Things you need to know when converting FS9 AI to FSX

[Mace 1,909]

For those of you who don't like to read long posts, let me summarize in four points: 1) You must fix wing_span values to match real-world data.2) The Fruit Stand (TFS) Boeing 777's HAVE A WING_SPAN VALUE IN THEIR AIRCRAFT.CFG OF 126. THIS VALUE IS INCORRECT, AND SHOULD INSTEAD BE 199. If you use the value of 126, your 777'S will not park correctly in FSX, EVEN IF THE AIRPORT WAS DESIGNED PROPERLY.3) There are more aircraft, such as the AI Aardvark Boeing 747's, that need wing_span value correction, too. Do it on ALL of your AI aircraft.4) penalty for not fixing these values, is AI wings touching and overlapping at your airports, ground service vehicles being mis-positioned, and MOST IMPORTANTLY aircraft not parking where they are supposed to.So, fix those wing_span values!-----------------Longer info:I am posting this in this forum because it needs to be addressed here rather than in some obscure scenery design forum.It has come to my attention that many many people have been and are converting FS9 AI setups to FSX. And it has also come to my attn that many of these setups are being done incorrectly and incompletely, resulting in the errors I point out in item 3, above. So to help everyone out, I will post a few notes.Reggie Fields mentions this recently:"Most FS2004 aircraft need their parking setup for FSX - because the model radius is no longer used. The wing_span= value in the airplane_geometry section of the aircraft.cfg controls parking."He goes on to say:"This number must be in FEET and will be converted to meters, halved and rounded up to the next whole meter. The AIA B747's are the worst - showing up in small gates without being updated. Numbers for the main commercial aircraft:http://www.flightsim2004-fanatics.com/Flig...SpanValues.htm"If you use the TFS Boeing 777, ported straight over from FS9, your 777's will be parking at medium-sized gates, giving you overlapping aircraft and wings touching. Here's why direct-port-overs can be a problem:A designer can design an airport entirely to FSX standards, and yet, these ported-over AI will not park properly with it. And, the natural reaction is to open up your favorite airport editor (AFX, ADE, or FSXPlanner) and modify the designers parking scheme. THIS IS NOT WISE. The user should first check and make sure that their wing_span values are accurate.If they are correct, then the problem is indeed in the actual airport bgl file. However, I have found, in most cases, the problem is with the AI that are being used. SUMMARY: Where AI park is a complex thing and it is not just the parking radius that needs to be looked at. Wing_span in the aircraft.cfg can be just as important. This is a major change from FS9.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2585 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2gb Corsair XMS 3-3-3-8 (1T), WD 150 gig 10000rpm Raptor, WD 250gig 7200rpm SATA2, Seagate 120gb 5400 rpm external HD, CoolerMaster Praetorian