.. that all aircraft are so sensitive to control inputs? I have over 500 logged hours with an instrument rating, and I can NEVER seem to land aircraft properly without them see-sawing all over the final approach path with too sensitive a response to my joystick. I have calibrated the joystick with no help. The changes that several people have suggested in the [flight tuning] section of the aircraft.cfg have helped, but it seems too much to have to do that with all my aircraft (I am an aircraft junkie!!). Why don't the aircraft builders set these parameters when they release their planes. Don't get my wrong, I really appreciate all their work, but wish I didn't have to make so many (possibly incorrect)changes.Dave Hinson

HI Dave,I invite you to try our C172 SP flight model for FS2002. It's in the Avsim library (do a search under RealAir). The file is a flight model specially made for the aeronautical training department of the Kangan Batman Tafe, a flying school in Australia.You will find this aircraft much smoother and gentler in pitch, and if you set max realism in the general flight model slider menu (aircraft menu in FS2002) you can also side slip landings, spin, and balance turns better. It's not perfect but you may find it a considerable improvement.Generally speaking the Fs2002 default aircraft are a little too twitchy on controls, especially in pitch. This is not difficult to put right. Also, when you compare the tiny amount of travel on a home joystick compared to the real thing on the average GA aircraft - sometimes up to 2-3 feet of movement from fully forward to fully back, it's not surprising that the tendency at first is to over control.But I agree with you that the FS smaller aircraft are generally too severe in pitch.Regards,Rob Young - www.realairsimulations.com

Thanks, Rob, I do have that aircraft, and use your .cfg file to investigate how to improve flight characteristics. Your mention of the small movement of the FS joysticks compared with a real aircraft is certainly a possible explanation of the sensitivity of response. Thanks again for your response, and, again, I appreciate all the hard work ALL aircraft designers do to give us such a great collection of aircraft to "play with".Dave Hinson

You can also just change the sensitivity of your joy stick in 2k2.

The best way after having tuned your joystick is to open the aircraft cfg file and scroll down to the flight tuning section. If pitch, roll or yaw is too sensitive, increase the aircraft's pitch stability, roll stability or yaw stability. If the aircraft won't slow down, increase the drag factors. Work's for me.

Yea, thanks, those are the parameters that I try to adjust on a FEW aircraft. Too much of a problem to change all the aircraft I have in my library (of course, I only fly a few of them regularly). I guess my question is why do we have to do this with almost all the aircraft we download ?Dave

HI Dave,The cfg file is not a powerful way to adjust the problems you speak of. Essentially it is the airfile which holds the key, the cfg file is a broad canvas which doesn't really give the detail of adjustment needed. For example the pitch stability parameter does not really adjust the necessary params in the airfile, of which there must be many, all interacting with each other.But the cfg is better than nothing. You won't see any clues about the C172 in the cfg since it has no real adjustments of flight controls. They are all in the airfile.Regards,Rob

I don't like the idea of increasing the MOIs. If anything, I find most aircraft having excessive MOIs. This doesn't make them more stable--just more sluggish. A high pitch MOI may appear to increase stability since the aircraft is less prone to phugoiding (pitching) but it will also make the aircraft slow in returning to its angle of attack when you've tossed it around. A high pitch MOI may result in an aircraft that runs into a stall long after you let go of the back pressure--it may result in an aircraft that keeps diving and picking up speed without wanting to level off. In short, you get an aircraft that's insensitive to the angle of attack set by the trim and just keeps riding on rails.I'd rather focus on control (joystick) sensitivity. These can be adjusted down in the settings menu.Hans Petter

Much of the problems folks perceive as being software related are really hardware related. Simply put... most flight simming hardware does a very poor job of driving our virtual aircraft.

I've never had an issue tweaking the MOI's, but I tweak them in tandem with the other sensitivities. If I'm increasing the pitch MOI, I'll usually adjust the elevator sensitivity as well to compensate for the loss of control.What I don't like with many aircraft is when I roll the aircraft, and it just stops like a fighter jet. I've only handled a Cessna, but even a Cessna rolls a bit past the point where I've centered the yoke. The recent update posted deals with this very well...it is slight, but it's there. Very unreal is an MOI that stops the aircraft in its axis the moment the stick is released. The possible exception to that may be fighter and stunt aircraft, neither of which I've flown. But it sure seems those pilots can stop a roll at will, in the blink of an eye.I've received generally positive feedback regarding the way my Microlight aircraft handles, from real Microlight pilots. I spent a bit of time getting the MOI and handling just right with that, even to the point of timing the roll rate with a stopwatch to match it against RAN's specs.... It isn't perfect, but it follows my philosophy of adjusting the aircraft for the environment it's flown in--namely the simulator. I'd like the thread's author to give it a try, and see if he sees the same issues...-John

>I guess my question is why do we have to do>this with almost all the aircraft we download ?>You don't have too. I never do, and use realism settings at 100%. But then my mind has already been "tricked" into small joystick movements from years of radio control, and aerobatics in a few experimental class homebuilts and the Pitts S2B.I know many pilots, including commercial, who have the same problem when transitioning to R/C. They're all over the place!If MY settings are turned down, then I get "irked", so it's tough to please everyone!! L.Adamson

There is also a global setting that you may like. This I picked up over at FSV to cure oversensitive controllers in general. It makes quite a difference.In the [CONTROLS] section of the FS2002.cfg file add the entry:stick_sensitivity_mode=0I might add that it changes nothing in the flight dynamics, just controller inputs.Milton

> But it sure seems those pilots can stop a roll at>will, in the blink of an eye.That's exactly what they'll do. The "feel" and control is quite different from the average Cessna & Piper. I need to get the RV done, as it's the same way. Very precise in roll control, which is why many military & ex-military pilots like there (RV's)control qualities which they often compare to fighters. The Pitt's was always a "think it......... and it does it" airplane. L.Adamson

Because they aren't done right to begin with?

As for me, I'm ready to switch to a digital joystick. I don't think my Wingman "Force 3D" is a good choice--especially when flying helicopters.Mike