simple task;change airport name - no result

[adr179]

I tried something really (should be)simple today: for one of my airports of interest, I tried to change city name to reflect current status and tried to add state. This is a stock airport and resides in folder 0601/APX52150.bgl. As said, I changed city name and inserted state(county) name, saved my work and compiled my BGL and placed it first in Addon scenery\scenery folder. Nothing happened, like my file wasn't there, airport data was the same as default. Then I made a new scenery area just for this file, tried to change layers for that new area all over places, still no result - airport data stayed the same. The only way I was able to get my airports displayed, was to disable 0601 scenery area and only then my new airport displays expected info. Am I missing something here?

 

[jvile]

adr179

There are certain parts of the airport header that FS does not allow a normal change to. Airports are owned by MS and are protected files. We the user can enhance a airport but cannot change the stock airport without some extra code.

ADE shows certain data at the enhanced airport but FS reads the data at the root file. Names of airports and navaids such as ILS, VOR, NDB's, etc. are always read at the root bgl which we call fallback.

For the header (ARP) to change you have to make a preload airport header and then the name change will be honored.

Start ADE/load airport and in Tools "change airport altitude". Change the altitude by 1 ft and make a note. Save and compiled.

Now in the Scenery\World\scenery folder there will be a new airport header XML and bgl. Open the XML and make changes to the name, city, state, etc. and also change the altitude back to the correct value (-1ft).

Save the XML and drag it over the BGLcomp compiler to give you a new Airport header bgl. Copy that back into your scenery\world\scenery folder.

Open your ADE project file and reset the altitude back to the original.

We make a altitude change to get a XML and bgl into the world\scenery\folder. Once you make changes to the XML in that folder and compile we have to reset the altitude back to the original.

The Go To menu in FSX will now show your new name change since we are preloading the ARP and reading it before the 0601/APX52150.bgl.

I will see if Jon can add a list item for just name change (city, state, etc.) in the header. Presently we have to make a change to the altitude to get a XML and once that is done change the altitude back again.

 

[adr179]

Thanks Jim -
please send me your address, since this one is worth at least

a box


But since I'm a bit lazy sort of guy, I tried to write it in xml directly, figurnig out what's the absolute minimum that'll compile and here's the result for others that may also need it- with ADE procedure there's too much fiddling with data to and fro, too much space for mistake, but final result can't be much different:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<FSData
   version="9.0"
   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
   xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="bglcomp.xsd">
   <Airport
      country="COUNTRY"
      state="COUNTY"
      city="YOUR TOWN"
      name="AIRPORT NAME"
      lat="46"
      lon="15"
      alt="67.004M"
      magvar="-1"
      trafficScalar="0.95"
      airportTestRadius="5000.0M"
      ident="XXXX"
      >
   <Services>
   </Services>
</Airport>
</FSData>