Syd, Csaba, et al...
This is by no means complete, or really even close... and I'm not done trying,
but I'm just taking a little break from working on it. I just wanted to show
you progress and get your input, in case there are any major problems with it
so far (particularly in the Nasal).
By the way, I know that the bigger radar screen obstructs most of the window,
but I consider it an improvement, at least as a matter of personal preference.
Your mileage may vary.
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll209/rmsjr1974/atcrmsjr-01-setloc.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll209/rmsjr1974/atcrmsjr-02-markfinal.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll209/rmsjr1974/atcrmsjr-03-markfinal.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll209/rmsjr1974/atcrmsjr-04-markfinal.jpg
NOTES:
When the sim boots up and initializes, the radar scope view will be set to a
range of 1. Before zooming out, use CTRL-J and K to rotate the localizer guide
paralell with the intended arrival runway, then use CTRL-G and H to move it
left and right until aligned with it. Now you can zoom out to your preferred
view distance and the localizer guide will self-adjust to remain on the
centerline as you defined it. Also, please note that all heading references
(on the screen and also in the data panel) are given in MAGNETIC.
KNOWN BUGS / ISSUES:
(1) The localizer guideline extends past the edge of the radar screen.
(2) The current transformation for the radar screen actually rotates the screen
itself, rather than just the indicators on it. I presume I have to connect the
magnetic variation to the user's orientation in order to correct this. I think
I can work that out myself, following what was done in ATC2.
(3) The wind heading only updates when a target's info is updated, since I
could not figure out where else in the Nasal script to put this operation. I
tried to attach that script to a listener which would trigger when
/environment/wind-from-heading-deg changes, but I didn't do it right, I guess.
So I just threw it in the Target Update script for now. (Yes, I know that's
not a great place for it!)
PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS:
(1) Panel hotspots to toggle and maneuver the localizer guide. Right now that
can only be done with the CTRL-keys indicated above. I can add those, no
problem.
(2) Commands activated by either (well, really, both) CTRL-key and panel
hotspots which prepare canned directives to the target plane. I want to do
this in such a way that the piece to be added (i.e. which heading, which
altitude, which runway) is always at the end of the message. I can manage this
part, I think, based on what's already there.
(3) Prettier panel and buttons. Shading for 3D effect, etcetera. I can do
that on my own as well, but I just wanted to have something quick-and-dirty to
test with for now.
Here it is... look at it... play with it... tell me what a hack I am... improve
it... give it back to me. :) LOL
http://filebin.ca/mdscns/ATC-rmsjr.zip
Cheers,
-R. (MD-Terp)
Robert M. Shearman, Jr.
Transit Operations Supervisor,
University of Maryland Department of Transportation
also known as rm...@umd.edu
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "Rob Shearman, Jr." <rmsj...@yahoo.com>
To: FlightGear Developers <flightgear-devel@lists.sourceforge.net>
Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 5:12:27 AM
Subject: Fw: [Flightgear-devel] Multiplayer ATC "aircraft, " feature request...
Syd et al --
Me:
> "I'll also see what I can come up with by way of my own solutions."
I actually have hacked together an ATC version that (in my own opinion, of
course) takes the best features of V1 and V2 and combines them, but also with a
bigger radar screen, and the makings of a localizer guideline. I'm not the
coder you guys are (yet... someday!) so I'm stumbling through a lot of the
Nasal, but it's coming together better than I thought. It stores both a
heading (rotation transformation) and an offset (x-shift transformation).
While I haven't yet implemented the hotspots and CTRL-keys to change the
settings, I have it working well enough now that if I align it with a runway,
the x-shift scales with the radar scope scale setting, so it remains aligned no
matter what the zoom level is. One problem I'm having right now is that it
likes to extend past the edge of the radar screen.
I also stole the "Tower Adjust" and "message to target" scripts -- One of my
next projects is, as you (Syd) mentioned before, rotating everything into
magnetic heading, to avoid confusion. I'm also thinking I'm going to add a
panel of "pre-canned" messages as well, so within two or three keystrokes one
can say, for example, "MD-Terp, descend and maintain" and just type the
altitude on the end.
I may come running to you guys to see if it's possible to select an aircraft by
clicking on it on the radar scope. Let me polish off what I have so far and
then I'll post some screenshots and see if you guys want to help me "clean it
up" some.
Thanks,
-R. (MD-Terp)
Robert M. Shearman, Jr.
Transit Operations Supervisor,
University of Maryland Department of Transportation
also known as rm...@umd.edu
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "Rob Shearman, Jr." <rmsj...@yahoo.com>
To: FlightGear developers discussions <flightgear-devel@lists.sourceforge.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 9, 2009 4:00:05 AM
Subject: Re: [Flightgear-devel] Multiplayer ATC "aircraft, " feature request...
I think you're referring to a "ground-controlled approach" or GCA. However,
this is not what I'm referring to -- I'm simply talking about approach
controllers vectoring their planes from the end of their STARS procedure toward
the localizer of the active arrival runway. Yes, intercepting it *is* the
pilot's job, but the approach controller needs to get them in the vicinity of
it, fare enough out, and with not too sharp a turn, and I'm pretty certain that
the extended centerlines are indicated on their screens. Since I can't say
this with any definitiveness, though, I understand Syd's reluctance to make
changes. I'll see if I can come up with any RL references. And, as I said,
I'll also see what I can come up with by way of my own solutions. I guess I'm
just not patient enough for that sometimes. :) Cheers, -R. (MD-Terp)
Robert M. Shearman, Jr.
Transit Operations Supervisor,
University of Maryland Department of Transportation
also known as rm...@umd.edu
________________________________
From: Stuart Buchanan <stuart_d_bucha...@yahoo.co.uk>
To: FlightGear developers discussions <flightgear-devel@lists.sourceforge.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 9, 2009 3:28:19 AM
Subject: Re: [Flightgear-devel] Multiplayer ATC "aircraft, " feature request...
syd adams wrote:
>That might be best . I know very little about what information a real scope
>displays , and intercepting a radial is the pilots job , so I dont know if
>I can bring myself to add that line ;).
I was at a fly-in to an RAF base last week, which included a tour of their
tower. Interestingly, they still do radar-guidance (I forget the official term)
where the controller provides instructions to the pilot to bring them to the
center-line and appropriate glideslope to the runway - "Left two degrees,
slightly high...", and the guides them all the way down to decision height.
For this they had two radar displays, one showing the horizontal track and one
showing the vertical, with an external center-line and glideslope marked on the
display.
I got the chance to try this out on their Tornado simulator, and it worked
pretty well. I even got a nice print-out of my track afterwards :)
-Stuart
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