Are you tired of watching your AI traffic parked all alone on the apron with no ground crew vehicles to cater them? Fret no more my fellow flight simmers as your AI traffic aircraft will be accompanied by ground crew vehicles whenever they come to a complete halt.

This tutorial assumes that you're familiar with aircraft design in Abacus FS Design Studio Version 2.11. OK, here's how to add the vehicles. Design your aircraft and then design the ground crew vehicles and objects and place them in their appropriate positions. Now select the ground crew vehicle and go to its properties by pressing the F2 key. Locate the "PRE-PROCESS" window. Click on Add and then Condition. Now click on the preset button and select the "landing light switch off" preset. Now repeat the procedure and then select : "NAV LIGHTS OFF " and then, Landing Lights OFF, ENGINE 1 RPM=0, ENGINE 2 RPM=0. If the aircraft has more than two engines then you may add ENGINE 3 RPM=0, ENGINE 4 RPM=0 and so on. Please take a look at the screen shots to get a more clear picture:

Repeat the steps and apply these presets to each and every ground crew vehicle that you have designed. Now compile the MDL and use the aircraft as an AI traffic using Lee Swordy's Traffic Tools utility. You will see the aircraft with ground vehicles when it's parked and disappear when the aircraft starts its engines and taxis to the runway for takeoff.

Please bear in mind that I'm not an experienced designer and that there maybe better ways to add ground crew vehicles. So far I've had no problems. These rules also apply to "flyable aircraft" but you will need to make special SDL codes which will include the following presets using Mike Crosthwaite's SDL Editor:

1. Aircraft on Ground (True)
2. Engine 1 RPM = 0
3. Engine 2 RPM = 0

For now you'll have to do with AI planes only.

If you wish to see some great flyable aircraft with inbuilt ground crew vehicles, I suggest that you try out Jon Murchison's aircraft with "IN BUILT SCENERY" features.

Ali Mujtaba
ali_2128@yahoo.com
www.flightsimpakistan.com