X-Plane manual

General Controls

Mouse, for general panel controls

You can drag engine controls, set frequencies, and manipulate any other on-screen controls with the mouse. Note: For aircraft with reverse thrust, such as the Boeing 777, you need to drag the throttle all the way to the bottom of the throttle travel with the mouse and hold the mouse button down for a few seconds at the very bottom of the throttle travel to drop the engines into reverse thrust.

Joystick, mouse, or keyboard, for flight control

The joystick, rudder pedals and throttle-quadrant operate the flight controls of the airplane. If you don't have any such peripherals hooked up, you can use the mouse and keyboard instead. To use the mouse, click in the center of the windshield and you will be able to fly the plane with the mouse that way. Click again in the center of the windshield to stop flying the plane with the mouse. You can use the numeric keypad to fly the plane with the keyboard.

Normally, you will use the joystick to pitch and roll the airplane, the rudder pedals (on the floor) to steer the airplane on the ground, and the throttle to control the power output.

Many people do not have joystick AND rudder pedals AND throttle, so you can get by with the mouse for flight control, no rudders, and the mouse or functions keys (F1/F2) for throttle control.

Keyboard

Keyboard use is not required. Command key equivalents, if any, are listed in the X-Plane menus. There are also command key equivalents for views in the "View" menu so you do not have to memorize the keys... they are surrounded by brackets like this "[W]". Just hit those keys without hitting the shift, option/alt or control keys to select those views.

Tip

Although reducing the realism somewhat, you may want some "damping" if you are new to flight sims or are flying a light helicopter. Do this in the "Hardware and Flight Mode" window in the "Settings" menu. You can reduce joystick sensitivity there, too.

Key List:

The keys given here are the DEFAULT keys, but you can easily change them by editing the the "RESOURCES : KEYS : X-Plane.txt" file! Just change the keys in that file and save the file to use your new keys in X-Plane!

SPACE fail a system selected in the failure mode window
ENTER activate ATC if ATC menu not up
ENTER accept ATC selection if ATC menu is up
ENTER send message to other player of in multiplayer flight (Settings menu, Internet option)
ENTER close open window if any window is open
arrow keys choose ATC option if an ATC menu is up
arrow keys rotate view angle if in free-view from the view menu
arrow keys rotate view location if in spot-view from the view menu
. reverse thrust
r release payload (jettison)
y u adjust directional gyro
i o adjust barometric pressure
h j adjust OBS 1
n m adjust OBS 2
p pause
b brakes, 2/3 stopping effort, normally used.
v brakes, maximum stopping effort!
g gear
f transponder ident
k l progress time in 1/2 hour increments

' toggle FADEC on/off for helos
! autopilot disconnect
` autopilot heading
~ autopilot Nav 1
$ autopilot Nav 2
% autopilot GPS
^ autopilot alt hld
& autopilot vertical speed hold
* autopilot glide slope Nav 1
( autopilot glide slope Nav 2
) autopilot airspeed hold

Q W E R com 1 radio frequency
T Y U I nav 1 radio frequency
A S D F com 2 radio frequency
G H J K nav 2 radio frequency
O P L : > ? ADF frequency
Z X C V B N M < transponder setting
1 2 flaps up or down one
3 4 carb heat off or on
5 6 speedbrake up or down one.. use your joystick throttle on the gliders
7 8 aileron Trim
9 0 rudder Trim
[ ] elevator trim
+ - zoom in/out

Function keys control the throttle, prop, and mixture... with one exception: use the BACKSPACE key instead of the F-10 key in Windows. In Windows the F-10 key is reserved by Microsoft for menu-operations.

Tech Support: Joystick Checklist for Macintosh users:

First of all:
X-Plane Classic does NOT support USB hardware... it is ADB-ONLY.
Therefore, if you are on an old Mac that can only run Classic and you have rigged it
up for another few months with a USB card to listen to current joysticks, you will
not be able to use them with X-Plane Classic because X-Plane Classic was written
before the USB sticks came into use! Using X-Plane Classic? Then forget USB hardware.

X-Plane 5.x does NOT support ADB hardware.. it is USB-ONLY.
This is never a problem for "factory" Macs since any "factory" Mac that can handle X-Plane 5.x also has USB ports.

OK, assuming you are with us up to this point, we need to talk about INPUT SPROCKETS.

INPUT SPROCKETS are the drivers that Macintoshes use to understand joysticks.
Without these drivers, your Mac will have no idea of what a joystick is or how to use it...
You must therefore get INPUT SPROCKETS from WWW.APPLE.COM, or from your system CD so that your Mac will understand what a joystick is and how to read it. IF YOU GET THE LATEST INPUT SPROCKETS FROM WWW.APPLE.COM then your Mac should be able to "read" every USB joystick on the planet since Apple does a VERY good job of keeping their drivers up to date for all the joysticks out there... most certainly including yours! If your Mac does NOT recognize your USB joystick, or gives an error saying that it could not find or load Input Sprockets, then you can guess what you have to do, right? GET THE LATEST INPUT SPROCKETS FROM WWW.APPLE.COM!

Now, if the below STILL does not work after getting latest inpt sprockets from Apple, can you figure out what to try next? GO INTO YOUR EXTENSIONS FOLDER AND DELTE ALL YOUR OLD INPUT SPROCKETS EXTENSIONS BEFORE INSTALLING THE NEW ONES! This will avoid any conflicts between old and new versions of Input Sprockets.
What are your Input Sprockets extensions, you ask? The answer is: FIGURE IT OUT! The names of the extensions are intuitive. I do not want to give you a list here as it might quickly get out of date.

NOW, ASSUMING YOU ARE RUNNING X-PLANE 5.X, NOT CLASSIC, AND ASSUMING THAT YOU HAVE NOW GOTTEN
THE LATEST INPUT SPROCKETS FROM WWW.APPLE.COM, HERE IS THE CHECKLIST:

1: Go the the JOYSTICK AXIS ASSIGNMENT window the X-Plane SETTINGS menu and you will see a standard Input-Sprockets dialog... move the stick around and choose what action in X-Plane you want each axis applied to. HOLD DOWN THE OPTION KEY WHEN SELECTING CONTROLS TO GET ACCESS TO ALL FUNCTIONS!!!

Now, some of you may be asking: What do I assign the Rx axis to? What do I assign the Rz axis to? And the answer is, ANYTHING YOU WANT!!! I do not know what every axis is called on every stick that is made... there are too many... You should be able to see for yourself what the Rz axis, etc, is by moving the stick around and seeing what you have to move on the stick to get the Rz-axis to light up in the control panel... whatever you have to move to get the Rz axis to light up on the control panel must be the Rz axis. Now, what you assign that axis to is totally up to you! You simply decide what joystick motion you want assigned to what function in X-Plane.

2: Go to the HARDWARE AND FLIGHT MODE WINDOW in the X-Plane SETTINGS menu and select rudder pedals with brakes, or whatever hardware you have. Now set your nullzone... it is the little green square on the left... you can move your controls to test them out by watching the little green square expand and move as you move the stick, but that green area represents the nullzone in flight, so you want it to be as small as possible!! Tech Support: Joystick Checklist for Windows users:

1: Go to MY COMPUTER : CONTROL PANEL and then to the joystick control panel.
Calibrate and then test each stick you have there.
There is an ADVANCED button you can hit in that control panel that allows
you to assign WHAT JOYSTICK ID EACH JOYSTICK/THROTTLE/PEDALS IS ON.
All hardware that you want to use in X-Plane must be on ID-1 or ID-2...
set the controls to ID1 or ID2 and test them again in that control panel
to be sure they work OK. X-Plane will only read BUTTONS from ID-1, so
make that your stick or yoke, and the rudder pedals ID-2 if you have them.

2: Now that the sticks are ready in Windows, launch X-Plane... Go to the HARDWARE AND FLIGHT MODE WINDOW in the X-Plane SETTINGS menu and select rudder pedals, rudder pedals with brakes, or whatever hardware you have.

3: Now go to the JOYSTICK AXIS ASSIGNMENT window the X-Plane SETTINGS
menu and move each joystick, rudder pedal, brake pedal, throttle, etc that you
have, one at a time. You will see the the little green bars move... simply
choose what function in X-Plane you want each axis to be assigned to from the
choices on the left.
MAKE SURE THAT ALL AXIS THAT YOU DO NOT CONTROL WITH YOUR HARDWARE ARE SET TO "NONE"!!!!!

4: Go back to the HARDWARE AND FLIGHT MODE WINDOW in the X-Plane
SETTINGS menu and set your nullzone... it is the little green square on the left...
you can move your controls to test them out by watching the little green square
expand and move as you move the stick, but that green area represents the
nullzone in flight, so you want it to be as small as possible!!
TURN ON THE RUDDER PEDALS THERE IF YOU HAVE THEM!

(next section)

Mouse, for general panel controls You can drag engine controls, set frequencies, and manipulate any other on-screen controls with the mouse. Note: For aircraft with reverse thrust, such as the Boeing 777, you need to drag the throttle all the way to the bottom of the throttle travel with the mouse and hold the mouse button down for a few seconds at the very bottom of the throttle travel to drop the engines into reverse thrust. Joystick, mouse, or keyboard, for flight control The joystick, rudder pedals and throttle-quadrant operate the flight controls of the airplane. If you don't have any such peripherals hooked up, you can use the mouse and keyboard instead. To use the mouse, click in the center of the windshield and you will be able to fly the plane with the mouse that way. Click again in the center of the windshield to stop flying the plane with the mouse. You can use the numeric keypad to fly the plane with the keyboard. Normally, you will use the joystick to pitch and roll the airplane, the rudder pedals (on the floor) to steer the airplane on the ground, and the throttle to control the power output. Many people do not have joystick AND rudder pedals AND throttle, so you can get by with the mouse for flight control, no rudders, and the mouse or functions keys (F1/F2) for throttle control. Keyboard Keyboard use is not required. Command key equivalents, if any, are listed in the X-Plane menus. There are also command key equivalents for views in the "View" menu so you do not have to memorize the keys... they are surrounded by brackets like this "[W]". Just hit those keys without hitting the shift, option/alt or control keys to select those views. Tip Although reducing the realism somewhat, you may want some "damping" if you are new to flight sims or are flying a light helicopter. Do this in the "Hardware and Flight Mode" window in the "Settings" menu. You can reduce joystick sensitivity there, too.				Key List: The keys given here are the DEFAULT keys, but you can easily change them by editing the the "RESOURCES : KEYS : X-Plane.txt" file! Just change the keys in that file and save the file to use your new keys in X-Plane! SPACE fail a system selected in the failure mode window ENTER activate ATC if ATC menu not up ENTER accept ATC selection if ATC menu is up ENTER send message to other player of in multiplayer flight (Settings menu, Internet option) ENTER close open window if any window is open arrow keys choose ATC option if an ATC menu is up arrow keys rotate view angle if in free-view from the view menu arrow keys rotate view location if in spot-view from the view menu . reverse thrust r release payload (jettison) y u adjust directional gyro i o adjust barometric pressure h j adjust OBS 1 n m adjust OBS 2 p pause b brakes, 2/3 stopping effort, normally used. v brakes, maximum stopping effort! g gear f transponder ident k l progress time in 1/2 hour increments ' toggle FADEC on/off for helos ! autopilot disconnect ` autopilot heading ~ autopilot Nav 1 $ autopilot Nav 2 % autopilot GPS ^ autopilot alt hld & autopilot vertical speed hold * autopilot glide slope Nav 1 ( autopilot glide slope Nav 2 ) autopilot airspeed hold Q W E R com 1 radio frequency T Y U I nav 1 radio frequency A S D F com 2 radio frequency G H J K nav 2 radio frequency O P L : > ? ADF frequency Z X C V B N M < transponder setting 1 2 flaps up or down one 3 4 carb heat off or on 5 6 speedbrake up or down one.. use your joystick throttle on the gliders 7 8 aileron Trim 9 0 rudder Trim [ ] elevator trim + - zoom in/out Function keys control the throttle, prop, and mixture... with one exception: use the BACKSPACE key instead of the F-10 key in Windows. In Windows the F-10 key is reserved by Microsoft for menu-operations.



Tech Support: Joystick Checklist for Macintosh users: First of all: X-Plane Classic does NOT support USB hardware... it is ADB-ONLY. Therefore, if you are on an old Mac that can only run Classic and you have rigged it up for another few months with a USB card to listen to current joysticks, you will not be able to use them with X-Plane Classic because X-Plane Classic was written before the USB sticks came into use! Using X-Plane Classic? Then forget USB hardware. X-Plane 5.x does NOT support ADB hardware.. it is USB-ONLY. This is never a problem for "factory" Macs since any "factory" Mac that can handle X-Plane 5.x also has USB ports. OK, assuming you are with us up to this point, we need to talk about INPUT SPROCKETS. INPUT SPROCKETS are the drivers that Macintoshes use to understand joysticks. Without these drivers, your Mac will have no idea of what a joystick is or how to use it... You must therefore get INPUT SPROCKETS from WWW.APPLE.COM, or from your system CD so that your Mac will understand what a joystick is and how to read it. IF YOU GET THE LATEST INPUT SPROCKETS FROM WWW.APPLE.COM then your Mac should be able to "read" every USB joystick on the planet since Apple does a VERY good job of keeping their drivers up to date for all the joysticks out there... most certainly including yours! If your Mac does NOT recognize your USB joystick, or gives an error saying that it could not find or load Input Sprockets, then you can guess what you have to do, right? GET THE LATEST INPUT SPROCKETS FROM WWW.APPLE.COM! Now, if the below STILL does not work after getting latest inpt sprockets from Apple, can you figure out what to try next? GO INTO YOUR EXTENSIONS FOLDER AND DELTE ALL YOUR OLD INPUT SPROCKETS EXTENSIONS BEFORE INSTALLING THE NEW ONES! This will avoid any conflicts between old and new versions of Input Sprockets. What are your Input Sprockets extensions, you ask? The answer is: FIGURE IT OUT! The names of the extensions are intuitive. I do not want to give you a list here as it might quickly get out of date. NOW, ASSUMING YOU ARE RUNNING X-PLANE 5.X, NOT CLASSIC, AND ASSUMING THAT YOU HAVE NOW GOTTEN THE LATEST INPUT SPROCKETS FROM WWW.APPLE.COM, HERE IS THE CHECKLIST: 1: Go the the JOYSTICK AXIS ASSIGNMENT window the X-Plane SETTINGS menu and you will see a standard Input-Sprockets dialog... move the stick around and choose what action in X-Plane you want each axis applied to. HOLD DOWN THE OPTION KEY WHEN SELECTING CONTROLS TO GET ACCESS TO ALL FUNCTIONS!!! Now, some of you may be asking: What do I assign the Rx axis to? What do I assign the Rz axis to? And the answer is, ANYTHING YOU WANT!!! I do not know what every axis is called on every stick that is made... there are too many... You should be able to see for yourself what the Rz axis, etc, is by moving the stick around and seeing what you have to move on the stick to get the Rz-axis to light up in the control panel... whatever you have to move to get the Rz axis to light up on the control panel must be the Rz axis. Now, what you assign that axis to is totally up to you! You simply decide what joystick motion you want assigned to what function in X-Plane. 2: Go to the HARDWARE AND FLIGHT MODE WINDOW in the X-Plane SETTINGS menu and select rudder pedals with brakes, or whatever hardware you have. Now set your nullzone... it is the little green square on the left... you can move your controls to test them out by watching the little green square expand and move as you move the stick, but that green area represents the nullzone in flight, so you want it to be as small as possible!!				Tech Support: Joystick Checklist for Windows users: 1: Go to MY COMPUTER : CONTROL PANEL and then to the joystick control panel. Calibrate and then test each stick you have there. There is an ADVANCED button you can hit in that control panel that allows you to assign WHAT JOYSTICK ID EACH JOYSTICK/THROTTLE/PEDALS IS ON. All hardware that you want to use in X-Plane must be on ID-1 or ID-2... set the controls to ID1 or ID2 and test them again in that control panel to be sure they work OK. X-Plane will only read BUTTONS from ID-1, so make that your stick or yoke, and the rudder pedals ID-2 if you have them. 2: Now that the sticks are ready in Windows, launch X-Plane... Go to the HARDWARE AND FLIGHT MODE WINDOW in the X-Plane SETTINGS menu and select rudder pedals, rudder pedals with brakes, or whatever hardware you have. 3: Now go to the JOYSTICK AXIS ASSIGNMENT window the X-Plane SETTINGS menu and move each joystick, rudder pedal, brake pedal, throttle, etc that you have, one at a time. You will see the the little green bars move... simply choose what function in X-Plane you want each axis to be assigned to from the choices on the left. MAKE SURE THAT ALL AXIS THAT YOU DO NOT CONTROL WITH YOUR HARDWARE ARE SET TO "NONE"!!!!! 4: Go back to the HARDWARE AND FLIGHT MODE WINDOW in the X-Plane SETTINGS menu and set your nullzone... it is the little green square on the left... you can move your controls to test them out by watching the little green square expand and move as you move the stick, but that green area represents the nullzone in flight, so you want it to be as small as possible!! TURN ON THE RUDDER PEDALS THERE IF YOU HAVE THEM!