PANEL MODIFICATIONS

Here are a couple of modifications that make Microsoft's default panel a little prettier.  This download does not contain a modified panel for copyright reasons, but read below to make these changes to your own personal aircraft:

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HONEYWELL GPS by Ike H. Slack of Coyote Avionics Design

If, like me, you prefer a neat GPS that snaps tidily into place on your panel, then I recommend installing this modification by Ike Slack.  

INSTALLATION:

Open the folder HONEYWELLGPS.  Place the gauge HONEYWELLGPS.GAU in your FS2002/GAUGES folder: this is the latest version (at time of writing) with nightlighting. Backup your PANEL.CFG file (in the aircraft's PANEL folder) as PANELBK.CFG and create a copy of it within the PANEL folder. Rename this copy to PANEL.CFG. Open this file using Windows Notepad and replace the entry under[Window02] with the following:

[Window02]
size_mm=299,408
position=6
Background_color=16,16,16 
window_size_ratio=1.00   
visible=0
ident=GPS_PANEL
window_size= 0.289, 0.533
window_pos= 0.400, 0.465

gauge00=honeywellgps!gps,  0,0,299,408

That's it!  You can toggle your new GPS on and off with SHIFT/2 or the panel icon.  Please also read Ike's notes about this gauge.

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COMPASS POST

Bothered by Microsoft's boxy compass popping into view in mid-air?  This change adds a rudimentary centerpost so that now the compass is at least fixed to something.

INSTALLATION:

Make the following change to your PANEL.CFG file (as outlined above, backup the original if you have not already done so) under [Window05]:

[Window05]
file=centerpost.bmp
size_mm=77
position=2
visible=0
ident=COMPASS_PANEL

gauge00=Magnetic_Compass!Magnetic-Compass,5,0

That's all.  The relevant bitmap is already hiding in your panel folder.

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Have fun!  For me, the above mods make the default panel very workable and good for training.  Please note that Rick Sasala's GMAX Lear 45 has a virtual cockpit, so be wary of adding other 3rd party panels that have no VC section in the PANEL.CFG and have additional interior views. It can be done - my own favourites are FS2002 panels by David Durst, Allen Lavigne and Tom Dennis - but you'll need to modify your configuration files.

One other small point - do not try to alias the textures in this download to the default Lear45 or to Rick Sasala's original gmax aircraft: they will not function correctly, if at all.  Rick has made many improvements to his Lear in this Version 2.  

If you like this aircraft, you might enjoy the British Airways Virtual Lear 45: Lear45BA.zip  

Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumont
[email protected]
www.swiremariners.com/cxkaitak.html

5 July 2002