This file is from the handpan.zip archive by Chuck Dome.
6/1/99
Here's a panel I made just for fun. The pilot's hands move with throttle
and stick motions. The panel is basically for single-engine military jets,
but can be used with any aircraft. It looks better in CFS but I decided to
make it also work in FS98. To install, put all the GAU files in the \GAUGES
subfolder of either CFS or FS98. Then put the remaining files (4 BMPs and a
PANEL.CFG file) in the \PANEL subfolder of whichever aircraft will use the
panel. You may first wish to make a backup copy of the existing PANEL.CFG.
Included are a couple of GPS gauges described below. They can be toggled on
and off with SHIFT-2 and SHIFT-3 or whatever keys you have assigned to the
second and third panels.
HIGPS.GAU:
---------
This gauge should be fairly self-explanatory. To turn it on and off,
click the PWR button with your mouse. To change waypoints, click the >
portion of the WP button to go forward through the waypoint numbers and click
the < portion to go backward. Along with its number, each waypoint's name
is displayed as well as its distance in nautical miles. The waypoint is
represented on the radar-style screen as a small "blip." If you steer the
aircraft so that the blip is directly above the small white airplane symbol
(in the center of the screen), you will be headed toward the waypoint. As
you move nearer to the waypoint, the blip will move nearer to the center of
the screen. Sometimes the blip will "jump" farther away from the center as
the gauge chooses a new screen range.
Most of the waypoints are in the Hawaiian Islands. Therefore, to make the
best use of the gauge, you should have Microsoft Hawaii scenery installed.
As long as you are out there in the Pacific, you might want to use the Tahiti
waypoints as well. I highly recommend WILCO's Tahiti scenery. Intermediate
waypoints like Johnston Atoll and Christmas Island are provided so you can
get gas along the way. To make an even 40 waypoints (and because I'm a freak
for aircraft carriers), I have included a waypoint for the USS Nimitz (off
San Francisco) and the USS Lincoln (off San Diego). The Lincoln requires
that Microsoft's Expansion Pack (Southern California scenery) be installed.
CFSGPS:
------
The programable GPS gauge is meant to be pretty self-explanatory. The PWR
switch turns it on and off. The gauge has no long-term memory, so when you
start it up, it reads zero degrees for both longitude and latitude. As a
result, it will be pointing to a spot in the ocean off West Africa. To enter
a destination, simply click the numbers until they display its coordinates.
Be sure to also click the N if you wish to change to S, and/or click W to
change to E. When the correct coordinates are entered, the pointer at the
upper left of the gauge will be centered when you are heading toward your
destination. The number at the upper right is the distance in nautical miles.
NOTE: If the pointer occasionally makes a small "jump," as you get nearer to
your destination, it usually means the gauge has recalculated the heading
with a more precise range parameter.
Coordinates may be obtained from maps or by running CFS, entering SLEW
mode and reading coordinates in red letters from the screen. Selected
coordinates can also be found in the CFS Airfield directory. To save time
and space, coordinates are limited to tenths of a minute. A tenth of a
minute is 608 feet of latitude. It is 608 feet of longitude at the equator
and decreases (longitudinally) toward the poles. This limitation should
still get you very close to your destination.
I hereby declare this panel and these gauges to be in the Public Domain.
Anyone may use them for any purpose without permission. You do not need to
acknowledge me as the original designer, but it would be nice. The panels
and gauges should not harm your computer but, if you imagine they have, I
accept no liability.
