Fsbuild-2 Flight Planner

Hi HP,

Unfortunately due to my work on projects for other developers, we haven't progressed much with the 1.5 update as hoped.

Because of this lack of available time, I have scaled down the scope of the 1.5 update.

I've decided not to include the Sperry FMS, and the Trimble GPS, as these two components are much more time consuming to develop than the Airbus and MD11 EFIS style Nav displays are. And thse Nav displays can be easily integrated with the current Smiths FMS. The Smiths FMS functionality is very similar to the Sperry FMS (though there are differences).

I still do plan to do the Sperry FMS, and the Trimble GPS in later releases, but it seems best with my limited time availablity for the forseeable near future to cut down the project scope so that there can be a shorter release time by focusing on the components that take less development time.

So now its down to these components for the 1.5 update.

1) DU1000 EHSI (A300/F100 style) 80% complete
2) Honeywell MD11/B717 ND/MFD 75% complete
3) Honeywell MD11 EFIS control panel 70% complete
4) A300 style EFIS control panel 65% complete
5) F100/F70 style EFIS control panel 20% complete (might be dropped)

Keep in mind items 3-5 don't require a lot of code, they just change the display modes on the MFD/ND's for the most part. So the bulk of the remaining work (without the Sperry, and Trimble units) are with items 1 and 2.

If we focus on the components above, it is reasonable to expect a 1.5 update sometime in late July or early August.

Opinions ? Comments ?

Regards.
Ernie.

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Hi Ernie.

Thanks for the information.

Of course, it would have been nice to hear that we could get the Sperry FMS,too.

But I understand that it is much work and your idea to release the Displays without the Sperry FMS is good. So we can fly realistic looking A300, 717, MD-11 very soon. To fly a 717 with Smiths FMS isn't that unrealistic. I believe I saw photos of 717 Flight Decks with both FMS types.

Greets, Hans-Peter

Hi Ernie,
this is great to hear ! Excellent.
Rock on

Thanks & best regards,
Stephan

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Regards,
Stephan

Thanks for the update Ernie. I think you could probably drop the Fokker option, as we now have the Digital Aviation F-100/70 which is very realistic.

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Graeme Butler

Well that wouldn't necessarily deter us. I don't think DA Fokker is going to be pushing Project Fokker's freeware stuff out of the picture anytime soon. We'll see how that goes though.

In the meantime, being as not working on the FMS free's up a lot of time, I've decided to include one of the Prototype MFD's I've had around for a while.

A Proline4 style MFD.

This is fitted in the Wilco CRJ-200 for FS9.



This is fitted in the FSX default CRJ-700 (The background color you
will be able to customize to match the FSX's CRJ's colors.



This was not planned to be included until we had a Collins FMS, which was a long long ways away. But since we are now in the mode of included MFD's without their matching FMS's, I figured might as well include this one too.

There's some minor work that still needs to be done on it, like getting a more appropriate Font etc. But its mostly complete.

Not sure if we'll get the artwork done for it though, so initially this may one come with a NB (No Background) version.

I expect the Beta testers to have the latest 1.5 update by the weekend and we can get down to testing the new modules, and hopefully get it all done by the end of the month.

Regards.
Ernie.

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Hi Ernie,

Any plans to add the cross radial feature into the MFD 1000 that the ND has? In other words, will we ever be able to create a fix as a cross radial in the MFD like you can in the ND?

As a second question, do you have any plans down the road for any of the following?

1. flat panel displays like Garmin is now making, showing 3d representations of terrain on the PFD

2. moving map displays that can be combined with existing gauges

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I dunno, is that a feature of the Primus 1000 MFD. I don't recall seeing it in the manual we had. But it may be something driven by the FMS I'm not sure. But it'd certainly be possible to include it I guess, having it driven by the Smiths FMS. But I'm not sure I want to include it if its a feature that's not on the real Primus 1000 MFD.



Doubtfull, that's require a lot of scenery data processing, and I'm not sure it could be done and still maintain a decent frame rate. Also I don't think its a feature we'd be be able to include without adjusting the price.



Not sure what you mean here. Do you mean overlaying the gauge on top of another gauge ?

If so, there's a couple of examples out there, someone overlayed the EHSI on top of bottom half of Eaglesoft's Beechjet MFD. There's a thread about it on Eaglesoft's forum.

Myself I've done it with Eaglesoft's CJ1, overlaying the EHSI on top of the loawer half of the CJ1 MFD.

If you mean something else, can you explain a little more what you mean ?

Regards.
Ernie.

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Interesting, Ernie. I've always wondered about the possibility of trying to overlay one gauge onto another. Do those Eaglesoft gauges already have the map display? That would be really cool to be able to get both on one gauge but I assume you'd be limited to keeping it in the parent plane, in other words, you wouldn't be able to use such a gauge in another plane. Is that right?

My original question was directed toward a duplication of some of the moving map displays we're seeing in the more technical GA aircraft coming out like the Cirrus.

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Its unlikely I'd do something that was exclusive to GA use, I tend to focus on the Corporate and Airliner type stuff. If it crosses over between GA and the other areas I might be interested.

One thing I am interested is maybe sort of a sub, gauge. Something replaces part of a gauge rather than the entire gauge. Like for example in the Eaglesoft CJ1, having a gauge that just replaces the bottom half of the MFD and overlaying it on top of the ES gauge as a popup window so that it can be turned on and off by a push of a button. This is similar to how we setup the default B777 retrofit, where it sits on top of the default B777 ND, so you don't lose the EICAS info. It just turns on and off overlaying on top of the default ND when needed.

Regards.
Ernie.

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Okay we're pretty close now, we appear to be on schedule to an end of July early August release.

Here's a screen of the 1.5 Proline4 ND gauge in the FSX CRJ with better fonts now and the background color set in the .cfg file to match the background of the other CRJ gauges.

Regards.
Ernie.

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Beautiful, Ernie! I can't wait!!! Thanks very much for all of the hard work.

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...for serious, dude.

Sweet! That will look awesome in my RJs

Here's a screen of the 1.5 DU1000_MFD in the Default FSX A321.

Again with color .cfg to match the default A321's background colors.

Regards.
Ernie.

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Your amazing Ernie.

Are you using vector graphics?

Mostly GDI+.

Regards.
Ernie.

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