Confusion over flight times.

[jgarnold]

Until now (as I learn AIFP2) I have been creating separate flight files (.bgl) for single return flights.
I have noticed that even if an aircraft is not due to depart for a long time (and hour or more) it will display parked when starting a 'session'. I think I read an reply to a different thread I made that FSX does indeed display an aircraft long before it is due for departure.

I have also noticed that if I have created a flight for departure at say 1400 and created a different separate one later with an earlier (say 1300) using the same AI aircraft when I start a 'session' before the departure time of the 1300 flight that it doesn't seem to depart and wondered if FSX reads and stores .bgl (scenery) flights in order read rather than in order of time due for departure. Or in fact FSX does not sort .bgl (scenery) traffic files by departure time.
Does that happen?

Would I be better off creating all my flights in a single .bgl traffic file?

At this time I have been creating separate traffic files so that I can give each one a descriptive name and then I know what it is supposed to do.

Lastly is there any 'trick' to creating a flight plan which has the destination airport the same as the departure airport. I have seen such flights created by others but when I created such a flight my aircraft never left the parking area almost as if it 'knew' that the destination was the same and therefore "I'm already here"

 

[raymk]

1. AI will appear at whatever location the AI BGL says it should be - even it is 5 minutes after it should have landed and is not due to depart for many hours. The schedule can make it arrive at 23:00 on a Sunday and sit there until it's next scheduled depart from that airport days later - it will be visible at that airport any time you look between these 2 times. They don't just appear one hour or 10 minutes before they are due to depart - they will 'exist' wherever the AI schedule 'says' they should be at all times.

2. I don't understand what you are describing here, particularly when you say "using the same AI aircraft"? Please give more details of what you are trying to achieve.

3. Why are you not creating ALL of your water-based AI in one BGL file? I keep all of my TNG style flights in one BGL file and similarly all of my water style flights in another BGL file. Each now contains well over 50 schedules for flights all over the areas in which I like to 'fly'. AIFP allows you to place 'Comments' in the Flightplan listing section - you can put your description here.

4. When your departure and arriving airports are the same, are you putting a tick in the TNG box?

If you want an a/c to take off, go round and land, make the flight VFR, tick the TNG box and use the offered arrival time. Note that you must still create a minimum of 2 schedule lines in the Flight Plan Editor box.
If you want an a/c to take off, fly away, return and land, make the flight IFR, tick the TNG box and use the offered arrival time. Note that you must still create a minimum of 2 schedule lines in the Flight Plan Editor box.
If you want an a/c to take off, go round and do touch-and-goes, make the flight VFR, tick the TNG box and put a later time in the time override box. The a/c will do TNG's until the time entered. Note that you must still create a minimum of 2 schedule lines in the Flight Plan Editor box.
If you want an a/c to take off, fly away, return and do touch-and-goes, make the flight IFR, tick the TNG box and put a later time in the time override box. The a/c will do approach-type TNG's (will do a fly-around without contacting the runway) until the time entered. Note that you must still create a minimum of 2 schedule lines in the Flight Plan Editor box.

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks Ray,

point 2 - I created two separate flights using the same aircraft (I only have 2 working FSX AI float planes and have my favourite) each with a different departure time and as you mention an aircraft can be positioned at the airport many many hours before it is due for departure. I wondered which ai flight FSX would use (as the aircraft for each flight would have been positioned if I had 2 spare parking spot docks). Is FSX smart enough the 'schedule' ai flights by departure time if only one parking dock is available or does it merely read the bgl files by filename and use that order.
Maybe I should have used different aircraft for each ai flight which would confirm to me which ai flight FSX has used.

Might seem odd but I'm just trying to get my head around AIFP2 and how FSX handles the ai flight plans.

point 3 - I am not creating all ai flights in one bgl file so that (during testing and becoming familiar with AIFP) I can choose which ai flight (bgl) to have the the world\scenery folder as each one has a meaning name eg Traffic_cax3xwae_FSXBEAVER_2000 IE ai flight CAX3 to CWAE using BEAVER with a DEPARTURE TIME 2000.
Then during testing I know what time to set FSX to so that I only have to wait one minute or so for some 'action' and I know which aircraft I should see.

point 4. No I didn't place a tick in the TNG box. Thanks for the tips. Going to bed now (10pm) and will try tomorrow

Lastly I wished that you could create flight plans with waypoints as my ai aircraft always seem to turn SLOWLY towards high mountains after take off and then crash into them. I can only get around that by setting the wind direction in weather (but then I would have the same trouble for the return leg as the approach would be via those tall mountains).

 

[raymk]

John,
I believe FSX would be reading the AI .bgl files in alphanumeric order so, if you have 2 BGL's that call up 2 aircraft to be at the same airfield at the same time but only one available parking spot, then the first-read BGL will place it's aircraft but the second one will not be able to place it's aircraft. I assume you are giving the 2 aircraft different registration numbers/letters - this is handy for knowing what you are seeing?

When doing your 'testing' have you tried saving set up time by putting yourself in the required airfield location at the required time and then SAVING the flight so that next time all you have to do is LOAD that flight back into FSX?

Your last point has been discussed a lot in the past. No real solutions have been suggested unfortunately.

 

[GHD]

point 4. No I didn't place a tick in the TNG box. Thanks for the tips. Going to bed now (10pm) and will try tomorrow

There is no need for a touch and go if you don't want it:

AC#1,D-EDMK1,1%,2Hr,VFR,00:00,00:15,050,R,0000,EDMK,01:00,01:15,050,R,0000,EDMK

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks Ray and 'golf',

Firstly regarding Ray's reply

I have experimented with both the order FSX updates its scenery indexes and also filenames and found the following -
when there are more than one flight files for the same airport and there are not enough parking spaces FSX uses the files in alphabetical order as you thought. Pity that FSX doesn't select the flight by numerical order of departure time no no problem (if you know).

I am now wondering if you have a SINGLE bgl file containing several flights which are not in numerical order of departures times which one will be used. I suspect the FIRST one in the list.

No I didn't have two separate ai flight files both with the same departure time. I had one which had a departure time of 2000 and the other 1900 and even though I started a session at 1859 the aircraft didn't seem to want to depart (I waited until around 1904 much longer than I normally need to see some 'action'). Ax I know that FSX will place the aircraft hours before due out I wondered if FSX had in fact used the flight at 2000. That is why I wondered about order of ai flights used (at the same airport).
I guess I should have had two separate aircraft for each ai flight plan which visually would have proved what is actually happening. Will try that later.

Yes I have used saving a flight to reload later to save a bit of time. I have an SSD drive which really speeds up (heaps) FSX loading times.

Actually I was almost sure that I had come across someone else's ai flight plan which I decompiled from the bgl (using AIFP2 load bgl) and it didn't have a TNG nor did it have a return leg.

I managed to create an AI flight plan with the destination the same as the departure (water) airport (with an estimated flight duration of 20 minutes) and my aircraft took off and I followed it with my aircraft.
The AI aircraft gained altitude and then turned left about 180 degrees and then flew the downwind leg and continued on that heading more or less until I got tired of watching (maybe 20 minutes when it was many many miles from the airport). I expected it to fly south of the airport for a few miles and then do a base turn and then final approach. There doesn't seem to be much 'intelligence' in AI (artificial intelligence).

Thanks again.

 

[tgibson]

Yes, AFAIK the files are read top to bottom.

An IFR flight plan will fly many miles from the airport. A VFR flight plan will typically stay much closer (pattern).

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks Tom

It was a VFR flight and as stated it headed south and after 20 minutes of following (about a mile away just to see what it would do during landing and taxi) I gave up. If I had remained 'connected' it would probably be in Antatica now (if it didn't run out of fuel )
What is the best way to setup to watch an AI float plane arrive, land and taxi?

 

[gadgets]

Sit on the dock with a "cool one" in your hand!

Don

 

[jgarnold]

I'll drink to that Don

BTW I just noticed you are in BC. So is my water airport. It is at Sechelt and apart from no water airport in the FSX default scenery it is wacko with too much land between Strait of Georgia and Sechelt Inlet and Poise Island shows as flat at sea level (no real elevation).

 

[gadgets]

Yes. we're all aware of the deficiencies of FSX stock terrain. If you want a more accurate depiction of the area, buy ORBX PNW or, for an even more realistic scenery, Vancouver+.

DSon

 

[jgarnold]

Thanks Don but I don't think that Vancouver+ includes Sechelt water airport. Maybe it redraws the coastline around that area better, not sure.