Leveling Plane

[EmeraldPanda952]

I know people say I should use a joystick, but I don't have one. So i'm wondering how I can level my plane using a keybord and if it's better to use mouse instead, how do I switch to it?

[APUtech]

The Home and End keys on the numeric keypad. Num Lock toggles between flight control mode and view mode. Be sure that you're in flight control mode before using Home (trim down) and End (trim up) on the numeric keypad. :)

Happy Flying!

APUtech

[Thunder]

this game is not meant to be played flying with mouse and only keyboard like war thunder , and other battle sim games. any generic joystick will be fine but you need one. i use logitech extreme 3d pro and is more than enough, its going to be hard without one . regards

[APUtech]

Originally posted by Thunder:

this game is not meant to be played flying with mouse and only keyboard like war thunder , and other battle sim games. any generic joystick will be fine but you need one. i use logitech extreme 3d pro and is more than enough, its going to be hard without one . regards

If it wasn't (also) meant to be flown with keyboard and/or mouse as well, the option to do so would not be available. I flew it with *keyboard only* for a year, before I could afford a new joystick, and I rocked it. I do it every now and then to see if I've still "got it."

What works or doesn't work for you doesn't mean that the outcome will be the same for everybody else.

APUtech

[gmanm]

It is definitely possible to fly by keyboard and mouse, especially if the aircraft is equipped with an autopilot, many of which can be set for the initial speed, heading and altitude during preflight. Once airborne you can quickly turn it on and control the aircraft pretty well in straight and level flight, as well as ascents, descents, and turns without ever touching the keyboard other than to make view changes. I often use the autopilot even though I have a joystick.

While sitting around in the EVA lounge once on a layover in Taiwan on the way to Bangkok, I set up a flight in the default Boeing 737, took off and saved the flight at the point where the aircraft crosses the coastline, a point at which I knew I could have my laptop out and running. Then I just closed the laptop into sleep mode, and all I would need to do is plug it in and wake it up in flight.
With my wireless mouse I could easily change speed, course and altitude so it was easy peasy.

As we crossed the coastline I simply resumed the flight and monitored the GPS display on the entertainment system screen on the seatback in front of me and kept the same course, speed and altitude as our flight all of the way to Bangkok airspace. The three hour flight went pretty fast, and I even watched a movie on the way.

There is of course no doubt that a joystick would be a far superior choice for any hands on flying, and at around $30 U.S, the Logitech Extreme 3D Pro is a pretty good piece of kit to start with.

Yep.

Cheers
Gman

[LeadCatcher]

Gman. - great story.... Now where is the infernal autopilot on my A2A Piper Cub :-).......

[Andrei [FR-EN]]

You could simply use the pitch trims. I believe it's the 7 and 1 numpad keys, i believe (check in the the key binding options). This allows you to fine tune the attitude of the plane. Also, numpad 5 levels your ailerons, so this will help you level your plane if the plane is near 0° roll.

[klionh87]

I've flown with keyboard only in the past, and switched to an HOTAS recently, so I can comment on both methods.

With a keyboard, you press the keys to move the control surfaces, and they stay that way until you apply an opposite input(or press 5 on the numpad which istantly returns ailerons to neutral).
For example, say you want to climb. Note I'm ignoring speed issues here.
You press the numpad2 key(by default) and the nose raises a little. You press the key again(or keep it pressed) and the nose raises a little more. You keep doing it until you are at the desired pitch, then leave the keyboard alone and the plane will keep it. When you are done climbing, press numpad8(by default) until you are in level attitude.
So keyboard control is basically setting trims all the time, both for elevons and ailerons. Doable, but hardly realistic. Ensure that autorudder is on unless you are a masochist!

With a joystick/gamepad/joke, you'd move the stick to change attitude, and when you let go it returns to its neutral position along with the plane's control surfaces. It is the same as reality, only lacking control feedback.
For example, say you want to climb. Note I'm ignoring speed issues here.
You move the joystick back and the plane raises its nose depending on how much you pull. If you let go of the joystick the plane would return to its trimmed pitch, and so lower its nose again. So you can keep the joystick pulled until you reach the desired altitude or, for longer climbs, you can trim up and let go, then trim back down to level flight when you are done.
Meanwhile, you can use keyboard/mouse to interact with the cabin, for example setting the throttle or leaning the mixture.

Mouse steering...I don't have experience with it, but it seems messy. With no neutral position on a mouse, I guess it is trim-like too...and you lose the ability to click cabin controls. I can't imagine it is comfortable.


Conclusion: if you are just starting out you'll be fine with the keyboard.
However, if you plan to fly regurlarly and want a more realistic experience, I'd strongly suggest investing in a decent joystick. One with rudder control is even better, so you can finally get rid of that autorudder and do some more advanced stuff.

[gmanm]

Originally posted by LeadCatcher:

Gman. - great story.... Now where is the infernal autopilot on my A2A Piper Cub :-).......

There are some freeware addon programs out there which add a "copilot". I just found one a couple of weeks ago, sorry can't remember where, I think it was called "You have the controls" or something like that. After you install in your plane folder, you simply push a button and the copliot takes control, wings level, course, and altitude anyways.

I wanted to try it on a helicopter but it did not seem to work or I lost interest.
It was primarily made for planes which dont have an autopilot, so if you can find it, it may work out in your cub.

Cheers
Gman