How do I find and hook an aircraft in TRACK LIST?

Find a track

1. Select TRACK LIST on the main game menu, or press T with the default controls. Click outside any text-entry box first so the key is used as a control rather than typed into your message.
2. Enter part of a callsign in Filter Callsign. The search ignores letter case. Digits also match part of the displayed Track No, so a numeric search can return more than one aircraft.
3. Read Callsign, Ident and Track No together to confirm the row. A callsign is the aircraft’s name on the radio; the track number is the system’s reference number.
4. Select > in that row to centre the camera on the aircraft and show its IDENT locating marker. This does not classify it as hostile.
5. Use CLEAR to remove both the callsign search and the list’s identity filter. This also returns the list scroll to the top.

Filter by identity

The summary buttons combine an identity letter with a count. Select one to show only that identity; select it again to remove that identity filter. A callsign search still applies at the same time. For example, an active identity filter can hide a callsign that would otherwise match. Read Filter: and Ident: above the list, or use CLEAR. These list filters do not assign a new identity; see what the letters mean.

Understand the columns

Highlighting and hooking are different

For direct hook control, use the Hook column: + adds a hook and ✔ removes it. Selecting the Ident row button highlights the aircraft, emphasises its leader and focuses the camera; when selecting a new highlighted contact, it also reverses that contact’s current hook state. Selecting the already highlighted contact again removes the highlight and restores the saved camera view. Do not assume the identity button only moves the camera. Check the Hook column after using it.

Why did the row move or disappear?

The list puts tracks with an emergency status first, then sorts by descending track number. It is not a player-controlled column sort. Clear filters before concluding a contact has gone. No tracks match the current filters. describes the list result, not proof that the sky is empty. If the actual aircraft symbol disappears, use the missing-track checks.

Track list or flight plans?

TRACK LIST shows available track rows. FLT PLNS shows active flight-plan assignments and route information. An aircraft without a plan may still appear as a track. Use the track list to locate and hook a contact; use Flight Info and the flight-plan list to investigate its available flight details.

Why the identity count differs from the rows

The identity-summary counts are calculated before the list’s callsign and identity filters. Filtering to one callsign therefore does not turn those buttons into counts for that one flight. Read the rows as your filtered result and the summary as the wider identity count. Neither tells you how many aircraft have a matching flight plan.

A callsign with digits can match other rows

The search also takes the digits from your input and checks the displayed track number. For example, text ending in 12 can match a callsign containing that text or a Track No containing 12. This is why a full-looking callsign search can return unexpected rows. Confirm Callsign and Track No together; do not assume the first result is the intended contact.

Keyboard hook control

Use the Hook column for direct control of a list row: + adds a hook and ✔ removes it. Check Callsign and Track No first. H can also act on the contact last selected on the scope, which may differ from the highlighted list row. If you have been switching between the list and scope, use the row button instead of assuming H has only one target. Click outside text entry before using keyboard controls. The hook guide explains the working group.

Practise the three different actions

1. Use CLEAR, then search for a contact. Confirm its Callsign and Track No.
2. Press > to locate it and see the four-triangle marker. This is not a new identity assignment.
3. Use + in the Hook column to add a hook. Check for ✔; press it to remove the hook again.
4. Use the row’s Ident button to highlight the contact. Check the Hook column: highlighting a new row also toggles its hook. When switching between the scope and list, use the row’s + / ✔ button instead of assuming H acts on only that row.
5. Clear the filters when finished. If a row is absent, use the display checks rather than deciding the aircraft has disappeared.

Close, minimise or reopen the list

1. Use x on the TRACK LIST title bar to close the list. In v0.8.16.0, its main window is movable in every screen mode; you do not need a separate fixed-layout CLOSE button.
2. If you minimise a movable TRACK LIST window, it becomes a small bar. Use the □ restore button on that bar to open it again; × closes it.
3. To reopen a closed list, select TRACK LIST in the main game menu or use T with the default controls, outside a text-entry box. If the panel is off-screen or awkwardly sized, use the panel arrangement guide.

Closing the list changes the panel’s visibility. It does not remove aircraft from the radar or clear their hooks. To remove a hook, use the row’s ✔ button or the hooking controls.

Finish without leaving a confusing selection

1. Confirm Callsign and Track No in the row you have highlighted.
2. Select that same row’s Ident button again to remove the list highlight and restore the saved camera view. This does not remove its hook.
3. If you no longer need the hook, use ✔ in that row. Use CLEAR to remove list filters; closing the panel is a separate action.

Does closing TRACK LIST clear its highlighted row?

Do not use closing as an undo. The list can remember its highlight while closed. Remove it with the same row’s Ident button; remove an unwanted hook separately with ✔.

Why use the row button instead of H here?

The scope selection and list highlight can refer to different contacts. The row’s + or ✔ names the contact you are acting on and shows the resulting hook state. Read the callsign and track number before using it.