Show us your Airports!

[Drack 616]

omer584 : good cargo facility, gates well spaced from the taxiways, great detail. and those markings and roads! i could really beg for those right now.

[GMT 389]

Drack
That's a great airport here at Izuna Kamui. Love the layout and eye for detail. Well designed cargo terminal and great use of all the markings and eyecandy detailing.
Also, the passenger terminal is a nice eyecatcher.
And definitely more than enough free space for aircraft to taxi about (and probably futher expansion).
Another thumbs up for the 4 wide runway and good placement of the atc tower.
You also thought of instrumentations and even fire crews have their posts and passengers enough places to park their cars. great.

As for Yurizawa, there's not too much to comment on, but what I see goes along the lines of Izuna Kamui, well planned and well executed airport layout.


omer584
I like the cargo terminal. Well done.
I also like the 4 runway design with crossing runways, although this is a very tough design in terms of traffic coordination. Plus their parallel design only give little relief on approach/departure as they're too close together to actually be used in full parallel operation, especially when weather conditions render visual approaches impossible.
Actually pointless are the 2 VOR (VHF omnidirectional range) stations at the far side of these 2 runways. VORs are enroute navigational aids sending for many many many miles, if line-of-sight allows for it. Therefore, their signal is rather coarse (predictable accuracy is 300ft at 2 nautical miles from the station) and not suitable for precission approaches (also there's a cone of silence above the antenna, but that's a different story).
So, no need to equip individual runways with VOR antennas.
If there's an airport within the range of a VOR station and the runway suitably coinsides with the signal directions of it, you can use it for the approach (often, airports do have their own or a relatively near VOR so many airports offer VOR approaches).
also the runway markings (at least the distance indicators and touchdown markings) are wrong. They are used by defined standards (very capacious and detailed, we're talking 100s of pages here) and, long story short, put the actual TDM - touchdown markers, the big ones - 1000ft from the runway threshold (that's why they're called "1000ft-ers" here and there) and the smaller ones in set distances of about 500ft from each other in a 3-TDM-2-1 or 3-TDM-2-2-1-1 fashion.
The runway designators are also too far away from the threshold, they're supposed to be as close to the threshold as possible for practical reasons such as a last and definite method of identifying the runway you're about to take off/land on. As a pilot, you don't wanna waste a single inch of runway, at least not more than you do anways.
For further reference on the use of runway puzzle pieces, I suggest to consult the documentation delivered with the RMIP

[art128 4,622]

just a new smaller version of the airport in my region.  Click on the pictures for a 1600x900px full size. 






 

[TekindusT 3,809]

That's an ice cool terminal building!!

 

I have more doubts about the presence of a windmill so near the runway, but the rest looks great!

[art128 4,622]

 

 

I have more doubts about the presence of a windmill so near the runway, but the rest looks great!

 

Why not? it's not like planes have 100m wide wings.

Though i'll take it down. it looks ugly there. ( and there's already a solar panels array giving eco-power to the airport   )

[GMT 389]

Aircraft don't need no 100m wide wings to crash into this windmill. Just some bad weather and malfunctioning navigation equipment and you get your sorry behind way closer to that windmill than you comfort zone allows for it...

Anyways, there's rules for construction of high structures at/around the airport to ensure safe operation, defining zones with maximum building heights and my guess is, this airport probably - but the regulations definitely - being much older than the windmill, so this windmill would've never existed in the first place.

The smoking stack a bit further to the left (powerplant?) has better chances to remain in place. It's equally close to the scene of action and as much an obstruction as the windmill, but I can see it probably being older than certain regulations or even the airport.

That said, I like the layout of this airport. Nice idea with all the drawn paths and the turning area on either end for backtrack. Underlines the "smallness" of the airport. And as always a great eye for detailing the landscape.

Runway markings are wrong tho, from distance markers to touchdown markers (1000ft *wink*) and the glideslope antenna isn't placed too well either. Like all radio signals, it spreads as a straight line and you follow it down to where it comes from, usually at 3°/5% slope and in this case, that's exactly the threshold. No need to say what happens when the pilot comes in too low on the glide. Just half a scale too low get's you landing in front of the runway threshold. no safety margin at all. 2005 formulated FAA siting rules for ILS equipment (105 pages lol) suggests orders that "the glideslope antenna system is located near the runway approach end at a distance from the threshold to provide optimum theshold crossing height" which is an arbitrary height set up to ensure that the combined guidance line of the ILS-system, from it's intended touchdown to 4NM out, provides ideal obstacle clearence (way to geeky subject I hope I simplified it enough). Practice shows that the comfort zone is somewhere in the 20ft to 30ft wheel height, some 30ft to 50ft antenna height (remember: only the radio altimeter is calibrated to show main wheel height). Taking this into account, the usual approach slope of roundabout 3°/5%, on the bottom line, gives you a glideslope antenna placement somewhere in the 1000ft area. Oh the irony, that's just where the touchdown-markers are supposed to be and the circle is closed.

 

Also to point out is the placement of your localizer antenna, which gives the horizontal guidance to the runway and, together with the glideslope antenna, make the antennas for an ils aproach.

By design, the localizer antenna is placed at the far end of the runway it serves and sends it's signal along the runway centerline. So with this setup you show, you have a glidslope for rwy01 and a localizer for rwy19.

Now a thing firsthand: The glideslope and localizer are paired to the same tunable frequency on your receiver and a glideslope cannot be used without a localizer for safety reasons, but the other way around works pefectly fine (e.g. loc/dme approaches). There's a situation in which you utilize the backbeam of a localizer antenna, the socalled backcourse. It's a little tricky as you tune for a runway's localizer but approach it from the other side and this literally turns your instrument readings around (e.g. it shows you you're left of the signal while in fact, your right of it) unless compensated for by setting it for backcourse, which to my knowledge only works via the flight director and not the actual instrument, so you might compensate for this in your head. Further it narrows down the signal's width to as little as 14% of the frontcourse signal's width at the same distance from the threshold (according to FAA study FAA-FS-600-8 from 1972), meaning the instrument readout is way more "nervous" than you're used to. and on top of this you have to disregard the glideslope as it is tuned to the frontcourse.

Back to your setup, you basically provide a localizer backcourse with glideslope for rwy10. a perfectly fine idea at first, but with some twists as afore mentioned FAA study shows. In short, extensive testing took place at Minneapolis St. Paul Intl. flying such approaches to see how practical they are, with the result that, even tho all limits for CAT1 approaches were kept, only once the localizer signal was not lost. Because of this, all testing pilots suggested radar monitoring of backcourse approaches and the FAA suggested that they're perfectly fine if the glideslope antenna is in the correct place, which it is not at your airport as pointed out above.

 

oh boy much more than I wanted to say in the first place... damn geeks...

[art128 4,622]

What do you suggest I should move/add ? (I inspired myself from Toyama Airport)

 

Into words and pictures if possible, I'm no airport pro... :D

[Drack 616]

So I checked Toyama Airport's Glideslope placement (on runway 20) and looks like its placed 95m (5.9 tiles or just make it 6) from runway shoulder and 190m from threshold (11/12 tiles). IZR's Glideslope placement (referenced from Nagoya Centrair's) is 5 tiles from runway shoulder and 5 tiles before the aiming point.

 

regarding the marking placement, 150m (i did 160m/10 tiles though, since i had no closer value to 150 in tiles) between touchdown zones.

 

and GMT, wow...i learn a lot from your words, keep it up

[Scaley McSlither 1,714]

 

 

 

What do you suggest I should move/add ? (I inspired myself from Toyama Airport)

 

Into words and pictures if possible, I'm no airport pro... :D

Wow GMT what great information! Your passion for flight is amazing and you're definitely in the right profession.,

 

@art128, I think this is what GMT is suggesting...

[Drack 616]

also the glideslope is facing the wrong direction (if its for RWY 19, move it there instead.)

 

I like those perimeter roads though, what did you use there?

[simcity1999 34]

Really nice, small airport, art! Where do you get the terminal and parking lots?

[art128 4,622]

Really nice, small airport, art! Where do you get the terminal and parking lots?

Thanks. I created the terminal myself. Not sure if I'm ever going to release it as it needs work for people to use it. parking lots are from Jim here.

 

 

I like those perimeter roads though, what did you use there?

Made them using Chrisadams3997's draggable paths, here.

 

 

@art128, I think this is what GMT is suggesting...

<pic>

 

 

So, should I move it closer there? or all the way on the other side of the runway? Should it be placed on the runway side where planes are landing?

 

Also, should I rework completely the runway markings ?

[Drack 616]

thanks for the link art128

 

 

 

 

So, should I move it closer there? or all the way on the other side of the runway? Should it be placed on the runway side where planes are landing?

 

Also, should I rework completely the runway markings ?

 

 

- yes, at least 4-5 tiles from runway shoulder.

 

- add another glideslope and localizer on the other side, runways work both ways, planes take-off and land at either side depending on the wind direction.

 

- if you want realism, yes. refer to the RMIP manual or my ICAO one.

 

  Edited May 21, 2014 by Drack  

[GMT 389]

Thanks Drack for posting this picture. In fact, for runway markings, the RMIP tutorial is always a favorite to consult.

As for RJNT (or TOY in IATA speak; Toyama Airport) rwy20, I measure the "GS-antenna" 130meters off centerline and 193meters from the threshold on google earth... quite a difference to your figures, but I also measure the PAPI at about 360meters off the threshold, exactly the value given in the airport diagram to RJNT I found here, on rwy 02 it's stated 444meters and I measure 445... so I wonder where you took your measurements? But I come back to this a little later with some findings...

Concerning the distance between markings you're perfectly right tho, there's always 150meters from the beginning of one marking to the beginning of the next marking.

This is hard to recreate in SC4 tho because the runway puzzle pieces actually work in multiples of 32 rather than 16, so you can't nail it at 150 meters. I space mine just the way it's shown in the RMIP tutorial, I cover a total of 10 tiles from the beginning of one striped puzzlepiece to the next... this is only about 10 meters off compared to a total 8 tiles (128m) and also facilitates the use of taxiway connectors imho ...

Nevertheless, a big thank you for your input on clarifying the matter at hand, always happy to see that I'm not the only one trying to help. thanks

 

Now back to the RJNT plates:

Thanks to them I can show a very interesting thing and sort of come back to the glideslope-antenna discussion:

First off, there's no ILS installed at Toyama because second, there localizer is not aligned with the runway centerline. That's why you can only fly LOC/DME (Y and Z for 2 methods for the same approach) VOR/DME and RNAV (GPS) approaches. On page 13 of the document you see a great diagram illustration the situation. Also, the only instrument-based approaches are to runway 20 or via cycling to runway 02 which is a semi-instrument approach; you fly your regular instrument approach and then break out of it and fly some sort of a pattern to land on the opposite runway, only possible in visual meteorological conditions. Every other approach to runway 02 would be a real visual one.

While it sounds weird at first it's pefectly fine and not rare either because every now and then, especially on smaller airports, certain aspects demand for such a displaced localizer. Of course this renders ILS approaches impossible per regulation.

This brings me to the conclusion that there's most likely no glideslope antenna at all at Toyama Airport because this only makes sense in a full ILS approach and where're probably talking about the placement of a facility which maybe is just a weather station. An ILS approach automatically turns into a LOC approach once the GS antenna is offline for whatever reason and you have to determine your vertical profile via different means, most likely a DME (distance measuring equipment) + altitude reading taken from associated approach plates, basically telling you when on the localizer track, at x nautical miles from the DME station, you gotta be at least y feet in altitude. There's also no GS antenna in FSX either to underline my idea. But a definite answer to the question delivers this video here, at marker 3:19 you can clearly see that whatever this structure is, it is not a GS antenna. (fyi: the numbered plates show the amount of remaining runway in 1000s of ft)

 

But since we are talking about an inspired airport and not a recreated airport, art128, feel free to create a valid ILS installation. The localizer antenna goes per FAA definition not less than 200meters or the end of the safety area (whichever is greater) and not more than 600meters from the far end of the runway it serves - even tho a) I'm not sure if there's actually an sc4 lot for the ILS antenna except the one you used and b) there's always exceptions to the rule - and the glideslope antenna goes at d=tch/tanθ from the threshold. Haha just kidding, that's the formula to calculate the accurate distance, just place it within one or two, maybe 3 tiles from the touchdownmarkers aka aiming point and at a lateral distance of not more than 400meters from the runway centerline... just far enough away that a big aircraft or one that slips of the runway not destroys it. 3 4 5 tiles or something like that. Just what Drake already suggested. Same for the PAPI or VASI lights, but they can be closer to the runway than the antenna as they are only a few feet tall depending on the terrain and this doesn't mean as much an obstruction to aircraft as the antenna is.

I never measured them, but the picture below gives an idea of the size differences and why the GS has to be further away from the runway as the PAPI does:

©fandwelelectrical.com and naksys.com

 

here's a picture of how I layout all my runways as of late (minus the taxiway layout of course) I removed some of the stuff there to allow for a good measurement via the grid:

note that I just decided to rework the taxiways cuz I don't like them anymore... again... for like the 20th time lol

 

As you can see I use a 3 TDM 2 2 1 1 layout which is US standard and simply because I like it better as compared to the non-US single-stripe layout 1 TDM 1 1 1 1.

But of course, I encourage you to keep the 3 TDM 2 1 layout you adopted from RJNT as this is where you got your inspiration from.

 

Drack also mentioned the correct placement of the GS antenna.

A little tricky a topic as SC4 lacks the level of detail do be certain. A GS antenna has several, often 3, horizontal antenna bars slightly displaced to each other, facing towards the approaching plane (as logic predicts, we're talking about a directed radio sigal so you need a beam-transmitting-antenna, but that's going to deep into radio-technical geekery). Again, at a detail SC4 can't display.

From looking at the placed GS antenna in SC4, the only look that resembles the original is when the antenna is on the left and the technics-shelter on the right, looking at it in the direction of flight, so it should look something like the below picture:

 

EDIT: please let me add, at this point, that the description of how to place the GS-lot refers to the one from the RMIP. There's another GS-beacon available but to determine it's orientation is much easier

 

...

 

I really love geeking around

[art128 4,622]

Now that is excellent, GMT! The .pdf of the airport will be very useful, and thanks for the detailed info!

I don't have time right now, have to leave for an oral exam, but as soon as I'm back I'll read it, apply it and come back with pictures.

[vmartin101 0]

Hi, can someone please direct me to the location of the airport emergency service building and the terminal signs?

 

Thanks

 

[simcity1999 34]

thanks for the link art128

 

 

 

 

So, should I move it closer there? or all the way on the other side of the runway? Should it be placed on the runway side where planes are landing?

 

Also, should I rework completely the runway markings ?

 

 

- yes, at least 4-5 tiles from runway shoulder.

 

- add another glideslope and localizer on the other side, runways work both ways, planes take-off and land at either side depending on the wind direction.

 

- if you want realism, yes. refer to the RMIP manual or my ICAO one.

 

 

Where do you get the wider, ashpalt runways?

[art128 4,622]

Here's where I am with the runway. Is the marking and the GS antenna and PAPI system correct?

 

 

 

Is there a lot I can use to mark the middle of the runway? On Toyama AR there is some 3x stripes used, any idea?

 

 

Also what are these three things and how can I do them ingame?

 

 

 

SImcity1999 -> http://www.bripizza.net/sc4/index.html

[Drack 616]

first arrow i believe is the wind sock. second arrow is the...localizer(?) [i checked it on wikimaps yesterday and hovered over a label for a query and it read that its the localizer, so i have no clue for that] third is what i might think is the GS [GMT: thru wikimaps i measured that thing from the runway edge/shoulder hence that ehm, 'estimated' measurement.]

 

that 'localizer'

 

 

I can see you're doing great with the markings so far. nice.

 

 

 

Hi, can someone please direct me to the location of the airport emergency service building and the terminal signs?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

SNM Crash Rescue and

[GMT 389]

Your markings look good to me now, same for the placement of the Glideslope antenna. Your PAPI... well it's placement is good, but what you did is you put 2 APAPI next to each other.

PAPI (precision approach path indicator) and APAPI (abbreviated precision approach path indicator) do the same, but in a slightly different fashion.

 

A PAPI usually consists of 4 units next to each other and is adjusted for the optimum approach angle, like the glideslope, but shows it visually with red/white colored lights:

©tc.gc.ca

funfact: even their specific placement is regulated: 15m from the runway shoulder and 9m between each unit.

 

Same method, but reduced to 2 units is how the APAPI works:

©tc.gc.ca

 

both do, just like the Glideslope antenna, give you an idea of the ideal approach slope for the runway, placed and adjusted by the same formula (d=tch/tanθ) with the "color" code adjusted to fractions of the ideal glideslope in degrees and minutes and is achieved by either using special lenses and filters in a single lamp or by using multiple lamps.

fyi: on a regular 3°/5% glideslope, the coding is: all red/white at +/- 0°30' off glide, one red/white at +/- 0°10' off glide for a PAPI and both red/white at +/- 0°15'.

 

Another very common system working by the same principle, but in a longitudinal pattern rather than a lateral pattern is a VASI (visual approach path indicator):

 

©bayareapilot.com

This is a 2 bar VASI and basically the standard configuration for a this system, but there's also other configurations with 3 bars (complicated as you have to ignore the upper or lower bar depending on how big your aircraft is). That's also where the mnemonic "red over read your dead, read over white you're all right, white over white high as a kite" comes from (or variations thereoff, that's how I learned it but I've heard others)

On a sidenote: there's also a couple of other such systems, both electric and non-electric but I keep it at this.

 

Is there a lot I can use to mark the middle of the runway? On Toyama AR there is some 3x stripes used, any idea?

 

No there isn't a lot for this, at least none that I know of.

One thing you must understand is, that while there are a hell of a lot of common criteria for the construction of airports and the lighting, marking and instrumentation to be applied, there's still minor variations between all the countries and on top of that, between all the "musts" there's also "cans", so not everything is a rule, there's also enough suggestion or general ideas.

This shows itself in the RMIP which is clearly inspired by north american standards. These chevrons on the runway shoulders for example is something I haven't seen outside the US or US installations. Or take a look at the TDM, while they're solid bars pretty much all over the world, the UK offers this as per CAA regulation:

 

Concerning the runway markings at halfway as seen on Toyama, I must say that I've never seen them outside Japan, at least not in this fashion. There's several ways utilized to show a pilot that he just crossed into the 2nd half of the runway, be it the alignement of these chevrons in the US, a loooong centerline dash in Iceland, a sign on the side of the runway or whatever they come up with.

If you know you're way around the lot editor you might find a way to create such a sign, maybe you gotta create a texture for it first... idk

[art128 4,622]

Thanks for the info on the PAPI system, GMT!

And thanks as well Drack for looking into it. Any lots out there for a wind sock and localizer?

 

i've made this lot for the runway's middle yesterday:

 

[GMT 389]

that's a nice lot there art128. I'd like to see some white lines to better blend with the other markings but nevermind.

 

as for the windsock, I know there's a windsock prop in one of the airport packs but it's not lotted, maybe even the RMIP, not sure tho where exactly but it's definitely there as I made a lot with it myself. I'm at work now so I can't look up which prop pack it came from, I'ma check on this later.

 

for the localizer beacon, the one in this pack is the only one I know of atm but I think you got it already.

[art128 4,622]

that's a nice lot there art128. I'd like to see some white lines to better blend with the other markings but nevermind.

 

as for the windsock, I know there's a windsock prop in one of the airport packs but it's not lotted, maybe even the RMIP, not sure tho where exactly but it's definitely there as I made a lot with it myself. I'm at work now so I can't look up which prop pack it came from, I'ma check on this later.

 

for the localizer beacon, the one in this pack is the only one I know of atm but I think you got it already.

 

Yeah, I noticed the white stripe was a bit thicker than the other once I plopped the lot ingame...

 

So that was the localizer uh.. didn't know. thanks! And roger that for the wind sock.

[GMT 389]

I was more thinking of the actual marker being white instead of yellow

 

I just checked my windsock-lots in the reader, it seems there's 2 windsocks props, one normal and one offset (diagonal) and they're part of the RMIP2.

[Captain Slow 88]

here's some pics of the new MIA Airport  

 

just a teaser! gonna create a CJ soon!

 

the new cargo terminal.

 

[art128 4,622]

Excellent attention to details.

[GMT 389]

very nice terminals there Captain Slow

 

 

EDIT:

Nooooope I can't let it be. Started constructing the 3rd airport in my new region, this time a small commuter airport literally across the river from where I planned downtown (sort of inspired by old Hong Kong or London City... or what Berlin Tempelhof could've been if it was never shut down)...

Well, here's to a small WIP teaser:

[art128 4,622]

Old Hong Kong is no longer an airport.

 

Here's an updated version of my airport.

The markings on the runway are more realistic now as well as all the lighting, ILS system etc. Thanks guys helping me with your knowledge.

Click for 1280x720 view.



The apron and gates area is 15m below the terminal as with Toyama airport (my source of inspiration), I wanted a skywalks that went downside to the gate from the terminal but couldn't find any. I used Glenni's skywalk.

The front of the terminal. I'm thinking about widening the OWR in front of it.

Some of the parking lots, fire station and police station as well as ATCT.

Realistic markings, PAPI, glideslope antenna and localiser.

The windsock as best as I could do it.

And finally the VOR/DME.

I'm still wondering how to fill the grass around the airport. Should I do it like the previous version ( see the post just over this one) or leave it blank...?

[Drack 616]

art128: i loved the grass of your previous version, i say bring it back.

[art128 4,622]

A rural airport located on an island.

 

 

1

 

The right building is the JP post center which receive the mail by air every night to be distributed the next day.