• Which the release of FS2020 we see an explosition of activity on the forun and of course we are very happy to see this. But having all questions about FS2020 in one forum becomes a bit messy. So therefore we would like to ask you all to use the following guidelines when posting your questions:

    • Tag FS2020 specific questions with the MSFS2020 tag.
    • Questions about making 3D assets can be posted in the 3D asset design forum. Either post them in the subforum of the modelling tool you use or in the general forum if they are general.
    • Questions about aircraft design can be posted in the Aircraft design forum
    • Questions about airport design can be posted in the FS2020 airport design forum. Once airport development tools have been updated for FS2020 you can post tool speciifc questions in the subforums of those tools as well of course.
    • Questions about terrain design can be posted in the FS2020 terrain design forum.
    • Questions about SimConnect can be posted in the SimConnect forum.

    Any other question that is not specific to an aspect of development or tool can be posted in the General chat forum.

    By following these guidelines we make sure that the forums remain easy to read for everybody and also that the right people can find your post to answer it.

P3D v4 Parking spots for the float or amphibious aircrafts

Messages
128
Country
france
Question to the techies....
I am trying to set up various very basic seaplane or waterdromes destinations, not for AI, but only to make theses locations easily available to start a flight, or available as destinations for a flight planning.
My main trouble is that if I create whatever type of parking (ramp GA, dock GA or whatever), it is OK for the floaties, which dance softly into the water, but the amphibs are staying proud and glorious on their landing gears... on the water surface.
Any way, tip or trick to sort that issue without modifying each aircraft? Any specific parking spot?
Thank you for your comprehension and assistance
Blue skies
 

tgibson

Resource contributor
Messages
11,327
Country
us-california
Do you mean you cannot park a flyable amphibian onto a parking spot at your destination? Do you have the grear up at the time? Or you cannot use a parking spot as a start location in the Go To Airport dialog? In this case was your gear up as you moved the aircraft? Or you cannot load the sim with an amphib at a parking spot? In this case was the gear up when the Flight was saved? I'm confused...
 
Messages
128
Country
france
Tom,

Thank you for your return.
The sim starts OK. Using the scenario screen, I select a parking at the water aerodrome I have created using ADE, I select an aircraft, let us say a DHC2 (a true float), or a Goose (amphib) both copied and pasted from my FSX backups, or a D18S floats or D18S amphib (Milton's versions), the sim displays the aircraft at the parking spot of my own little scenery. Just, the float will be at his normal location on the water (floats into water), whereas the amphibious will show gear down and wheels on the water surface.
Now if I move the amphib slightly left or right, or out of the parking spot, landing gear returns to gear-up position, and the floats or hull of the amphib will be into the water.
If instead of a parking, I select directly a runway, then the amphib aircraft has floats or hull in the water.
I assume using any type of parking spot will automatically call for gear down when the aircraft has one...

My water aerodrome contains just but some kind of jetty or dock, water runway(s), and some parking, to have start locations when selecting this airport, nothing else...
Just to summarize, I can depart from the dock with a true float, and from a runway either with a float or an amphib, without issue. If I want to start from the dock with an amphib, no other choice than moving it slightly from the parking spot to have it displaying into the water (an not above the water...).
I guess I can save the appropriate start situation, but did not try so far
Can live with it, but was just wondering if there is any method to avoid this for amphibs...

Have a good day

Blue skies
Philippe
 
Messages
729
Country
unitedkingdom
As a matter of interest, have you tried using parking spots of type "Dock". I have never been sure what the purpose is of these - never used on myself - never tried using an amphibious type myself either.
 
Messages
128
Country
france
Yes, I have been using for various of these waterdromes Ramp GA, Ramp GA small, dock GA, fuel, but having various results depending on location, even when using same amphib. But so far, have to suspend my tests, as my P3Dv4.5 has gone crazy now (performing normal one hour ago...) and does not accept anymore any of these small water sceneries of mine... back to desktop when selecting any waterdrome.
Have to recheck later, using ADE 176 then 177 which are both instlaled on my system.
Blue skies
 
Messages
128
Country
france
Well,

Been investigating this forum, and found a suggestion made some time ago by Jon about some fishing cabins, namely to create an other start location...
And this looks to be the trick!

I first built my waterdromes with only a dock or jetty, and water runway(s) with appropriate runway starts, naming these starts by their heading (for instance 09, 27, SW without other indication, as these sceneries only contain water aerodromes...). But it was not always easy to locate the dock when on hold at a runway end.
I then tried adding a parking spot near the dock or jetty, but no taxiways to the runways. This seemed to work.
But since I upgraded very recently to P3D v4.5, P3D finally decided to just crash to desktop with that sort of scenery. So I guess it is more sensitive to scenery "deviations to the norms"...

Following Jon's suggestion, I replaced the parkings by a start location (Add / Other Start), selected WATER as Start Type, let the rujnway nbr as 01, and putting NONE as runway designator.
In P3D's selection screen, this start isshowing as 1 (water), which I know being the dock location.
This is the only way I have found so far, and both floats and amphibs show floats and hulls into the water, no landing gear issues.

Just to let you know

Thank you to both of you

Blue skies
 
Top