Towplane Question

[beausol]

Does anyone know if you can get the towplane to turn around while you're in tow?  So far, all I have seen is the towplane fly straight ahead for miles on end, taking me away from the home airport.  

Somtimes, it would be nice if it would just fly a square or rectangular pattern around the home airport so you can keep yourself somewhere in the vicinity without having to do a cross country just to get back.

Any thoughts on 1) whether or not the towplane route can be edited and 2) how to do it?

Thanks!

--Rich

[RitterKreuz]

this is going out on a limb here - but the tutorial says that if you turn you can pull the tow plane off course... maybe try a gentle turn and attempt to "guide" the tow plane?

[GunnerMan]

I have not gotten FSX yet so I don't know how it is coded but if it is anything like FS9 I bet the towplane is attached as an AI aircraft so there is probably a way to make it fly in some sort of route. Getting it to fly in a square from any airport you choose would probably be a problem

[RitterKreuz]

disregard the gentle turn advice i gave - the ai aircraft just keeps plowing along straight ahead until the rope snaps and then you are faced with either turning back to the runway or landing off airport.  ::)

[pepper_airborne]

It is a AI aicraft indeed, but it only follows a flightplan when you detach from it.

[beausol]

Well, that just stinks because it's not true to life.  Turns behind a towplane are normal ops and are a challenge unto themselves.  

If you're reading this, Microsoft, try to work on a way to let the towplane fly a rectangular course around the home airport.  I wouldn't think it would be too big of a deal to have it fly, say, a couple of miles on runway heading, and then make a gentle 90 degree turn and fly for a couple more miles, and then another and then another.  It would be excellent training.  

The current towplane flights are very realistic, so adding the turns to the tow would make it almost perfect!

--Rich

[chris1101]

I have not gotten FSX yet so I don't know how it is coded but if it is anything like FS9 I bet the towplane is attached as an AI aircraft so there is probably a way to make it fly in some sort of route. Getting it to fly in a square from any airport you choose would probably be a problem

FS9 Had towplanes?!?

[Gixer]

Emma field was the only addon I knew that put a tow plane into FS9.

I cant work out how to make the tow plane turn either, and I too think it would be good if there wree keys to say execute a 90left or 90 right. At least we could make the tow plane fly a circuit then. The tow plane doesn't take into account and autogen or the lie of the land into mind. It has a set climb rate and staight on whatever is in front of it. To bad it can get through trees and buildings, as I cant lol.