Commercial Airports with no moving jetways

[Ray Proudfoot 8,952]

I've just taken advantage of the sale over at SimMarket to buy three airports - Jetstream Palermo and two by RFscenerybuilding - LIPZ (Venice) and LDZA (Zagreb).

Neither of the offerings from RFscenerybuilding have moving jetways. Not even default ones. The static jetways are just there for a bit of eye candy and fail miserably. LICJ is different and a separate jetway download is available from the GSX forum.

Both were described as compatible with P3D v4 so you would hope they might contain some detailed features as there's no longer any VAS restrictions. But all they seem to do is make sure the basic airport runs okay in v4 and then amend the installer.

I know they aren't in the same league as Fly Tampa which cost at least double but would it really kill them to include moving jetways?

Fortunately I have GSX Level 2 so spent a couple of hours this afternoon removing the jetways from LDZA (separate BGL which I just disabled) then using GSX to create some nice looking SODE-enabled jetways. I'll start on LIPZ tomorrow.

These cheap offerings are all well and good but they could be so much better with a bit more effort. If I didn't have GSX L2 I'd be stuffed but that product is worth its weight in gold and is always being improved.

[SunDevil56 183]

I agree, i'd rather have at least ctrl+j jetways, versus no animated jetways at all, SODE would be preferred, but it's optional. I simply won't purchase any scenery, no matter how nice it might look otherwise, if it doesn't include some kind of animated jetways.

[Ray Proudfoot 8,952]

13 minutes ago, SunDevil56 said:

I agree, i'd rather have at least ctrl+j jetways, versus no animated jetways at all, SODE would be preferred, but it's optional. I simply won't purchase any scenery, no matter how nice it might look otherwise, if it doesn't include some kind of animated jetways.

If I didn’t have GSX L2 I’d agree with you but having spent a fair bit of time this week getting to grips with it I’m now confident I can build replacement jetways. The main requirements are that the jetways are designed as separate objects that GSX can identify and ‘hide’.

If they’re part of the terminal design then you’re stuffed. That’s why I was so annoyed when I bought Aerosoft Lisbon v2. No moving jetways and you couldn’t even remove them as they were integrated into the terminal.

At least with LIPZ and LDZA they are separate BGLs so can be disabled. You then start with a clean sheet with GSX.

If you don’t have GSX L2 I would heartily recommend it. Not only do you get jetways but all the ground kit that enhances the experience.

[SunDevil56 183]

Unfortunately it's not an option for me as I don't have GSX, and i'm not sure I want install yet another add on to a setup that is working remarkably well for me at the moment. Perhaps i'll have a look at GSX just to see what it offers, but in the meantime I believe i'll just stick with scenery that includes animated jetways "right out of the box" so to speak.

I think we are going to rapidly see the day when animated jetways will be pretty much standard on any scenery worth having.

[vc10man 732]

Just read your posts, Ray. Could kindly PM me a short guide to create those SODE jetways in GSX1, please?

Disheartening, isn't it, you shell out for what you'd think was fairly up to P3Dv4 standards, only for it to be 'sheep in a wolf's clothing, kind of. Like buying a 2018 car model only to discover it's still 1950s.

No wonder I keep away from these minor league airport developers!

Edited February 22, 2019 by vc10man
punctuation mark

[Benjamin J 751]

 

26 minutes ago, vc10man said:

Just read your posts, Ray. Could kindly PM me a short guide to create those SODE jetways in GSX1, please?

Disheartening, isn't it, you shell out for what you'd think was fairly up to P3Dv4 standards, only for it to be 'sheep in a wolf's clothing, kind of. Like buying a 2018 car model only to discover it's still 1950s.

No wonder I keep away from these minor league airport developers!

Well, it does state very clearly on the product page that it doesn't have any sort of animated jetways, so I'm not sure why it would be a 'sheep in wolf's clothing'? It's fairly clear what you're paying for. Overall, given the price involved, I've been very happy with RFSB's offerings that I own. JustSim... is okay, I'm less thrilled about them.

Personally I'm not bothered by the lack of animated jetways, as long as there's a GSX2 configuration available to give me animated jetways. RFSB builds their scenery with the ide ain mind that people will want to swap out the static jetways for GSX2 SODE jetways, hence they make sure that the jetways are a different bgl file; there's no luck involved, that's how the scenery was specifically built. I would fault RFSB for not supplying their scenery with the config, rather than either having to make one yourself or trying to find one online.

Luckily, for the two sceneries that Ray mentioned here (LDZA and LIPZ), if you go to FSDT's GSX scenery config sharing area you will see there's GSX2 config files for both LDZA and LICC. I would highly recommend to go there first and make sure a config is available if you don't want'/can't make a config yourself for whatever reason.

Specifically, this one guy called Cartayna has made dozens of configs: http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,19008.0.html

His files mostly cover Europe, but they appear quite good. I use the ones he made for, you guessed it, LDZA and LIPZ and have been quite happy with them.

[vadriver 247]

One should note that FSDT/GSX2 SODE jetways neither dock with AI nor have the user autodock functions that FB,T2G,DD,ORBX and others feature using SODE "as intended / able to".

I no longer fly to FSDT airports .... given all the nearby options. 

[vc10man 732]

14 minutes ago, Benjamin J said:

sheep in wolf's clothing'?

Benjamin, that is a general statement, not just for this particular airport. as Ray has more or less made an allegorical remark on the 'just for show' jetways.

15 minutes ago, Benjamin J said:

guy called Cartayna

Thanks, got it via Ray,

16 minutes ago, Benjamin J said:

as long as there's a GSX2 configuration available

And what if there wasn't? Just meekly accept that not even a default Ctrl+J jetway exists? No matter how small a sum paid? I'll bear that in mind.

[Benjamin J 751]

Just now, vc10man said:

Benjamin, that is a general statement, not just for this particular airport. as Ray has more or less made an allegorical remark on the 'just for show' jetways.

It's just that your general statement doesn't really apply to the topic that provoked it, hence my comment.

1 minute ago, vc10man said:

And what if there wasn't? Just meekly accept that not even a default Ctrl+J jetway exists? No matter how small a sum paid? I'll bear that in mind.

Well if there wasn't a GSX2 config file then the situation is pretty clear - I'm not buying it 😉 

[vc10man 732]

Benjamin, I won't get into a debate with you, okay. Suffice to say, having read comments here, thanks to Ray, I know precisely which developers to give a wide berth too, just as you do not like JustSim products.

[Benjamin J 751]

2 minutes ago, vc10man said:

Benjamin, I won't get into a debate with you, okay. Suffice to say, having read comments here, thanks to Ray, I know precisely which developers to give a wide berth too, just as you do not like JustSim products.

Rick, I'm not sure what there is to debate about. I think we generally agree 😉 

[SunDevil56 183]

18 minutes ago, vc10man said:

Benjamin, I won't get into a debate with you, okay. Suffice to say, having read comments here, thanks to Ray, I know precisely which developers to give a wide berth too, just as you do not like JustSim products.

That's your prerogative. Your money, your choice...

I have 9 different JustSim airports, and the animated jetway's work fine in all of them, and AFAIK, they are all SODE jetways. YMMV...😏

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by SunDevil56

[Ray Proudfoot 8,952]

First, Rick, it would be difficult to write a quick ‘n dirty guide on how to create the jetways. Fortunately the GSX manual covers it very well. In Spot plane view keep your view behind and to the right of the aircraft for a good overall view of the process. It’s quite intuitive. But perhaps not needed now that @Benjamin J has said they’re available for the two airports I listed. Thank you for that.

@vadriver, fortunately I’m too busy configuring my own aircraft for departure to notice what Ai are up to.

@SunDevil56, if you don’t have GSX you’re missing one of the best addons ever made for P3D. I don’t think your going to see animated jetways at all airports anytime soon. If you fly Airbus or Boeing then GSX falls into the “must have” category. Support is great too.

[vc10man 732]

Thank you, Ray for that. Got what I needed. Subject henceforth, closed for me.

[vadriver 247]

1 hour ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

I don’t think your going to see animated jetways at all airports anytime soon

There are already many airports as I listed + justsim + many being developed by "enthusiasts" at fsdeveloper that use SODE jetways directly with all it's features & most (unlike GSX2 / FSDT) now including daylight low visibility airfield lights and animated windsocks.

1 hour ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

to notice what Ai are up to

you mean taxiing at "abandoned" airports ..... when & where do those ai's get boarded etc.

I only need GSX1's pushback, no need for GSX2 ...... my heads in the cockpit until then & as I taxi, I expect to see ai at least docked & loading.

Edited February 22, 2019 by vadriver
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