Does anyone know whether it is possible to program the magneto switches? I can't seem to find them in Options/controls/buttons/joysticks.I am trying to program my new Saitek yoke and throttle. For most aircraft it does not seem necessary but for my favorites, the RealAir products it seems to be essential and I can't find any "Magneto (on/off)." Any help is greatly appreciated.Ted

Magnetos are set via the keyboard in several steps:1. Press E,n (where n is the engine you want to affect)2. Press M,= (increase Magneto switch one step)On a single engine aircraft, step #1 may be omitted of course.So, as a practical example for a single engine aircraft:M,= (sets magneto switch to Left Mag)= (sets magneto switch to Right Mag)= (sets magneto switch to Both Mags)= (sets magneto switch to Start position)I honestly do not see how you could "program" your Saitek controller to emulate such a convoluted sequence of keystrokes... :+

Bill;Perhaps I was not clear in my use of the term "program." All I want to do is use the buttons on my Saitek yoke and throttle to go through the engine start sequence. I did the following.Button 15 engages battery/alternator switches.Button 16 engages the Avionics switch.Button 17 opens the fuel cutoff valve (assuming it is shut)Push mixture lever full forwardPush prop lever full forwardButton 15 engages engine start button.At this point the the key turns to start, the engine turns over but will not start. If I first use the mouse to set the key switch at "both" magnetos and then hit "engine start" (button 15), the engine starts.Assigning a button to "Magneto select" or hitting "M on the keyboard does not move the key switch to R, L, or both magnetos.The above is true with my RealAir SF-260 and Citabria. It is also true with the Maule. The Citabria actually has magneto switches but they are not turned on with "M." Apparently one has to do it with the mouse. I have not tried this with every plane in FSX. Basically I am trying to avoid use of the mouse in the starting sequence.Thanks in advance for any suggestions.Ted

Ted,I think you have misunderstood Bill's post.Just pressing the 'M' key does not do anything.You need to press 'M' followed by the '=' key in order to move the switch.

>Magnetos are set via the keyboard in several steps:>>1. Press E,n (where n is the engine you want to affect)>>2. Press M,= (increase Magneto switch one step)>>On a single engine aircraft, step #1 may be omitted of>course.>>So, as a practical example for a single engine aircraft:>>M,= (sets magneto switch to Left Mag)>= (sets magneto switch to Right Mag)>= (sets magneto switch to Both Mags)>= (sets magneto switch to Start position)>>I honestly do not see how you could "program" your Saitek>controller to emulate such a convoluted sequence of>keystrokes... :+ Have you ever seen the programming potential of a ThrustMaster Cougar using the Foxy software?I had 186 commands programmed for Falcon4. That leaves about 129 still on the keyboard. lol

Lars;You are correct, I did misinterpret Bill's comments. I have now programmed my yoke/throttle quadrant to go through the engine start sequence. It is only a little convoluted.Thanks to you both for the help.Ted

>Lars;>>You are correct, I did misinterpret Bill's comments. I have>now programmed my yoke/throttle quadrant to go through the>engine start sequence. It is only a little convoluted.>>Thanks to you both for the help.I probably should have explained the purpose of the "," I used to separate the M and = keys...Typically, if you see something like Shift-Ctrl or Shift+Ctrl, that means "hold both keys down simultaneously.Something like Ctrl-E,1 means "Hold down Ctrl and E keys simultaneously, release and then press the 1 key."Therefore, a sequence such as:Shift-E,1 M,=,=,=,=means, Hold Shift & E keys simultaneously, release, press 1 keyPress M key, followed by four presses of the = key... ;)In any event, I'm happy you got it sorted and working! ;)And to the other poster, you are correct. I know nothing about the Saitek at all, being a yoke man myself... :)

I have a TM Cougar. With flightsim I find it best to program a hat switch to the right for plus (KB =) and left for minus (KB -). Then I can selection many functions and use the plus or minus movement for changing the value. This approach works for any functions that require selection then the plus or minus values. This includes, barometer, magnetos, heading and course. It is surprising how many controls in flightsim since way back require the operation to select a function then the plus or minus keys to adjust.