My question is can the pilot select which position , ( of 3 ), he desires from inside the cockpit, or does he have to preselect which position he wants to use before takeoff?
Huh?
He selects what he wants from the cockpit. The only stipulation is the flap safety on the FW 190 would not let you lower the landing gear or landing flap position at speeds faster than 300kph.
This why the Flugzueg-Handbuch instructs the pilot on take off to wait until he is going faster than 250kph to retract the landing gear. He must wait until the gear is fully retracted, the indicator lights turn from red to green, and the lock indicator is in locked position.
Then he can retract the take off flaps and trim for level flight at 500kph.
If he retracts the gear sooner, the aircraft could slip past 300kph and if he gets into trouble would be unable to lower the gear or the landing flaps.
All the best,
Crumpp