1 - Background:

Panels have become more complex since FS5.x, with higher resolutions, more gauges and greater interactivity. The differences between panel formats of the various FlightSim versions means that a panel can only be used with the version it was designed for: you can not install a FS95 panel into FS2000, etc.

2 - Downloading & Un-Ziping files:

When you download a panel it will most probably be in a compressed format called a 'Zip' file and will have the extension '.ZIP' at the end of the filename. This is a standard format used across the internet which conveniently groups files together into one and reduces the total size to improve download times.

The download is initiated by clicking on the link to the panel file and you will be asked into which directory you want to save the file on your computer's hard-disk. Depending on the size of the file and the speed of your internet connection downloading may take anything from a few seconds to hours.

When the download is complete, you will need to uncompress the Zip file to access the vital files inside. For this you will need a program such as WinZip or PKZip. If either of these programmes is installed you can click on the downloaded file and the program will run, displaying the enclosed files. If you are using WinZip click the 'Extract' button to specify which directory to extract the files to.

IMPORTANT: ensure you have selected both the 'All files' and the 'Use folder names' options.

Finally, click the 'Extract' button to unpack the files.

3 - What the Files do:

4 - Identifying the Formats:

Individual panels will only work in the FlightSim version they were designed for. Therefore, FS95 panels will not work in FS98, or vice versa. This is basically because significant improvements have been made to the functionality and format of panels with each new version of FlightSim.

To identify which version of FlightSim a panel is for, please read the text file that comes with it.

5 - Tips:

1. Create a directory to store downloaded files, and another to un-zip them into. On my computer I have set up one called:

     C:\Arrivals\Unzip

   (All downloaded files are saved to the 'Arrivals' directory, and are then unZiped into the 'Unzip' sub-directory).
    
2. Read the designers' 'Readme' files! They should contain all the information you need to install the panels, and may suggest how to change or improve them to your specification.
    
3. Download and install an aircraft manager such as JAB2000 (available from the 'Utilities for FS' download page). This particular program will allow you to assign a panel to an aircraft with just a few clicks of the mouse, as well as doing 100 other useful things.