How do you activate a runway if FS9 wont use it

I have an add on KOAK airport that FS9 will not use 2 of the 3 runways at all.

I've tried adjusting the take off/landing options using the AFCAD program with out success.

So How can I make the FS9 use then.

(small aircraft parked near these runways have to taxi to the other side of the airport after landing or for takeoff)

I would use Airport Design Editor not AFCAD which is not current and can destroy certain features. It is freeware (except for a "pro extention) and can be obtained here:

 

http://www.scruffyduck.org/airport-design-editor/4584106799

 

Check runway properties for fit ( length, width, etc., and runway permissions). Using ADE lets you examine the approach layer which affects AI especially in IMC conditions. FS will not recognize ILSs added with AFCAD.

 

Check that the runways have START locations. Check for broken links. See what the designer intended.

For parallel runways both with ILS, FS ATC will use the runway closest to the approach path of the aircraft, not where the plane will end up parking. If only one has ILS that will increase its chance of being used. Note that non-parallel runways are chosen only if there is a wind pointing that direction. You can use the X-wind runway technique to fool FS into using all the desired runways at one time, but it still will not guarantee the use of a specific runway. That said, if all runways are considered parallel FS should route departing aircraft to the runway with an extended centerline closest to the plane's parking place.

Tom is correct in saying that all Ai aircraft will prefer to use a runway that has ILS, even though another runway is correctly aligned for a headwind landing, and even though they may be a Cessna 172 that cannot use the ILS. But, if you raise the wind speed to over 30 knots the ai Cessna 172's will then use the runway that can provide a headwind.

In FS's runway scoring, a tail wind component landing to a certain limit as determined by aircraft type is allowed. Yet another factor in FS's complicated runway assignment procedure.

... FS's complicated runway assignment procedure.

 

Ah, that brings a chuckle. Some years ago I learned, and I use that term loosely, the use of some airport editors in a futile attempt to alleviate some of these idiosyncrasies. I finally decided there is either a large random factor involved or we are victims of the most sadistic ATC ever devised.

 

My inbound course will have me aligned almost perfectly with a nice wide long runway with ILS; I radio ahead for landing clearance and am invariably vectored to the most inconvenient runway to my current course that they have, usually one shorter, narrower, and with no ILS.

 

Or I sit in line for millennia waiting to takeoff while a fleet of aircraft land, one gets to takeoff, we all move up one space, and wait on another dozen landings ...while two other perfectly good runways sit unused.

There is an ADE forum on FSdeveloper.com. There are several posts regarding runway scoring particularly by jvile (Jim Vile). Forum registration is required but no charge.

 

Also check the tutorial section of the ADE product site for any papers regarding this.

 

On FSdeveloper search using runway priority and runway scoring.

 

If you wish to have a more integrated take-off/landing operation to reduce the queue, try aismooth and or a iseparation. There is a post somewhere about combining the two. I use just aismooth alone.

 

Don't forget about the mad ai rush for take-off and landing due to FS allowing a wide catch-up window for ai to meet there schedule when a flight is first loaded. Load a parked flight and it takes a while to set up an aircraft (complex) so when the ai all start taxiing and arrival come in a cluster some will get dispersed during my setup.

 

Where multiple runways are to be used you can modify the airport for the "star" or "crosswind" runway technique which uses psuedo runways placed about seven degrees of heading apart so they look parallel to FS allowing simultaneous use. A tutorial is also on the ADE forum and while not automatic ADE can in part create the separated psuedo runways. These runways are kept narrow and short and get move way out so they do not visually appear in FS. Unfortunately they will appear in FS's runway selection list.

 

Radar Contact in creating its scenery data will ignore the short out of area psuedo runways.

 

Because of the confusing scoring RC 4.2 and newer. looks at what the ai are doing and those patterns get priority in assigning the user aircraft runways. I don't know about other ATC applications.

 

If you are using a TCAS gauge look ahead at destination to see if a better runway choice is not conflicting with traffic and request it from ATC approach control.

 

One thing primarily in FSX but may occur in FS9 is that global weather writes by some weather applications are used base on the weather immediately around the user aircraft. This means that the airport winds constantly change as the user aircraft works the approach pattern. If the weather app allows for locking destination weather within the proximity range of the user aircraft try setting that.