GSX Gate retracting when requesting ground services

[petethewiseman]

Every time I ask for boarding or deboarding my GSX controlled gate retracts and then boarding/deboarding begins.  Kind of annoying.  I am getting this at ALL of the airports I fly to, and I have only been flying with the PMDG 737-700.  I have not modified anything in GSX, so I do not know why this keeps happening.  Can someone help me with this, please?

[IMatAMS]

Seeing this sometimes, irregularly.. Mostly, it seems, in Asobo airports. Can't remember seeing this happen in 3rd party airports.
It appears that it doesn't know in those cases that you've already connected the jetway, and it triggers the jetway command, which will then retract it.

[virtuali]

Every time I ask for boarding or deboarding my GSX controlled gate retracts and then boarding/deboarding begins.  Kind of annoying.  I am getting this at ALL of the airports I fly to, and I have only been flying with the PMDG 737-700.  I have not modified anything in GSX, so I do not know why this keeps happening.  Can someone help me with this, please?

jetway retracting before end of boarding (passenger now flying)

This has been discussed so many times, for example here:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,27550.msg180461.html#msg180461

The jetway hasn't retracted, you just triggered a well known bug of the MSFS jetway animation system, which affects default jetways too, that is the loss of sync between the LOD and the docked/undocked animation, it's a problem that has been reported to Asobo more than one year ago, but people are noticing more now, because they see GSX passengers floating in the air, when in fact they are the only correct thing in the scene, see the explanation here:

https://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,26965.msg176552.html#msg176552

[St.LouisBlues]

Would it make sense to allow us to control the jetways?  Instead of automatically including this action in the boarding script?

[virtuali]

Would it make sense to allow us to control the jetways?  Instead of automatically including this action in the boarding script?

That's what the "Operate Jetways" command does but, of course, it's not as if it could solve the fundamental bugs explained above in the Jetway animation system in the sim.

I suggest it reading it again, because the issue is not the jetways "retracts" themselves: they LOOK retracted, but that's a visual BUG, as far the simulator is concerned, they are still connected, just showing in the retracted position because of that bug.

[St.LouisBlues]

Correct, I did not mean to say it will solve the bug. I was suggesting a temporary work around by removing the control of jetways from the boarding script until such that Asobo fixes the bug.  In the meantime, users would manually "Operate Jetways", instead of the boarding script doing this.  That way, whether if the jetway is actually connected or not, it will appear to be connected and that's all that matters to the eye.

[virtuali]

Correct, I did not mean to say it will solve the bug. I was suggesting a temporary work around by removing the control of jetways from the boarding script until such that Asobo fixes the bug.  In the meantime, users would manually "Operate Jetways", instead of the boarding script doing this.  That way, whether if the jetway is actually connected or not, it will appear to be connected and that's all that matters to the eye.

It won't change anything. Regardless if you operate the jetway manually, or let GSX operate it as part of the boarding process, the command being sent is exactly the same and, if the reason why the jetway LOOKS "disconnected", it's only due to a visual bug in the sim that results in a loss of sync between all LODs levels, but the jetway IS connected.

Again, operating it manually or not won't make any difference if you are hit by THIS bug, you might have thought it did, but you might just have mislead by having used (or not used at all) the Showcase camera to trigger different LODs switches, which would trigger the bug, since it doesn't always happen, it depends on your viewing distance, the zoom angle, how many times you went back/forth with the camera.

Note that, I'm only discussing about THAT particular VISUAL bug.  That and only that.

If the issue is a different one, for example a conflict between a 3rd party airplane operating the jetway, possibly at the same time of GSX starting boarding, it is possible they might conflict with each other LOGICALLY ( so the jetway Connected/Disconnected status is really changing ) so yes, in THIS case, operating manually might fix the issue, which is a completely different one than other.

[St.LouisBlues]

Thanks again for your explanation Umberto,

I think though that you are not understanding what I am saying.  Maybe what I'm suggesting will not work, but I want to make sure you understand.  I am not caring about LOD issue or status of 3rd party plane.  What I am saying is..

1) I am sitting in my plane and the jetway is not connected (visually)
2) I call GSX to "Operate Jetway" manually.
3) I can see that jetway is connected now (visually)
4) I call "Board Passengers". 
5) Do not check the status of the jetway.  Do not issue the command to extend/retract the jetway.  Just start the boarding process now.
6) I can see jetway is attached (visually) and passengers board and do not float.

By doing this, I am not concerned with status of whether the jetway is actually extended or not (as far as the sim status).  I don't care.  All I care about is that I can see visually that it IS attached and that's all that matters.  This would prevent people from walking through the air.

Again, this is not a FIX for the bug, it's just a work around.  Maybe there is some other reason this will not work, but I just wanted to help with suggestion.

[virtuali]

By doing this, I am not concerned with status of whether the jetway is actually extended or not (as far as the sim status).  I don't care.  All I care about is that I can see visually that it IS attached and that's all that matters.  This would prevent people from walking through the air.

You still don't understand, you have NO control over that bug, and we don't have it either. It just happens depending on the external camera distance so, if you think you "fixed" by operating the jetway manually first, you haven't because, as I've said, THAT bug is completely unrelated to the connection status of the jetway. The jetway IS connected in that case, it just LOOKS disconnected, because of that bug.

I'll repeat it again, please re-read this carefully I'm only discussing about THAT particular VISUAL bug.  That and only that.

If the issue is a different one, for example a conflict between a 3rd party airplane operating the jetway, possibly at the same time of GSX starting boarding, it is possible they might conflict with each other LOGICALLY ( so the jetway Connected/Disconnected status is really changing ) so yes, in THIS case, operating manually might fix the issue, which is a completely different one than other.

[St.LouisBlues]

My problem is not an external camera issue.  I have seen the LOD bug you are speaking of and I don't believe this is it.  The problem happens when I stay in the cockpit view.  The problem occurs when I don't use the external camera. 

I have realized recently this only happens with the CRJ.  It does not happen for me with the PMDG 737s.  Again, when I request for GSX to board, if the jetway is already extended then it retracts.  If the jetway is retracted, then it extends first.

Do you still think this is LOD issue?

[virtuali]

My problem is not an external camera issue. 

That's why in my previous reply, the last sentence started with: "If the issue is a different one", the LOD is not the only issues we have with jetways, which should all be fixed with SU12.

[Gerwil]

Same here, things changed since the last GSX update. Exclusively from the cockpit (no other view which could trigger a LOD bug), I call for a jetway connection; jetway connects. Still in the cockpit, I call for boarding; jetway disconnects, boarding starts.

[edit] I am in the AAU1 beta, maybe that has something to do with it.

[Tuskin38]

I have the same issue.

It isn't the LOD animation issue as the jetway is actually animating, not just popping away, and I can tell it to reconnect using the ATC - Ground Services menu and it connects fine.

[virtuali]

It isn't the LOD animation issue as the jetway is actually animating, not just popping away, and I can tell it to reconnect using the ATC - Ground Services menu and it connects fine.

And again, that's why in my previous reply, the last sentence started with: "If the issue is a different one", the LOD is not the only issue we have with jetways, which should all be fixed with SU12.

If it's not the LOD bug, it might be GSX not detecting the correct Jetway object, resulting in not being able to recognize its docked/undocked status. As explained here:

https://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,28663.msg187336.html#msg187336

These issues should be fixed with the SU12 SDK, which will allow us to update GSX and work way more reliably with jetways.