FSX AFCADS and Vatsim

[Mozzy 0]

Simple question with a million different answers;)I use to fly a lot online with FS9 and started to use FSX on Vatsim but I noticed large variations in taxiway and parking spots between the 2 sims. Has anyone else found this? It's very disappointing to fly in and see aircraft taxiing on grass and sometimes 2 metres off the ground!Is there any repository or collection of revised Afcads for FSX that are Vatsim compatible?thanksMozzy

[Dirk98 354]

Mozzy, good question, but I recall most of my airports in FS9 were either commercial with updated afcads or I downloaded them from Vatsim regional sites before flying to a location. I guess the updated afcads for FSX will appear more and more with time. Is that correct what I remember?

[RFields5421 1]

The redesign of the world for FSX has moved a tremendous number of airports in FSX to different locations than in FS2004.Runways are different, taxiways are different. Another factor is that FSX has many, many more gates for parking that FS2004.It appears that FSX is going more to the WGS84 world reference system.WGS84 is used by the GPS system, and is approximately 100M off from the traditional world survey at some locations. i.e. 0 degrees Longitude at Greenwich shows 100M east of the reference at the Observatory.You can see this error cleary in Google Earth, which also uses WGS84.FS2004 AFCAD files which are based on GE are simply wrong, in the wrong place, for the FS2004 world. Their physical location appears to be right for FSX.Vatsim and Vatsim flyers will need to change their FS2004 AFCAD files to the new system if they are not going to upgrade to FSX, though that will make most of their addon scenery out of sync with the AFCAD.You can use FS2004 AFCAD files in FSX if you wish. You will loose most jetways, the fuel trucks and a lot of other FSX items. And the buildings will probably not line up with the parking.Or you could ask Vatsim to have some FSX only sessions.

[Dirk98 354]

Very interesing and illuminative post, thanks.I didn't understand this part though:>Vatsim and Vatsim flyers will need to change their FS2004>AFCAD files to the new system if they are not going to upgrade>to FSX...Why would they/we need to change them if they work very well in FS9/Vatsim now?

[Mozzy 0]

>The redesign of the world for FSX has moved a tremendous>number of airports in FSX to different locations than in>FS2004.>>Runways are different, taxiways are different. Another factor>is that FSX has many, many more gates for parking that>FS2004.>>It appears that FSX is going more to the WGS84 world reference>system.>>WGS84 is used by the GPS system, and is approximately 100M off>from the traditional world survey at some locations. i.e. 0>degrees Longitude at Greenwich shows 100M east of the>reference at the Observatory.>>You can see this error cleary in Google Earth, which also uses>WGS84.>>FS2004 AFCAD files which are based on GE are simply wrong, in>the wrong place, for the FS2004 world. Their physical location>appears to be right for FSX.>>Vatsim and Vatsim flyers will need to change their FS2004>AFCAD files to the new system if they are not going to upgrade>to FSX, though that will make most of their addon scenery out>of sync with the AFCAD.>>You can use FS2004 AFCAD files in FSX if you wish. You will>loose most jetways, the fuel trucks and a lot of other FSX>items. And the buildings will probably not line up with the>parking.>>Or you could ask Vatsim to have some FSX only sessions.Thanks for such an informative post!.I think I might wait 'till Vatsim makes changes. I'll have to pop over to their forums and 'stir the pot'.cheersM

[n4gix 4,947]

>Why would they/we need to change them if they work very well>in FS9/Vatsim now?Think about it... the world is progressing, not regressing. Eventually, more folks will be using FSX than FS9, hence the need to update/upgrade the FS9 data to match that which is most common... ;)

[RFields5421 1]

Well, the decision to change or not boils down to one of two choices.Stay in the fall 2002 world of FS9, or move to an updated world.Now personally, I don't bother with updating my sim very often for the latest procedures. In fact, I purposely keep a spring 2003 full Jeppsen set of plates because it matches FS9.And I have a spring 2005 set to match FSX.Some I do update individually when individuals like Jim Vile do accurate procedure updates. But most other procedure updates only cover part of the entire requirements of FS9 and FSX.You cannot update procedures correctly without updating the runways, navaids and scenery.You cannot update scenery, move runways and navaids without updating the procedures.The number of people who do both correctly (payware and freeware) will not take all the fingers of one hand to count.Now I realize there are people who are very serious about flying with the most up to date information available. Fine, more power to them.That is the great beauty of FlightSim - it's fantastic flexibility to allow all of us to do it differently.BTW - this is not a new issue for VATSIM - I last flew with them soon after the introduction of FS2004.Pretty much the same issue occured between FS2002 and FS2004 as far as AFCAD files and some airport displacements. There were a lot of people who said they were not moving to FS2004 because the hardware requirements for smooth FPS were so high and so expensive to meet.I know it was a year before I got a good smooth FPS computer for FS2004.

[Dirk98 354]

>Think about it... the world is progressing, not regressing. >Eventually, more folks will be using FSX than FS9, hence the need to >update/upgrade the FS9 data to match that which is most common... Consider to read this again:>Vatsim and Vatsim flyers will need to change their FS2004>AFCAD files to the new system if they are not going to upgrade>to FSX...Vatsim and Vatsim flyers...if they are not going to upgrade to FSX...Why would you think btw I questioned the need for advent?

[RFields5421 1]

Just as FS2002 fliers on VATSIM today need to have AFCAD files configured for the FS2004 world, over time FS2004 fliers will need AFCAD files configured for the FSX world.It will not happen overnight, but within 12-18 months, the vast majority of VATSIM fliers will very likely be using FSX.

[Dirk98 354]

"12 to 18 months" sounds on the conservative side. I would say 8 to 12 months.

[duckbilled 310]

>The number of people who do both correctly (payware and>freeware) will not take all the fingers of one hand to count.I haven't downloaded any FSX AFCADS except for Jim's because of this. Does anyone know of other authors that make FSX "AFCADS" that are safe to install?