====================================================================== File: GEN_SA.TXT 1 of 10 files in: ASA.ZIP; Revision date: 22nd November 1994 BGL scenery of: South Australia (SA), AUSTRALIA For use with: Microsoft Flight Simulator version 5a. This scenery is part of the Oz FS5 Scenery Portfolio which is produced and continually being enhanced by The OzPack. ============================================================================= CAUTION! This scenery and information may be incomplete, outdated and inaccuate and should NOT be used for real world flight training, planning or operations under any circumstances. ALWAYS use only proper CAA documents for real-world flight OPS. ============================================================================= TABLE OF CONTENTS A. GENERAL B. SCENERY PROBLEMS C. CREDITS D. COPYRIGHT E. WARRANTY ====================================================================== A. GENERAL ^^^^^^^ This scenery is the South Australia (SA) component of the Oz FS5 Scenery Portfolio by The OzPack, an Australian based team of volunteers who are dedicated to producing high quality FS5 scenery, covering the entire Australian island-continent, under the freeware principle. This is being accomplished using a series of pre-planned, and ongoing state-by-state revisions wherein, with each state's next revision, more detail is progressively introduced. The SA scenery has been designed to mesh well with adjoining states' scenery which comprise the Oz FS5 Scenery Portfolio. There are no duplications along state borders to "gum up the works". This revision contains all airports in SA for which instrument "Departure and Approach Procedures" (DAPS) are published, plus others which are listed in the Civil Aviation Authority's "Enroute Flight Supplement - Australia" (ERSA). The scenery also contains all navaids which FS5 is capable of using, as well as ATIS and Flight Information Service (FIS) COMs. All information and physical placements are current as of the 23 Jun 94 edition of ERSA. Data in the NAV_SA.TXT file may be used to find your way around. Proper aeronautical charts can be purchased at or ordered through your local pilot shops. In Australia, these include the Civil Aviation Authority's VTC series (Visual Terminal Charts), the ERC Low series (Enroute Charts), the TAC series (Terminal Area Charts), and the WAC series (World Aeronautical Charts). If your pilot shop cannot advise which charts to use for SA, or any other part of Australia, I'll be happy to. Send a message to my address below. The large South Australian dry salt lakes have been represented in this release only as light-grey coloured polygons of very gross detail. Even though this release has been more concerned with the ocean coastline, these salt lakes have been so added because of their great size and visual significance. Fully detailed renditions will be provided in the next release. Australia is a big country! Distances are deceptive. Make sure you plan re-fuelling stops. Airports in SA with fuel services are noted in NAV_SA.TXT. We endeavour to produce a high quality product which improves with every edition. You can help us with this task by advising us of any errors which may be present. We will correct any genuine errors to the extent that the software allows us. If you would like us to include a particular feature to enhance your local area or a particular flight route, such as a private landing strip, local river etc, we will endeavour to do so in our next edition. To help us do this you need to provide us with as much of the following as possible:- descriptions, diagrams, measurements, Latitude and Longitude, photographs. The more information you can provide the more likely we will get it right the first time. The only promise we can make on this matter is that we will do what we can. ============================================================================= B. SCENERY PROBLEMS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ FLOATING RUNWAYS Arguably one of the most frustrating problems in MS FS5 scenery is the matter of floating runways. FS considers that the surface of the whole Earth, apart from isolated objects, is at the same hight as the spot you're vertically over at any point in time. As one moves from place to place and consequently from one ground-altitude to another ground-altitude the surface of the whole Earth actually moves up and down to match the current ground height. When flying at substantial hight AGL this ground movement can't be noticed. But when at Ground Level (GL) or near GL one actually sees the ground moving. All objects, such as towers, polygon lakes, roads etc. move up and down with the moving ground so when the ground moves down these objects aren't left in the air. The one exception to object/ground movement sync are runways. When the ground moves down below the height of a runway, the runway is left hanging in the air, a most unnatural sight I'm sure all will agree. When overflying runways at substantial height AGL the problem can't be seen. Also when a particular runway is far away from any other runway the problem can be worked around by making all the surrounding ground extending out substantial distances from that runway the same height as that runway. This has the effect that the ground will carry out its height adjustment movements while planes are still at a considerable distance away from, and hight above, the target runway. Note that the same ground movements still happen but can't be perceived. This work around can't be used for runways which are both at close proximity to one another and are at different heights. In these cases when looking from a lower runway to a nearby higher one the higher one can be seen floating in the air. We can only hope that MS will solve this bug in due course. MOUNTAINS The current version of FS5a scenery doesn't have the ability to render mountain ranges, sloping ground, high ground, peaks etc in a way that conveys a good visual sense of changing ground elevations. There are a couple of options available to us but none are really ideal. We hope to have an acceptable method for a later release. In the interim be sure to check your charts to allow sufficient ground clearance in all areas. Otherwise nearby high ground may make itself known only when you crash into it. ILS There is a little known bug in FS5 and FS5a where the ILS glideslopes in the Southern Hemisphere do not function. However the ILS localisers work properly and are still worthwhile using. HORIZON We have with this release of South Australia partially implemented a method which substantially improves the horizon problem described in detail below. We intend to further develop the technique with future releases. Meanwhile read the problem description below but expect to see it manifest in the South Australian scenery to a markedly reduced degree. This version of the scenery contains extensive repair to the otherwise poorly rendered stock FS5 Australian coastline. Users of this scenery need to be aware of some FS5 problems which make coastline rendition less than totally satisfactory. The defect manifests differently depending whether you have textured ground set on or off. With Textured Ground ON - In order to illustrate the coastline problem, establish yourself in stock FS5 scenery, flying coastal Los Angeles to San Diego, at 5000 feet or above. You should see land on your left, and the Pacific Ocean on your right. But during your flight, you will see land on the horizon in front of you, jutting out into the sea. This false land possibly is the result of the FS5 designers trying to overcome limitations in the range of land/sea visibility by filling in the horizon beyond about 35 nm with a poorly rendered green haze - a good idea, as visibility beyond 35 nm is generally not reliable especially in the more polluted areas of the world - but sadly this idea is less than satisfactory in execution. The result in the map view is less than satisfactory as well. Using the long range scales, you will see the "haze" as textured green land on the map's outer border. Also, with textured ground turned on, and if you're flying, at 5000 feet or above, over land which is predominantly desert (brown terrain with green patches), you will see a mirage of green terrain on the horizon. Again, in the map view, using the long range scales, you will see the "haze" as textured green land on the map's outer border. Unfortunately, this poorly rendered stock FS5 horizon carries over into non-stock FS5 scenery as well, including OzPack's scenery for Australia. So please be advised. It is not possible to navigate by reference to bays, capes, and other coastal landmarks in view 1, 2, or in map view beyond a ground range of about 35 nm. With Textured Ground OFF - Unfortunately, there are other unsatisfactory phenomena with textured ground turned off. Instead of the putrid green haze on the horizon, there is "the black void". Beyond about 35 nm, land mass is rendered as simply a black space in the two views and the map. ============================================================================= C. CREDITS ^^^^^^^ Many thanks to the other OzPack members - John Blackie, Bryan Fripp, Ron McKeirnan, Tom Monnone and Adam Szofran, - for providing advice, cooperation, encouragement, co-ordination and technical support. A portion of the scenery was compiled using BGLGEN.EXE developed by Enno Borgsteede. BGLGEN was developed with help from Maurizio Gavioli and associates. Many thanks to Enno, Maurizio and associates. ============================================================================= D. COPYRIGHT ^^^^^^^^^ ASA.ZIP, and all files it contains, are - (C) 1994 Bryan Fripp & Phillip McNelley. All Rights Reserved. This scenery is Freeware. It may be non-commercially re-distributed under the conditions that: * the full archive, ASA.ZIP, remains unaltered, AND * the full archive and all files which it contains are re-distributed together and unaltered, AND * the full archive and all files which it contains are re-distributed on a freeware basis, AND * the re-distributor(s) are not, or associated with, a commercial enterprise. COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES, ( including their employees, officers and proprietary interest holders ), of any nature are specifically prohibited from re-distributing ASA.ZIP or its contents in any form and under any pretext, alone or as part of any combination package or offer of free and/or commercial services or products. Providing a free copy of the said file or part thereof or the suggestion of so doing or the advertisement of so doing will be an infringement of the copyright and/or other laws. No verbal copyright related authorisation will be given by the copyright holder(s). Any copyright related authorisation whatsoever will strictly be given in written form only. ============================================================================= E. WARRANTY ^^^^^^^^ Great care and effort has gone into the production of this scenery. However the author accepts no liability whatsoever with regard to its use. This product is Freeware and is distributed as is and does not carry a guarantee of any sort as to its accuracy or completeness. The author makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation any warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. The author shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential arising from a failure of this scenery to operate in the manner desired by the user. ====================================================================== (C) 1994 Bryan Fripp. All Rights Reserved. CompuServe e-mail Address: 100240,426 (C) 1994 Phillip McNelley. All Rights Reserved. PO Box 8, Sandgate, QLD, 4017, Australia. ======================================================================