GA airfields: Fuel trucks and other vehicles?

[freddy]

I have my airport vehicle density slider set up at around 33% in the display settings screens ...

I have Traffic 2005 installed (with all the upgrades and patches to make it work with FSX). The AI traffic is all working and is fantastic. I am very happy. My airports (both major and minor GA airfields) all have wonderful jetliners and GA traffic etc. The major airports also have fuel trucks, push-back vehicles and other general day to day vans and trucks etc that you would expect to see at major airports.

So my major airports have fuel trucks and vehicles. However, my GA airfields are all devoid of fuel trucks and vehicles. The lack of fuel trucks and vehicles at the GA airfields removes some of the immersion and realism for me.

Is it possible to get the same sort of vehicle activity at the smaller GA airfields? Should my GA airfields already have vehicle traffic by default? Perhaps I missing a setting or something?

Any help or suggestions welcomed.

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Edit: I read in another post that the airfield needs to be set up with truck parking areas and vehicle taxiway information ... but that sounds like an AFCAD style change will be required. I am hoping it can be done without needing to make any changes with an AFCAD kind of program.
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[jvile]

freddy

Your edit is correct

At large airports there are 2 types of vehicles called based on several factors. A fuel truck is assigned to any parking spot that is coded Vehicle. These type parking spots are common at large airports but many GA Airports do not have them. The smaller GA airports normally have a Fuel station with a trigger box that you taxi the User plane up to.

When I enhance a airport including a GA I add several Fuel Trucks to the airport with the ADE utility.

Parking spot to Parking spot type vehicles

These type vehicles are autogen and are a random call based on several factors. They will not normally show up at the GA airports. In order for FSX to randomly call these parking spot to parking spot vehicles the airport MUST HAVE parking spots that are coded as GATE or CARGO. Do not confuse that with Pushback Tugs. The more GATE and CARGO parking added to a airport the more autogen type vehicles will randomly generate when FSX loads (based on slider position).

Most GA airports do not have parking spots coded as GATE or CARGO so regardless of the slider position nothing will show. Also a GATE parking spot adds 3 vehicles which are Pushback Tug, Conveyor belt and luggage vehicle. A CARGO parking spot will add only a Pushback Tug.

At my GA airports I normally add a few Parking Spots coded GATE and CARGO with ADE then place them somewhere on the Airport somewhat out of the main GA parking. When FSX starts a small percentage of parking spot to parking spot vehicles will travel around the airport visiting all the parking spots (including GA parking) for that airport.

hope this helps

[freddy]

jvile,

Yes, most helpful indeed. Thankyou for taking the time to write such an informative response. Especially going into the details about the differences with regard to vehicles etc based on RAMP, GATE, CARGO etc.

As much as it disappoints me that I have no fuel trucks and other vehicles at my GA airports, I can live with it now that I understand the reasons.

As for the refueling station and parking my airplane next to that for refueling, yes, I am familiar with that ... I often plan and fly very long flights with a number of "hops" from small airfield to small airfield, needing to refuel from time to time. Recently I completed a trip from the bottom west coast of Australia to the top east coast of Australia, right through the middle, in a Cessna 172. A trip that took me four days (actual real time, including daylight and nighttime flying). So I am familiar with refueling at those stations.

Once again, thankyou for your informative answer.
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