ILS in FSX

[CEOEAV]

In the fly tampa scenery file I found 2 files.

KTPA_ADEX_FLYTAMPA_BGL and KTPA_approach_fsx.bgl

I am going to try you fix with the second one.

It worked Radar Contact now sees KTPA Again. Thanks.

[billmo]

I tried the above and it did not work. The files in the Tampa folder

ktpa_adex_flytampa.bgl
ktpa_approach_fsx.bgl

ztpa_adex_flytamp.bgl

Bill

[billmo]

I uninstalled FlyTampa - default airport approaches/rwys ok

Installed FlyTampa 2.0 - approaches / rwys ok

Installed FlyTampa 2.1 patch - same problem as originally reported

Thanks

Bill

[Mike...]

I tried the above and it did not work.

The Radar Contact workaround? No, that would not work for you as it is an unrelated issue.

What is "ztpa_adex_flytamp.bgl"? Are your files the originals as included in the installer and update? And have you scanned for duplicate Afcads? And have you tried an approach from the west to see if you get a visual to 1L/19R?

And finally, it would be helpful if you or someone else could attach the Afcad and approach file from the 2.1 update, the FSX versions. I could check and verify they contain the right info and most importantly the right delete statements.

[martin[flytampa]]

Try the attached approach BGL to see if it makes a difference. Overwrite the existing file in FSX/Addon Scenery/FlyTampa-Tampa/Scenery/

The XML/Airport files are:

ktpa_adex_flytampa.bgl - actual Afcad
ktpa_approach_fsx.bgl - approach code for renumbered runways
ztpa_adex_flytampa.bgl - dummy flatten for the taxiway bridge

[Mike...]

You know, editors like ADE are a great advancement, but they introduce extra problems as well. You used to have one location for approach data, Scenery/Generic/scenery, and always separate files for that data. Now that ADE can edit approaches as well, the technical limitation of separate location and file is gone, but put two files at the same layer both with delete statemements and approach data and you're asking for trouble.

For example, with FS9 KTPA, you have the following, from low to high priority:

Stock info contained in AP925220.BGL

Addon Afcad: KTPA_ADE9_ADE.bgl (with deleteAllApproaches="TRUE" (and the others) and a repeat of stock approach info!!!)

Addon approach file: KTPA_approach_fs9.bgl (with deleteAllApproaches="TRUE", which you'd expect, but also delete statemements for everything else, which is odd as the file only contains approach info, but updated this time)

Change the file names and you may very well be reversing the priority of the last two! (Think alphabetical...) Resulting in old approach info overriding new approach info, which in turn overrode the old...



My situation is:

AP925220.BGL

KTPA ADE Approach.bgl (in Scenery/Generic/scenery and with only deleteAllApproaches set and updated approach info)

AF2_KTPA.bgl (in KTPA's scenery folder, no deleteAllApproaches set and no approach info in the file, only other delete statements and your regular Afcad data)

Works like a charm and the Afcad can be (renamed and) edited with any editor including AFCAD, without distroying anything important. Which cannot always be said about files created with later editors and especially ADE...

Anyway, just some background info. May work slightly differently in FSX.

[Mike...]

In short, the biggest problem is, that one has no insight into the various delete statements used and no control over them.

For example, the newly attached file. I decompiled it with BglAnalyzeX (still good to use?) and found no delete statement. Not sure if I am supposed to find one, again, no experience with FSX, but I found that odd.

Opened the bgl in ADE (which means decompile and conversion into ADE format) and compiled it. ADE generated a bgl and source xml. Both now contain all delete statemements and are all set to true!

Opened the original bgl in AFX (which means editing in raw bgl) and made a change, closed AFX and chose to save the changes. Decompiled bgl, still no delete statements.

So quick conclusion, ADE forces them all to true, AFX doesn't touch them.

Anyway, just rambling on, but it illustrates the issues faced with by devs and users alike because of newer programs that can do just about anything... wrong.

[martin[flytampa]]

Yes, I just found the same results. ADE appends All delete statements upon compile. Alphabetical file order may not matter in FSX anymore, I know it used to for 3D content, but those file-order tricks stopped working in FSX i think.

Reuploaded the Approach BGL in the post above with only the deleteAllApproaches statement now.

[billmo]

I updated the approach file above. Same results.

Bill

[billmo]

I have attached my bgl files.

Bill

[Mike...]

Try with ZTPA_ADEX_FLYTAMPA.BGL disabled (just rename the extension to BAK). Although it uses a different ICAO code, FS uses the coordinates of the airport reference point as well to link addon files to the stock one (long story), so I'm wondering if maybe that file is in turn overriding the regular KTPA files.

The next step for Martin would be to 'simply' combine the Afcad and approach file. So that there would be stock info, then one file with a bunch of delete statements and updated info (including the approaches). Don't think there's a real need to keep them separate, unless you don't use ADE and move the approach file to a different location, as I described above. Taking one file out of the equation can only be a good thing, right?

[billmo]

Renaming ztpa did not make any difference.

[Mike...]

LOL! Well, I'm just about out of ideas.



Edit: with all files back to normal (names), try deleting the scenery.dat file in FlyTampa-Tampa. Then start up the sim and let it completely rebuilt the file. It's a longshot, but corrupt scenery.dat files have been known to have strange effects.

[Mike...]

Okay, I started up FS9 again, this time with the Afcad and approach file of KTPA active and not my own files, this is what I got, look familiar? (Great test device, the default GPS receiver.)



Suffice it to say, something ain't right with one of those two files. Martin, get rid of the approach file, then make the edits in the main Afcad, the necessary delete statements and approach code are in there already anyway, they just need changing to the new designators.

Go into approach mode, list approaches, then for every single one change two things (double-click to edit). 1) Make sure the first line is selected in the top right box, then in the bottom right box, make sure Rwy # is correct. 2) Go to the last ApproachLeg (usually fourth line) in the top right box, in the bottom right box it'll say Fix Type RUNWAY, make sure that Fix Ident reflects the new runway name.

In KTPA_ADE9_ADE.bgl by the way, I'm seeing old 1)'s and some new 2)'s, so perhaps you only need to do the 1)'s.