WCM Forum - ACS MD-11 panel version 2-50 imminent !!!

Dear MD-11 fans,

My appologize to not write in German, but I am definitively not fluent enough to write in this language.

I know that my MD-11 panel is quite popular in Germany, most probably because of the nice reviews written in FlightXpress magazine, by Urs Wildermuth, one of my panel greater fan !!!

Here some news about the imminent next 2.50 version of my MD-11 panel:

This version is made compatible with the optional engine sound package I will publish in the same time. This mean that my tool "install.exe" will see if the sound package is installed and allow you, in this case, to install the panel with these engine sounds.

Panel now include an auto-throttle takeoff mode (TOGA).

Thanks to new information's I get about some deep technical aspects of flight dynamic tuning, I was able to improve the flight model even more. It was, for example, necessary to improve as much as I can, the auto-throttle behaviors, in the background of the auto-throttle takeoff mode. The good surprise was it had also improved almost every other flight profiles under full auto-throttle & auto-pilot control. I also work around several drag factors.

Auto-landing was improved by introducing feedback's on the Primary Flight Display and a permanent check of the necessary conditions for a good auto-landing. In case conditions come out of limits, an alarm sound occur.

TCAS can now run with four different modes, wich allow to filter the traffic. You can see all traffics like before, or only those which are over you. With third mode, you see only those under you and finally, the "THREAT" mode which is the most restrictive filter. It show only traffic which may potentially become a real threat.

Setting logic of barometric pressure was corrected to be conform to the real aircraft. Pressing the "baro" button now preserve the setting and set aircraft instruments with "STD" pressure. When you exit "STD" mode, you will recover the previous setting. When the selected mode is not appropriate, regarding the actual flight level, color will be yellow, otherwise it will be green (standard altitude is set to 18000 feets). You can also now toggle the barometric pressure unit in HG or MBAR, by using the real aircaft button, just over the button to set the pressure.

Active auto-throttle and auto-pilot settings for speed and altitude, displayed on the Primary Flight Display are in yellow color as long as the aircraft do not match these orders and when it is the case, the color will turn to green. In the same way, slats/flaps indicator will turn to green only when demanded position is reached.

when you have activated the auto-pilot "flight level change" mode the active speed displayed on the Primary Flight Display will now remain lit, so you can verify which speed reference use the mode. The N1 power reference you catch when you engage this mode for a climb will now be also displayed on the engines gauge.

The total fuel indication on CRT #4 will now turn to yellow color when remaining fuel reach 8 ton's limit and red under 4 ton's.

An user discover a weakness of the logic control of the auto-brake, which resulted in an abnormal RTO activation after a landing. This is corrected now.

I reworked my personnal engine sound package to get more realistic inside cockpit sound ambiance and suppressed the parasite noise triggered by my APU simulation, with an engine start sound #1 modification. Thanks to the authorization of the author of the sounds I mostly used to build this engine sounds set, I am able now to publish this recommended optional sound package that you will found on my site.

Stay tuned and check my site www.acsoft.ch often.

Best Regards,

Alain