It's just the inefficiencies of the ATC system of the sim. Unchanged for over a decade. You could at some airports shorten the runway link to where the runway entry point is so that the AI will no longer backtrack, or just live with it at those smaller airports.

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It could be that I need to add a dedicated taxiway link up to the end of the runway, rather than just letting the AI planes use the runway link to get there.....

Surprisingly, this worked! I have been building and modifying AFD files for years, but until today I had not noticed that adding a direct taxiway link between the HS node and the end of the runway can solve the problem of AI planes being told to "hold short, caution the (aircraft type) on the runway". I have just tested this at UK2000 Belfast City, and the second AI plane was allowed to taxi up to the HS node and request departure clearance without being forced to stop short!

It is interesting to note that at UK2000 Exeter Xtreme, the AI planes are held short before they even cross the runway to get to the departure point. I already have a direct taxiway link from the HS node to the end of the runway at this airport, so I will have to think a bit harder about that one.....

EDIT: I have just checked the NATS AIS website and (as I suspected) the airliners at Exeter airport do not use taxiway Foxtrot (north of the runway) when using runway 26 for departures. They must hold short at "C", and then backtrack up to the end of the runway. It looks like another AFD file modification is upcoming I always wondered how a 737 got its wings past that windsock

Edited October 10, 20187 yr by Christopher Low