9/26/2019 Fsx A320 Glass Cockpit Software
Panel A320 Desktop Captain with Overhead and Pedestal. Plug and Play directly with your FSX, Prepar3D V3 and Prepar3D V4 & 2 computers integrated in the MIP for avionics and instrumentation. Early 2019 FO side of the Panel A320 Desktop will be available soon in option!
Glass Cockpit Mini Panel. Please read this entire file as it covers some specific installation instructions and the installation of two third-party gauges. Some operational tips and references are included. Version 2.1 Glass Cockpit Mini Panel has been updated with many new pop-up windows to help improve visibility on the main mini panel screen, plus add additional new functionality. This is an entirely new panel so you do not need to download my previous version. A pop-up Analog Cockpit panel has also been added to this version. A new version of Pave Tack addon gauge by Karol Chlebowski has been added that is spectacular.
FSX INSTALLATION Note: If you have Version 2 installed just overwrite all files from the zip file gauges folder into 'Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gauges' folder and you are complete. 1) Backup the minipanel.cfg file in the ' Program Files Microsoft Games Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gauges' folder so that you can change back to it if you need to. 2) Open the Gauges folder in the FSXGlassMinipanelV2.zip and copy the contents into ' Program Files Microsoft Games Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gauges'. Yes to any overwrite message. If in doubt then backup the original gauge first! 3) Copy the TCAS folder and its contents into ' Program Files Microsoft Games Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gauges' folder. Yes to any overwrite message.
If in doubt then backup the original gauge first! USAGE To access the glass cockpit minipanel from the main 2d panel press the “W” key. To return to the main panel press the “W” two more times. You cannot access this mini panel from the 3d virtual panel. Most of the gauges on the panel are self explanatory but I will describe or reference information on some of the more complex but very useful gauges on the minipanel.
There are several icons in the lower right hand corner of the mini panel that will access the pop-up windows. Most of The pop-up windows can be resized and moved on the screen to where ever you desire. If you click the center of the Primary Flight Display (PFD) or center of the Multi Function Display (MFD) it will enlarge the two gauges. Click in the center again to close the expanded gauge.
There are also icons on the Icon Tower to show blown up views of both the Glass Cockpit gauges and the old Analog gauges. There are several other icons on the ICON tower that show pop-ups of the Nav Info, Nav Info Map, Cockpit Commander, Fuel Status, Landing, Clock, Radar, Data MFD, TCAS, GPS, and Pave Tack. The informational gauges for nearest airports and navigational information are transparent and sometimes the information is difficult to read in certain lighting conditions. If you click on either informational gauge it will add a black background that allows for easier visibility.
I wanted to provide as much visibility as possible on the mini panel that is why it was made them transparent. Since these are transparent it can be a bit difficult to find the 'hot spot' to click. You will need to click on one of the letters or numbers. With a little expermentation you will find where its easiest to click and bring up the data with a black background. Once the black background is up click on it again to return to a transparent state. 1) The TFR gauge by Karol Chlebowski allows you to fly Terrain Following at any altitude you desire. It works well down to 100 feet above the ground in flat and rolling terrain.
In very mountainous areas you probably should not fly below about 800 ft. Occasionally you will have to take manual control of the aircraft in the mountains to pass safely across. Karol is working to solve this problem but even so this is a really fun gauge. All you need to do is: 1.Set the altitude above the ground you like to fly in the altitude window of the autopilot. 2.Click the TFR gauge near the lower right corner of the minipanel. 3.Turn on the autopilot and click the ALT button and you’re off.
2) The Pave Tack gauge by Karol Chlebowski is an outstanding add-on that lets you scan outside the cockpit in any direction plus up and down. You can also view from different preset altitude perspectives by clicking the up/down arrows on the left side of the Pave Tack gauge. A zoom in/zoom out function is also included. I think most simmers will really like this gauge. Click the PT icon in the icon tower to display Pave Tack. I highly encourage you to download Karol's latest update from AVSIM or FlightSim The documentation for this gauge and several other of Karol's panels and gauges is outstanding. Search for the file name fxpiggb6.zip on either site.
3) Also download Dietmar Loleit's tcasandtrafficdisplayv2.0.zip from AVSIM. There is very good documentation on the usage this gauge in the zip.
I know several people had issues with the TCAS gauge in my previous mini panel for FSX so I changed to Dietmar's new gauge. To execute the TCAS pop-up click on the TCAS panel light at the top of the ICON tower. 4) Download Edi Hirsch's nav-info.zip from AVSIM or Flightsim for documentation on the Nav-Info gauges. They are executed by the two transparent icons on the icon strip in the lower right hand corner of the panel.
5) The Throttle and Radio Icons are dependant on the aircraft you are flying. They may not work on some aircraft but will work on others. NOTE: If the aircraft you are flying already has a mini panel (most of the Microsoft default aircraft have them) you can disable them and use my mini panel if you so choose. Go to the aircrafts panel folder and open panel.cfg file with notepad. The list of window names is at the top of the page. Simply put // in front of any window named Mini Panel (name may vary).
Example: //Window06=Mini Panel. If you decide to go back to the default Mini Panel just remove the //. The name and number may be different in each panel.cfg file.
CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Thanks to Karol Chlebowski for the use of the very impressive Pave Tack, TFR, On Speed, Autopilot, Data MFD, Radar Altitude, E-Trim, and SALv9 gauges. Thanks to Dietmar Loleit's for his new TCAS gauge. Thanks to Glenn Copeland for his extremely functional Cockpit Commander gauge. Thanks to Edi Hirsch for his Nav-Info gauge.
Thanks to Robert K. Guy for his fuelstat gauge. Thanks to Ed Struzynski for FS Panel Studio, which was used to assemble this panel. DISCLAIMER There is no warranty or guarantee of any kind, expressed or implied, for any problems whatsoever resulting from the use of this software (though it’s very unlikely). The user assumes all risk related to the use of these files.
Bill McClellan. File Contents This list displays the first 500 files in the package. If the package has more, you will need to download it to view them.
Introduction A glass cockpit is often thought as an aircraft cockpit equipped with large computerised screens which display flight information. This term is well known but actually refers to the introduction of Flight Management Systems (FMS) to help monitor and control the aircraft. The proper term when referring to these cockpits is 'Technically Enhanced Cockpits'. This technology has largely replaced the numerous analogue instruments found in military and commercial aircraft, and later, GA aircraft. (It is also good to note that the some of instruments imputing into the FMS are still the same.) The technology was developed in the late 1970s, but was not widely implemented until the 1990s. Glass cockpits usually display GPS navigation, GPWS, TCAS, weather information, and possibly sometime in the future,. However, the glass cockpit offers more than just the different display style.
It offers an increase in automation ability and integration of controls, and with controls being 'fly by wire', automation systems are often far more accurate (Knight, 2007). Safety benefits in commercial aircraft Instrument Displays Combining numerous instruments into several easily-read displays reduces pilot workload and, and makes it less likely that an important gauge will be missed in a scan.
The main information is still based on the traditional 'T' scan to help transition between cockpit styles (analogue vs glass), however, the information is more precise and due to the computer screens can be displayed much more ergonomically. These benefits greatly increase flight safety. Added Features The other benefit to the addition of the computer processing power is that it can also integrate more feature into the screens and also allow the display of more information, For example, the added benefit of clearly displayed GPS navigation, GPWS, TCAS, and weather information greatly increases flight safety. These systems can also be display pictorially so that the user (in this case the pilot) can get a instant mental picture rather than having to process all the information themselves. Automation The computers also have feedback loops and self checking programs that can alert the pilot to possible problems and sometimes the checklists to solve them. It has the ability to control certain elements of the flight so that the pilot can concentrate on more important tasks.
This is especially useful during times of high stress. Safety disadvantages While the introduction of glass cockpits has resulted in safer aviation overall, there are a few things that pilots have to be aware of. These can often be overcome with being aware of the problems and also by actively trying to maintain situational awareness. Confusing Messages There have been a few cases where pilots have become confused by computer generated messages.
Was an example of this occuring. The Boeing 757 took off with its static ports covered with duct tape. As a result, the pilots recerived contradictory messages such as Rudder ratio, Mach trim, Overspeed, and Underspeed.
With most of their instruments inoperable, the aircraft crashed into the Pacific ocean shortly after. While the confusion over computer-generated messages did not cause this accident, they may have distracted the pilots from flying the plane, and lead to the crash. Information Blackout Due to the nature of the integration of the information, if there is a electronic fault during the flight causes the screens to blackout, this can leave the pilots in a very dangerous position because they have limited information to fly with. Is an example of a glass cockpit blackout shortly after takeoff. The A320 lost half of its display panels, all of its radios, transponders, and TCAS.
The pilots were able to land back at their departure aerodraome, but commented that they were only able to land because of the good weather conditions. If IFR conditions were present, the aircraft may have crashed.
User Interfaces (UIs) The user interfaces (UIs) can be difficult to operate because the pilot may accidentally touch a few wrong buttons and knobs. They are too easy 'to fat-finger'. There are two examples of this problem; the glass cockpit has too few buttons and knobs and it has too many buttons and knobs. In the case of a few controls, each knob or button performs multiple functions, resulting in overloading.
In the case of turbulence and emergencies, the pilot may touch and activate the wrong buttons because there are so many of them in a small area. Problem of 'Mode Awareness' The glass cockpit produces a problem of,'Mode Awareness', that the pilot has to ensure he / she is constantly aware of when flying in a glass cockpit. Due to the fact that the flight and engine management stystems can be set in various, 'modes', this offers the pilot the perception that the aircraft is carrying out one task when in fact its carrying out another. To prevent this problem the pilot should ensure that he / she constantly includes the aircraft's, 'mode' in his / her scan of the flying instruments constantly to ensure awareness of the aircrafts performance at all times 4. Converting to glass cockpit aircraft Flying a glass cockpit aircraft requires a different cognitive style of thinking. As a result, converting from a traditional commercial aircraft with hundreds of indiviudual instruments, to a glass cockpit jet with just a few displays requires more than just learning where to look.
Older pilots, who have flown thousands of hours in traditional cockpits, usually experience some difficulty transferring to glass cockpit aircraft (Roscoe, 1992 ). Another intersting point is that there is potential for a pilot to become fatigued more easily when flying glass cockpit aircraft. Automation Bias The ability to automation controls during flight is a huge benefit to the safety of the flight during normal situations. However, there are some very big problems that crop up.
Automation Bias: This is where the pilots use the automation, such as auto pilot, as substitute to the gathering of information. They lose situational awareness because the computers are doing it for them. It can go as far as forgetting to ever check on the system and its reliability.
Over Trust: The pilots start trusting the systems because of the fantastic job it does, and start no longer worry about the integrity of the systems and allow them to do the job. Some times they believe the computers over the other warning signs. Over Confidence: With the ability to decrease the workload of the pilot, it means they can now complete more complex tasks during flight. However, this can create an illusion of 'good piloting'. The question that needs to be asked is 'could you do this if the automation was off'.
Reliance: The above problems often lead to reliance on the automation system. It is now being seen that pilot are losing their 'flying skill' and its being replaced with supervising computer systems. The problem is some pilots can no longer fly the aircraft without the automated systems. (Skitka, 2000) Glass cockpits in GA aircraft The safety benefits of glass cockpit equipped GA aircraft is debatable.
Having GPS navigation showing track, heading, and time to destination, range, and endurance, greatly reduces pilot workload and situational awareness, and increases safety. However, student pilots must be instructed in such a way that they do not become dependant on the computerised systems. It is still important to be able to efficiently perform manual navigation and fuel-moitoring tasks, should computerised systems fail.
Another possible danger is pilots becoming emboldened by glass cockpits, and taking risks they would not usually take. Having weather and navigation information may encourage some pilots to press on into deteriorating weather. In fact, a five-year NTSB study released in 2010 outlines that GA aircraft equipped with glass cockpits have twice the fatal accident rate of aircraft equipped with traditional cockpits, although their overall accident rate was lower (Croft, 2010; NTSB, 2010 ). Conclusion Glass cockpits are certainly here to stay. While they have great potential to increase safety, effective pilot education is important to ensure that the fatal accident rate outlined in the NTSB study is lowered.
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