Last night I was attempting a flight emanating from FSDT's KJFKv2 which I have, but could not locate a single Heavy gate for the PMDG 747-8i. The drop-down choices, unlike other airports I have flown from in the -8i, are all vaguely named GA Ramp Large, or Small, or whatever, no proper gate demarcation say like UK2000's EGCC or EGLL. But when I select anything with the word 'large' in it, I get shunted to an apron with loads of other smaller aircraft around, not to a gate I want, as in the case of the pax version -8i. Ad then GSX----again another FSDT product----pops up with a red flag 'blah-blah..............too small for this aircraft'.

Anyone any ideas how to actually locate a heavy gate at KJFKv2?

Edited January 26, 20197 yr by vc10man
spelling typo

Rick,

BA use Terminal 7. You should be able to find a couple of large gates there. I agree the naming policy is ridiculous. It's done apparently to stop default airport vehicles encroaching. I don't see that problem at UK2000 airports though.

I just wish someone would supply an alternative AFCAD with correctly named gate sizes.

10 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Rick,

BA use Terminal 7. You should be able to find a couple of large gates there. I agree the naming policy is ridiculous. It's done apparently to stop default airport vehicles encroaching. I don't see that problem at UK2000 airports though.

I just wish someone would supply an alternative AFCAD with correctly named gate sizes.

Thanks for that Ray.

Precisely. If a small developer like Gary can get the gates nomenclatured properly, why can't others.

39 minutes ago, vc10man said:

Anyone any ideas how to actually locate a heavy gate at KJFKv2?

I had this problem too which is easy to change in the GSX menu (in SIM) and simply charge the Parking size to match your current aircraft wing span. And then just return to those gates you’ve modified the next time your go to JFK. At least GSX will work with your airplane.

However if you want to change the drop down gate selection wording to “heavy” from the SIM start up page you’ll need to use a 3rd party AFCAD editor tool. 

As Ray said there’s a reason the developer chooses to do it that way, another example is some 3rd party airports name all parking spots as RAMP rather than a GATE. My understanding is that AI airplanes will first look for a GATE before being assigned another parking spot. So yes all a bit strange. 

IM

25 minutes ago, Iceman2 said:

easy to change in the GSX menu (in SIM) and simply charge the Parking size to match your current aircraft wing span

Thank you for your suggestion, but that method am already au fait with. But what good is that when I am taken to a stand with several smaller Delta Ai aircarft like bees around the -8i? Point is, despite selecting SW Parking, thinking it'd take me to a Heavy gate, instead, I got taken to under a canopy. What? Canopy boarding for a pax flight? Never seen that in R/L never mind in a sim!

25 minutes ago, Iceman2 said:

However if you want to change the drop down gate selection wording to “heavy” from the SIM start up page you’ll need to use a 3rd party AFCAD editor tool. 

25 minutes ago, Iceman2 said:

At least GSX will work with your airplane.

Now you are talking, thanks. Can you kindly recommend such an Afcad Editing tool, please?

Agree there.

 

Edited January 26, 20197 yr by vc10man

1 hour ago, vc10man said:

Can you kindly recommend such an Afcad Editing tool, please?

Scruffy Duck ADE is what you need Rick. http://www.scruffyduck.org/airport-design-editor/4584106799

It's a bit complex to setup as you need to install the P3D SDK and then point ADE to it. But I'm sure a man of your skill will work it out.

You don't change the AFCAD you're working on. You generate your own and then rename the original to bg# so it's not picked up.

I created a new folder containing all my corrected BGLs and placed then in D:\P3D\Addon Scenery\Corrections\Scenery.

Then place it at the top of the pile in scenery library so it takes precedence over everything else.

Your newly created BGL is placed on the C drive in a Projects folder buried in the ADE structure. You copy (or move) that to the Corrections\Scenery folder.

Hope that helps.

Ray, not only are you a genius, but oh so helpful here. As they say in Espana, Muchas Gracias, or in my own lingo, Muito Obrigado Amigo. Your assistance here has set me on the way. Will do all when I get home tonight.

Once more,👏

Edited January 26, 20197 yr by vc10man
paragraph error

3 hours ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Scruffy Duck ADE is what you need Rick. http://www.scruffyduck.org/airport-design-editor/4584106799

It's a bit complex to setup as you need to install the P3D SDK and then point ADE to it. But I'm sure a man of your skill will work it out.

You don't change the AFCAD you're working on. You generate your own and then rename the original to bg# so it's not picked up.

I created a new folder containing all my corrected BGLs and placed then in D:\P3D\Addon Scenery\Corrections\Scenery.

Then place it at the top of the pile in scenery library so it takes precedence over everything else.

Your newly created BGL is placed on the C drive in a Projects folder buried in the ADE structure. You copy (or move) that to the Corrections\Scenery folder.

Hope that helps.

I augmented AFCADS all the time, but I gave up doing it with FSDT airports. Besides the fact that I shouldn't have to augment their products to make them operate properly, I gave up because every time something updates in the FSDT ecosystem it checks your airports to make sure you have an updated AFCAD. It will deactivate the one you created and replace it with the original crappy one. When ever this happens you have to go through all of your FSDT scenery, delete the FSDT ones and reactivate the one you created. It is a pain to do this when you have all of their scenery. I just wish they would create AFCADS that are accurate AND operate properly from the beginning, and since they have a mechanism for doing live updates, they should also update them with accurate parking codes periodically. I never figures they would change this process, because every time I mention it Umberto insists that it is a non issue. Since I quit playing with their AFCADS a while ago, let me know if this is no longer an issue.

Edited January 26, 20197 yr by duckbilled

the FSDT gate names are highly annoying to me.  

4 minutes ago, duckbilled said:

I augmented AFCADS all the time, but I gave up doing it with FSDT airports. Besides the fact that I shouldn't have to augment their products to make them operate properly, I gave up because every time something updates in the FSDT ecosystem it checked your airports to make sure you have an updated AFCAD. It will deactivate the one you created and replace it with the original crappy one. When ever this happens you have to go through all of your FSDT scenery, delete the word not allowed ones and reactivate the one you created. It is a pain to do this when you have all of their scenery. I just wish they would create AFCADS that are accurate AND operate properly from the beginning, and since they have a mechanism for doing live updates, they should also update them with accurate parking codes periodically. I never figures they would change this process, because every time I mention it Umberto insists that it is a non issue. Since I quit playing with their AFCADS a while ago, let me know if this is no longer an issue.

Just in time, on home PC, about to start that that tip by Ray, till I read your post.What a total waste of time and energy re: FSDT airports. Grr-rr! No wonder Umberto wants to avoid the issue. That's done it for me. Bin their KJFKv2. I have tons more to enjoy the 747-8i from. Thanks for that heads-up.

1 hour ago, vc10man said:

Just in time, on home PC, about to start that that tip by Ray, till I read your post.What a total waste of time and energy re: FSDT airports. Grr-rr! No wonder Umberto wants to avoid the issue. That's done it for me. Bin their KJFKv2. I have tons more to enjoy the 747-8i from. Thanks for that heads-up.

It is a waste of time, but it is always possible that Umberto changed the process. I'd give it a shot with JFK, and see what happens.. Learning how to use ADE is a great skill to have in your toolbox, because a lot of other developers get really lazy when it comes to producing accurate and efficient AFCADS.

Has anyone tried the DRZEWIECKI DESIGN JFK by comparison?

 

13 minutes ago, Midnight Music said:

Has anyone tried the DRZEWIECKI DESIGN JFK by comparison?

 

It doesn’t look as good as FSDT JFK. 

Yoi can use ADE and look around to see which gates are bigger and click on that circle to find the parking number of it. Then fire up your sim and look for that numbered spot in the menu for start point. It’s annoying but the only work around. Look for JFK charts and find where the heavy spots are and you can edit them in ADE. I’ve updated my Flightbeam ksfo afcad to reflect all the correct parking spots as well as the Juliet taxiway that has been closed recently. It’s not hard once you start playing around with ADE.

1 hour ago, duckbilled said:

I gave up because every time something updates in the FSDT ecosystem it checks your airports to make sure you have an updated AFCAD. It will deactivate the one you created and replace it with the original crappy one.

Really? It will delete the one I created and placed in my custom folder? Hmmm, are you sure? If you keep the name of yours the same and in the same folder I agree it will probably be deleted but if you place it elsewhere I don't see how it can.

You'd still need to rename the extension of the new one so it wasnt picked up as a BGL but that's a 2 second job. Annoying I know and there really should be an alternative with the properly named gates.

12 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Really? It will delete the one I created and placed in my custom folder? Hmmm, are you sure? If you keep the name of yours the same and in the same folder I agree it will probably be deleted but if you place it elsewhere I don't see how it can.

As long as the afcad has the SAME name it will not be automatically deleted, you are prompted as to whether to replace it.

I have several modified in this way.

Should you use your own file name then the file is deleted as it is not a recognized FSDT file.