For the Airport Design Gurus...

[Piglet]

My turn to ask questions,
I want to add ILS and a VOR to my upcoming Mobile Air Base. How to? I want to place a couple MAB's in the middle of nowhere, but want a way for pilots to find 'em.
I'm still trying to figgure out the SDK crypto...

[IanP]

Any of the usual collection of tools (ADE, etc.) will allow you to add a VOR, NDB or ILS to an airport. The difficulty comes if you want AI traffic to use your ILS. If you want that, then you'll need to build the approach as well as just adding the ILS. I've never managed this, although ADE will apparently allow you to do so. Hopefully someone else will have and will be able to advise!

Ian P.

[Tako_Kichi]

I think the biggest problem Tim is the fact that your 'airport' will be moving and ILS/VOR points are normally fixed.

Has anything similar been produced for carriers? That might be a more fruitful area to look into as carriers move about and need to be located.

[IanP]

Ah, sorry, yes. You're referring to something that moves.

The only package that has achieved adding navaids to a moving aircraft carrier... didn't. The VRS team have put coding into the Super Bug that calculates the position of the two objects (carrier and aircraft) and simulates ILS and TACAN receivers.

With some tweaking, you'd be able to land an F/A-18E on your MAB? ;)

Ian P.

[Meshman]

I want to place a couple MAB's in the middle of nowhere, but want a way for pilots to find 'em.

Either they are going to be static or moving, using AI Carriers. Both can be dealt with. Static doesn't really need all the odd ball approach types, ie SIDs and STARs, do they? Moving can still be setup to be found, as long as they as routed in such a manner as to be found on "outbound radial" such and such of VOR Pigg @123.40.

Just depends how you want them to operate. VORs, NDBs, DMEs, all these you can place to help locate...The Mothership! :salute:

[Piglet]

The MAB's will be static. The idea is a little diff from normal carriers, in that the MAB would be moved to a location, and then set up shop and recieve/launch planes. With 10,000 ft runways, wind over deck is not too critical.
On some MAB locations, there is a VOR/DME nearby that will serve to locate the MAB. But I want one in the Red Sea, and between Hawaii and Wake Island, and maybe deep in the Sahara.
So far I have MAB's located off Catalina CA, Malta, and Florida Keys.

[Piglet]

Dang, It's easier than I thought!
On a whim I copied some lines from the SDK into the .BGL xml file. And it works!
215672156821569
I set the VOR a few miles aft of the MAB so one positioned for approach after reaching the VOR.

[Meshman]

Navaids are easy to add, as you found out. Just code the XML, compile and you're good to go. You do have to watch for conflicting frequencies.

Since the MABs are going to be static, you'll be able to set up ILS approaches, position NDBs at whatever distance you want them to be read, even approaches, if you're so inclined. You'll need an airport file for each, which begs for an ICAO code. There are no airports that begin with MAB, so you could call them MAB1, MAB2, etc. Or... there are no airports that begin with PRK, so PRK1 or PRKA could be a format. And PIG is available, also! :salute: