Photo Real DCC P-38J Cockpit by Captain Kurt!

[Oglivie]

Hi Gary

How have you been?

Unfortunately I did try moving the positions - to all 9 of them. Resizing the default view is what the horizon line is about and that didn't work either. It seems to be another CFS2 weirdness conundrum that doesn't have any obvious reasons or fixes.

I gave up and repainted the panel bitmap to match where it obviously really wanted to be. That's the only thing that has worked.

That's a nice panel BTW.

Hi Kurt

I've been helping take care of my mother and her house this last year or so. She survived a heart attack a year ago requiring three stents to open blocked arteries. She came close to not surviving that ordeal and was in ICU for several days. She is doing better.

Looking forward to your P-38 panel!

The Emily panel came with Shessi's Kawanishi H8K2 Emily download here at SOH, I just tinkered around with it a bit. Like Kelti always stated, "I can't leave them alone." I think same applies to all of us flight simmers.

I hope you and everyone is doing well.

Kind Regards,
Gary

 

[fani]

A moveable yoke !!!!

 

[Roxane-21]

I personally find it weird seeing a moving yoke (or a moving stick) with no hand on it, while I can see my own stick in my hand just in front of the screen. I have the same feeling with racing games in which I can see a second steering wheel turning in front on mine.

 

[sixstrings5859]

To yoke are not to yoke,that is the question ? Prefer the yoke because of the line of sight in this case.

 

[No Dice]

Rox,

I have a custom moving yoke with hand in my A-20 Boston Panel if you want to check it out.

A20/Boston MKIII for CFS2
By No Dice
*Close to authentic gauge layout
*featuring a rear gun station panel
*7 "on panel" toggled pull down menus
*Custom Moving Yoke
*custom gauge package included
*Download****

http://thefreeflightsite.com/Panel3.htm

 

[Roxane-21]

Rox,

I have a custom moving yoke with hand in my A-20 Boston Panel if you want to check it out.

Thank you No Dice.

I have been using this panel for a while with TR's Boston/Havoc series... but I got rid of the yoke for the same reason I stated above.

It doesn't matter if there is a hand on it or not, the fact is that a "virtual" yoke/stick moving in front of my own joystick has always been a visual nuisance to me.

I can only agree with Worthless' answer :

Can't you just make the yoke a separate entry in the panel cfg. so anyone that prefers "no yoke" can eliminate it.

 

[braveheart77521]

Yoke or No Yoke

Fellows:

Sometimes I like a moveable yoke, but it can obstruct my gauges. Therefore, I assign my yoke the SP button from FDG switches, so I can remove the yoke as needed. Yoke must be separate from the panel. Here is the panel configuration from No Dice's A-20 panel;

[Window05]
Background_color=0,0,0
size_mm=800,600
window_size_ratio=1.000
position=4
visible=1
ident=61
sizeable=1
render_3d_window=1
window_size= 0.640, 0.230
window_pos= 0.000, 0.780


gauge00=A20_yoke, 483,0,288,811

Braveheart

 

[No Dice]

Rox,

Getting rid of the yoke on the Boston Panel is in the gauges,
the 3 rd from the left black on off toggle of the 7 switches will add or remove it.
on or off. Each of the seven control a different pop up window.

 

[Fibber]

CK........

........no matter how you crack this the opinions will always be scrambled. Some may want the sunnyside with the yoke showing while others taking the over easy side of no yoke. So it is a omelete of choice. So why not have no hardboiled choice and just have the two cfg configs for the user to take two minutes to beat their way.

 

[Captain Kurt]

Actually, you all will have your scrambled eggs and sunny-side up too. In the same panel, you will be able to fly with or without the yoke, your choice.

It's not as simple as it sounds though. It has taken some work and experimentation to get the panel stable so the horizon and gun sight reticle isn't popping up and down when a sub window is opened, getting the gauge image to show up on command, etc. But in the end, the yoke will have a separate window you can open and close either with a switch on the engine controls panel, or the F9 key.

Getting switches to show up/or work has also been a pain - among other small detail things. I'm currently on the 10th panel bitmaps revision and the 59th panel.cfg revision, (literally) but I think I'm almost there.

The time it is taking, besides fighting the technical glitches, is mostly my own fault. My goal is a near photo real P-38J 2D main panel per the official 1944 'Pilot Training Manual for the P-38 Lighnting', AAF manual 51-127-1. At least as accurate as I can make it with what is out there to work with.

So I am doing things like repainting and or modifying all the instruments to be much closer to the real thing, and little details like changing all of the instrument mounting screw heads to flat heads instead of Phillips heads. The x slot Phillips head did not exist back then, something M$ and most gauge designers have missed.

When I am finished, the panel will have 4 additional open / close sub-windows:

Panel 2 for the throttle quadrant and switch panels: Semi- authentic
From this panel, an accurate engine start procedure can be followed. Each engine can be started individually. In fact, it won't start unless you follow the procedure although you can over-ride the panel with the standard CFS2 press E to start. You can also stop and feather one engine in flight if you need to. This panel has switches to take you to the other three windows

Panel 3 for Navigation - radio, a working ADF and although not authentic, 3 GPS for the ETO, MTO and PTO.

Panel 4 for control surfaces trim and an auto-pilot for those long 7 hour missions. Not authentic

And finally, Panel 5 for the control yoke. Authentic.

 

[Captain Kurt]

A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category CFS 2 Panels Add-Ons

Description: Photo Real Cockpit for the DCC P-38J-15-LO Lightning with Selectable Control Yoke
by Captain Kurt

This panel was developed from photos of the NASM P-38J before restoration, period P-38 cockpit photos and the USAAF official Pilot Training Manual for the P-38 Lightning, AAF manual 51-127-1. The panel painting and all panel development are mine. The gauges used are repainted and in some cases re-purposed to match the actual gauges as installed in the P-38J.

The panel has four sub windows:

1) Throttle, mixture, prop, flaps and main switch panel. From this panel you can start and control engines separately replicating the real aircraft start procedure. It has a prop feathering / engine shut down feature for single engine flight.

2) Navigation and radio panel. It has a functional ADF radio and gauges and 3 period (non-authentic) GPS's for the ETO, MTO and PTO.

3) Control Yoke. This panel can be turned on or off to fly with or without the yoke.

4) Trim and auto pilot.

The panel includes the VC specifically for the DCC P-38J-15-LO CFS2 conversion.

It includes detailed instructions for how to operate the panel and an immersive P-38J operation instruction for how to start, fly and land the P-38J in the most realistic manner possible in CFS2

To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit Photo Real DCC P-38J Cockpit.zip
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.

 

[Rami]

Reply...

Kurt,

Outstanding, thank you for all of your work on this!

 

[Captain Kurt]

Here's a few extra pictures of the selectable panels and the yoke.

 

[No Dice]

Great Job sir

 

[msfossey]

Looks great, thank you Captain Kurt.

msfossey

 

[Ravenna]

Lovely work! Thanks Kurt.