PANEL GUIDE:

TO GET THE MOST ENJOYMENTOUT OF THE FEATURES IN THIS PANEL SET, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING PILOT'S NOTES.
PRINTING THIS OUT WOULD BE EXTREMELY USEFUL.

A. DESCRIPTION
B. CONTROLLING INDIVIDUAL PANEL ELEMENTS
C. PURPOSE OF INDIVIDUAL PANELS
D. REMOVING THE PANELS AND MAXIMISING VIEW
E. CREATING A WORKING RADAR SCOPE
F. GENERAL




A. DESCRIPTION:

This is a Panel Set for the A-26 Invader, by Mike Eustace, based on photographs in Warbird Tech Vol.22. It is designed to be used at 1024x768 resolution, and in CFS2 only.


B. CONTROLLING INDIVIDUAL PANEL ELEMENTS

The Cockpit is split into several separate panel elements in order to increase the colour palette, and to make use of some interesting features in the Simulation. There are two main ways of accessing the panel elements:

1. ASSIGNED KEYS METHOD:

The Panel elements can be individually accessed, providing you have set up your keyboard assignments in the CFS2 SETTINGS/ CONTROLLER ASSIGNMENTS screen to control the appropriate commands.
I have completely configured my own keys, and my suggested settings are set out below. YOU MAY ASSIGN WHATEVER KEYS YOU WISH.


DISPLAY/HIDE PANEL WINDOW 1   assign key 1
DISPLAY/HIDE ECU   	      assign key 2
DISPLAY/HIDE PANEL WINDOW 3   assign key 3
DISPLAY/HIDE PANEL WINDOW 4   assign key 4
DISPLAY/HIDE PANEL WINDOW 5   assign key 5
DISPLAY/HIDE PANEL WINDOW 6   assign key 6
DISPLAY/HIDE PANEL WINDOW 7   assign key 7


Keys 1-6 normally control engine power settings, but who flies without a proper throttle these days?

2. MENU BAR METHOD:

The Individual Panel Elements can also be accessed by using the Menu bar:
1. Hit the ALT Key to bring up the Menu bar.
2. Mouse click on "Views", and select "Instrument Panel"
3. Click on an individual item from the Panel list to either Select ON (Tick) or select OFF (No Tick).



C. PURPOSE OF INDIVIDUAL PANELS

The Panel window descriptions and their initial status are as follows:

1. "Panel_1" 	(TAC Radar background) 		- ON
2. "Panel_2" 	(Gauge background) 		- ON
3. "Panel_3" 	(Main Panel) 			- ON
4. "HUD" 	(Digital Readouts)		- OFF
5. "Gunsight" 					- ON
6. "ADF_Toggle"	(ADF/Engine Gauge Overlay) 	- ON
7. "Yoke" 					- ON

Panels 1 to 3 & 5 are permanently ON and create the main Cockpit view. It is recommended that you do not change the status of these in normal use.

Panel 4 is a HUD overlay, which will make it easier for Pilots to assimilate important flight information during aircraft familiarisation and initial combat.  Reading clockwise from left, it contains displays for airspeed, heading, altitude and radar altitude. The display is normally OFF, but can be switched ON with key 4 or your equivalent. If you feel it is too modern for you, then don't use it.

Panel 6 is a split-screen type overlay containing the Engine gauges. It appears on the right-hand side of the cockpit beyond the yellow marker line and overlays a section of the main panel which contains the ADF, Autopilot, Fuel, and Starter gauges. When you get in the cockpit, the Engine overlay is ON. 

IMPORTANT:
To toggle between seeing the Engine gauges or seeing the ADF/Autopilot/Fuel/Starter gauges, simply press key 6 (or your equivalent; or from the Menu Bar, select Views/Instrument Panel/ADF_Toggle).

The ADF is the AIRFIELD DIRECTION FINDER, based on Chuck Dome's GPS 100, and programmed by me to show Korean airfields and Carrier tracks only for the purposes of our Korean war Project. To operate, click the on button, then click on the plus or minus side of the Channel wheel to cycle through the available airfields to obtain distance and direction.
With Carrier tracks, we have set a start and end co-ordinate. To find the Carrier, fly the needle to the nearest co-ordinate, then switch to the furthest co-ordinate. Now fly the needle towards this co-ordinate, and somewhere along the line you will find the Carrier.
Hopefully you won't be doing any Carrier take-offs and landings with the Invader, but you may be tasked with finding it!


Panel 7 is the Yoke. It is initially ON to give a realistic representation of the cockpit when you first climb inside. During Flight, YOU WILL PROBABLY WISH TO REMOVE IT with key 7 (or your equivalent; or from the Menu Bar, select Views/Instrument Panel/Yoke) in order to gain a clearer view of the instrument panels.



D. REMOVING THE PANELS AND MAXIMISING VIEW

If you wish to remove the entire Cockpit Panel set, in order to maximise your view during combat, it is recommended that you use the key combination Shift + [ (Instrument Panels On/Off).

Alternatively, you may wish to use the Panel cycle key "W" which removes the panels in favour of the M$ HUD

E. CREATING A WORKING RADAR SCOPE

This feature involves opening the TAC Screen and sandwiching it between Panels 1 and 2. Once placed, the TAC screen will remain in that position every time you use CFS2, unless you decide to move it again. 

METHOD:
 
1. Once in the Cockpit, remove Panels 2,3,6 by pressing the appropriate keys. Alternatively, use the menu bar to navigate through the Views/Instrument Panel list, and un-tick the Panels you wish removed. 
Now you have a clear view of the rectangular area that has been marked out on Panel 1 for the TAC screen.

2. Open the TAC screen and drag & resize it to fit the marked rectangle drawn on Panel 1. 

3. Press keys 2,3,6 again to restore the remainder of the Panel set. Alternatively, use the menu bar to navigate through the Views/Instrument Panel list, and tick the Panels you wish restored. 

The TAC screen will now be viewed through the Radar Scope, simulating a working radar. The waypoint information will appear in the elongated window below the scope, and the Tac-Mode Identifying-Initial will be seen in the small circular window at the top left of the scope, marked "Mode".


F.GENERAL

WARNING:

The Panel Set has been tested for use at 1024 x 768 resolution in CFS2 only. Because of the large colour palette created by multiple panels, it wil not display correctly in CFS1.


Mike Eustace
IndioBlack@aol.com

14.04.06