NZFF

The layout of the Thames aerodrome according to AIP does not match the SIM and I was wandering if someone that have been there can set the record straight

I have never been to Thames so I can only assume that the sim layout is up to date. I haven't checked Google Earth of Virtual Earth either. What's confusing me is that the layout of the aerodrome as depicted in the chart from AIP NZ is very different than the sim. I did some digging and found aerodrome charts from 1989 (yeh, I know) which does matches. So which one is correct?

Here is the one from 1989:



and the current one from AIP is available here:

http://www.aip.net.nz/pdf/NZTH.pdf

So who's right (and in which year?)

Many thanks - Ran

The current NZ AIP chart will be correct, therefore FS is probably based upon old data

One small piece of advice...

"Never assume anything in FS9/FSX is even close to real life, unless you[1] have specifically made it so"

MS try hard, but they just do not have the resources to make the sim like the real world in all situations... and then keep them up to date. Otherwise, there would be no addon scenery!

The AIP's on www.aip.net.nz are as up to date as you can get... they need to be, because pilots use them everyday when flying in to or out of airfields! Obviously, MS don't go and change FS to match all these changes so there will be differences between AIPs and the Sim... hell I have trouble keeping my Volume 4 up to date with all the amendments that keep coming out... I feel sorry for the IFR guys who have to maintain Vols 1, 2 and 3 as well!


[1] This may mean creating scenery yourself and/or by installing realistic scenery from third parties ie. RealNZ, but even then things may have changed since the scenery was built.

Thanks for that

I knew that the AIP had to be correct, and I guess it is an advantage and disadvantage of the simulator. You can 'turn the clock' back in the simulator in terms of flying throught places and scenery that has already changed, however ss you say be very careful and only use up-to-date charts and information for real flying.

Ran

The current one is definitely correct, I've flown into there quite a bit lately. I didn't realise the old layout was so different!