Are there any 2D instrument panels out there that fully replicate what the pilot sees from full left to full right? 

That is, NOT USING POPUPS  for individual gauges & controls- but rather a complete full cockpit width panel in 3 segments - each representing 1/3 of the real panel itself..

(Yes, Virtual does this- at the price of having the panel twisting around in sync with the outside world scenery and having to zoom in to read gauges.)

What i'm looking for is a 2D panel design for use with perhaps a 50" flat panel screen. Panel would extend full width via triple segments - L fwd, Centre, R fwd  synched and spanning full width.

(The panel in 2D does not twist, roll nor zoom as the aircraft manoeuvers but remains constant with the pilot's eyes at all times. In a real cockpit, ONLY the scenery rolls and pitches.)

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The reason for popups many years ago was that monitors were so small - my first was a very modern 16" job!!  But now with 40- 60" displays available, why not a fixed 2D panel that spans a width approaching real life? And if you are really into this, then add fourth & fifth segments for overhead & lower monitors to handle overhead panel and FMC.

 

Virtual arose because a 2D truncated mainpanel plus popups didn't look very real. But the price of virtual was the need to zoom to read gauges and to suffer the unreality of a panel that rolled and twisted with the plane's motion. (In real life the panel and instruments remain fixed relative to the pilot's eyes regardless of airplane motion and attitude.)

 

2D panels designed to take advantage of modern, very large monitors solves the problem!!!! 

Are there any panel designers reading this?

 

January

 

You could also just create your own,

 

www.fspanelstudio.com

 

Ron.

Hi Ron- interesting thought. But way beyond my competence!

However, what I'm suggesting is really the design of a brand new panel that replicates the entire real airplane panel - from L side window to R side window.

The increased width would be visually usable with large monitors in the 50-70" range.

 

The outer two segments could be popups so that the plane could also be flown on much smaller mons with perhaps only the left & center portions normally visible.

 

 Lack of large monitors has always made clever schemes necessary (such as popups or virtual presentation) - neither of which comes anywhere near the realism that is now the potential of large displays, whether they be monitor or projector.

Regards - january

There are some places,

 

here;  http://flyawaysimulation.com/downloads/97/fsx-panels-gauges/20/

 

or here;  http://www.friendlypanels.com/

 

If you search for FSX 2D panels, you might find some one who has done what you need.

 

I have used panelstudio before and it is really quite easy to do,  you can start with any default panel and simply add the 'pop up' ones in. 

 

Ron.

Thanks Ron- had a look thru'  those but didn't see what I had in mind.

 

Best description of my thinking would be a converted "virtual and unzoomed" panel that was modified  to "2D" so it does not roll and pitch- but always remains constant or fixed, relative to the pilot's eyes. As is the panel in a REAL airplane.

If one used a fairly large screen- perhaps 40"+ and as close to the pilot's eyes as possible, then there should be no need to zoom in/out. A 2D fixed panel containing   all instruments in the real thing would be a joy to behold! 

 

(Modern Virtual panels are works of art, so why not offer them also as 2D in a triple segment, fixed format?

Virtual panels are relics from the days of very small monitors when popups were the only way to make all instruments available to the sim pilot, Virtual allowed the whole panel to be displayed but needed zoom capability)

 

(Earlier I had suggested monitors as large as 60-65" and only 2-3 ft. from one's eyes. That turns out to require monitor resolutions only found in medical imaging- so scratch that- unless one has a fat wallet.)

january