Integration w/ GSX: loading fuel

[noel]

I'm guessing there are quite a few users w/ both FSC & GSX.  It would be cool to, by checking a configuration option under airlines to 'Synchronize Fuel Loading w/ GSX' which might look something like this:

As part of the Normal Load option, in order to proceed to loading PAX you to have summoned and receive fuel from the GSX service assigned by GSX.  When the default fuel dialogue pops up, which is how GSX allows the user to change fuel load, FSCaptain will already have input the correct fuel load value from the committed flight, then the user can simply leave as it was set by FSCaptain, or make a small last minute adjustment.  You would not have to modify GSX at all, just have to change the pre-existing fuel load before GSX opens the fuel load dialogue.

Great program I'm so lucky to have found FSCaptain.  It adds some nice functionality, is quite sophisticated in its implementation, and I think it has a bright future especially if it is polished some more.   Voice packs, even foreign voice packs would be great as well.   On tiny request is to have the FCDU buttons illuminate during night-lighting periods, just softly--just the actual button text would illuminate, like the keys on a MacBook.

Thanks!

[Travis]

Noel,

Thank you for the kind words, they're greatly appreciated and we do take them to heart!

We are open to having anyone participate in making new voice packs. I need to update the FO_Role & FA_Role documents to include the newer calls... but it seems each new point release is calling for more calls to be made.

In regards to the GSX fueling, that's almost what we're doing - except we don't "require" you to use the GSX fuel truck.

We suggest that you set things up beforehand for each of your aircraft - whether or not you want the FCDU to auto-fuel some of your aircraft, you should uncheck the requirement in GSX for all of your aircraft to use the simulator fuel & payload menu. If you want to use an aircraft's loader (e.g., an Aerosoft Airbus or a PMDG Boeing) you would check the FSCaptain auto-load-fuel setting for that aircraft so that you could use your other mechanism.

Then when you log in to your Dispatch and accept your flight, when you get to the Pre-Load page you should see "GSX Fueling Available". Use the GSX menu to call for the fuel truck, and after it does its thing you should have the correct amount of fuel in your tanks. It's that easy.

Once you call for the fuel truck (or catering), you cannot proceed to the actual loading - you must wait for it to finish.

There's still a few quirks that we're working on, but Dutch is about to post the 1.6.1 Beta 1 fixpack. You'll see it later today.

[Lucas]

I also have a question connected with fuelling using GSX. In FSCaptain' manual (p. 26) there is:

"We recommend that if you choose to do this that the option on the GSX 'aircraft customization' to bring up the FSX/P3D 'Payload and Fuel Box' be unchecked. This is because FSCaptain will do the loading for you seamlessly, you don't need to use the menu item dialog box."

...ok, but should I uncheck this option, even if I have checked Suppress Auto Fuel Load?

I checked Suppress Auto Fuel Load, because I use aircraft built-in loaders (PMDG NGX and 777) – so, how can I merge all this stuff -> GSX, FSCaptain and PMDG fuel loader? (FSCaptain doesn’t load fuel [payload also] into these planes).

Besides, there is another reason why I have checked „bring up the FSX/P3D 'Payload and Fuel Box'” in GSX ‘aircraft customization’...
- when fuel truck arrives, I can enter proper amount of fuel and then fuel truck stays near aircraft much longer (GSX’s fuelling time depends on difference between entered amount of fuel and amount of fuel in tanks before calling fuel truck). However, when the truck goes away, I have to manually enter fuel via PMDG FCDU.

I hope you understand me ...maybe this procedure is wrong...

With regards,
Lucas

[Travis]

Hi Lucas,

I am sorry for the delay in replying.

It reads as if for your PMDG aircraft that you want to load fuel with the FSX menu (so your GSX fuel truck will remain for an appropriate time) and then you will override that with the PMDG fuel loader.

If that is correct, then for 1.6.1 you are correct that you should leave the GSX option to show the FSX menu enabled.

===

However for the version of FSCaptain which will follow 1.6.1, I would suggest that you enable FSCaptain to load your fuel for these aircraft and then to turn off the FSX menu item in GSX for these aircraft.

Why? About 3 weeks ago, I hit upon a trick that seemingly allows FSCaptain to load fuel in a manner which will leave the GSX fuel truck around for the proper amount of time according to the GSX settings.

Since you will override that fuel load with your PMDG fuel loader it should not matter to your flight, correct?

We were in such a focused rush to get 1.6.1 to be a Steam-compatible version, that we did not have time to fully test this. So that is one of the things we will be doing over the next few weeks - post-1.6.1.

[Lucas]

Thanks for reply, Travis. I'll unchecked Suppress Auto Fuel Load in all my PMDG' aircrafts and will see

[Lucas]

Hi Travis,

I unchecked Suppress Auto Fuel Load in NGX Load Maps, also unchecked „bring up the FSX/P3D 'Payload and Fuel Box’” in GSX options. After load the simulator, in the aircraft there was about 7000 lbs of fuel. In Administrator/Flight Dispatch I entered necessary amount of fuel - 18500 lbs. So I logged in ACARS -> NORMAL LOAD -> call for GSX’ refuelling -> fuel truck arrived, and stayed only about 15 sec (15 sec. is a minimum amount of fuelling time which I set in GSX’ options).

My question is – when exactly should I enter 18500 lbs of fuel in PMDG FCDU? – just after calling fuel truck or in another moment?

Regards,
Lucas

[Travis]

Jan 19, 2015 16:10:19 GMT -5 Lucas said:

I unchecked Suppress Auto Fuel Load in NGX Load Maps, also unchecked „bring up the FSX/P3D 'Payload and Fuel Box’” in GSX options. After load the simulator, in the aircraft there was about 7000 lbs of fuel. In Administrator/Flight Dispatch I entered necessary amount of fuel - 18500 lbs. So I logged in ACARS -> NORMAL LOAD -> call for GSX’ refuelling -> fuel truck arrived, and stayed only about 15 sec (15 sec. is a minimum amount of fuelling time which I set in GSX’ options).

Don't use FSCaptain to load fuel now - wait until the 1.6.2 beta cycle starts... I'm going to guess that will be in a month, maybe six weeks. (Both Peter and Dutch will be taking some time off over the next few months, so it's going to be little old me adding bits & bobs to FSCaptain, waiting for us to have maybe two weeks of testing time together.)

My question is – when exactly should I enter 18500 lbs of fuel in PMDG FCDU? – just after calling fuel truck or in another moment?

What I've found (using my trusty C208) is that when the fuel truck is called, if I instantly empty my tanks and then after 10 seconds, I add 600LB of fuel, the GSX truck will linger about the time it would take to load nearly 100 gallons.

Can you use the PMDG fuel loader to nearly empty the tanks? Can you use it to add the amount of fuel that your flight will need within 10 seconds? (Does it change the fuel in an instant, or does it take time?)

Give that a try and see if the trucks linger longer.

If you can't use the PMDG loader that quickly, take the default 737 for your test. Call the truck, wait a second, then pause FSX. Go to the Fuel menu in FSX and empty all the tanks. Go back to FSX and unpause. Then let GSX call the FSX fuel menu (or wait about 10 seconds, pause and call it manually - then enter your desired amount of fuel.

What we need to remember is that if these were r/w aircraft, they could have any amount of fuel in their tanks when we board them.  However in the simulators, they always start cold with the amount of fuel that's listed in the aircraft.cfg file.

Another thing you could do - completely different from this - is to set the "refueling_time_min" value in the GSX settings to what you feel would be a nice constant setting.

[Lucas]

Hi Travis,

I made little test in PMDG777. I loaded aircraft with 32 lbs of fuel on board (to flight I needed 64500 lbs of fuel). In GSX options I have set time per gallon = 0,03 sec. 1 gallon = 6,8 lbs.
Ok, so I called for refuelling... when fuel truck arrived, I loaded 64500 lbs of fuel via PMDG FCDU loader and truck lingered about 5 min. Correct!

...but usually I have much more fuel on board after previous flight...

[Travis]

Jan 26, 2015 6:52:12 GMT -5 Lucas said:

...but usually I have much more fuel on board after previous flight...

Since the control of the tanker is entirely up to GSX, my guess would be that you would have to adjust the GSX settings to ensure the tanker remains for a minimum time limit to stay, but then to allow the "per gallon" timing to permit an exceptionally large load of fuel.

I could be in danger of trying to overthink this. What would a real Captain do if they were to board an aircraft for the first flight of the day only to find that there's more fuel in the tanks (for whatever reason) than is needed for their flight? I'd laugh if the answer was "have the tanker remove the excess fuel."

[Lucas]

Ok, I will adjust GSX settings. Thanks.

[bob12]

Hi.

Wouldnt it be possible to have fs captain loading passenger with gsx too. No pax until the jetway or the ladder truck with bus appears?

[Travis]

Bob,

While that would be possible, this service is the single most difficult to synchronize with. FSCaptain & GSX both take different approaches to this loading. GSX checks the weight of the aircraft's load stations and does its maths and decides on how long it will take to load PAX/Cargo. FSCaptain (if using Normal Loading) adds each PAX's weight during the loading process.

If today you were to try and manually synchronize the two services - calling GSX first and waiting until the PAX loading were to start to initiate the FSCaptain loading - I think you'd find that GSX would imagine they were going to load almost no one, because the stations would be empty when they were called.

Then too, the speeds at which we both load could be vastly different. GSX uses a linear scale, whereas we allow Captains to define a scale which slows the loading as more PAX embark.

Again I'm not saying its impossible - in fact I have worked out a way that it can be done - but it would take a change in how FSCaptain operates and that's something I didn't have time to implement on this version.  (We would essentially lose our counters and replace them with a "PAX & Cargo Loading" statement.

And for one final thing - I don't think its possible to know if the standard FSX jetway is attached to your aircraft or not.  Even GSX posts its message for us to "be certain that we've called the jetway."