View on GitHub

tms-dms-cms-usage-guide

Structured online and PDF guide for Falcon BMS and other F-16 flight simulators covering TMS, DMS and CMS HOTAS switch functionality and usage

PROJECT TRACKING

Falcon BMS TMS/DMS/CMS HOTAS Guide

Document: PROJECT-TRACKING Regime: Pre-publication (0.x.x.x) Project Start: 2026-01-05 Last Updated: 2026-03-30 Repository: carlos-nader/tms-dms-cms-usage-guide

This document tracks governance rules, project state, and development history. For detailed file tracking, issue status, and commit history, see INTEGRATED-FILES.md (auto-generated).


1. GOVERNANCE LAYER

Document Last Updated Purpose
VERSION-SYSTEM 2026-03-24 Versioning rules (docs/version-system.md)
BRIEFING 2026-03-24 Content scope, layout standard, preamble architecture (docs/briefing.md)
WIP-FILE-NAMING 2026-03-24 File naming conventions and status lifecycle (docs/wip-naming.md)
TEMPLATES 2026-03-25 Canonical WIP template (template/template-wip.tex)
CHANGELOG 2026-03-14 Release history and integration milestones (CHANGELOG.md)
SETUP 2026-03-24 Setup instructions for the infrastructure environment (setup.md)
STYLE-GUIDE 2026-02-25 Prose style, voice, formatting, and prohibited patterns (misc/STYLE-GUIDE.md)

Rule: All WIP files must be created from template/template-wip.tex.


2. PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Last updated: 2026-03-27

Metric Value
Guide Version v0.4.1.1
Phase Phase 0 — Chapter Scaffolding
Chapters Planned 6
Chapters Integrated 4/6 (C1, C2, C3, C5)
Chapters In Development 1/6 (C4)
Chapters Pending 1/6 (C6)
Total Commits 910
Latest Release v0.4.1.1 (2026-02-18)
Latest Pre-Release v0.4.2.0-alpha.3 (2026-03-27)

Chapter Status

Ch Title Status Notes
1 Introduction 🔄 alpha WIP: chapter-C1-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-19.tex. Style revision complete (2026-03-19). Alpha snapshot: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.3-20260327.tex (pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.3, 2026-03-27). Issue #46 closed.
2 HOTAS Fundamentals 🔄 alpha WIP: chapter-C2-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-27.tex. Style revision complete (2026-03-27). Alpha snapshot: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.3-20260327.tex (pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.3, 2026-03-27). Issues #47, #44 updated.
3 DMS 🔄 review WIP: chapter-C3-style-rev-review-2026-03-30.tex. Style revision in progress (started 2026-03-30). Issue #44.
4 TMS 🔄 review WIP: Main chapter file chapter-C4-tms-structure-dev-2026-02-13.tex. Section file: section-C4-S3-tms-aa-review-2026-02-17.tex (51,729 bytes, §4.3 A-A intro + §4.3.5 IFF intro + §4.3.5.1 SCAN Mode + §4.3.5.2 LOS Mode: ~28.57% complete) + dependency section-C2-S1-S3-soi-context-dependency-final-2026-02-15.tex (20,687 bytes, TGP intro for C2, status final). Subsections §4.3.1–§4.3.4, §4.3.5.3–§4.3.5.5, §4.3.6 remain in draft. C4 WIP resumed after v0.4.1.1 completion.
5 CMS 🔄 alpha WIP: chapter-C5-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-24.tex. Style revision complete (§5.1–§5.3 approved, 2026-03-06). Author read-through complete (2026-03-14). Alpha snapshot: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.3-20260327.tex (pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.3, 2026-03-27).
6 Quick Reference Scaffolded Structure TBD (formerly C7; C6 Training References eliminated 2026-03-17)

2.1 Style Revision Snapshot — v0.4.2.0

Style revision pass currently underway to remove AI-generated prose patterns across all integrated chapters. See issue #44 and §4 Target 1 for full details.

Metric Value
Target Version v0.4.2.0
Milestone Style Revision
Chapters in Scope 4 (C1, C2, C3, C5)
Chapters Revised 3/4 (C5 — 2026-03-06; C1 — 2026-03-19; C2 — 2026-03-27)
Chapters In Progress 1/4 (C3)
Chapters Pending 0/4
Open Issues #44 (style revision)

Chapter Style Revision Status

Ch Title Style Rev. Notes
1 Introduction ✅ Complete Style revision complete (2026-03-19). WIP: alpha status (pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.2 published 2026-03-19). Issue #46 closed.
2 HOTAS Fundamentals ✅ Complete Style revision complete (2026-03-27). WIP: alpha status (pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.3 published 2026-03-27). Issue #47 updated.
3 DMS 🔄 In Progress WIP: chapter-C3-style-rev-review-2026-03-30.tex, started 2026-03-30.
4 CMS ✅ Complete Style revision complete (2026-03-06). All §5.1–§5.3 approved. Author read-through complete (2026-03-14). WIP: alpha status (pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.1 published 2026-03-14).

3. DEVELOPMENT LOG

Chronological record of significant changes. For detailed commit history, see INTEGRATED-FILES.md.

Date Guide Version Key Changes
2026-01-05 v0.1.0.0 Initial project setup. Chapter scaffolding. Introduction integrated.
2026-01-07 v0.1.4.0 Layout standard adopted. BRIEFING created. Geometry locked.
2026-01-11 v0.2.4.0 Chapter 5 (CMS) complete. Template-wip.tex established.
2026-01-14 v0.3.0.0 RELEASE: DMS Sections 4.1 and 4.2 integrated.
2026-01-18 v0.3.1.0 RELEASE: Preamble infrastructure upgrade (article → report class).
2026-01-19 v0.3.2.0 RELEASE: Section 4.3 (DMS Down) integrated.
2026-01-29 v0.3.2.1 RELEASE: Hotastable environment upgrade (arraystretch 1.25).
2026-02-02 v0.3.3.0 RELEASE: C4 (DMS) complete chapter integrated. C1 (Introduction) revised and integrated. Milestone v0.3.3.0 completed (10/10 issues).
2026-02-09 v0.4.0.0 RELEASE: C2 (HOTAS Fundamentals) integrated. C3↔C4 chapter renumbering (DMS → C3, TMS → C4).
2026-02-11 v0.4.1.0 RELEASE: Infrastructure improvements (hotastable v2.1, List of HOTAS Tables, cross-ref macros, PDF metadata).
2026-02-18 v0.4.1.1 RELEASE: Repetition cleanup (9 corrections across C1–C5) + hotastable \label fixes. Forum contribution by user Daddyk (post #450980).
2026-03-02 MERGED: Alpha release infrastructure integrated into main (PR #50, issue #49 closed). Integrated files report regenerated.
2026-03-14 v0.4.2.0-alpha.1 PRE-RELEASE: C5 style revision alpha snapshot published. WIP renamed to alpha status (chapter-C5-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-14.tex). Alpha snapshot: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.1-20260314.tex. Issue #44 updated.
2026-03-17 STRUCTURAL: Chapter 6 (Training References) eliminated from guide plan. Former Chapter 7 (HOTAS Quick Reference) renumbered as Chapter 6. Total planned chapters: 6. Governing docs, templates, and open issues updated accordingly. No impact on current published guide (C6/C7 were not yet integrated).
2026-03-19 v0.4.2.0-alpha.2 PRE-RELEASE: C1 style revision complete. WIP renamed to alpha status (chapter-C1-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-19.tex). Alpha snapshot: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.2-20260319.tex (C1 + C5). Alpha.1 moved to archive/GUIDE/. Issue #46 closed. Issue #44 updated (2/5 chapters).
2026-03-24 MERGED: Web publication infrastructure setup merged into main (PR #57, issue #56 closed). Read the Docs (MkDocs) and GitBook configured as publication channels. docs-web/ established. Travis CI extended with Validate docs-web job. Governance docs and diagrams updated. main unblocked.
2026-03-27 v0.4.2.0-alpha.3 PRE-RELEASE: C2 style revision complete. WIP renamed to alpha status (chapter-C2-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-27.tex). Alpha snapshot: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.3-20260327.tex (C1 + C2 + C5). Pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.3 published (tag v0.4.2.0-alpha.3). Alpha.2.1 moved to archive/GUIDE/. docs-web/c2-hotas-fundamentals.md updated. Issues #47 updated, #44 updated (3/5 chapters).

4. NEXT TARGETS

Target 1: Style Revision → v0.4.2.0 (PATCH)

Item Value
Status In Progress — C5 complete (alpha.1, 2026-03-14); C1 complete (alpha.2, 2026-03-19); C2 complete (alpha.3, 2026-03-27); C3 in progress (started 2026-03-30).
Milestone “v0.4.2.0 — Style Revision” (due 2026-03-31, progress 3/4)
Open Issues #44 (Style revision: remove AI-speak across all integrated chapters)
Version Bump PATCH: style revision affects multiple chapters simultaneously; not a simple correction
Scope All integrated chapters: C1, C2, C3 (DMS), C5 (CMS)
Criteria Remove abstract/eloquent phrasing that no human technical writer would produce; prioritize clarity and directness over elegance. Adhere to misc/STYLE-GUIDE.md.
Next step Complete C3 (DMS) style revision → alpha → v0.4.2.0 integration (issue #44).
WIP Files wip/chapter-C5-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-30.tex (C5: alpha); wip/chapter-C1-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-24.tex (C1: alpha); wip/chapter-C2-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-30.tex (C2: alpha); wip/chapter-C3-style-rev-review-2026-03-30.tex (C3: review)

Target 2: Chapter 4 — TMS → v0.5.0.0 (MINOR)

Item Value
WIP Files chapter-C4-tms-structure-dev-2026-02-13.tex (main), section-C4-S3-tms-aa-review-2026-02-17.tex (§4.3: review), section-C2-S1-S3-soi-context-dependency-final-2026-02-15.tex (dependency: final)
Status Resumed after v0.4.1.1 completion. Active status: review (C4:§4.3 intro, C4:§4.3.5 intro, C4:§4.3.5.1, C4:§4.3.5.2), dev (remaining subsections)
Milestone “Integrate C4:S3 (TMS — AA) — Guide Version v0.5.0.0” (due 2026-04-20, progress 0/3)
Open Issues #38 (REVIEW — resumed), #39 (FINAL), #40 (APPROVED)
Version Bump MINOR (new chapter entry)
Content TMS concept, situational awareness, A-A employment, A-G employment, weapon-specific behavior, block/variant notes. Most complex HOTAS switch (13+ specialized tables).
Dependencies ✅ v0.4.1.1 completed; ⚠️ v0.4.2.0 (style revision) should precede or run in parallel
Next step Resume §4.3.5 subsections S3–S5 (Emergency, Constraints, AIFF Availability) → §4.3.1–§4.3.4 (SAM, STT, TWS, ACM) → §4.3.6 (TGP A-A) → populate 6 hotastable tables → review → final → approved

Chapter 4 Progress - PAUSED DUE TO ISSUE #44:

Style Revision Progress - v0.4.2.0:


Version Roadmap

Version Content Bump Type Status
v0.4.0.0 C2 HOTAS Fundamentals + C3↔C4 reorganization MINOR ✅ Released
v0.4.1.0 Infrastructure improvements (hotastable v2.1, List of HOTAS Tables, cross-refs, PDF metadata) PATCH ✅ Released
v0.4.1.1 Repetition cleanup (9 corrections across C1–C5) + hotastable \label fixes SUBPATCH ✅ Released
v0.4.2.0-alpha.1 First alpha pre-release — C5 style revision pre-release ✅ Published (2026-03-14); superseded by alpha.2
v0.4.2.0-alpha.2 Second alpha pre-release — C1 + C5 style revision pre-release ✅ Published (2026-03-19); superseded by alpha.3
v0.4.2.0-alpha.3 Third alpha pre-release — C1 + C2 + C5 style revision pre-release ✅ Published (2026-03-27)
v0.4.2.0 Style revision: remove AI-speak across C1, C2, C3, C5 PATCH 🔄 In Progress (Issue #44) — C3 pending
v0.5.0.0 C4 TMS integration MINOR ⏸️ Pending v0.4.2.0 (due 2026-04-20)

5. NOTES

2026-02-13: C4 WIP files updated. Main chapter file renamed to chapter-C4-tms-structure-dev-2026-02-13.tex (52,056 bytes). Section file section-C4-S3-tms-aa-dev-2026-02-13.tex (33,612 bytes) created, covering §4.3 — TMS in Air-to-Air. Structure validated: 6 subsections (§4.3.1 SAM, §4.3.2 STT, §4.3.3 TWS, §4.3.4 ACM, §4.3.5 IFF, §4.3.6 TGP A-A), labels consistent (sec:C4-S3-S*), cross-refs functional, 6 hotastable placeholders defined. Content state: structural outline with bullet points and technical accuracy, NOT narrative prose. Critical gap identified: current text uses itemized lists, not continuous narrative as required by C3/C5 style standard. Next phase: (1) transform to flowing prose, (2) fill tables with Dash-34 data, (3) validate all technical refs. File remains dev status. Total commits: 523.

2026-02-15: C4 WIP advancement continues. Section file section-C4-S3-tms-aa-review-2026-02-15.tex promoted to review status after §4.3 introduction finalization (39,095 bytes, +16.3% from 33,612 bytes). Introduction text validated for grammar accuracy, Dash-34 cross-references (§2.3.1.5.7-12), internal cross-references (→C2:§2.1.3, →C3:§3.1.1, →C3:§3.1.3), and prose cadence. Corrections applied: replaced “exclusively” with “restricted to” (para 2, precision), added “primary” qualifier to FCR mode description (para 3, clarity). Critical dependency identified: TGP (Targeting Pod) first mention should occur in C2 conceptual layer, not C4 operational layer. New WIP file created: section-C2-S1-S3-soi-context-dependency-final-2026-02-15.tex (20,493 bytes, status final). Establishes §2.1.3 (TGP as equipment-dependent SOI: AN/AAQ-33 Sniper XR ATP, AN/AAQ-14 LANTIRN), cross-references Dash-34 §2.6 and →C4:§4.3.6 (TGP A-A tracking). Dependency resolution ensures architectural consistency: C2 establishes concepts, C3/C4 provide operational details. §4.3 subsections (§4.3.1–§4.3.6: SAM, STT, TWS, ACM, IFF, TGP A-A) remain in draft status with bullet-point structure; 6 hotastable tables (0/6 complete) pending data population from Dash-34 §2.3.1.5.x, §2.5, §2.6.1.7.5, §4.3.2.4.3.12 and BMS Training Manual missions. Integration target: v0.5.0.0 (simultaneous integration of C2:§2.1.3 + C4:§4.3 introduction). Issues #38 (REVIEW) and #40 (APPROVED — integration checklist) updated with progress. Total commits: 558.

2026-02-17: C4 WIP advancement continues. Section file renamed to section-C4-S3-tms-aa-review-2026-02-17.tex (51,744 bytes). §4.3.5 (TMS and IFF Interrogation) introduction refined: “cockpit identification methods” substituted for “identification procedures” (precision improvement). §4.3.5.1 (SCAN Interrogation Mode) narrative completed: TMS Left short press (<0.6s) activation, SCAN configuration via DED INTG page and FCR CNTL OSB 10 (decouple/couple to radar scan volume), symbology identification (green circle = friendly, yellow square = bogey/unknown), tactical context (BVR intercepts, ROE compliance, multiple unknown contacts). Dash-34 cross-references validated: §2.2.4.4.2.1.1 (SCAN behavior), §2.3.1.5.1.6.2 (FCR CNTL OSB 10). §4.3.5.2 (LOS Interrogation Mode) narrative completed: concept (beam coverage area, cursor-directed, 2 beams vs SCAN), behavior (TMS Left ≥0.6s, 16 replies, beam geometry nuance, range filtering), configuration (DED INTG + DCS right SEQ→LOS page, independent from SCAN), symbology (cross-ref to §4.3.5.1, reduced redundancy), tactical context (BVR designated target; unsupported “VID passes” claim removed). Dash-34 cross-references validated: §2.2.4.4.2.1, §2.2.4.4.2.1.2, §2.2.4.4.2.2. §4.3.5.5 (AIFF Availability) marked with Link 16 context note for future development. Narrative completion: 25% → ~28.57% (4 subsections complete: §4.3 intro, §4.3.5 intro, §4.3.5.1, §4.3.5.2). Subsections §4.3.1–§4.3.4 (SAM, STT, TWS, ACM), §4.3.5.3–§4.3.5.5 (Emergency, Constraints, AIFF Availability), §4.3.6 (TGP A-A) remain in draft. 6 hotastable tables (0/6 complete) pending. Total commits: 582.

2026-02-19 → 2026-02-23: Style revision decision and C5 completion. Community feedback received on BMS Forum (users Van and mirv) prompted v0.4.2.0 style revision pass. Issue #44 opened. Milestone “v0.4.2.0 — Style Revision” created (due 2026-03-20). TMS milestone due date updated from 2026-03-10 to 2026-04-20. STYLE-GUIDE created and promoted to public (misc/STYLE-GUIDE.md). BRIEFING §5.3 updated with mandatory STYLE-GUIDE reference. WIP file: wip/chapter-C5-style-rev-review-2026-02-22.tex (36,771 bytes). C5 style revision completed (§5.1–§5.3): full prose rewrite, hotastable cells revised, Dash-34 validation pass executed (imprecisions corrected, Program 5 mention added, RF Switch Override rewritten). Sub-issue #48 opened: BYP and STBY modes not covered in §5.2.1 — cascade impacts mapped across C5. WIP status: review (pending #48 + author final check → final). Total commits: 603 → 649 (+46 commits).

2026-03-14: C5 style revision complete and alpha integration executed. WIP renamed to wip/chapter-C5-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-14.tex (status: alpha). Alpha snapshot created: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.1-20260314.tex. Pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.1 published on GitHub (tag v0.4.2.0-alpha.1). CHANGELOG.md updated. Issue #44 updated. Total commits: 898.

2026-03-19: C1 style revision complete and alpha integration executed. All issue #46 tasks resolved: §1.3.3 Typographic conventions added; §1.1/§1.2 reordered; §1.4 restructured. WIP renamed to wip/chapter-C1-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-19.tex (status: alpha). Alpha snapshot created: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.2-20260319.tex (C1 + C5). Pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.2 published on GitHub (tag v0.4.2.0-alpha.2). Alpha.1 moved to archive/GUIDE/. Issue #46 closed. Issue #44 updated (2/5 chapters). Total commits: 902.

2026-03-27: C2 style revision complete and alpha integration executed. Full prose rewrite: chapter intro, §2.1 (SOI Fundamentals, Symbology, SOI-Capable Displays), §2.2 (Master Modes — §2.2.2 eliminated, content redistributed), §2.3 (DMS/TMS/CMS overviews revised). All items validated against Dash-34 §2.1.1.2.1, §2.1.5, §2.1.7.5.1–5.3. WIP renamed to wip/chapter-C2-style-rev-alpha-2026-03-27.tex (status: alpha). Alpha snapshot created: wip/guide-v0.4.2.0-alpha.3-20260327.tex (C1 + C2 + C5). Pre-release v0.4.2.0-alpha.3 published on GitHub (tag v0.4.2.0-alpha.3). Alpha.2.1 moved to archive/GUIDE/. docs-web/c2-hotas-fundamentals.md updated. Issues #47 and #44 updated (3/5 chapters).

2026-03-30: C3 (DMS) style revision started. WIP file created: wip/chapter-C3-style-rev-review-2026-03-30.tex (status: review). C3 is the last remaining chapter in scope for v0.4.2.0. Issue #44 updated.


END OF PROJECT TRACKING