1 X-Plane Operation Manual About This Copy of the Manual This is revision 9.61 of the manual to the desktop and professional versions of X-Plane, last updated on November 13, 2014. Using This Manual Throughout the manual, there will be cross-references to other parts of the manual. These will generally be in the form of a dark gray page number—for instance, Chapter 4 is on page 54 (clicking the number there will go directly to page 53). The Table of Contents is also cross-referenced; click on the section you're looking for to travel there instantly. Alternatively, the PDF’s bookmarks can be used to navigate quickly through the manual. 2 Table of Contents VII. Updating to a Newer Version of X-Plane A. Using X-Plane Betas Click a chapter or section heading to go directly to that page. VIII. Compatibility with Earlier Versions of Scenery, Models, and Plug-Ins 1. About X-Plane......................................................................10 IX. Uninstalling X-Plane I. Overview X. Getting Help and Support II. What X-Plane Includes III. History 3. Initial Flight Setup................................................................32 A. Austin's Bio, Last Updated Mid-2006 I. General Access B. X-Plane Today II. Joystick Configuration and Calibration I. Overview A. Axis Assignment a. The Level 1 X-Plane Simulator B. Control Calibration b. The Level 2 X-Plane Simulator C. Button Assignment c. The Level 3 X-Plane Simulator D. Controlling Joystick Sensitivity and Aircraft d. The Level 4 X-Plane Simulator Stability e. Summary i. Sensitivity ii. Stability 2. Installing and Configuring X-Plane....................................17 E. Setting Null Zones I. System Requirements F. Centering the Controls II. Flight Control Selection G. Adding Special Equipment A. Joysticks H. Troubleshooting Flight Controls B. Yokes III. Rendering Options Setup C. Rudder Pedals A. Frame Rate and the Quality of Flight Simulation D. Other Considerations B. Setting Up the Monitor III. Display Requirements and System Architecture i. Texture Resolution IV. Graphics Drivers and X-Plane ii. Set Color Depth and Monitor Resolution A. Updating Graphics Drivers in Windows on X-Plane Startup V. Installing X-Plane iii. Anti-Alias Level A. Installation on a Windows PC iv. Screen Res (Resolution) i. Special Considerations for Windows XP a. Making X-Plane Full Screen Users v. Draw IOS on Second Monitor on Same ii. Special Considerations for Windows Vista Video Card and 7 Users C. Setting Up the X-Plane World B. Installation on a Macintosh i. Forest Density i. Special Considerations for Mac Users ii. World Detail Distance C. Installation in Linux iii. Number of Objects VI. Launching X-Plane 3 iv. Number of Roads v. Airport Detail 4. Flight.....................................................................................54 vi. Traffic Density I. Opening an Aircraft vii. Anisotropic Filter Textures II. Choosing an Airport viii. Draw Birds in Nice Weather A. Airport IDs Explained ix. Draw Hi-Res Planet Textures from Orbit III. Setting Weather x. Draw Forest Fires and Balloons in Warm A. Basic Cloud Configuration Weather B. Quick-Set Buttons xi. Draw View Indicator C. Weather Sliders xii. Dim Under High G Load or Hypoxia D. Temperature and Pressure xiii. Use Pixel Shaders for Amazing Fog and E. Wind Layers Water Effects F. Thermals a. Draw Volumetric Fog G. Runway Conditions b. Water Reflection Level H. Using Real Weather D. Setting up Clouds IV. Using the Keyboard/Keyboard Shortcuts i. Number of Cloud Puffs V. Using the Mouse Instead of a Joystick ii. Size Cloud of Cloud Puffs VI. Controlling Instruments and Avionics with the Mouse E. Expert Rendering Options A. Note on Radio Tuning i. Compress Textures to Save VRAM VII. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Demo Flight ii. Do Any Scenery Loads in the Background VIII. Flying Yourself iii. Runways Follow Terrain Contours F. Special Viewing Controls 5. X-Plane Menus.....................................................................69 i. Lateral Field of View I. The About Menu ii. Minimum Frame Rate A. About X-Plane iii. Multi-Computer Simulators B. Instructions a. Lateral, Vertical, and Roll Offsets C. A.I. Selects Your Aircraft iv. Lock View to Forward Cockpit D. A.I. Flies Your Aircraft G. Setting up X-Plane to Achieve the Best Results E. A.I. Controls Your Views i. Displaying the Frame Rate II. The File Menu ii. Modifying Visibility and Cloud Rendering A. Save/Load Situation iii. Changing Texture Resolution for Best B. Save/Load Replay Performance C. Quicktime Movie Specs iv. Setting Screen Resolution for Best D. Toggle Movie Performance E. Load Flight Data Recorder File v. Optimizing Other Rendering Options F. Take Screenshot vi. Changing the Number of Other Aircraft III. The Aircraft Menu 4 A. Open Aircraft E. Get Me Lost B. Open Livery V. The Environment Menu C. Weight and Fuel A. Weather i. The Fuel/Payload Tab B. Date & Time ii. The Ordnance Tab VI. The Settings Menu D. Equipment Failures A. Data Input & Output E. Aircraft & Situations i. The Data Set Tab F. Show Mouse-Click Regions a. The Four Checkboxes in Depth G. Show Instrument Descriptions aa. Internet via UDP (First H. Toggle Puff Smoke Checkbox) I. Cycle 3-D Flight Path bb. Disk File 'Data.txt' J. Reset 3-D Flight Path (Second Checkbox) K. Logbook cc. Graphical Display in IV. The Location Menu 'Data-See' Tab (Third A. Select Global Airport Checkbox) i. The Take Off Buttons dd. Cockpit During Flight ii. The Final Approach Buttons (Fourth Checkbox) iii. The Ramp Start Buttons ii. The Data See Tab B. Local Map B. Net Connections i. The Hi-Speed Tab i. Inet 1 ii. The Low Enroute Tab ii. Inet 2 iii. The High Enroute Tab iii. Inet 3 iv. The Sectional Tab C. Joystick & Equipment v. The Textured Tab D. Rendering Options vi. Check Boxes E. Sound a. The Instructor Operator Station F. Quick-Flight Setup (IOS) Box G. Operations & Warnings b. The Edit Box i. Flight Model c. The Replay Box ii. Startup d. The Slope Box iii. Warnings e. The Inst Box iv. Damage f. The 3-D Box v. Data vii. Aircraft Controls VII. The View Menu viii. Viewing Controls VIII. The Special Menu C. Planet Map A. Show Flight Model D. Set Planet to Earth or Mars i. Fun with the Flight Model 5 B. Output Flight Model xi. BC C. Open/Toggle Text File for Viewing B. Using the Autopilot D. Open/Toggle Checklist for Use i. Turning It On E. Find Pitch/Yaw Stability Derivative ii. Using the Controls F. Set Environment Properties a. Wing Leveler and Pitch Sync G. Set Artificial Stability, Autopilot, and FADEC b. Heading, Altitude, Vertical Speed, constants Speed Hold, Flight Level H. Show Control Deflections Change, Auto-Throttle I. Show Weapon Guidance c. Pitch Sync with the Pitch Sync J. Show Sky Colors Joystick Button K. Show Projector Test d. LOC and G/S IX. The Plugins Menu aa. LOC A. Plug-in Admin bb. G/S cc. Flying an ILS Using LOC 6. Navigation, Autopilots, and Flying on Instruments………95 and G/S I. Navigation iii. Flying an FMS Plan A. History iv. Turning the Autopilot Off i. Dead Reckoning III. Flying on Instruments ii. Aural Navigation A. History B. Modern Navigation B. The Inner Ear and Your Sense of Balance i. NDB Navigation C. Gyroscopes and Their Application to Flight ii. VOR Navigation D. The Six Primary Flight Instruments iii. ILS Navigation i. The Airspeed Indicator (ASI) iv. GPS Navigation ii. The Attitude Indicator (AI) II. Autopilots iii. The Altimeter (ALT) A. Descriptions of Autopilot Functions iv. The Turn Coordinator (TC) i. WLV v. The Directional Gyro (DG) ii. HDG vi. The Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI) iii. LOC iv. HOLD 7. Expanding X-Plane..............................................................114 v. V/S I. Adding Third-Party Aircraft vi. SPD II. Adding Third-Party Scenery vii. FLCH III. Installing Plug-Ins viii. PTCH ix. G/S 8. Expert Essays......................................................................116 x. VNAV I. Tuning the Handling in X-Plane 6 II. Factors Affecting X-Plane's Performance I. Menus III. Tuning the Autopilot A. About A. Tuning Autopilot Roll B. File Menu i. Roll Error for Full Aileron i. New ii. Roll Prediction ii. Open iii. Roll Tune Time iii. Save iv. Localizer CDI Gain iv. Save As v. Localizer CDI Prediction v. Exit B. Summary of Roll Settings II. Designing an Airfoil C. Tuning Autopilot Pitch A. The Coefficient Graph i. Pitch Error for Full Elevator B. Reynolds Number ii. Pitch Prediction C. Coefficients iii. Pitch Tune Time i. Coefficient of Lift iv. Glideslope CDI Gain ii. Coefficient of Drag v. Glideslope CDI Prediction iii. Coefficient of Moment vi. Pitch Degrees per Knot D. General Info D. Summary of Both Pitch and Roll Controls i. Finding Coefficients E. Setting Autopilot Constants Quickly ii. Recommended Background Reading IV. Designing an Artificial Stability System iii. Types of Airfoils A. Designing a Yaw Damper E. Generating Airfoils B. Stabilizing Pitch i. Coefficient of Lift Intercept V. Setting Up Advanced Networks ii. Coefficient of Lift Slope A. Setting Up a Networked Copilot’s Station iii. Coefficient of Lift Curvature Near the VI. Setting Up Multiple Monitors Stall A. Multiple Computers, Multiple Monitors iv. Coefficient of Lift Maximum B. One Computer, Multiple Monitors v. Coefficient of Lift Immediate Drop at Stall C. Setting Up a Copilot's Station Using Two vi. Coefficient of Lift Curvature After the Monitors with One Computer Stall VII. Flying Helicopters vii. Coefficient of Lift Drop from Stall to 20 VIII. Flying the Space Shuttle Degrees A. Walkthrough viii. Coefficient of Drag Minimum IX. Flying on Mars ix. Coefficient of Lift at Which Minimum A. Introductory Letter Drag Occurs B. Tips x. Coefficient of Drag at Angle of Attack of 10 Degrees 9.