OnCourse Software

Issues with AI traffic incursions, what the PF3 conflict monitor can do and cannot do as well as the downsides of the use of the conflict monitor have been discussed here several times now.

I think creating an algorithm that covers all the different airport layouts and all conceivable traffic situations is virtually impossible.

A solution would be if the user himself could easily freeze the AI traffic around him temporarily if he realizes a situation where a conflict might evolve. And the user most often will be able to do so better than any computer-algorithm (that's why we still have human air traffic controllers on the tower...).

Since PF3 principally is able to freeze AI traffic (as the conflict monitor proves) I imagine it shouldn't be too hard to implement a hotkey to manually freeze all AI ground traffic within a certain radius (maybe 2 nm to cover a full runway length). No complex computations on which aircraft to freeze and which not. Just freeze everything until the hotkey is pressed again. Maybe add a timeout-function (1 minute?) in case the user forgot to cancel the freeze.

Regards

Ralf

The only way to remove traffic is to use Zapper within FSUIPC..that will eliminate any conflicting traffic that's close to you.

Dave Leesley wrote:

The only way to remove traffic is to use Zapper within FSUIPC..that will eliminate any conflicting traffic that's close to you.

I'm not talking about removing traffic but about stopping it temporarily. And that is just what the PF3 conflict monitor does.

Maybe my post was mistakable: I should have named it:

[Wishlist] - Hotkey to freeze AI ground traffic.

Ralf

If achievable, I'd second that.

I can't work out why CM works sometimes, and not others (or too late). I don't change my CM settings from flight to flight... Quite often you see an a/c coming in from the side and you just know it's not going to stop before it 'hits' you! It can of course all work perfectly (and is very impressive), but yes, it would be good to be able to pause traffic manually - maybe not have ALL planes at a busy airport come to a halt though, but those within a defined radius. In other words, as you're suggesting, to 'force' CM to halt traffic within that radius with a hotkey.

The 'zapper' is a bit of a last resort for me. Kind of ruins the illusion (already often thin enough!) of 'as real as it gets'!

I believe the conflict monitor does already work with a radius from the user a/c. I have found that setting a relatively low speed works very well at busy airports (in my case I have set 5kts). Particularly Kai Tak where taxiway B1 is cut by D3 and A1 and you have to give way to traffic wanting to access runway 13. That is exactly how it was when Kai Tak was operational.
Most of time AI gives way to me but occasionally as in the example of VHHX I have to stop and give way myself. Without having a "ground" controller directing traffic it's a workable compromise.