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Default Augusta Westland EH01 Helicopter

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aconstable View Drop Down
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    Posted: 31 Mar 2009 at 5:58pm
Anyone had any luck in getting the default Augusta Westland EH01 Helicopter in their Flight plans using the TCC.I have tried without any luck,I have it listed in my Fleet Data Base, but it is not in my hanger? I can select it for a flight in Flight Plans, but it never appears!
I have updated the Aircraft from CFGs in the Fleet Database!
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated
 REgards AHC
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Soaranden Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 4:13pm
I was thinking about your question while I was reading the new Traffic X Fleet Database tutorial. I had encountered the same problem with a helicopter flight plan that I had set up. While reading Martyn's second tutorial, it occurred to me that it might be necessary to go into the Fleet Database to add some information. I am responding to your question without having tried this, myself, but I think it's worth a try. I noticed that although the helicopter for which I had set up a flight plan was listed under "Aircraft Type" in the Fleet Database, when I subsequently clicked on "Edit Paint Scheme" on the Fleet Database screen and selected the same helicopter, there were no entries in the "Valid from," "Valid to," and "Airline Carrier" fields. Perhaps assigning values to those fields will do the trick. You may need to recompile your flight plan after making the changes. If you try the above suggestion, let us know the results.

NOTE:

In the Fleet Database tutorial, Martyn points out that leaving the "Valid to" field blank will assure that an aircraft will remain currently valid.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Soaranden Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 4:44pm
Goodness. I just realized my above response was incomplete. Under "Aircraft Type" in the Fleet Database, I see "HELIPAD" is not listed under "Parking Types." That seems to indicate helicopters may land using runways...just as airplanes do. That also seems to indicate one may have to put up with slow taxiing helicopters, and the helicopters may never park at helipads. This is purely conjecture, as I still haven't given it a try, but I wanted to mention it as a possible problem.

In the case of the problem I had encountered with a helicopter not showing up at a helipad as expected after I had set up a flight plan, I had been watching the helipad. The helicopter may have been somewhere behind me at a different parking space. The problem was not necessarily due to (or not necessarily only due to) fields being blank on the Paint Scheme side of the Traffic Control Centre's Fleet Database screen.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aconstable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 5:14pm
Thanks Soaranden
 
I did also notice that in the Fleet Data Base the dates are only up to 2003,if I have FSX set to the current date 2009,I wonder if that could cause the problem?
 
AHC
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Soaranden Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 5:26pm
Yes, the existence of a "Valid to" date means flight plans will only operate up through the year specified by the "Valid to" date. Note that each aircraft type can have a different set of "Valid from" and "Valid to" dates. These must be set by clicking "Edit Paint Scheme" on the Fleet Database screen. After doing so, be sure to use the drop-down menu on the Edit Paint Scheme side of the screen to select the desired aircraft before editing dates. (Switching to the Edit Paint Scheme side of the Fleet Database screen doesn't automatically take you to the same aircraft as the aircraft you had selected on the "Aircraft Type" side of the screen).

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aconstable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 9:03pm
Hi Soaranden
I have edited the year dates from 1973 to 2009, using the paint editor in the Traffic Data Base,I have also added these latest dates to and from in all the flight plans.
Still no visual sightings.
As you mentioned Soaranden, In the runway types regarding helipads, there is no provision to set the runway type to helipad. I have had a look at some of the helicopters that I am able to see and are in my flightplans, they are all set on a ramp setting?
 
AHC
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Soaranden Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 9:40pm
I did a sort by "Aircraft" on my Flight Plans screen, and I noticed there are no helicopters listed. I remember reading an old posting regarding an older Traffic version where there was some discussion of the problems associated with helicopters...including the fact helicopters weaved their way to landings and taxied very slowly. The posting indicated helicopter traffic might be removed from the new version of Traffic ("Traffic X"). I'm wondering if the Traffic X compiler simply ignores helicopters? I haven't seen any in the air or on the ground. Perhaps its just as well.

If you really insist upon seeing helicopter traffic, it might be possible to alias one of the small Cessnas or other small aircraft. If Traffic X thinks the helicopter is an airplane rather than a helicopter, it might work. Of course, it's flight characteristics would be a bit unusual for a helicopter. Better stay away from associating a helicopter with an F/A-18. Helicopters don't usually produce contrails.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote freddy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 9:55pm
In the previous Traffic 2005 software, helicopters indeed filled the skies and landed and used airports. Unfortunately, they worked like airplanes ... taxiing around as if they were fixed wing aircraft and requesting taxi clearance etc. Likewise, when landing, they "landed" using runways like an airplane would. All up, not terribly realistic at all.
 
It was for THIS reason that Just Flight hinted they may remove helicopter traffic from the default Traffic X flight plans.
 
In my own manually created/edited flight plans, I have made sure I unticked heli traffic from my compiles. I don't want helicopters taxiing around like airplanes. It looks, well, "funny" and "silly".
 
As for whether they actually do taxi around and behave like airplanes, I am not sure. As I said, I haven't included them in my flight plans. And, I haven't bothered to run any testing. As for whether Just Flight's Traffic X compiler ignores helicopters, again, I am not sure.
 
There are other alternatives. For example, Flight1 has a complete helicopter simulation AI package for FSX. It allows for REALISTIC helicopter activity within FSX. Helis (apparently) fly to and land at helipads and use helipads realistically etc. The user can set their own flight plans and a range of other things. I don't own this product, but it does sound pretty neat. Check out http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=helitraffic if interested.
 
There are also other programs that provide realistic heli activity in FSX. I think there are even some freeware ones.  The only reason I know about this stuff is because I read a number of FSX forums and things like this get mentioned or advertised from time to time.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aconstable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 11:16pm
Hi
 
Just flight has included several helicopters in TrafficX, namely the JFAI_BellJR, JFAI_Ecureuil,JFAI_Ecureuil_M,JFAI_R22,JFAI_R44.Regarding a helicopter using a runway, It depends on what airport scenery files you have.I have Garry Summons UK Scenery 2000 Extreme, in the Birminghan and London Heathrow Scenery my helicopters take off from a helipad. But use the runways as you sugested on the default scenery.I do not wish to install and I want to avoid using  another AI program for helicopters, if TrafficX has the ablity to opperate helicopters as well as AI Aircraft of all catergories.
 
AHC
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aconstable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2009 at 11:27pm
Perhaps I should have said that I have plenty of helicopter that are in my flight plans,and are visible at most of my airports. My problem is that I could not get the default Augusta Westland EH01( That comes with the acceleration pack) show up as the others do.They are in my flight plans.
 
AHC
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote freddy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Apr 2009 at 2:42am
Hmmm.  My next suggestion then would have been to ask if you had updated the aircraft from the CFGs in the Fleet Database.  But, I see you have ...
 
Originally posted by aconstable aconstable wrote:

..... I have updated the Aircraft from CFGs in the Fleet Database!
 
So that's me all out of ideas.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aconstable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Apr 2009 at 6:13pm
Thanks Freddy and you Soaranden for your help!
 
Regards Alan
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Soaranden Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Apr 2009 at 4:29pm
Is anyone ever seeing helicopters land at or take off from helipads at FSX default or Traffic X airports?

The reason I'm asking is that if there is never any helicopter traffic flying into or leaving from helipads (except with some other third-party airports), then freddy's suggestion of using the HeliTraffic 2009 addon seems to be a great idea. If helipads are vacant when using Traffic X, then it seems the addon could enhance Traffic X without conflicting with it. Conversely, HeliTraffic 2009 owners would be able to enhance their flight traffic by adding Traffic X.

The only other question I have is how great is HeliTraffic 2009's impact on frame rate? In substituting its own heicopter flight engine for the FSX flight engine, HeliTraffic 2009 is likely to have a greater impact on frame rate than the frame-rate impact of the typical addon. That's one great thing about Traffic X. The impact on frame rate is negligible. Is there anyone on this forum who has tried HeliTraffic 2009?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aconstable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Apr 2009 at 12:11am

I was led to believe that TrafficX would possibly clash/conflight with another AI traffic program, perhaps I have been misinformed?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Soaranden Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Apr 2009 at 6:25pm
I don't think you have been misinformed. There could be a conflict. Paricularly, there could be a conflict with a program that generates its own traffic when the ability for the program to do so is being utilized. I mention this because I installed REX (Real Environment Xtreme) last weekend. I only purchased it after another forum member mentioned that he was using it sucessfully along with Traffic X. Although REX has its own Flight Planner, I have not attempted to use the Flight Planner in REX because of possible conflicts with Traffic X and because Traffic X is all I need for creating airplane flight plans. I use REX only for the cloud, water, runway, and taxiway textures it provides.
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