DEFAULT choice for GSX- NO AIRSTAIRS!!

[rsm2000e]

Hello GSX team!  Love your product, have put up a video on YouTube demonstrating it during night operations at KATL and KJAX in USA.  Couple of improvements needed:

* Allow users to turn off rear airstairs at ALL airports, not just by configuring ONE airport!  Modern jetliners use JETWAYS whenever they are available.  If the airport parking space has a JETWAY, it is very unlikely from a security standpoint that the rear passenger door and airstairs would EVER be used.  This behaviour needs to be modified in your code, my idea would be "AIRSTAIRS" if no jetway, but if jetway(s) are present at the specific gate, use JETWAYS ONLY.

*  Follow me vehicle oftentimes stops short and doesn't maintain their distance from the aircraft, forcing the pilot to "jam on the brakes" to avoid crashing into the follow me vehicle.

Those are the two main concerns I have - the airstairs is a huge one, as it looks wrong to have them drive up the steps to the back door when the front door is unloading via the Jetway.

Also, once a COATL update has taken place, it's annoying that it pops up over and over when you subsequently fly - it makes it seem as though you are doing MANY updates when in fact you do just a few... and it's doubly annoying because FSX main screen disappears and often won't come back once the "update" is finished!  I have to exit FSX and then restart it.

I can't see an easy way to do those GSX updates BEFORE I start FSX?

Thanks for considering my ideas!

Robert McDonald

[Bruce Hamilton]

Modern jetliners use JETWAYS whenever they are available.  If the airport parking space has a JETWAY, it is very unlikely from a security standpoint that the rear passenger door and airstairs would EVER be used.

The rear stairway is used for maintainence crews, not passengers.  Do you seriously expect the cleaning crew to carry their vacuum cleaners through the terminal and clear TSA?   

[virtuali]

Also, once a COATL update has taken place, it's annoying that it pops up over and over when you subsequently fly

It doesn't normally do that, unless in very special case we are trying to fix.

In the meantime, you can solve this by removing the [liveupdate] section entirely from the couatladdons.ini file in the %APPDATA%\Virtuali folder

I can't see an easy way to do those GSX updates BEFORE I start FSX?

Sure there is, just run Couatl_updater.exe from the FSX\fsdreamteam\Couatl folder.

[Gerwil]

Modern jetliners use JETWAYS whenever they are available.  If the airport parking space has a JETWAY, it is very unlikely from a security standpoint that the rear passenger door and airstairs would EVER be used.

The rear stairway is used for maintainence crews, not passengers.  Do you seriously expect the cleaning crew to carry their vacuum cleaners through the terminal and clear TSA?   

Hi Bruce,

i'm not shure about this but most jetways also have stairs connected to enter from the apron. Those that sink into the ground in FSX when the jetway connects. My guess they are used by dispatchers and cleaners.

[Bruce Hamilton]

More likely for the person who operates the jetway.

[Scandinavian]

Here in Norway, and I believe in Sweden also, it's not unusual to have the jetway on the front door, and airstairs on the rear door to have two exits, so that bording/debording is done quicker. Depends on the airline and availability of airstars.

[fipsi]

I'm not from Germany, but I've been at EDDF (Frankfurt am Main airport) a few times already and I can say for sure, there're heavy gates which also operate airplanes with an airstair on the rear door and obviously a jetway on the front and sometimes even on the second door.

[pilotcmull]

Bruce happens to be absolutely right....larger multi entry aircraft use the rear airstairs for crew (cleaning, loading, trash removal, etc.).  It's not uncommon at all for there to be a jetway at the front of the aircraft to facilitate passenger unloading/loading while the rear stairs are being used by crew.  
Not saying that this is always the case, but it does occur more times then not.  

[Orion]

I too second the notion of a global option to disable rear stairs when there's a jetway.  I've never seen a flight with both jetways and stairs.  I've always seen the crew board through the jetway, like everyone else.  Even if it's realistic/not realistic going by everyone's experiences, I'd like to see an option for it.

[virtuali]

That rear airstairs ARE used, even if there is a jetway, it's undeniably true, regardless if you might have seen it or not. No, it's not used by the airplane crew, but by service people, have a look here:

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/image163699.html

It wouldn't be very efficient, and possibly even dangerous if the people doing lavatory or water service, that usually park their vehicle close to the rear of the airplane, would have to walk all the way to the jetway to use the laddder on it.

So please, don't say having a stair on the rear is unrealistic if there's a jetway, because that's not the case.

On top of that, not all airplanes in FSX (in fact, most don't) have the rear door that can be controlled independently, all default airplanes and lots of 3rd party ones have the rear door linked to another door, so we put a rear stair in order not to end up in embarrassing visual situations such seeing a door open in the void, you know those situations that people that don't know better love to comment as being "bugs" (GSX bugs) on youtube...

And, when we'll add service people to GSX (lavatory, water), we need to have a way for them to reach the airplane, since they don't have the luxury of an elevated platform like the catering service, and having them using the jetway ladder, is really too unpredictable, both because not all jetways models have ladders to begin with (and the position/shape changes a lot), but also because it's really not possible to be sure of the actual jetway position when handled by FSX, so we don't really have any other choice (which I believe IS the most realistic one), than let them using the rear stairs.

That's why I believe turning off the rear jetway is wrong, and even if we added an option to turn if off globally, once we'll add the lavatory/water service, if we'll have animated people to come with it, the rear jetway will come up anyway, regardless of that option.

[caffman263]

It's not common in the US (in fact I've never seen it here) but is very common elsewhere in the world as has been mentioned. In the US planes tend to be straightened up by the cabin crew between flights, more through cleaning happens much less frequently.

[rsm2000e]

Hello Everyone!

Well, I learned quite a bit from my little request to be able to shut off rear airstairs.  Now Virtualli, I want to say that GSX is a WONDERFUL product, I simply love it.  I am so hoping that a couple of little things might be ironed out for the greater enjoyment of all.  To be able to turn off rear airstairs BY DEFAULT would be NICE to leave to the user as a setup choice.  Later, when you add the janitorial crew, you could give the user a chance to open that rear door AFTER THE PASSENGERS have deboarded.  In the real world, I can not imagine a scenario where passengers and crew are deboarding and that rear door is open, from a security standpoint.  Once everyone has "left the airplane" I could see where the rear door could be opened for the cleaners to enter.  At any rate, until the cleaning people have actually been added, it would be nice for those of us who fly only jetway equipped airports to be able to not have the rear airstairs appear as a DEFAULT choice, and then let us later be able to individually turn on the rear airstairs when needed or whenever you add the planned cleaners.

One other issue the marshaller typically has me park the plane off centerline (?)  I typically get "poor parking" message.  When I used to park the plane myself without the marshaller, I did not have this issue.  Any thoughts what I am doing wrong?  I assume he points the direction he wants me to turn the plane, yes?

Final issue, on pushback, the "left/right" is backwards from default action of my aircraft (PMDG 737NGX) pushback.  I would think which way to push the NOSE would make more sense... GSX seems to be the opposite case.  If "LEFT" is chosen, I would like it better if the NOSE of the plane were pushed left...  just asking is all, not complaining!


GSX is the BEST!  I absolutely love it.  GOOD PRODUCT!



Best wishes,
Robert McDonald

[Bruce Hamilton]

I assume he points the direction he wants me to turn the plane, yes?

If he drops one arm and raises the other, you move towards the raised arm until both go up.   

[DiBarkis]

If he drops one arm and raises the other, you move towards the raised arm until both go up.   

It's the opposite. You move towards the 'lowered and stationary' or pointed arm until both arms go up.

[Chrjs]

Hello Everyone!

Well, I learned quite a bit from my little request to be able to shut off rear airstairs.  Now Virtualli, I want to say that GSX is a WONDERFUL product, I simply love it.  I am so hoping that a couple of little things might be ironed out for the greater enjoyment of all.  To be able to turn off rear airstairs BY DEFAULT would be NICE to leave to the user as a setup choice.  Later, when you add the janitorial crew, you could give the user a chance to open that rear door AFTER THE PASSENGERS have deboarded.  In the real world, I can not imagine a scenario where passengers and crew are deboarding and that rear door is open, from a security standpoint.  Once everyone has "left the airplane" I could see where the rear door could be opened for the cleaners to enter.  At any rate, until the cleaning people have actually been added, it would be nice for those of us who fly only jetway equipped airports to be able to not have the rear airstairs appear as a DEFAULT choice, and then let us later be able to individually turn on the rear airstairs when needed or whenever you add the planned cleaners.

One other issue the marshaller typically has me park the plane off centerline (?)  I typically get "poor parking" message.  When I used to park the plane myself without the marshaller, I did not have this issue.  Any thoughts what I am doing wrong?  I assume he points the direction he wants me to turn the plane, yes?

Final issue, on pushback, the "left/right" is backwards from default action of my aircraft (PMDG 737NGX) pushback.  I would think which way to push the NOSE would make more sense... GSX seems to be the opposite case.  If "LEFT" is chosen, I would like it better if the NOSE of the plane were pushed left...  just asking is all, not complaining!


GSX is the BEST!  I absolutely love it.  GOOD PRODUCT!



Best wishes,
Robert McDonald

Just a comment out of my personal experience. I fly quite often on european routes especially with Lufthansa and i usually sit in one of the last rows because it is less crowded and more quiet there. Very often the boarding/unboarding is only through the main exit in the front, but as soon as the engines are shut down airstairs are be pulled to the rear exit and the door os opened immediately afterwards for the service personal to enter, even though we passengers are still on board and exiting through the main exit. it might be different in the US but here it Europe it seems quite common/normal.

Kind regards,

chris