GPS 500 Blank, Radio Controls Don't Wiork FSX

Posting this as a PSA for future newbie FSX users, or those of us back to FSX who've forgotten a few mysteries.

If your GPS 500 comes up blank, or with just the blue vertical bar of boxes on the left, and your radio stack is on but turning the knobs does nothing, and using the N key to select Nav1 and then trying plus or minus doesn't change anything, don't worry! Nothing is broken.

You have probably set up the default flight in FSX to be "cold and dark," in other words, everything turned off.

On the default Cessna 172, for example, startup sequence includes turning on the Master Avionics switch after starting the engine (in the real world this is to prevent startup load from damaging circuitry).

Well..... some aircraft, such as the Agusta EH-101, don't _have_ a Master Avionics switch in the cockpit. Or, at least, one that is obvious, or mentioned in the Shift-F10 popup Checklist. Or Keys list, for that matter.

The solution is simple: go to Settings/Controls from the startup screen, and assign a key (or joystick button, your choice; make sure you are not reassigning one that has been used for another function!) to switch Master Avionics on and off.

Hope that helps! It's obvious for those who've encountered and dealt with this issue, but can be very frustrating for those of us who are forgetful, or never delved into this side of the intricacies of FSX.

Steve