Thanks Gentlemen. I think my problem is that I've gone through every page on this board - about 86 of them, and read several different explanations of how you do this - many of them mutually incompatible. So I have become confused.
One way was to make sure you were already part way into a campaign and then going the documents& settings route to find CFS3 there and identify your cmpsat file to alter. I found the cmpsat file, but no Tech Tree in it. Maybe I hadn't gone far enough in starting the campaign to get the Tech Tree active
Then there's one about altering the campaign.xls in the proper CFS3 directory. Which doesn't work because there is no Tech Tree in there.
Now, I've realised you guys are talking about a campaign folder in the main CFS3 directory, so I'm going to look there now.
Okay, so I've found a file called fortesseuropa.xml, and guess what? When this is opened it actually has a Tech Tree in it. None of the others did.
So the correct instruction should be:
1. Find your Main Combat Flight Simulator 3 directory.
2. Open the Campaigns Folder
3. Open the fortresseuropa.xml
I guess I now do the bit you are all describing, which is to insert the aircraft note in the Tech tree part.
Let's see if this works.
Okay, this seems good. I just duplicate an entry and change one part
The "I PUT MY AIRCRAFT NAME HERE" part will be taken from the aircraft.cfg model name, not its folder. Presumably I can keep the date just the same, and maybe pick the earliest date I want to use.
Now I'll see if this works.
Okay, I got an error here, because the fortresseuropa.xml seems to open in html, and I wasn't sure how to copy and paste. So I opened in notepad, made the changes and then found that there was an xml error when I checked in html.
I'm going to see if I can identify this.
Okay, I've fixed this. I can now change the document in notepad without causing errors. I have inserted the "B17G_MollyII" where it used to say B-26c.
I start a new campaign and my first aircraft is....
A B-26c!!!!!
So where's my B-17? Especially when I removed the B-26c.
I'm obviously doing something wrong. Any ideas????
I see the note about campaign date, but how do I find out what the in-service date of the B-17 is?And how come the B-26c shows if I've now removed it from the fortresseuropa.xml?
I shall fool around a little more, then I'm going to have to go watch a Shaw Brothers movie to calm down.