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.

 

[tgycgijoes]

Yesterday and today were complete busts! I downloaded from Flight1 the ATR72-500 that I bought years ago because I remembered it was really nice and it is...HUGE disappointment but I won't go into all the details, just that after repainting with their paint kit the interCaribbean texture for it and tricking Windows 10 into making the Textomatic which is 32BIT work after a few hours with support, I installed two Caribbean sceneries which were designed to work both in FSX andPrepar3D V4.5. Like Mr Rogers said: can you say "frame hog"? 2-3 fps at MBPV stutters??? Needless to say, very disgusted I uninstalled it never more to be and remembered why I love Prepar3D V4.5 so much. I get 50's-60's even with Aerosoft or Feelthere birds and the same airports. Didn't feel much like flying after that. Tomorrow is all filled up so maybe I can get in the air on Saturday. Now it's time to sit back and watch a movie.

 

[blaunarwal]

Since your talking to yourself here, i chime in. Did you ever consider the Carenado ATRs? I know, they are more difficult to repaint but I like the model, the cockpit. Too bad they never have a sale anymore. So that means full price if you want it.

 

[tgycgijoes]

I have quite a few Carenado aircraft and yes I like them a lot, but I can't justify the price for a new one for P3D on my very limited income, so I fly what I have. I don't care much for the Virtuacol ATR handling and I have a couple friends who say the same but I guess for free don't complain. My other flyer friend has the ATR72 for MSFS but again, $130.00 for the sim to get where I want it is totally out of the equation even though every time I see a review I drool...LOL! P3D V4.5 is plenty good for me and I like that it will use a lot of FSX I spent so much time on developing. I am going to fly the Aerosoft Twin Otter for P3D because interCaribbean has a city pair that is under an hour from Providenciales to Grand Turk Island and back again. Less than an hour airtime. I find the fun is in the landings, especially challenging ones like in the Caribbean. Did you know that in order to land at St. Bart's you need a special certification no matter what kind of pilot's ticket you have? Watch some of the youtube videos for fun. IWY 171 / IWY 172 are the flights from and to Providenciales and they are flown with DHC6-300's and EMB-120's which I have Carenado's. I used to fly in them a lot for real when they were flown by United from Frisco to Fresno and back. The first flightsim aircraft I ever got was for FS9 was the PSS EMB-120. Very nice for the time! Thank you for stopping by to comment. Have a great weekend. PS nice website.

Here is where I fly...my first and ONLY VA approved by the airline--I've flown with other VA's like Alaska, American, United Southwest and USAir in the past:
https://tgycgijoes5.wixsite.com/intercaribbeanvirtl

 

[tgycgijoes]

I have a flash drive with all my Carenado installers and the appropriate serial numbers and I found that I OWN the Carenado ATR42-500. I installed it and then "freaked out" at their texture files and even though Nick Bottamer was nice enough to create a psd paint kit how can anyone possibly create a texture with their "jigsaw puzzle" of textures. This is 6PM after a long day. I think that I will fly the blank white texture and if I like it (I have never flown it) then I will attempt to make sense of their files if it's possible. Do you think that they do this on purpose so that you CAN'T create new repaints? Sadly there is no repaint online that I found for an interCaribbean livery for it. As you can see above, I am not a novice by any means at repainting. "The Spirit of Grenada" or "Spirit of Saint Kitts and Nevis"

The 91st Bomb Group Virtual has a dozen repaints for the A2A B17G that I created for them when I flew with them from real WWII photos. I own the B-17 Noseart Book in my library and some of them like "Swee'Pea" Popeye's nephew noseart from scratch was quite a challenge. Maybe five years older now, I've grown tired. Oh well, thanks all for letting me VENT a little frustration. I never give up so Monday morning fresh in the paintshed. Wish me luck.

 

[gray eagle]

The 91st Bomb Group Virtual has a dozen repaints for the A2A B17G that I created for them when I flew with them from real WWII photos. I own the B-17 Noseart Book in my library and some of them like "Swee'Pea" Popeye's nephew noseart from scratch was quite a challenge.

And I have the livery of Memphis Bell which at one time was being restored at Former NAS MEMPHIS (Millington TN) The pilot, then Major Robert Morgan on his dying bed made his wife Linda Morgan promise to send the Memphis Bell remains to Wright Pat AFB for restoration and not Millington.
I think, do to it sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River at Memphis, and left to neglect and vandalism and pigeon poop. I toured it while
at Millington and saw the bullet holes that were patched and when it was stripped down, they found an old fashion photo light bulb in it (perhaps used for pic of completion of 25th mission). Ah the memories.