I guess I should've posted this earlier :) What I've done with my setup is assign a default forward 'look down' angle to my PIC767 panel to suit my own personal tastes and to always have the runway in sight during approaches will full panel view. These are my settings under the 'view' section of my 767PIC panel.cfg file:[VIEWS]view_forward_WINDOWS=0VIEW_FORWARD_ZOOM=0.72VIEW_FORWARD_DIR=9.0, 0.0, 0.0VIEW_FORWARD_RIGHT_WINDOWS=31VIEW_FORWARD_RIGHT_DIR=1.0, 0.0, 45.0VIEW_RIGHT_WINDOWS=32VIEW_RIGHT_DIR=2.0, 0.0, 90.0VIEW_REAR_RIGHT_WINDOWS=33VIEW_REAR_RIGHT_ZOOM=1.3VIEW_REAR_RIGHT_DIR=2.0, 0.0, 135.0VIEW_REAR_WINDOWS=36VIEW_REAR_ZOOM=0.87VIEW_REAR_DIR=18.0, 0.0, 0.0VIEW_REAR_LEFT_WINDOWS=35VIEW_REAR_LEFT_DIR=2.0, 0.0, 225.0VIEW_LEFT_WINDOWS=30VIEW_LEFT_DIR=2.0, 0.0, 270.0VIEW_FORWARD_LEFT_WINDOWS=34VIEW_FORWARD_LEFT_DIR=2.0, 0.0, 315.0VIEW_DOWN_WINDOWS=37VIEW_DOWN_ZOOM=0.87VIEW_DOWN_DIR=18.0, 0.0, 0.0; --------------------------------------------The 'VIEW_FORWARD_DIR=9.0, 0.0, 0.0' statement displayed at the beginning of the above listing automatically bumps your view perspective downward a notch on main panel forward view bootup (the default first number is 10, changing this first number to 9 bumps the view perspective 'down'). The '0.0, 0.0' part of the statement is default and only has to do with viewing direction, you shouldn't need to adjust it. Anytime you switch a view direction or go to spot view and then return to cockpit view, your view perspective will default to this newly specified view perspective assigment. Additionally I have my default forward zoom set to .72 as you can tell, although I am uncertain if this really has any effect on the panel view in practical terms. The only reliable way to set and maintain a specified zoom value that I know of is to first set your view/options/zoom preference in FS2002, then save as your default startup situation file. When you first boot up FS2002 with this situation file it will maintain your desired forward zoom even after you switch views, ect. As far as I can tell, using the VFR minipanel view will not affect this default zoom and should in fact transfer the main panel default zoom to the minipanel view as well. I will test it further just to make sure. I think the problem with the view perspective jumping up or down respectively when you change back and forth from the cockpit and VFR minipanel views may have to do with the default exterior view in the forward PIC767 cockpit. If you've never adjusted this since installing your PIC panel, the outside view in normally set to half screen. When you press W to use the VFR minipanel it goes automatically to full screen outside view. This may be the key to the up/down perspectives changing. I will try to expand my PIC cockpit outside view to full screen and then try switching back and forth between the VFR minipanel view to see if that's the culprit here.As I personally have a low end machine (until I build my new Athlon 2000XP based system :( ), I prefer the halfscreen exterior setup with the default PIC767 panel as it boosts frame rates pretty dramatically over full screen outside view. The only drawback of course is having to reset the perspective when switching to the VFR minipanel. But with my MS Sidewinder joystick assigned keyboard macros it's pretty painless overall. Thank you Phil Geddes and others for coming up with these neat VFR views! Hopefully we can all put our heads together and work out the small kinks of making a tuned up custom PIC VFR minipanel.

I love saying 'addendum', makes me sound so smart doesn't it :(Here is a quick synopsis of how to get P. Geddes VFR view (available here at AVSIM) set up as your default minipanel with 767PIC:Backup your FS2002/aircraft/default/panel directory by copying it to another location. Delete everything within this directory now. Copy the 767vfr.bmp (or other bitmap, depending on which VFR you like), to this directory. Using notepad, make a brand new panel.cfg file and save it with the following entries (again, save to the FS2002/aircraft/default/panel directory!):;-----------------------------------------------------------------; [MiniPanels]; [MiniPanels SingleEngine]; [MiniPanels MultiEngine]; [MiniPanels NoVacuum];; [MiniPanels Prop]; [MiniPanels Prop SingleEngine]; [MiniPanels Prop MultiEngine];; [MiniPanels TurboProp]; [MiniPanels TurboProp SingleEngine]; [MiniPanels TurboProp MultiEngine];; [MiniPanels Jet]; [MiniPanels Helicopter];[MiniPanels]MiniPanel00=Mini Panel Gauges[MiniPanels Jet]MiniPanel01=Mini Panel Gauges for Single Engine Aircraft[MiniPanels NoVacuum]MiniPanel02=Mini Panel Gauges for Primitive Aircraft[MiniPanel00]position=7size_mm=600,100window_size=0.9,0.20child_3d=1background_color=0,0,0ident=MINIPANELgauge00=MiniPanel!Airspeed, 0, 0, 100, 100gauge01=MiniPanel!Turn Coordinator, 100, 0, 100, 100gauge02=MiniPanel!Attitude, 200, 0, 100, 100gauge03=MiniPanel!Heading Indicator, 300, 0, 100, 100gauge04=MiniPanel!Altimeter, 400, 0, 100, 100gauge05=MiniPanel!Vertical Speed, 500, 0, 100, 100[MiniPanel01]file=767VFR.bmpsize_mm=1280,1024window_size_ratio=1.00 position=6child_3d=0background_color=0,0,0ident=MINIPANELgauge00=B767WAfds_0001!Gear, 1320,370,101,456gauge01=B767WAfds_0001!Nav1, 1056,617,364,171gauge02=B767WAfds_0001!MasterSwitch, 963,685,58,49gauge03=B767WAfds_0001!Autoland, 808,809,119,66gauge04=B767Wairspeed_0001, 345,874,153,152gauge05=B767Waltimeter_0001, 797,883,138,139gauge06=B767Weadi_0001, 544,836,195,158gauge07=B767Wgpws_mute, 1194,865,89,72gauge08=pss_757.standby_adi, 994,821,149,141gauge09=B767WAfds_0001!OMI, 934,925,42,155[MiniPanel02]position=7size_mm=400,100window_size=0.6,0.20child_3d=1background_color=0,0,0ident=MINIPANELgauge00=MiniPanel!Airspeed, 0, 0, 100, 100gauge01=MiniPanel!Compass, 100, 0, 100, 100gauge02=MiniPanel!Altimeter, 200, 0, 100, 100gauge03=MiniPanel!Vertical Speed, 300, 0, 100, 100;------------------------------------------------------------------Now you are set to go, press W to access this view, and W twice to get back to the full cockpit. We are still trying to solve the obvious view perspective problems but for now you can use alt-enter and alt-backspace to fix your views correctly when switching between VFR minipanel and PIC767 fullsize cockpit views. Have fun and experiment. If you figure something cool out about how to improve anything on this, please post your 'recipe', thanks!

"Jonas Grumby"wasn't that supposed to be the Skipper's real name on Gilligan's Island?:-outta

Right you are little buddy. Glad someone picked up on that :( Gilligan, Ginger, Mary Ann, Professor, Mr. and Mrs. Howell, somebody still remembers us!

Just making that new cfg and placing it in the "FS2002/aircraft/default" directory will not bring the VFR panel by pressing "w". You also need to copy those new cfg entries INTO the PIC panel cfg. The problem with this minipanel view is the ZOOM and UP and DOWN ratio. While it is true that you can "change this in game" it will also change the DEFAULT pic panels perspective which is a problem. I don't know about you folks but I don't want to have to mess with so many buttons while trying to land. Saving your setting "in flight will solve this yes, but those of us who make differnt flight plans and many flights don't want to have to save every flight just to get the right view perspective. If there is some way to make the "outside view for the minipanel" STAY with the correct settings for the vfr panel would be the perfect setup we could wish for seeing that the landing lights and raindrops work. I think that Lee's panel setup might be the way to go. I know that his has landing lights but no rain. I would rather have no rain then have to mess around with all these other problems the minipanel brings up. Just my 5 cents worth.Best Wishes,Randy Smith

Man, I'm for anything that works easiest. I had no idea you guys had figured out a way to have landing lights other than the minipanel though, can you please explain or direct me to the thread that details on how to do this?I agree that the perspective shift with the minipanel technique is a pain, if there is no ultimate workaround and Lee's method is working I say go for it. I'm just tickled that I can now taxi at night without having to 'use the force' to try and sense where the taxiways are in the dim FS world. But sure, either way it's fun stuff, please keep up your efforts.

There are no posts that deal with what we are talking about. You can get a hold of Lee's panel and check out the Cfg settings or I can send it to you. I am frustated trying to get this to work right but I will keep at it to see what I can do. Jonas, do you know how to program gauges at all? I can place them and the like but XML and C type programming is way over my head and someone who knows how to do this would really help out here making us all a great VFR view that works. Best Wishes, Randy Smith