Airport Design Questions: ATC/IFR Issues

[apollomaker]

Hello All! New to the forum.

Am in the process of adding a NEW airport to FSX using AFX to build the airport.
Everything is going well and functioning well, with two exceptions / issues which surely some airport-building veteran can help with.

The airport is equipped with full ILS capabilities. These function perfectlym as do all the other navaids which I have added. I have also added tower and other working frequencies using AFX.

The two issues I have are:

(1) For some reason, the ATC AI does not realize that the airport has an ILS system. It will not set me up for an ILS approach, ALWAYS A VISUAL APPROACH. This, in contrast, to the way all the default airports work where when you file IFR, you get set up for an ILS approach. I wonder what I am missing here with AFX possibly but I cannot find any clues.

(2) AFX provides for the programming in of many different types of comm frequencies. These I have programmed, including ATIS. Again, the AI in FSX does not recognize the presence of an ATIS frequency and possibly this requires something special???

Anyone else seen these issues when designing and installing a NEW airport??

Thanks for any clues in advance ---- Cheers

[apollomaker]

Well, after much experimentation, found out a couple of things.

1. The ATIS will become active if it is named properly with the airport designator. This was not pointed out in the "user manual" for AFX.

2. When you create (add) an ILS system with AFX, it is designated as a "user added" ILS as opposed to a "stock" ILS. Now, the question becomes how to get the FSX system to recognize the new ILS as being there. The problem also shows itself when you run the ATIS at your new airport. Any airport with an ILS will have it noted in the ATIS transmission. At my new airport, the ATIS information refers to a "Visual runway as being active" as opposed to mentioning at active ILS and the associated runway as stock airports do.

Damn. Back to more experimenting

[meshman2]

All an ILS does is send a radio signal that says "Here's the runway!"

If you want a functioning IFR conditions airport you will need to write approach code that properly routes the aircraft to where they pick up the ILS beacon. A look through AirNav for a similar sized airport as the one you're making should turn up approach and departure procedure charts for you to start analyzing.

[scott967]

there is an ils approach generator program which will create an ils approach that is "good enough" for ATC and AI "ILS vectors" approaches (ILS and GPS Approach Creator v1.0). If you want to follow an actual charted approach in the GPS you will have to work on the code it generates.

scott s.
.

[apollomaker]

Hello Meshman ----

Well, unfortunately, it appears that the ILS data for all stock airports is hardcoded into the terrain *.bgl files. This is why AFX differentiates between "stock" and "user added" ILS systems. I was hoping someone had written a utility that would allow the sim code to be recompiled including the new airport and ILS, or that possibly a module might be available to couple add-ons to appear as part of the hardcoded data for airports.

Does not look like it so far but never say never ---- that would be a very uselful utility since full integration of new airports and their systems would provide all of the full IFR routing and other features afforded to the "stock" locations in FSX.

My new airport is shaping up nicely and all systems are working fine, on their own. The ATC AI handles IFR flights but just treats them as all visual approaches. I just ignore the final approach and pick up the ILS for a great approach.

Thanks for the comments --- I keep hoping

[apollomaker]

Hello Scott ---- thanks for the tip. I will look that over. AFX, which is an enhanced AFCAD program, does a very good job of building the ILS systems and the airports (new) do show on maps and in the GPS with the ILS tracks also showing. The addon *.bgl file is taken in nicely to that extent. The only real break in the ATC flow, is that it does not know that the new airport has an ILS and thus, the AI does a good job of conducting the vectoring to the new airport and sets you up for a good approach but it is always a VISUAL approach ---- I am sure there is a solution out there somewhere

there is an ils approach generator program which will create an ils approach that is "good enough" for ATC and AI "ILS vectors" approaches (ILS and GPS Approach Creator v1.0). If you want to follow an actual charted approach in the GPS you will have to work on the code it generates.

scott s.
.

[jvile]

apollomaker

I added a post to the other thread you started.

Keep in mind that any User added ILS is a visual approach and ATC will close the runway if the airport becomes IMC. The visual approach that ATIS is announcing also means that all User and AI Planes are vertored to final based on .dll file code and not XML code.

The .dll code uses a predefined set of approach codes based on a 2000 ft AGL regardless of what the ILS approach charts show. Many AI Planes if you are going to use them will fall though the 2000 ft FAF floor since they have no XML hardcode to work with.

Once the Jeppesen Approach Plate is added into the approach database we tell FS not to load the original approaches in the default root bgl but to load the newly written (plus existing) approach codes.

Many airports that you can download from 3rd party airport designers also include the lastest RNAV(GPS) approaches that have the Transitions to the IAF for the ILS or other type approaches. That allows the User to add a STAR to the FP and then enroute ATC will honor the STAR and Approach ATC allows you to choose the Transition off the STAR arrival.

That means for some airports from certain airport designers you get vectored to the arrival entrance point of the STAR then you ask Approach ATC for the IAF Transition and then that takes you to the IF for the ILS which takes you to the FAF for the runway you are landing on. All of this is under the watchful eye of the default FS ATC system.

Do not expect any Utility to do this for you and has to be written by hand. The newest version of ADE that is in beta testing now will allow you to add these type approaches to the database. ADE will also add a automatic ILS approach that ATC understands if the airport designer does not want to use the approach Utility in the new version of ADE to write the approach from an existing chart.