Fly By v2.0 for MS FS 2004.
August 2005. By Valery Stenin.
DESCRIPTION
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Fly By is a utility which enables fly by view when FS is in tower view mode. For use with MS FS2004 only.
Previous published versions: v1.2, May 2004 (file FlyBy.zip); v1.4, June 2004 (file FlyBy14.zip).
What's new in this (2.0) version:
1. Fly by view is now available not only for user aircraft, but for AI aircraft too. AI aircraft can be selected from the list and shown in fly by or spot plane view. Next/previous AI aircraft can also be selected with the key commands. Cycle AI aircraft fly by / spot plane view is available too.
2. Random options for horizontal (left-right) and vertical (up-down) viewpoint positions are added. There are two types of random: with constant and variable distance to the plane.
3. Parameters range now can be assigned. Therefore fly by period, relative lateral and altitude positions can be increased significantly.
4. Utility is provided with the keyboard commands.
5. Program has been rebuilt from scratch.
INSTALLATION
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There are two files FlyBy.dll in flyby20.zip archive: for MS FS2004 v9.1 (updated) and for MS FS2004 v9.0 (not updated).
FlyBy.dll at the root of flyby20.zip is for updated FS.
If you did not update FS, please use FlyBy.dll which is stored in fb20fs90.zip sub-archive.
Unzip and copy FlyBy.dll into FS2004 ...\Modules folder.
UNINSTALL
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Delete FlyBy.dll and FlyBy.ini files from FS2004 ...\Modules folder.
USAGE
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Turn Fly By utility On/Off
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Key command: Shift + F (cycle).
Start FS, select or create a flight. Open FS Modules menu (it will appear if does not already exist), select Activate option from the Fly By pop-up submenu. Now fly by view is enabled. Next select FS tower view and press P key if FS is in pause mode.
To turn the fly by view off, select Activate option once more.
Enable AI aircraft fly by or spot plane view
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Key commands:
Show AI aircraft list: Shift + V;
Next or previous AI aircraft: Shift + D or Shift + A;
Cycle AI aircraft fly by / spot plane view: Shift + T.
Select AI aircraft option from the Fly By pop-up submenu.
Select AI aircraft from the list and click Fly By View or Spot Plane button. AI Aircraft fly by and spot plane view options are available only when Fly By utility is activated. So if you select AI aircraft from the list and buttons are not available, please check utility's activation.
You can sort AI aircraft list by plane type, state and other column parameters (click column header) and also change columns order (drag and drop).
To start AI aircraft fly by view with the Fly By utility key commands: select FS tower view mode, turn utility on and press Shift + D or Shift + A keys.
In these view modes you can change to the next or previous AI aircraft or cycle fly by / spot plane view with the Fly By utility keyboard commands.
You can still use FS key command Shift + Z to display text information about AI aircraft coordinates and some other parameters.
To disable AI aircraft fly by or spot plane view - change FS view mode: FS menu - Views - View Mode - select view or use FS key commands S or Shift + S.
Note: When FS is in Instant Replay mode AI aircraft fly by and spot plane views are unavailable, because under these conditions all AI aircraft in FS world disappear. Also all their parameters in AI aircraft list are frozen.
Fly By utility parameters setting
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Key command to show Settings dialog: Shift + C.
Select Settings option from the Fly By pop-up submenu.
To alter fly by period, relative lateral or vertical view position set slider(s) on the desired place. If parameter range is too large, you can click on the slider and continue setting with the arrow keys for more accuracy. Then press OK button.
One scale unit of relative position corresponds to mean aircraft radius.
Fly By utility random options setting
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Key commands:
Random horizontal none: Shift + M;
Random horizontal, distance is constant: Shift + K;
Random horizontal, distance is variable: Shift + P;
Random vertical none: Ctrl + Shift + M;
Random vertical, distance is constant: Ctrl + Shift + K;
Random vertical, distance is variable: Ctrl + Shift + P;
Click on Random tab in Settings dialog.
For horizontal and vertical viewpoint positions two types of random can be selected separately: with constant or variable distance to the plane. When random with constant distance is selected, viewpoint position randomly changes in left - right or/and up - down directions, but horizontal and vertical distances to the plane are constant and equal to the assigned in the Parameters setting.
When random with variable distance is selected, all is the same, but distances to plane vary in whole parameters range (that is why ranges assignment is used, instead of usage one maximum range for every parameter).
Fly By utility parameters range setting
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Click on Ranges tab in Settings dialog.
Maximum possible value of fly by period and minimum and maximum values of viewpoint relative lateral position and altitude can be assigned in this dialog pane.
The ranges limits are:
for max. fly by period: from 15 to 120sec;
for max./min relative positions: (+/-) from 5 to 100 units.
Fly By utility modes setting
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Key commands:
Fly By utility normal mode: Shift + N;
Fly By utility On Ground Following mode: Shift + J;
Fly By utility Plane Spotting mode: Shift + I;
Click on Modes tab in Settings dialog.
Fly By utility has two special modes for low altitude flights: On Ground Following and Plane Spotting.
On Ground Following - viewpoint is on the ground and constantly follows plane. This mode is available for user and AI aircraft.
Because viewpoint in FS tower view remains movable, fly by period and viewpoint relative lateral position can be adjusted. Horizontal random options are available too. Landings and takeoffs look nice in this mode.
Plane Spotting (idea and term by Marcus Thompson, how to - by Valery Stenin) - viewpoint is from any fixed position and elevation a user chooses. This mode is available for user aircraft only, when utility is activated.
In FS slew mode move your aircraft to the desired place at FS world and in FS spot plane view fine tune aircraft's horizontal position and vertical elevation relatively scenery objects.
Then in Fly By pop-up submenu select Settings option, go to the Modes Tab, select Plane Spotting mode and press OK button.
Since then viewpoint in FS tower view will be at these (where user aircraft has been at the moment when OK button has been pressed) fixed position and elevation, until you select another Fly By utility mode.
Don't forget to move aircraft away from this point, because just after this action viewpoint in FS tower view will be inside aircraft's fuselage.
Now when you fly near this place, you can see your aircraft fly by over these scenery objects.
Because in this mode viewpoint position in FS tower view is fixed (stationary), Fly By parameters and random settings are not available.
Note: Be careful with these two special modes, because Plane Spotting mode disables AI aircraft fly by and spot plane views and in both modes may be a situation, when you cannot see any aircraft fly by. For On Ground Following mode aircraft may fly too high and for Plane Spotting mode it may be too far from the viewpoint position.
Fly By utility keys assignment
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Click on Keys Assignment tab in Settings dialog.
You can assign key or its combination with Shift and/or Ctrl keys to almost all of the Fly By utility options.
To do this, select the option from Fly By Option box list, put cursor to Shift or/and Ctrl box and check or uncheck it, next put cursor to Key edit box, press desired key and click Apply button.
To disable any keys for some option, select this option, put cursor to Key edit box, press Space or Delete key and then click Apply button.
To restore default keys, select desired option and click Set Default button.
Note: To use Fly By utility key commands, keyboard input focus must be set to FS window (only when FS is in windowed mode).
Tips & Tricks
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AI aircraft fly by view. When there is a side wind, you can see light AI aircraft fly by with the nose turned to the wind (try default FS flight). I have seen this nice view for the first time, when was developing this version of utility. Although AI aircraft spot plane view is available in FS itself, it is difficult to see this effect in spot plane view at high altitudes.
Watching AI aircraft taxiing is much more interesting, when fly by view is selected with horizontal and vertical Dist = Var random options (all other Fly By utility settings are default).
Have you ever seen AI Jumbo with the second vertical stabilizer? Now its a chance. In fly by view, just after takeoff when it climbs, turns and flies away from the viewpoint. :)
This effect can be seen with FS screen resolution 800x 600 and normal zoom.
Known issues
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1. Some system key commands (Tab, Enter, etc.) dont work with AI Aircraft and Settings dialogs.
2. Depending on PC parameters, FS settings and current scenery complexity it may be some jerks in fly by view, especially when FS is in full screen mode. In this case try FS maximized window or/and more optimal FS settings.
LIMITATION OF FUNCTIONALITY
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For user aircraft it is full-functional version which does not require any registration.
AI aircraft options are time-limited for the unregistered version of utility. Every time FS starts, you have one minute summary to select and view AI aircraft fly by.
HOW TO REGISTER
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1. Select Registration option from the Fly By pop-up submenu.
The registration dialog box will appear.
2. Click Get User Key button.
3. Select and copy user key from the edit box, then paste it into any text file.
4. References to how to pay for and get registry key are available at:
http://www.geocities.com/vstsim.
5. Select and copy registry key, change to the Fly By pop-up submenu, select Registration option and paste registry key into the edit box. Then click Registry button.
6. Restart FS.
Note: User key is linked to the Users PC so if PCs hardware or operating system will be significantly upgraded or changed, it will be necessary to repeat registry procedure with the exception of payment for registry key.
This zip archive may be distributed under the condition that the archive file name is not changed, no files are added or removed from the archive and all the files included in the archive are not modified in any way.
There is no warranty of any kind for this software. It is provided "as is", use it at your own risk. The author is not responsible, in any way, for any problems occurring from the use of this software.
Microsoft and Microsoft Flight Simulator are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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My Thanks go to:
MS FS 2004 Team - for its amazing and open for developers Virtual Aviation World and corresponding SDKs.
All flightsimmers, who sent me emails and posted messages in FS forums about this software.
Thank you Marcus - you believed that I could do AI aircraft fly by view, and I have done it.
