Two suggestions

[KimK]

Hello,

I would like to make two suggestions :

• After the selection of your pushback direction the ground crew connects everything and then prepares for the push. Would it be possible to add an option to change the direction of pushback, without having to reload everything ?
• When the crew disconnects to show the hand signal, they are still talking to the aircraft (clear left, clear right...), which is incorrect since they disconnected their headset and have no radio to communicate with the aircraft. I suggest removing this audio file.

Thanks for taking it into consideration

[ols500]

"Would it be possible to add an option to change the direction of pushback, without having to reload everything ?". 100% this would be very helpful. Multiple times where I have selected the wrong pushback direction

[virtuali]

You mean you want the pushback crew asking final confirmation about the pushback direction ?

[KimK]

Hello,

If it's feasible, a "Change pushback direction" option would be more handy than a confirmation at each pushback, but yes.

The logic behind is, when I ask for pushback the crew takes some time connecting the tow truck, their headset, setting off the chocks, GPU etc... So when I'm flying online, I usually ask GSX for push a bit early so, when the ATC gives me the pushback clearance, I can push in the next 15 seconds instead of waiting all I've listed above.
Sometimes, however, they give me another pushback direction than the one I planned for. In this case, I have to re-ask for a push which takes some time and makes the crew do everything again.

About the option itself, I would definitely prefer not having to confirm my pushback direction at each pushback (for realism purpose -> the menu popping in), and rather have to press the menu myself if I really need to change the direction.

[virtuali]

The logic behind is, when I ask for pushback the crew takes some time connecting the tow truck, their headset, setting off the chocks, GPU etc... So when I'm flying online, I usually ask GSX for push a bit early so, when the ATC gives me the pushback clearance, I can push in the next 15 seconds instead of waiting all I've listed above.

Wouldn't be even easier, in this case, to simply ask the direction as the last thing we do, just before releasing brakes ?

[KimK]

Wouldn't be even easier, in this case, to simply ask the direction as the last thing we do, just before releasing brakes ?

The issue is rather the time taken by the GSX ground crew to set up the aircraft.
When you ask for pushback the tow truck appears, the guy connects his headset, awaits for you to disconnect the GPU (or in my case with the FSLabs it automatically removes chocks and disconnects GPU/ACU) and then takes a step back and is ready anytime you release the parking brake.

So if I pre-selected pushback tail left and ATC confirms the direction, I release the parking brake and within 3 seconds of my clearance (which can expire pretty fast) I can push.
Although, if I selected the wrong direction I have to reload couatl/GSX and make the crew reconnect the tow truck etc (immersion aside, it just takes some time).

Then, as you said, I could chose the pushback direction at the last moment. But if I do that, we are back to square one because I have to wait for the crew to connect everything, remove what they have to remove and then be ready for me.
It would be the other way around IRL, the crew will set up and then wait for the flightdeck crew to give his ready (when they receive the clearance). Although in the simulator it's unlikely to happen because, if the crew is already connected, then you would need an alternative trigger to remove the chocks/GPU/ACU and so on, which seems like an absolute nightmare (like modifying the menu and set one option "prepare for push" which would connect everything then another "start push" where you would only need to select the direction of pushback which would start whenever the brakes are released).

To summarize : a "change pushback direction" option would be a nice alternative (only if it doesn't make the crew reconnect), in my opinion at least.

[virtuali]

Then, as you said, I could chose the pushback direction at the last moment. But if I do that, we are back to square one because I have to wait for the crew to connect everything, remove what they have to remove and then be ready for me.

Sorry, but I don't understand you. Why you say "I have to wait for the crew". If the pushback direction is asked last, it means the crew animation has already been played, so you don't have to wait for it again.

It would be the other way around IRL, the crew will set up and then wait for the flightdeck crew to give his ready (when they receive the clearance).

Why "the other way around" ? If you ask to prepare for Pushback as soon as you can, they'll do their thing, and if they'll ask for pushback direction at the end, it would be exactly as if they are waiting for you to be ready.

[KimK]

Sorry, but I don't understand you. Why you say "I have to wait for the crew". If the pushback direction is asked last, it means the crew animation has already been played, so you don't have to wait for it again.

Here's what I do and here's what happens : I call the menu and I press the pushback button. From there an animation is triggered : it makes spawn (or it's already there can't remember) the tow-truck and the ground agent, the tow-truck connects to the nose wheel and the ground agent is by that tow-truck, connecting his headset. Then it'll either wait for the user to remove GPU/ACU before they'll be ready for push.
In the meantime, indeed a menu appears for me to select my direction of push. I think that menu disappears and auto-selects after some time but I can be wrong on that, anyways, are you suggesting that I have to let this menu open ? Or maybe you're saying that I can just ignore the direction message at first and chose later on ?
Because otherwise, I have to press a direction, right ?  After that, ground is ready to push.
If I want to change my pushback direction, I would need to click on abort pushback (which is quite bugged for me so I just reinitialize couatl), but both ways it would result in me requesting the push again. This action causes the animation to repeat (the tow-truck spawn, the guy connecting and so on...) because when you reinitialize couatl, obviously, GSX stops running and the crew isn't connected anymore.

Sorry if I'm not clear enough, I have been told that I'm horrible at explaining things !

Why "the other way around" ? If you ask to prepare for Pushback as soon as you can, they'll do their thing, and if they'll ask for pushback direction at the end, it would be exactly as if they are waiting for you to be ready.

In real life, the ground crew would already be ready before you ask your clearance, they don't connect themselves, the by-pass pin and so on 2mins before the push.
They'll set up everything, and when you ask for a push they would either know where /in which direction to push or they would ask you.

With GSX, you : call for push -> chose a direction -> wait for the ground crew to connect everything/remove everything -> push.
In real life : ground crew is already prepared -> you ask for a clearance -> push.

In other terms, the tow-truck is already connected and ready when you ask for the pushback. That's why I usually ask GSX for a push earlier, even if I don't know which way I'm going to push, because then the tow-truck is already in place, everything is ready and when I want to push, then I can do it straight away.
But if I pre-selected the wrong direction, then I have to start all over again.

Hopefully it's clear enough this time  

[virtuali]

In the meantime, indeed a menu appears for me to select my direction of push. I think that menu disappears and auto-selects after some time but I can be wrong on that, anyways, are you suggesting that I have to let this menu open ? Or maybe you're saying that I can just ignore the direction message at first and chose later on ?

You are describing how it is now. Aren't we discussing a possible change ? The menu wouldn't appear "in the meantime", but at the end of everything, when you are done with GSX, and the only thing left to do is...choose the pushback direction.

This is what it seems to been asked: being able to decide the direction after the initial animation, so you won't have to wait again for it should you or the ATC change their mind, or you just made a mistake. This is solved by asking the direction just before pushback starts.

Now, if you are now also asking something entirely new, which is not what has been asked, which is also the ability to change direction after the *actual* pushback has started, without even returning back to the parking, that's an entirely different thing, which would require a total remake of the whole pushback, since it would basically mean being able to push from any point to any other, without being tied to the parking spots or the AFCAD nodes, which is not how the pushback works, and of course would create a whole new kind of issues (what if you change your mind when there's no space to turn around ? what should do GSX in that case, going back to the original parking ? Is that even possible in real life ? )

[KimK]

Oh sorry ahah, I thought you didn't understand what I was asking and said that it was already possible on the current version

No indeed I don't want to change my pushback direction after the actual pushback which, as you said, wouldn't happen IRL (the only case I can think of is if you have any issue and have to get back to the gate, then they may pull you back in but that's it).

This is what it seems to been asked: being able to decide the direction after the initial animation, so you won't have to wait again for it should you or the ATC change their mind, or you just made a mistake. This is solved by asking the direction just before pushback starts.

That is exactly what I meant and it would be nice ! Thank you for thinking about it

[silipus]

Wouldn't be even easier, in this case, to simply ask the direction as the last thing we do, just before releasing brakes ?

Hi everyone,
I am using my flightsim (inculding GSX) exclusively online. The change you are describing here would make GSX the perfect addon for online flying. Do you have any plans to include this change in an upcoming release?

Thanks!

[virtuali]

I am using my flightsim (inculding GSX) exclusively online. The change you are describing here would make GSX the perfect addon for online flying. Do you have any plans to include this change in an upcoming release?

We are looking into this.