# 4.1 Description of Main Panel

The pilot’s panel of “D-IBUF” is completely conventional, as opposed to the copilot’s side with two Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays of which the upper one with the Attitude Situation Indicator and Flight Director is marginally visible on the small inset on the synthetic VFR approach photo in the section “History of the real Do 128-6 “D-IBUF”.
Here a first overview of the complete FS2004 main panel with the Radio Panel and Overhead Panel (only a placeholder here, it is now greatly extended). You may move directly to the detailed explanation of any item over which the mouse pointer turns into a hand by left-clicking on it with your mouse, and you can return to this overview by left-clicking in the detail-picture. However, general instruments which are present in (just about) every plane are not separately explained, as for instance the altitude indicator:
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4.1.1 Flight Instruments

Please note that for correct display of the flight instruments all boxes in “Extras/Settings/Instruments” must be checked and in “Extras/Settings/International” Measuring Units must be set to “US-System”.
The Thommen Airspeed Indicator displays Indicated Airspeed in Knots.

MARKING | KIAS VALUE OR RANGE | SIGNIFICANCE
Red Line | 63 | Minimum Control Speed (Single Engine) VMC
White Arc | 63 – 107 | Flight Operation Speed (with FLAPS 2)
Lower Limit White Arc | 63 | Maximum Weight Stalling Speed (with FLAPS 2) VSO
Green Arc | 73 – 150 | Normal Operating Range
Lower Limit Green Arc | 73 | Maximum Weight Stalling Speed (with FLAPS UP) VS1
Blue Line | 90 | Best Rate of Climb Speed (Single Engine – FLAPS UP) VY at ISA from MSL up to 11,000 ft
Red Line | 150 | Maximum Operating Speed VMO

The Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI, gauge by Dai Griffiths) is explained here as an exception due to its complexity and usefulness of which many flight simulation enthusiasts are unaware.
With the Course Dial the default direction of Compass Rose may be adjusted. The course is digitally displayed in the upper right corner with a “V” in front. The Course Indicator shows in the direction of the VOR or ILS localizer received by the NAV1 Radio. The Deviation Bar shows the lateral offset from the radial (VOR) or localizer beam (ILS) center. Full scale Deviation Bar displacement (2 dots) represents the following deviation from beam center: VOR ± 10°, localizer approximately ± 2 – ½°. The small aircraft icon in the center shows one’s position in relation to the vector or localizer beam.
The Glide Slope Indicator displays the vertical offset from the ILS glide slope. Full scale deflection (2 dots) of the Glide Slope Indicator represents ± 0.8° from beam center. The Heading Bug Dial allows adjustment of the Heading Bug which can be used to memorize the next Heading you want to aim for. This Heading is digitally displayed in the upper left corner with an “H” in front.
Red flags labeled “GS” (Glideslope) and “Heading” may show up on the left or right margin of the gauge when either part of the HSI is not working properly, either due to no sufficient signal available or electrical failure.
As you can see the HSI is an incredibly versatile navigation aid when you know how to interpret and feed it with appropriate NAV1 radio Information.
The Flap Position Indicator with its polished brass front plate and screws houses a drum with three markings: UP (0° Flaps), 1 (25° Flaps), 2 (43° Flaps). A flag with diagonal lines may cover the flap positions thus indicating that the flaps are currently moving or no electrical power is supplied to the Flap Position Indicator.
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4.1.2 Engine Instruments

The Torque Indicator is marked in lb – ft x 100 (1 lb ft = 1.35582 Nm) and displays the amount of torque (turning force) transmitted via a reduction gearbox from the power turbine to the propeller. Please note that torque at MCP (Maximum Continuous Power = approx. 400 SHP at 1900 Prop RPM) is 1108 pound - feet (upper limit of the green arc), the region marked yellow should only be used for emergency power up to the red line which indicates the absolute maximum of 1246 lb – ft (equivalent to approx. 450 SHP at 1900 RPM). When red line torque is attained the yellow TORQUE caution lights in the annunciator panel will light up to indicate that full power is available and to remind you to get back to the green arc range as soon as possible so as not to overheat the engine and overstress its gearbox - thus reducing it's TBO (Time Before Overhaul).
ATTENTION! You can overtorque and thus wreck the gearbox in a lot of clatter if you set the props to the FEATHERed state and add too much power, so make sure you never exceed the red line limit of 1246 lb – ft!
The Interturbine Temperature Indicator (ITT) displays gas temperature between the compressor turbine and the power turbine in °C x 100, comparable to a certain extent to exhaust gas temperature (EGT) in a piston engine. The OFF position is marked as well as the starting limit which is 1085°C. This means the transient starting temperature may NEVER exceed 1085°C! The further below 12% Ng you set the condition lever to idle during engine startup (or the further the power lever is from the ground idle position) the higher the ITT starting transient will become – due to no sufficient airflow being developed yet inside the combustion chamber to allow for proper continuously burning flames and enough cooling air around the combustion chamber walls. This can damage the combustion chamber linings to the point of disintegration and thus completely ruin a turboprop engine and as a faint possibility even set it afire (there are two red FIRE warning lights in the annunciator panel), and believe me – it will happen in this FS2004 simulation if you do not adhere to the simple but important rules laid down in the starting checklists! Normal start transient will be around 600°C.
When airflow in and around the combustion chamber has caught up with the amount of fuel being currently burnt in there ITT will drop back down to a normal 540°C (idle) up to 580°C at emergency power. Vice versa reducing power temporarily causes surplus airflow that cools the combustion chamber down so ITT will drop to a low of approx. 400°C (minimum) and then rise again as airflow is reduced to a healthy level.
The Propeller RPM Indicator shows propeller speed and is marked in RPM x 100. A yellowish 4 digit display at the bottom of the gauge also shows the complete number of prop RPM to facilitate more precise readings.
The Gas Generator RPM Indicator (Ng) indicates the percentage of current gas generator RPM in relation to a maximum gas generator RPM of 37000 RPM.
The gas generator consists of a series of compressors which in turn are driven by the compressor turbine. It sucks in air and compresses it to a ratio of about 1:7 (for comparison: automotive gasoline engines compress to between 1:8 and 1:12, Diesel engines need between 1:16 and 1:23 for self combustion without help from a spark plug) and delivers it into the combustion chambers. As stated in above section on the ITT indicator carefully monitoring Ng during startup is crucial for successfully starting a turbine-based engine. Below 10% Ng airflow through the combustion chambers is insufficient to cool the combustion chamber linings when combustion is initiated, the flames basically burn uncontrolled and overheat the engine (hot start). The same thing happens if the power levers are not set to the ground idle position before Ng reaches 51%. Idle Ng will vary in this simulation from 62% at MSL (Mean Sea Level) down to about 56% in 7000 ft and above. Adding power while climbing to higher altitudes ensures that the power output remains constant. That is the trick with flat-rating: a potentially far more powerful turboprop (same applies to turbocharged piston engines) engine is simply not given the amount of fuel necessary to attain that maximum torque (and thus power) output at MSL thus leaving enough headroom to still bring the same amount of power even in thin air at high altitudes.
Maximum Ng will be around 90 % at 1108 lb-ft of torque (MCP), while the red line is never really reached.
The second row of engine instruments starts with the Fuel Flow Indicators which show fuel flow into the engines in pounds per hour. Fuel flow particularly in the higher power region is rather accurate in this FS2004 simulation so you can almost fly to the book! Idle fuel flow is too low (should be around 100 pph per engine) due to limitations in the way FS2004 simulates the fuel flow.
Fuel Pressure Indicators will show standard 23 PSI of fuel pressure whenever the appropriate fuel pumps are on and the fuel tank isn’t empty. Please see section 4.2.2 Fuel Control Panel for a full explanation of the fuel system of this aircraft. When fuel pressure drops below 15 PSI yellow FUEL LO PRESS caution lights will illuminate in the annunciator panel.
The combined Oil Pressure / Oil Temperature Indicators are present in every aircraft with combustion engines and are thus not separately depicted here. If both needles are level both values are o.k. When engines are started oil pressure rises rapidly to over 40 PSI whereas oil temperature will take some time to heat up. V.v. when turning the engine off oil pressure will drop quickly to 0 whereas oil temperature will take a while to cool down. Whenever oil pressure drops below 40 PSI red OIL LO PRESS warning lights will turn on in the annunciator panel, accompanied by the Master Warning light’s blinking and beep. This beep will also greet you when “stepping into” this aircraft when engines are off and electrical power is on, as is the case with the real plane (sorry if it gets on your nerves, but the real pilots also have to bear it, though they have the option not to put the headset on and thus not hear the beep before they reset the Master Warning).
Rather important in this section are the Fuel Quantity Indicators: The left half shows main tank fuel quantity in %, the right half external tank fuel quantity in %. If main tank content drops below 173 lbs (approx. 20%) a red warning light at the bottom of the instrument (Bitmap by Dai Griffiths) will remind you to start thinking about a refill quickly! For your orientation: 100% in the main tanks equals a flyable capacity of 864 lbs (about 500 liters or 132 gallons) of fuel each and 100% in the external tanks contain an additional usable amount of 406 lbs (around 235 liters or 62 gallons) of fuel each. In the VC there are separate fuel quantity indicators for the just the main tanks on the pilot's side and a dual indicator similar to the one depicted on the left for both external fuel tanks on the co-pilot's side.
The Fuel Consumption Totalizer is equiped with a counter and registers the total amount of fuel used by both engines (in lbs). The counter can be reset manually to 0000 by pressing the white button with a left mouseclick. However, to prevent inadvertant resetting of the counter you must first unlock the button by a left mouseclick on the lock lever. Another click on the lock will swivel it back into position. The gauge memorizes its last reading when you choose another aircraft or close FS2004 so make sure you reset the counter before each flight. If you have filled up the tanks to the brim and after several hours of flight see the number 2500 approaching you had better find a good place to land and refuel FAST !
The Wiper Speed Control allows speed adjustment of the animated windshield wiper of this aircraft (only present in 2D-panel mode). You do this by turning the knob from the default low speed position clockwise toward the right via left mouseclick anywhere in upper half of the knob. Two other possible positions indicating medium and maximum speed knob positions are also depicted at left. A single click will turn the knob to the desired position, but you may also drag the red indicator line around to where you want it. The desired speed will naturally only take effect when the wiper is switched on.
One little curiousity here: Contrary to most aspects of this simulation you have a bonus here over the real "D-IBUF": for some unknown reason Dornier correctly placed the Wiper Speed Control in the panel but failed to wire it to the wiper motor - thus only leaving the wiper to work at full speed J
The Audio Control Panel serves to switch on or off various audio sources which are listed here:
VHF1 and VHF2: These two activate the COM1 and/or the COM2 radio. However, it is not really advisable to activate both simulatenously as you can get quite an audio garble with two simulatneous tramissions coming in. It is possible however to use VHF(COM)1 for communication and set VHF(COM)2 to an ATIS frequency. In FS the ATIS facts can be displayed as a string on screen instead of as an audio broadcast, so it is possible to temporarily turn on both VHF switches and then turn off the ATIS and just read the string.
DME, ADF, NAV1 and NAV2: Switching on the appropriate naviagation radio/mode allows monitoring of it's Morse code identifyer to ensure you have set the right frequency.
MKR: Turns the Outer, Middle and Inner Marker identifier signals of an ILS on and off. These are beeps of varying speed that tell you if you are just overflying the appropriate approach marker and thus gives an indication of distance to the runway you are approaching. The associated marker lights are located directly above the altimeter as you should check your altitude above each marker and compare it to the approach chart, thus double-checking that you are on the prescribed ILS approach path. When flying from the VC it is advisable that you turn the Marker audio on during an ILS approach as the Marker lights all but disappear below the much too low glare shield (one of those "unfinished" things I can't do anything about...).
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4.1.3 Annunciator System

This FS2004 panel is fitted with an extensive and fully labelled annunciator panel.
In the VC there is a pop-up icon between the VHF Homing Indicator and the Transponder for opening a 2D window of the annunciator panel.
It incorporates a series of white advisory lights, green indication lights, red warning lights which show that a hazardous condition requiring immediate corrective action exists and yellow caution lights that show when an impending possibly dangerous condition exists that requires attention but not necessarily immediate action.
Whenever a red warning light in the annunciator panel illuminates the red Master Warning light described further below will flash and a 1000Hz beep will sound. Likewise a yellow caution light will cause the yellow Master Caution light to blink. When all red respectively yellow annunciator lights are off again due to the problem(s) having been solved the master lights will also cease to blink.
In the following now a detailed description (from left to right) of all annunciator displays of this Do 128-6 for FS2004:
DIM / BRT switch: allows dimming (and v.v.) of the annunciator lights via left mouse click. In daytime the BRT position (default) is advisable for clear readability whereas at night the DIM position is better to reduce glare on the eyes.
TEST button: When electrical power is on left-clicking on this button must illuminate all annunciator lights (besides all other warning lights in the cockpit) as depicted above. They should stay on as long as you hold the left mouse button down and will turn off again a few moments after letting go of it.
BETA LH /RH: In flight advise operation in BETA-range and on ground additionally that reverse power can be used.
FIRE LH / RH: Advise that in the left / right engine compartment the infrared detectors have been actuated. In this FS2004 Aircraft this will only be caused by excessive hot start due to disregarding the start checklists…
OIL LO PRESS LH / RH: Advise that the left / right engine oil pressure is less than 40 PSI. This is particularly the case when engines are off but could also be caused by an oil leak or a defective oil pump.
DOORWARN: Advises that passenger entrance door (SHIFT+E) is not secured for flight. In FS-speak: Main Exit is open. In this aircraft that poses a grave danger: The inner portion of the flaps will collide with an open door and become damaged and jammed. This is simulated, at least in the flight- and systems behaviour: the flaps will remain in the position in which they were damaged by the open door, no matter what you try. Damaged flaps will naturally also cause uneven lift and drag which will make it hard to control the aircraft. An emergency landing is highly advisable in this case. The damage is fixed by reloading the plane into Flight Simulator. In case you take off with door open and flaps UP you will notice a yaw tendency to the left due to the excessive drag on the left. Above 100 KIAS the door will be blown out of it's receptacle on the fuselage and slam shut, thus also allowing straight and level flight again.
BATT OVERTEMP: Currently just a dummy.
TORQUE LH / RH: Advise that left / right torque have reached or exceeded emergency power torque (1246 lb-ft).
LP COCK LH / RH: Advise that the low pressure fuel cock of the left (right) engine is in the closed or OFF position.
FUEL LO PRESS LH / RH: Advise that the fuel pressure of the left / right fuel system is below 15 PSI (fuel pumps off or tanks empty).
EXT. TANK TRANS LH / RH: Advise that the left / right external tank transfer pump switch is on but the LH / RH external tank is empty.
IGN START LH / RH: Advise that the left / right engine starter cycle is engaged (START - in this case annunciator light will blink intermittently due to FS2004 interrupting the starter cycle every few seconds) or manual ignition is activated.
GEN LH / RH: Advise that the left (right) generator switch is off or a left (right) generator malfunction exists (i.e. left (right) engine is off).
PITOT HTR 1: Advises that the heater of the pitot static system (necessary for airspeed measurement) is not switched on.
BATT: Advises that the battery is not connected to the electrical system, i.e. is not switched on.
INERTIA ON LH / RH: Indicates bypass operation of the inertial separator system of the left (right) engine. Verification of the left (right) indication can can be checked by observing left (right) engine torque decreases during bypass operation.
The red Master Warning light will start to flash and a 1000Hz beep will sound whenever a hazardous condition requiring immediate corrective action exists, i.e. one of the red warning lights in the annunciator panel illuminate. This will continue until either the hazardous condition has been corrected and all red warning lights in the annunciator panel are off or by left-clicking on the master warning light to reset it. It will then stay off until another red warning light in the annunciator panel illuminates.
ATTENTION! Unlike with the default FS2004 panels clicking on the Master Warning light will not open an additional annunciator panel as this is built into the main 2D-panel.
Likewise the yellow Master Caution light will start to flash whenever an impending possibly dangerous condition exists requiring attention but not necessarily immediate action. No audio tone is activated. Again it will continue to flash until either all yellow caution lights in the annunciator panel are off again or may be reset in the same manner as the master warning light.
ATTENTION! Unlike with the default FS2004 panels clicking on the Master Caution light will not open an additional annunciator panel as this is built into the main 2D-panel.
ATTENTION! Both lights (including the beep) may greet you when first initialising this panel when for example the engines are off (which will illuminate the OIL LO PRESS LH / RH warning lights) or any other condition that illuminates a yellow caution light exists. This is not a bug but pure reality as in the real plane. Just left-click on the master lights to silence the beep and extinguish them.
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4.1.4 Switch Panel (Overhead Panel)
This Overhead Panel now is only marginally simplified from the original plane's switch panel due to a few limitations still sticking around in FS2004, like no fire detection and extinguishing system or still rather basic electrical system.
In the VC the Overhead Panel is mounted where you would come to expect it - above your head J
Below is a listing of the various functions.
ANTI-ICING / HEATING
PITOT: Switches pitot tube heating on and off. The pitot tube is the black angled tube protruding forward from the upper front corner of the vertical stabilizer fin (in this research plane's current incarnation it actually sports twin tubes up there for redundancy purposes). It has an opening in it’s front end and some openings along it’s sides which are connected to the airspeed indicator with tubes. When the aircraft picks up speed ram air pressure builds up at the front end but the side openings remain under the static ambient pressure. The pressure difference between the two locations is displayed as Indicated Airspeed in the airspeed indicator. The higher the airspeed the higher this pressure difference is. It remains relatively constant despite changes in ambient air pressure due to altitude changes. For the airspeed indicator to work properly it is of utmost importance that all openings of the pitot tube are unrestricted by dirt, insects and ice. To prevent the latter from forming the pitot tube is equipped with an electrical heating system which must be switched on for take-off and landing as well as when flying in icing conditions. If electrical power is on but the pitot heater is not a yellow caution light marked "PITOT HTR 1" in the annunciator panel will remind you to turn it on.
PROP: Switches the heating pads on the leading edges of the propellers on and off. A blue light in the top left of the pilot's and top right of the co-pilot's (VC only) panel will light up when prop-heating is on (they can also be pressed in this simulation to switch prop heating on and off), and two amp-meters at the bottom right edge of the co-pilot's panel (VC only) will read around 16A each when the electrical system is working properly.
INTAKE and INTERTIA: Both switches are linked because FS2004 does not simulate heated air intakes for turboprop engines yet. Operation of inertial seperator flaps at the end of the air intake ducts below the engines however are simulated - at least their effect on engine performance is:
At the end of this duct the air flow is directed upwards and forced to completely reverse it's course due to the engine design. During take-off from dirt strips with a high likelyhood of debris (particularly stones) being sucked into the air intakes - or while flying through excessively severe rain, snow or hail - a flap at the end of the duct is opened, thus allowing heavy objects to exit / bypass directly out the back before they can be sucked into the engine proper. However, as the air now also struggles to get around that bend without the help of the flap there is a slight power loss when these switches are turned on. The flap can be seen when you look straight into the air duct.
A green indication light marked "INERTIA ON LH / RH" in the annunciator panel is lighted when the inertial sepparator system is turned on.
SURF: Switches the de-icing boots on the leading edges of the main wing and elevator on and off. In the real plane this is done periodically by inflating de-icing boots (the black patches on the leading edge of wing and elevator) with bleed air taken from the engines to blast off ice accumulations. In FS we only have the electrical heating option...
BLEED AIR and WSHLD: Only non-functional bitmaps.
LIGHTS
WIPER: Switches the animated windscreen wiper on and off (2D panel only. The wipers of the outside model are not animated). In the PARK position the wiper completes its cycle and switches off upon reaching its parking position by the centerpost. Wiper speed may be adjusted with the wiper speed control knob situated below the DME on the main panel. Without electricity the wiper will freeze in its current position as it is electrically operated.
INSTR.: Switches instrument lighting on and off. In the 2D-panel you get the old-fashioned illuminated panel effect, in the VC two spotlights in the roof bathe the cockpit in light. The various annunciator lights do not shine in the dark.
LAND: Switches landing lights on and off. This aircraft is equipped with two wing-tip mounted landing lights. This switch normally resides in the yoke pylons.
ANTI-COLL: Switches the red anti-collision light (also called beacon) located on top of the balancing tab of the rudder on and off.
NAV: Switches the navigation lights on and off. They consist of a red light in the left wing tip, a green light in the right wing tip and a white tail light at the end of the tail cone. By the way - this navigation light pattern was directly adopted from the maritime lighting configuration, as are many other aspects of aviation such as titles like Captain and First Officer or the usage of nautical miles and knots for distance and speed.
STROB: Switches the three white strobe lights on and off which are located in the same places as the navigation lights.
SURF: Switches a light located in the left fuselage wall on and off that illuminates the left wing leading edge. In the real plane this is necessary in icing conditions at night to check the amount of ice buildup to determine the right time for inflating the de-icing boots. If the boots are inflated too early the ice sheet is so thin that it can still follow the contour of the inflated boot and stays put. If inflating is belated the ice cover is so thick that it can longer be blasted off... In FS the light also additionally lights the VC because I could not make it a directional spotlight.
SEAT BELT / NO SMOKE: Not wired in this aircraft - not in the real one, not in the simulation.
TRIM etc.
PITCH TRIM: The pitch trim wheel and indicator. Should be set to about 7° UP for takeoff. Trim changes can be made via left mouseclick over the appropriate region you want to trim to or with your mouse wheel. The default keyboard hotkeys are also available.
INVERTER and NON ESS: Only non-functional bitmaps.
RUDDER: The rudder trim wheel and indicator. You will most likely need this if one engine becomes inoperative in flight, but can also be helpful to counter the FS2004 "p-factor" if you haven't set it to zero anyway. Again trim changes can be made via left mouseclick over the appropriate region you want to trim to or with your mouse wheel, and keyboard hotkeys are also available.
Electrical
GENERATOR LH and GENERATOR RH: FS2004 providing something worthy of the name "electrical system" the LH and RH generators may be switched on and off here. Ensure you switch on the generator of an engine as soon as you have completed its startup cycle to load the battery. This effect is visible in the loadmeter located in the lower left corner of the main panel - the indicator should move up some way from the lower OFF position. When electrical power is available but the generators are not working yellow caution lights marked "GEN LH" resp. "GEN RH" in the annunciator panel will inform you of this.
BATTERY and MASTER: Switches battery power on and off. Ensure you start at least one engine and switch on its generator ASAP after it is running to ensure your battery doesn't run flat. In this aircraft you have about 5 minutes before you run out of "juice" (another one of the few still lingering FS2004 anomalies...). If you switch off the battery while at least one generator is generating power a yellow caution light marked "BATT" in the annunciator panel will illuminate to make sure you don't forget you are running solely on generator power. The MASTER switch is identical in function to the BATTERY switch in FS2004.
CAUTION! Many flight- and all engine instruments including the starters plus a number of systems like flaps of this aircraft rely on electrical power to drive them, so it is advisable to take good care of your battery!
AVIONICS: Switches avionics power on and off. Radios and the GPS rely on this power.
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