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20 CHAPTER 3. PREPARATION AND INSTALLATION
3.2.1 Joysticks
Joysticks typically provide pitch, roll, and throttle control, as well as a few buttons that can be
programmed to do different things. For example, you may program one button to raise and lower
the landing gear, and two additional buttons to raise the flaps and lower them. Also, some joysticks
can have their handle twisted left and right to control yaw movement. If the joystick being used
does not offer yaw control, you will probably want a set of rudder pedals to provide realistic yaw
control in the airplane. A joystick will be best for flying fighter or sport airplanes, or planes made
by companies like Airbus, Cirrus, or Lancair, for the simple reason that those planes, in reality, are
controlled with joysticks!
3.2.2 Yokes
A yoke consists of a steering wheel-like control that rotates left and right and also slides back and
forth. These are the best option for users primarily interested in flying older-style general aviation
planes, business jets, and non-Airbus airliners, since these planes are flown with yokes in reality.
Yokes are typically clamped to the user’s desk for stability. They may have a built-in throttle
quadrant, which will allows for independent control of the propeller, throttle, and mixture for a
single propeller engine. Also, note that yokes do not control yaw movement (they do not twist left
and right for yaw control like some joysticks), so rudder pedals are required for realistic yaw control.
3.2.3 Rudder Pedals
Rudder pedals allow users to realistically control the airplane’s yaw by pushing the left or right
pedal to turn. While in flight, the pedals control the rudder, whereas on the ground they’re used
to steer. The pedals also control the brakes to help the airplane stop or turn sharply while on the
ground. (Push the top of the left or right pedal to activate the brakes on that side of the plane.)
If neither a set of rudder pedals nor the joystick is set to control yaw, X-Plane will automatically
slew the rudder to try and keep the airplane flying true. This auto-rudder function, however, is
not smart enough to take off or land properly in a crosswind, slip, or do various other things that
rudders might be used for. For this reason, rudder pedals (or at least a twisting joystick) are highly
recommended.
Please note that, when flying a helicopter, pedals must be used for the anti-torque controls—
this can not be assigned to keyboard commands, simply because it is not practical to try to use
the keyboard to fly.
3.2.4 Other Considerations
For added realism in certain situations, you may want an independent throttle quadrant. CH
Products’ Multi-Engine Throttle Quadrant is perhaps the most popular and offers independent and
variable control of six different functions. Normally, this would be set up to control the throttle,
propeller, and mixture controls for each engine on a twin-engine airplane. This controller can also
be used to control throttle and condition (fuel cutoff) for jet engines, allowing independent control
of jet aircraft with up to three engines. A multi-engine throttle quadrant is recommended for users
interested in realistically flying airplanes with more than one engine.
To purchase joysticks or other equipment, check out the CH Products, Logitech, or Saitek
websites. Each of the sites allows users to browse the available products and find where to buy
them. Also, feel free to call or e-mail X-Plane customer support (info@x-plane.com) with any
additional questions.