Flight Plans Question

Simmers,

Is it possible to create flight school flight plans where the AI aircraft of the flight schools do their usual circular touch and goes?

Here in Central Florida there are several flight schools which have their students doing touch and goes at several airports throughout the day and evenings after dark.

At KMLB there is the Florida Institute of Technology Flight School in their white over red PA28s and C172s as well as twin engines for more advanced students.

Just "up the road" is a flight school at KCOI which uses white over blue PA28s and twin engine aircraft.

Just "down the road" at KVRB there are a couple of schools which use all white PA28s.

Do either FS9 or FSX allow for AI circular touch and goes?

Thanks,

Lee

Hi Lee,

Yes but there are limitations due to the respective sims AI engines. Flight plans can be created using AIFP3 - see HERE the download link for the tool is at the bottom of the page - this is a free tool that works for both FS9 and FSX. It is important to note that both sims handle AI traffic slightly differently and you will need to create individual files for each sim. That said, you can create one for say FS9 and then convert for FSX use using the tool.

First, it is important to understand how AI works with regard to what happens when it take offs and then returns to land, the associated 'timings' and how it will affect the AIs ability to carry out Touch and Goes (TNGs).

Basically, when created, a AI flight plan automatically sets some 'time related' incidents, including a period (window) of time for engine start, taxying etc prior to take off and an estimated 'scheduled' arrival time based on data derived from the AI model config files. This arrival time also includes a period of time allocated for taxying to parking.

This is important to understand because the TNG function as provided by the tool, causes the aircraft to perform TNGs from the time it initially arrives in the vicinity of the destination airport until its schedule arrival time. If the time is to short the aircraft will simply land without conducting TNGs. So you will need to adjust (i.e. override) the calculated arrival time using the field provide.

Creating a flight plan from an airport (KMLB for example), that have aircraft taking off, doing TNGs and then finally landing back at KMLB is relatively easy.

However, having them take off from KMLB, flying to another airport (KVRB for example) doing circuits/TNGs and returning to KMLB in a single flight is not possible. The flight plan would need to be created using two legs -

leg 1 KMLB to KVRB with TNGs enabled.

leg 2 KVRB to KMLB.

During leg 1, once the scheduled arrival time is reached the aircraft will land at KVRB and taxy in.

Leg 2 will then have the aircraft taxy out for take off and return to KMLB.

A limitation here is that, if the designated departure time of leg 2 is to close to the arrival time of leg 1 it may cause issues and fail to load

I sometimes set a TNG plan, be careful with the times of the TNG, as a rule I only do 4 mins, if you do any longer the AC can do lots of TNG's and it can get monotonous plus stopping other AC from landing causing go arounds.

Also if you do IFR they usually just do a missed approach, they never touch where as a VFR do touch but sometimes can go heywire and make an approach then fly off to neverland.

I have found as well if there are mountains near the airport in question it is best to do IFR, then ATC will guide you aircraft above to the hills/mountains but if you do a VFR the AC will fly in to them.

2 types of TNG as well where the AC takes off from airport A and does circuits and lands back at airport A like a training flight, the other type they take off from airport A and fly to airport B to do TNG's then return to airport A, these are the ones I normally do remembering to only do 4 min from arriving to depating with your TNG, with the 4 min they normally do 2 TNG's then ask ATC to change destination and return to base.

Col.

I did a simple plan using the default Baron, not on part 1 I ticked TNG on part 2 I unchecked it, plus only did 4 mins between arr to depart.

after the 2nd TNG the AC will ask to change destination and return to KMLB.

Part1

Part2