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Helicopter theory

R

Reider

Messages
76
I`m working on something just now thats very time consuming and will be for a while yet. Whilst doing it I had a little thought about helicopters in FSX. Its not pertinent to what I`m working on though I will be experimenting with it later at EGCB Barton. But its one of those ideas once thought of it has to be expressed somewhere. So this is only a discussion point, not a request for help.

FSX is devised in a way that makes helicopters zig zag to the runway shared with other aircraft. They then meander down the runway and taxi to park. With take off being the opposite and taking a fair bit of time and patience, not to mention looking a wee bit odd.

I`m thinking helicopter pad/s, short runway with a small or zero width to make it invisible. Then code it so only the helicopter will land/take off there. Being short other aircraft should avoid it anyway. If possible this would give the impression of the helicopter hovering into the pad and land rather than as it does now. Other aircraft would continue to land on the normal runway/s making the airport look a little more efficient and realistic. Is this achievable and has it already been done in this way or any alternative? Remember this is all theoretical so I`m just chucking an idea out on to the whiteboard for discussion.

Reider
 
Yes, it is perfectly feasible. I have a number of helicopter landing sites including lighthouses and this one, the Royal Free Hospital HEMS pad:





You may need to tweak the aircraft.cfg to increase the braking efficiency. Also, you need to collapse the parking spaces and nodes to within the area you are working with:



George
 
Nice one George, it was in my head and bugging me. I had to mention it. Glad you posted the pics to show it. It makes much more sense to see helicopters that way than how FSX portrays them. Thanks for posting.

Reider
 
Hey, that's neat George. Can you explain what that long line is? is that a runway? If it is, I'm not quite sure how that works with the hold shorts in that configuration!
 
I`d guess the runway, taxiway and links all in one small area. So it has everything that a larger airfield/airport has. Using the airport code means the flightplans can be adjusted with the code as an addition and compiled-or a seperate traffic.bgl for that location, which I must try out sometime.

This works well for me since taking Manchester Barton as an example the airport code is EGCB and a separate airport code for the helicopter landing pads can be used as above-when I get back to it. To the viewer it appears the planes are using one of a set of four runways and the choppers swoop down to near the pad and hover in to park. This without going anywhere near the normal standard runways. In reality landing on an invisible runway, taxiing to park. An airfield within an airfield. It doesn`t get any cooler than that! :eek:

Reider
 
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I just cannot believe what I just saw! I had some time to kill so I had a little play with EGCB Barton again. I had 25-30 light aircraft going in and out from RW09R at the same time as 3 helicopters taxied from park nearest RW02 and waited their turn to take off on it. Then away they went at a tangent to the RW the planes were using!!! Lets repeat that, planes were taking off on RW09R at the same time as the helicopters were using RW02.....

Switching to incoming, a helicopter touched down on RW02 and turned sharply left to the helicopter park whilst an incoming plane flew into RW09 a minute later. This plane then taxied to the correct aircraft park, separate to the helicopter park (pads). Now this is much more like the real life Barton we all love and enjoy. I refuse to use the new name, sorry!

Next, I intend to add the sightseeing helicopters nearest the tower/fuel pump and have them doing their own thing on RW32/14 at the same time. If that doesn`t topple Hanoi then I`ll add the Police helicopter at the back of Barton airfield too, landing in its own area. This is all going on with a mere Dual Core 3800 on an nVidia 8600GT with 2 gig RAM in Vista 32 bit. I usually use 30% traffic but turned it up to 80% temporarily. :D

Reider
 
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Steve

Sounds like you are going to have to be the air traffic controller before this airport is done.
 
Reider said:
down to near the pad and hover in to park. This without going anywhere near the normal standard runways. In reality landing on an invisible runway, taxiing to park. An airfield within an airfield. It doesn`t get any cooler than that! :eek:
Reider
Click to expand...

Steve what are you using for your helo flight models? Are they essentially STOL models?

I've downloaded some of Holger Sandmanns work from 2004 re: helo AI but I have not had time to look at the flight models yet.
 
I`m using the built in standard AI helicopters from Traffic2005, known as Traffic (FSX compatible) from JustFlight. They are good quality and look the part. Hopefully today I`ll add another three pads in a different part of the airfield, these will utilize RW14/32 so that will be three separate runways and taxiways on the go at the same time. Last night I even had video conferencing on the same computer and watched this going on at the other monitor to test it again, ok I couldn`t leave it alone!

I have another project which I may have to go back to as soon as the next process is ready to run, so this will go back on the shelf for a little while. I did this whilst waiting for the next bit. One day I hope to finish Barton. Then I have others that need finishing :eek:

Reider
 
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jvile said:
Steve

Sounds like you are going to have to be the air traffic controller before this airport is done.
Click to expand...

If you drove there in real life, you`d enter from the dual carriageway, turn left and drive into the car park. Straight ahead of the car park would be 2-3 lines of light aircraft. In standard FSX this would be one line of aircraft facing the wrong way and not populated by any aircraft from default. No helicopters set up at all or parking areas. To your left would be 3-4 helicopters, nearest RW02-these are training helicopters and such like. Further back behind these you`d see in the distance RW09R where the planes come in and go out normally. Behind this, even further back is a small building and Police helicopter. Back at the car park, turn right and you`d see the club restaurant mmmm, then one of the UK`s oldest towers. Behind this a big hanger with planes and microlights in-I also have these flying in and out too normally as AI. In this area is the second of the set of Helicopter parking areas, this is the 30 minute test flight area basically. Though a helicopter was flown from here around the UK and shown on TV in a serial program recently.

Back to my sim now. I made changes and added the second helicopter area near the tower. First test meant they tried to take off from 09R when I wanted them going from 32/14 along the bushes by the perimeter on that side. Now sorted that and here is what was happening all at the same time from the same airfield in front of my wide open eyes and gaping mouth!

9:15am Heli taxis from the tower/large hanger park to RW32 and takes off (will use RW14 too)
9:15am Heli taxis from the heli training park area and takes off at RW02 (will use RW20 too)
9:04am plane taxis from centre light plane park to RW09R and takes off (will use 27L too)
9:12am plane taxis from centre light plane park to RW09R and takes off (will use 27L too)
9:13am plane taxis from centre light plane park to RW09R and takes off (will use 27L too)
9:27am plane taxis from centre light plane park to RW09R and takes off (will use 27L too)

At 9:47 a chopper lands at RW32, this is followed by one at RW02 then a rook of planes land on RW09R

I need to change the times around so they`re staggered, it was easier to test this way. I added separate traffic plans last night instead of one large one, so this is easy to achieve. I also need to swap the helicopter textures a bit, at the moment they`re identical because it was easier to test and set up. Doing this is simply a change of aircraft number in the plans and recompile, so easy and quick as the plans are now condensed versions of the full one. I may add the AI microlights back to park at the large hanger and fly out from 09R/27L as the planes do, now I can force the issue and decide myself which runway they use. FSX only gets to decide which end of the runway which makes it more random in my mind. I am very passionate about this field, can you tell?

The fat controller is running the field! :cool:
Don`t forget this can also be achieved with planes......! I`d limit it only to special airfields/airports not too many.

Reider
 
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Nice one George, always good to see. I love helicopters, just something about them. Right, I need to fly. Got to go out in the real world and its persisting it down or has been.

Reider
 
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