Simviation Forum - HUNTING FOR A PLANE!!!

May 7^th, 2006 at 6:22am

Wingo Offline
Colonel
Your marmalade is no match
for my VEGEMITE!!
YSBK. Back where I belong.

Gender:
Posts: 1322

I'm on a man hunt for an AI aircraft. I'm looking for Wanula Dreaming to fly around with it and take some screen shots. I'm am litterally ripping my hair out. I've worked out it leaves Sydney Int. at 22:05 GMT as QF 2. What I'm confused over is a. is it on a Monday or Sunday. I've tried both and can't find it on either. Next, what time should I set my flight to when it loads so I can find it.

Here is the line from the flightplans txt file.

0/12:00,@0/19:20,350,F,0006,YSSY,0/22:05,@0/23:35,360,F,0002,YMML

« Last Edit: May 7^th, 2006 at 8:20pm by Wingo »

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #1 - May 7^th, 2006 at 8:13am

wji Offline
Colonel

Posts: 1644

After Googling Walanula I still know nothing about it nor what it is.

Your flightplan shows the flight departing Melbourne, Sunday at 12:00Z but is missing the time-cycle delineator (in this case, WEEK).

Download your FREE copy of Microsoft's Traffic Tool Box to view a list (with times) of ALL AI Traffic in the area. It makes life (and finding AI traffic) much simpler.

reference cited: TTools Readme File -
"If you specify WEEK for a repeat period then departure times must include the day of the week (0/ to 6/ for Sunday to Saturday). "

Sample
AC#11,N10322,10%,WEEK,IFR,2/12:00:00,3/01:43:33,260,F,7366,YSSY,3/05:00:00,3/18:
43:36,250,F,7363,YMML

PhotoShop 7 user

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #2 - May 7^th, 2006 at 10:14am

dave3cu Offline
Colonel
Procrastinate now, don't
put it off.
3CU, Northern Wisconsin, USA

Gender:
Posts: 3077

Do as wji suggests and get Traffic Toolbox. It's Explorer module (available in the sim) gives you all the info on area ai, and many neat things you can do with/to ai flights. (Including having an ai fly a saved flight plan, for example vor to vor, instead of its direct route plan)

Anyway, that particular flight should leave on monday, sydney time.

Dave

At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation. Igor Sikorsky

I intend to live forever....so far, so good. Steven Wright

You know....you can just rip up a to-do list.

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #3 - May 7^th, 2006 at 8:34pm

Wingo Offline
Colonel
Your marmalade is no match
for my VEGEMITE!!
YSBK. Back where I belong.

Gender:
Posts: 1322

wji - The line does contain the WEEK identifier, this part I posted up is at the end of a very long line. I spelt the name wrong, it's meant to be Wanula Dreaming. It is the QANTAS 747-400 painted in red aboriginal artwork, kind of like Nalanji Dreaming.

Dave - thanks for defining the day for me. I've tried looking on Monday, starting the flight at 0800 local time (2200 GMT) and still can't find it. Do I need to start the flight earlier to find it? I will try the Traffic Tool box though

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #4 - May 8^th, 2006 at 7:55am

dave3cu Offline
Colonel
Procrastinate now, don't
put it off.
3CU, Northern Wisconsin, USA

Gender:
Posts: 3077

If you have a large amount of ai traffic an earlier start (10 or 15 minutes) might help.

What download or package contains the flightplans?

Dave

At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation. Igor Sikorsky

I intend to live forever....so far, so good. Steven Wright

You know....you can just rip up a to-do list.

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #5 - May 9^th, 2006 at 11:51am

wji Offline
Colonel

Posts: 1644

O.K., hope you got your mojo workin'
Thanks for noting some of the errors and typos you made; as we know, computers don't understand 'just about' but Lee Swordy's TTools won't compile files which contain technical errors so that is a good thing.

Lee's TTools Readme states:

"Here is an example of a flight plan using a WEEK repeat period, L.A. to Sydney Australia. The first leg departs on Tuesday (2/) at 12:00:00 and arrives on Wednesday (3/) at 01:43:33. The return leg departs on Wednesday at 05:00:00.

Base: AC#11,N10322,10%,WEEK,IFR,
Leg1: 2/12:00:00,3/01:43:33,360,F,7366,YSSY,
Leg2:

3/

05:00:00,3/18:43:36,350,F,7363,KLAX"

This indicates day 3 (Wednesday) is the same in Australia as it is in Los Angeles so the International Dateline is not a factor. This flight arrives back in KLAX on Wednesday, Day 3/18:43:36. All times are Zulu.

The original post contained part of a flightplan with flight occurring ONLY on Sunday (Day zero)

"0/12:00,@0/19:20,350,F,0006,YSSY,0/22:05,@0/23:35,360,F,0002,YMML"

Day zero in TTools is Sunday

P.S. Remember there are actually two (2) TTools flightplans.txt files:
1.) The one written by the author (as included in original post)
2.) The one created by TTools after Compiling then Decompiling (the REAL one, which FS9 uses)

PhotoShop 7 user

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #6 - May 9^th, 2006 at 2:50pm

dave3cu Offline
Colonel
Procrastinate now, don't
put it off.
3CU, Northern Wisconsin, USA

Gender:
Posts: 3077

A little further down TTools Readme states:
Quote:

8. On the FS window where you set the date and time before you start a flight, you can set the time in either local time or GMT but the date (and day of the week) only applies to local time. The departure and arrival day and time on AI flight plans are both in GMT. If you want to observe your AI flights departing on a specific day, make sure you take into account the fact that the local time and GMT time will be on different days if they are on the opposite sides of midnight, so you may have to adjust the day you start your flight up or down one.

If these rules aren’t followed it won’t result in disaster, it will just mean the aircraft may not appear when and where you expect it, or it may not appear at all

TWO's flight does depart on Monday, Sydney time.

TWO: If your flight is still not showing, decompile the 'traffic*.bgl'. Look in the 'aircraft.txt' file to verify that the Wanula is there (and correct) and that the AC# matches the flight plan.

Dave

« Last Edit: May 9^th, 2006 at 5:14pm by dave3cu »

At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation. Igor Sikorsky

I intend to live forever....so far, so good. Steven Wright

You know....you can just rip up a to-do list.

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #7 - May 10^th, 2006 at 1:11pm

wji Offline
Colonel

Posts: 1644

After compiling the flightplan in the original post using Lee Swordy's TTools and viewing the results in FS9 and Microsoft's Traffic Toolbox every indication is the first flight (YMML-YSSY) arrives at Sydney on Sunday.

The criteria used in my Sunday arrival conclusion was the flightplan itself which includes an @ symbol designating Day zero (0/) arrival which is Sunday in TTools, FS9 and Traffic Toolbox.

Here is the flightplan from the original post:
0/12:00,@0/19:20,350,F,0006,YSSY,0/22:05,@0/23:35,360,F,0002,YMML

This flightplan designates the flight arriving at Sydney YSSY at 19:20Zulu on Sunday Day Zero (0/).

The second leg, likewise arrives on Day zero (/0) ,@0/23:35,. This is controlled by the @ symbol, again.

Decompiled Flightplan:
AC#1,TESTSSY,10%,WEEK,IFR,0/11:59:49,@0/19:19:06,350,F,0006,YSSY,0/22:03:59,@0/2
3:33:49,360,F,0002,YMML
N.B. The incorrect Departure time from YMML (0/12:00) was included in the original flightplan.

Lee Swordy states:

"Arrival time:
This is the estimated time of arrival at the destination airport. This can be used in two ways: compiler calculated arrival times or user defined fixed arrival times.
Alternatively, you can specify a

fixed arrival time by preceding it with a ‘@’ symbol (e.g. @11:26:00 or @6/22:13:00).

In that case the compiler will calculate the cruise speed required to make the aircraft arrive at the specified time for that leg of the flight plan, regardless of the cruise speed given for the aircraft, or the cruise speeds used for other legs of the flight plan. When you use a fixed arrival time then it will actually specify the arrival time at the gate, give of take a few minutes, and not the arrival time in the airspace as with a compiler calculated arrival time."

Reference cited: TTools Readme

Screenshot shows the dates, days and times in Traffic Tools and FS9 are coordinated even in Australia

PhotoShop 7 user

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #8 - May 11^th, 2006 at 1:15am

dave3cu Offline
Colonel
Procrastinate now, don't
put it off.
3CU, Northern Wisconsin, USA

Gender:
Posts: 3077

"Screenshot shows the dates, days and times in Traffic Tools and FS9 are coordinated even in Australia

"

In your example yes, for the other times in this flightplan, no

"..If you want to observe your AI flights departing on a specific day, make sure you take into account the fact that the local time and GMT time will be on different days if they are on the opposite sides of midnight,.."

TWO's 0/22:00 departure from YSSY: (local am-Zulu pm)
AC#6,TSTSSY,4%,WEEK,IFR,0/11:58:36,@0/19:19:06,350,F,0006,YSSY,0/22:00:18,@0/23:
35:02,360,F,0002,YMML

Or the other way around: (local pm-Zulu am)

Has nothing to do with the International Dateline that I can find, only that they are on opposite sides of midnight.

Dave

Was never able to observe the 0/19:19 arrival at YSSY. I think the passengers and crew decided they'd get there quicker by bus. Cheesy

At that time [1909] the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation. Igor Sikorsky

I intend to live forever....so far, so good. Steven Wright

You know....you can just rip up a to-do list.

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #9 - May 11^th, 2006 at 12:08pm

wji Offline
Colonel

Posts: 1644

The good news is I've spent over five-hours on this so this will be my last post here in this thread.

Nice screenshots of the return leg I too, had no problem finding the second-leg flight but the original post first-leg does not show at seven-hours+ later @0/19:20.

Original first-leg post: first-leg
YMML,0/12:00,@0/19:20,350,F,0006,YSSY
(Melbourne to Sydney, Australia)
second-leg:
"I've worked out it leaves Sydney Int. at 22:05 GMT"

Inasmuch as the YMML-YSSY is only a one-hour-and-a-half flight, the problem must be with this flightplan (first-leg only) must arise from the error in the departure time.

As we all know by now the Day changes from one to the next day in Aurstralia at 1400Zulu.

I added another flightplan with a one-hour-and-a-half departure prior to the Day Zero, 19:22 departure (0/17:48) and it Does not appear at YSSY at 19:22 as specified in the flightplan. I set the time one hour before hoping to find it inflight using TrafficToolBox. No joy. No plane.

Also, I flew along with the 0/17:47 departure and it flew until descending thru FL250 (from FL350) and promptly disappeared. I have Ultimate Traffic's F1UT_YSSY.bgl AF2file so doubt if it's a lack of sufficient parking; I added some more Gate parking just in case and will attempt to get the first-leg aircraft to show up at Sydney on Day Zero at 19:20Z.

Therefore, I must agree with =The.Winged.One=, that this plane does not show up at the first-leg destination YSSY, 0/19:20 using this flightplan. Bye. Tongue

PhotoShop 7 user

Back to top

IP Logged

	Search the archive: