DOUGLAS DC-3 / R4D / C-47

DUAL PANEL FOR MSFS 98

by BILL RAMBOW  rambow@erols.com

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(This document was designed to be viewed in 1024x768 or 1280x1024 resolution)

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May 31,Memorial Day, 1999       

dedicated to the memory of my father, Wilbur James Rambow, Senior, 1919 -1997  

Dad was a Staff Sergeant with the 2d Sqdn. 22d Bomb Group, 5th usaaf.  From before Pearl Harbor Day, until after V.J. Day, he served as an aircraft powerplant and Norden bombsight mechanic, chiefly on his beloved Martin B-26 Marauders.   As one of Martin Caidin's "Ragged Rugged Warriors" from the book of that name, he dodged enemy bombs and endured deplorable living conditions at Townesville, Port Moresby, Manila, and Okinawa.  Dad knew the C-47 "Gooney Bird" well, and I believe he would have found this nostalgic panel comfortably familiar.

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INTRODUCTION

This panel is my salute to the greatest aerial workhorse of all time--call it Skytrain, Dakota, Gooney Bird, Puff--- whatever you like---as well as all the men who flew her and kept her flying, to this day.

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RESEARCH

Several months ago, dissatisfied with the plethora of FS98 panels which have been built for the Douglas DC-3, I decided to find out if I could do better.  None of the panels I've found, free or pay, offered the degree of historical accuracy I wanted, combined with the clarity I demand.  That's my subjective opinion, of course.  You will form your own, once you've tried this panel as to whether I've met the goals I set for myself.  In fact, this is the second DC-3 panel I built in the course of a project which has gone on for several months.  The first, based on a single photo, looked good, but I still didn't have the level of detail, particulary as regards the instruments and gauges, that I was after.  What I needed was access to a restored, vintage DC-3.  I emphasize those adjectives--restored and vintage.  Arguably the greatest aircraft ever produced when you consider the impact it had on the aviation industry, the remaining hundreds of DC-3's which have survived from the 10,000 plus of the type built all look very different from each other in the front office, having undergone numerous, and often, extensive alterations and upgrades.  Every carrier who operated the 3, and that was virtually all of them who are older than a good bottle of cognac, had it's own scheme of instrument layout, as well.  This diversity, to use an overused word, is partially responsible for the variety of different "DC-3" panels which have been done for FS98 and previous sim versions.  (Although a few have no real resemblance to any real Gooney panel, other than the number of throttles!)

To the rescue rode my good friend and Chief Beta Tester, Keith "Feek" Maton.  He arranged to get aboard the Dakota at the Duxford Royal Air Force Museum to take the necessary close-ups which would allow me to build vintage gauges. But the day before his appointment, the museum staffer with whom he'd been dealing said, "Oh, did I mention our fee?  It's 500 pounds for the day, or 250 the half day."  Grrr!!!  An explanation that Freeware means no profit and we would be happy to give credit to the museum yielded exactly no change in the fee structure. Thanks for nothing, Dux. :-((  Back to the drawing board.

If Keith was shot down in jolly olde England, perhaps I could find a Gooney Bird on my side of the pond.  I did a search of the web, and one of my first hits yielded the site of  The Mid Atlantic Air Museum - Reading, Pennsylvania.    Reading is only 100 miles up the road from my base of operations in Laurel, Maryland.  A quick look at the MAAM Airliner listing was disappointing, though--no DC-3.  Before moving on, I decided to see what else they did have, since I would be passing through the area on an upcoming trip to New England in my motorhome.  EAA Oshkosh award-winners  That sounded like a good place to start.   EUREKA!  US Navy R4D-6.  In case you don't know, that's the Navy designation for the C-47, the military version of the DC-3. 

The fact that the MAAM Gooney had won Best Transport at the big 1982 EAA Oshkosh Fly-In, Grand Champion Warbird the following year, then Best Transport again in '90 at the Sun 'N Fun, gave me hope that this would be the sort of vintage panel I was seeking.  The big question was, would it be a repeat of the attempted highway (runway) robbery of Duxford?  A call to MAAM quickly put that fear to rest.  To my request to photograph the panel  Pete Malashevitz, Program Coordinator at the museum, said, "Oh, I think that can be arranged," and invited me to come on up, anytime.

A week later I pulled the battlecruiser on wheels into the MAAM parking lot and introduced myself to Pete (who, by the way, was not familiar with Flight Simming as we know it)  He walked me out onto the museum's flight line at Carl A. Spaatz Field--Reading Municipal Airport.  We rounded the corner of the hangar and there she was--R4D-6  USN Bureau # 50819, silver gray in the flat overcast light which would prove perfect for photography inside her flight deck.  Pete unlocked the cabin door, we mounted the built in steps, and he led me up the sloped aisle between rows of neat, cream colored seats.  When we reached the cockpit, I think my mouth probably dropped open.  The panel was gorgeously, fabulously vintage, beyond my fondest hope! 

50819 has been lovingly restored to 1944 condition, when she served as an Admirals' VIP transport at several stations.  A couple essential avionics additions had been made, since this flagship of the MAAM Fleet travels to numerous airshows and still does the job for which it was designed in 1935, hauling people (museum staffers and members) and cargo (museum PX goods and spares), all over the country.  There are a pair of King VOR's and an ADF on the panel, and the overhead is much modified, housing a modern set of Nav/Com radios and newer switches.  But the original WW-II era instruments in their distinctive bezel housings were all present.  Pete, rather than hang over my shoulder, mother-henning this priceless, flying work of aeronautical art and history (for which I would not have blamed him a bit), said, "When you're done, just come and get me so I can lock up."  Then he left!   For the next 45 minutes or so (until I ran out of floppies for my digital camera) I happily sat in the seats and shot over 150 pictures--jpg's and bmp's.  I was in hog heaven!  When I returned to the office, Pete quipped, "That'll be five hundred pounds."  He and the other gentleman manning the museum counter would have been justified in thinking me intoxicated, and in a way I was.  The only thing which could have topped it would have been occupying one of those seats when all the instruments were alive--including the ASI and altimeter. ;-)  In lieu of 500 Pounds Sterling, I happily plunked down my 45 Yankee Dollars and joined the museum.  Since members are eligible for rides aboard museum planes, perhaps I'll at least get to occupy one of the passenger seats in that pristine cabin, one day soon.

Then, two days ago as I write this, on May 16, I walked onto the ramp at Andrews AFB to attend the annual Joint Services Open House (read--AIR SHOW) wearing my MAAM R4D T-shirt.  To my surprise and delight, there was, 50819 sitting behind the Berlin Airlift DC-4--"my" R4D!  I hadn't known she'd be here, despite the fact I've been working at  "Uncle Andy's Airplane Farm" since 1971 and in charge of the U.S. Customs operation there since '83.  It made my day, and gave me the opportunity to talk to the pilots.   R4D Pilot Tim O'Hara gave my friend, Jean-Luc Neale, visiting from London, and me a private tour and answered a few lingering tech questions for me.  At the end of the day, I met Russ Strine, MAAM President and Chief Pilot of the Flagship Gooney.  Russ gave me some more good poop, then agreed to take a rather dog-eared color print of my panel to show Pete, back in Reading--just to prove I wasn't some whacko talking through his hat--OK so the jury's still out on that. <G>. 

My sincere thanks to these great guys and this superb organization, and though they never asked for a thing (except that 500 pounds ;-), here's my pitch:  If you love this old lady and others of her kind, you could do nothing better than support them with a few bucks.  MAAM is doing great work restoring and preserving some wonderful, historically important aircraft.  For example, the story of the P-61 Black Widow night fighter they are laboriously putting back together would make a hell of a movie. Resurrected from a wartime mountain crash in New Guinea, when complete, it will be the only flying version of the mere four of the type remaining in the world.  Become one of them (us;-)and join here Come Fly with us - membership information. You can even get your hands on the planes and work on the restoration projects, yourself. No experience required. All the details can be had on their webpages.   If you are a Mid-Atlantic resident, this is YOUR air museum.   Even if you're not, what the hell, it's at an airport--fly in and do it. <G>

I had recently obtained a copy of a the official USAAF  "Pilot Training Manual for the C-47", also circa 1944.   So now, armed with the pictures I'd taken, including close-ups of every instrument and control, I happily canned the work of a couple months and started over from scratch.  What follows is the result.  I hope you have many happy hours flying it.

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CREDITS & KUDOS

Before I go any further in this tome, there are some more folks without whom this work could not have been produced. 

First among them is my mentor, one of the shining stars among FS panel meisters, Roy Chaffin.  Roy is a world renowned wildlife artist,  as evidenced by Roy Chaffin Studios.   Roy has recently added a FlightSim page where you can see and download his beautiful panels.   He has become my personal gauge programmer (joking that he was the RCS Gauge Division of WJR Panels;-)   Despite a killing work schedule, Roy has stepped up and accepted all the mad challenges I've thrown his way.  He has spent uncounted hours--more than on any of his own panels, he tells me--doing the seemingly impossible,  and sometimes redoing it all again from scratch  (with only a modicum of screaming;-) whenever  I discovered another source of information.  Roy has repeatedly warned me that the current gauge would take some time or have to be placed on the back burner, due to work requirements.  This announcement is almost invariably followed, often that very night, with the completed gauge!   He's done it again and again.  I won't even try to list them all here, since I will detail them in the Gauges & Controls section, later.  In addition to the gauges and advice, Roy's fabulous "Switch On The Fly" system and hot button activated screens (see details below) are what make this panel special.  He's even a confirmed night owl, which has turned the five hours time difference between us into an advantage.  Our exchange of e-mails numbers in the many hundreds over the last few months.  To make this all even more amazing, Roy taught himself to program, with some very important help from his friends (Tom Corson, Tony D'Ambrosio and Chuck Dome) during the course of this project.  Also remarkable, and much appreciated by me, is the fact that despite his professional credentials as an artist and demonstrated talent and expertise as a panel maker, he has never once even suggested that he should take over doing any of the graphics.  Instead, I usually get a mail saying something like, "I need those XYZ gauge graphics ASAP!  Hope to hear from you soon. Kindest regards, Roy" <G>   Thanks, Roy.  I've learned a lot from you, and I value your friendship and guidance, immensely.   Cross that big pond and we'll get a ride together on the Gooney for a "hundred dollar hamburger".

Chuck Dome, the Godfather of Gauges has honored me by programming some gauges for this panel.  As I told Chuck, I was a bit in awe and hesitant to contact him.  The man is legendary, after all! But just as Roy and my good friend and current Hub Captain Jean-Luc Neale told me, Chuck is a great guy who has helped just about every panel developer in the game, at one time or another.   Chuck generously puts up gauges and welcomes people to not only use them freely, but modify them to suit their needs.  So I already had some of Chuck's work incorporated before I ever contacted him.  But the one gauge that had always seemed to have his name on it was the DC-3's distinctive, switchable fuel quantity gauge.  Read about it's operation in the Gauges & Controls section, further along in this manual.  Next he produced the VME (that's radio altimeter to you) for my photo derived bitmap. My hearty and heartfelt thanks to one of the true pioneers of our craft and hobby, without whom we would all be a lot more panel poor!

Ernie Kennedy gave permission to use his prop2ERK series of Nav/Com radios, which had just the look and functionality I wanted for the updated, pop-up, post-war radio stack.  My thanks to him.

Thanks to Andreas Jaros of the Freeware Panel Designers Association  for the numerous FPDA toggle switches on the overhead.  There are no painted on switches here.   Clickety-click--thanks, Andreas.

No proper, vintage DC-3 panel would be complete without the brilliant Sperry Pilot 2, by Arne Bartels. Arne's gauge goes one better than the one on 819--it's in working condition. Learn how to use this historically accurate instrument by reading Arne's excellent help file. This can be called up by clicking on the Sperry Pilot's label.

I will not forget to thank Microsoft and the unheralded programmers who did the original work upon which so many freeware gauges are based, and for the SDK that started the revolution in third party panels.   As long as MSFS is open to allowing these user add-ons, all other sims will be playing catch up.

Then there's the man whose love for the Dakota inspired this work originally.  Keith Maton, good friend, former boss (Hub Captain at Noble Air-Heathrow).  Keith is my Master Beta Tester (don't say that too quickly!!;-).  As such he's put in hundreds of hours seated before this panel and it's predecessor, flying around the world in a 140 knot airplane in the process.  His eagle eyes and expertise with the sim and plane have been invaluable.  Sorry about all those phone charges, Feek, whilst you downloaded almost daily, multi-megabyte updates. :-)  Now that it's done, you should be able to buy a new McLaren F1 with all the cash you'll be saving, mate!

Last, but if I know what's good for me, most empatically NOT least, I must thank my bride of 30 years, Vicki  Rambow.  She has put up with my uncountable hours in front of the computer (even the laptop in the motorhome!), usually shaking her head over the fact that I'm not making any money with this thing! <G>  Hey, babe, it keeps me off the street! ;-)

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FEATURES

Dual panels developed from close-up digital photos of the restored, 1944 U.S. Navy R4D-6 belonging to the Mid Atlantic Air Museum.   My goal was to recreate an actual, specific panel of a DC-3, not a conglomerate or interpretation of the general type. I believe this DC-3 panel features unmatched realism in look and operation.  If you are looking for something with GPS, digital readouts and other such bells and whistles, go fly a CRJ or some such modern iron.  If, on the other hand you want to fly the greatest commercial aircraft ever built the way she was designed to be flown, then strap yourself in and energize the starter--this is the panel for you.

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Over 100 authentic looking and working gauges, controls, and warning lights.   With the exception of the Ernie's radios, Arne's Sperry, and Andreas' toggles, every single one was either built from scratch specifically for this panel or modified with completely new bitmaps.  I produced all the graphics from digital photos I took aboard the R4D, using Paint Shop Pro and PhotoStudio. Then Roy Chaffin  and Chuck Dome did that arcane mumbo-jumbo, black magic that made them all come to life.  Among the century of instruments are some breakthrough gauges, controls, and indicators never before seen in FS98 panels.  See the Gauges & Controls section of this manual for all the details and operation instructions. 

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Instant, hot button switching between panels and screens, six in all. This is the maiden flight of this revolutionary switching system.  The program is the work of Roy Chaffin and is a refinement of the system in his earlier Dual 747 panel.  When the DC-3 equipped with this panel is loaded, an introductory screen (reproduced below) will appear. This screen illustrates the position of all panel hot buttons.  All six panel and pop-up screen bitmaps are loaded and toggled by these hot buttons. Click on the seat of your choice, Captain's or First Officer's. (The first loading of each screen or panel will take a few seconds, depending on the speed of your system, but subsequent changes are instantaneous.  Tip: Load everything as part of your preflight.)  The step forward Roy has made from his previous system is the elimination of the intro screen when switching from one seat to another. This makes the different controls and points of view of both panels very convenient and fast to access.  It is truly "Switch-On-The-Fly!"  

  (DO NOT USE SHIFT+KEYS TO TOGGLE SCREENS! USE THE HOT BUTTONS ONLY!)

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Removeable, photo-real yokes,  (hot button toggled) visible from the Captain's seat only, with the Gyropilot (autopilot) master switch mounted on its outboard end, just like the original.  

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WARNING

If you use a "RIVA TNT" video card you should NOT have the "Yoke" visable during flight.

This will cause the frame rate to be unbearably slow.

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Post-War Radio Stack, also hot button toggled, (the screw head to the lower left of the AP/Radio Stack).  Ernie Kennedy's Nav/Com suite overlays Arne Bartels' Sperry Autopilot, when activated.  (The modern radios on the real 819 are actually on the overhead, while the original WW-II radio is in the radio shack compartment behind the pilot). There is also an optional panel.cfg file which installs Ernie's matching autopilot in the stack, eliminating the Sperry Pilot, for those who need a more modern set.  When the optional radio stack is not active, a photo representation of the R4D's Sperry will appear.  Like the Gyropilot in the MAAM R4D, this one is inoperative;-).  See Installation section for instructions.

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Airspeed and Power Setting Placards.   Photo-derived from the originals, these cards enlarge when  mouse-clicked on their respective panels, presenting airspeed limits and targets as well as manifold pressure and RPM settings for all flight phases.

Official FAR Definitions of V Speed Abbreviations Used in the Speed Card

VMC    Critical control speed with the critical engine inoperative.

V1          Maximum speed in takeoff at which the pilot must take the first action to stop within accelerate-stop distance.   (also) Minimum speed in takeoff following failure of the critical engine at VEF, at which pilot can continue takeoff and achieve required height above takeoff surface within takeoff distance.

V2          Takeoff safety speed.

VR         Rotation speed.

VX         Speed for best angle of climb.

VXSE    Speed for best angle of climb - single engine.

VY         Speed for best rate of climb.

VYSE    Speed for best rate of climb - single engine.

VB         Design speed for maximum gust intensity.

VA         Design maneuvering speed.

VLE      Maximum landing gear extension speed.

VFE      Maximum flap extended speed.

VSO      Stall speed or minimum steady flight speed in landing configuration.

VS1        Stall speed clean.

VREF    1.3 x VSO

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CHECKLISTS

The extensive checklists, (called up in the normal manner by using Shift+C or the Aircraft/Checklist menu), have been adapted for FS98 use from the actual USAAF 1944 C-47 Pilot's Training Manual.  We simmers still don't have all the controls and plumbing to deal with that Russ and Tim do (not entirely a bad thing;-), consequently some checklist items do not apply and for the sake of brevity have been left out.  Checklists cover the following flight phases:  Pre-Start (two pages), Engine Start, Before Taxi, Engine Run-Up, Before Takeoff, Climb, Cruise, Before Landing, After Landing, Parking, and Flap & Gear Limit Speeds.  In a future upgrade, I intend to include the entire 96 page Pilot Training Manual.  (this archive is big enough already!)

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RESOLUTION

The panel, because of the high level of detail and relatively realistic scale of the gauges, is best suited for higher resolutions.  It was designed, nominally, for 1024x768.  However, I have done much of the work on my little Hitachi Notebook which has an 11.5" screen, not an active matrix (or whatever the expensive type display is called) and maxes out at 800x600.   I find the panel useable (just), even on this setup.  It's great on my 17" monitor and 1280x1024.  Keith has seen it as I haven't.  See the section on Testing, below, for details from him.

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TESTING

Keith "Feek" Maton has given the panel a thorough shakedown and the following is his report:

This panel has been tested on many different spec PC's and at many different resolutions ranging from a lowly 100MHz Pentium laptop with no 3D acceleration at 800x600 to a Pentium II-400MHz with a fully 3D accelerated TNT chipset video card at 1600x1200. All systems that have been used have worked perfectly with no problems whatsoever.  The main test PC is a P2-400 with a TNT card at 1280x1024 on a 19" monitor. The panel has been designed for 1024x768, but is useable from 800x600 (albeit some of the gauge labelling may be a tad blurred at this setting) upwards. If your system will handle it, it is absolutely stunning at 1600x1200 on a large monitor, and with a TNT chipset video card, there is only a small reduction in frame rate at this resolution.
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INSTALLATION

1.  Unzip wjrdc3dp.zip, using WinZip v7.0 or above, to a temporary directory of your choice.

2.  Unzip panel.zip and replace the panel folder of your favorite Gooney Bird with this one.

3.  Copy or move wjr-dc3_check.cfg to your DC-3's folder.   It does not go in a sub-folder. Just put it in there loose, along with the aircraft.cfg and the **air file.  You may delete any old checklist.cfg file in there, or leave it.  

4.  Open the fs98sound Folder, copy click.wav to the main FS98 Sound directory.  (If you have any panels with the FPDA switches, you should already have it in there.)

5.  Unzip gauges.zip and copy all of the files to the main FS98 Gauges folder. (The only files which may ask if you want to overwrite existing ones are Sperry Autopilot, FPDA Switch, and prop2ERK radio files.   All of these are unaltered from the originals.  You may safely overwrite them.)

6.  With Notepad, edit the Aircraft.cfg to read:  checklists=wjr-dc3_check

To take full advantage of all of the historically accurate features, controls, and gauges of this panel, you will probably need to make some adjustments and changes to your DC-3.  The following steps will configure your DC-3 and FS98 for the panel.

7.  Using an air file editor, make the following changes, if necessary. ( I recommend ADE98, by Ian Donohue and the instructions here are specific to that Freeware program.  It may be downloaded from many FS websites, including  Roy's)  Open the **.air file of your DC-3 in ADE98, then check or change the following settings on the pages listed:

    a.  Description Page -   Autopilot - checked

                                           VS Hold - checked , 500 fpm

                                           Nav1 - checked

                                           Nav2 - checked

                                           OMI - checked

                                           VOR/OBI - active (dot)                                           

    b.  General Page -          Fuel Capacity -     Left and Right Main tanks = 202 gallons each

                                                                           Left and Right Aux tanks = 200 gallons each

    c. Airframe Page -         Flap Notches - 5

   d. Save the air file, overwriting your old one, and close ADE98.

8.  From the FS98 Menus, make the following changes, if necessary:

    a. Aircraft/Aircraft Settings  -     Engines

              Magnetos - checked

              Mixture Control - checked

    b.  Aircraft/Fuel -  Manual Fuel Control - checked

Finally, if you insist on a more modern autopilot in place of the Sperry (tsk, tsk, tsk!):

 9.  Rename the panel.cfg file to panel.sperry (or some other name of your choice) and leave it in the panel folder in case you some day see the light and want to fly the DC-3 as God and Donald Douglas intended;-)

    b. From the options folder included in this archive, copy the panel.cfg to your DC-3's panel folder.  When next started, your Gooney's pop-up radio stack will now contain Ernie Kennedy's prop2ERKap and Arne's Sperry will be gone.  A photo representation of the R4D's own inoperative Sperry will be in it's place.  The Gyropilot button on the yoke will still function as the AP master switch, but now it will also activate a small twinge of guilt, whenever it is pushed. :-(

10. You must have the FSFS Converter and Patch 1 for FS98 installed.

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GAUGES & CONTROLS

This section will highlight and explain some of the more unusual or unique instruments found on the panels.  Virtually all of the instruments were developed from close-up digital photos of the real ones.  In a few cases, analog scales were modified to suit the programming of existing instruments.  The ASI is one such, as you'll see if you look closely at the comparative pictures above of the Captain's primary instruments.  Most others are exact replicas of their counterparts.  I eliminated glare and "glass effects" in the interest of clarity.  The layout and arrangement of the Captain's panel is true to the original.  On the FO's panel, though, I took some liberties in order to display some instruments and controls which are important, but located elsewhere in the real plane.  I'll go into detail on those later.

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OVERHEAD ELECTRICAL PANELS

The overhead panels of the prototype R4D, in marked contrast to its main panel, has been much upgraded and modified, as I've mentioned.   So I have chosen to model the switch panels, loosely, after the diagrams in the Pilot's Training Manual, making the necessary compromises to maintain FS functionality.

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IGNITION AND MAGNETOS 

Roy Chaffin has programmed an authentic DC-3 magneto and starting system in two gauges which are works of the programmers art.  Like the rest of the gauges Roy programmed, it comes complete with included sounds.   The central on/off ignition switch is mouseable, and the individual magneto selector levers may be moved from Off to L, R, or Both positions by clicking below and on the outboard side of the lever hubs. Turning the main switch off automatically returns both mag levers to the Off position as well, shutting down the engines.  Complete engine starting and shutdown procedures are covered in the included checklists (Shift+C)  Like many other gauges found below, I photo-derived, then hand-painted and altered them using Paint Shop Pro and ArcSoft Photo Studio programs. 

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STARTER SWITCHES         

       The second part of Roy's realistic ignition and starting system consists of a three position toggle switch and button.   It was taken from the 1944 PTM. As above, see the Engine Start checklist for operating instructions.

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FEATHERING BUTTONS

       Poetically called "Big Red Buttons" by Roy, these buttons, or knobs, if you prefer, flank the Ignition/Magneto Switch on the overhead panel.   Here's what Roy had to say when he sent the finished gauges: "Each button has two mouse click areas, bottom to push the button and top to pull it.  Clicking the button on the Captain's panel does not click the FO button and vice versa.  That is not possible (yet). If the throttles are open at all, clicking the button changes the prop pitch and reduces the RPM.  You need to click both right and left for the engine note to change. Pulling the buttons returns the Pitch and RPM to normal. I am not 100% certain that this is exactly what happens in the aircraft, but I think it is the nearest we can get with FS98. The mouse point below the knob pushes it up and on to feather the prop.  The point above the knob pulls it off again."  I believe these are the first working feathering controls in a FS panel.

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CAPTAIN'S O.H. PANEL SWITCHES

    The electrical switches, by FPDA, on the left O.H. follow the diagram of the Pilot's Manual pretty closely.  All toggles are moveable and click, but those which perform an actual FS98 function (rather than simulated simulation;-) are: Panel Lights, Beacon Lights, Landing Lights, and Pitot Heat (both left and right move in concert).

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FIRST OFFICER'S O.H. PANEL SWITCHES

     I took some artistic license here, reproducing a number of the switches from the Captain's panel.  The active switches are: Landing Lights, Beacon Lights, and Panel Lights and switching these on one panel does so on the other side as well.

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CAPTAIN'S PANEL

FLAP INDICATOR

     Roy programmed the rather odd, but realistic DC-3 flap indicator.   The real gear actuating handle and latch are on the floor between the seats, but you can activate the flaps by mouse clicking on the five positions.  But remember, up is down, and down is up!   The USAAF C-47 PTM shows this box mounted horizontally at the bottom edge of the captain's panel.  But Chief Pilot Russ Strine of MAAM assures me that this is indeed a factory installation, an improvement that allowed the co-pilot to see it, too. 

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CLOCK

     The clock (this is the photo-real gauge bmp--look Ma, no hands!) is adapted from the standard FS one.  But I just couldn't abide those awful digits denoting the sim rate on this nice analog panel!  So, some months ago, I asked my friend and resident expert, Roy Chaffin if it was possible to exterminate them.  Roy replied that he might be able to do something about them and send it along.  This was the beginning of his excursion into gauge programming and little did either of us guess all that lay ahead!  Those nasty little numerals are gone, but the sim rate can still be adjusted with the mouse by clicking in the usual spot, just above the 6.  You will either have to keep track of the current setting yourself, or look in the Options / Simulation Rate menu if you lose track.  You may notice, when you get to the FO's clock, that it is red-taped, meaning inoperative.  Little programming problem Roy will probably figure out, given time.  So for now, consider this one unrestored.  OK, back to the working one-- Yes, the time adjustment knob is missing from its shaft (hey, I warned you this was an accurate recreation!), but it adjusts just fine by clicking on the left or right of the shaft, in the normal manner.  Your fingers may get a little sore, that's all.  Oh, and if you come across the knob down behind the rudder pedals, will you give Russ a call, please?

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DME

   Not programmed, yet. The graphics are done, but I have to get  some detailed instructions on its operation from the R4D's pilots.  This will, hopefully, be included in a future upgrade.  In the meantime, there is a working DME in the pop-up radio stack.  (BTW, anybody know the vintage of this King instrument? The VOR and DME labels are not original, but stickers.)

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VERTICAL MEASURING EQUIPMENT (RADIO ALTIMETER)

   Programmed by Chuck Dome, this radio altimeter works just like the real one.  No needle?  That's because it's hidden behind the shield when on the ground or above 2500 feet.   

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MARKER BEACON RECEIVER

   The Bendix Radio marker beacon receiver is an oddity in that the middle marker light is labelled A, which stood for Airway, according to Russ Strine.  It functions like any other OMI, though colors are a bit unusual--blue for Outer, white for Middle, and Red for Inner.   Roy programmed it and included a working toggle to switch between Hi and Lo ranges, as on the real instrument.

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GYROPILOT SWITCH

   Located on the outboard end of the Captain's yoke is the Gyropilot switch.  This toggles the autopilot, either the vintage Sperry, or the more modern, optional one Ernie Kennedy has provided.  Clicking above the blue button turns the AP on, and below it switches off.  This duplicates the keyboard command z.  The removeable yoke is toggled by the hot button (invisible) at the left upper corner of the overhead panel.

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ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS

   Programmed by Roy to work like the real ones, Fuel Pressure and Oil Pressure lights for each engine go on when pressure drops below acceptable levels.  However, at times it is normal for the lights to be lit, such as when the aircraft is in a low power glide.   The lights back up the Fuel Pressure and Oil Pressure gauges.  Lights go out when engines are shut down and RPM reaches zero.

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ENGINE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER

    Visible from both panels, this cluster includes eight exact replica instruments, (see the photo comparison in the Features section) all programmed brilliantly by Roy Chaffin.  These include dual needle/single scale Tachometer, Manifold Pressure, and Fuel Pressure gauges.   Filling out the top row is  what I believe is another first for Roy, an analog Outside Air Temperature Gauge.  On the bottom row are dual arc Oil Pressure, Cylinder Head Temperature, Oil Temperature, and Carburetor Air Temperature gauges.  (Both the O.A.T. and Carb Temp gauges are unlabelled in the real aircraft.   Since I mistook the former for an ammeter, and had no idea what the latter measured until Russ and Tim set me straight, I thought it best to label them, if you will pardon this small departure from reality;-)

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QUADRANT

   The power quadrant, the heart of the DC-3's operation, contains three separate gauges.  The first, consisting of the Propeller, Throttle, and Mixture controls were adapted by Roy from Chuck Dome's original. Roy put them in proper DC-3 order with Propeller Pitch controls on the left, Throttles in the center, and Mixture controls on the right. On the far left is the Elevator Trim, which I've made to exactly mimic the real one--except for one small detail:  FS wants to put UP trim at the top, while it's on the bottom of the scale on the original.  (Bet you never would have noticed if I hadn't told you!)  On the far right are the Carburetor Heat Controls.  These can be mouse clicked on and off together, or individually if you first select an engine with the E+1 or 2 keys.   More of Roy's programming, and you'll see the Carb Air Temp gauge register an increase when the Carb Heat is set to Hot.

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FIRST OFFICER'S PANEL

Fairly late in the project, I was faced with the dilemma of finding a way to keep as great a degree of authenticity and fidelity to the original as possible, and the need to display some other important controls and gauges which don't reside on the Captain's side.   A prime case in point is that of the landing gear lights.  They are, despite what previous FS DC-3 panels show, only found on the co-pilot's panel.  I also wanted working cowl flaps, parking brake, and fuel tank selector.  Then there is the control surface indicator that FS'ers rely on to test their yoke or stick.  Well, the real cowl flap controls are on the co-pilot's side wall, at his elbow, so to speak. The parking brake is below the rear of the quadrant, and the fuel tank selectors (two in fact, one for each engine) are flanking the quadrant, beneath the lower edge of my panel.  I thought at first to put everything on a generic pop-up.   Finally I hit on the compromise you see in the finished product--a co-pilot's panel where I could take some artistic license with placement of controls, while maintaining fidelity on the Captain's side.  A couple of alcohol capacity gauges had to go (but hey, you guys aren't supposed to be drinking and flying anyway ;-), along with the second DME and a De-Icing Pressure guage.  All in all, pretty minor compromises compared to a lot of FS panels.   When I presented the scheme to my expert sounding board, Roy agreed to convert the panel to "Dual Panel" operation and subsequently developed the "NEW" and completely original panel switching system which makes it unique.

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LANDING GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS

     The real landing gear lever, latch, and hydraulic plumbing are all on the floor, but you may click on the indicator lights to raise and lower the gear.  I learned that the normal procedure for gear lowering goes something like this: Capt: "Gear down", FO operates latch and lever, "Gear coming down."  Then, when the green goes on, "I have a light."  The Captain then looks over his shoulder and out the side window, "I have a wheel."  The FO repeats the procedure on his side, "I have a wheel."  Ain't life grand when it all goes according to plan?  Roy's programming again, on the photo-real lights.

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COWL FLAP CONTROLS

     This photo-real cowl flap control panel is on the co-pilot's padded side wall in the real plane, as I've mentioned.  Roy has programmed them to work in concert.  The left one actually creates the parasitic drag when the flaps are open, while the right clicks and moves but is only a dummy.   Click from Close to Trail to Open and back again, in order, or they may not work correctly.  The intermediary off positions are non-functioning, and unnecessary in FS.  Note: The / key does not operate these cowl flaps as it does some others.

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SWITCHABLE FOUR TANK FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE

   Chuck Dome, as I knew he could, came through with my request for this authentically operating DC-3 fuel quantity gauge.  It reads the quantity of each tank in turn as the knob is rotated, exactly as in the original.  Now you see why you had to modify those tank quantities! The bitmap is photo-derived, which I shortened to fit, and with larger font than the original.

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FUEL TANK SELECTOR

     I repainted Chuck's tanksb.gauge to resemble one of those on the plane.  The differences are: There's only one selector--there is a separate one for each engine on the actual plane, but that wasn't possible in FS.  (If anyone figures out how to make it read two, please write!)  There are also All and Off positions added to accomodate FS defaults.  Chuck warns, "FS98 doesn't necessarily drain tanks in the way you might wish.  For example, when either main tank is selected, its auxilliary tank will drain first."   That being the case, I would suggest that you make it SOP to drain the aux tanks first, then the mains.  Also, pay attention to balance.  If you drain the tanks on one side far beyond their opposite numbers, you will find yourself out of trim. (and you thought it was the fat lady in seat 4A !)  Using the switchable fuel gauge to keep track, it's a piece of cake for your FO;-).  Of course you can always cheat and set All (sissy!) Remember that in order to use this control, you must have chosen Manual Fuel Control in the menu (see installation section, above).

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PARKING BRAKE

     A photo representation of the actual parking brake knob and label are mounted on another of Roy's gauges.  Up is off and down is engaged, and mouse points are above and below the knob.

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DOOR WARNING LIGHT

   Since the flight model of most, if not all, FS DC-3's have a door which opens when engines are shut down on the ground, when I saw this light on the panel I wanted it programmed badly.  I harrassed Roy until he gave it to me.  He had to solve a couple knotty programming problems, but it now lights when the left engine's RPM reaches zero after shutdown, and is an exact replica of the real thing.   You'll see in the Engine Start Checklist that #2, the right engine is started first.  That allows those last minute passengers to scramble aboard before you start the left, doorside engine and your crew pulls the door shut.

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WARNING TO HACKERS

Roy Chaffin's gauges are fitted with a security system to stop them being "hacked". Any attempt to change anything within the gauge (by HEX editing) or changing the Bitmaps will cause the gauge to stop functioning. Furthermore even changing the exterior file name of the gauge will also render it useless. Unfortunately this action has been caused by a few persistent, unrespectful pirates who do not seek or gain permission to use other peoples copyrighted work.  Roy is sorry that "the many" have to suffer because of "the few".

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LEGAL NOTICE

Copyright and Distribution
--------------------------

This panel is released as Freeware. Copyright (C) W.J. (Bill) Rambow. As freeware you are permitted to distribute this archive subject to the following conditions:

- The archive must be distributed without modification to the contents of the archive. Redistributing this archive with any files added, removed or modified is prohibited.

- The inclusion of any individual file from this archive in another archive without the prior permission of the author is prohibited. This means, for example, that you may not upload an archive that uses this panel or any of its gauges or include it in it's entirety in a package.

- No charge may be made for this archive or any of its contents.  It must remain Freeware..

- The work of other authors and developers included in this archive is used with their permission, under the conditions they have set forth. They are Freeware and must remain so.  Their original copyrights and conditions apply and may be read in their enclosed docs.

- The authors' rights and wishes concerning this archive must be respected.  Legal action against violators of these provisions will be pursued vigorously.

Attention Software Pirates:  In case none of the above registers with you, let me put it this way:   This is Freeware.  It has been produced and provided soley for the enjoyment of Flight Simmers.  Neither I nor any of the gauge programmers and others who have contributed their hard work to this project expect to make a cent from it.  I will, however, happily take your money in the form of legal compensation under the Copyright Laws of the United States and the United Kingdom if you pirate this work!  Neither Roy nor I are "wet behind the ears", and we have hungry attorneys.  Look for  easier marks!

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OK, enough of the obligatory unpleasantness.   If you enjoy and appreciate this product, please let me know.  I truly would appreciate hearing from users with either compliments or complaints.  It is my intention to enhance the panel with updates and make any necessary fixes and corrections in the future.  Your input will be appreciated.  My e-mail address is plastered all over the place in this archive, but here it is again. rambow@erols.com  

You may also want to look in at the Ops Shack of Noble Air-London Heathrow, where I serve as AHC-Operations.  Noble-LHR  and Roy Chaffin is the Technical Advisor.