Understanding AP controls

[Bosco19 198]

There are lots of online sources that list default AP keys. That's great if you know what they all mean. Can anyone point to a source that explains what the individual keys actually mean, and control? I.E  "increase autopilot reference altitude."  What is "reference altitude"?  Lets say I activate FLC mode through a button assignment on a controller - Do the keys that refer to "reference altitude" increase/decrease the settings? Thanks

[fppilot 4,439]

7 minutes ago, Bosco19 said:

There are lots of online sources that list default AP keys. That's great if you know what they all mean. Can anyone point to a source that explains what the individual keys actually mean, and control? I.E  "increase autopilot reference altitude."  What is "reference altitude"?  Lets say I activate FLC mode through a button assignment on a controller - Do the keys that refer to "reference altitude" increase/decrease the settings? Thanks

Best to include which aircraft.  There is a wide difference between them.

[ryanbatc 13,107]

I really dislike how they display keyboard commands.  I think there is a partial language barrier too though.  I wish they'd just refer to items as the aviation community does.  A little off topic, but things like "aerosol density" - yeah I get that's a thing but have a slider called visibility instead.  

Anyway I don't think there's a guide to the naming of autopilot controls.  Best would be to tinker and use trial and error to see what does what.

[marsman2020 1,310]

I found this video to be useful information on managing the G1000 modes (it doesn't work exactly like you'd expect coming from simple autopilots), but the MSFS G1000 isn't 100% correct either,

[Bert Pieke 7,597]

Personally, I try to find a Pilot's Guide online for the real autopilot that is being simulated.

Once you have that in front of you, you can determine how the actual unit operates and what effects each knob or key have.

Then, try to operate the MSFS version according real world procedures.

90% of the time that will work for you.  The other 10%, you may find that functions have not been included, or in some cases simulated incorrectly (time to post in the forums or report to Zendesk..)

As for vertical control, most autopilots use the rule that moving the thumbwheel up equates to nose down, and moving it down equates to nose up. (think of the elevator trim wheel, same convention)

Since speed gain equates to nose down, moving the thumbwheel up in a speed controlled mode (marked as "Down" on the AP panel), actually causes the nose to go down and the speed to increase... hard to capture that with a "key tooltip" 😉

Edited November 12, 2020 by Bert Pieke

[Bosco19 198]

Guess I made assumptions here. I thought the nomenclature of the keyboard control labels referred to common functions as used by those who commonly fly tubeliners and GA glass panels. What I'm really after is to be able to assign an on/off axis for functions such as setting course, alt., etc. to a controller button or switch, and then be able to use the keyboard to go up/down or rotate to a desired setting, which would be easier than trying to hit those panel controls with the mouse while in flight. Maybe some of these functions can't be activated by key presses, and require a slider??? If I understand what you are saying...these function labels are something thought up by the designers.

[bszuch 95]

You should be able to control the AP functions with the method you described.  You would (for an example the HSI heading bug) assign the HSI to a button on your controller, and then assign increase value and decrease value (generic functions that aren't directly associated with a particular AP feature) to either keys or other buttons that allow for holds rather than multiple presses.  My understanding of the increase and decrease is that they will operate with any function provided that they are appropriate for a given command.  (wouldn't work with strobe lights or landing gear for instance....)

[Bosco19 198]

Excellent advice. I will give that a shot. 2020's control-assignment software has come in handy several times. Most recently, 2020's default for the Saitek throttle quadrant seemed to lose most of it's functionality and began behaving irregularly. No amount of re-boots or restarts would bring it back. Had to go into Options and set it up manually. Now it's operational again.

[marsman2020 1,310]

I'm not sure you can do exactly what you describe as far as using one set of buttons for changing multiple settings, but there are keyboard controls for +/- of all the autopilot 'bugs' and to change between modes already in the control bindings, in the controller mapping section be sure you're looking at 'all' controls and not just 'assigned' and take a look at the 'Autopilot' section. 

The wording Asobo used in the keyboard mapping dialog doesn't match the G1000 terminology exactly, but they are there.

Edited November 12, 2020 by marsman2020

[Bosco19 198]

Happy to report that I was able to map three of my most-used AP controls to my VKB Gladiator stick. "Reference altitude" is indeed just altitude. I was able to select or activate FLC, the heading bug, and VS. I then assigned buttons to increase or decrease the value. For the VS assignment I had to hold the activation button down while I incremented or decremented the values. For the other two controls I just activated and de-activated the switch after making the entries. I will assume this can all be done by locating this stuff on the keyboard as well, but I find it much easier to do it on a controller, where it is right at hand. I have assigned the AP on/off function to my Saitek throttle quadrant so it's near my throttle hand. I am basically an old stick-and-rudder pilot, and find that having to memorize, locate, and activate a couple hundred commands on a keyboard to be completely overwhelming, and being visually challenged doesn't help. That said, I do find basic AP functions to be a great addition to even relatively short VFR flights. It's nice to know that I can bind the few I want to my controllers. It's not that I didn't understand 2020's programming functions -  they are actually pretty well done, and IMO one of the best features. The challenge for me is in simply understanding what all the available controls do. When you add Track IR into the mix, trying to adjust all this stuff on the panel with a mouse is more hassle than fun.

[marsman2020 1,310]

Glad you got it sorted.  I get the feeling there is a bit of a language translation/aviation knowledge challenge in the naming of a lot of the controls in the control binding window.  Agree they could be clearer.