Have you ever tried to use a downloaded flyable aircraft for AI and found it didn't work?

I have discovered a quick and dirty way to turn flyable aircraft into satisfactory AI aircraft.

First I test the the aircraft. I have created a touch and go flight using TrafficTools at my home airport to test the aircraft of interest as follows:

Aircraft_Test.exe
  AC#1,350,"enter title of aircraft here"

Airports_Test.exe
  KROW,N33* 18.09',W104* 31.83',3668

Flightplan_Test.exe
  
AC#1,N0000,10%,4HR,VFR,00:00:00,TNG01:00:00,045,R,0000,KROW,02:00:00,TNG03:00:00,045,R,0000,KROW

My home airport of Roswell (KROW) has a 13,000 foot runway so it is ideal for testing all kinds of aircraft.

Whenever you want to test an aircraft just enter its title into the title block in the Aircraft_Test.exe file and compile the flight.

I also have a special parking space near the runway (parking type GATE_LARGE and parking codes TEST) so I don't waste a lot of time watching it taxi. To ensure the aircraft under test parks there I give it a parking code of TEST and a parking type of GATE_LARGE.

Save a test flight in FS2004 to start you off at the airport where you are conducting your test flights.

Now call up your test flight and your test aircraft should be ready to roll.

I watch it taxi out, take off, fly the circuit, approach, and land. If it performs to my satisfaction I change the parking codes to what they should be and it's ready to go.

Sometimes, however, the aircraft will fail to take off and roll off the end of the runway; or it will take off but continue flying in a straight line without turning crosswind into the pattern; or fly an approach but not land, or land so hard it disappears. These aircraft need to be modified.

I use .air and aircraft.cfg files from proven AI aircraft. The examples here are for military aircraft but you can change them to your own preferences.

Remember, we don't care about the flying characteristics in the cockpit since these aircraft are only going to be used in AI flights.

For all AI fighter and attack type aircraft I use the .air file and the aircraft.cfg file from Henry Tomkiewicz's F-16.

I put the files in a folder I titled AAI_Fighter in my FS2004 aircraft folder so it would always be at the top of the aircraft folder.

I renamed the air file AI Fighter.air.

Now, go into the aircraft.cfg file and remove the aircraft block [fltsim.0], the lights block [LIGHTS] and the contacts point block [contact_points] block.

When you find an AI aircraft that misbehaves rename its aircraft.cfg file to aircraft.org. Then copy the .air file and aircraft.cfg file from the AAI_Flighter folder to your aircraft folder. Now, copy the aircraft data [fltsim.0], lights data [LIGHTS}, and contact points data [contact_points] from the aircraft.org file to the new aircraft.cfg file. Change the 'sim=' line in the new aircraft.cfg file to 'sim=AI Fighter'. Now retest the aircraft. It should fly a satisfactory pattern. I have found a couple that didn't, but they were very few and far between.

For my cargo and bomber aircraft I used the air and aircraft.cfg files from the Project AI KC-135R.

As I said, we are not worried about flying characteristics from the cockpit here. All we want is an AI aircraft that takes off, flies, and lands in a satisfatory manner. This procedure almost always makes that happen.

You can do this for airliners and GA aircaft too. Just use the air and aircraft.cfg files from any aircraft that does perform well as an AI aircraft.

Noel Sivertson
judge@zianet.com