I would like to learn how to....

[Jumpshot724]

Ok, I fixed it (with FordFriendly's guidance).

The problem was I was splitting up my flights by days instead of serial numbers in the flightplan.txt. So I had 8 serial numbers but like 16 lines of code. So I just moved all the flights per serial numbered aircraft onto one line so now I have only 8 lines of flightplans and voila, only 8 planes on the tarmac. I did the same thing when I made Hickam too so now that's all fixed. Thanks for all your help!!

[MACC]

Glad it's fixed

[Jumpshot724]

Is there any way to make an aircraft just fly to an airport or NAVAID without landing? Like, go there and then just come back?

[Ford Friendly]

I think you need an "invisible airport".

Make a simple, 1-runway, airport and stick it somewhere up high - I have put similar airports at 25,000-plus feet. Runway length can be very short (like 100 feet) and very narrow (like 1 foot). This makes it essentially "invisible" unless you accidentally get really really close.

The unfortunate thing is that the aircraft will still lower gear and try to land. It essentially makes a missed approach and continues on.

At least that's how I understand this technique works. I've just made the airports as described and - since I could give a s*** how it really looks out in the middle of nowhere-way-up-high where I am unlikely to be - I watch the aircraft takeoff from point of origin and then go to the next destination after the invisible airport/waypoint and wait to see if the plane shows up. It usually does.

There may be a better explanation about the technique or even a better solution out there.

[nickblack423]

You also need to ensure that your flight to this "invisible waypoint" is IFR and not VFR. Ive learnt recently that VFR flights touchdown, slow and then take-off again, whereas IFR ones do missed approaches and zoom climb before the piano keys. If you do VFR for a waypoint at 1000 feet you'd see an aircraft land with its wheels touching down on nothing with lots of smoke and slow down, then take-off again. Not what we're looking for here at all.

Nick

[mikewmac]

Is there any way to make an aircraft just fly to an airport or NAVAID without landing? Like, go there and then just come back?

If all you want is to have AI depart an airport and the AI visible area around it and then return sometime later, all you have to do is determine a location and fake ICAO code for what I call a "phantom airport" and add an entry for it in the Airport_XXXXX.txt file for the FP's that you are using. Of course then you must add AI flights out to and back from the "phantom airport" in your Flightplans_XXXXX.txt file and recompile them.

Now your AI will depart your airport, disappear as they leave the AI visible area around your location at the departure airport and then respawn at the appropriate time as they re-enter the AI visible area around your location at the departure airport. Of course this prevents you from following these types of AI flights from start to finish with Traffic View Board (TVB) or a user flyable aircraft.

The technique Ford Friendly describes above will also work, but it requires the creation of an invisible AFCAD as he describes and will also not allow the AI flights to be followed from start to finish with TVB or a user flyable aircraft if the "invisible airport" waypoint is placed above an elevation of 1700 feet, since the AI will simply disappear on their return flights if followed. There is a way to overcome this latter problem, but it requires the addition of several more "invisible airport" waypoints along the AIs' return route and creates some additional problems of its own.

Most users that like to follow AI flights to waypoints from start to finish with TVB or a user flyable aircraft simply create their "invisible airport" waypoints at or below 1700 feet. This works fairly well although there are still a few minor problems if you use more than one in any given flight and/or you use weekly FP's.

I hope this helps.

Mike

[Ford Friendly]

Thanks for the expansion on my post.

I wasn't aware of the considerations you guys mentioned - especially since I never used TVB. When/if I was interested in "following" the AI flights, I just did a literal fly- along and noticed things seemed to work without issues other than the landing gear down at altitude bit.

My method/knowledge is quite "brute force"/not nuanced at all.

[sprocky]

There is only one "virtual airport" I ever created. I wanted to see the aircraft from LIED doing the approaches at Frasca Range. In this case I did not have to create an invisible AFCAD. I simply placed a rwy 1ft x 1ft on the ground. You will need to place your aircraft directly on it otherwise you will not see it.

In case you want to see just ONE approach (going to waypoint and then return) you need a good timing in your flightplans. AFAIK the return leg should start 2 minutes post the arrival time from the previous leg.

If the above is your purpose you may download one of my packages ( http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?Ca ... LID=104965 ). This one includes the AFCAD for TUCF (Turnpoint Capo Frasca) and the needed flightplans. Search those for "TUCF" and take a look at the timing. You may also have a look at the AFCAD file.

The package is retro - but retro seems to be very common these days

[Roddelin]

Hello,

I searched for everything I can find here in the forum to create own AI routes with selfmade waypoints (pseudo airports)
What I want the Aircraft to do is simple but I can't get it to work.

I want the aircraft to fly to a certain point where there is no airport (for practice I have used an waypont from one of the MAIW packages
OBBS to OBK5 and then I want it simply to fly back and land at OBBS after doing some circuits at OBK5 if I use

using the TNG Flag let the Aircraft fly circuits at OBK5 but it NEVER changes it destination back to OBBS.
What can be wrong ?
Is there a way for a INFLIGHT destination change without a waypoint in between ?

Greetings
Frank

[BadPvtDan]

It will not fly circuits at the waypoint.

[Roddelin]

It will not fly circuits at the waypoint.

but it does
shouldn't I use the TNG Flag ? If I don't use it. The Aircraft fly an approach, stops it at a certain height and climb again but it doesn't report a missed approach.. and so it never get in contact again with ATC.
Fly straight ahead and climb so long...untill it stall out
What might be my mistake ?

Frank

[michealtaylor220]

If you really want to do a great job, download Airport Design Editor and in conjunction with Google Earth you can set all the parking specs corectly. Very time consuming but lotsa fun. Not to mention for every flight plan you need a parking spot, which is limited at most airports(FSX minimum). Its awsome to fly from an airport with traffic and parked aircraft. The only thing is be aware the more you do the better your computer needs to be.

[Roddelin]

If you really want to do a great job, download Airport Design Editor and in conjunction with Google Earth you can set all the parking specs corectly. Very time consuming but lotsa fun. Not to mention for every flight plan you need a parking spot, which is limited at most airports(FSX minimum). Its awsome to fly from an airport with traffic and parked aircraft. The only thing is be aware the more you do the better your computer needs to be.

Hi Taylor,
sounds very time consuming
But my problem aren't smart parking specs - but how to get a plane from WAYPOINT A-B-A any clue ?

always the best hardware ? I definetely choose the wrong relatives

Frank

[BadPvtDan]

Let me amend...it will not fly circuits at the waypoint AND fly back to wherever you want it to unless you discovered something we don't know about. If you set the departure time within 3 minutes (some say 1-5 minutes) at the waypoint...it SHOULD fly home....doing a missed approach.

Search the forums for "waypoint" and you will see a great many discussions on this.

[Roddelin]

Let me amend...it will not fly circuits at the waypoint AND fly back to wherever you want it to unless you discovered something we don't know about. If you set the departure time within 3 minutes (some say 1-5 minutes) at the waypoint...it SHOULD fly home....doing a missed approach.
Search the forums for "waypoint" and you will see a great many discussions on this.

THANX for the hint ! I guess this will help me further
Frank

[BadPvtDan]

NP have fun and welcome to the world of flightplanning!

[Roddelin]

Hello BadPvtDan,

just want to drop you a line...
It was exactly the way you wrote it.
I have set the RETURN time to 2 minutes after the Arrival @ waypoint
And everything is running fine now

Thx agn
Frank

[BadPvtDan]

Good times, I'm glad it worked for you.

[Ripcord]

You know, it occurs to me that a "batch file" system might be a possible solution to solve this "deployment" issue....
1. create two sets of plans --- one for datesA-B and the other for dates B-C.
2. In FP-swap batch file
--check system date
--assign variable to datesA-B or B-C as apprpriate
----based on variable
------copy Flightplan_for_datesX-Y(A-B or B-C) from an in-active FP storage location to ..\scenery\world\scenery
-----------could either copy straight over the FPx.bgl (renaming as you copy)OR do a copy with appropriate name and delete the old FPx.bgl operation
3. Create a second MSDOS batch file that executes the FP-swap batch file and then executes FSx.exe.... Hook this up to the icon for FSx.

A straight MSDOS batch file probably won't work for the FP-swap batch file as MSDOS batch files couldn't detect the system date.

However, this basic logic should work in Java or any other "simple language" that CAN detect the system date.

Sorry (a little) to dig up this old subject, but I was interested in finding out if this method ever got implemented in any way. I would be interested in doing some of this, if some user friendly compiling tool exists - would not be capable of writing any batch files.

[Garysb]

You know, it occurs to me that a "batch file" system might be a possible solution to solve this "deployment" issue....
1. create two sets of plans --- one for datesA-B and the other for dates B-C.
2. In FP-swap batch file
--check system date
--assign variable to datesA-B or B-C as apprpriate
----based on variable
------copy Flightplan_for_datesX-Y(A-B or B-C) from an in-active FP storage location to ..\scenery\world\scenery
-----------could either copy straight over the FPx.bgl (renaming as you copy)OR do a copy with appropriate name and delete the old FPx.bgl operation
3. Create a second MSDOS batch file that executes the FP-swap batch file and then executes FSx.exe.... Hook this up to the icon for FSx.

A straight MSDOS batch file probably won't work for the FP-swap batch file as MSDOS batch files couldn't detect the system date.

However, this basic logic should work in Java or any other "simple language" that CAN detect the system date.

Sorry (a little) to dig up this old subject, but I was interested in finding out if this method ever got implemented in any way. I would be interested in doing some of this, if some user friendly compiling tool exists - would not be capable of writing any batch files.

Rip

As I said earlier in the other thread when I pointed you in the direction
Far too much work for for us to produce and test to bother with at MAIW


Gary