Question for all Boeing pilots… when I disconnect the auto throttles on final approach, my physical thrust levers on my Bravo are not synced with where the plane’s thrust levers are. So I try to eye-ball it but it invariably creates some instability that I really could do without. Is there any trick to getting them synced before disengaging AT?

Maybe the trick is to note what N1 % is being used on final and mark that on my physical throttle quadrant so I can use that to line up the levers? But that would require that the thrust value on final is pretty consistent from one flight to the next. 

Until someone makes a motorized throttle, eye balling is about the only way. I know PMDG has a setting to show your physical throttle location on the N1 display which helps. I don't know if the iFLY has a setting for that.

57 minutes ago, BrammyH said:

Until someone makes a motorized throttle, eye balling is about the only way. I know PMDG has a setting to show your physical throttle location on the N1 display which helps. I don't know if the iFLY has a setting for that.

It does.

This is the only way - a display on the engine instruments 

Yes, contrary to what people think this is a game.

Your not going to get the motorized throttle behavior without an expensive product or DIY solution.

Eyeballing the throttle location on my hardware works about as good as anything, I don't have any "instability" doing it this way. Maybe I'm missing something in your description of "instability". Please elaborate?

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Kevin_28 said:

It does.

How do I enable this? Is it somewhere in the EFB, or on by default, and I just haven't noticed it?

From memory, I think it is............Options -> Simulation -> Show thrust lever position (in the FMS)

Edited August 6, 2025Aug 6 by Christopher Low

1 hour ago, tpete61 said:

Maybe I'm missing something in your description of "instability". Please elaborate

When you're in HOLD throttle mode and you want to adjust the throttle manually is one example. If you're not synced when you move the lever things are gonna get 'wild' 😁

9 minutes ago, sloppysmusic said:

When you're in HOLD throttle mode and you want to adjust the throttle manually is one example. If you're not synced when you move the lever things are gonna get 'wild' 😁

Exactly. What happened to me is what I saw in this video... at about 16:53 where he disengages AT and his thrust levers are clearly at around 65% when the planes were at 52% and he was almost immediately too high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bmfWPfYT1s

I kinda solve this three ways:

- Fly all my 737s as American (the operator I belive uses AT the whole flight) and be true to SOPs. Or;

- Disconnect AT a few min before I disconnect AP. This way, I can get the levers in the proper position and speed stabilized. Even with the markings on N1 I find I still need a little fine tuning.

- Fly the Airbus (which I know isn't for this problem, so this is a joke)

15 minutes ago, BrammyH said:

I kinda solve this three ways:

- Fly all my 737s as American (the operator I belive uses AT the whole flight) and be true to SOPs. Or;

- Disconnect AT a few min before I disconnect AP. This way, I can get the levers in the proper position and speed stabilized. Even with the markings on N1 I find I still need a little fine tuning.

- Fly the Airbus (which I know isn't for this problem, so this is a joke)

If using AT for the whole flight, do the throttles automatically go to idle at the right time during touch down? 

And yeah, the Airbus is more sim friendly in this aspect. 

Edited August 6, 2025Aug 6 by Virtual-Chris

7 minutes ago, Virtual-Chris said:

If using AT for the whole flight, do the throttles automatically go to idle at the right time during touch down? 

I don't know, actually. Usually if I do that, it's around when I'd idle the throttles. So I shut off AT and then go idle.

It actually doesn't work any better if the throttle levers are right on the mark when you disconnect, as most autothrottle code just stops making throttle inputs when you disconnect, so you have to move the levers a bit to register the axis position after the AT disconnect.  So even if the lever is right on the money, you still have to nudge them up/down to get the sim to see the lever position.  I typically just note the N1 before I hit the AT Disc switch, and then adjust the throttles to get back to that value and work from there.

The answer to this is really just to enable the option that shows a colored arc on the N1 gauges that indicates the current position your physical throttles (this is a sim-only option).  Sync your throttles with current N1, click-click, and you're flying.  Don't make it harder 😉.

Another helpful tool is the energy state carat in the HGS, if you're using that.  It's an instantaneous indication of energy trend so all you have to do is disconnect autothrottles and then immediately move your throttles as necessary to reposition that energy state carat back to neutral.  It's so responsive that if you do this promptly, your actual speed will hardly fluctuate (note that this will only work with the iFly and not the PMDG, as this carat is poorly modeled and therefore not useful in the PMDG.  The iFly is much more true to life in this aspect.)

Here is where you "Set" the physical position of the throttles in the iFly MAX:

Note that you can also control how you'd like the hardware inhibited....I choose "Total Inhibit" so any hardware noise spikes won't disengage the autopilot.   Very handy if you have old hardware and they are a bit noisy and kicking the AP/AT off, especially if you leave the cockpit enroute (The trash doesn't take itself out, LOL) 

PS...this is page 13 of the MAX FS2020 User Guide and Tutorial.pdf that customers can easily view from the iFly manager (i also posted this in your other post, but adding again for those only viewing this one.  iFly (Jim Harnes) put a LOT of work into the manuals, they are very well done.) 🙂