On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Start with Flight Info
- Left-click an aircraft contact to open FLIGHT INFO. Check its callsign before arranging the window.
- Find the title bar: the strip across the top containing FLIGHT INFO and the small window buttons. Hold the left mouse button on the strip, away from the buttons and outer edge, drag to a clear space, then release.
- To change the size, hold and drag an outer edge or corner. Try the bottom-right corner first so you do not confuse the resize area with the title bar. Release when the controls are readable.
- Choose _ on the title bar to minimise the window. Find the small bar labelled Flight Info, then choose its square □ button to restore the window.
- Choose x on the full window to close it. Left-click the intended contact again to open its information. Recheck the contact name: another click may open a different aircraft.
What do the window buttons change?
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Drag the title bar | Moves the window. Dragging the text or controls inside it is not the same action. |
| Drag an edge or corner | Changes the window’s size, down to its minimum size. It does not zoom the radar map. |
| _ Minimise | Replaces the full window with a small labelled bar. The panel has not been closed. |
| □ Restore | Opens the full panel from its small bar. Use this when you only minimised it. |
| x or × Close | Hides that panel where a close button is provided. Use its normal opening route to bring it back. |
Closing or minimising these information panels does not cancel a flight order or pause the session. Use the time controls if you want to stop the game while reading, and the aircraft controls for flight orders.
Bring a covered window forward
Click a visible part of its title bar, away from the small buttons. If the first click only brings the window forward, release and start the drag again. Move it far enough to uncover the panel or radar contact you need.
A click inside the window can also operate the button under the pointer. Do not click ENGAGE, RTB or another task button just to bring a panel forward. Those buttons issue aircraft orders.
Find the right way back
| Panel | If it was closed or hidden |
|---|---|
| FLIGHT INFO | Left-click the intended contact, then confirm its callsign. See the information tabs. |
| ASSETS | Choose ASSETS on the main game menu. See the aircraft list and its controls. |
| ACTIVE OPS | Choose ACTIVE OPS on the main game menu. See finding an active flight. |
| COMMS | Choose ACTIVE COMMS on the main game menu. If the small COMMS bar is visible, use □ first. See selecting the correct radio channel. |
| ASMA CONSOLE | Choose ASMA on the main game menu. See reading and entering messages. |
| FLIGHT PLANS | Choose FLT PLNS on the main game menu. See searching the flight-plan list. |
| TRACK LIST | Choose TRACK LIST on the main game menu. See finding a contact in the list. |
| Guide | Choose HELP on the main game menu. See the guide tabs and references. |
| AIRCRAFT REGISTER | Look for its small Aircraft Register bar and choose □. This panel has no close button in v0.8.16.0. See the register’s own restore and search steps. |
If a small bar with the panel’s name is already visible, try its □ restore button first. Not every small aircraft menu uses the same window controls. Follow its task guide for finishing or cancelling a selection.
Fullscreen does not stop these panels moving
In v0.8.16.0, the main panels above use movable windows in FULLSCREEN, BORDERLESS and WINDOWED modes. You do not need to switch out of fullscreen to drag Flight Info. The GRAPHICS display mode changes the game window, not which aircraft a panel describes.
If you cannot move one, check that you are dragging the title strip rather than the outer resize edge, a button or the text inside. Restore a minimised panel first. A small task-selection menu is not the same as Flight Info or ASSETS.
Keep wide lists readable
ASSETS, ACTIVE OPS and FLIGHT PLANS need room for their columns and buttons. They have different minimum sizes; do not expect them all to shrink as far as Flight Info. Enlarge the window and scroll within its list when more rows are below the visible area.
Move unnecessary panels aside or minimise them before shrinking the one you need. If controls remain cut off, follow the resolution checks and record the panel name, resolution, screen mode and a screenshot in a report. Do not use a guessed button position outside the visible window.
A panel has vanished: check its state first
- Finish or close the Escape settings menu. Main information panels can be temporarily hidden while that menu is open.
- Look for the panel’s small labelled bar and use □ if it is minimised.
- If it was closed, use the matching opening route above. Recheck the contact or flight row before using any aircraft control.
- If the window still cannot be read or restored, capture the screen and describe the last action in a report. Do not assume the aircraft disappeared because its panel did.
- For an aircraft missing from the radar itself, use the missing-track checks. For aircraft text covering the scope, use track-data display controls.
Why do panels return to an earlier arrangement?
Air Defender v0.8.16.0 saves some panel arrangements with your selected player profile. This covers ASSETS, ASMA CONSOLE, ACTIVE OPS, COMMS, FLIGHT PLANS, TRACK LIST and HELP: their position, size, and whether they are open, closed or minimised. Quitting the game normally records the arrangement; there is no separate layout-save button. When you start ordinary play with the same profile, these panels can return to that arrangement. When you start a new game outside training, ASMA CONSOLE opens expanded, even if you had closed or minimised it.
If one is missing, look for its small labelled bar first, then use the opening route above. A different profile can have a different arrangement. This does not mean Flight Info will reopen on the same aircraft.