If this document opens as one very long line, turn on "Word Wrap" in your text reading program, in the Format or Edit menu. INSTALLATION - shareware version For the interior aircraft views to appear correctly, you must install the modified MDL as well as the new panel. It is in CliveRyansMDL folder. The Panel and MDL may be installed in the same manner. Below are instructions for installing, first, the panel, and second, the MDL file. The instructions may look lengthy, but it is really very easy to do. Three different methods are described, and you can choose which to use. Unzip the zip file to a tempory location of your choice. It should contain five folders : CliveRyansMDL Gauges install_panel_only Low_Res Panel .dc3mdpnl. Copy the Kingair_Radio20.gau from the Gauges folder, to the FS2004 Gauges folder. --- PANEL INSTALLATION --- There are three ways you can install panels in FS2004. If you are going to use only this new panel for an aircraft, such as the DC3, you can use method 2, or 3. ------- METHOD 1 Multiple versions of one aircraft with different panels (recommended method) ------- This method is the same as installing multiple textures for your aircraft. It will allow you to leave your original panel folder as it is, and if you have multple versions of the same aircraft in one folder, such as different textures for the same aircraft, you can keep your original panel for one or more versions of the aircraft, and use the new panel for other versions of the same aircraft. You must move or copy the "Douglas_DC3.cab" file from the original panel folder to the FS2004 gauges folder, so that these gauges are available for both the old and new panels. You should also copy the two Decals bitmap files, from the original panel folder to the new panel folder. Copy the "Panel .dc3mdpnl" folder into your aircraft folder and leave it named as it is. Then open your "aircraft.cfg" file (in the DC3 aircraft folder) with a plain text editor, such as Notepad. Each version of the aircraft will have a section at the beginning of the Aircraft.cfg file. Each section is identified as [fltsim.0], [fltsim.1], [fltsim.2], etc. The beginning of each section will look like this : [fltsim.0] title=Douglas DC-3 sim=Douglas_DC3 model= panel= sound= texture=1 For each [fltsim.**] version you want to use the new panel in, type the Panel folder name dc3mdpnl on the end of the panel= line, with no spaces. Below is an example of the new panel being assigned to the "Cargo" version of the default DC3 : [fltsim.2] title=Douglas DC-3 Paint2 sim=Douglas_DC3 model= panel=dc3mdpnl sound= texture= You need to do this for each version of the aircraft in which you want to use the new panel. If the "panel=" line is left blank on the right hand side of the = sign, the aircraft version will use the default panel. ------- METHOD 2 Create new panel folder ------- With this method, you must move or copy the "Douglas_DC3.cab" file, and the two Decals bitmap files, from the original panel folder to the new panel folder which you will create (or, you can move or copy the "Douglas_DC3.cab" file from the original panel folder to the FS2004 gauges folder, and the two Decals bitmap files to the new panel folder). Re-name your original panel folder to something like "orgpanel" or "backuppanel," and leave it in the aircraft folder. It will not be used by the simulator. Then, copy the folder named "Panel .dc3mdpnl" from your unzipped folder into your aircraft folder, and rename it to : Panel - Be sure to delete the . (dot, or perioid) from the folder name.(Don't forget to move or copy the "Douglas_DC3.cab" file, and the two Decals bitmap files from the original panel folder.) ------- METHOD 3 Copy folder contents ------- Copy the current panel to another location for safe keeping, then copy the contents of "Panel .dc3mdpnl" to your aircraft's panel folder, overwriting files as ncessary. Optionally, you can re-name your original panel.cfg file, and any other files or images which have the same name as any new files you are going to add. Then, copy the contents of "Panel .dc3mdpnl" to your aircraft's panel folder. Either way, be sure you ALWAYS-ALWAYS back up your original or existing files first. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- MDL INSTALLATION --- You can install the modified MDL file in the same ways as above. It is located in the "model.novc" folder, which is inside the folder named "CliveRyansMDL". If you create a new model folder, it must contain both the Douglas_DC3.mdl file, and the model.cfg file. If using the number 3 method, as above, here is an example of how a section of the aircraft.cfg file should look with both the new panel, and new MDL assigned to the "Cargo" version of the default DC3 : [fltsim.2] title=Douglas DC-3 Paint2 sim=Douglas_DC3 model=novc panel=dc3mdpnl sound= texture= You need to do this for each version of the aircraft in which you want to switch off the virtual cockpit. If the "model=" line is blank on the right hand side of the = sign, the aircraft version will display the virtual cockpit.