CalClassic flight planner gauge

[hobofat]

Greetings,

It's been awhile since I've flown anything but my trusty DC-3 (that plane just does not get old), but I'm currently on a 300 leg world coastal tour and just need something a wee bit faster for some of the longer legs. So I downloaded the CalClassic DC-6B (Keeping it in the Douglas family!), and I'll tell ya what, that flight planning gauge is absolutely incredible!

I'm curious if it can be used with any other planes such as the MAAM-sim DC-3?

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

Thanks very much. I have actually had so little response from it, I've moved on to other things.

Yes it can be used for other aircraft, but you need to enter new values for performance, weights, and fuel, since they are different. You also have to be able to edit panel.cfg files (which I describe in detail below).

I will describe starting with the L-1649A panel's Notepads, but if you have more than one type of plane using your DC-3 panel (i.e. the DC-3, DC-2, etc.), you will need to start with the DC-6 Notepad (in the FS2004/Gauges/Z_DC6KMTG folder) because the data entry portion of this gauge has four possible aircraft's values you can input (i.e. 2 to 4 aircraft). Just do the same thing I mention below, but with those gauges instead. You will need the L-1649A's gauges for the details of what each line is, though.

You need to:

1. Copy the CalClassic folder in the FS2004/Aircraft/Lockheed_L1649A/panel folder into your DC-3's PANEL folder (or wherever the panel files are located for the DC-3 panel). This folder will only be present after you have installed the CalClassic Starliner FD and panel files. To just get the folder, install this to a temporary folder and then copy it from there.

2. Delete everything in your copied folder except for the 5 files that start with "notepad".

3. Rename each of the 3 main gauge files to Notepad_DC3.xml, Notepad_F_DC3.xml, and Notepad_P_DC3.xml.

4. Open the Notepad_DC3.xml file (if you do not already have an XML editor you like, right click/Open With.../Wordpad. If it's not listed there, click on Choose Program and find wordpad.exe in your Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories folder.)

5. Edit the values at the top of the page. Do not edit anything below the warning line.

6. Repeat this with the Notepad_F_DC3.xml file.

7. Repeat this with the Notepad_P_DC3.xml file, if desired to have handling notes on screen. You will also need to edit the text below in the gauge; I can explain this in a later post if you need this. This can be a lot of work.

8. Insert these gauges into the panel.cfg file of the DC-3. You should copy and paste them from the L-1649A panel.cfg file. They are set up as separate subpanels. Add the info to both the Window Titles section at the top, and the Windownn sections below. All numbering should be consecutive (i.e. edit the numbers as needed).

They look like:

Top Windows Titles section:

Window10=FE Notepad
Window11=Pilot Notepad
Window12=Fuel Planner

Windownn sections below that:

[Window10]
size_mm=238,500
window_size=0.5
position=0
BACKGROUND_COLOR=0,0,0
VISIBLE=0
ident=10050

gauge00=CalClassic!Notepad_L1649A, 0,0,238,500

[Window11]
size_mm=238,500
window_size=1.0
position=0
BACKGROUND_COLOR=0,0,0
VISIBLE=0
ident=10060

gauge00=CalClassic!Notepad_P_L1649A, 0,0,238,500

[Window12]
size_mm=238,500
window_size=1.0
position=0
BACKGROUND_COLOR=0,0,0
VISIBLE=1
ident=10070

gauge00=CalClassic!Notepad_F_L1649A, 0,0,238,500

You do not need to copy and paste the lines for the _P_ gauge unless you want to use it. Remember that all numbering must be consecutive, though, and the numbers must match in the Windows Titles section and the Windowsnn sections below that.

9. Edit the gauge names in the listing from _L1649A to _DC3

10. Now you need to decide how you will be making the Notepad appear. Your choices are clicking an invisible hot spot (like in the Starliner), clicking a little notepad image (like in the DC-6), or clicking on the word NOTEPAD (I was going to use this on the Convair panel). Since the invisible hot spot is already in the copied folder, I will assume that choice. I can give further info for the other choices.

In the DC-3 panel.cfg file, find your main DC-3 panel gauge listing. Copy and paste this line from the L-1649A's gauge listing to the bottom of the DC-3's gauge listing:

gauge41=CalClassic!Notepad_open, 1000, 310, 30, 80

Change the 41 to the next number in sequence. Change the 1000 and 310 to the x and y locations you want your hot spot to be located. X determines left/right position, Y up/down. You might have to experiment with this.

Now go and enjoy your new Notepads in the DC-3!

Hope this helps,

[capflyer]

Tom, I've found in the past, that no feedback probably means people like it, just like me.

Honestly, I've not had anything with it break and I've not been able to fly it enough to really decide if it is breakable, so I just tend to be the silent majority who appreciate and use your work without trying to nit-pick it to death.

[dc6tryer]

Hi,

''Tom, I've found in the past, that no feedback probably means people like it, just like me.''

I fall into that category I'm afraid, where I just accept my very good fortune that there are those out there can work this magic with the maths' and create these marvellous additional pieces of an ever expanding unfinished jig-saw.....that means you, Tom and FS9!

Thank you.

Andy.

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

No problem, thanks. Just keep in mind that remaining silent often means I just move on to other projects.

[hobofat]

Thanks for the info Tom,

It is, I think, the most handy gauge I have ever come across, and I will be using it on all the propliners that don't already have it ;D Are the Starliner and the DC-6 the only planes that have this gauge installed already?

I guess you've moved on to other projects, but thanks for this one!

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

Yes, they are the only versions out there. Actually, I was quite relieved when they didn't generate much response - they are a pain to develop...

[weberjf]

This should go into 'Classic Tips'

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

OK, it's now in Tips.

[chris_c]

I suppose that I should have spoken up but I use the DC-6 versions a lot and miss not having it on the Starliner anymore. It's a great tool but I can see how it would be a pain to create. Thanks, Tom.

Chris

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

We hope to modify the FSAviator alternate FD and panel mods for the Starliner v2, but I don't have a timeframe on when that will happen.

Certainly it will wait until any bugs have been worked out, so the more you report, the faster that will go.

[hobofat]

Just another thought about a little thing that goes unnoticed but is pretty darn cool when you think about it (and useful too, the association I fly with requires zulu and local in its pireps), but the clock that comes with the Ken Mitchell panel, the one you click on for wind direction, displays local time and zulu time. I changed the clocks in all my panels to use that one!

[pattersoncr]

I recently stumbled accross this thread and tried adding the Notepad to the FSDZigns L-049 Connie.
I've run into the following problem,
Even with a light fuel load, I always get a ">ZFW" error message, no matter how I adjust payload.

Also, any advice on getting correct values to display on the "Pilots notepad" i.e. power settings, etc.

This is a really useful little tool. Thanks for developing this!
Keep up the great work!

- Chuck

[pattersoncr]

I think I figured it out, I entered "ZFW" as the empty weight.
It seems from the existing notepads (Starliner and DC6) that ZFW is set at 94% of MLW. Is this true?

[ozbeowulf]

I haven't worked with the Flightplanner gauge, but AFAIK, ZFW or "zero fuel weight" is used in the real world sense. In other words, ZFW is the total of the aircraft's empty weight, crew, passengers, baggage, freight, oil, etc, etc, but not a drop of fuel.

Cheers,

Glenn