How to create a new landing strip

[zelmo]

Greetings!

There's a place in Wyoming where I go camping every year. I thought it would be fun to create a new landing strip there -- nothing fancy, just a modest gravel runway, a small ramp area, and maybe one small building.

An important feature would be the ability to "find" this new strip -- like giving it a fake airport name and entering it into the GPS receiver, or maybe placing a VOR there so I can navigate to it.

In the default FSX scenery, this area seems to be fairly level, but completely covered with dense trees, so I'd have to clear an area first. This cleared area would have to be somewhat larger than the landing strip, in order to acommodate our camping area.

Ideally, I'd like to place a couple more scenery objects at the fringe of the clearing, like maybe an actual picture of our camper, or any tent for that matter.

So, what (hopefully inexpensive) program with a very short learning curve should I use? Are there any tutorials here, or elsewhere, that might help me get started?

All help appreciated.

-zelmo-

[fsfilmworks]

the FSX SDK's that came with the deluxe version should help you there and it's free if you have the Deluxe version...

Also at www.fsdeveloper.com is a program called KML2XML or something which will convert data you generate within Google Earth (not imagery but vector data) and that can help you create an airport boundary...

In terms of airport design, AFX is available at flight 1 www.flight1.com and is probably easiest to use, there's also flight planner and ADE both of which do similar things...

Also SBuilder I've heard does this type of thing as well as well as SceneGenX...

The easiest two tools though would be the KML tool and AFX... The only cost in all the above is AFX... The other two flight planner and ADE are free but you may not find quite as intuitive...

[dcmiller58]

I have had this same urge to do some landscaping in back country locations.

It's really not that hard.

I use AFX since it is simply AFCAD2 for FSX but...and this is a big but...the freeware AFCAD2 files will work just fine for a simple field in FSX. That is how I did the first versions of my fields.

The biggest task is not the creation of the field, however. There are three phases to creating even a simple field. (I am going to make up some terms here...be patient with me)

1. At the terrain level you need to create a flat space for the field called a "flatten_exclude" and the two tools you need are FSX_KML and TCALC. Go to fsdevelopers.com and browse around. You will be making this file in no time.

2. At the facility level you create the airfield. As I said, a simple field can be made with AFCAD2 but if you think you will enjoy this work I would get AFX. It supports some features that are unique to FSX and it will generate an "exclude" to remove autogen for you. It just won't flatten the terrain as you need in step one.

3. At the scenery level you will add hangars, buildings, docks and such. Instant Scenery works well here, another Flight 1 payware.

You will definitely need the Deluxe version of FSX to make the terrain level change. If you don't have it you might get someone to volunteer to make the file for you and simply email it to you. I think you also need it for AFCAD2. There is a little program that compiles your work in a scenery file that comes in the SDK. In FSX, the only way to get that is to buy the Deluxe version.

Or, if you will post the coordinates and maybe a screenshot I would be willing to knock the whole thing out for you if you just want a simple grass/dirt strip, etc.

Let me know.

[dcmiller58]

I meant to mention that a field created in AFX will have it's own ID for FSX that will show up in the airport list and also on the GPS.

Link to FSX KML: http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6366

Link to TCalcX_002 and .net files needed to run it: http://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4273

TCalc is attatched as a zip in second post.