Port Stanley Airport

[Northstar98]

Hi everyone,

 

This one is a bit of a nitpicky one, concerning a few minor issues at Stanley Airport.

• A VOR is present that doesn't exist IRL - actually a DME, but doesn't look to be where the VOR is in DCS.
• The NDB is in the wrong location, has the wrong frequency and has the wrong identifier (though the model is suitable for at least one antenna at Stanley). EDIT: It is located at Port Stanley airport, but likely not where it is depicted in DCS
• The runway markings are inaccurate
• There's a set of PAPIs which aren't present IRL.
• There's a giant lattice tower next to the control tower which doesn't bear much resemblence to the real thing.

NAVAIDs, runway markings and PAPIs:

Here's a screenshot in the mission editor. Note the VOR, NDB, runway markings and PAPI lights:

And here's roughly the same position (though zoomed out) in Google Earth:

• There's no VOR
• There's no NDB
• The runway markings are inaccurate
• There doesn't seem to be any PAPI lights (resolution of satellite imagery might result in them not being visible).

The model of the NDB would be suitable for antenna marked with a circle with an arrow pointing to it (I'm not sure what this is, but the model certainly looks suitable). EDIT said antenna (seen inside the left circle) is an NDB colocated with a DME station, the right circle appears empty in zoom.earth.

Speaking of the NDB, apparently Port Stanley airport does have one, but it's located in Port Stanley itself (251° for 2.7 nautical miles from Stanley). Also, the frequency and identifier are both inaccurate. It's currently 314 kHz and "SA" respectively, when it should be 340 kHz and "STA" respectively:

Also note how no VOR is marked.

EDIT, the above image is inaccurate (out of date most likely).

 

Lattice Tower:

Also in DCS is a fairly gigantic red and white lattice tower, adjacent to the control tower. IRL, there is a grey lattice tower but its much smaller

Camera position: -camera 88.824506 0.358139 93.737658 -cameradir 0.150190 -0.988621 -0.008457:

The tower is next to invisible in Google Earth, but I did find this image of it:

Looks to be about double the height of the control tower.

In DCS however, this is what it looks like (camera position: -camera 88.888079 0.022867 93.797900 -cameradir -0.904668 0.174173 -0.388895):

The other problem with this tower in particular is that its LODs make it next to invisible until it suddenly pops into view at around 1 km away (though at least, unlike the Marianas, it's not near on an approach path like Saipan's NDB).

Edited June 15, 2022 by Northstar98
Corrected - thanks Minsky

[western_JPN]

Hi.

From "South Atlantic Map early access release note" topic posted in two days ago ....

myHelljumper said about airports :

Quote

We soon realized it would be very restrictive for current aircraft in DCS to limit the map to what was available in 1982. For example the 80’s era runway at Mount Pleasant is too short to land an F16 on but we do hope to add era-specific options for the map in future for those who wish to create historically accurate scenarios.

So, RAZBAM doesn't aim to make historically accurate runways on current EA-SA map.

 

IRL of 2022, "Stanley Airport" 's main runway is only 918 meters long. 
Google Earth photo shows this statement. 
And DCS: SA map's current runway has 1480 meters long inside the markings / 1850 meters long with paved area.

From histories of development Port Stanley Airport / RAF Stanley :
1200 meters --- First built in 1979. Might be kept this length to the end of Falklands War in 1982. 
1900 meters --- Extended by RAF to operate F-4 Phantom after the war (in late 1982 or early 1983). 
1200 meters again --- RAF moved to Mount Pleasant and became a civilian airport in 1986. Paving was removed about unused areas. 
918 meters shorten --- Unknown when. 

I support RAZBAM's decision about the lengths of EA runways longer than historical making missions scalable with many fixed-wing jet fighters. 
Yes, accurate 1982 choice in the future is also welcome !

[Northstar98]

8 hours ago, western_JPN said:

Hi.

From "South Atlantic Map early access release note" topic posted in two days ago ....

myHelljumper said about airports :

So, RAZBAM doesn't aim to make historically accurate runways on current EA-SA map.

 

IRL of 2022, "Stanley Airport" 's main runway is only 918 meters long. 
Google Earth photo shows this statement. 
And DCS: SA map's current runway has 1480 meters long inside the markings / 1850 meters long with paved area.

From histories of development Port Stanley Airport / RAF Stanley :
1200 meters --- First built in 1979. Might be kept this length to the end of Falklands War in 1982. 
1900 meters --- Extended by RAF to operate F-4 Phantom after the war (in late 1982 or early 1983). 
1200 meters again --- RAF moved to Mount Pleasant and became a civilian airport in 1986. Paving was removed about unused areas. 
918 meters shorten --- Unknown when. 

I support RAZBAM's decision about the lengths of EA runways longer than historical making missions scalable with many fixed-wing jet fighters. 
Yes, accurate 1982 choice in the future is also welcome !

I don't have a problem with the runway length.

Though if the runway markings are accurate post war then I'm okay with it.

[Minsky]

Skyvector is not the most reliable source of navaids.

Port Stanley has the co-located NDB 305 and VOR-less DME station. You need both for the approach.

DCS got the NDB correctly, but for some reason replaced DME that has no VOR with VOR that has no DME - so that's a bug.

 

P.S. STA 340 doesn't exist anymore, at least not in 2022.

 

[Northstar98]

45 minutes ago, Minsky said:

Skyvector is not the most reliable source of navaids.

Port Stanley has the co-located NDB 305 and VOR-less DME station. You need both for the approach.

DCS got the NDB correctly, but for some reason replaced DME that has no VOR with VOR that has no DME - so that's a bug.

 

P.S. STA 340 doesn't exist anymore, at least not in 2022.

 

Appreciate the correction Minsky - corrected the above post.

I suppose the NDB and DME station is what's located inside what I marked with a red circle (or at least the left one, which has an antenna visible), in my 2nd image.

Edited June 15, 2022 by Northstar98