FS2004 need help with water runways

[Lane Street]

Hi all,

Forgive me for posting something that I know has been discussed, but wading through many posts has not answered my question, so here goes.

I am trying to set up a seaplane base for AI. I have 2 concrete runways 2500 ft X 0 ft. All my taxi links are concrete and set at 0 ft width, including the black links.

This used to work with Afcad and from what I have read should work with ADE9.

My airport will not compile...

ERROR: (0)Runway Width must be > 3 and < 3000.0 Feet.
ERROR C2031: Failed element parse <Runway>
ERROR C2032: XML Parse Error!  Element tree follows:

What am I doing wrong, or will this not work with ADE9 (please don't tell me that as there is several inches of dust on Afcad2.21).

If I change everything to 4 ft width it compiles fine and looks like, well, you know.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.
Lane

[edit]
I forgot to add, I am trying to modify an AF2 file created by someone else, by the date I would guess it was created with Afcad. Does that matter?
[/edit]

 

[AFTRS]

I think I did define the starts from the initial point as "Water" starts.
It is in "add" -> "other starts" -> "Water starts"

 

[scruffyduck]

Hi all,

Forgive me for posting something that I know has been discussed, but wading through many posts has not answered my question, so here goes.

I am trying to set up a seaplane base for AI. I have 2 concrete runways 2500 ft X 0 ft. All my taxi links are concrete and set at 0 ft width, including the black links.

This used to work with Afcad and from what I have read should work with ADE9.

My airport will not compile...

ERROR: (0)Runway Width must be > 3 and < 3000.0 Feet.
ERROR C2031: Failed element parse <Runway>
ERROR C2032: XML Parse Error!  Element tree follows:

What am I doing wrong, or will this not work with ADE9 (please don't tell me that as there is several inches of dust on Afcad2.21).

If I change everything to 4 ft width it compiles fine and looks like, well, you know.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.
Lane

[edit]
I forgot to add, I am trying to modify an AF2 file created by someone else, by the date I would guess it was created with Afcad. Does that matter?
[/edit]

Well the compiler error says it all. The MS Compiler will not accept a runway width less than 3ft. AFCAD and AFX use their own compilers and these do not always follow the MS 'rules'. So no you cannot make a zero width runway in ADE. I seem to recall that there are ways around this and hopefully one of the others will chip in. I guess I would ask why you are not defining the surface of the runway as water?

 

[Lane Street]

I guess I would ask why you are not defining the surface of the runway as water?

It's been a while since I've done a seaplane base for AI and my memory was that you needed concrete surfaces for AI to function, going back to Holger's AI float plane primer.

I changed the runway surface to water, leaving all the links as 0ft width concrete and the file compiled.

Now I will write a traffic file and test it.

BTW, my starts are all H2O.

Thanks for your time.
Lane

 

[GHD]

For floatplane AI you do need to have hard taxiways/runways of zero width. Unfortunately, as you have found out, for FS9, ADE9 will not allow this so you will need to use Afcad2.

However, for FSX, there is no problem with zero-width taxiways/runways in ADEX.

 

[scruffyduck]

Thanks George. I am right however that this is a MS compiler issue and not a problem with ADE itself?

 

[GHD]

Thanks George. I am right however that this is a MS compiler issue and not a problem with ADE itself?

Yes, you are absolutely correct. The FS9 BglComp will not allow zero width taxiways and runways.

Afcad2 can handle them through its built-in compiler.

 

[mmann]

George, I see the default FSX Beaver in the background of the image you posted above. Have you ever managed to use it for AI?

Regards, Mike Mann

 

[GHD]

Have you ever managed to use it for AI?

Yes, it is AI in that shot. You need to add wheels to the aircraft.cfg.

 

[mmann]

Yes, it is AI in that shot. You need to add wheels to the aircraft.cfg.

Many thanks!! I should have clued in to this myself when I saw the Beaver just sitting there, unable to push back!

Regards, Mike Mann

 

[Lane Street]

An update.

As stated above, with the runway surface changed to 0ft width water, with all links set as 0ft width concrete (including the runway links), ADE9 compiled the airport without complaint.

When testing the seaport, AI land, announce "clear of runway" on multicom, taxi to parking and go to sleep. Perfect.

At the beginning of a flight planes will spawn in parking, OK.

Planes disappear at pushback, DOH!!!

That sound you hear is my head banging on the wall.

I will accept any suggestions, as I keep testing.

Thanks,
Lane

 

[GHD]

You can't use water runways/taxiways for AI, they must be hard (asphalt/concrete) and have zero width.

The AI aircraft must also have wheels, note, amphibians will not work since they will taxi with the wheels down

 

[GHD]

Many thanks!! I should have clued in to this myself when I saw the Beaver just sitting there, unable to push back!

Regards, Mike Mann

Of course it can push-back, I took the shot while it was sleeping.

 

[mmann]

Of course it can push-back, I took the shot while it was sleeping.

Sorry, I didn't mean in regards to your Photo! I was referring to what I saw in my own FSX when I didn't have wheels. I now have wheels, although I'm not good at contact points, the plane will taxi and takeoff. I can't seem to get it to show a wake or spray even though I reference it in the [EFFECTS] concrete= section. Maybe my contact points are the problem.

Regards, Mike Mann