Virtual Cockpit

for Peters Aircraft

Airbus Industrie A380-800
• Installation, Configuration, Usage •
For X-Plane® version 10.20 and 9.70
Last Revision 16th April 2013

First release: 26th March 2011

Last update: 16th March 2013

3-D Modelling and Animation: Roman Berezin, ramzzess, Ukrania

Textures: Sergey Teterlev, Moscow, Russia

Script Integration into Plugin: Torsten Liesk, QPAC, Canada / Germany

Integration and Coordination Peter Hager, Peters Aircraft, Venezuela / Cayman Islands

Copyright 2010-2013 Peter Hager, Peters Aircraft

Website: petersaircraft.com
E-mail: peter@petersaircraft.com
 Installation

• With the April 2013 edition of the A380, the Virtual Cockpit is already installed, so
there is nothing you need to do for immediate take-off.

Configuration of the View Angle

(Lateral Field of View)

• The lateral view angle is controlled by a plugin. This will not allow you to select the
angle in the Rendering Options screen of X-Plane®.
Default settings are:
45° for the 2D panel and all exterior views.
75° for the 3D cockpit.
You might wish you use different values. Then open the file named “plane.txt”, which
is located within the Custom Avionics folder, and modify the numbers there to your
convenience.
1st line = 2D panel and all exterior views
2nd line = 3D cockpit
Save the file and reload your A380. Then your own values will be affective.

Configuration in X-Plane®
Key and Button Commands

• Load the A380 with the VC installed. The 2D panel shows up. That’s fine. Before
doing anything else, you should assign 5 custom view commands to keys, which will
highly increase efficiency of use of the Virtual Cockpit, in particular if you have no
head tracker device.

• Open the Joystick & Equipment menu in XP, panel Keys.

• Click on and hit a key on you keyboard you have at

disposal. Since we need 5 consecutive keys which all control your views, number “1”
would be a good choice.
• Now click on the checkfield marked in red. An OPEN dialog shows up.
• Go to the highest folder level, and open AIRBUS_QPAC, and open 3D_COCKPIT_COM-
MANDS. (The other commands shown here are designated to home cockpit builders),

• Select VIEW_3D_STRAIGHT, so it becomes assigned to your key.

• Repeat the procedure for the remaining 4 views. The function path will run out of it’s frame.
This does no harm.

• In place or in addition of assignment to keys, you can also assign them to hardware buttons
(triggers). Use the screen BUTTONS:ADV for that, and proceed in exactly the same manner
as described for KEYS.

• In addition you should have a four way switch on your joystick assigned to the DEFAULT
commands:
• VIEW / PAN_UP
• VIEW / PAN_DOWN
• VIEW / PAN_LEFT
• VIEW / PAN_RIGHT
Do this also in the Joystick & Equipment menu, BUTTONS:ADV.

Rendering Options - Monitor Resolution

• The plugin will automatically set LATERAL FIELD OF VIEW to 75°, which gives
you the best possible default view of the VC at any screen resolution. When returning
to the 2D mode, will reset your previously used view angle. On page 2 you already
learned how to modify these values to your own demands, if necessary.

• Be sure the green checkmark below is set.

• Experiment with the resolution and the other rendering options, until the framerate
complies with your computer’s capabilities. In contrary to a 2D panel, the VC benefits
a lot from a high screen resolution. At 2540 x 1600 details on the panels render ex-
tremely sharp. In particular at night, the OH-panel and Center pedestal look breath-
taking at this res. But few systems are able to handle that. You will likely decide for a
resolution between 1600 and 2024 pixel.

Though a low screen resolution might blur the appearance of details, zooming in (by
the + Key) will instantly render them sharp.

Usage
View Control

• Your A380 will initiate in the 2D mode. Always - ALWAYS! - click twice on the am-
ber sunscreen as a first action, in order to set all systems right. It might be a good idea
to turn the taxi camera off, which costs a lot of fms. (We will let the plugin do both in
the future).

The VC will already appear in the 2D side and rear views, which makes the 2D mode
a lot more attractive than before. The 2D mode’s performance is not affected by the
presence of the VC.

• To switch to the 3D mode, hit the 1 key (provided you have installed the custom
views the way described before. Do NOT use the XP command for TOGGLE 3D
COCKPIT, because this will activate mouse control of the view, which is a real ennoy-
ing function.

• The five view commands will give you the following views:
By default, the view center is located above the left seat. So all view commands show
perspectives as seen with the captain’s eyes.

1 - Forward 2 - Center Pedestal with MFDs

3 - Rear Center Pedestal 4 - OH-Panel

5 - Toggles the view position between the left and right seat. When the view center is
shifted to the right seat, all view commands show perspectives as seen with the FO’s
eyes.
1 - Forward 4 - OH-Panel

The commands 1-4 all adopt the FO’s view position, when “right seat” is selected by
command 5. - A second hit on the same key will return the view to the left seat.
Certainly you can switch directly from one view to another, without returning to the
straight forward view upfront.
 Using the FMS

View 2 puts the KCCU and the left MFD in perfect position to work with the FMS. Un-
like the 2D panel, there is no pop-up panel available, nor is it necessary. You can type
directly on the KCCU, eventually using a slight zoom command (+).

A click on the INIT key brings up the INIT

page and let’s you start with entering flight
plan data. All keys and buttons on the KCCU
work exactly like the ones of the 2D pop-up
panel.
 Using the Radio Unit

View 3 puts the Radio Panel in perfect position.

If necessary, apply zoom (+).

This radio unit works exactly like the one on the 2D pop-up panel.

The Computer Keyboard Table

If you are on the captain’s side and pan down a little by using the 4-way switch on the
joystick, you can extend the working table with the integrated computer keyboard.

• Click into the area marked in red to extend the table.

• Click into the area marked in yellow to stow the table. A few keys are acvtive. Click
to see what happens! Maybe we could use them someday to display the FCOM, charts
etc...?

The table on the First Officer’s side is not animated.

* * *