TAXIWAY SERVICE STAND OBJECTS

A Taxiway Service Stand object is an object element that is used to add a service control taxiway parking spot. When you select this object type you will be presented with a list of different object elements listed in the Objects window:

When you click the Add button, the Taxiway Service STand object will be added to the scene and can be positioned using the Gizmo. Once positioned, the taxiway services Properties can be edited.

IMPORTANT! Taxiway Services objects require one or more Airport Objects to be present in the scene, and must be added to an airport group in The Scenery Editor. If no airport is present then they cannot be used. Also note that if they are placed too far away (ie: outside the airport Object Test Radius) then they will not be rendered.

When placed in the world, it will be displayed as an orange circular area, and you can use the Gizmo to not only place the service stand object, but to rotate it - you can see a small arrow indicating the orientation - as well as change its scale.

 

Connecting A Taxiway Service Stand

Once you have placed the taxiway services stand in the world, it will generally need to be connected to TaxiwayPoint Objects using TaxiwayPath Objects. To do this you must first select the taxiway service stand object in the world, then use Ctrl and left mouse button to select the taxiway point that you want it to connect to. You can then do one of the following things to add a path between the two:

• Select the Taxiway Path Object in the Objects window and click Add.
• Use the Right Mouse Button and select the Create Path option.

This will then add a Taxiway Path object between the point and the parking, which will look like this in the world:

NOTE: Taxiway Paths added to link Parking Spots with Taxiway Points will not have a surface texture and should be placed over Apron Objects if you require a texture.When you connect the point to the stand, the stand heading will be rotated to be parallel to the connecting path. Also note that you can connect more than one Taxiway Path point to a service stand if required (although you wouldn't normally), and you can remove the path by selecting it and using the Delete key on the keyboard.

 

Apron Control

Even after connecting a service stand object to a taxiway path, the scenery editor will still show an error:

This error is cause by not having assigned any Airport Services to the stand. In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, all new airports can use the Apron Controller to request, move and interact with all the different airline services available. However, these services need to be registered with the apron controller and then assigned to the object that will be using them. The Taxiway Service Stand object requires an Apron Control airline service assignment, otherwise it cannot be used. This can be assigned from the Properties window.

 

 

Properties

The Properties window for a Taxiway Service Stand looks like this:

• Name

  This is the name of the element as defined by its object type properties.

 

• Display Name

  This is the name of the element as it will be displayed in the The Scenery Contents List. This can be edited and is helpful for identifying elements when you have a lot of items in the content list.

 

• Stand Type

  This can be used to change the type of taxiway stand that is being edited. You can choose one of the following types, which will be drawn with the corresponding colour in the scene:

  • BAGGAGE_CART

  • BAGGAGE_LOADER

  • BUS

  • CATERING_TRUCK

  • FUEL_TRUCK

  • GPU

  • PUSHBACK

  • RAMP

 

• Apron Control

  Selecting this will show the option to add an New Apron Control service to the stand. This option will open a small window and request that you give the identifier of the airline service that is to be registered as being used for the stand:
  After adding the code, click on Add to have it registered with Apron Control. Note that the stand object requires at least one airline code to be assigned to it, but you can add multiple airline codes and then switch between them if required, although only one of them will be used at any time. For more information please see here: Apron Services

 

• Stand Role

  This option lets you assign a role to the parking stand, which can be one of the following:
  • PLANE - This means the spot is where any vehicles go when they will need to approach an aircraft after it's parked. For stands of this type, you will be presented extra options to associate the stand with an aircraft parking spot:
    • Aircraft Stand Name: the taxiway parking spot Name.
    • Aircraft Stand Number: the taxiway parking spot Number.
    • Aircraft Stand Suffix: the taxiway parking spot Suffix.
  • PARKING - This means that the spot is the spawn point for the vehicle, and will also be where it goes when it is not currently on a service mission. By default, when the airport loads into the simulation, a corresponding vehicle will be spawned on every stand with the assigned role. This is the only way that vehicles will be spawned.
  • GATE - This is only used for buses and means that the spot is where a bus should go to get passengers for an aircraft. For stands of this type, you will be presented with an extra option to associate the stand with an aircraft parking spot:
    • Aircraft Stand Name: the taxiway parking spot Name.

 

• Heading

  The service stand heading (oriented from the North) from -360.0° to 360.0°. This is shown in the world by a little arrow on the edge of the bounding circle. Note that this can be edited using the Rotation Gizmo.

 

• Radius

  The service stand radius, in meters. this may have an effect on the type and number of services that can use the spot. Note that this can be edited using the Scale Gizmo.