I built another test pad. This time a 2.5m square, .1m thick, elevated 20m above the surface on a cylinder that is 1 meter in diameter. I place the invisible plane/mesh as usual, however, unlike my previous experiment above a 5m diameter cylinder, the helicopter now falls through the helipad after just a couple of seconds.Thinking this might be a contact point problem after reviewing the contact points, I added contact points to provide landing surface close enough togeather to land on such a small pad. This changed nothing.Am I missing something? Has anyone had and solved this problem?Patrick

Hi Patrick.Is this a default helicopter or an addon? I recall having problems with addons and these elevated surfaces.If you want more control over the surface, you might be better off just using SCASM code, and forgetting the Gmax stuff. The BGL code is identical as the surface is not tied to the object.Header( 1 0.1 -0.1 0.1 -0.1 )LatRange( -0.1 0.1 );Harden elevated surface for HelipadArea16( a 00:0.0 000:0.0 5.5 5.5 ) RefPoint( 2 : 1 00:0.0 000:0.0 E= 50 V1= 10000 V2= 65 ) SenseBorder( : -25 25 25 25 25 -25 -25 -25 ) SetElevation( 50 )End16This is a 50x50 meter surface at 50 meters elevation, located at N0* E0*.Dick

Patrick,Dick is right about some add-on choppers falling through elevated pads especially in FS2002. One of my favorites can only be used on ground level pads for that reason. Check it with a default bird then recheck it with the add-on if that is the case. Another hint that may help. One or two birds that I tried would work fine if you started from a ground level position (pad or otherwise) but if you started your flight from about 3 miles out (practicing a landing) it would sink through, every time. I have also read where some guys have discovered in FS2002 that if you fly (chopper) over about 50 miles and then attempt to land on an elevated pad, it will fall through. I checked my scenery and only found one that was involved but it was an add-on chopper and I don't know what to think about it. As much as I love them, add-on's are lacking something that we don't know about. Al

That's not it. Been using the default Bell206 by MS.Actually, I have a working pad at 5m elevation that NEVER falls through, but FSRegen is not able to reliably reproduce this on all pads I create. I suspect the problem I'm having is related to the small size that I am creating (just larger than the skids).Anyway, I have given up, and will just stick to designing the helos for awhile.

The pad is formed from a sensearea command... but that command is sensed from the refpoint of the chopper... and who knows where that is. So you may need to enlarge the pad to compensate for the skids not being centered under that refpoint. The pad may need to be a bit large...As I indicated earlier, the FSRegen method is a little awkward, and can better be made in SCASM as a small, separate bgl... or you can hack the ASM code to enlarge or move the pad.Dick

The skids are definately centered under the reference point, and I know exactly where it is =).However, this gives me the clue I need to evaluate the SCASM code, just haven't dove into it yet, was too busy with a repaint, and looking at the new FS9 commands.thanks.

Although the skids are centered on the pad... the skids may not be centered under the chopper's design refpoint.. and the sense area center is determined by that refpoint. Looking at a top-down view of the Bell... it does look like the crosshair is pretty much centered on the skids. So then we'd be back to making the pad larger, in one meter increments, until the smallest good size is found. :(Dick

I tried a pad 6x6 meters and had the same problem you described... falling through.I then tried a larger pad.Header( 1 N47:30:00.00 N47:18:00.00 W122:12:00.00 W122:24:00.00 )LatRange( N47:17:50.82 N47:29:44.02 ); ----------------------------------------Area16( a 47.4314981404591 -122.307998138889 100 100 ) RefPoint( abs : 1.00 47.4314981404591 -122.307998138889 V1= 10000 V2= 75 E= 140 ) AreaSense( : -25 25 25 25 25 -25 -25 -25 ) SetElevation( 140 ) ; section16 specific End16This larger pad ( 50 x 50 meters ) seems quite solid.( this location is the default Tacoma but at 140 meters elevation ).Dick

I've had success with pads as small as 5m, and if you want to use the B206 microsoft built, then you better adjust the contact points.

Hi, I've been redirected here by Dick after posting a new thread about the topic.Dick, my problem is that I was ALREADY using the Scasm code you suggest in Fs2002 and it worked there, but for some odd reason the same code it's not working anymore in Fs9, the aircraft sinks through (default Cessna). What makes me puzzled is to learn from Manfred (Moldenhauer) that Area16 commands won't likely be supported anymore in Fs9 (Scasm 2.88 docs).Anyway, do any of you have the same code working in Fs9? Might the AreaSense command do the trick (instead of the SenseBorder one)?Btw: the pads I created are not so small (they're even up to 200x50 meters).

AreaSense and SenseBorder are the same command... they just identify a rectangular area within which the plane either resides or not.The SetElevation command gives the height.As far as the speculation as to whether Area16 commands work in FS9... that was written before FS9 was made.The code posted above works.If you have code that you think doesn't work, why not attach the SCASM code, so we can test it?Dick

Dick,It may work, but who wants a helipad that's 50x50m???Stick

Header( 1 N47:30:00.00 N47:18:00.00 W122:12:00.00 W122:24:00.00 )LatRange( N47:17:50.82 N47:29:44.02 ); ----------------------------------------Area16( a 47.4314981404591 -122.307998138889 100 100 )RefPoint( abs : 1.00 47.4314981404591 -122.307998138889V1= 10000 V2= 75 E= 140 )AreaSense( :-15 15 15 15 15 -15 -15 -15 )SetElevation( 140 ) ; section16 specific End1630 x 30 ? =====================I didn't dream up this code. This is the way MS has recommended doing it in their own SDK. If the code isn't small enough to suit you, take it up with Microsoft, or do your own experimentation.Dick

Smaller pads ARE possible, just as MS has programmed them on the tops of various objects. Actually, I've now been able to create them if FSSC and they work fine, just have to tweek the .api so I can use my bitmaps. You fixed wing guys might need that much space to land, but not us.Stick

Hi Patrick.I'm glad you've solved the helipad problem. How about posting the solution?Dick