Hi,
The simplest way to create schedules these days is to use the MRAI Compiler. It's available at various places, including
www.fsalliance.net (File Library/Downloads/FS Tools). Be sure to read the PDF help file thoroughly before starting.
First, you code each leg of the timetable in either Excel or Wordpad. I use the latter, and you code a flight as follows:
FFT;17;KABQ;KGUP;1616;1714;123457;DC3
This is a line from a 1964 Frontier timetable I'm doing currently.
The meaning of each one from left to right:
1. The Airline name, in case you are coding more than one airline in a single flight plan file. FFT is Frontier's parking code.
2. The flight number
3. The departure airport
4. The arrival airport
5. The departure time. Times can be typed either as 7:14 or 0714. This is 24 hour time. You can use either local time or convert everything to GMT yourself first.
6. The arrival time. The compiler will use the @ symbol to force the arrival time, so your speed numbers in the aircraft.txt file should be in the 100-300 kts range.
7. Days of operation. 1 is Monday, 7 is Sunday
8. Equipment. This code should also be listed in the aircraft database in the compiler's Database folder.
Continue adding lines for each leg of each flight in the timetable. When done, load into the compiler. Use the DST and/or GMT boxes as desired. If a summer schedule use the DST box, if you converted all times to GMT use the GMT box.
As I remember, the first things that may come up are:
1. A warning that an airport isn't in the database (add it)
2. One leg takes over 20 hours (if not true, you probably have a typo or a problem with DST between those airports; again fix the flight plan or the airports database)
3. You may have duplicate flights (identical times and airports used for a leg). Fix those too. If two planes really leave and arrive at the exact same same time change one by one minute.
Once it loads without errors, take a good look at the list of flights, to make sure they are correct and that you have made no typing errors (i.e. there isn't a 1234567 in the AC Type column, etc.). Reload the text file after you fix them. Once those are fixed, then you can press the Compile AI Flight Plans button with the Check for Timetable Inconsistancies box checked.
This will (hopefully not) bring up an error box containing the following two errors:
1. One airport has more arrivals than departures or visa versa. This should be fixed unless you want an ugly flight plan file. First look at these flight plans, sometimes there will be typos in them that will cause this error. If it still is present then either add a ferry flight back the other way (I add mine late at night) or change the frequency of a flight to make them match.
2. Aircraft does not exist. Add this aircraft code (and info) to the aircraft database or correct your text file to match the existing code in that file.
OK, now when you press the Compile button it comes up with a Save box. You can now save your new flight plan file where you like with any name you like.
Open the file in Wordpad or Notepad. You will find a list of airports at the top; Copy and Paste them into an airports_fft64.txt file (for example).
Then Copy and Paste the flight plans below into a flightplans_fft64.txt file.
Now look at the flight plans. Are there any flights that are very short? (i.e. don't have many legs, compared to the majority of the plans). I look at any that are shorter than 1/2 the legs of the plan with the most legs for that plane. I.e. if the longest plan has 26 legs, I look at any that have less than 13 legs. I estimate this by turning off word wrap and using the scroll bar at the bottom. Move it to the end of the longest plan, put your finger half way to the left edge, and scroll to your finger. Any plans that end to the left of your finger are suspect.
Check them out and see if the plane waits for long periods of time, especially at big busy airports. If it does, consider deleting this plan, for it will lead to many aircraft sitting on the ground at that busy airport. If it has very important plans (to you), then leave it, but you will pay the price.
Below these short plans are plans that don't begin and end at the same place - they will have the starting and ending airports listed first. I usually delete these unless they contain critical flights.
Also, you will see that the aircraft reg number section of each flight plan is listed as airline/aircraft (FFTDC3 for example). If you have the registration number information for this airline's fleet, you can replace these with the real reg no. Aeromoe's Airline Fleets page has a lot of these for US Retro aircraft (http://www.geocities.com/~aeromoe/fleets/airlines.html).
One more thing - you will see that there are no aircraft numbers (AC#). You will need to add these (Search and Replace works well). Each aircraft type should have it's own number. For example, replace AC#, with AC#1, for the first aircraft type.
Finally, create an aircraft_fft64.txt file from scratch; the line for my Frontier DC-3 looks like:
AC#1,110,"AI DC-3 Frontier"
The name (in quotes) should be exactly what is to the right of title= in the desired plane's aircraft.cfg file. The speed should be slow (remember it's using the @ symbol).
At last, you should be able to compile the three files with TTools and if it compiles without errors, check out each plane in FS and make sure they appear at the expected times.
Now create a text file (use an existing text file from a package created by a Retro AI member (name is blank) for the format), and zip up that file along with the 3 TTools files. Send to the Retro AI email address linked on the
www.retroai.net main page and send it in!
Hope this helps,
I guess maybe I'll try my hand at coding some of the smaller airlines.
because PDX being our (QX) MTX base, almost all our planes start their legs here, and then they go off on their daily flights and end-up some where else RON for the night. Saturday night would be the worst, because as most know, Saturday night is when most of the weekly aircraft checks takes place, & cleaning done. and that is why schedules always have that elusive "Everyday Except Saturday" in them on many flights. Also if you know anybody who is an Fleet Service Agent, or a Graveyard A&P, with less than 5 or 6 years seniority, they very rarely can go with you to a movie or dinner on Saturday night.... I know, it's just a goofy observation, and way off topic.
....