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Airport Altitude

J

jojolino

Messages
38
Hi to all. I have a big problem, with the Airport of Fuerteventura. It's on a plateau. In ADE it shows me the right altitude (18.33 M) but in the XML and in the Edit Objekt tab it shows me the wrong altitude (140.82 M). This Altitude I can't edit in ADE. I can flatten the area around the airport with two drawed polys but the runways still at 140.82M. How can I fix this wrong Altitude with ADE?
 
The FSX default height for Fuerteventura is 148.82M. If you wish to lower this, you will need to create a dummy AFD file with your required height and place it in the Scenery\World\Scenery folder.

George
 
Thank you for your answer. I know what I must do but how can I create such file with ADE? With FSX Planner I know it but I want to use only one tool..
 
I have also been trying to update the altitude of an airport, but found it was greyed out (un-editable) in the selection box.

However, if you compile the airport with "export to XML" enabled (you set this in: settings, options, general, then check the box for "save xml after compile"), then you can edit the xml-file in notepad and re-load that file into ADE. This will then have the airport at your new altitude :)

You will loose any background overlay images though, if you have such, as this info is not exported to the xml-file.

It's a work-around, but it works :)


EDIT:
jvile said:
It works from a visual standpoint but any AI or User plane that spawns at the airport on startup of FSX will not sit on the Apron correctly. If and when you run into this problem the fix is to preload a Airport header with the exact same information (elevation) as found in your ADE.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
We are hopeful of having a proper and safe solution to this in the near future :)
 
I have also been trying to update the altitude of an airport, but found it was greyed out
Click to expand...

JEL

It is grayed out so Designers cannot not change the elevation for many different reasons.

Your technique is the correct method until Jon writes additional code for a future release.

It's a work-around, but it works
Click to expand...

It works from a visual standpoint but any AI or User plane that spawns at the airport on startup of FSX will not sit on the Apron correctly. If and when you run into this problem the fix is to preload a Airport header with the exact same information (elevation) as found in your ADE.
 
My workaround is to create a altimeter file with FSX Planner and put this in a very first order. Then I flatten the area around the airport with ADE. I have trouble with FSX KML if I would flatten airports.
In some cases ADE is better than FSX Planner in some not.
ADE knows more scenery objects I can manage (delete default objects for example) and can flatten with polygons. Because FSX Planner can set the altitude directly and the management of background pictures is much more user friendly I think.
 
jvile said:
It works from a visual standpoint but any AI or User plane that spawns at the airport on startup of FSX will not sit on the Apron correctly. If and when you run into this problem the fix is to preload a Airport header with the exact same information (elevation) as found in your ADE.
Click to expand...

Ahh I see :) I didn't know that, but it does in fact explain some funny behavior I found when using this method at a small airfield I was working on yesterday (not a stock-airfield, but a new one made from scratch)

I had to change the altitude the 'xml-way' because my first entry when I created the airport turned out to be a bit off, and after that my aircraft fell into an invisible hole when I reloaded FSX. However I just thought it was because I had so many different programs open at the time, and on top of that it was late and I was tired, so I thought it was a ram-memory issue with my computer and didn't really think more of it. And I haven't had time to continue work on that airfield since that happened, but I imagine the aircraft could have fallen into the invisible hole because of what you explain here and not because of ram-issues after all :)

Well, I'm new to ADE and still in the early learning phase of it :)
 
I'm also absolutely new in creating scenery and changing airports. But I have spend a lot of time in testing tools...
I've found that FSX Planner is very easy to use. You can create only a altitude bgl and you can easy import GE Images. On the other side ADE shows me more scenery objects and allows to flatten scenery around an airport witch is not possible with FSX Planner (or I have not found this option!?)
If I can wish me something it would be nice to manage background images like FSX Planner and get the possibílity to change the altitude of the whole airport :)
 
jojolino said:
I'm also absolutely new in creating scenery and changing airports. But I have spend a lot of time in testing tools...
I've found that FSX Planner is very easy to use. You can create only a altitude bgl and you can easy import GE Images. On the other side ADE shows me more scenery objects and allows to flatten scenery around an airport witch is not possible with FSX Planner (or I have not found this option!?)
If I can wish me something it would be nice to manage background images like FSX Planner and get the possibílity to change the altitude of the whole airport :)
Click to expand...

Of course each utility has it's strengths and weaknesses. Often if comes down to user preference and how they work. Use of on-line images is part of the future development for ADE and the current version being tested by the beta team does indeed allow the changing of airport altitude.
 
I'm really lost. I'm running ADE v1.20 and I'm having the same runway altitude problem, but that's just the start of it.

I can't figure out how to flatten terrain with ADE (is it possible? jojlino's post seems to indicate it is), so I flattened it with SBuilder and then built my airport over the same area in ADE, but my runways are at 0 altitude.

I tried to do the XML work-around, but I can't find the "exoprt to xml" option in the settings/option/general tab.

The only tick-boxes I have in that tab are "locking disables editing", "auto-set parking and and apron link surfaces", include approaches" and then "normal", "detail", and "full" under the "logging level" heading.

Am I missing something? I've been fighting with this all day and my brain is starting to hurt. :confused:

Thanks in advance for any advice!

BTW. ADE is a great tool. I never thought it would be so easy to build a whole functioning airport for FSX! Bravo!
 
bfifteenv said:
I'm really lost. I'm running ADE v1.20 and I'm having the same runway altitude problem, but that's just the start of it.

I can't figure out how to flatten terrain with ADE (is it possible? jojlino's post seems to indicate it is), so I flattened it with SBuilder and then built my airport over the same area in ADE, but my runways are at 0 altitude.

I tried to do the XML work-around, but I can't find the "exoprt to xml" option in the settings/option/general tab.

The only tick-boxes I have in that tab are "locking disables editing", "auto-set parking and and apron link surfaces", include approaches" and then "normal", "detail", and "full" under the "logging level" heading.

Am I missing something? I've been fighting with this all day and my brain is starting to hurt. :confused:

Thanks in advance for any advice!

BTW. ADE is a great tool. I never thought it would be so easy to build a whole functioning airport for FSX! Bravo!
Click to expand...

Yes you can create a flatten in ADE. No you can't set runway altitude yourself. Because FS needs flat airports the altitudes of things like runways, starts and so on need to match the airport altitude. Are you trying to change the altitude of a stock airport of make a new one?
 
Well, first update to vs.1.22. Then make a poly. That tool is the green button near the center of the tool bar. Follow carefully the directions in the manual on how to make a poly. Once the poly is completed, you will be faced with many options: flatten and exclude autogen are only two. Play with them all.

Bob
 
bobbyjack said:
Well, first update to vs.1.22. Then make a poly. That tool is the green button near the center of the tool bar. Follow carefully the directions in the manual on how to make a poly. Once the poly is completed, you will be faced with many options: flatten and exclude autogen are only two. Play with them all.

Bob
Click to expand...

But please remember to draw the polys in a clockwise direction :)
 
What if all my clocks are digital? Sorry, bad joke. I never thought about direction. I might have made some counter, but I'm not sure.

Bob
 
bobbyjack said:
What if all my clocks are digital? Sorry, bad joke. I never thought about direction. I might have made some counter, but I'm not sure.

Bob
Click to expand...

not a bad joke at all ;) There is a bug in 1.22 that causes a reverse image of polygons to be created if drawn counter clockwise. This bug is fixed and will be available in the upcoming release
 
Come to think of it, I did get one land class poly that must have covered a hundred square miles insted of a hundred square feet.

Bob
 
bobbyjack said:
Come to think of it, I did get one land class poly that must have covered a hundred square miles insted of a hundred square feet.

Bob
Click to expand...

Yep - that is the bug and caused by drawing counter clockwise
 
Thank you!

Since version 1.25 it is possible to change the altitude of the airport too. Thank you for this opportunity! :)
 
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