10.  Troubleshooting

If you encounter a problem that isn't corrected using the following information, feel free to e-mail or write me, and I'll try to help.  My e-mail and postal addresses are listed in 12. Contacting the Author.

"X-C Soaring, San Francisco" doesn't appear in the list of adventures available in Flight Simulator.

The SOARSFCA.ADV adventure file is most likely not properly installed.  Make sure this file is in the "ADV" directory.  Of course Microsoft's Flight Shop Converter 98 must be properly installed, too, for the adventure to be available.

First, make sure the sound is on and the COM frequency is set to 128.95 MHz.  If you have no sound system or choose to have no sound while flying, then press "CTRL-x" to toggle from audio to text weather updates.  Also, the sound files used in the voice weather report must be properly installed (see 4. Setup).  In FS98 sounds can't be played while in slew mode, so the voice weather report won't work while in slew mode.

Make sure the appropriate sound files (VARIO#.WAV) are in the "ADV\WAV" directory (see 4. Setup).

First, make sure you didn't miss the thermal because of drift.  The best way to do this is to fly directly over the thermal trigger at between 500 and 1000 feet AGL altitude.  After doing this, press "CTRL-c" again to make sure the thermal hasn't simply expired.  If there's still no lift, then one or more of the scenery files (*.BGL files) may be improperly installed.  Exit Flight Simulator, and open the "SCENERY" directory.  Find the SOARSFC*.BGL files (see 4. Setup for exact filenames).  If one or more are missing, then this is likely the problem.  Find the missing scenery file(s) (download Cross-Country Soaring 98 again if necessary), and put them in the "SCENERY" directory.  Run Flight Simulator again.  There should now be lift where expected.

The appropriate scenery files probably aren't properly installed.  Refer to the previous problem.  If this isn't the problem, then make sure you're starting the adventure using the "X-C Soaring, San Francisco" flight.

First, press "CTRL-w" to make sure the sky isn't completely overcast.  If it is, then there's a 50% chance that there will be no lift.  If the sky isn't overcast, then check the time.  Toward the end of the day lift wanes away (see 7. Weather and Thermal Conditions).  If the sky isn't overcast, and it isn't late in the day, then press "CTRL-q" to check your distance from the center of the "soarable" area.  Thermal lift is limited to a circle of radius of about 90 miles centered near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  If upon pressing "CTRL-q" you see that you're farther from the center of the area than this, then you're out of Cross-Country Soaring 98's "soarable" area.  Fly nearer the center of the area to find lift again.

Check the surface wind speed.  If you're in the San Francisco area, then you'll experience this problem whenever the surface wind speed is above five knots.  Either turn the surface wind speed down, fly in another area, or exit Flight Simulator and remove or rename (the file extensions, at least) the scenery files installed with Cross-Country Soaring 98.  The "X-C Soaring, San Francisco" adventure will only work properly, though, when these scenery files are in the "SCENERY" directory with "BGL" extensions.  If you find yourself wanting to occasionally fly the San Francisco area without running the "X-C Soaring, San Francisco" adventure and with surface winds above five knots, then you may want to set up a batch file for starting Flight Simulator in one case or the other.  You can set the batch file to disable the scenery files (by renaming their extensions), start FS, and then change the scenery file extensions back to "BGL" after quitting FS.  Let me know if you need help doing this (see 12. Contacting the Author).

It's either too early or too late in the day.  Refer to 7. Weather and Thermal Conditions, and set the time of day to a time that is known to have lift.

   Table of Contents