TAPA V.C. Bird Airport Antigua

[tgycgijoes]

I initially flew into this airport from TUPJ Provinciales in the Caribbean with interCaribbean flight JY631. I have created a virtual airline for interCaribbean at FShub. I also have a webpage for the virtual airline created with permission from interCaribbean to use their name. So far our schedule has 24 flights to choose from but there will be a lot more around the Caribbean flying the ATR42, ATR72, ERJ145, CRJ700 and the DHC6 Twin Otter. Anyway, I used a free download for both airports and have since updated them both to 2025 using Google Earth and online airport charts. TAPA in 2023 built a new terminal and can accomodate 737's and Airbus 320s and have closed down the old terminal which is what I flew into unbeknownst to me. I was able to use Photoshop to change all the colors of the old terminal so it looks like it does now kinda dilapidated. Here is a screen shot from the ramp of both the new (on the right with 4 gates) and the old (on the left-no gates) It was quite challenging to do the new terminal with all the geometric shapes. I used textures instead of objects to create it so it's no MSFS work of art but I think it will give an idea of the airport when you fly into or out of it. It's also not a "frame hog" at all.

 

[tgycgijoes]

On the ground at Antigua (TAPA) flight IWY797 from Barbados BGI using GSX in Prepar3D V4.5 and my airport above Gate 7

 

[tgycgijoes]

I was flustered since I first downloaded the Vcol ATR's that they had animation for the doors and more how it was programmed and was able to finally figure it out in Model Converter X (thank you ARNO) with the Object hierarchy in the "animation" highlighting each "model part" until I came to the doors (and also the flight attendant). The doors, baggage cart, GPU, cones and flight attendant were all animated with the wingfold command. One by one I removed the parts I didn't want that interfered with my GSX ground handling services and reprogrammed the animation to the door commands and the flight attendant with a tailhook command, who can move from the cabin to the bottom of the stairs (as you can see). I also repainted her texture which again I identified with the help of MDCx to match an interCaribbean FA. I could only get the main exit and the cargo hatch to animate though in the sim. Scratched my head!!!!! Then I had the idea to check another ATR42 I had from the past, ISDT's and I copied the [Exits] and commented out the old one so I didn't lose it if it didn't work, but answered prayer it did. I now can open up the service door and get catering services from GSX with [SHIFT]+E+3. You HAVE to have tropical fruit juices and Cokes and what about the fruit and nut bags, in the Caribbean right? You also have to activate the cargo door with [SHIFT]+E+2 or GSX will keep bugging you until you open it. It's really cool to see the passengers leave and new passengers get aboard in GSX(2).

 

[tgycgijoes]

On Fathers'Day, my daughter was in Washington DC on business and really felt bad because in all our years she had never missed a Fathers' Day even if she sent my gift when we were in Illinois and she was here in NC. Anyway, when she got home she gave me this.



She once gave me a custom t-shirt for the VA I created for Island Airlines of Hawaii some years ago. It was one of the best most popular VA's I created with 15 pilots and complete schedule flying custom repaints I did for the Embraer EMB120. They had a sad end in November 2017 so we ceased to operate as well.

 

[tgycgijoes]

I was able to finish this and test it yesterday in Prepar3D V4.5 with the free Virtualcol ATR45. I have both their 64bit payware and their freeware which are different models and paintkits. I first did it for the payware 64bit but I didn't like what the model did with the tail so I painted it with the freeware paintkit and it turned out much better. Here is a screenshot at TBPB Brandtley Adams Intl one of our hubs. The livery is called "Spirit Of Grenada" which entered the fleet August 5, 2024.

 

[tgycgijoes]

Finished "Spirit of Saint Kitts and Nevis" yesterday afternoon. I used the same Vcol ATR45 free model because of its fuse and tail texture which meshes beautifully for the flag. As above, the colors are authentically matched in Adobe Photoshop to the swatches RGB's. Here is a screenshot at Saint Kitts. Both repaints are available to our VA members on our webpage. Scenery is also available for free online. This is the Blue Sky Tropical Scenery though for FSX works perfectly in Prepar3D V4.5. I had to edit the taxiway links in ADEx to draw the details for Prepar3D V4.5 so that did not disappear and compile the bgl in ADEx/P3D4

 

[tgycgijoes]

It is worth downloading ALL Virtualcol ATR paintkits both the 64bit versions and the free versions. Also, this note from Virtualcol is in the 64bit paintkits:

VIRTUALCOL searching a good format for their products and searching the comfort for our customers and repainters
is generating now ONLY all paintkits in GIMP format. If you wish to use other formats as PHOTOSHOP, just use
GIMP to convert to PSD and you are ready to repaint.

The ATR42 paintkit which is the freeware model, does NOT have any textures but bmp's. You get the full fuselage textures in the vcol atrspx_42 paintkit which contains the GIMP textures to convert as specified above. All paintkits are free to download. It is a bit challenging and was a learning experience for me to achieve the above results. It's always a good day when you can learn something new.