For many small airfields the default com type (as shown in the menu) is “FSS”. In-game this seems to always default to 122.900MHz.
The SimpleNavData-Sample shows these types: APPROACH, ATIS, CLEARANCE, DEPARTURE, GROUND, TOWER, UNICOM.
Is this a complete list? Or where else can I find the complete list?
So far I used UNICOM to replace FSS on small airfields. It seems functionally identical but with the proper frequency used in-game. But it’s not formally correct and I’d like to use the proper facility type.
In the United States, when communicating in the pattern of an airport without an operating control tower, the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) is used. However, the correct frequency may not be explicitly noted on charts. If the airport has a control tower but the tower is closed for the night, the tower frequency usually becomes the CTAF. At nontowered airports, a unicom frequency is used. Typical unicom frequencies are 122.7, 122.72, 122.8, 122.97, 123.0. 123.05, and 123.07 MHz.
UNICOM is a nongovernmental air/ground radio communications station which may provide airport information for public use airports where there is no tower or FSS. UNICOM stations provide pilots (on request) with weather information, wind direction, the recommended runway, and other necessary information. If the UNICOM frequency is designated as the CTAF, it will be be identified in the appropriate aeronautical publication.
Thank you for the information. Let me rephrase my question though:
We have many airfields with a dedicated and published frequency where there is usually no one there on the ground. The operation is purely “self-declaration”/information.
Is there a Com-Type in FS2020 that models this?
- FSS: I’m not actually sure if it’s a valid type that can be used in the XML. The stock airfields show FSS in the menu. The problem with FSS is though, that it defaults to 122.9 in-game, no matter what I write into the XML. So it’s not usable.
- UNICOM: The in-game frequency is properly taken from the XML. The phrases that are offered in the ATC dialog are consistent with the self-declaration operation. So UNICOM is a decent work around for my purposes. Just that it says UNICOM in the menu and no one here has heard of UNICOM…
“FSS” is MULTICOM which is a single frequency “universal” CTAF for Uncontrolled Fields without a UNICOM.
MULTICOM would be used for little Sort of Private/untended airstrips in the boonies that don’t even have A/FD entries mostly.
If the Airport has a specified UNICOM or CTAF you would use “UNICOM” tab.
Well, UNICOM, MULTICOM and CTAF seem to be decidedly new world-terms. I guess UNICOM relates most closely to AFIS as we call it on the old continent.
“Unmanned AFIS” is what most small Airfields here use (blind transmissions) and what I’m trying to recreate. The (swiss) VFR-Manual lists them under the name “AD COM”.
I’ll just use Unicom as a stand in for the moment. The way it’s currently implemented it seems to be functionally compatible.
This is complete list from the Xml reference. Haven’t tested if these all work tho.
‘APPROACH’
‘ASOS’
‘ATIS’
‘AWOS’
‘CENTER’
‘CLEARANCE’
‘CLEARANCE_PRE_TAXI’
‘CTAF’
‘DEPARTURE’
‘FSS’
‘GROUND’
‘MULTICOM’
‘REMOTE_CLEARANCE_DELIVERY’
‘TOWER’
‘UNICOM’
Cool, thank you. Will look into these.
Where does one find “the xml reference”?
Download the zip from the mediafire link
Have a look in bglcomp.xsd in the SDK (under Tools/bin), it defines the allowable entities in XML.