Griz Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 (edited) Picture by SgtDigglesworth on TrueAchievments.com Aviation Roleplay - A Simplified Guide By Griz So, you want to learn about aviation role play. You've come to the right publication! In this guide, I will outline the details of how to role play aviation properly in accordance with GTA World's server rules, also adding in some legalities from a real world perspective. The intent of this publication is to give you the tools you require to operate your aircraft safely and realistically, all while doing the most important thing: having fun! Let's dig in. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ STEP 1: Purchasing an Aircraft You can purchase a fixed wing aircraft or helicopter at any of the dealerships located in this Vehicle Dealership Guide. You must know, if you don't already, that the prices for these machines are on the higher side. The lowest price for a Buzzard helicopter is $550,000. The prices for all other aircraft go up from there. STEP 2: Parking an Aircraft There are multiple locations on the map that allow for suitable aircraft storage. Below, you'll find some spots that one would reasonably keep their aircraft for safe storage. FIXED WING & HELICOPTERS Los Santos International Airport Sandy Shores Airfield Grapeseed McKenzie Airfield HELICOPTERS ONLY Public Helipads Farmland Privately Owned Fields Grass Areas on Private Property (Non-Residential Areas) STEP 3: Getting your Pilot License Back in the day, you were able to just buy a pilot license for a pretty penny. These days, however, you're able to get your pilot license a couple of different ways. First and foremost, try going to a flight school. At the moment, Blaine Aviation is the only flight school in GTAW. They can be found at the Sandy Shores Airfield in, you guessed it, Blaine County. The going price is roughly $80,000, which includes flight instruction and aircraft rental. They offer both helicopter and fixed-wing flight training. (Disclaimer: Blaine Aviation is in a management transition phase as of this edit (February 16th, 2021), and will hopefully resume operations soon! Additionally, some government / state agencies have flight programs (like fire fighting, search and rescue, and law enforcement) that will get you a pilot license at the end of your training. STEP 4: Flying an Aircraft It goes without saying that the elevation in GTA V is not coincident with real world altitudes. 500 feet above the ground in GTA V is equal to roughly 1,000 feet above the ground in the real world. The ratio between GTA V and realism increases with altitude. 1,000 feet in GTA V is equal to roughly 3,000 feet in the real world, and so on. For the sake of simplicity, I'll be using GTA V altitudes in my examples. HELICOPTERS You should operate your helicopter at no less than 500 feet above the ground, unless you are taking off or landing. 500 feet obviously does not clear the multiple skyscrapers downtown, nor does it provide adequate clearance from the mountainous terrain around the map. So, try to stay 500 feet above whatever you're flying over. Example: Mirror Park is roughly 200 feet in elevation, so you should overfly Mirror Park at no less than 700 feet. This gives you adequate clearance from trees and other obstacles, also clearing you of a "flying too low" violation. You'll be safe at this altitude! Helicopters are very versatile aircraft. You can take them pretty much anywhere, which is a beautiful thing. You've paid enough for your new toy, so you should be able to do with it what you please. I agree with this, but, there are some realistic restrictions you must keep in mind. Landing in a backyard in Mirror Park is NOT acceptable, nor is it realistic by any means. You can, however, land on a secluded beach on the Eastern seaboard of the map. Considering a beach like that isn't a populated area, and you have adequate space to safely land your helicopter, you should be in the clear! Always keep in mind the following: 1. Can I land here safely? 2. Will doing so disturb anybody or anything? 3. Will landing or taking off here cause harm to anyone, including myself and my passengers? 4. Could I articulate and justify this landing to a staff member, should they inquire? If you've answered "yes" to all of these questions, you can probably proceed to land. Use sound judgment, and don't jeopardize your asset or good standing with the community. FIXED WING AIRCRAFT You should operate your fixed wing aircraft at no less than 1000 feet above the ground, unless you are taking off or landing. 1,000 feet obviously does not clear the multiple skyscrapers downtown, nor does it provide adequate clearance from the mountainous terrain around the map. So, try to stay 1,000 feet above whatever you're flying over. Example: the Vinewood sign is roughly 400 feet in elevation, so you should overfly the Vinewood sign at no less than 1,400 feet. Considering fixed wing aircraft cannot "stop" in the sky like a helicopter can, you should ensure your flight path keeps you clear of obstacles such as buildings, mountains, and populated areas. Always have a way to "get out" of undesired flight paths, such as flying too low near downtown. Your ability to escape these situations increases with altitude, so fly high! Fixed wing aircraft aren't as versatile as helicopters. You are restricted to only a handful of airports and landing strips. You should be thoughtful in how you approach these airports. Consider some of the following: 1. Do I have reasonable clearance from all obstacles on my approach? 2. Can I make it to the airport if my engine fails? 3. Will I come too close to any buildings or mountains? 4. Will I be flying too low over a populated area to make a landing? You must always consider all variables in a takeoff or landing. For example, taking off directly over the Vespucci neighborhood might not be the best idea. Consider taking off over the water, gaining altitude, and then fly over the Vespucci neighborhood at a reasonable altitude. That way, if something happens to your aircraft, you have enough time to make a turn back towards the airfield and land safely. Speaking of safe landings, let's talk about those for a moment. You are allowed to descend below minimum safe altitudes to make an approach and landing. One of the more complicated approaches to a landing is to runway 21 at Los Santos International. If you're flying a faster aircraft, like a Buckingham Nimbus, your turning radius is restricted and you need more room to fly a safe approach. I've attached a video on how to properly approach and land on runway 21 in a high speed aircraft. As we've discussed, you can descend below a safe cruising altitude to land at an airport or airfield. We do that in this video. In a smaller, slower aircraft such as a JoBuilt Velum, you could easily turn over the beach and land on runway 21 that way. However, that isn't the case for an aircraft such as the Nimbus. In the video, we keep adequate distance from buildings and mountainous terrain. As we descend lower, we are near the Downtown area. However, if we needed to abandon the approach, we could easily turn to the right and fly out over the water. This allows us the opportunity to avoid the buildings downtown should we encounter an emergency. Spoiler Now you've seen the most complicated approach into Los Santos International. Let's talk about the more simple approaches, like those to runways 33R, 33L, 12L, 12R, and 3. All of these approaches come in from over the water, which provide you unlimited obstacle clearance. Take a look at the airport diagram below (Credits to MaksymDesigns on GTAForums) If you were to make a takeoff or landing from runways 33L, 33R, 12L, 12R, you'd be over the water, free from any obstructions or buildings. These runways make for a safe takeoff or landing at any time. If you were to depart from runway 3, you'd fly over Puerto Del Sol and the Vespucci area, so be careful if you choose to depart from this runway. Avoid taking off from it especially at night; It is a noise-sensitive neighborhood, and I highly doubt the residents would appreciate a loud airplane taking off over their neighborhood at 2 AM. You can land on runway 3 at any time, considering the approach comes in over the water. Let's talk about some rational decision making. You probably shouldn't land a fast jet on the dirt strip at Grapeseed. One, you won't make it. Two, you'd go down in history as the worst pilot ever. You can take your small Velum or Mammatus in there all day long, but make sure your approach is stabilized and you aren't going too fast! Always give yourself adequate distance to approach the runway at a straight in angle. You don't want to be in a turn as you're coming over the beginning of the runway. You probably won't make it. STEP 5: Communicating in your Aircraft Our wonderful development team has given aircraft and their operators a dedicated command (/atc) to communicate with other aircraft. When you're moving your aircraft in any way, you should broadcast what you're doing over the UNICOM frequency (/atc). For example, if I intend on taking off from Los Santos International from runway 33R, I would say something similar to this: "LSI traffic, Mammatus 123 departing runway 33R, turning to the Northeast". You should include in your broadcasts the following: 1. who you are, 2. where you are, 3. what you're doing. There's no need to speak a novel over the radio. Keep it simple and concise. All you're doing is alerting other aircraft of your position, and in turn, avoiding a collision with other aircraft. You should communicate takeoffs, landings, and prolonged activity over a particular area. Additionally, you should pay attention to what others are saying so you can avoid their location. If you are ever intercepted or interrogated by a law enforcement aircraft, acknowledge them over the UNICOM frequency (/atc) and follow their direction. They could be instructing you to avoid a particular area, or to land for violating aviation regulations. Simply put, do what they say and you won't have any problems. STEP 6: Enjoying your Aircraft Like I've said before, owning and operating your own personal aircraft should be fun and enjoyable. After all, this is a game! We should keep in mind, however, that this is a strict role play community. We want to maintain a level of realism in all that we do. So, following these simple steps will help you keep your aircraft and ability to fly. This guide may not reflect the discretion of GTA World's staff members, so use caution and practice safe flying habits so you don't ruin this niche roleplay for the rest of us. Fly your aircraft responsibly, take off and land responsibly, and park your aircraft at a reasonable location. A parking garage would not be a suitable spot for a helicopter, nor would the Olympic Freeway be reasonable for a fixed wing aircraft. Use good judgment and have fun. STEP 7: San Andreas Aviation Act At the moment, the state government has a copy of the San Andreas Aviation Act, which will hopefully be voted in soon. The Act is comprised of common aviation laws that have been molded to fit GTAW's needs. Safe altitudes, commercial carriers, ultralights, prohibited areas, and other hot topics are listed in the Act. This will give pilots more direction on how to safely operate their aircraft in a realistic manner. Stay tuned, and when the San Andreas Aviation Act is voted in, an update will be made on this guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As aviation role play becomes more popular, updates and amendments will be made to this guide to reflect the rules and wishes of GTA World Management. Should you have any questions about aviation, please send me a message or find me on Discord (Griz#9174). Additionally, if you have any additions you'd like to make to this guide, please feel free to post them as a reply to this topic. I'll always be happy to take the opinions and contributions of others who enjoy aviation as I do. Safe flying! Latest update: February 16th, 2021 Edited February 16, 2021 by Griz Added new information regarding Blaine Aviation & San Andreas Aviation Act. 14 1 7 Link to comment
Syrike Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I absolutely love this guide. Link to comment
Estes Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 I think I'm gay now. Wanna exchange pics? This guide is fucking awesome. 2 Link to comment
Developer Strobe Posted June 14, 2019 Developer Share Posted June 14, 2019 Well done, especially the research into the flight-behaviour. Link to comment
Busch Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Very well done, more and more aircraft are seen day by day ? glad u made this. Link to comment
Stimo Posted April 8, 2020 Share Posted April 8, 2020 Really helpful guide. Thanks for the time you have put into this. Link to comment
Syrike Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Sending this one right back to the top. 1 Link to comment
Blöp Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 3.0 Before you fly your aircraft - preflight check. Make sure your aircraft is ready to fly! Check your ailerons on both wings and make sure the body of the aircraft is unharmed and every screw is in place. Eye around the body to make sure no damages were made after your previous flight. After you checked the body, move to the tail of your aircraft and check the elevators on both sides and your rudder. Every part should move freely, this is extremely important especially in winter. At last, check the propeller for any damages and give it a short clockwise swing to see if it moves without any difficulties. If everything moves as intended, you can hop into the pit. In the pit, the most important thing is to check the oil pressure after your engine is started. If the gauge is in the green zone, you are ready to fly! Link to comment
Lisandra Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 (edited) Incredible job with that! Regarding helicopter takeoffs and preflight check you would likely observe a couple minutes of letting the engine heat up slowly to avoid damaging it (same thing after landing to let it cool down nicely). May appear a bit boring to play out but it is actually a good opportunity to get a conversation going with someone you usually couldn't or wouldn't. May also want to check left and right in the process to see if anyone's near the takeoff area as a security mesure. Some aircrafts can really punch a lot of pressure when departing, people standing too close can easily be thrown off balance and hurt. Edited May 22, 2020 by Lisandra Link to comment
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