How to remove modern AI traffic from classic airports

[jonbuck]

At many classic (prop-era) airports, unwanted jet/turbo-prop/modern GA traffic keep landing, taking off and even parking on ramps overnight. Obviously they don't fit in with T-6s, DC-3s and B-25s, and they're hard to just ignore, which is all I've been able to do.

I want to keep these wonderful older airports that I grew up with, for prop acft only and get rid of any modern stuff. For example; Van Nuys CA was a busy wartime P-38 training base. I've added an AAF facility with static and AI P-38 traffic, but 737s, Dash-8s and Cessna Caravan floatplanes keep dropping in and spoiling the period look of the place. Kinda, sorta don't fit in but I suspect they are included in the massive, world-wide default flight plan that comes with FS9. I don't know how you can find anything specific in that huge monster of a flight plan, which includes the whole world practically!

How can I track down the AI Flight Plans so I can either delete them entirely or at least replace the jets with a more appropriate aircraft, like DC-3s, Twin-Beech D-18s, Stinsons, Wacos and the like? Is there some aftermarket program that lets you call up specific airport AI traffic plans and revise the stops in those plans or change the aircraft, or delete the flight plan entirely? I really don't need flight plans for countries outside North America. If not, is there a manual way of doing it?

Sure would appreciate any ideas or advice!

JonB

[emfrat]

Jon, go to your FS9\Scenery\World\Scenery folder.
Scroll down to the bottom and you should find a file named traffic030528.bgl
Rename this file to traffic030528.bgx
That will disable all the default FS9 traffic, which is the modern stuff you are seeing.
Do this first, and see what happens. You might have other modern AI which came with an add-on airport scenery or plane that you installed, which is not disabled by the CC installer because it doesn't know about it - in which case you could still see modern stuff after disabling the main traffic bgl file.
Hope this helps.
MikeW

[Tom/CalClassic]

This will also remove the default GA traffic. Your choice is to do without, download my Classic GA traffic (which requires separate aircraft downloads), or install the GA portion of a "default traffic split" file available on the net.

Hope this helps,

[jwh]

Tonight I flew into the CalClassic Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport and the sky was full of AI Cessna 182s, Skylanes, a couple of Caravans and only one DC-6.
I don't have any of the Cessnas in my AI aircraft list and I cannot imagine them being part of the CalClassic scenery. I've noticed from time to time with a couple of other Classic scenerys. e.g. There is an errant Caravan in the Sydney scenery.

So, I'm curious as to why they appear, especially in the case of Phoenix, so many, and how do we rid ourselves of them.

Thanks
John

[Deleted]

Apr 23, 2014 4:42:15 GMT -5 jwh said:

So, I'm curious as to why they appear

If you have Traffic Toolbox installed, you will able to activate "File path" with right click in the Explorer bar. It adds the file paths of all AI in the area. So you might detect which traffic file generates your Caravans.

[emfrat]

John - I have seen reports that FTX GA AI produces lots of 182s, 172s and other light aircraft, in NZ and PNW, which is not realistic. I do not have those softwares, so I personally have not seen that effect.
The standard naming for AI traffic files is traffic_name.bgl where name might be JWH or mjw or YSSY (or even 030528, which represents 28 May 2003). The convention is to use an underscore as a separator, to allow readability. A traffic_pink.bgl is created by running aircraft_pink.txt, airports_pink.txt, and flightplans_pink.txt through TTools, which compiles those three into one bgl named traffic_pink.bgl. Note how the component filenames exactly match, which allows the bgl to be created.
As a quick check, search your FS9 main folder for traffic*.* This will pick up any traffic files, including those which have been renamed to disable them. Traffic files should be in your FS9\scenery\world\scenery folder

ATB
MikeW

[jwh]

Thanks Mike
Found some Canadian airport traffic .bgls which I have renamed along with some other modern ones and that seems to have rid me of all the Cessnas that were flying about.
However on the tarmac at the rear of the Phoenix terminal are four Caravan amphibians which all decided to leave at once. Will try a bit of trial and error to see where they have originated.
Once again I have learned something new, which I why I value this Forum so much.

John

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

I would also encourage you to install the Traffic Toolbox SDK, which is invaluable for such problems. You can download it here:

support.microsoft.com/kb/555857

It's as simple to install as dropping a DLL file into your FS Modules folder.

When you start FS9, you will see a Tools menu, and select the Explorer. Right click on the headings and add the path to the AI files. Find the errant AI aircraft in the list and read off the file generating them.

Hope this helps,

[emfrat]

John - if you have four of the same aircraft departing at the same time from the same place, that suggests there are actually four traffic files at work; the only surprise is that they don't seem to have parked inside each other.
BTW, do not ignore Tom's advice on this - he knows heaps more about the subject than I do.

Cheers
MikeW

[triflyman]

I just completed converting all my AI FS9 traffic files to FSX and all seems to be working except I also have some modern aircraft running around and parking. Saw the post about the FS9 file named traffic030528.bgl to get rid of them...but I'm in FSX so don't have that file. Is their another file in FSX I could rename to accomplish the same and get rid of the modern aircraft?

Thanks,

[Tom/CalClassic]

I believe in FSX the file is named trafficAircraft.bgl, in the same location (Scenery/World/scenery).

[Dennis the menace]

One thing to be aware of in FS9 (not sure about FSX): you will need to have the "dummy" world traffic file in your world\scenery folder otherwise you will have some very odd terrain problems.  The "dummy" file is just a traffic file with one single Cessna flight in it, that's all.

Yes, I did say terrain! This bug was discovered when I first uploaded my Asia Pacific 1962 scenery and people were seeing mountains and cliffs on some Pacific islands, when Tom and I and others were seeing just flat islands.

Tom finally found the glitch. For an unexplainable reason, when the default AI traffic file is either renamed or removed, terrain and elevations are affected.

Bizarre, just absolutely bizarre.

Installing the "dummy" file will prevent bizarre terrain and elevation problems due to this FS bug. I do remember one thing: with the default traffic file removed, Rabaul, New Guinea will be flat. When the AI traffic file is installed into the world\scenery folder, all of a sudden, volcanoes appeared at the end of the runway.

If FSX has this same bug, I am not aware of it.  Just a heads up

[Tom/CalClassic]

My traffic download installs that dummy file, just in case.

[triflyman]

Thanks again guys...that did it. Don't care if I never see another 737 again...it also seemed to help my FR's a little. So far I think I like the mix in the 1959 version...a little jets but not to much.

I'll keep an eye out for any terrain issues but I do remember seeing Tom's dummy file in the World folder.

Have to go to Atlanta tomorrow for a few days but I'm sure when I get back I'll be back with more questions/issues...still a few things not completed...like getting rid of DFW by loading Fort Worth.

Thanks again!