• 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.

Permissions

heclak

heclak

Messages
32
Country
singapore
Hi guys,
when starting out a scenery i guess you guys would probably try and go down to the airport to take some pictures. But since airports are usually restricted areas. How do you guys get to it. Lets say you e-mail the admin officer there to explain stuff. What do you tell them? "Hi, i'm here to take photos to make scenery"?? i think he would just be confused. How do you go around such matters. I think this is one issue that deters people from going down and getting accurate information.
There's an airport that i would like to make but the lack for data is killing me. All sat imaging online has that airport covered in clouds. Google Earth is my only source but its hard to make stuf just from one source. What a coincidence.. The lack of photos has also left me hanging. I learnt flying there for awhile so i remember stuff but not accurate enough for me. Is it possible to take aerials yourself by flying up there and shooting down? is it really that hard? That would explain the lack of data.
well. its seems that this is becoming quite a rant. Cheers guys, and may more scenery come our way.

Cheers,
Hector
 
Hi Hector,

That is a difficult question. First of all I think it depends on the size of the airport a lot. For most general aviation airfields I have experienced the the airport manager is more than willing to help you. But for the bigger airports it can become quite hard to take photos. In that case it would help if you know people that work at the airport and can help getting clearance to take the photos.
 
I've always had a good response from smaller airports, normally I phone whatever airport management I can find and say I'm coming, then visit them and any security I can find when I arrive. They're normally quite happy to help, as they are normally quite proud of their airport. When you first make contact, if you mention any web resources, such as screenshots of other projects, they are happy to ask for email contact, in which case theydon't have to make a decision right then, they can figure out what you are doing at their own pace.
Security are normally your best best -- they've always been quite happy to slap a yellow vest and a pass on me and take me airside shooting from the car window.
My current project -- which I'm just packaging up -- is Wellington International Airport, and access was a different matter. When I first phoned them, I was transferred from person to person and nobody would really take responsibility, although everyone was interested. In the end I was given an Airside Security contact, who asked that I email my requirements. Initially I was told that access would be simple, but would take a few weeks. In the end I emailed and said I was visiting the airport on a particular date, and would just turn up. The contact agreed to this, having softened his rather negative first reaction. Unfortunately on the day there were a number of problems, with two other airports fogged in and a lot of extra traffic at Wellington, not to mention, a faulty radar, so I decided not to bother them. Luckily I was able to get enough resources from a day's photography around public areas -- including shooting through terminal windows wherever I could get access -- plus an aerial shoot in a helicopter -- quite expensive, but worth every dollar if you get a good pilot. You need someone who is willing to go exactly where you want, and 'park' it there for a minute, then zip to the next location.
I've also done good photoshoots from a fixed wing aircraft, but this can be trickier. Ask to have the door taken off, and get the pilot to bank right over the top of the airport so you can shoot straight down -- this solves a lot of visibility problems. Getting straight-on simplifies the process of mapping aerial pics. Don't expect to get the equivalent of orthophotos over a wide area, though, leave that for the professionals!
My projects are mainly payware, but I believe that the results you get depend mainly on the success of your actual visit to the airport, and your first-hand resources. I spent a total of 4 days in Wellington, shot 2000 photos, and took 2 helicopter flights, one over the airport and one over the city.
You can see my latest project here
Incidentally, yesterday was a different situation. I spent the day at an airport I've designed before at the invitation of some folk who work there, a combined flying school and flight simulator company who wanted some additions to the scenery. This is an entirely easier job, with full access to airside, the use of their aircraft, including a helicopter dropping me off on the tarmac just in time for my return flight:)
 
Thanks guys,
i'm mainly focusing on small fields. Sadly, its within an ex military airbase now converted. But photography is still highly restricted. Talk about paranoid. I might find a chance to talk to someone. Maybe someone can come up with a template for an e-mail/letter to send to authorities. That would help many curb the administrative issues. I might look for my ex-instructor to look for someone i can speak to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top