Old and new, fresh project flight simulator.

[Sim Pilot]

From the get go, the info worked perfectly. I also just uninstalled the ATC pack... reinstalled everything fresh. The steps and screenshots works for FS9. Here and there a screen looks somewhat different, but everything correspond. Tomorrow... sjoe, in a couple of hours I'll start fresh. My coordinates is also wrong but at least I'm in the mountains in my country. I'll fly to where I was suppose to be and get the better numbers. I'll leave my creations as they are now real special. This is an awesome tutorial and MUCH better than I ever saw on youtube!

 

Big thumbs up for il88pp !!!

[il88pp]

To get location spot-on, fly to location. Keep FS running. Start ADE. Click: connect. (at top right)

then (from memory): file--new airport--use current FS location.

 

(don't edit an installed airport with fsx running. But a new one or not-installed one is fine.)

 

 

Great to hear you have your first one made.:D

With ADE you can also add more to an airport. ATC frequencies tower, ground, etc. Buildings. And a few more things.

Happy Flights!

il88pp.

[Sim Pilot]

To get location spot-on, fly to location. Keep FS running. Start ADE. Click: connect. (at top right)

then (from memory): file--new airport--use current FS location.

 

(don't edit an installed airport with fsx running. But a new one or not-installed one is fine.)

 

 

Great to hear you have your first one made.:D

With ADE you can also add more to an airport. ATC frequencies tower, ground, etc. Buildings. And a few more things.

Happy Flights!

il88pp.

 

+1 ! I was actually quite close, Only a few minutes flight. What I do is to read the position from this screenshot, and create the runway first on the correct location also... where it's at the most flat. Once I have the altitude and location almost perfect... I'll add little things. Almost the same as the real when I want to show it to someone that the dimensions and stuff looks right.

 

No need for a over exaggerated small town airfield. Your write-up and screenshots can benefit a lot of people and it actually deserves to be place in a separate thread all by its own as a reference link!

 

I cannot thank you enough for your time and explaining it in such a way that it make sense to someone who don't use English as first language. It finally made the instructions crystal clear and I immediately saw and understand the areas I didn't get before!

[Sim Pilot]

Short video. Is amazing how easy this is once one get the how to... and having a great tutorial!

ATC on Advisory correct.

Runway's correct... maybe a bit wide. Length correct.

Heading correct and only coordinates wrong, but I'll get it!

After creating Ladismith, I'll do Stellenbosh, Then uninstall FS completely, reinstall fresh from 4 DVD's. Do the No CD thing... Add new airports ...DONE!

https://youtu.be/_rHvCZJ-ZUQ

[Sim Pilot]

Getting the mark, I'll use the method of setting a rifle scope into the fault. The first FA2L was by my car GPS numbers and the second, FA3L, the sim numbers. My next reading I guess by going into the fault, half way, and then I should hit the mark with 5 shots.

After that I can use the feature of the pro-key just to move my airport.

[Sim Pilot]

Tears of joy! 3rd try!

https://youtu.be/Mg4OR1mEFDo

[il88pp]

Looking good! (Watched the Vid.)

 

Bushes on RW can be removed with a polygon right around the runway. (and in it's properties selecting: Exclude Autogen)

 

Runway texture can be changed to gravel, grass, Bitumen, etc. As you prefer.

 

Using "connect to FS" you not only get the position just right, but also the elevation.

Getting elevation from the Map is tricky. Because the elevation you see there is including the height of the centre of the aircraft. (So it's too high, and it's difficult to figur out exactly how much.)

 

There is a vehicle in the library that shows only crosshairs in the sim. No plane or car, just crosshairs.

It has no height of it's own. So that is perfect for finding a location and altitude.

I never used it myself so I don't know the name of the .zip file in the Flightsim.com File Library. But if you use "Advanced Serach" in the File Library, and search for crosshairs, I think you will find it.

(If I find it later I will post the filename.)

 

I see you like using the map. I think you can gab the plane on the Map with the mouse, and then drag it to another spot. (In FSX that works, I assume in FS2004 also.)

 

Glad you liked the guide.:) Took a few hours to make, but clearly well worth it.:)

English isn't my first language either. Maybe that helped.;)

 

Great to see you managed to add Frequencies. That can be a tricky thing to get right. Well done. I'll drink to that.;)

 

Have a good one,:cool:

il.

[il88pp]

Found the file.

 

FS2004 (ACOF) - Misc.

FS2004 Scenery Pointer

Name: scnryptr.zip

Size: 27,744 Date: 05-22-2005 Downloads: 249

 

FS2004 Scenery Pointer. A "plane" for use with Ground2k4 that serves no purpose other than to be a pointer in slew mode, with the crosshairs at the point. By Larry Silsbee.

[Sim Pilot]

Haha.. The bushes will be gone soon. I removed the old airports and started to fine tune this one to the google image. The runway still a bit wide. The approach on the GPS and compass is slightly off, but the visuals looks right. Next up will be the parking, windsocks, fuel thing and minor adjustments... whereby the viewer of my airfield can see the real thing on the google image.

 

I have also updated Jon and thanked him for his time and patience with me.

 

The heading indicator and GPS bearing is slightly off 30, but the visual approach looks good and runway still a bit wide.

[il88pp]

If/when you want to add buildings to airports, get the 'big thumbnail pack for fs2004'. You can find that here:

http://www.scruffyduck.org/downloads/4584110854

 

With Ade you can add almost any default object you want.

 

The thumbnails are images of those objects. You add them in one of the folders in the Ade folder.

 

With them installed, when you select an object to place, like for example a Hangar, you see the correct image as a preview.

 

Be sure to read instructions on how to install.

Or if can't find clear instructions,

google: problem thumbnail pack fs

or google: install thumbnail pack fs

(searching fs instead of "fs2004" gives fs2004 and fsx results. The thumbnail install probably works the same for both.)

 

(by the way, google sees number different from letters. Searching fsx google sees fsx as a word and find texts wit that word.

Searching for fs2004 google does not see it as a word, but as fs and four numbers. It will even find texts wit only a 4 in them. If you look for something and want google to search for the 'word' fs2004 specifically, put it in quotes. "fs2004" Works great.

That goes for other symbols as well. Like "100%", etc.)

 

--------

once you have the default objects figured out:

in the File Library you can find: object libraries. (search word in library: objects )

other search word: Sidney Schwartz

He created many and with thumbnails included plus good install instructions in the 'readme.txt' file.

 

These add all kind of new objects that are not in default fs yet. You need to install the objects themselves as addon scenery. (they don't show up anywhere yet, until you place them somewhere.) The thumbnails go in Ade.

 

You can then place them on an airport with Ade. And with the objects installed in fs, fs2004 can load them and show them at the airport.

 

Such objects include: static people, static cars, bunkers, churches, diggers, sheep, moving bears, birds, just to name a few.

 

--------

about the difference in runway heading, that is probably because of the difference between True North and Magnetic North.

(most northern point on globe is not where magnetic north pole is.)

I wouldn't worry too much about that. Especially not as long as your runway heading ended up somewhere between 115 and 125. Any heading in that range is find to call rw12.

[Sim Pilot]

If/when you want to add buildings to airports, get the 'big thumbnail pack for fs2004'. You can find that here:

http://www.scruffyduck.org/downloads/4584110854

 

With Ade you can add almost any default object you want.

 

The thumbnails are images of those objects. You add them in one of the folders in the Ade folder.

 

With them installed, when you select an object to place, like for example a Hangar, you see the correct image as a preview.

 

Be sure to read instructions on how to install.

Or if can't find clear instructions,

google: problem thumbnail pack fs

or google: install thumbnail pack fs

(searching fs instead of "fs2004" gives fs2004 and fsx results. The thumbnail install probably works the same for both.)

 

(by the way, google sees number different from letters. Searching fsx google sees fsx as a word and find texts wit that word.

Searching for fs2004 google does not see it as a word, but as fs and four numbers. It will even find texts wit only a 4 in them. If you look for something and want google to search for the 'word' fs2004 specifically, put it in quotes. "fs2004" Works great.

That goes for other symbols as well. Like "100%", etc.)

 

--------

once you have the default objects figured out:

in the File Library you can find: object libraries. (search word in library: objects )

other search word: Sidney Schwartz

He created many and with thumbnails included plus good install instructions in the 'readme.txt' file.

 

These add all kind of new objects that are not in default fs yet. You need to install the objects themselves as addon scenery. (they don't show up anywhere yet, until you place them somewhere.) The thumbnails go in Ade.

 

You can then place them on an airport with Ade. And with the objects installed in fs, fs2004 can load them and show them at the airport.

 

Such objects include: static people, static cars, bunkers, churches, diggers, sheep, moving bears, birds, just to name a few.

 

--------

about the difference in runway heading, that is probably because of the difference between True North and Magnetic North.

(most northern point on globe is not where magnetic north pole is.)

I wouldn't worry too much about that. Especially not as long as your runway heading ended up somewhere between 115 and 125. Any heading in that range is find to call rw12.

I copy and pasted this in my folder. I'm now sorting doing all this in win 10. I cleared the installation on the win 7 pc not to get the errors of the removed old airports... the scenery errors. Success. My idea is to do the creations in win 10 and export the 2 files to the win 7 pc. I then don't install the 2 files on my FS version on win 10 till I know its working perfect in win 7. Win 7 machine I can manage... even reinstall the OS if I want. Not win 10!

 

Win 10 came installed on the new PC as part and parcel of the package and 10 is very demanding and just seeking a route to let you down. Getting FS9 to work in win 10 was also done by a great tutorial from a kid on youtube.

 

I can repair my balls-ups in win 7... and now seek a save route to do this in win 10. The paths for this is super sensitive and best to obtain the automatic correct paths is by installing FS from the original install pack. Dont have that... dont try this!

 

Soon I wil post screenshots of my final airport.

[Sim Pilot]

Very important and I don't know why...

 

In both win 7 and 10... Uninstall ATC pack from control panel. Reinstall MSXML after that fresh...

and airport will compile.

[Sim Pilot]

Video... Sorry for my poor English...

https://youtu.be/f5hmtUukOeE

[il88pp]

Reason is that "ATC Voicepack SDK"

uses a different version of MSXML

and somewhere in Windows that sets something.

That change in Windows then also makes ADE use the version of MSXML that "ATC Voicpack SDK" uses. And that version of MSXML is the wrong version for ADE.

 

I can't be sure how ADE works internally. I'm sort of guessing the following:

 

To compile, ADE takes your design and does compiling in two steps.

Design ---turned into--> .xml file ---which then is turned into----> .bgl file

 

The second step, the xml--->bgl step is done for FS2004 by the compiler that is included in ADE. (For FSX ADE makes use of the compiler in the FSX-SDK install folder. So for FSX, to use ADE to compile something, you need to install the FSX-SDK.)

 

But that first step. Design---turned into--->xml

is done by MSXML

Not by ADE itself.

 

And that must be the correct version of MSXML. Not the version that "ATC Voicepack SDK" uses.

[Sim Pilot]

Yes... What you say make sense! I tested it all the ways around, so if it wasn't for your FIRST comment about this... I dont know. Thanks for the Library input! From the screenshot, The mobile tower is there... runway more narrow, concrete and no bushes. the aspect of ratio start to look better! The ratios must be perfect for the environment and balance to the rest of airports of FS9.

[Sim Pilot]

My final Airport. Creating Stellenbosh should be easy now.

The small parking is where the plane start by default. Hence my own parking spot. Fuel bunker added and thin 3 meter taxi ways just to give the roads definition. Me happy.:)

https://youtu.be/_cHPXa2pUHk

[il88pp]

That vid was fun to watch/listen to. I think you said 'Awsome' at least ten times!:D Made me smile.:)

(Enjoyed your accent a lot too!)

 

Some small tips:

---

When you click on something to select it, you can right click and select "edit object". You can do that with almost anything. Even taxiways.

 

Different options appear for different type objects.

For example, a taxiway you can select to have "center lights", "edge lights", "a centerline", "edge lines", both, or none. (That can be assigned separate for each piece of taxiway.)

With that you could make your taxiway look ok on the runway.

 

---

If you make the connection to the runway-link, the lines will curve automatically and look much better.

(If it's not connected the taxiway centerline and edge lines stay straight.)

(*RED dot in my image 2 below is connection point. Runway-link should change color while connecting properly.)

 

Another way is to make a short bit of taxiway that goes from runway-link to the edge of the runway only and make that with no edge lines and such.

Then to that connect the next piece of taxi-link, outside the runway area, and make that one have the edge lines and such.

 

----

When you click the runway to select it, then right-click, and select "edit object", there are many things you can set too.

Pattern/Markings/Lights/ etc. (-see first image-)

So you can very easily have lights at your airport.

 

----

I can see you don't want an ADE Apron with cement or gravel at this airport.

If you want a parking and fueling area, but want to keep the natural color of the area in south Africa that's easy.

Just create a flatten in the right place. And no Apron. Simple as that.

 

Draw your taxi network first, then draw the flatten around it when you are done.

No apron needed.

I drew an example in "Paint".

 

If you want you could even add some objects outside the flat area. For example the tower and such.

 

Warning. You don't use "remove autogen".

I see why. But there's a problem when you do that.

 

At the moment you see a few bushes only.

But if you would set the scenery autogen setting higher in FS2004 there would be many more bushes suddenly.

Your settings in FS2004 are "crash detection Off". If crash detection is on, your plane will crash when you hit them.

With higher scenery settings, and crash-on you would be unable to land here.

 

I would at least add an exclude polygon to remove them from the runway.

Same is true for a taxi network off course.

It all works out well now. But imagine driving around there at night..... You won't see those bushes in time then!

 

 

------

Last tip is about saving.

I see you give every new version a new ICAO code (FA2L, FA3L, FA4L etc.)

You don't have to do that.

You can simply leave the icao code as it is.

Example:

If your first version fileset is:

FA2L_ADEX_JC.ad4

Icao= FA2L

compiled file is: FA2L_ADEX_JC.bgl

 

you can make the second version as:

FA2L_ADEX_JC_v2.ad4 (simply copy file in Windows, and rename in Windows by hand.) (Or in ADE use "save as" and save under a different filename.)

You will then work on:

FA2L_ADEX_JC_v2.ad4

Icao still= FA2L

Compiled becomes: FA2L_ADEX_JC_v2.bgl

 

That second version is then completely separate from the first, but still has the same ICAO code.

 

Close FS2004

Remove old .bgl from installed FA2L_Ladismith/scenery folder.

Put FA2L_ADEX_JC_v2.bgl in there instead.

Start FS again. Done.

 

 

But, doing great you are! You picked it up very fast.

I'm impressed you already managed to add the thumbnail pack, and also placed that nice movable tower object. Very impressing.

Very happy to see you having so much fun with FS.

 

Don't go worrying about all these minor tips now. Just keep them in mind for later.

Go fly, Enjoy your creation. Well deserved.:):D

Happy Flights,

il.:cool:

 

Oops, almost forgot the pics:

 

-----

img 1

 

-----

img 2

[Sim Pilot]

Thanks for the added info and I place them in my Tutorial folder... Don't work without it and follow your tips to the word. Specially creating Stellenbosh. FASH is a complex airport and a lot of taxi-ways, hangers and things to make it looks very close.

Stellenbosh is the base of the fire fighter aircraft that uses Ladismith runway.

Once again I'll use my time and be patient. I have two computers open and and your tutorial open on the one... working on the other. I'm real pleased with the result as I think its above expectation for FS9!

[Sim Pilot]

Finding location and coordinates for Stellenbosh on the sim. Then compare with skyvector and only place runway and elevation fisrt. Once my reference to scenery match with real world, I can start to build.

https://youtu.be/mX-yC5L1Wos

The visual reference I use is from the photo in my previous post. On the sim, I want to see Simonsberg mountain in the far, and the hull closer. Got that.

[Sim Pilot]

There is definitely something wrong placing the coordinates. I corrected the fault by finding the correct location by "eyeballing" the scenery with my previous airport.

For Stellenbosh the sim gave -33.5806 and 18.5035 alt 294 ft. Skyvector -33.5883 and 18.4937, 321 ft.

Thats close enough. After compile is far off. I'll eyeball this one also.

After loading FASH, it through my old airport off. Check on the other PC, still there,....

There is something not right in the following folder...

Tonight I'll just eyeball Stellenbosh to correct position.

[Sim Pilot]

I overlapped the two screenshots and saw the same offset to my first airport. I'm sure that's a round number. Just subtract that from the landing coordinates and you spot on. Better screenshot of my add on scenery folder... I'll figure it out...

[Sim Pilot]

Solution Coordinates problem. You will most probably have your airport at the wrong place as the number you enter is not the post of the airport. With my airport I constantly used the BH beacon. Doing Stellenbosch, I shot all over to work out a number sequence. Don't waste time doing that. Choose a reference about 30 miles from your new creation.

 

Zoom the map out. Move the minimum objects. Save each time. Once you have your location, the scenery is right, start building the airport.

[Sim Pilot]

Coordinates. It took me almost 6 hours to get FASH numbers as close as possible to Skyvector. When I had it... some scenery on the sim did't play along. I hope the screenshots is clear to see numbers.

 

The input numbers in ADE is completely different to the output numbers.

I'm happy now with the position and will start tomorrow building FASH.

[il88pp]

ahh, now I see what was the issue.

in ADE, you have the decimal coordinates.

In FS (and skyvector) the coordinates are in degrees, minutes and seconds.

 

there are sites online that can convert them for you.

[il88pp]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_coordinate_conversion#Coordinate_format_conversion