GA AI Aircraft Needed

[allardjd 1,853]

I'd be appreciative for some links to sites where I can download AI aircraft for FS9. I've been to most of the places I can think of and find mostly jetliners and/or Install-Our-Complete-Package type of things, neither of which are what I'm looking for.

 

I just want the individual aircraft files, not "packages" and not necessarily flight plan files. I have a project in progress and the flight plan files are being created as part of it.

 

I'm mainly interested in getting a good collection of light to medium GA types, piston singles and twins and possibly lighter turboprop types but not in commercial liveries. Anything up to about the class of a King Air would fill the bill, but ultra-lights need not apply. US registrations are preferred but I'm not going to be too picky about that.

 

Thanks,

 

John

[rob16584 42]

How about here?

http://www.ultimatega.com/library/

[simi_av8r 0]

John, how'd you get on with your AI GA search, anything of real value?

Rob - checked out that link, not really anything of interest... for me at least, but was worth the look anyway, so :thumb:.

[allardjd 1,853]

No, I haven't found much lately. Freeware AC usually work OK, even though not specifically intended to be AI. Even with those, however, 737s and A330s are as thick as fleas on a hound dog, while GA types seem to be pretty scarce.

 

John

[simi_av8r 0]

John, i think i might have something for you!!

An all but fruitless search made me desperate, i really didn't want to have to create a multitude of AI flight plans for each and every one of my GA aircraft, so i began clicking every link i could...after about 45 minutes this morning i almost gave up, but then i stumbled upon this:

GA AI-Traffic Maker for FS9

so i looked a bit deeper, and even came out with one for FSX made by the same developer, you can access the FSX one from here!

I've had a go with the FS9 version today, on first boot it loads all of your installed airports (be sure to use TTools 'collect airports' to make sure you have them all before launching the AI application). I then selected the GA models I want to use as AI, assigning them a type (standard, bush, amphibian or ski), a category (private, club, student, business, taxi, or rental) and the AC parking requirements (GA small through to Military and Large Cargo) - this was a little time consuming, but i'm sure it will pay dividends with my traffic - the program then goes away and uses Lee Swordy's TTools to compile the flight plans and send it all over to FS.

Only my next foray into FS9 later tonight will see if it's worked!

[allardjd 1,853]

Simi,

 

It sounds great - going for a look now. Does it also create a text flightplan file? I'd definitely want that.

Thanks for the help on this.

 

John

[allardjd 1,853]

That thing works pretty nicely. It doesn't add any GA AC that you don't already have (my original quest), but uses what you've got and seems to populate pretty much every airport in FS that has parking spots with some random traffic. It co-exists peacefully with both default and add-on traffic from other traffic programs, creating its own bgl file that TTools uses to roll everything together.

 

It's very cusomizable and though that is a little tedious if you have a lot of AC you can do pretty much anything you want. Best of all, you can re-compile its flight plan as often as you care to and will get a different mix of traffic each time (I think).

 

Nice find, Simi.

 

John

 

EDIT: I've looked at a few airports and so far I like what it did. The results are credible, though I think it may have sent traffic to some airports that have no parking. I watched one land on a small grass strip and disappear today.

It does create a text format flight plan file that you can edit and re-compile. That is found in the folder where the app is stored, under C:Program Files, if you accept the default install.

 

So far this looks like a pretty good tool. It used many of the AI aircraft that came with my traffic program too. You set a maximum weight setting and it selects everything below that MTOW, but lets you edit the list too, if you want to.

 

JDA

[simi_av8r 0]

sounds like it did the trick John, glad to have helped...now at least we can get some credible GA traffic in the sim, FINALLY!

I found, like you, that if the airport has no ramps, and traffic arrives, it simply taxis off and disappears. I'm downloading ADE9X to see if i can edit the few GA airfields and private strips locally to me and get some ramps inserted...i think your airport charts may help with that task also!

[allardjd 1,853]

I use both ADE9X (freeware) and AFX (payware from Flight1). Both are quite good. ADE9X has the advantage of bringing in and displaying buildings, which I'm including in the more recent diagrams I've done. For actually editing airports, I prefer AFX, which seems to be a direct upgrade of the old AFCAD freeware product, with much added including the capability to open and edit FSX airports as well as FS9. It's look and feel are virtually identical to AFCAD. Both products can handle either FSX or FS9 airports. The inability to do that was the biggest limitation of the old, reliable AFCAD.

 

Now, where can I get some more freeware GA aircraft? They don't have to be dedicated AI - flyable types work as well.

 

John

[simi_av8r 0]

I use both ADE9X (freeware) and AFX (payware from Flight1). Both are quite good. ADE9X has the advantage of bringing in and displaying buildings, which I'm including in the more recent diagrams I've done. For actually editing airports, I prefer AFX, which seems to be a direct upgrade of the old AFCAD freeware product, with much added including the capability to open and edit FSX airports as well as FS9. It's look and feel are virtually identical to AFCAD. Both product can handle either FSX or FS9 airports. The inability to do that was the biggest limitation of the old, reliable AFCAD.

Like i say above, i just started with ADE9X...and actually i really quite like it. I'm adding parking and aprons that are missing from the AFCADs already...brilliant!...oh, and i think you're missing a plate for Booker Airfield/Wycombe Air Park (EGTB), so i'm doing it from within FS using Slew Mode!

Now, where can I get some more freeware GA aircraft? They don't have to be dedicated AI - flyable types work as well.

it depends what you're after John. Currently, my hangar consists mostly of classics like the Auster J1, Beagle AOP9 and Miles Gemini just to name three of many many more i have! Among the less frequently flown i have classic Cessnas like the 170 and 195, alongside the common Pipers right through to Grumman A5's and Robin aircraft... so tell me, what's your flavour?

edit: some good models here John...

[allardjd 1,853]

Quote

...i think you're missing a plate for Booker Airfield/Wycombe Air Park (EGTB)

 

OK, I just did EGTB and added it to the airport diagrams post in the Flight Planning section.

 

John

[simi_av8r 0]

...i think you're missing a plate for Booker Airfield/Wycombe Air Park (EGTB)

OK, I just did EGTB and added it to the airport diagrams post in the Flight Planning section.

John

John, great stuff, many thanks, looking great!

Do you copy the default FS layout when creating the plates? The only reason i ask is that the default FS is not correct to the fullest capacity [when is it ever!?!]. The runway alignments are correct, although the 3rd grass strip (gliders only) is missing entirely, as are the GA parking stands, apron and taxiways. The control tower is also misplaced, as is the fuel station!

I guess with what you get from FS, the end result produced here is perfect, as always - great job john, and much appreciated!

[allardjd 1,853]

Simi,

The basic graphic is just a screen shot of the FS9 airport as it looks when opened in ADE9X, suitably cropped. I enhance the coloration of the paved areas, disregarding the actual surface type and making the runways slightly darker than the taxiways and aprons and setting the buildings to black. Concrete in particular renders too light and washed out if I don't do that.

 

The rest is just copying the text out of FS and arranging that around the image, labeling taxiways, IDing navaids on or directly associated wth the airport, etc. I can do a simple one in less than 15 minutes, though a big international airport takes a while longer.

 

Sorry about the missing and/or misplaced items. I don't try to dress these up from RW data, mainly because I want them to be useful to the largest possible number of FS users. I try to make sure they depict what the user will see when he flies there in FS. If you enhance an airport in your own FS or load an add-on, you can make your own diagram. The first post in the thread where I have the diagrams contains a link to the how-to article.

 

John

[simi_av8r 0]

.......Sorry about the missing and/or misplaced items. I don't try to dress these up from RW data, mainly because I want them to be useful to the largest possible number of FS users. I try to make sure they depict what the user will see when he flies there in FS. If you enhance an airport in your own FS or load an add-on, you can make your own diagram. The first post in the thread where I have the diagrams contains a link to the how-to article.

John

John, please don't worry about it. I only thought i'd mention it as they were the exact same reasons I've chosen to update the airports AFCAD with the missing/misplaced parts myself!

If it proves a success, I'll release it for all to use...and I'm even considering letting out my new found skills to complete/correct other small airports that are wrongly produced in FS!