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Airfield Diagrams


shu77

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OK This is posted in my A-10C Operators notes thread as well but I wanted to get some specific feedback on the airfield diagrams before I start to do more. I've attached my first sample, I'm planning to recapture the background image to get a little better detail, but can anyone see anything missing from the diagram?

 

For those of you not familiar with these diagrams they are based on the ICAO airfield diagrams that are typically printed A5 and inserted into a pilots folder along with checklists etc. The idea based on the polls is to do one for each airfield in the game, and also separate reference tables to consolidate reference frequencies. There were some charts done at the Combat Sim checklists site for F4 and Lockon FC years ago, but as best I can tell no one has done any for BS, FC2 or DCSW.

 

UPDATE BATUMI attached


Edited by shu77
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Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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It's a cool project and I would be happy to help for some data gathering. If you're going to want to do all this work you're going to want: Vector graphics Layered construction FAA or other official source style, matched exactly Precise WGS correlations Look up a real FAA AD and recreate it pixel for pixel, font for font, shade for shade. Folder and label a few hundred Photoshop layers. It'd definitely be worth the effort. Edit: I just found some .svg versions of real FAA ADs. That'd be a huuuuge head start.

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Looks great - and would be a fine supplement to the Flight Manual. But boy, that sounds like one helluva lot of work!! You sure the take-up would be worth all that effort?

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^^ Lt. Seahawk

 

Great looking check list mate :thumbup: I've been thinking of making an A5 version of a check list for a while now, as I have a similar binder. This may save me a bit of time! Would there be any chance of getting hold of an electronic copy of yours?

 

Shu77> I'm loving the idea of your ICAO approach charts! I think it should replicate a real world approach plate as closely as possible. The sample you've posted looks really good and I'm liking the format. As you say, the background image needs sharpening up, but otherwise it looks good.

 

Will you be providing IFR approach charts as well as airport diagrams?


Edited by CrashEd
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Yeah I was working on making the design for print at A5 so it would fit in a standard pilots flip chart. did get the idea as I said earlier from the combat sim checklist that Xjiz linked, but then I dont want to rip his work off rather do my own so that theres a consistent set. At the same time I dont want to go breaching the ICAO's copyright so I think I will proceed with this format, and revisit the detail if it needs it in future.

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Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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DCSWIP2.png

 

Here's what I've managed so far as a vector base template. It's a PNG of the PSD file. I don't have an exact match for the FAA font, if anyone knows what it is exactly I'd like to know. Also I have no idea what the various header and footer ID markings are supposed to mean. I have just figured out how to make proper vector filled objects so that should make recreating the map objects much quicker/better.


Edited by Frederf
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See I based mine on the ICAO charts but also the ones on AIP for the Russian Federation and took a little licence to allow for some of the fact that the game doesn't have such a in depth radio system. I like what you've done though.

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Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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Unfortunately mine are based on the old FC1 charts, I'm going to have to do a drive by of each base to have a look what the signs actually say. I've started to make some progress on the base documents today but the big push is the actual image for each field that goes into them.

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Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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These maps already exist for the "old" lockon airports, but that's a good idea that someones wants to continue the job:

 

http://namejdrott.free.fr/wikimages/cartes/carte18SochiAdler

 

as you see on the link, there are several informations that you can still add to the map

 

Yep, these were all originally done by Red Dog for LOMAC:

 

http://users.skynet.be/F4Checklists/LomacDownload.htm

 

Red Dog is a master at creating these charts but, he is fairly particular about his products being used without mentioning they came from him. We had permission to use them in Touchbuddy Profiles for LOMAC. Someone should approach him about an updated set for DCSW.

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Wow Frederf, that looks beautiful! I'd request adding the parking spot numbers for mission makers like shu77 had though, if possible. :)

 

Very, very WIP. The color image in the background is just my placement helper that I left in to show where the rest of it goes. Finished it'll be only black/white/gray. As you can guess I'm a fan of the FAA style. The FTA detail is lovely but gosh does that look like a lot of work graphically. The FAA style is only concerned with the area immediately bordering the taxiways and apron. I suppose an inset of various parking areas with numbers would be fine. It would be a shame to make a set of diagrams and have the result come up short on usefulness.

 

The difference between the existing FC2 diagrams and my example is really crispness. No JPGs, no screenshots with magic eraser, all vector. They aren't even consistent with capitalization and spelling.

 

See I based mine on the ICAO charts but also the ones on AIP for the Russian Federation and took a little licence to allow for some of the fact that the game doesn't have such a in depth radio system. I like what you've done though.

 

I definitely see what example you were aspiring to. I only really know the FAA style. It's hardly too late to switch to USAF or similar other standard for the purposes of being proper role play.

 

New WIP:

 

DCSWIP3.png


Edited by Frederf
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I'm having curious issues with the runway exact headings. Does anyone have a reliable way of determining exactly which way the runways face (0.1°) and what is the declination for any location? Does the declination change for different game dates?

 

I've found that measuring the T heading of the runway in the ME gives a different result than real life sources or using the "K-041" page of the ABRIS and physically lining up.

 

DCSWIP4.png

~33% size

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I'm going to use a measure down the RWY in the mission editor as I figure thats going to be more accurate than the in game compass/direction tape which no doubt is modeled to drift etc. It also means consistency across all fields.

I figured I would start with the New airfields as there is no map for them, though most of the text in my example still represents Sochi, as I didnt have my reference notes handy when I was at lunch.

 

Attached is my progress on format, I've adopted a couple little things from the AIP charts which I liked at the top, but otherwise brought it back to be similar to yours. let me know if you want to split the airfields and we can probably reduce our respective workloads, how are you adding the map squares across yours? I haven't figured a way to do that.

 

attachment.php?attachmentid=43735&stc=1&d=1288066546

chart.thumb.jpg.e624f3dbcba362d4c2f845fb40be1c47.jpg


Edited by shu77

Hornet, Super Carrier, Warthog & (II), Mustang, Spitfire, Albatross, Sabre, Combined Arms, FC3, Nevada, Gulf, Normandy, Syria AH-6J

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Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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OK Have added Version 1.0 of BATUMI to the first post.

Data in it should now be accurate, I still need to figure how to get grid lines like Fred but I figured since most of us will be running training ops out of there its a good first airfield..


Edited by shu77

Hornet, Super Carrier, Warthog & (II), Mustang, Spitfire, Albatross, Sabre, Combined Arms, FC3, Nevada, Gulf, Normandy, Syria AH-6J

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Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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The most accurate way I found to transfer off the ME is to take a big ol' FRAPS screen of the runway and paste it into Photoshop. I draw a black rectangle and then rotate it until the edge is just parallel with the runway image and note the degrees rotated up top.

 

I feel confident +/- 0.1° that way. That gives me true and I use the ABRIS-reported MAGVAR from that location (5.8E in the case of Sochi). I was hoping to find some sort of meaningful correlation to some instrumentation in the Ka-50 because at the end of the day it's what the pilot experiences that matters. I guess no Ka-50 or A-10 pilot is going to care/notice if the heading is 1.5 deg off even.

 

I see the Russian AIP formats now. There's a whole set for URSS. The one you drew reminds me of the appendix airfield charts from Falcon 4.0. They look useful and easy to read.

 

The FAA charts are definitely single purpose. They are to help you move around on the ground and get ready for take off and landing. The AIP style vary and have additional talents like local terrain, approach/departure info, lighting, etc. It would be good to come to some conclusions about desired use before settling on a format:

 

Which software DCS A-10C, DCS BS? Are the airfields present and the same in both? Are the frequencies the same in both? Useful for MP flights? Expected to print to 8.5x11"? smaller? many per page? Be a one-stop shop for aerodrome info including approach, obstacles, terrain recognition? Is the user supposed to be USAF? Russian Aviation? generic?

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I managed to get the F11 map view last night and noticed that clicking on the airfield gives you a whole bunch of info which included a heaading of 125deg for Batumi which corresponded to the ME line so that was why I settled on that, you're right though 125 or 126 is not even possible to tell in the airplane.

 

I havent had a chance though to figure the MAGVAR in the A-10 for Batumi, but thats a reasonable approach.

 

I'm not using Photoshop at this point but rather a powerpoint template, with the airfield image being a screen grab thats then converted to a vector through another app and then inserted mainly because I dont have PS, which seems to give a good result though. The base document is A4 but I'm expecting it to be printed A5, but I'm keeping the template A4 so it fits with my operator notes.

 

I'm working from DCSW which has 3-4 extra airfields, which was why I was titling my gear USAF but you raise a good point about the headings being different for RUSFOR, perhaps we do both? How are you aligning the grid squares and getting the reference readings, I get the idea of setting up a grid, and rotating it to correspond to MAGVAR, but how do you get the actual lattitude/Longitude for those lines?

 

I don't know about the frequencies being the same but would assume they are if youre using a VHF in the BS (Cant say I know a lot about the BS)

I have the screen grabs for each DCSW Airfield from the F11 view so I will put them into a table over the next couple days


Edited by shu77

Hornet, Super Carrier, Warthog & (II), Mustang, Spitfire, Albatross, Sabre, Combined Arms, FC3, Nevada, Gulf, Normandy, Syria AH-6J

i9 10900K @ 5.0GHz, Gigabyte Z490 Vision G, Cooler Master ML120L, Gigabyte RTX3080 OC Gaming 10Gb, 64GB RAM, Reverb G2 @ 2480x2428, TM Warthog, Saitek pedals & throttle, DIY collective, TrackIR4, Cougar MFDs, vx3276-2k

Combat Wombat's Airfield & Enroute Maps and Planning Tools

 

cw1.png

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Yep, these were all originally done by Red Dog for LOMAC:

 

http://users.skynet.be/F4Checklists/LomacDownload.htm

 

Red Dog is a master at creating these charts but, he is fairly particular about his products being used without mentioning they came from him. We had permission to use them in Touchbuddy Profiles for LOMAC. Someone should approach him about an updated set for DCSW.

 

Honestly, I can't remember where I got these maps, I have them since a very long time on my computer. This is why I didn't tell who is the source.

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