FSX AI Aircraft

[Rharper]

:salute:
Does anyone know if it is possible to design and build an AI amphibian aircraft for FSX that can park on land, taxi to the water, raise the landing gears,taxi to a water runway, take off, fly the programmed flight, land on the water runway, lower the gears, taxi from the water to a ramp, then taxi to a parking space on land?

[Dave Torkington]

Interesting question...

I've tinkered with a CL-415 AI amphibian and have a few in FSX landing and departing water runways off the coast of Italy.

However the model is a dedicated water borne [made by the very talented Massimo Taccoil] aircraft that keeps it's gear up permanently.

I've never modeled an AI aircraft, so like you I'm wondering if the landing gear could be triggered by some event or conditional to a radio frequency like a fake NDB or similar? I doubt it...

Can I suggest you pose your question to Mr Taccoli via his website http://www.maxtac.it/maxtac-en/

He's designed and released a few amphibian aircraft, so if anyone knows the answer I'm sure he will!


Regards, Dave. :salute:

[emfrat]

I spent a lot of time trying to do this in FS9 - you can still see the headbutt dints in the wall and the teethmarks in the ceiling. :isadizzy:
The AI engine just can't do it, and AFAIK that goes for FSX too. You can have floatplanes flying water-to-water, or amphibs flying land-to-land, but if you direct an amphib to a water landing it will lower its wheels and land in the water with them extended. If you want float planes to taxi out and take off, what you do is use AFCAD to make concrete taxiways and runways with a width of one foot or less. That makes them invisible to the eye, but the AI planes will follow them.
The 'water runways' you find in the sim are just starting point locations, without runways etc. AI planes have no way of telling a water landing from a land one, and using or not using the wheels, to suit.

ATB
MikeW

[Rharper]

Thanks for the help:salute:

[emfrat]

Thanks for the help:salute:
LOL - I may just have preserved your sanity!
Holger Sandmann is the champ for this kind of thing - this file from Avsim is very useful:

File Description:
This Starter Kit provides AI traffic of three floatplanes in the San Francisco Bay (Pier 39) and instructions for setting up other floatplanes and additional AFCAD2 water strips anywhere in the FS world. Simple installation! The AI floatplanes - Piper J-3C-65 Cub, Waco Classic Biplane, and Aviat A-1B Husky - have their contact points adjusted so that their floats are actually in the water. Realistic wake and spray effects. Also includes three additional floatplane templates for the default C208 Amphibian and a DHC-2 Beaver and Noorduyn Norseman (separate downloads).


<tbody>
Filename:
ai_float.zip


License:
Freeware, limited distribution


Added:
24th January 2004


Downloads:
6881


Author:
Holger Sandmann


Size:
2361kb

</tbody>
ATB
MikeW