Glider question..

[Daube]

Hmm most likely I have made a mistake when I modified the lines above.
I'll have to take a look at the EXE.xml on my gaming computer when I come back home tonight.

[Daube]

Ah, I think I saw it.
See the very first line ?
<SimBase.Document Type="Launch"version="1,0">
The space is missing between "Launch" and version !
Try to add a space between them, like this:
<SimBase.Document Type="Launch" version="1,0">

[Zaphod]

Well done Daube.
You cracked it!
Now for some play time.

Many, many thanks.

Zaphod.

[Zaphod]

Having got the program running with a great deal of help from Daube, and having had time to try it I have to say that although it's a great deal of fun it's a bit "Buggy."
I don't mean any disrespect to the developer who describes it himself as "by no means something you can rely on." I gather it's a work under development and I hope continued improvements make it more usable.
The main two problems I have are;
In the closed pattern, both left and right, the tow plane turns through 180 degrees and then carries straight on without making any subsequent turns.
When using the flight plan feature (by far the best method) the tow plane continues to climb over the entire flight irrespective of what's set in the flight plan.
Both problems have been raised over at the Fsdevelopers site but no fix has been posted.

As I say I have nothing but admiration for anyone who devotes their time to help and improve our flight sim experience, but what I would like to know is, if I decide to delete this program in the future (I have no immediate plans to do so) would I need to re-edit the EXE.xml file?

Cheers in advance.

Zaphod.

[logjam]

Thanks for raising this question, I have been watching this thread keenly, but have yet to try any. From your last reply Zaphod, I don't think I'll try yet, but will carry on with either changing A/C mid air, or the motorized glider, which is becoming increasingly popular in my area.

[dave3cu]

Zaphod,

Just replace exe.xml with the original that you saved as a backup . If you lost that one, then delete these lines for Aerotow...

<Launch.Addon>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>
<Name>Aerotow</Name>
<Path>Aerotow\Aerotow.exe</Path>
<CommandLine></CommandLine>
<NewConsole>True</NewConsole>
</Launch.Addon>

Do not delete the </SimBase.Document> line at the end of the file.

You can also open the fsx.cfg file. Scroll down to the [Trusted] section and find the line for Aerotow.exe and delete the entire line. It should be at or near the bottom of the section.

As for flying circuits; you can make a flight plan to a nearby airport and add waypoints to 'circle' your airport or any other area. Just include enough 'circles' to get to altitude.

Dave

[Zaphod]

Thanks for raising this question, I have been watching this thread keenly, but have yet to try any. From your last reply Zaphod, I don't think I'll try yet, but will carry on with either changing A/C mid air, or the motorized glider, which is becoming increasingly popular in my area.

Logjam,
please don't let my comments put you off from trying this program. Despite it's oddities it's still a fun experience and as Dave said it is possible to use the waypoint option to circle and climb to altitude and then cut loose. Another feature which is very useful is the ability to change the towing aircraft from the drop down menu in the configurator with a simple click.

Give it a try.

Zaphod

[Daube]

Yes Zaphod, the two bugs you mentionned are the same on my computer.
However, I would call "bug" only the first one. The fact that the plane makes only one 180° turn when told to fly patterns is really a bug, and a recent one too ! Yes, because it USED to work properly on my computer, and I have no idea why it stopped working. I've done numerous flights with AeroTow, and the towing plane was always making its circles as it should... then I stopped using it for a while, and when i tried it again, this bug happened....

I wonder if it's linked to any other module, or to something in the FSX configuration, or anything like that.... I guess I'll never know.

Anyways, for the "always climbing" problem, I wouldn't call that a bug, more like "work in progress". And basically, the tow plane does its job, it tows you and makes you gain altitude so that you can eventually start soaring somewhere. The flight plan feature is usefull when you need to make the tow plane avoid an obstacle during the climb, when you're flying in moutain area typically. The WWII-style towing was a promised/future feature if I remember correctly, wasn't it ?

[hertzie]

Hi Zaphod,

Have a look at Thomas Murr's site (flying@bauser-enterprises.com), he made some great pdf's with instructions how to use a towplane in FSX. If you follow them, you can even let the C-47 that's towing your Horsa- or Waco-glider retract it's gears and flaps. If you can't find them, send me a pm and I'll send them to you.

Happy gliding,

hertzie.

[dave3cu]

Hertzie, you posted an e-mail address, not his web address. It's not a good idea to post your own e-mail address in forums, much less someone elses. Maybe you should pm one of our forum admins and get the e-mail link removed or your reply removed.

All 3 of Thomas Murr's glider tow tutorials are available at Flightsim.com. Just search for his name.

Dave