Gliders are now permitted in FSX host

[ROBERT DUNN 2]

FSOpen Server2 software running on our FSX host now permits gliders to be flown, after a recently installed FSOpen version .95 update. We have deselected the kick glider option in FSOpen, thus permitting gliders. We continue to autokick tow planes as spawners. FSOpen posts as instruction on their website this:

New version releases which will allow you to let gliders into a session if you want.
By default the new option to kick gliders is turned on so the system will remain the same.
If a pilot calls for a towplane he will be kicked if the option to kick spawners id selected.
Providing your session allows the user to pause his session then the user can enter the map screen from the menu and change his altitude. This allows the player to start at altitude without having to request a towplane.
Happy gliding.

[Mulderpilot13]

Great News! So many people try to use Gliders in our Server. Will you be unselecting Kick Trikes as Well or will that be staying?

[Pandanator]

I'm curious why gliders were being kicked if they are/were default ones? I always thought default planes were safe when it came to packets.

[Mulderpilot13]

It wasn't the Packets that were getting the Glider kicked. FSOpen kicked Glider's automatically because when you Spawn a Tow Plane in Multiplayer Sessions that Plane will never disappear. It'll just keep on going till the next server restart.

[WheeledWeevil82]

So what I got out of that is that the tow planes are removed, correct? I am excited to start flying gliders again!

[Mulderpilot13]

You still cant spawn tow planes or you'll be kicked but you can Spawn in the session in a Glider..

[Storm]

So what I got out of that is that the tow planes are removed, correct? I am excited to start flying gliders again!

No. Tow planes are not allowed. Players that use them/call for them will be kicked. Set your initial altitude using map or slew and all will be fine.

[ROBERT DUNN 2]

Mulder and Storm have it right on gliders. We will continue to autokick the default Air Creation Trike in our normal FSX-FSOpen configuration. I will try here to clarify both these reasonings and accomodate Trike pilots also.

FSOpen Server2 software previously provided autokick option to kick all aircraft what generated spawned objects. In FSOpen code, gliders were automatically included as a spawner, presumably always requiring a spawned tow plane for every flight. In the new FSOpen revision .95, that assumptive coding was modified to now give us FSOpen users the option to permit gliders but yet continue to autokick any spawners. Therefore, we have chosen to permit gliders in session but only when they attain altitude by a method other than a spawned tow plane. Gliders can now populate into our session, use the FSX map function to gain their altitude by a map altitude setting. Additionally, Wingman points out that one can ctl-sft "O"-ctl-sft "F" to cause your glider to follow another aircraft at altitude, presumably another glider at starting altitude already in your flight. If you are patient, one can always slew to altitude, slooooly.

Default Air Creation Trike autokick option is, in our normal configuration, invoked. Trikes get kicked. The reasons we autokick Trikes is partially by request of pilots who do not want to see Trikes in their multiplayer flights. Additionally, being the aircraft that the newly installed FSX single player flight defaults to, players new to FSX multiplayer sometimes have this aircraft still selected when they first join a mulitplayer session. These players tend to not be fully aware of how to control their aircraft nor, more importantly, how to populate a multiplayer session correctly parked at a host airport. These new players are also often not on our TeamSpeak for our counsel and help. We can and will, however, permit Trikes to be flown in our session by special request. Any TeamViewer capable FSX administrator can deselect autokick Trike checkbox, thus permitting flying Trikes, by special request. After such a Trike flight, that FSX admin would recheck the autokick checkbox again.

[Vidken]

We could use gliders on FSOpen servers before anyway. It's a very fast, simple tweak of the glider's config file to make FSX and FSOpen think it's a single engine prop. It enabled use of the glider in FSOpen servers. Because it was no longer a "glider", FSX didn't enable towplane spawning for it, so there was no danger of that post-tweak. The glider's behavior, visuals and everything else remained the same. Thermals, CumulusX ridge soaring and all that stuff worked fine as usual.

[ROBERT DUNN 2]

Thanks for this post, Vidken. I did not know of such a tweak to gliders. I love to learn here on the forum from all you more FSXperienced pilots and authors. Please continue to share and post here in our forum, Vidken. We all benefit when you do. If you have any more things that will improve our experience here, please share them with us.