MSFS20 Parking Type

[art209]

RAMP_GA_EXTRA and GATE_EXTRA are included in parking types. What does the EXTRA mean and what affect does it have? I notice that it was not a type in FSX.

 

[jgarnold]

A google search finds nothing regarding explanation. The radius of the Gate Extra is only 15 whereas the Gate Small is 18 - that is the only physical difference I could see,
You could try adding multiple parking at your airport one of each type and then park your aircraft at each one and see if you can see any differences.

 

[scruffyduck]

I don't know why they are added unless there is some planned development that uses them

 

[FlyingsCool]

I think the main reason is to give the author the chance to have a different kind of set of services.

 

[mathurpc]

Another thing I noticed about the parking spots - the "T" marking on the apron does not show.

Pramod

 

[FlyingsCool]

To get the T-Marking to turn on, you have to turn on Centerline of the Taxiway path to the Parking point. There are some other options as well, like making it a double T, or adding more crossing lines or adding label and positioning it with the biasX and BiasZ options.

 

[FlyingsCool]

The one thing I don't like is, they gave us the ability to segregate parking spots by type, is small, medium, large, dock, extra, but, every time you read in an airport.xml definition, they change it's type based on it's size, so you lose the ability to apply services based on type, unless you go back and change them to what you want every time you edit the file. I'm going to have to submit this as a bug.

I've also found that Airbuse 320's don't show up unless the parking spot is at least 20-21 meters in diameter. And you don't want to change it to medium, keep it large even though it's considered a "medium" jet. You wouldn't want to anyway as the airport services by default, and for good reason I think, are limited then for the A320's. Personally, I'd want large spots to have all services, medium to have less, and small to have none except a Marshall and fuel. For instance, at KACK, which has no jetways, ga_large would be for the A320's, ga_medium would have some services like GPU and baggage for planes typical to Cape and Nantucket Air, Tradewinds and Southern Express, and ga_small for light aircraft with no services except for fuel and marshall.

 

[mathurpc]

To get the T-Marking to turn on, you have to turn on Centerline of the Taxiway path to the Parking point. There are some other options as well, like making it a double T, or adding more crossing lines or adding label and positioning it with the biasX and BiasZ options.

Could you please explain ".... like making it a double T, or adding more crossing lines or adding label and positioning it with the biasX and BiasZ options". I am not sure if I understand it. Thanks,
Pramod

 

[scruffyduck]

The one thing I don't like is, they gave us the ability to segregate parking spots by type, is small, medium, large, dock, extra, but, every time you read in an airport.xml definition, they change it's type based on it's size, so you lose the ability to apply services based on type, unless you go back and change them to what you want every time you edit the file. I'm going to have to submit this as a bug.

I've also found that Airbuse 320's don't show up unless the parking spot is at least 20-21 meters in diameter. And you don't want to change it to medium, keep it large even though it's considered a "medium" jet. You wouldn't want to anyway as the airport services by default, and for good reason I think, are limited then for the A320's. Personally, I'd want large spots to have all services, medium to have less, and small to have none except a Marshall and fuel. For instance, at KACK, which has no jetways, ga_large would be for the A320's, ga_medium would have some services like GPU and baggage for planes typical to Cape and Nantucket Air, Tradewinds and Southern Express, and ga_small for light aircraft with no services except for fuel and marshall.

I assume that change is being made by Dev Mode since ADE doesn't (or shouldn't) change anything like that. I will take a look as soon as I can

 

[art209]

Could you please explain ".... like making it a double T, or adding more crossing lines or adding label and positioning it with the biasX and BiasZ options". I am not sure if I understand it. Thanks,
Pramod

Options for parking spaces include Tee Offsets and labels at the beginning of the link to the space per the attached screenshots. I guess the tee offsets are in meters from the top tee, and the label (activated by setting NumberMarking to True) takes the gate name and number. I guess BiasX is side offset and BiasZ is movement along the centerline, and the label can be rotated with NumberHeading.

 

[art209]

I've also found that Airbuse 320's don't show up unless the parking spot is at least 20-21 meters in diameter. And you don't want to change it to medium, keep it large even though it's considered a "medium" jet. You wouldn't want to anyway as the airport services by default, and for good reason I think, are limited then for the A320's. Personally, I'd want large spots to have all services, medium to have less, and small to have none except a Marshall and fuel. For instance, at KACK, which has no jetways, ga_large would be for the A320's, ga_medium would have some services like GPU and baggage for planes typical to Cape and Nantucket Air, Tradewinds and Southern Express, and ga_small for light aircraft with no services except for fuel and marshall.

I don't understand this. I see Airbus 320s parking in Gate Small 18 meter spaces and larger. I also see the same services in Gate Small and Gate Medium spaces. I see a catering truck at random parking spaces, occupied or not.

 

[mathurpc]

Options for parking spaces include Tee Offsets and labels at the beginning of the link to the space per the attached screenshots. I guess the tee offsets are in meters from the top tee, and the label (activated by setting NumberMarking to True) takes the gate name and number. I guess BiasX is side offset and BiasZ is movement along the centerline, and the label can be rotated with NumberHeading.

View attachment 73127View attachment 73128

I am talking about the marking like shown in the attached file - just a simple 'T'. In previous versions of ADE (P3D, etc) when you placed a parking spot, a "T" was added at that location. That is how the parking spots are painted for GA at th FBOs in real life.

Pramod

 

[art209]

I am talking about the marking like shown in the attached file - just a simple 'T'. In previous versions of ADE (P3D, etc) when you placed a parking spot, a "T" was added at that location. That is how the parking spots are painted for GA at th FBOs in real life.

Pramod

As stated in the FlyingsCool's answer to your comment on this that included additional information which you questioned and I answered, the centerline must be on for the link to the parking spot to make the T appear. If you want a short T as shown in your screenshot, move the vertex to within the parking space. If this is done to duplicate what is in your screenshot, aircraft will have to taxi through each other to get to the parking space. Customized T arrangements can always be created with painted lines. As far as I know, nothing about this is different from FSX and ADE's capabilities for that sim.

 

[mathurpc]

If I add a parking link as you suggested then something strange happens - see the attached files. The pre-MSFS was different which is also shown in the attached files. Not sure if this is MSFS issue or what

Pramod

 

[scruffyduck]

Are you setting T Offsets in the parking spot properties?

Are you referring to the green dashed circles?

 

[mathurpc]

Are you setting T Offsets in the parking spot properties?

View attachment 73142

Are you referring to the green dashed circles?

Jon,

My question is about the way the parking spots created by ADE are depicted in MSFS. In the previous versions of ADE (P3D or FSX) when I added a parking spot then the sim showed a "T" (see the attached files in my previous post above) at that location even if I did not provide a link to a taxiway. However, in the MSFS version of ADE, unless I link the parking spot to a taxiway, there is no marking at that location in MSFS. This used to be a nice feature in ADE. I am not sure what these Tee Offsets are. Could you please provide some explanation and how to use these - Thanks,
Pramod

 

[art209]

Jon,

In the previous versions of ADE (P3D or FSX) when I added a parking spot then the sim showed a "T" (see the attached files in my previous post above) at that location even if I did not provide a link to a taxiway. However, in the MSFS version of ADE, unless I link the parking spot to a taxiway, there is no marking at that location in MSFS. This used to be a nice feature in ADE.

This is not true based on my experience with FSX. Since my computer with FSX died, I am not able to currently test this for FSX, and except for a brief trial, I've not used P3D. I don't think it was a feature of ADE or FSX. Could it be a feature of P3D? I'm glad it is not a feature of MSFS without an on/off option.

I'm further confused as to why someone would want to add a parking space with no link to the taxiway network. Perhaps this is some method to get static aircraft?

 

[scruffyduck]

Adding parking spots without a connection to the taxi network is a recipe for CTDs - at least in FSX/P3D. In any case if you are seeing a T in FSX/P3D and not in MSFS then this is the sim. MSFS is behaving better than FSX/P3D since it does not want to cooperate if you have not added a link to the taxi network

The features of ADE as far as parking and taxi networks is not changed from FSX to MSFS.