Timing AI Flightplans

[flynby]

I am trying to get AI's to take off close together after the ATC stops talking. Example: F-4 Phantom, B-52, then another F-4 Phantom.
I keep trying to create a spreadsheet; but; sometimes there is a 1 minute wait, and then the next wait may only be 10 or 15 seconds. No good.

Is there a excel spreadsheet formula I could get that would allow me to do this? I remember
a couple of years ago MAIW came out with a download that had many, many AI aircraft in it.
And the flights were spaced evenly, if I recall correctly.
Appreciate any help...

[clarke123]

If you add @ before the arrival time it will force the AI regardless of any othe parameter to arrive at that time. Example AC#60,VHVBF,10%,24Hr,IFR,20:29:46,@21:54:51,310,F,0203,YBBN,22:59:53,@00:29:53,300,F,0216,YSSY I've always wanted to see if you can make a supersonic cessna using this trick but haven't got round to it yet.

[MIKE JG]

You do not want to use the @ symbol, it causes more problems than it solves.

[CelticWarrior]

If the @ symbol is used to force an unrealistic arrival time the aircraft won't so much as 'arrive', it will simply appear as if by magic at a parking spot without making any form of approach.

[DeepSea-Two-One]

I keep trying to create a spreadsheet; but; sometimes there is a 1 minute wait, and then the next wait may only be 10 or 15 seconds.

FS ignores the seconds in any AI flight plan.

It starts the aircraft pre-flight sequence in the first 10 seconds of the next minute. If your aircraft is slated for departure at 08:00 - at 08:01:00 - the AI engine scans for all traffic files for aircraft scheduled to depart anywhere in the region within 55nm (FS2004/ 120nm FSX) of the user aircraft scheduled to depart at 08:00 - and then starts the pre-flight processing. By the time you hear the first radio call for clearance - the pre-flight process has already been running for a few seconds and made several critical decisions about sequencing aircraft.

I have found that separating departure times by 3 minutes tends to work well most of the time, so that at the runway departure point, when one aircraft starts rolling, the next is told to line up on the runway.

Though this varies by airport. At some 2 minutes works better, at others 4 minutes. The taxiways to the takeoff point and the parking spots will obviously have an impact on the process.

Setting a flight of four aircraft for departure at the same time will put them closer together, but there is no control of the sequence.

Ovbiously any inbound aircraft will mess up the departure sequence if you don't have a parallel runway setup for arrivals.

[flynby]

Thank you, DeepSea-Two-One and all other reply's. This helps. I was trying to get within 30 to 45 seconds of departing and starting another ai atc conversion.