Chu Lai Scenery Installation - Be sure to observe that there are separate installation sections for FS2004 (FS9) and FS2002. In this zip package you will find all of the files required for FS2004 and FS2002.

Most of the files are the same for 2002 and 2004 but there are several that must be removed depending on which version of FS that you are using. Please follow the instructions below.

So that you will know what you are looking at as you move around the base, I have prepared a map in 2 sections of Chu Lai with many units and other things marked on it that can be printed and joined into an 11x16 1:50,000 topo map of the Chu Lai base as it was in 1968 - I highly recommend that you download and print them.

And for flying around the area you may also want to print the 5 other maps that are in this file. They are sized so that if you print the Binh Son map in a vertical orientation and the others horizontal with the long diminsion as the limiting size factor you will be able to join them into a single map. All of the Landing Zones and Runways are marked on these maps.

Finally you may also want to print the "ChuLaiLandingCoord.txt" file as it contains not only the miliitary map coordinates but also the Longitudes and Latitudes that you will see in Flight Simulator for all 59 landing locations.

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BEFORE INSTALLATION OF THIS SCENERY FOR BOTH FS2004 AND FS2002
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If you have installed an earlier version of this scenery you must uninstall it first and delete the scenery library entry for it because the directory structure has changed with this final version. If you have not previously installed it then you may proceed directly to the installation section.

1. Using Windows Explorer or My Computer find the Airport/VNChuLai/ directory and delete it at the Airport level. This will delete the entire structure and all of the files. If you followed the instructions for the earlier installation you will find Airport below AddOn Scenery in FS2004 and the Scenerydb in FS2002.

2. Start Flight Simulator, go to the scenery library and delete the entry for VNChuLai.

3. Exit Flight Sim and restart it and you should find that the scenery is gone. If it is not then you must determine why not and make sure that it is gone before proceeding with the installation.

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INSTALLATION FOR FS2004 (FS9) ONLY!
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1a. INSTALLATION FOR FS2004 (FS9 is the default main directory name for fs2004) Place the zip file in your FS "ADDON SCENERY" directory and unzip it there. It should create the required directory structure which is /VNChuLai/and then two subdirectories entitled Scenery (contains the BGL and ,xcl files) and Textures (contains the .BMP and .r8 textures that are applied to the objects used in the scenery BGLs). IF YOUR UNZIP PROGRAM DOES NOT CREATE THE DIRECTORIES AND PLACE THE FILES THEN YOU MUST DO IT MANUALLY _ SEE SECTION 3. BELOW.

1b. INSTALLATION FOR FS2004 continued - Look in the /VNChuLai/scenery directory and delete or otherwise remove the four files that you find there that have FS2002 as part of their filename.

1c. If you have the Asia Mesh 2004 terrain installed or any other terrain mesh that covers the Chu Lai area see section 2 below.

1d. INSTALLATION FOR FS2004 continued - Start fs2004 and let it stablize to the start menu, Click settings, Click scenery library, Click "Add Area", and then Double Click the AddOn Scenery folder. Single click the VNChuLai folder and you should see the path to it in the Directory Window of the pop-up box that is there. Click OK to return to the library and then click OK again to exit it. Close and restart Flight Simulator 2004 and you are done and can fly the scenery. You must restart because FS2004 builds its scenery databases on start-up.

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INSTALLATION FOR FS2002 ONLY!
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1a. INSTALLATION FOR FS2002 - Place the zip file in your FS2002 "ADDON SCENERY" directory and unzip it there. It should create the required directory structure which is /VNChuLai/and then two subdirectories entitled Scenery (contains the BGL and ,xcl files) and Textures (contains the .BMP and .r8 textures that are applied to the objects used in the scenery BGLs). IF YOUR UNZIP PROGRAM DOES NOT CREATE THE DIRECTORIES AND PLACE THE FILES THEN YOU MUST DO IT MANUALLY _ SEE SECTION 3. BELOW.

1b. INSTALLATION FOR FS2002 continued - Look in the /VNChuLai/scenery directory and delete or otherwise remove the four files that you find there that have FS2004 as part of their filename.

1c. If you have any terrain mesh product that covers the Chu Lai area see section 2 below.

1d. INSTALLATION FOR FS2002 continued - Start fs2002 and let it stablize to the start menu, click Settings, Click scenery library, Click "Add Area", and then Double Click the AddOn Scenery folder. Single click the VNChuLai folder and you should see the path to it in the Directory Window of the pop-up box that is there. Click OK to return to the library and then click OK again to exit it. You are done and can fly the scenery. No need to exit and restart as with FS2004 because FS2002 will build it's scenery database as soon as you exit settings.

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FOR USERS OF ASIA MESH 2004 or other Terrain mesh
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2a. If you have ASIA MESH 2004 or some other terrain mesh product that covers the Chu Lai area or plan to install it later, please read this section. The Asia Mesh is available at the following website for $29.95 and if you do any flying in that part of the world it is well worth the price, in my opinion. - Paste this into your browser and you will be on the right page for it - http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=FLT1-AM1-001 If you want a better looking and more accurate terrain in the Chu Lai area I highly recommend that you purchase and install the Asia Mesh.

2b. Because the default terrain is so poor in the Chu Lai area, I have used the "flatten" command in my "Airport For Windows" design program to create mountains of the right height and in the right location. Unfortunately the command is only intended to flatten areas for runways and so when they are "stacked to produce a mountain they tend to produce a very "steppy" and rough sort of terrain. From a distance it will look similar to the skyline at Chu Lai but up close it does look a bit phoney.

2c. Chu Lai, LZ Bayonet and An Tan will work just fine without the terrain mesh but the 50 LZs will look dumb in the default Flight Sim terrain. LZs that were on mountain tops will be on a flat plain and you will even see a few flying bunkers.

2d. If you are using a terrain mesh product for that area, then look in the AddOn Scenery/VNChuLai/scenery directory and delete or otherwise remove the 3 "VNCHULAImountainsflatten" files that you find there.

2e. This scenery was designed with the ASIA MESH 2004 installed and I cannot guarantee the accuracy of placement for any other add-on terrain mesh product.

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MANUAL DIRECTORY CREATION AND FILE PLACEMENT
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3a. IF for some reason your unzip program does not create the required directories and place the files in them then you must do it manually. The file structure is the same for FS2004 and FS2002.

First use EXPLORE or MY COMPUTER to create the folders as indicated below.

ADDON SCENERY . . . This is already there!
............VNCHULAI
................SCENERY
................TEXTURE

3b. Place all of the .bgl and .xcl files in the SCENERY folder that you have just created
3c. Place all of the .bmp and .r8 files in the TEXTURE folder that you have just created
3d. Place the .dat file (if it exists) in the VNChuLai folder that you have just created
3d. OPTIONAL - Place this file, the map files (if you download them) and the zip file in the directory of your choice - VNChuLai is what I use. These are not operational files and FS will ignore them.

Go back to section 1b above and complete the installation instructions.


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FLYING THE SCENERY AND OTHER NOTES
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4. I expect that there are things that you will spot that I may or may not know about and may or may not be able to do anything about. The software that I am using, EOD for the objects and AIRPORT for the layout, is freeware and cannot do everything that I would like to do. Tell me what you find anyway though and I will add them to my to-do list for a possible future update. Email corrections or suggestions to me at asimmsjr@aol.com

5. Flying tips
You will find starting locations in the fS database under addon scenery or:

To Locate Chu Lai and save a flight location to it I would suggest that you go to DaNang, which is a default location in fs2002/4 and then either fly or slew(press the Y key) south down the coast until you get to Chu Lai. Important grid coordinates follow.

Main runway TakeOff position facing NW - N 15* 23.54' E 108* 43.28' Heading 316
27th Surgical Hospital helipad facing NW- N 15* 24.48' E 108* 41.35' Heading 309
Road facing Radar Site on Cherry Hill - N15* 24.06' E 108* 41.12' Heading 208
You will find a separate list of all of the LZs and their coordinates.

When you visit the radar site use an aircraft with a low view position such as the Bell Helicopter. Press W once for basic instruments only or twice for no instruments. In the slew mode very slowly enter the bunker and look around - it is detailed inside to some degree.

6. Navigation Aids & Frequencies
For Chu Lai I have added ILS(NAV) for Rwy 32W - 108mhz, ILS(NAV) for Rwy 14W - 109mhz, NDB - 270khz, VOR (TACAN) - 110mhz, and COM (ATIS) - 119.2mhz. These frequencies are not the same as the ones listed on the Approach Plate because flight sim cannot tune those frequencies.

For the other 4 fixed wing airstrips in the scenery I have added NDBs as follows:
Ky Ha Helipad = 260 khz, 600 ft long, Asphalt, 218 degrees
Tam Ky Airport = 280 khz, 4800 ft long, Asphalt, 123 degrees
Tien Phuoc Airfield = 290 khz, 4400 ft long, dirt, 320 degrees
Tra Bong Airfield = 300 khz, 1700 ft long, dirt, 90 degrees

For the 50 LZs; Sorry; There was no navigational equipment on them in 1968 and there is none now either. You will have to do as the helicopter pilots did during the war - Fly VFR and find them with a combination of maps, and dead reckoning. The NDBs at the other locations may also be of some assistance. There is a sign on every LZ so that you will know which one that you have landed on. The advantage that you have in Flight Sim is that you can use the starting locations that you will find in the Scenery database under addon scenery and go directly to them.

The only thing that seems to work are the two ILS/NAV frequencies and the NDBs and they give you direction and will display a visual flight path (EFIS in FS2002) just fine. Don't know why the others won't work although they do display the antennas properly.

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7. DISCLAIMER - Sorry but I cannot be responsible for damage to your copy of Flight Sim or computer, whether it is due to a mistake you made or one that I made. This is freeware and you use at your own risk. Al Simms - asimmsjr@aol.com
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