>Jim,>>I also beg to differ. I have done many experiments and while>this usually works, there is *no* airline preference. If I>create American, United, and Continental gates with the same>(large) radius, I am not always sent to the gate that matches>what I am flying. In fact it is rare if I have many such>spots.>Tom What the SDK says does not work with FP's compiled with TTools. Only if the FP is a true TDBB type FP (not converted to TTDB) will the parking of User Plane be forced to the correct parking spot the way MS entended.My solution with TTool compiled FP's is to create a parking spot smaller then the .mdl of any other type Airliner. Southwest flies B737's so all the parking spots as per the standard PAI recommended radius that most of us use is 23M. If ALL parking spots at HOU for SWA are 23.1 meter and I set my SWA to a model.mdl to 20.0 meter and parking spot to 20.1 meter no B737 can park in my reserved spot.When ATC sees my SWA in the aircraft.cfg and my 20M model.mdl it always sends me to the cooresponding 20.1 meter parking spot at the SWA Terminal.I do not use the xxxx's that Reggie does. NO SWA B737 with a model.mdl of 23 Meter can park in my SWA reserved spot. I code the 20.1 Meter parking spot as SWA which is the same code in my aircraft.cfg. that in itself tells ATC to send me to that assign parking spot and no other SWA AI plane. There is only one absolute when it comes to parking. A model.mdl radius of 23 meter cannot park in a parking spot less the 23 meter. Why not use that to our advantage for the User plane we fly which is what I do. I do this for many many airports and for all the livery's I fly including Delta and KATL. My parking spot is always reserved and empty when I arrive and that is the one ATC sends me to. But I also have enough overflow with no Parking spot ICAO code so those parking spots have a lesser resistant value for ATC to use.Using a true TDBB FP for the AI and User Plane you always go larger in parking size as per the SDK.Using a TTool FP for AI and User Plane you always go smaller in parking size then all other Gate coded airline /aircraft.cfg.I do agree it would be much easier if the hardcode for parking a User Plane was the same as a AI Plane but it is not so we must force FS not to use a certain parking spot but send us to it when we arrive.

Hi,I'm using PFE for ATC and I am quite happy with it. One of the new features is that you can program a specific gate for ATC to send you on arrival. So if you can keep that gate free (using AFCAD) then you'll be allways assigned the same gate at your favorite airport by ATC.http://www.oncourse-software.co.uk/pfe.htmHope this helps Jos

For anyone who does not wish to use the fine PFE program - which is payware - there are now two "Guides" available - one for FS2004 and one for FSX which show how to set up VIP parking at any airport.This is a link to the FS2004 file:http://library.avsim.net/search.php?Search...4misc&Go=Searchand this is to the FSX file:http://library.avsim.net/search.php?Search...xmisc&Go=SearchHope you find these guides helpful.

>Unfortunately the answer is no - ATC will only direct AI>aircraft properly if the AI aircraft and the Afcad for the>airport have been properly configured. Even that will>occasionaly not work properly. >>You are basically "on your own" for aircraft you are flying. I>think most simmers just ignore ATC and park where they wish.>>>>That's not true, at least not on my system. If the AFCAD is properly setup, and there is an available space for the size aircraft your flying, and the following lines appear in the fltsim section of the aircraft.cfg file, ATC will assign the proper gare for the user aircraft. Works for me in FSX, as it did when I flew with FS2004.atc_parking_codes=JBU - (JetBlue example)atc_parking_types=GATE