How to create AI-flightplans

[Mr.E]

Now I have a problem that I have been trying to solve for days, but I don't manage to fix it! The plane does not turn up at the gate! If anybody could check my files and see if somethings is wrong, it would have benn nice of you!

 

[Difar]

Without delving into the files, the airports in question (I did not see a file for these ) all have plenty of parking spaces, spots that are big enough to accomodate your equipment and can get from the active to the spot?

 

[Mr.E]

Thank you! It was a problem with the airfield, now it is fixed and everything works fine!

 

[Tanocapo]

Guys i have some questions ragarding traffic differeces between FSX & FS9.

This weekend i downloaded: FP_FS9_FSX by Peter van der Veen & AI flight planner by Don Grovestine.
My first question is regarding this two tools: are any of these tools working with the new FSX traffic format? Or are they still "simulating" TTools? What i'm interested in: when i decompile my traffic files: are they in XML or in FS9 format?

My second question is: what's my best option: a large file with lots of airlines in it or many bgls representing each file airlines, regions, countries etc?
I ask this because i thought, in the first example, it would be easier to modify if i get full of parking spots. In the second example i should modify every bgl who shares the same airport, right?

My third and last (for now ) questions: is there a tool that compile/decompile with the new FSX traffic format?

Thanks in advance
Tanocapo

 

[bertvk]

hi Tanaocapo,
I think a lot of your questions are anwered in the AIFP Helpfile part 1.4

Regards
Bert

 

[Tanocapo]

hi Tanaocapo,
I think a lot of your questions are anwered in the AIFP Helpfile part 1.4

Regards
Bert

Thanks Bert!! I'm searching that info right now!!

 

[JohnG]

AIFP is certainly generating FSX traffic files - not pseudo-FSX files. The proof is to leave the default FSX traffic file running (make sure it is running) and add your new traffic file. If the default still shows up, you've generated an FSX traffic file. If the default traffic disappears, then you have created an FS9 traffic file. One not of caution - make sure that you are looking at an airport that has both default and FSX traffic - default traffic will still show up at airports that your traffic file doesn't touch - regardless of what type of traffic file you have created.

AIFP makes it easier in other ways, as well, as it doesn't use an airports.txt file - it uses the whole FSX database. It can generate an airports.txt so that you can publish your set of files, but that really is not necessary for the tool to work.

 

[Tanocapo]

Thanks for the tips, John! What i'm gonna try to do next is to eliminate from default traffic the fictitious airlines and leave GA traffic.

Thanks again!!

 

[Gypsy Baron]

Thanks for the tips, John! What i'm gonna try to do next is to eliminate from default traffic the fictitious airlines and leave GA traffic.

Thanks again!!

Another option, the one that I use, is to download
real world liveries for the default aircraft ( 737,747, A321. etc )
and substitute those textures for the "World Airways"
and others. Just be sure to keep the "Title=" line
the same in the aircraft.cfg file but replace all
the other lines with the data included with the
texture downloads. Then you'll have "real" airlines
along with your own AI traffic.

Paul

 

[Mr.E]

I get this error message when I try to complie my AI:
test_schedules.dat(26) : error: "IFR" is not a valid schedule period

can the problem be that the airport does not have ILS? if that is the problem, how do I solve it?

I also have another problem: wf_schedules.dat(47) : error: Flight from ENVD to ENSH requires at least 1.29 hours for Wideroe SAS Dash8 100

here is my flightplan:

DH8A-2,LN-WIL,1,ONE_WEEK,IFR
{
61145,ENSH,150,0810
61221,ENBO,150,0811
61310,ENRA,150,0765
61357,ENVA,150,0765
61530,ENNM,150,0746
61617,ENVA,150,0747
61730,ENST,150,0726
61838,ENBO,150,0726
61933,ENSK,150,0892
62022,ENTC,150,0892
62125,ENHF,150,0936
62221,ENAT,150,0936
62259,ENVD,150,0936
}

as you can see I have given the "error-flight" more than 12 hours, but it say that it need more than 1,29...

 

[Mace]

DH8A-2,LN-WIL,1,ONE_WEEK,IFR
{
61145,ENSH,150,0810
61221,ENBO,150,0811
61310,ENRA,150,0765
61357,ENVA,150,0765
61530,ENNM,150,0746
61617,ENVA,150,0747
61730,ENST,150,0726
61838,ENBO,150,0726
61933,ENSK,150,0892
62022,ENTC,150,0892
62125,ENHF,150,0936
62221,ENAT,150,0936
62259,ENVD,150,0936
}

Remember, you need to look down a line to get your departure time for that leg. Based on your plan you posted, your Dash8 is leaving ENVD on Sunday at 11:45 am.

It is scheduled to leave ENSH at 12:21 pm. That only gives it 36 minutes to fly from ENVD to ENSH. I don't know what distance that is, but it's probably not enough time.

-----------------

Also remember that the compiler wants 45 minutes downtime between flights. (I wish it didn't, because it really hinders these sorts of short "air taxi"-type flights).

-----------------

Other than that, it looks fine, and I don't know what could have caused the IFR error thing. I've made plans to fly to non-ILS airports all the time and I think I used IFR no matter what, with no problems. I'll check on that when I get home.

 

[Mr.E]

thank you! those problems have been fixed, but now I have a new one. The TDB says that there is not enough pariking space at an airport, but it is! This error only occur at the last flight to one airplane.

BTW Mace; I think you should add this guide to the Wiki!

 

[Mace]

thank you! those problems have been fixed, but now I have a new one. The TDB says that there is not enough pariking space at an airport, but it is! This error only occur at the last flight to one airplane.

I have noticed this sometimes, too.

You should experiment with the traffic scalar value that is in your airports.dat file. I honestly have never done this! The TrafficToolBox SDK says that this value (set to 0.70 for ALL airports that I've ever seen) has something to do with the "busy-ness" of the airport. It MAY have some effect on the parking issue. Then again it may not.

The caveman workaround I always do, is to keep adding appropriately-sized parking spaces in the airports.dat file, until the compiler quits complaining.

For example, if TDBB says "not enough parking for Boeing 737 at KLAX", then I add a couple of 18 meter parking spots to KLAX's entry in my airports.dat file. Problem is always solved that way. But as far as delving into "why" and "what can I change to fix", no I have never done that.

I'm guessing, the compiler must be doing a complex series of comparisons, between the # of spots, vs. the plans already processed...

This is why I would like MS to publish complete documentation of their utilities next time around. That will probably never happen though, for fear of reverse-engineering and copyright problems.

BTW Mace; I think you should add this guide to the Wiki!

Do you think it's worth doing? I always learn new things when I am doing this. For instance there are FS people who can tell you all about the traffic scalar, and how it affects TDBB. Things like that worry me, because it tells me there is still a lot I do not know about the way TDBB works.

I remember I kind of wrote that up off-the-cuff, very quickly. I am sure there are things that could be re-worded for clarity, and so forth.

 

[Mr.E]

OKEY, i Shall try...

I have noticed this sometimes, too.

Do you think it's worth doing? I always learn new things when I am doing this. For instance there are FS people who can tell you all about the traffic scalar, and how it affects TDBB. Things like that worry me, because it tells me there is still a lot I do not know about the way TDBB works.

I remember I kind of wrote that up off-the-cuff, very quickly. I am sure there are things that could be re-worded for clarity, and so forth.

I think it is better to have a very good, but perhapes not perfect guide in the wiki than to not have a guide in the wiki at all!

 

[Frankis]

I have noticed this sometimes, too.

You should experiment with the traffic scalar value that is in your airports.dat file. I honestly have never done this! The TrafficToolBox SDK says that this value (set to 0.70 for ALL airports that I've ever seen) has something to do with the "busy-ness" of the airport. It MAY have some effect on the parking issue. Then again it may not.

The caveman workaround I always do, is to keep adding appropriately-sized parking spaces in the airports.dat file, until the compiler quits complaining.

For example, if TDBB says "not enough parking for Boeing 737 at KLAX", then I add a couple of 18 meter parking spots to KLAX's entry in my airports.dat file. Problem is always solved that way. But as far as delving into "why" and "what can I change to fix", no I have never done that.

I'm guessing, the compiler must be doing a complex series of comparisons, between the # of spots, vs. the plans already processed...

This is why I would like MS to publish complete documentation of their utilities next time around. That will probably never happen though, for fear of reverse-engineering and copyright problems.



Do you think it's worth doing? I always learn new things when I am doing this. For instance there are FS people who can tell you all about the traffic scalar, and how it affects TDBB. Things like that worry me, because it tells me there is still a lot I do not know about the way TDBB works.

I remember I kind of wrote that up off-the-cuff, very quickly. I am sure there are things that could be re-worded for clarity, and so forth.

Gday all
Another little thing I discovered is TDBB will generate "Not enough parking" if there isn't a runway Long enough Or of the right surface for the aircraft at the airport.
Regards Frank

 

[ElwoodSMac]

Thank you for the step by step!!!!!

Hey I wanted to say THANKS!! for the step by step. I took me some tries to get it right but I now have a working custom flight plan. I have even been able to get a FA-18 to take off and fly a IFR route.

I have been playing around with getting a Bell Heli to do the same but so far have not found the right combination. I was wondering if anyone else has done this??

Thanks Elwood....

 

[filzehit]

Thanks for your guideline. My problem on compile :
"unable to find slot for touches and goes at LGKN"
Some idea ?

 

[bobbyjack]

What tool are you using to generate AI traffic?

Bob

 

[Amam]

AI aircraft vanishes

Hello
I hope you can help me on this one, because, in my modest knowledge, I do not know what to do more.

After doing all the things that Mace instructed, I acomplished to have my ai aircraft on the parking spot at the hours it is supposed to be...but then, no pushback,no taxi, it simple disappears.

I tested on a stock airport (Lisbon) and it does everything, ok.
So I think its a problem with my airport but I do not know what causes the problem.
My links (parklink,taxi and runway are ok) I think, because when I load the scenery several times , I get several AI aircraft on the same parking place, then one vanishes and the others taxi to the runway start ok but then stay there forever.

Does the airport needs to have anything else to work properly - ILS,NDB,Fuel etc...???
Thank you in advance

 

[GHD]

Does the airport needs to have anything else to work properly - ILS,NDB,Fuel etc...???

You need to have a continuous taxiway path from the parking spot to the runway centre-line (black line in Afcad2, AFX or ADE) and you need to have a hold-short node on that path no more than 68 metres from the runway.