Looking for Custom 172 Panel

[Guest Tadpole]

Hi all, I'm pretty new to this stuff and I've been spending too much time trying to find what I'm looking for to no avail.I'm looking to have a custom panel for a Cessna 172 that matches what I'm flying for IR training in real life. The one I fly has an HSI instead of the standard DG, and with that there there is no CDI for Nav1 on the right side, just a blank spot there with CDI for Nav2 and ADF indicators below that. I'd also like to have the stack match as much as possible. It's got a KLN-89B for a GPS below the audio panel, then the two radios, DME, ADF, then AP w/o Alt. Picture of the real panel attached.At minimum I'd like the HSI and removal of the top CDI. Then the same GPS or close (maybe 90 or 94)...the rest of it isn't a big deal at all.Is there anything like this already out there as payware or freeware? I could probably handle modifying files if I knew what to do.Thanks.

[Chock 17,769]

If you want a simple way to create exactly what you want but are not sure what to do, then this is an option:http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=FSP-ESD-001It's a cool program, easy to use, and was highly rated by Avsim when it was reviewed. Alternatively, if you don't fancy spending 17 quid for that, you can open up the panel config file in something like Notepad and manually shift stuff around. Below in bold you will see a snippet of the kind of stuff you need to tweak, which you'll see when you open up the config file, which you'll find in the aircraft's panel folder, just right click on it and choose 'open in Notepad':gauge00=Cessna!Altimeter, 346,167, 79, 79gauge01=Cessna!Annunciator, 517,159, 62, 15gauge02=Cessna!Avionics Switch, 288,426, 37, 47gauge03=Cessna!Flaps, 467,415, 48, 64gauge04=Cessna!Fuel_Selector, 556,415, 82, 62gauge05=Cessna!Heading_Indicator, 264,247, 81, 81As should be apparent, you can change the name of what gauge you want to appear and change the position it appears on the panel by changing the figures and instrument name. If you back up the original panel config file and keep it somewhere safe, you could then play around with the config file and alter some of the numbers slightly and observe what changes it makes in the sim to figure out what exactly you need to alter to shift the position of the dials, which is a good way to learn. Just make sure you make a back up copy of the config file and keep it somewhere safe so that you can put it back if you do something that you find tricky to fix. A good trick is to open your back up in Notepad too and use it for reference when you make changes, so that it is easy to see and compare how it was originally. It's not as hard as it might seem, and providing you keep a back up, you won't break anything that cannot easily be sorted out, so why not give it a shot, because it's probably the only way you'll get something exactly like the particular aircraft you wish to emulate without stumping up the cash for FS Panel Design Studio. If it all goes horribly wrong and you find it too much hassle, just put your back up file back where it was originally and you could then decide if you wanted to buy Panel Studio after all, which would probably only take you twenty minutes to use in order to get the panel you desire.One thing you should be aware of however, is that when you shift a dial's position, you reveal the texture image that is behind it, so you might find that you'll want to repaint the background panel texture in order to not have unsightly holes showing up where the dials used to be. For that kind of thing you need a paint program (many free ones on the net will do) and you'll also probably need DXTBmp (also free and to be found on the net), which is a little utility that converts texture files into more common types that paint programs use, so that you can repaint them. DXTBmp will then convert them back into the correct format for FS after you've done messing with them.Al

[Guest Tadpole]

If you want a simple way to create exactly what you want but are not sure what to do, then this is an option:http://www.flight1.com/products.asp?product=FSP-ESD-001It's a cool program, easy to use, and was highly rated by Avsim when it was reviewed. Alternatively, if you don't fancy spending 17 quid for that, you can open up the panel config file in something like Notepad and manually shift stuff around. Below in bold you will see a snippet of the kind of stuff you need to tweak, which you'll see when you open up the config file, which you'll find in the aircraft's panel folder, just right click on it and choose 'open in Notepad'

I'm pretty sure I can handle swapping the DG out to an HSI from another aircraft. I'm assuming that by doing so I wouldn't need to do anything extra to make it work with Nav so I'd have the right CDI and GS indications.I'd need to play with removing the top CDI though and making sure it looked alright with no hole there.Any ideas on the GPS?

[Chock 17,769]

You'd probably be better asking about the GPS in the panel maker's forum lower down on the Avsim Forum main page. I don't indulge in this kind of thing often enough to really know the best way to get the GPS you want (it's not helped by the fact that I tend to fly canvas covered crappy old gliders in real life, the panels on which tend to resemble the kind of intrumentation technology you found in the Sopwith Camel, which are not noted for their IFR capabilities, although on the plus side that might mean I'd stand a chance in the unlikely event that I had to dogfight Manfred Von Richthofen), but the people who frequent that forum almost certainly will know about all the various GPS stuff you can do, so I'd give that a shot if I were you.Al

[Taildragger 2]

If you want some relief from the trial-and-error guess work of positioning gauges in a panel, check out FS Panel Studio. It's an indispensable tool if you do much panel editing or creating.http://www.fspanelstudio.com/The freeware demo version will give you a feel for the capabilities. At least you will be able to see whether it's worth upgrading to the full version. Grab the manual also.John

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

Hi all, I'm pretty new to this stuff and I've been spending too much time trying to find what I'm looking for to no avail.I'm looking to have a custom panel for a Cessna 172 that matches what I'm flying for IR training in real life. The one I fly has an HSI instead of the standard DG, and with that there there is no CDI for Nav1 on the right side, just a blank spot there with CDI for Nav2 and ADF indicators below that. I'd also like to have the stack match as much as possible. It's got a KLN-89B for a GPS below the audio panel, then the two radios, DME, ADF, then AP w/o Alt. Picture of the real panel attached.At minimum I'd like the HSI and removal of the top CDI. Then the same GPS or close (maybe 90 or 94)...the rest of it isn't a big deal at all.Is there anything like this already out there as payware or freeware? I could probably handle modifying files if I knew what to do.Thanks.

Depending on your budget, you might want to look at the Flight1 C172 and the RealityXP FLT gauges.Assuming you would like to modify the VC, here is something you could do: (I just exchanged the Gyro for an HSI).The VOR1 gauge pretty much has to stay unless you can find a "cover" to load over top of the background image..If you only want to modify the 2d cockpit, you could change the background bitmap to get rid of the VOR1 gauge... Let me know if this is heading in the right direction.. :(ps. the radio stack is modifyable.. and the ADF gauge can be added also..

[Guest Tadpole]

Depending on your budget, you might want to look at the Flight1 C172 and the RealityXP FLT gauges.Assuming you would like to modify the VC, here is something you could do: (I just exchanged the Gyro for an HSI).The VOR1 gauge pretty much has to stay unless you can find a "cover" to load over top of the background image..If you only want to modify the 2d cockpit, you could change the background bitmap to get rid of the VOR1 gauge... Let me know if this is heading in the right direction.. :( ps. the radio stack is modifyable.. and the ADF gauge can be added also..

That might work too. I did make an error, in my OP I said it had DME..it doesn't.I downloaded the FS Panel demo thing. Just playing around I got the HSI from the Baron put in place of the DG, and I removed the DME, shifted everything down and put in a KLN-90B, the closest GPS I can find so far. But I don't know if it all works, since it's the demo.Yes, I want to edit VC since I like to use TrackIR in that mode, but I'm guessing once I start practicing IR on FSX I really won't need it and will use 2d since I'll be pretending to be under the hood.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

If all you want to do is modify the 2d cockpit, it might looks like something like this,(have not bothered to take out the VOR1 gauge, but that would not be hard to do..)

[Guest Tadpole]

If all you want to do is modify the 2d cockpit, it might looks like something like this,(have not bothered to take out the VOR1 gauge, but that would not be hard to do..)

Ya, I'm guessing the 2d is all I'd really be flying under for IR practice, that shot looks nice. I'd like to see the VOR1 gone and an ADF placed underneat VOR2...I need to mess with the GPS some more. I'm trying to do this without buying the FSPanel program, but it won't kill me if I do need to buy it.

[Guest Tadpole]

When I go into FS Panel Studio and open the panel in Cessna 172 folder...it gives me different panel choices in a pop up window. I'm assuming the one called Main Panel is the VC and the IFR Panel is the 2d one? What about the Landing View?

[brucek 38]

When I go into FS Panel Studio and open the panel in Cessna 172 folder...it gives me different panel choices in a pop up window. I'm assuming the one called Main Panel is the VC and the IFR Panel is the 2d one? What about the Landing View?

I have my IR, and have only flown the C172SP as an IR pilot. The F1 product referred to above is a 172R, however I believe there are mods to the flight model in aircraft.cfg that you can do to simulate the SP performance.I find the default FSX C172 (SP) to have a great flight model- in rl I fly to the FAF at 90 KIAS and 2200 RPM. The flight model in the FSX stock a/c does that quite well. Then when intercepting the GS, reduce RPM to 1800, and you will glide down the slope at 90 KIAS, with only minor pitch changes required. I have tried mating the F1 panel to the FSX stock C172SP, but you need to play around with the viewpoint some (I can't recall how I did that).The RXP FLT gauge add-on will let you install as HSI in place of the DG (this is important if you are using FSX for training, as the HSI behave differently in DME-arcs, and reverse sensing of the LOC- and besides there is much more info in a HSI than a DG.The C172SP that I fly has the KLN-94 installed, however I have the RXP GNS-430 in FSX. It's different from the KLN, and so no real help to you, but the chances are if you ever get into another aircraft it will have a 430 or a 530 installed, or a G-1000. Good luck with the IR, it's fun.Bruce.

[Guest Tadpole]

I have my IR, and have only flown the C172SP as an IR pilot. The F1 product referred to above is a 172R, however I believe there are mods to the flight model in aircraft.cfg that you can do to simulate the SP performance.I find the default FSX C172 (SP) to have a great flight model- in rl I fly to the FAF at 90 KIAS and 2200 RPM. The flight model in the FSX stock a/c does that quite well. Then when intercepting the GS, reduce RPM to 1800, and you will glide down the slope at 90 KIAS, with only minor pitch changes required. I have tried mating the F1 panel to the FSX stock C172SP, but you need to play around with the viewpoint some (I can't recall how I did that).The RXP FLT gauge add-on will let you install as HSI in place of the DG (this is important if you are using FSX for training, as the HSI behave differently in DME-arcs, and reverse sensing of the LOC- and besides there is much more info in a HSI than a DG.The C172SP that I fly has the KLN-94 installed, however I have the RXP GNS-430 in FSX. It's different from the KLN, and so no real help to you, but the chances are if you ever get into another aircraft it will have a 430 or a 530 installed, or a G-1000. Good luck with the IR, it's fun.Bruce.

Thanks for the info. So far I went into the panel file and changed gauges over to the Baron's HSI and I've got it working on all views except VC..I need to move it around some and maybe resize a bit.As for the GPS, I'd like to get a King in there even though I don't like them, so I can get used to it. I've not started the IR yet, but I have 2 choices in planes...one is the 172SP I'm working on the panel for now...the other is a different 172 with a 210HP engine in it, constant speed prop, shotgun panel, and a GNS-430. If I can figure out this panel thing, maybe I'll make one to match that panel.I've been going back and forth on which one to do my RL IR training in. I like the 172SP for it's nice interior, 6 pack, HSI, and all the goodies. I'm not real fond of the shotgun panel in the other 172, but I love the extra HP (I fly out of a 7000'MSL airport) and the Garmin 430.

[Guest Tadpole]

Okay the problem I'm having with adding the HSI to the VC is that even sized and positioned right, the GS hash marks and knobs are kind of hidden behind the panel...any way to place that thing on top so it's not behind that layer? Still, probably not a biggie as I'm betting I'll not be in VC when practicing IR.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

Okay the problem I'm having with adding the HSI to the VC is that even sized and positioned right, the GS hash marks and knobs are kind of hidden behind the panel...any way to place that thing on top so it's not behind that layer? Still, probably not a biggie as I'm betting I'll not be in VC when practicing IR.

The default FSX C172 has a circular cutout in the panel for that gauge and there is no way around that...That is why I chose the Flight1 C172 for my example.. it does not have that restriction.

[Bert Pieke 7,584]

Okay the problem I'm having with adding the HSI to the VC is that even sized and positioned right, the GS hash marks and knobs are kind of hidden behind the panel...any way to place that thing on top so it's not behind that layer? Still, probably not a biggie as I'm betting I'll not be in VC when practicing IR.

What about something like this?