AI aircraft and runway surfaces

I am making Kotzebue PAOT for FS9, which does not have a control tower, and I have noticed that AI aircraft seem to prefer the east-west asphalt runway to the north-south gravel one, even when the wind is 16 knots from the north. In fact "seem" is an understatement, they fly as if there is only one runway. To head off the inevitable question, I have checked and both runways and all taxiways are connected and there is nothing preventing them using the gravel runway. Is this normal? I think it is the first time I have made an airfield that has the two surfaces plus adequate runway lengths for both.

AI are unaware of runway surfaces.

Roger,

 

You posted the same problem at AVSIM and I reacted to it there.

 

Hans

Hi,

 

If the runway is ILS equipped FS will use it preferentially, until the adverse wind becomes very high, sometimes over 30 kts.

When I changed the wind to 170 degrees and 16 knots I checked it. FS9 confirmed when in slew mode that the wind was from 170. The windsocks showed it as from 170. Planes still used 08 for take off, and incoming used it for landing. Even planes parked beside the 17-35 gravel runway and that had to use the gravel runway as part of their taxi route taxied off to 08. FS9 recognises and lists both runways for you to select the one you want to use for takeoff or landing. The taxi route to 17-35 works fine, as demonstrated by planes using it in the opposite direction to reach 08. The only difference between the two runways is that 08 has ILS.

 

Tom Gibson wins the prize! Annoying preference that. At least I can stop scratching my head now.

As Tom above says to change the wind direction normally works but if not try closing the runway for takeoff with AFCAD or ADE which ever you prefer.

Alaska Airlines is using 737-400s there according to flightaware.com. Another airline is using Cessna 208s which might use the gravel runway if non-conflicting and if VFR exists. However, AI will not discriminate AFAIK.

It works as Tom said. If the wind speed is 30+knots and from north or south then they all switch to the gravel 17-35. Most of the non-GA planes flying from PAOT (Ravn, Bering, etc) go to outlying villages etc and they land on short gravel runways at their destinations so that's ok. The exception is the twice-daily Alaska Airlines 737, and the gravel runway is around 1,500 feet too short. The only solution to that is for users to make sure that when the 737 is due to land or takeoff then the wind has to be less than 30 knots. I will be posting it this week.

Did you use the crosswind technique on the runways ?

As a pilot I am aware of how to land with a crosswind, if that is what you mean? But the problem was with AI planes which ignore crosswinds and fly as if there is no wind.

Did you use the crosswind technique on the runways ?

 

I think he means the "crosswind" runway technique that inserts short narrow pseudo runways about every 7.5 degrees between non-parallel runways to make them appear simultaneously active as parallel runways operate in FS. He is not referring to the the weather wind direction.

 

This also has been referred to as the "star" runway technique. Those pseudo runways are centered out of FS's effective airport boundaries way out in the polar boonies so as not to be used by ai.

 

The tutorial in .zip format for downloading is in this folder here:

 

http://www.scruffyduck.org.uk/filemanager/navega.php?PHPSESSID=4e168eed2f260affdf4b92fa1862dd82&dir=.%2FTutorials%2FAirport%20Design

New to me. Anyway, once Tom told me why, there was no problem that cannot be solved by whoever uses the scenery.