Ok, it seems to be the new (to me) Halo.bmp file in the dflights2.zip. I can't find any difference in the 2 zip files, but I DL'd dflights2.zip and installed according to the instructions. Then uninstalled all but the Halo.bmp and the situation persists (no Formation Lights at night). Uninstalled the Halo.bmp and back to normal.
SO: It's the Halo.bmp. I much prefer the way airport lighting, carrier deck lighting, and the IFLOLS systems look, so I'll live with the one teeny tiny little problem. It's irrelevant to me, just happened to have noticed it.
I don't know how or what to edit, nor have I ever touched texture files, so I'll leave well enough alone for now. As I've said before, how she looks isn't anywhere as important to me as how she flies. Overall, the newer lights, to my eye, are a pretty good improvement over even the latest and greatest other lights files I've installed, especially the IFLOLS systems, land or sea, so I'll stick to what works best for my setup.
If one of you texture guru's wants to work on this situation, please feel free. I would love to have the planes back to what they should be, but heck, I sit in the cockpit and can't see a formation light anyway, so it's VERY low on my priority list
Thanks again for the help, though. At least I know for sure what's going on, for once
Pat☺
EDIT: One thing I nearly forgot! No matter what I do, I can NOT get the AOA lights to show up without being in the VC cockpit.They don't show in the 2D cockpit no matter what, and if I turn the VC Panel off, and just call up the HUD image (Shift+1), nothing. Yes I DID put the AOA from the VC cockpit into [Window00]. I also looked, and if I hit the carrier landing gauge (Shift+6) the AOA is supposed to be there, but nothing. Just to be certain, I cut-n-pasted the line from the [Vcockpit01] section to [window00] and [window07], the 2D and carrier landing panels. Nada.
Sludge has the AOA Lights in his landing videos, off to one side like they show up WITH the cockpit showing, with the HUD and carrier landing gauge, so I thought it should work, but nothing. I am obviously doing something wrong, but can't seem to see what! I can even read the Blackbox folder, F18_AoA_Indexer.XML file called out by the gauge line to make sure it's typed in and copied down correctly, and it is.
As always, any help would be greatly appreciated!
Pat☺