package, we can identify where the replacements are.

NAS NORTH ISLAND. I was hoping that someone converted them to P3D.

[Mark Fox]

https://militaryaiworks.com/download-ha ... earch.html

[TimC340]

NAS NORTH ISLAND. I was hoping that someone converted them to P3D.

Mark, in the post above, has helpfully given you the link to the Download Hangar 'Search' page.You haven't really given us any details of what aircraft packages you're using or which airfield layout you've employed. If it's the original John Stinstrom package for FS9, it certainly isn't working in P3Dv6 - your illustration shows the default buildings from the stock airfield. As you've got the S60s showing I assume you've already converted the traffic files, or you have nothing but FS9 traffic files in your installation...

There has indeed been an update to the S60 package, done back in 2017 by Rick Ingham. There may be others for the other based aircraft, but I'm sure you can do a search to find them. This is the S60 package: https://militaryaiworks.com/download-ha ... -jyai.html

Note that there are both FS9 and FSX flight plans in there. Make sure you use the FSX ones.

[Jorgen]

Robert,

Maybe we need to make sure at this point that you are very aware of what traffic file types you use. As Tim points out above, you should only use the FSX traffic files, which are also used by all the versions of P3D.

But, here's the caveat: if there is only 1 - one only - FS9 traffic file present anywhere in your installation, then only the FS9 traffic will show up, and any and all FSX traffic will be invisible. I could believe we have all seen that some time or another, I certainly have a couple of times. So, if suddenly all your normal AI birdies don't show up at their nests as they used to do, this is most likely what happened.

Fortunately, this is much easier to fix than going through your traffic file inventory looking for a single FS9 traffic file. You just open trusty ol' AIFP (RIP, Don old buddy), hit the "Bulk Traffic" tab at the top, and then on the menu select "Convert FS9 Traffic Files To FSX". After it runs through, everything will show up again just fine.

And if that then fails, then you know where to post...

Jorgen

[jetpilot1980]

When AIFP fails to do the job, I use this converter by Lamont Clark, always solves / cleans up any problems that get left behind... Also extremely easy to use and has saved my bacon more than once:

bglfpfsxconvert02.zip

https://simviation.com/1/download-file? ... leId=60439

[md11driver44]

Robert,

Maybe we need to make sure at this point that you are very aware of what traffic file types you use. As Tim points out above, you should only use the FSX traffic files, which are also used by all the versions of P3D.

But, here's the caveat: if there is only 1 - one only - FS9 traffic file present anywhere in your installation, then only the FS9 traffic will show up, and any and all FSX traffic will be invisible. I could believe we have all seen that some time or another, I certainly have a couple of times. So, if suddenly all your normal AI birdies don't show up at their nests as they used to do, this is most likely what happened.

Fortunately, this is much easier to fix than going through your traffic file inventory looking for a single FS9 traffic file. You just open trusty ol' AIFP (RIP, Don old buddy), hit the "Bulk Traffic" tab at the top, and then on the menu select "Convert FS9 Traffic Files To FSX". After it runs through, everything will show up again just fine.

And if that then fails, then you know where to post...

Jorgen

I have gone through and used the "Bulk Traffic" tab and made sure every traffic file has been converted. Again, thank you for your knowledge in this matter.

[TimC340]

Hi Robert. I've done some digging, and I've found that there's an anomaly of some sort in the models associated with some of the traffic files for KZNY - I found I had to import the models from another package to get them to work properly. I had some aircraft that were apparently appearing in the sim, talking to ATC, and visible by the ID telltale, but not visible as aircraft! Changing the mdl files fixed that, and now I have a full flightline at KZNY.

On FSDev, you asked also about a traffic file for HSM-37 at PHNG, and this one's a bit more difficult. Firstly, AIFP kept identifying it as an FS9 file, even though it had been converted. I made sure I had the aircraft and paints, and a version of PHNG that had all the necessary parking, but the H-60s did not appear. Lots of other aircraft did, so it's not the AFCAD. I don't have almost any of the other airfields nominated in that traffic file, so that may be an issue, but they should still generate at PHNG. I made sure I had P3D-compatible models and paints, and I re-converted the traffic file (and deleted the original) but still nothing. This one's going to take a bit more detective work, but I suspect a completely new traffic file is required.

[Jorgen]

Tim, if possible, could you tell us which models you imported to replace which models?

Jorgen

[md11driver44]

Hi Robert. I've done some digging, and I've found that there's an anomaly of some sort in the models associated with some of the traffic files for KZNY - I found I had to import the models from another package to get them to work properly. I had some aircraft that were apparently appearing in the sim, talking to ATC, and visible by the ID telltale, but not visible as aircraft! Changing the mdl files fixed that, and now I have a full flightline at KZNY.

On FSDev, you asked also about a traffic file for HSM-37 at PHNG, and this one's a bit more difficult. Firstly, AIFP kept identifying it as an FS9 file, even though it had been converted. I made sure I had the aircraft and paints, and a version of PHNG that had all the necessary parking, but the H-60s did not appear. Lots of other aircraft did, so it's not the AFCAD. I don't have almost any of the other airfields nominated in that traffic file, so that may be an issue, but they should still generate at PHNG. I made sure I had P3D-compatible models and paints, and I re-converted the traffic file (and deleted the original) but still nothing. This one's going to take a bit more detective work, but I suspect a completely new traffic file is required.

I ended up using the FSX models for my helos for my Blackhawk family. They show up at Norfolk and North Island, just not Kaneohe.

[TimC340]

I ended up using the FSX models for my helos for my Blackhawk family. They show up at Norfolk and North Island, just not Kaneohe.

For PHNG, the problem is somewhere in the traffic file. I've added a couple of lines to it using Blackhawks from another package, and they work fine. Tomorrow I'll try and rewrite a few more lines and see if I can get the 37th aircraft to show at all.

Edit: this one is bugging me and I’ve dived down the rabbit hole! For some reason, the traffic file won’t save if brought into AIFP from the text (TT) entry. It’ll show, and can be edited, but if I try to compile it’ll only include the lines I created myself. I suspect that the file was created in another program and both AIFP and P3D really don’t like it! The answer may well need a brand new traffic file - as this one has worldwide ops included, that’s probably not a bad idea anyway.

I’m not going to create a whole new file as that would need a good deal of research, but I’ll do a ‘proof of concept’ traffic file to show the 37th’s aircraft at 1HNG (which I’ve rebuilt to fit the correct placing of the airfield in P3Dv5/6). If it works, you can then flesh it out to include as many of the original traffic lines as you want.

I’ve got a lot of other stuff on today, so I probably won’t get around to it until tomorrow - so stand by.

[Firebird]

Tim,
It might be worth checking the format of the text file. In the early days a few times I had a similar issue where it would compile but nothing would show up. It was down to those pesky invisible characters in the file that AIFP sees and ignores rather than complains about.

If you send me the txt files I will have a look at them in UltraEdit to see if I can find the problem.

[TimC340]

That sounds very likely, Steve. I’ll dig out the original rather than my bastardised version - give me a few minutes.

[TimC340]

Here we go.

[TimC340]

OK, I have a working traffic file and airfield for 1HNG. The traffic file is completely new, and is very basic, so feel free to modify it as you wish. The AFCAD is designed to fit on the stock PHNG from P3Dv5.4/v6, and specifically with the Orbx Cityscape Honolulu for v5. The screenshots (visible via VPN or on a browser like Opera) give some idea of how it looks on my system.

The aircraft files needed the models from the MAIW_ACG_H-60_NavySeahawks package, which I had from Matrix but is probably in the Download hangar (the same mod I had to do to the North Island package). I'm using the BMP paints at the moment.

[Victory103]

Thanks for researching these, last time I checked out K-Bay, my MH-60s were sitting low on the ramp with some paint issues. Paints seemed to run fine inflight, meant to try fixing and got distracted.