I remember my first
flight on a B727-200. On a cold Chicago morning we were waiting to
board a Mexacana 727-200. At such a young age you don't realize the
importance of a Boeing 727 or the milestones it has accomplished since
its introduction. I remember the Captain inviting my father to bring
me up to visit the cockpit as my family was boarding the airplane.
Picture a young flying-nut sitting in his first airliner cockpit.
At that moment the Airliner-Bug bit me and I have been addicted ever
since! Brings a smile to your face doesn't it?
As you can imagine the B727 holds a
special place in my heart. Not just because it was the first airliner
cockpit I sat in, but also because I flew on Mexicana and American
Airlines B727s from Chicago to Acapulco on a yearly basis to visit
my Grandparents. I have also had the pleasure of logging a few hours
in the Level-C B727-200 simulator. As airlines begin to phase out
this old girl it becomes more of a rare treat that I get to fly on
her.
Just a few years ago I had the opportunity
to fly on an ATA 727 (N776AT) from Chicago to Denver. This was the
first 727 I had been on in 10 years. I smiled just like that young
boy did years ago while patting the fuselage to say "Hello"
to an old friend as I passed through the door. My return flight was
also on a B727 so I got to live the experience one last time. Exiting
the aircraft at Chicago's Midway Airport I had the opportunity to
climb into the cockpit just like that young boy did 18 years before.
I just sat there in silence as I brushed my hands over the control
column and throttles while reflecting on all the experiences the B727
has taken me to and given me. I felt sad as I exited this elegant
machine knowing that I will probably never get to fly on her again.
The 727 was the second jet airliner
produced by the Boeing Aircraft Company. This was the most aerodynamic
design for its time. The 727 introduced features such as the greater
swept wing, both leading and trailing edge high-lift devices, automated
landing, the flight director (introduced on later models), spoilerons,
and numerous functionalities. She was introduced to the skies on February
9, 1963 and has continued to be one of the most popular airliners
in history among both airlines, pilots, and passengers. The 727 series
has seen numerous variants including the -100, -100C, -200, -200Adv,
and the -200F. Recent regulation restrictions and increased operating
costs have forced modifications which include hush-kits to reduce
noise, the addition of winglets to improve fuel economy, and the addition
or upgrading of digital-electronic avionics in the cockpit.
It is sad to think that such a masterpiece of engineering is silently slipping into the pages of history. When most passengers bored today's modern airliners they do not think about the fact that it was the Boeing 727 that paved the way for the design features which have enabled commercial aircraft to get bigger and fly farther than ever before. I consider myself lucky to have the privilege to ride on and fly (in the UAL simulator) this classic airliner. For the younger generation of pilots, the 727 is more of a museum piece that they hear stories about, but will never get to experience. However, thanks to great 727 enthusiasts like Richard Probst those who missed out on the real 727 can live the experience with his Boeing 727 panel for FS2002.
Some
of you may remember Richard Probst from the FS5.1 days in 1996 when
he began enhancing the Austin Texas area with scenery he designed.
He went on to create several airports for the FS5/FS95, but it was
his Salt Lake City International Airport for for FS98 back in the
spring of 1998 that really put his name on the FS Scenery map. With
the addition of his Dallas Fort Worth International airport in the
fall of '98, Richard began to establish a niche for himself in the
FS Scenery Community. He wouldn't stop there.
Richard longed for a good representation of the classic 727 and 737 panels.
He spent some time experimenting with gauge designs and went on to
produce his Boeing 737-200 panel for FS98 in January of 1999. He shortly
followed with his true love, the 727, that same month. Richard also
paired up with Chris Arrington to produce an enhanced version of his
727 panel which was one of the best freeware 727 panels for FS98.
While others modified the Probst-Arrington 727 panel for FS2000, Richard
released a new version of his 737-200 panel and was working hard on
a new 727 panel. While FS2000 came and went Richard was diligently
working to produce a freeware panel that would raise the bar to a
whole new level.
After two years of hard work, Richard released his latest 727 panel for
FS2002 in September of 2002. There is a good reason that his latest
masterpiece is as visually and technically detailed as possible. Richard
is a flight simulator technician for a company in Texas. His responsibilities
include operating the computers, aligning the visual systems, making
software changes, mechanical & electronic repairs, and test flying
the sims each day to make sure they're ready for the customers to
use. He is also on call to take care of problems that customers have
during training. A big part of his job is to make sure that the simulator
performs as close to the real airplane as possible.
Richard advises, "...(the 727 panel) is modeled after one of the simulators
at my company. It is one of just a few 727 simulators left in the
world that's still in use. Its sister in the next bay was scrapped
just last year. This one started life in the late '70s for Braniff
Airlines. As you can see in the photo (upper right), it is still
painted in the original 'Ultra' scheme from 1978 that was
designed to complement the new look leather interiors and urban-sophisticate
crew uniforms by fashion designer Roy Halstom."
Installation and documentation
The panel (rp727pn3.zip) is available from the Avsim Library as well as other Flight Sim library-based sites. The main file is a 7.91Mb zip-file. Installation was a snap.
Simply unzip the file into your main FS2002 directory and all the
sub-folders will be unzipped in their corresponding directories. After
unzipping the files, assuming you read the readme.txt file first,
you will go to the manual directory for further installation instructions.
Richard elected to compile his panel without an aircraft or FDE file
so as to allow end users to choose their own aircraft-FDE combination.
Therefore, Richard provides instructions on how to set up any 727
in your library to use his panel. Richard related to me that
he recommends the 727 FDE by Charles Fox as this was the FDE used
to test the panel. Also worth noting, there are instructions for adding
command lines to the Aircraft.CFG for optional engine smoke trails
which are activated by a gauge on the panel when the aircraft's engines
are at high RPM settings. Included in the documentation are a few
speed charts, known issues, and detailed instructions on using the
various custom gauges.
The Panel
This panel is as fun to fly with as it is to look
at. Richard used several hundred digital photos to assemble the panel's
background images and gauges. While not exactly to scale, Richard
preserves the layout and appeal of the gauges. Along with the main
panel, Richard has included a landing VFR view, the throttle quadrant,
center pedestal, fuel system control panel, cockpit lighting panel,
and upper-right portion of the overhead panel. The background images
are undoubtedly photo-real. Combine this same quality with the graphics
and custom programming for the gauges and you feel as though you are
really in the captain's seat of the B727. Flying at night is just as
fun as during the day with multiple lighting options for the main
panel.
Working Details
The main panel is full of accurately detailed gauges
that function just as they do in the real B727. One detail that caught
my eye right away was how this version of the 727 has the separate
Machmeter, further adding to the vintage appeal. Richard further preserved
this by using the Sperry SP-50 two axis autopilot.
The Sperry SP-50 two axis autopilot, while simple
to operate, does take some practice to use effectively. Thanks to
Richard's detailed instructions, it only took a few short runs to
get the system down. One thing you will notice right away about the
Sperry SP-50 two axis autopilot system is that it does not have an
autothrottle and will not automatically capture a set altitude. Using
this panel demands 100% attention throughout the flight as the pilot
must continually monitor and adjust thrust settings when necessary, as well as
autopilot performance. It is up to the pilot to slow the rate
of climb/descent, coordinate the thrust setting and engage the manual
altitude hold. The one thing that I really love about this system
is that it forces the pilot to fly the plane.
Coupled with the autopilot is a fully functional
annunciation panel (above altimeter) and horizon director indicator.
The annunciation panel has two columns, flight director (left) and
autopilot (right), which displays the status of the aircraft while
flying an ILS approach. The horizon director indicator, a Collins
FD-108, will give roll commands based on the mode set by the mode selector switch. Pitch is set by the pitch trim
control knob for the desired number of degrees of body angle you want
the aircraft to follow; note though, that it is only a visual aid for
reference. Changing the pitch trim command on the flight director
will not cause the autopilot to increase or decrease the aircraft's
pitch to match. Only when tracking the glide slope will the HDI give
pitch commands. All these features operate exactly as my real 727
manual dictate.
Another instrument worth noting is the digital vertical speed indicator
with simulated TCAS function check. The reason this detail stands
out to me is because in today's commercial/private aviation environment
all large commuter and jet aircraft are required to have TCAS.
For most older analog-based flight decks this meant the introduction
of a digitally integrated VSI with TCAS. It allows the aircraft
to meet the legal requirements while not having to perform a large
alteration to add an additional gauge. Reminds us that although
this is a vintage aircraft we are flying in modern times.
The radios and audio selector panels also reflect a little modern
touch to them. The VHF navigation and communications panel preserves
that original non-digital rotary selector appearance. Note that
there is no backup frequency selector. The modern element in this
panel comes with the ADF panel. The ADF panel features a digital
readout with rotary knob control. This is a far better option
than the original ADF that came in the 727, which was a variable
frequency tuner with gain control and a signal strength meter.
The audio selector panels are accurately recreated and function
as close to the real thing as FS2002 will allow. The backlighting
at night makes it easy to read and use.
The overhead lighting panel has two sections to it, cockpit lighting
and exterior lighting. The cockpit lighting has a combination
of dummy switches for functions that cannot be replicated in FS2002
and active switches for functional light settings. The dummy switches
include the map lights, right-forward light, and right side lights.
The active cockpit light switches include left forward/side panel,
center forward panel, forward background, forward panel fluorescent
(bright), overhead panel, control stand, light override, dome
white, and compass. While not on the overhead, the radio panels
and autopilot light located on the aft left side of the center
pedestal also functions. The numerous light settings provide a
realistic look and feel to the panel's night time appearance.
Truly impressive!
The exterior lighting panel also has a combination of dummy and active
switches. The dummy switches are the inboard landing lights, runway
turnoff lights, wing (inspection), and wheel well lights. The functional
switches include the outboard landing lights, taxi light, navigation,
and beacon. One thing that I don't like is that switching on the beacon
activates both the beacon and strobe lights because there is not a
separate switch for the strobes. To counter this I simply use the
"O" shortcut key so the beacon operates without the strobes
while on the ground.
The overhead panel includes sub-panels for ignition, alternate flaps,
cockpit/cabin/ground call systems, cockpit voice recorder, cargo fire
detection/suppression system, wing-engine anti-ice, window heat, and
pitot heat. All the switches are functional within the limitations
of FS2002. Another panel included is the fuel panel. The fuel panel
allows the pilot to set fuel boost pumps and shutoff valves while
the crossfeed valves are dummy switches (due to limitations).
Other details worth mentioning include working fire handles which include
a functional test system, auto engine smoke which will activate the
engine exhaust smoke during high RPMs, auto-taxi that adjusts thrust
settings to maintain taxi speeds, authentic clock with timer, VFR
view, and many more.
In Summary
Richard Probst has established a new standard in
freeware panel design. With true-to-life functionality and appearance
this is truly one of the greatest freeware panels ever produced for
Microsoft Flight Simulator. Every gauge functions as close to the
real thing as possible while retaining its usability. The authenticity
of the autopilot's function combined with primary gauges of the era
make this a pilot's airplane. Add to this the extreme attention to
every gauge's function corresponding to its real life counterpart
and you have the best representation of the 727's flightdeck ever
produced for PC Simulation.
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