Summer of 1998 AI project

[chasensfo]

I would like to share with you all that myself and a few other RAI members(including ranmori, cgold, @memeking and FSMuseum) have independently started a Summer 1998 AI project.. The bulk of the project will be worldwide scheduled flightplans based on a September 1998 Offical Airline Guide(OAG), but we will also include representative plans for airlines excluded from the OAG as well as cargo, general aviation, private, and limited military aircraft to fill up the AI skies. In addition to flightplans and repaints, many airports will be backdated and several sceneries will be released for backdated airports and airports that have since been closed such as DEN, AUS, and many Chinese airfields. This will be a long project, so be patient.

Now...here is the part that I know will upset some of you. Even though several of the people involved in the project is still running FS2004, we have made the decision to make this project "future" proof and use it as incentive for people to upgrade their sims and use the new much more realistic models. Therefor, when possible, all repaints and sceneries will the FSX/P3D Native with hopes that they will work in FS2020 when it comes out. That means that FAIB, FSPX, ect AI models will be used instead of AIA, DJC, FSP, TFS, ect whenever possible and scenery will be made with ADEX not AFCAD. Of course, a recent poll on RAI showed that a majority of users are still running FS2004. However, as has been stated in other threads, none of the members of this forum are paid for their projects, we are all just people with a hobby making what we want to make however we wish to make it and sharing it here and elsewhere. Besides, over the years as PC's improve and current high-end graphics and computer parts become cheaper and more accessible, this project will still be relevant and deliver high quality aircraft to your airports. Eventually, we just need to utilize what is new and impoved. FS2004 has a cap on RAM and graphics capacity that means that no PC would be able to smoothly run add-on scenery with all the AI that will result from this project. While 64-bit sims like P3Dv4 are more demanding on a system, at least smoothly processing the sim is possible. I was a very long time FS2004 user, only switching to P3D in 2015, and trust me, it is just better for everything including AI. For those already using FSX and P3D, older AI models cause glitches and issues in the sim in addition to the cosmetic flaws. Very few retro liveries exist on these newer models, and this project will populate the FS World with them. Hopefully, the FSX/P3D liveries and the not-too-long-ago 1998 era will attract a lot of younger simmers with time on their hands to get involved with the project, RAI, and retro flightsim/aviation in general.

All that said, it is far from doom and gloom for FS2004 users. Many aircraft do not have FSX/P3D native AI models, nor will they anytime soon...if ever. These aircraft(like the Beech 1900, Boeing 727, ect) will be painted on FS9 native models. In addition, 1998 was recent enough that many of the early 2000s repaints uploaded to Avsim and Flightsim are relevant to this project and are painted on FS9 models. Many members here have also released liveries required on FS9 models as part of 90s or 80s packages. All the flightplans stemming from this project can of course be flown by the aircraft of your choice, and AF2 files made for the scenery fairly easily. Hell, some of the airports may already have early FS2004 scenery relevant to 1998.

The OAG books are very thick with a lot of info and can be a bit of a puzzle with codesharing, and right now I am the only one doing flightplanning. My interest lies more in the research and the creative work of crafting the many representative plans as well as creating scenery and backdating airports. Anyone with interest in seeing this project finished is more than welcome to join us and lend a hand! I can send over photos of the pages of the OAG and explain how to type it into MRAI format to anyone interested. We also could use help in knowledge, research, and painting.

Finally, to save time and resources, airlines with flightplans from 1999 done by other users will be included in the project(with permission, of course) if I determine that not enough changed between the summer of 1998 and the period of 1999 that the other plans are based on(as is usually the case). While other airlines may be re-done, such as Transaero, as the airline had 737-700s and 767-300s in 1998 that are not included in the available plans.

All completed flightplans may be found in this thread, which is always updated with new material.

As all paints become available for a carrier with completed flightplans, all complete airlines will be gradually uploaded to Avsim and linked to in this thread with the required textures or links to the textures uploaded with the plans. When an airline is uploaded with new textures, it will be added to this thread.

As of right now, the following airlines have been uploaded to Avsim:

AeroLyon (aerolyon_1998.zip)
Air Hong Kong 1998 (airlines_of_hong_kong_1998.zip)
Air Koryo Cargo (air_koryo_cargo_1998.zip)
Air Macau 1998 (airlines_of_hong_kong_1998.zip)
Air Mandalay (air_mandalay_1998.zip)
Air Mauritius 1998 (air_mauritius_1998.zip)
Air Seychelles 1998 (air_seychelles_1998.zip)
Air Tahiti Nui (air_tahiti_nui_1998.zip)
Air Tanzania (air_tanzania_1998.zip)
Aloha Air (aloha_air_1998.zip)
Aloha Island Air (aloha_island_air_1998.zip)
Asiana Airlines (asiana_1998.zip)
Avioimpex avioimpex_1998.zip
Belavia (belavia_1998.zip)
Bellview Airlines 1998 (bellview_airlines_1998.zip)
BETA Cargo(brazilian_express_transportes_aéreos) (beta_cargo_1998_(brazilian_express_transportes_aéreos)_1998.zip)
Cathay Pacific 1998 (airlines_of_hong_kong_1998.zip)
Cathay Pacific Cargo 1998 (airlines_of_hong_kong_1998.zip)
China Airlines (china_airlines_1998.zip)
Citybird (Citybird_1998.zip)
Continental Micronesia (continental_mirconesia_1998.zip)
CSA Czech Airlines (csa_czech_airlines_1998.zip)
Cyprus Airways (cyprus_airways_1998.zip)
Dragonair (airlines_of_hong_kong_1998.zip)
Druk Air (druk_air_1998.zip)
EasyJet (easyjet_1998.zip)
Estonian Air (estonian_air_1998.zip)
EVA Air (eva_air_1998.zip)
Fly Linhas Aereas (fly_linhas_aereas_1998.zip)
Ghana Airways (ghana_airways_1998.zip)
GTI Airlines 1998 (gti_airlines_1998.zip)
Hawaiian Air (hawaiian_air_1998.zip)
Interbrasil Star (interbrasil_star_1998.zip)
Itapemirim (itapemirim_1998.zip)
Itapemirim Cargo (itapemirim_cargo_1998.zip)
KLM (KLM_1998.zip)
Korean Air (korean_air_1998.zip)
Mandarin Airlines (mandarin_airlines_1998.zip)
Myanmar International Airlines (myanmar_international_airlines_1998.zip)
Nigeria Airways (nigeria_airways_1998.zip)
Nomads Travel Club (nomads_travel_club_1998.zip)
Nordeste (nordeste_1998.zip)
Omni Air International OAI (omni_air_international_1998.zip)
Pacific Airlines(Vietnam) (pacific_airlines_1998.zip)
Palestinian Airlines (palestinian_airlines_1998.zip)
Pantanal Linhas Areas (pantanal_linhas_areas_1998.zip)
Passaredo (passaredo_1998.zip)
Pantanal Linhas Aereas (pantanal_linhas_aereas_1998.zip)
PLUNA 1998 (pluna_1998.zip)
RiAir Riga Airlines (riair_riga_airlines_1998.zip)
Rio-Sul (rio_sul_1998.zip)
Royal Air Cambodge (royal_air_cambodge_1998.zip)
Skymaster Airlines (skymaster_airlines_1998.zip)
Southeast Airlines (southeast_airlines_1998.zip)
TAM Express (tam_express_1998.zip)
Transbrasil (transbrasil_1998.zip)
U-Land Airlines (u-land_airlines_1998.zip)
VASP (vasp_1998_377478.zip)
Vietnam Airlines (vietnam_airlines_1998.zip)
Yana Airlines (yana_airlines_1998.zip)
Zimbabwe Express Airlines 1998 (zimbabwe_express_airlines_1998.zip)

In addition to flightplans posted here, we have completed all scheduled flights from the OAG(and in some cases, cargo, military, and charter as well) to many geographical regions from airlines that are not 100% completed yet and therefor released. By adding these incomplete airlines to your sim, you will see all their flights to the regions listed below despite most flights not being completed. With these files, you will be able to fly to any 2 points within these regions and see all the real world traffic. As new regions are added or the airline is completed, you can simply update the airline with the new version, which will also save time in the future when installing the complete airlines as you'll already have some or all of the required liveries installed and listed. Note that airlines listed as very close to completion may not be available as an incomplete airline file as they will be released entirely fairly soon.

With these incomplete airline flightplans, scheduled and all or most charter, cargo, and in some cases, government flights are completed to the following regions:

Afghanistan
Belgium
Benin
Bhutan
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
China (all flights by non-Chinese carriers only as Chinese carriers are well underway)
Christmas Island
Cocos Islands
Comoros
Cook Islands
Cote d'Ivorie
Croatia
Cyprus
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Federated States of Micronesia
Gabon
Ghana
Greenland
Guam
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Hawaii
Hong Kong
Jamaica
Japan
Johnston Atol
Kuala Lumpor Subang International (SZB\WMKK)
Kuwait
Laos
Leeward Islands
Lesotho
Liberia
Luxembourg
Mayotte
Macau
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mongolia
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles(plus SBH and SFG)
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Philippines
Republic of the Congo
Reunion
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Seychelles
Shanghai Hongqiao(SHA\ZSPD)
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Switzerland
Tahiti
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
The Gambia
Togo
Uganda
US Virgin Islands
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna
Western Sahara
Zimbabwe

All flights to the following regions or airports are in progress and will be included in future updates to the incomplete airlines ahead of each individual airline's release serving the region:

Alaska
Aruba
Austria
Bahrain
Beijing
Bermuda
Bulgaria
California
Canada
Costa Rica
Croatia
Egypt
Fiji
France
French Antilles
Frankfurt Main (FRA\EDDF)
Guatemala
Honduras
Iraq
Italy
Jordan
Lebanon
London Area Airports
Madagascar
Malta
Minnesota\The Dakotas
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Oman
Panama
Pacific Northwest USA
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Romania
South Africa
Syria
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates

All flightplans to the completed regions by incomplete airlines may be found here: drive.google.com/open?id=1Ot0KzDaUBVeoaI8RLlOw-1hsM5mDqaxB

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Link to the Facebook page here.

[noob21]

This seems like quite the hefty project. I hope all goes well and it is accomplished, if I get some free time and see myself being useful in some way, I may join, although I don't have a Facebook, or really any social media for that matter.

[chasensfo]

May 3, 2017 12:57:31 GMT -5 noob21 said:

This seems like quite the hefty project. I hope all goes well and it is accomplished, if I get some free time and see myself being useful in some way, I may join, although I don't have a Facebook, or really any social media for that matter.

You aren't missing much from the lack of social media!

Well, the best way you or anyone else can help is to learn how to type things out into MRAI format(which will be the format plans are typed in so they can compile into Flightsim format) and help chip away at the Asia/Pacific OAG for now. We mostly communicate via Facebook messenger about the project, but you do NOT need a Facebook account to download messenger on your phone, all you need is an e-mail. I will take the time to help anyone interested via private message or FB messenger figure out how to get started. Though I won't sugar coat it, all that typing and scanning thru the OAG gets very boring. Have to keep the light at the end of the tunnel in mind.

[noob21]

Well I won't be available for the next few months for the most part, I'm currently on a road trip and I'm away from my computer, and I will be that way for the next month or so, and then I'm working on and off at a summer camp until August
But after that time has passed, I might try to get the hang of the MRAI compiler(I only use AIFP as of right now to convert .txt clusters into .bgls, and from my tries at creating my own flight plans, it's quite tedious) and then join the crew
But it's only a maybe, life might get the best of me

[chasensfo]

Just an update to everyone on the progress of this project. Seems to be on track to be released by early August. So far I am about 60% done with the flights to Japan in the Asia OAG, still need to comb through the other regions for international flights from Japan. Most of the charter airlines and VIP Military transports are complete with representative plans, still need to finish representative plans for a few small regional carriers flying BN-2s and the like and get permission from the authors of cargo plans to modify them for 1998. General aviation and military plans at joint-use and major facilities will also be included.

Paint wise we(well, pretty much ranmori lol) have completed just about every Japanese paint required on FSX/P3D models where possible and FS9 models where not. Many of the other non-Japanese included airlines like Korean Air and Tower Air are also completed. Here are some sample screenshots of his amazing work:

[chasensfo]

An update for you all:

I am finished with all the OAG data entry from the Asia book except for flights to HND/NRT, which I expect to finish this week. After that, I don't expect it to take more than a week to complete all flights FROM Japan to airports in the Asia/America/Africa/Middle East/Latin America books as there aren't all that many. Ranmori has finished just about every required paint. Ranmori and I both made the jump to P3Dv4. It runs much more smoothly, loads quicker, and looks much better. However, being 64bit, many AI planes(and MOST flyable aircraft from previous versions) do not work with it as animations and gauges need to be re-done. This created a slump and de-motivation in my flightsimming, and thus I spent much less time on the project.

Realistically, I say Japan will be finished by late September most likely. But it looks like part 2 will be the Middle East, as ranmori is currently doing all the painting and that is where his interest lies.

[chasensfo]

Update!

I am done with the Asia OAG(all flights to Japan from within Asia), now it will be just a few days work to get the flights from Japan to other parts of the world done. Also finishing representative plans(charter/military/general aviation). Some personal issues are slowing down the project as I do not have access to my other OAG books until early October which will delay the beta testing, registration number assignments, decoding of specific types(i.e. all Asiana 737s posted as just "737" not 734 or 735, ect). We will see how far that goes.

Next step will be backdated ADEX files for Japanese airports and maybe even some payware scenery if possible.

[chasensfo]

Finally a little something to share.
Most of the non-scheduled carriers of Japan in 1998 are completed in flightplans by myself and ranmori, and ranmori has provided or will provide the missing textures. Included are several small BN-2 operators, the JSDF 747-400s, ANA's World Air Network 767-300 which flew charters, JAS OIT-based B200 King Air training flights, and Harlequin Air's MD-80 and DC-10(finally giving life to the repaint by Jason). The JAS B200 will be added soon, all other textures ready. The BN-2 operators are mostly on Okinawa, the WAC 767 visits HKG, HNL, and a few other airports, the JAS B200s spend Sat and Sundays at OIT but otherwise fly North for touch and gos at AXT/SDJ/GAJ/NKM/KOJ, Harlequin aircraft are FUK based and that is your best bet in seeing them. The DC-10 visits HKG, SYD, and other international destinations while the MD-80 connects CTS/FUK/NGO with secondary Japanese airports. JAL and ANA already moved their training to the USA by 1998.


I will start hosting all my files plus the files from others like ranmori working on the 1998 project in my google drive in my signature which I am in the process of updating. The 1998 Non-scheduled Japan flightplans may be downloaded here with links to the available repaints:

Japanese non-scheduled carriers 1998

Here are previews of upcoming paints by ranmori:

[noob21]

All those paints are looking great but I just love that Qatar Airways 747

[mh88]

Incredible work!

[chasensfo]

Yes, ranmori is a fantastic painter! We are very lucky he agreed to lend his hand to this project.

He has completed the JAS B200 and also the mid-90s JAL academy Bonanza and Baron. JAL moved their pilot training to Napa, California USA(KAPC) by 1994, but when I get to the USA, I will make plans for ANA and JAL's California training flightplans. All paints are in our Google Drive for download.

[FSMuseum]

Aaaand the first United States mainline fleet for the project is complete as well... Includes DC-10-10 and -30 of the EVAI model, and two types of MD-80 (cone and screwdriver tails)

[chasensfo]

Chris, those look AWESOME! You have made the FS9 users very happy, as now we have a FSPX MD-11 by ranmori for the FSX/P3D users and your FS9 version. This is a good time to note that Chris has decided to include FS2004 textures for his paints that are on FS2004 compatible models in addition to the FSX/P3D textures. Good news for those of you who are unable to run P3D or decline to upgrade FS9 to FSX.

[jackjda]

Sept 21, 2017 9:57:58 GMT -5 FSMuseum said:

Aaaand the first United States mainline fleet for the project is complete as well... Includes DC-10-10 and -30 of the EVAI model, and two types of MD-80 (cone and screwdriver tails)

I am so excited for this!!! Thank you! Hopefully we'll get some P3D v4 models for CRJ 200 and Bae 146 soon as those will be needed for the United Express fleet.

[chasensfo]

Just another update, I've had some personal issues that have taken me away from the flight-planning for several weeks, and now I can't find my 1998 OAG books anywhere to complete flights FROM Japan from other continents(TO Japan from Asia is finished). Hopefully this week I can finish either Japanese government/military flightplans and/or general aviation plans for 1998. Ranmori has a lot going on, if anyone is willing to paint up some generic Japanese liveries for general aviation aircraft, I would appreciate it!