Warbirdsim Gun Bay--How to open??

[Maj Kong]

I have read the manual, searched the web, forums, and set up numerous views on "Cripes A Mighty". Still I cannot find any way to open the doors.
A beautiful "Little Friend" but very poor documentation.
Help much appreciated.
Neal H

[DaveB]

Hello Mate

You need to have a wing-fold key assigned.. wing-fold opens the gun bay

ATB
DaveB

[Maj Kong]

You must be having me on! How can you make fun of a poor, sickly, veteran trying to get just one more mission in before......

[thefrog]

I have read the manual, searched the web, forums, and set up numerous views on "Cripes A Mighty". Still I cannot find any way to open the doors.
A beautiful "Little Friend" but very poor documentation.
Help much appreciated.
Neal H

In my Warbirdsim manual, page 4 refers to opening the gun door bay.

[DaveB]

You must be having me on! How can you make fun of a poor, sickly, veteran trying to get just one more mission in before......

hahahahaha...
I didn't actually have a wing-fold key assigned so I'd not seen the gun bay open until today. I'd meant to do it for ages so I could get all my aircraft with folding wings to have them fold so it's been a good day for us both
ATB
DaveB

[Maj Kong]

Actually, all I asked for was the process required to open the gun bays. Hopefully, one of you nice simmers here at the "Outhouse" will help me.
As for ther manual: Page four has only a glowing description of the gun bays ( followed by a pic). No mention of any key combination to open them. Page five is Exhaust shrouds and no info about how to remove them either.

Here is Page Four from my manual:

"Gun Bay Detail

A fully out-fitted left gun bay is modeled on each variant,
which may be opened while on the ground. The gun bay has been
recreated to match all of the exact original factory
specifications. Each part of the gun bay structure is
properly finished in either chromate yellow or interior green
paint, according to original factory photos, factory
processes, and research conducted by leading Mustang
restorers. Various placards and original inspection stamps
can be clearly viewed and read up-close. The belts of
ammunition are loaded to exactly match the proper loadingmethod,
as outlined on the original ammunition-loading
placard. All of the mounting brackets, ammunition feed
chutes, link-ejector chutes, and shell ejector chutes for
each individual 50-cal machine gun are accurately reproduced.
For the rivet counters amongst us, even the number individual
links in the ammunition feed chutes is correct."

Thaaaaat's all Folks, and there aren't any other manuals.

[DaveB]

Neil..

By default.. FSX doesn't assign a keystroke for Wing-Fold (like it does for some others.. G for landing gear.. S for changing views) e t c but it's this command that Warbirdsim have used for gun bay animation in the Mustang. So.. you need to go into your control assignments.. delete the current W (if W is the key you want to use.. this is what I used). I think it's currently assigned to some view or other and it's a view I never use so it seemed a good choice for me. Then.. go down the list of sim commands until you come to wing fold then assign the key W to that using the buttons on the page. It's quite straight forward really.
Once you've done that.. when you have the Mustang selected and ready in FSX.. hit the W key and you'll see 2 clips lift on the LH wing and the panels will move aside to reveal a beautifully detailed gun bay.

As I mentioned above.. the beauty of having a wing fold key assigned is that you can make all your naval models (with wings that fold) fold at the press of a key. If you'd like a detailed breakdown with screenshots of how to assign a key.. let me know and I'll be happy to do that for you I appreciate that using the wing fold key seems a bit off the wall to open a gun bay but dev's use whatever key they can utilise given that there's not a default open gun bay command

ATB
DaveB

[DaveB]

Neil..

Here's a set of screenshots showing what to do if you're unsure.

Go into flightsim.. click on options then scroll down to Settings followed by Controls..


Next.. select the Buttons/Keys tab then scroll down until you see W in the keyboard list (only W.. not any combination). As I said above.. I think W is assigned to a view and having deleted mine.. I can't remember what it is but when you find it.. highlight it by clicking on that line then hit the Delete Key Assignment button..


Next.. scroll down the list in Buttons/Keys until you come to Wings fold/unfold then click on that line to highlight it as shown above. With the line highlighted.. click on New Assignment..


The next window will open with a blank pane.. type w into the box then hit OK..


I can't show more than 4 darned pictures so this will continue below!!


ATB
DaveB

[DaveB]

... Continued from above..


Your Buttons/Keys line for Wings fold/unfold will now look like this. Click OK to confirm.. job done. Leap into FSX.. open the Mustang.. hit the w key and you'll see the left wing gun bay open

ATB
DaveB

[thefrog]

A fully out-fitted left gun bay is modeled on each variant,
which may be opened while on the ground. The gun bay has been
recreated to match all of the exact original factory
specifications. Each part of the gun bay structure is
properly finished in either chromate yellow or interior green
paint, according to original factory photos, factory
processes, and research conducted by leading Mustang
restorers. Various placards and original inspection stamps
can be clearly viewed and read up-close. The belts of
ammunition are loaded to exactly match the proper loadingmethod,
as outlined on the original ammunition-loading
placard. All of the mounting brackets, ammunition feed
chutes, link-ejector chutes, and shell ejector chutes for
each individual 50-cal machine gun are accurately reproduced.
For the rivet counters amongst us, even the number individual
links in the ammunition feed chutes is correct."

My manual must be a later version because it says this:

"New to Warbirdsim’s P-51D Mustang ‘Little Friends’ product, is a
fully out-fitted left gun bay, which may be opened while on the
ground by using the wing fold key (which must be assigned by
default within the FSX controls menu). The gun bay has been
recreated to match all of the exact original factory
specifications, just as the rest of Warbirdsim’s P-51D Mustang has
been built to meet"

[DaveB]

Yup.. that's the same insert I have

ATB
DaveB

[Maj Kong]

THANK YOU!! , THANK YOU!! for such detailed help and so quickly. It is no wonder I couldn't make it work...never used a wing fold in 20+ years of Flight simming (started with an Apple 2E). Actually, I never even noticed the command. It is not listed in any command set but I found it under "all events". If that isn't enough, the Wing Fold command is not on any printout I can find for FSX keys (I have four different ones).

Anyhow, thanks again for your help. Dunno why Warbirdsims left the "key" out of "Little Friends"
Neal h

[DaveB]

You are very welcome Neil

In this day and age.. many simmers have hi-tech controllers enabling many key assignments that can be mapped to buttons. I use an old MS Sidewinder Precision Pro so have to rely on keystrokes for the most part. Agree that it would have been nice if they'd have added a click-spot in the VC somewhere as they did for adding the more modern nav instrument, being able to change from old-style to new-style headgear for the pilot and being able to remove the gunsight but perhaps they felt the VC was busy enough The important thing is that you're sorted and so now am I. I'd not seen in the gun bay until today as I'd not mapped a key to the wing fold command. I can also now move around a carrier deck without clipping parked aircraft!!

ATB
DaveB