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FSXA Airport Parking Utilization Analyser

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Angelus1971

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I've got my own utility to transfer FS9 AI traffic to FSX and I then use Traffic Database Builder to compile the flightplans.

When I use your AIFP2 tool on both the original FS9 data and the FSX data, I get a lot more AI flying legs, which I'm really happy with.

Can you explain how your tool manages to supply more AI than the M$ tool when using the same data please?

And for a little request if I may. When using the TDB, I can log all the errors like "Not enough Spaces At An Airport" etc. I use this data to know what airport AFCAD's need to be enhanced and updated etc. Can we have log options in AIFP2 which would give us this info and some of the other TDB log options which we're used too.

Thanks
 
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G

gadgets

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Can you explain how your tool manages to supply more AI than the M$ tool when using the same data please?
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AIFP includes in the final traffic file every leg in the source data. TDB applies filters e.g., if a leg does not specify sufficient altitude, TDB drops it. Does AIFP put in any legs that are not in the source data?

When using the TDB, I can log all the errors like "Not enough Spaces At An Airport" etc. I use this data to know what airport AFCAD's need to be enhanced and updated etc. Can we have log options in AIFP2 which would give us this info and some of the other TDB log options which we're used too.
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I've never used TDB for any practical work. In fact, it's shortcomings are the reason I wrote AIFP in the first place.

Re logging a la TDB, AIFP gives you the opportunity to print most error messages, saving you from sorting through a bunch of messages in a log that may be of no interest. In the several years AIFP has been around, no one (until now) has requested error message logging. So I have to wonder just how useful it really would be in AIFP. (I did receive several requests for printing error messages though.)

Re other features of TDB, AIFP is a much more powerful tool than TDB. Perhaps since you're new to AIFP, you haven't yet discovered all its features - some of which may do what you used to with TDB but in a different way or under a different name. That being said, if you would tell me exactly what you want AIFP to do (I have no intention of emulating TDB), I will consider adding some or all of that functionality.

Don
 
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Angelus1971

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The messages I'm looking for would be the log of airports which have no space for the a/c. TDB tells you if there are not enough spaces, I then try and look for updated FSX afcads so that I can get better landing slots etc
 
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gadgets

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As I said earlier, I don't use TDBB and haven't for a long while. But, a quick review of its documentation doesn't suggest it does quite what you seem to be asking for.

But that's neither here nor there. The ability to analyse a given airport with regard to adequate parking for one or simultaneous use of two or more traffic files does seem like a useful feature. But, it requires intimate knowledge of how FS assigns parking - for FS9 its straightforward, for FSX less-so (I understand there's a random factor). If anyone has details on the FSX parking assignment algorithm, please pass them along.

I'll give the feature some thought, but I'm not hopeful it can be done other than a simplistic since, since doing otherwise relies on knowing the exact start-up time of the sim and probably other factors.

Don
 
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Angelus1971

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TDB creates a log file of all the errors it encounters during compilation and at the start of the file it tells you if there are enough spaces at the airport for each particular aircraft.
 
G

gadgets

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TDB creates a log file of all the errors it encounters during compilation and at the start of the file it tells you if there are enough spaces at the airport for each particular aircraft.
Click to expand...
Yes. But most people have more than one traffic file active at any one time. So, telling you about one file in isolation (presumbly, TDBB tells you only about the file you happen to be working on) may not identify problems that would exist if you started the sim. And, it certainly dosn't take into account startup time which, if varied by only a few minutes can have a significant impact on parking utilization.

When you asked for
the log of airports which have no space for the a/c
Click to expand...
, I assumed that's what you wanted, i.e., where will there be problems on your system when you run a selected set of traffic files or, if you wish, all the traffic files enabled in your Scenery Library.

Give me some time to think about it. If it can be done at all (reliably), it's going to be complex.

Don
 
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Angelus1971

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You've just given me an idea.

Since my tool converts FS9 flight plans to FSX ones, what would the outcome of combining all the FSX flight plans together firstly Before running the combined file through TDB be???

Must try this. I do have many traffic files like most people. I'm wondering if that affects the sim in any way as opposed to just having the one big file like the default.
 
G

gadgets

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You could certainly do that using AIFP's Merge function and keep trying to compile in TDBB until TDBB will do so error free. But, won't TDBB try to change departure times to enforce a minimum 45 minute turnaround? And, I recall, it will change altitudes when its (very coarse) elevation database thinks you are trying to fly through mountains.

Actually, a consolidated file may be slightly more efficient in FSX since there are fewer files to manage. But, If you ever want to edit, you're faced with editing a "monster file" - which AIFP can do, but things take longer.

Don
 
G

gadgets

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The more I think about it the better the idea of AIFP incorporating an analyser of airports parking utilization based on a user-selected set of traffic file sounds.

I'll start serious work tomorrow and should quickly discover whether or not my idea is feasible.

Don
 
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