With my DIY cockpit gradually forming in shape, I found the using and fitting of the keyboard and mouse a bit clumsy. The worse is they cannot be simply “trashed” as they are needed for many inputs and controls, such as airport switching.
In the end, I found a solution of replacing the normal keyboard and the mouse 
with a miniature keyboard that comes with an integrated touchpad. The best part is the keyboard even has a backlit.
Actually it (D8) is not my first choice. Continue reading
The Shaders Cleaner for P3D has been updated to version 5a, which now includes the cleaning of the Effects folder as well. It is available for download from the Freeware Section 
in my Store; and it continues to be downward-compatible with P3D version 3 and 4.
NOTE that after the shaders are cleaned, it may take a little longer for P3D to reload the flight session the next time. The screen may even black out for some seconds. No worry, everything will come back to normal after the shader cache is built again.
In case you are not aware, P3Dv5 Hot Fix 2 is now available. According to LM, additional fixes for high priority issues are included in the new Client installer. The Content, Scenery and SDK updates are optional.
IMPORTANT: Make a full backup of your current setup before updating to Hot Fix 2, just in case, because past experiences tell new updates DO NOT mean they are error-free.
Also, check with what others say about the Hot Fix 2 in the P3D Forum before you proceed. It may saves you a lot of troubles.
According to LM, Hot Fix 2 for P3Dv5 will be released early next week. Client update is needed only. But there will be additional fixes in the optional content and scenery update.
I bought a full scale C172 glare-shield for my cockpit rebuilding back in 2017. After setting up the FIPs and Avionics stacks two weeks ago, I found out they didn’t fit to each other.
Since the FIPs were leaned backward on their original plastic frames, which didn’t match with the vertical avionics stack at all, I then decided to replace them with a one-piece wooden frame just like the one I made for the avionics. Moreover, as the avionics in one stack format would leave many empty spaces on the right, I decided to put them into a B58 style layout as well.
In addition, two 12-push button switch arrays from iflysims.com were added to the cockpit for general functions, such as open doors, etc.
Followings are the pictures during the makeover: Continue reading
Over the last few months, I’ve been looking for a proper T-shade handle to replace the unattractive pull button handle on my parking brake. Among the last three candidates I chose, the nylon one on the right is the final winner.
However, as the screw size of it is an M-6 and the shaft of the parking brake is an M-4, I have to additionally source Continue reading
If you are having multi-monitors in your system, you may try disabling the “Full 
Screen Optimizations” option in your simulator. I came across this tip somewhere I found on the Internet many months ago and it said the framerate would be benefit.
I tried it on my system for a couple of weeks. Frankly, I didn’t get any noticeable difference in the areas I usually fly. But the framerate seems to be slightly higher and a bit more stable in other dense populated areas.
I can’t be 100% sure, but I found no issues from disabling the option as well. So I just leave it.
Here’s how to do it: Continue reading
I never like the info texts on top left and top right corners in red color as they are hard to see. To change them into white color that I prefer, I go to [DISPLAY] section in the Prepar3D.cfg (or fsx.cfg) file. Then replace the values of
InfoUpperLeftTextColorUser, and
InfoUpperRightTextColor
from 255,0,0 (red) to 255,255,255 (white). That’s it. 
One may also Continue reading
by David Marsden
Many of us are advised to turn OFF Anisotropic and Anti-aliasing especially when running with FSX. David Marsden in UK finds it the exact opposite.
I have been experimenting with my settings to see what works best for my PC. It is running FSX and the specifications are not very high.
Core i7-4770K CPU @ 3.5 GHz
16 GB Ram
Windows 7 64 bit
NVidia Geforce GTX960 video card
Three screens for the main display and one other for the instruments
Continue reading
FSX TIMES 
