DC-3 Airways Kneeboard Version 3
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NEW IN VERSION 3:

- Revision of the 'Flight Planner' area within the online menu to configure it for weekly updates from multiplayer planners and others who create flight descriptions in browser-based HTM files (as can be saved using MS Word). 
- Addition of 'Route Finder' to the drop-down menu, which is a link to the original flight planner facility found in Version 2 of this kneeboard.
- Revision of original 'Approach Charts' and 'SIDS/STARS' sections to reflect changes within the source site MyAirplane.com

Based on "Virtual Pilot Network v1.4us" by Meatwater 
meatwater@web.de
http://www.vpncentral.ch.vu

This is a modification of the kneeboard facility in Microsoft Flight Simulator FS2004.  It will not work in earlier versions, which were not browser based. The modification adds a number of facilities to your kneeboard which you can access in flight without task switching.  These include:

Offline
-------

E6B Emulator
Flightplan file
Access to your FS2004/AIRCRAFT directory
Image file
Keyboard Commands (revised format)
Time, Speed and Distance Calculator
MAAM-SIM DC-3 manual (if owned)
Notepad

Online
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Airport/Nav Data
Airnav.com
Avsim.com
Charts/My Airplane.com
DC-3 Airways web site
DC-3 Airways forum
DC-3 Hangar (Trev Morson)
Flight Planner (non-FS)
Google search engine
Route Finder
VATSIM web site
Weather - international sites and radar
Weather - U.S. NOAA site and radar

Other online destinations can be fairly easily added by the user as required.

Modified for 'DC-3 Airways' by Mark Beaumont, VP Fleet.  Note that if you install this kneeboard modification it will appear for all your aircraft in Flight Simulator FS2004 when the kneeboard is selected.  Particular aircrafts' checklists and reference sheets will appear as usual, as will Briefing, Navigation and Radio pages.

File name: DCA_KNEE.ZIP

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INSTALLATION:

1.  Unzip DCA_KNEE.ZIP to a temporary directory.

2.  Move the AIRCRAFT folder to your ...../Flight Simulator 9/ folder.  Allow overwriting, as the 
file default file "kneeboard_keys.html" will be automatically backed up in the AIRCRAFT folder as "kneeboard_keysBK.html".  A small folder "DCA" will appear in your AIRCRAFT folder, which contains the new kneeboard files.  

3.  If you would like to see an actual Jeppesen kneeboard in the background rather than the "electronic" Palm Pilot-style box that comes up by default, move the UIRES folder to your ..../Flight Simulator 9/ folder.  The default file "imgkbbkg.bmp" will be overwritten, but renamed and backed up as "imgkbbkgBK.bmp" in the same folder.

That's it.  Now when you call up your kneeboard not only will it look a little better (in my humble view) and less bright at night but it will offer a range of offline and web-based facilities from within Flight Simulator whilst flying.  These range from a Virtual E6B to airport information and diagrams, weather maps, flight planners and so on; not to mention, access to the 'DC-3 Airways' web site and forum from within your cockpit, of course!

NOTE: If you have previously installed Version 1 or 2 of this modification, you do not need to delete it. You may safely overwrite all existing files unless, of course, you have made your own changes, in which case you will be savvy enough to know what and what not to install from this revamped version.

Should you wish to revert to your Flight Simulator's original configuration for any reason, do this:

a) Delete the file AIRCRAFT/kneeboard_keys.html and rename "kneeboard_keysBK.html" to "kneeboard_keys.html"
b) Delete the file UIRES/imgkbbkg.bmp and rename "imgkbbkgBK.bmp" to "imgkbbkg.bmp".
c) Delete the folder AIRCRAFT/DCA.

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OPERATION: 

To call up the DC-3 Airways kneeboard, click the "check" simicon on the main panel or use the F10 key, and then click the "A" button in the kneeboard window to see the DC-3 Airways' modifications which are in the KEY COMMANDS section. 

You can go straight to the 'DC-3 Airways' website by clicking on the main image that appears. There are also a number of key, clickable options, marked as "Offline" and "Online". You will not be able to access the latter if you are not online and therefore should take care not to select such items, as if such a choice causes your ISP software to start, this may cause a task switch and may cause your simulator to hang. 

A drop-down menu on the right at the top repeats these options for easy access at any time and adds a few more.  Should you add any facilities to this kneeboard as explained under "DEVELOPMENT" below, then new entries will appear in this menu.

Your kneeboard is browser based. To navigate back to the previous page or go forward, use the green arrows at the top of the screen, and/or utilise the drop-down menu. 

If you use the Notepad, SAVE any entries before closing the kneeboard or moving to another page.  Note: the notepad, a first for FS given that this is no longer a feature of FS2004 by default, is not perfect.  The ENTER/return key does not function within FS, so you can only drop to the next line by typing to the edge of the box.  When the notepad is open, it seems to have a detrimental effect on frame rates, so don't leave it open for long!  

Flightplan (PDF), Flight Planner (HTM) and Image (JPG) are menu items you can configure yourself.  

Any PDF file named "flightplan.pdf" and dropped into the AIRCRAFT/DCA folder will show on the kneeboard when selected.  An airport diagram of Boston Logan KBOS, DC-3 Airways' primary hub, is supplied by default. Please note: you must have Acrobat Reader installed to be able to use this facility. Get it at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Any HTM file named "fplanner.htm" and dropped into the AIRCRAFT/DCA folder will show on the kneeboard when selected. Look for weekly updates from multiplayer flight planners in the DCA forum; their downloads now include HTM versions of multiplayer flight plans, together with the usual TXT and .fsn files supplied to pilots.  You can also configure your own files, of course.  Backup previous "fplanner.htm" files if, for any reason, you do not wish to lose them.

Similarly, any JPG file named "image.jpg" and dropped into the AIRCRAFT/DCA folder will come up on screen when selected.  Ideas are screen captures of FSNav flightplans, sectionals, approach plates or home airport taxiway diagrams. The possibilities are endless.

If you get "file not found" windows, it is probably because you either have no Internet connection and are attempting to open web-based menu items, or you have not configured the respective PDF or JPG file options properly. Furthermore, the configuration of your personal firewall settings may preclude or permit access to certain sites.  You may need to configure permissions (once) in some instances.

The 'web' box, top centre, allows you to enter the address of any web site and go to it if you are online.  However, surf with care: note that clicking on some hyperlinks that are designed to open a 'new' window may cause a task switch and/or cause FS to hang.  This should not occur when first arriving at any of the sites that are set up for you by default.

If you wish to add your own entries to the drop-down menu, this can be done fairly easily if you have some familiarity with HTML:

DEVELOPMENT

1.  Go to the folder AIRCRAFT/DCA and open it in Windows Explorer
2.  Click on the HTML file 'nav.htm' to open it (having backed it up if you are unfamiliar with HTML).
3.  Right click on the window that opens and select VIEW SOURCE.
4.  The page should open in NOTEPAD. Scroll to the bottom of the page.  You will see a number of entries like this example:

    <option value="http://www.vatsim.net">VATSIM</option>

    By copying and pasting one of these entries and modifying it yourself to include whatever you wish, you can effectively add any item to the drop-down menu.  You can enter a web-based address if you fly while online, or link to an image or data file on your hard disk.

5.  Save the file.  You're done.

Please note that linking to programs themselves, or files that require programs to start for them to be used, will not work in most cases.  Rather, that will cause a task switch and probably hang your simulator.


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LEGAL: Most files are modified by Mark Beaumont with the full agreement of Meatwater, referenced above, who compiled the original files for the Virtual Pilot Network.  

The Virtual E6B and Time/Speed/Distance Calculators are based on web-based aviation calculators built by CSGNetwork.Com and Computer Support Group.  They are modified and used with their very generous permission.  

See their extensive range of aviation converters and calculators at http://www.csgnetwork.com/aviationconverters.html

The notepad script is taken, with permission, from an original concept by Grigoriu Alexandru.

David Wood, DCA-694, suggested the excellent idea of updating the 'Flight Planner' area to allow pilots to call up weekly flight plans for multiplayer from within the kneeboard.

Please do not publish or redistribute these files in any way whatsoever without my express permission.  Thank you.  This revised kneeboard is intended solely for the use of DC-3 Airways' pilots.  It is freeware.
 
This kneeboard has been BETA tested and works well for those that have tried it.  Neither I, nor 'DC-3 Airways', take any responsibility for any damage you may believe has been caused to your system by this modification or by its correct or incorrect installation. 


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October 24, 2005

Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumont
VP Fleet, 'DC-3 Airways'
MABeaumont@aol.com

www.swiremariners.com/dc3.html
www.dc3airways.com


