Just playing with the gear handle inspired by one of Ian's posts on the subject ;)http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/37502.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/37503.jpg [h4]Best Wishes,Randy J. Smithhttp://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/196432/winglets_lg.jpg [h3] AMD XP 2200 |MUNCHKIN 512 DDR RAM |ECS[/b ][i] K7S5A MB[/i] |GF2 MX 32 MEG and still runs GOOD!|WIN XP PRO |MITSUBISHI DIAMOND PLUS 91 19"[/h3]

:D Nice work Randy! Looks really good!Regards,

Kewl! :-)Like the A/P Disengage bar, too. SU-2?Looking forward to your next creation, Randy :-)Cheers.Ian.

Talking about Radny's additions,Ian, do you have a clue as to what the little white blob is to the left on the MCP. It looks like an annunciator light cover of some sort (Like the F/D MA light). Is it the "FCC A/B gone beserk" alarm annunciator lights? ;-)Regards,

Just one of two oversized photo diode light sensors if I remember correctly, Mats, to help control the brightness of the LCD displays, by monitoring the light levels in the cockpit.A little fuzzy in this picture, but...http://members.ozemail.com.au/~b744er/737/MCPLHSCloseup.jpgCheers.Ian.

Ah, I see! Thanks IanRegards,

Ian,Do you know by any chance what the MA above the FD means? Minimum Altitude? (Just an educated guess ;) Best,Bruno Francescoli.

It means the the CAPTIAN'S F/D is the MASTER. If the FO turned on his first his would illuminate...[h4]Best Wishes,Randy J. Smithhttp://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/196432/winglets_lg.jpg [h3] AMD XP 2200 |MUNCHKIN 512 DDR RAM |ECS[/b ][i] K7S5A MB[/i] |GF2 MX 32 MEG and still runs GOOD!|WIN XP PRO |MITSUBISHI DIAMOND PLUS 91 19"[/h3]

Thanks a lot Randy.Bruno Francescoli.

Not sure Ian but Robert has something in mind, it might be some of this or something they due like this, I don't think the gear handle though. Is it possible for you to snap a high quality photo of the MCP like this but the whole unit only with the A/P BAR disengaged? If you cannot touch the A/P bar then the MCP would be nice ;) (Straight on at eye level would be prefered) [h4]Best Wishes,Randy J. Smithhttp://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/196432/winglets_lg.jpg [h3] AMD XP 2200 |MUNCHKIN 512 DDR RAM |ECS[/b ][i] K7S5A MB[/i] |GF2 MX 32 MEG and still runs GOOD!|WIN XP PRO |MITSUBISHI DIAMOND PLUS 91 19"[/h3]

"Is it possible for you to snap a high quality photo of the MCP like this but the whole unit only with the A/P BAR disengaged? If you cannot touch the A/P bar then the MCP would be nice ()"Sorry, Randy, but.... I've tried this with other MCP's with little success. The light flare caused by the normally high outside ambient light levels is one of the bigger issues (that's what happened in the picture I just posted). If you go in close with your average digital camera, you get barrel(?) distortion, if you move further away, you lose definition/detail both because of distance from subject and because of the flare problem.Then there is the problem of keeping parallel to the surface you are photographing(to prevent another type of distortion). I notice the MCP in PMDG is perpendicular to the floor (especially noticeable in the virtual cockpit). The MCP faceplate, in real life, is normally at right angles to the glareshield... which is sloped. MCP angles vary from aircraft type to aircraft type. They may have the same angle as the main instrument panels (e.g. 747-400), othertimes not (e.g. 767). (BTW, I have an inclinometer to measure these angles if required).Flash lighting at night causes other problems with hot spots and reflections.If I did attempt it, you would have to tell me exactly what you meant by "Straight on at eye level". Do you mean at normal pilot's eye level* from a position in the centre of the cockpit, with the camera lens perpendicular to the floor? You may have to draw a small diagram to illustrate exactly what you want ;-)*BTW, I'm not yet sure how the 737 pilot determines the correct eye height. It's easy on the 747-400 as there are eye alignment devices on the windshield centrepost... or marks on the windshield side pillars. Any hints?Thanks.Cheers.Ian.

"It means the the CAPTAIN'S F/D is the MASTER. If the FO turned on his first his would illuminate..."In more detail....The "MA" light shows which A/P computer ("FCC" A or :( controls MCP mode selection. If the Captain's is illuminated, FCC "A" controls the modes. If the F/O's is illuminated, FCC "B" controls the mode selection."MA" stands for Master. When a pilot engages one A/P, that A/P is the Master. When the crew engages both A/P's (during for Autoland), the first A/P engaged is the master and the second, the "slave". The master FCC determines modes and what appears in the MCP windows.If no A/P's are engaged, then it's the first FD which determines which FCC is the master.I recall Vincent(?) made a comment on why the MA light was not included in PMDG panel. I think he oversimplified the reason however. The logic behind the illumination of this light is quite complex, especially if you take failure scenarios into account.Here are a few of the oddities.There are three conditions when only the F/D's are on and both FCC's are the master:In approach with G/S engaged and LOC capture.In G/A with radio altitude less than 400'In T/O with radio altitude less than 400' (Both master lights come on to show that the F/D's are independent. Above 400', the MA light for second F/D selected goes out... e.g. if the captain put his F/D on first for takeoff, then the F/O his, both MA lights would illuminate when the TOGA switch was pushed. If A/P "B" was selected for climb (above 400'), as I understand it, the Captain's MA light would extinguish (even though it was on first for the F/D function).I'm not sure what would happen if a pilot left his FD off and the TOGA switch was pushed? Would the his/her light illuminate anyway? Experts???Hope this helps.Cheers.Ian.

Well that does make the light much more complicated but that does not mean that they cannot get the logic correct. I think it should be there, it's the one thing missing from a otherwise wonderful Mode Control Panel ;)In responce to your other post, I can live with the slight blur as your first picture has as long as you have the whole MCP. What I want is close up detail of the whole MCP, since it does have a slight angle maybe take it from a looking a bit downward position. What ever you think is best will due for me. Take a look at this screenshot of the changed items for the MCP that I have done, it's not always easy to tell but next to every arrow is a change, some simple and some more difficult. This does not show the A/P disengage bar in the off position but you already see that above. I just added the little *hump* protector next to the F/D =) http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/37608.jpg[h4]Best Wishes,Randy J. Smithhttp://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/196432/winglets_lg.jpg [h3] AMD XP 2200 |MUNCHKIN 512 DDR RAM |ECS[/b ][i] K7S5A MB[/i] |GF2 MX 32 MEG and still runs GOOD!|WIN XP PRO |MITSUBISHI DIAMOND PLUS 91 19"[/h3]