Moronic Pushback Tug Behaviour

[StargazerWoods]

I'm surprised that I can't find many threads about a problem I've always had with FSX and finally lost my temper, properly, today.

I fly with FSPassengers so everthing is tracked, logged and scrutinised. I go from gate to gate; no starting or finishing on the runways. On a new flight, I wait patiently while the passengers board and I prepare the aircraft for the journey ahead of me. I get my taxi clearance, the chief stewardess closes the door and I request pushback. Everything goes well until I stop the pushback to begin my journey to the runway.

Instead of slowly and carefully reversing back to its resting position next to the baggage trolleys, the pushback tug, more often than not, starts making brainless and idiotic movements around my landing gear and then starts rolling out across the airport, further and further from where it ought to go. That in itself isn't a huge problem, after all, it has done its job and I don't need it again.

But then for it to start darting around under the engines, weaving in and out of the main undercariage like an attention seeking cat around its owners legs and then colliding with my 'stationary' (because I'm trying to be patient and waiting for it to sod off) aircraft causing the flight to end and then having FSPax show me an incident report about the pilot not declaring an emergency before a ground collision, etc, etc.

What the hell?! Do I pushback, release and then declare an emergency just in case the cretin in the tug has been sniffing glue that particular day (again) or is there some way to make these daft-to-the-point-where-it-has-to-be-a-practical-joke-by-the-developers tugs just get out the way and not make me have to reset the simulator and start the boarding and preparation process all over again, just to have it happen a 2nd time. On attempt 3, I had to initiate a further 4 pushbacks from the magical invisible tug after the visible one had disconnected just to try and back away from its ever more dubious dawdling. I was at risk of reversing into a lamppost before I had to just throttle up and try to speed past the offending vehicle hoping that it would miss.

Please tell me that this is fixable. Or is this the elephant in the room that nobody likes to talk about?

Cheers,

Rob.

[Capt_Cronic]

I've never seen this problem on my setup.

is the airport where the problem occurs addon or stock scenery ?
are the tugs addon or stock ?
in the meantime, can you turn off collision and avoid having to declare emergency ?

[StargazerWoods]

I could turn off collisions, but having them on sort of helps to keep me honest. As for scenery, that is an excellent question. I'm trying to recall all the places where it has been especially bad. Yesterdays issue was on a Manchester(EGCC) addon. I do have a few airports ugraded past stock, and I must admit, after a Simviation frenzy a long time ago, I lost track of all the airports I did and didn't upgrade.

So maybe it is a scenery thing. Which would suggest that it is a breakable/fixable problem. I shall have to start keeping a more stern eye on the facilities at which it happens and see if I can work out a pattern to it.

On that tack, what part of a scenery upgrade determines the AI paths for the pushback tug?

[garymbuska]

I could turn off collisions, but having them on sort of helps to keep me honest. As for scenery, that is an excellent question. I'm trying to recall all the places where it has been especially bad. Yesterdays issue was on a Manchester(EGCC) addon. I do have a few airports ugraded past stock, and I must admit, after a Simviation frenzy a long time ago, I lost track of all the airports I did and didn't upgrade.

So maybe it is a scenery thing. Which would suggest that it is a breakable/fixable problem. I shall have to start keeping a more stern eye on the facilities at which it happens and see if I can work out a pattern to it.

On that tack, what part of a scenery upgrade determines the AI paths for the pushback tug?

That is a good question. I for one have never noticed this in FSX and I am wondering if it has anything at all to do with FSX Passengers. Now mind you I have never taking off from EGCC i do not fly a lot of international flights.
I would venture to guess that the tug is part of a AI flight plan per say. One idea would be to turn off ground vehicles.
I will go to EGCC when I get off work and check it out EGCC would be default scenery as I have not added much scenery to FSX.
I looked at the Forum for FSX passengers and searched for the problem you are having and nothing showed up.

[Capt_Cronic]

I think the ground vehicle traffic is in the "Lwcfg.xml" file (living world file)
not sure if another file is involved tho.

check this link, it may help you figure out whats wrong

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/librar ... cfgxmlFile

[EVVFCX]

Hi everybody,

I've taken this behaviour as normal as I don't know of anywhere that it does not happen, at best I've had the tug reverse off nose leg and park up just off to the side but I've often seen it behave like it's searching for a skid pan, and like stargazer I've had the tug disconnect during pushback without being told to.

Since I started flying the Ifly 737ng the behaviour where it parks to the side is normal and I've not had it crash into me at anytime, maybe worth a save flight and short term 'turn off' the collision detection until clear of the tug.

regards


Steve

[Capt_Cronic]

I have a bone stock fsx install (no addons at all) that I can check out this evening for the described behavior.
should determine if its an addon or not

[garymbuska]

I checked out EGCC and had no problems with the pushback. To be honest I did not see one and I tried using several aircraft.

[StargazerWoods]

Thanks for the replies, though it looks like we're still a little uncertain what is going on.

The EGCC test in a completely stock installation perhaps narrows it down the most. Either it is scenery specific, or it could even be gate specific. Crikey, it could even be either or both with an additional distance factor plugged in as well where the distance travelled by the tug causes it to lose its pathfinding abilities so it goes looking for another.

I have a horrible feeling that there are probably too many variables involved to work it out completely. When I next go flying, I'll start keeping track of my airports and gates, maybe even the aircraft used as well, and see if there is anything to be learned by it all.

In the meantime, if a pattern emerges for anyone else, maybe let us all know. Am relieved but saddened that I'm not the only one with a drunk tug driver.

[Capt_Cronic]

I too had no trouble with stock install.
but running the tug too far causing it to loose its track sounds like
a good possibility to test

[Capt_Cronic]

heres an old thread about this issue.
seems to be a limitation in the software and only occurs with SP2 installed.

http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthrea ... Back-Truck

[StargazerWoods]

Very interesting stuff. Thank you.

'Wandering' was one of the few words I hadn't used in my original web-search. Stunned that this was something that went squiffy 'after' the updates. Have had fewer difficulties recently, but have been flying a lot less due to unforseen circumstances. Will continue to monitor it.

Thanks again.