Paul Golding's MD-80 Panel For FS2000

By Shawn Anderson (4 December 2000)

So you say you would like to have a very realistic panel to put into your new MD-80? Well, I have a solution that you will definitely agree with. How about the newly released MD-80 panel by Paul Golding? Realistic, you bet. Paul took many months producing this incredible piece of artwork for the flightsim community.

I took one look at this panel and said, "This is one necessity I have to have for my treasured aircraft fleet." Indeed it is, and you will soon discover the beauty and detail that went into this project.

I am sure you have quite a few panels installed in your FS2000 directory. I'll also bet you probably had some problems installing them. Well, not to worry. Paul has come to the rescue. You want an easy installation, you got it. Once you have downloaded the panel .ZIP file and have remembered where you have saved it, unzip the file and double click on the inside file named pg.md80.fs2000.panel.v2.exe and an installation program will start, which will install the panel in the proper place. Just follow the directions and you will have one of the best freeware panels to use. Two aircraft are also included with this wonderful panel: Evergreen DC-9-33 and a North Central DC-9-51, which already are configured for the panel. After the panel is installed, it resides in your Fsfsconv folder, which is located within your FS2000 Aircraft folder.

Besides the panel being installed, what other important features are included? How about sounds, which include all needed .wav files for the pushback. Yes, you can set yourself at the gate and have your flight pushed back.

For me, I really did not seem to have many noted problems that other users seem to be having. Be sure you are running a 3D video card, and have all of your settings configured in your main FS2000 settings menu.

Paul went as far as creating all new views for this project. There is no rear view, but all others are included. When you take off, look right and you will see just how real it is. You will feel like you are really in the left hand seat.

Ok, many have asked if there is a startup procedure. The answer is yes. Are there shortcuts? Probably, but I didn't use any. Don't try using the Ctrl E sequence because it will not work. You actually have to follow a set procedure to get the aircraft started. Here is a sample list of the startup procedure:

1. Start Generator
2. Start engine #1 and wait for N2 spool up on engine #1
3. Start fuel pump
4. Ignite

Then you will do the same process for engine #2.

Remember this is just an outline on how to start the engines. I can't tell you everything. Reading directions and experimenting is the best way to learn. Hey, it took me a few tries to get the startup procedure right.

From the onset of FS2000, many new implementations have taken place with a lot of designers. Night lighting has become very common now with a lot of planes and panels. Paul has a couple of different lighting effects he used for this panel, which adds to the realism. Most of the gauges used are new and different from most of the freeware panels I have used and seen. One of the new features used in this panel is an actual operational windshield wiper with two speeds, complete with sound! As you know, this has never been done before. Looks like the Year 2000 has brought us a lot of firsts. The wipers are controlled on the overhead panel, which also has all the switches you will need to start the engines. If you are going to use the wipers, make sure you have enough RAM. This gauge seems to eat quite a bit of RAM, so you may want to keep your background programs running to a minimum which would include antivirus programs, Realplayer, AOL IM, ICQ, Task Scheduler, etc. I do not provide support on helping you get more RAM, as these are mainly system and Windows settings.

Every pilot knows how to operate the autopilot. This one seems to be very realistic and fully operational. Custom sounds are included which includes the GPWS sounds. After you retract the gear, it will tell you when the gear is up, and when you put the gear down, it tells you that the gear is down and locked. Kind of like having your own personal co-pilot. Other great features include a built-in radio stack, no smoking/fasten seat-belts sign, custom gauges and sounds, and another great tool that is a must, a fully functional Heads up Display (HUD). The HUD displays a working HSI, altimeter, airspeed, heading, and a vertical speed indicator. This is a great tool to use when you are on approach in bad or limited visibility weather conditions. The actual shield itself is clear, with the direct information being bright green in color.

As far as I could tell, this panel did not sacrifice frame rates that much. However, if you have all of the gauges running at once, which would include the wipers and HUD, frame rates could drop as much as 3-5 fps, but it is worth it. Although the panel is listed for use with the MD-80 series aircraft, you can also use it in any of the DC-9 series aircraft. If you wish to use this panel with any other aircraft you have installed in FS2000, simply open up the Panel folder located in one of the included aircraft, copy the Panel.cfg and Paste it into a different aircraft of your choice. You must remember to Paste it into the Panel folder, or else it will not show up.

I wish to congratulate Paul Golding on a excellent job at creating a realistic panel for the Flight Sim community. I had great pleasure in using it, and will continue to get great use out of it. This panel is Freeware, and hope that all of the community members who use it will enjoy it as much as I did, and appreciate al the hard work Paul endured building this panel.

Out of a possible 100%, I rate this incredible panel a 98%.