Military AI Traffic operating from Scenery Aircraft Carriers

[Pierre_NC]

If possible, I would like to operate Military AI Traffic, either jets or props, from Scenery Aircraft Carriers on which I've designed the proper airports to receive such traffic. Unfortunately, the carrier runways are way too short to handle those aircraft landings and take-offs. Hence my question is : is there a way to to get those aircraft to land on and take-off properly from those carriers ?

 

Thank you very much for your kind cooperation.

 

Pierre_NC.

[llivaudais]

I used to do a lot of AI traffic back in the day with FS9/FSX but my preference these days is to use flight recordings instead. Yes, you have to fly the complete routes yourself initially but you could have more accurate-looking carrier ops, Search/Rescue patterns, crop dusters, sight-seeing 'tours', formation flying, air shows with aerobatics - the list isn't "endless" but you do have quite a list of things that are possible to record that you'd never be able to program with the limitations of the AI feature. I'd suggest FSRecorder if you can get it working. I personally used the flight recording feature of JoinFS in my videos (linked below; including a carrier landing in "

"). I've played a flight recording that was visible to others during a Multiplayer session, so that's an additional option; we use JoinFS for the MP connectivity ( FSX and multiple versions of P3D together).

 

I'd like to hear back when you find what works best for you...

 

Good Luck.

Loyd

Edited September 2, 2019 by llivaudais

[f16jockey_2]

I did some work on this a long time ago. A real nightmare.

 

Some findings before I gave up, I hope you'll have more success:

 

1) Setup the weather with headwind 24kts from the bow of the carrier, to simulate the carrier sailing into the wind.

 

2) Modifications in aircraft.cfg to enable STOL. Lower the empty weight, double the thrust :o.

Not the most subtle tweaking ever seen, I know. Maybe an FDE-wizzard can drop in.

 

[WEIGHT_AND_BALANCE]
max_gross_weight = 20450.0                      // (pounds)
empty_weight = 5000.0  //11700.0               // (pounds)

[jet_engine]
thrust_scalar = 2.0 //1.0

 

I gave up on this because I was never able to make the AI land on the wires, and launch from the bow cats.

No matter how I made my AFCAD, only the longest runway was used.

 

Take-off:

 

Landing:

 

Wim

[ColR1948]

I did some ai traffic years ago on a carrier, it wasn't jets but helicopters, it worked by the way.

As we have moved on a bit since those days what about using STOL type props, I've used those as ai on short landing strips and they stop almost on touch down?

Also you could use waypoints (invisible airstrips) to give the illusion of recon or rescue ops, this too I have done.

I have used rescue helicopers circling a ship with the aid of having a waypoint above the ship and the heli doing TNG's again giving the illusion of a rescue or recon mission.

If I'm off track on what you are trying to achieve then forgive me.

 

This was done years ago using a waypoint above the ship.

 

Col.

Edited September 2, 2019 by ColR1948

[Pierre_NC]

Hey Jockey,

 

All I can say is that your method works fine for me. Now my AI aircraft DO take off from and land on my scenery carriers properly.

 

Thank you so much for you help.

 

Pierre_NC.

[f16jockey_2]

Do you actually manage to let the AI land on the stern (the wires) and take off from the bow cats?

Or maybe using another type of carrier than the US angled runway type?

 

This is/was a finished chapter for me, but I’m starting to feel some kind of itch...

 

Wim

[Pierre_NC]

Hey again Jockey,

 

I actually use both angled runway and straight runway types since I use WW2 carriers such as IJN Akagi and modern carriers such as USS Forrestal. In all cases, my AI planes land on the stern wires. I do not use the bow cats for take off, that's because using cross-wind runways does not work on angled carriers, my guess is that's because the angle's not opened enough. No matter how hard I tried with the Airport Design Editor, it never worked anyway, so I use the same runway for both landing and take-off, meaning the AI planes start rolling from the stern to take-off.

 

Now I must be totally honest with you and confess that I cheat : I scale all my scenery ships, carriers and their escort at 2, thus doubling their size. That is why your method -empty weight lowered and trust doubled- works so well, actually : all runways are long enough to handle take-offs and landings. And also, it's much better for me to park the planes as there is more space to do so with the Airport Design Editor. There is a bit of clipping sometimes when planes, depending on their wingspan, are taxiing but it's not bad and does not bother me.

 

And I'm 100% happy with that.

 

Inserting a few screen shots...

 

By the way, don't mind my colors, they're all fictittious and so are the flight plans...