My 13yr old son dosen't even know what an autopilot is so I suppose that is why they did not include it in the game.

For all intents & purposes I did not know what an autopilot was... only a couple planes I came across had them and the only time I ever used was to deliver a Mooney from Indiana to Boston.As Fr. Bill said, "the vast majority of GA aircraft are not equipped with an autopilot at all"...

For all intents & purposes I did not know what an autopilot was... only a couple planes I came across had them and the only time I ever used was to deliver a Mooney from Indiana to Boston.As Fr. Bill said, "the vast majority of GA aircraft are not equipped with an autopilot at all"...

huh,., I guess I take that for grandit. I flew in a Bell 222UT the other day and the pilot was on autopilot 95% of the flight. I was not aware that the vast majority of GA aircraft did not have autopilot.

It mostly comes down to two factors: weight and expense. Taken together they make an AP in a light GA aircraft a no-go item.

It mostly comes down to two factors: weight and expense. Taken together they make an AP in a light GA aircraft a no-go item.

Exactly...Can you put in a Warrior or C172... sure... but then it goes back to what Fr. Bill said.I would not call a Bell 222 a "typical" GA aircraft. Go look at the used prices. Not so uncommon to see in a 3 or 400k Mooney or A36 or a new million dollar Baron.Go price out an S-Tec autopilot like what's in the Maule... it's not cheap to do... unlike the copy & paste we do with the aircraft.cfg / panel.cfg. ;-)

vast majority of GA aircraft haven't got autopilot? vast majority, in fact ALL GA aircraft i've flown/maintained have an autopilot.. the maule in FSX had a functioning AP, so why not the MSF maule?

That assumption is incorrect. If you press "M" to open the Map, then click on Legend, it will open a panel on the right side of the screen. Place a check mark in the "Radio Navigation" box to enable the map's display.All navaids will now be displayed on the Map. Hover the mouse over the map's icons to see the frequency. Note that at this time only the Vans RV-6 and the Maule have working nav radios and VOR heads.

Sorry but I don't understand.I mean, I betatested Flight so I am aware of all the frequencies stuff within the map but I was wondering how can you use the ILS within the Maule if there is no autopilot that uses the ILS ?So how do you use the ILS within the Maule ? Please explain because I fly jets in FSX and I can't imagine how to properly use an ILS without an autopilot.Please assume I have never used a Maule before so I have only learnt to fly it without instruments.Thxp.s. as far as I know the Maule in real life do have an autopilot.-

Edited March 1, 201214 yr by Mark II

The majority of Ga aircraft I have flown have an autopilot of some kind. My planes had very nice ones- however I have to confess I never used them. I like to fly-to me George flying is not flying.

Wow. Its arcade because it wont fly itself? Really?

Not because it will not 'fly itself' but because it for sure gets closer to an arcade game if very serious features (and easy to implement) features are left out.Your simplifications do not really help the discussion. These people have bought an add-on and I think they got the right to expect a feature like radios or autopilot to functions. This is not about the free sim but about a paid add-on that would be totally unsellable if it was an FSX add-on.

Not because it will not 'fly itself' but because it for sure gets closer to an arcade game if very serious features (and easy to implement) features are left out.Your simplifications do not really help the discussion. These people have bought an add-on and I think they got the right to expect a feature like radios or autopilot to functions. This is not about the free sim but about a paid add-on that would be totally unsellable if it was an FSX add-on.

I quote you.

Sorry but I don't understand.I mean, I betatested Flight so I am aware of all the frequencies stuff within the map but I was wondering how can you use the ILS within the Maule if there is no autopilot that uses the ILS ?So how do you use the ILS within the Maule ? Please explain because I fly jets in FSX and I can't imagine how to properly use an ILS without an autopilot.Please assume I have never used a Maule before so I have only learnt to fly it without instruments.Thxp.s. as far as I know the Maule in real life do have an autopilot.-

You are joking right?Bring up the ILS frequency on the NAV radio, set the inbound course and follow the guidance commands yourself! No autopilot required.

You are joking right?Bring up the ILS frequency on the NAV radio, set the inbound course and follow the guidance commands yourself! No autopilot required.

Think of it as an Autopilot Malfunction.Set the ILS freq on NAV1, (set OBS to course heading, smart pilots do. Even though it’s taken over by the ILS).Then do the ILS approach and landing manually, just keep the needled on spot.

1) By hitting space and turning on mouse-control and then carefully setting the virtual stick position you can have a "poor mans" autopilot for level flight. In mouse mode if you dont have to make constant input like on a joystick. By first setting power, trim and "mouse position" the aircraft kept within 100 feet altitude for 20 minutes, but of course only in very smooth air.2) Just a little worried... It doesnt appear to be any keyboard shortcut to any autopilot in the controls settings what so ever. One would think the software at least should have the key-bindings in place?3) A plane with a NDB would have been a nice addition, at least one of the islands have NDS but not VOR's, so for instrument flight an airplane with both would be welcome.-

in fact ALL GA aircraft i've flown/maintained have an autopilot.

Wow that wasn't my experience as a student, Instructor or Mechanic... or what I have observed in Trade-a-Plane... flight sales... the flight line... but ok.Must be you Aussies must have an autopilot. Not my observation here for why it was stated.

This is not about the free sim but about a paid add-on that would be totally unsellable if it was an FSX add-on.

And this never happens with FSX aircraft? C'mon... probably could pull up a half dozen posts where Geof A. griping about an incorrectly functioning T/C. Capt Sim B-52 autopilot has "troubles". That is just off the top of my head w/o even thinking about all the other aircraft I have purchased.Having planes w/o autopilots is refreshing because was how all my RW flying was done. Something I would not ordinarily do in a sim. FSX is still there for me.MS FLIGHT Team: if reading this may I suggest a little "sticky" be put on the Maule Autopilot that says "Inop".

You are joking right?Bring up the ILS frequency on the NAV radio, set the inbound course and follow the guidance commands yourself! No autopilot required.

I'm starting to wonder if there are FSX people who think an autopilot is required to fly an ILS approach lol....

MS FLIGHT Team: if reading this may I suggest a little "sticky" be put on the Maule Autopilot that says "Inop".

it actually does!