FlightGear Flight Simulator/Getting Started

This page will introduce how to get started with FlightGear, based on the content of FlightGear Wiki. Running FlightGear Starting FlightGear The easiest way to start FlightGear is to use the desktop icon. This starts the graphical interface Qt launcher where you can choose aircraft, start position etc. Remember the launcher only has basic options to get you started. A lot of options for graphics, scenery, weather, environment, input devices etc. are available from the menu inside the simulator. Many users choose however to start FlightGear directly from the command line. The executable name is fgfs and can be run without options. If it is "not found", it is likely not in your path. The location depends on your particular system and choices you made during compile and installation. There is a list of command line parameters which must be used to change many options, like the aircraft you want. The most important: fgfs --launcher # opens the Qt launcher fgfs --show-aircraft # displays a list of installed aircraft fgfs --aircraft=c172p # start FG with the aircraft "c172p" (from the list) The launcher also lets users add command line parameters for options that are normally changed from the menu inside the simulator, as well as quite advanced options that are only available from the command line. Configuring rendering and UI thumb|Rendering options If your render quality or framerate is too low, click "View > Rendering Options" to adjust the graphic settings. For newer hardware, it's recommended to set "graphics quality" to high and check "use disk space for faster loading", "animated jetways" and "satellite photoscenery". If the menu text appears too small on high DPI or large screens, you can manually change the menubar font size by editing the data file, or simply click "Debug > Cycle GUI Style". Using the keyboard and/or mouse Users with limited access to a joystick or other controllers sometimes use the keyboard or mouse to control their aircraft. Using the keyboard to fly can be difficult and the mouse is recommended over the keyboard for flying, yet even a cheap joystick would improve the experience so much. To get help with keyboard commands, with FlightGear running, go to the Help menu, look under Basic Keys (for simulator related commands) and Common Aircraft Keys (for commands universal to all aircraft) and Aircraft Help (for key commands specific to your aircraft). If the main menu is hidden, press F10. To use the mouse to fly the aircraft, press Tab (the cursor should change to a cross) and move the mouse to direct the aircraft. Press Tab again to look around (cursor should show a two sided arrow), and press Tab again to return to normal mode, used to click stuff in the cockpit. You can click "File > Input Devices > Mouse Config" to adjust the mouse sensitivity. For most users lacking a rudder axis control, it’s difficult to manually coordinate aileron and rudder movements during a turn. To enable auto-coordination and make flight easier, you may click "Settings", then click the "Show more" button on the right of "General", and finally click "Enable auto-coordination" in the launcher. First time in the cockpit Finding your way around the cockpit may be challenging the first time. You can use Ctrl+V to switch to the cockpit view. If the text on the panel are too small, you can use the view mode of the mouse (press Tab until you get a cursor shaped like a double arrow) to pan and the mouse wheel to zoom, or pan with the joystick hat and zoom with X and Shift+X. One of the first steps that many take on entering an unfamiliar cockpit is to press Ctrl+C to highlight all the "hotspots", that is instrument controls, buttons, knobs, etc. Many aircraft also offer a specific help menu. Some functions, such as starter or magneto, may be difficult to use or simply lack clickable "hotspots", especially in aircraft models which are in development. In most cases you can use the keyboard. The keyboard always work according to the assignments listed on the "Help > Aircraft help" or "Help > Common aircraft keys" menu, but sometimes some keys are reassigned by an aircraft or configuration. Again, remember to check all the help dialogs. Starting the engine You are eager to fly, but the engine is off. Well, turning on the engines is not always easy. Most aircraft have an autostart entry in their custom menu, but here is a general procedure that should work in many cases: In general to start the engine on a piston-engine type aircraft, you need (after making sure the game is not paused p): Fuel: Some aircraft start the simulation with no fuel. You can add it in Equipment > Fuel and Payload. Correct fuel mixture: This is generally rich, so push the red knob all the way in, or use the key m to enrich (Shift+m leans.) Magnetos set on both: Turn the key or press } three times to move through R, L, Both. Throttle: Some engines start better with a little gas. Run the starter: Click the Start position of the key on the panel, or press s. Hold the starter for sufficient time, even 10 seconds. Starting all engines in a multi-engine aircraft is similar to the single engine - except you must follow the same start sequence for each and every engine. FlightGear provides a convenient way to do this for all engines at once: Press ~ and all the procedure above will work for all the engines. Note though that the default 2D panel is connected to only one engine and the ~ trick might not work. Also, give some gas to be sure that all the engines are on. These instructions may not work for jet aircraft, helicopters, or other types of aircraft with complex start procedures. Check the instructions in the aircraft help menu (press ?) and/or look at the aircraft's article on this wiki. In general to start the engine on a jet engine type aircraft, you need to: Set cutoff ON Engage the starter Once the engines spools up to approximately 5% N1, set cutoff OFF Disengage the starter once the engine has reached operational speed Learning to fly FlightGear's Manual FlightGear has an official manual that covers the basics of flight. As a beginner, you may want to start with "Chapter 8: A Basic Flight Simulator Tutorial." Tutorials Many aircraft have their own interactive tutorials. With tutorials, you can learn to operate particular aircraft but also learn to fly. You can access tutorials by going to Help > Tutorial. A great place to start is the tutorial for the Cessna 172P aircraft, commonly used in real life to learn to fly fixed-winged aircraft. If the tutorial starts without a runway and surrounded by water, your setup of FlightGear is missing the scenery for the airport at which the tutorial was supposed to run. To get scenery see the #Getting scenery section above. Making your first flight Realism One of the most frequent questions novice pilots ask about any flight simulator, but more so to FlightGear, is "Why is my aircraft turning left all the time?" Although it could be due to wind gusts crossing the runway, it is more likely due to the propeller torque and p-factor. In certain other flight simulators, despite marketing slogans to the contrary, some settings are turned down to make the aircraft easier to fly. This reduces effects such as the above. The realism is always turned up in FlightGear. Here are some of the FlightGear realism points, which may be confusing to first time pilots: "Left turning syndrome" for the previously mentioned reasons. Compass turning error: A compass, when subjected to the forces of flight, tends to turn in the opposite direction for a brief period before settling on the correct heading. This is not a malfunction (see also the Wikipedia article Aircraft compass turns). The Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI) is also subject to error. The Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) is driven by a gyroscope (that is why it is sometimes called a Directional Gyroscope), which is subject to gyro drift. The indicator will drift from its current heading and must be periodically (every ~15 minutes) calibrated to agree with the magnetic compass heading. You cannot just cancel a turn or climb by centering the yoke or stick. You must turn or push the stick the other way to get to level and level flight. But even then, the plane will not maintain its altitude or heading by itself. A common mistake is trying to find a hands off yoke position. While with trimming one could leave the plane for a couple of seconds, one must use autopilot or constantly adjust the yoke. Many forces act on an aircraft in flight as well as on the avionics and instruments used for control and navigation, and may be counter-intuitive. Pilots must learn to recognize these phenomena and compensate for their effects. FlightGear models instrument errors that exist in the real world. If you don't want it, press h to enable the HUD. Airports and navigation aids When you first start FlightGear, whether from the command line or the graphical interface of the launchers, you may wonder how to determine what airports are available. The launcher displays a list of airports, but you will not see details such as tower or ILS frequencies. You will not find a map showing VORs and their frequencies. What can you do? See Getting aeronautical charts. In-sim, there is a map you can use in Main Menu > Equipment > Map, which will allow you to see navigation data and the position of airports and aids. For more help with navigation see Understanding navigation. Flying using the autopilot A generic autopilot is available from the Autopilot > Autopilot Settings menu, while many aircraft come with their own specific autopilot, frequently a model of the real life one. For aircraft that provide their own autopilot, you should use the autopilot controls available in the virtual cockpit. This means clicking on the instrument panel in the virtual cockpit. The Autopilot menu may be grayed out and unavailable when the aircraft supplies its own autopilot in some aircraft, including the Airbuses and the C172P. The Cessna 172 comes with a Bendix/King KAP140 Autopilot in its virtual cockpit. You can use both the autopilot device in the cockpit and the autopilot settings from the menu. Advanced Flying If you continue to fly light civilian aircraft, Cessna 182S which is more complex than C172P and PA28 are good choices. If you are interested in flying airlines, Airbus A320 family, Boeing 777/787, MD-11 and MD-80 are suggested. If you are fascinated by fighter aircrafts, choose a highly rated military aircraft (such as F-16/F-15), and enable multiplayer damage or install Bombable. If you switch to helicopters, it is recommended to fly Eurocopter EC130 B4. Besides common aircraft, there are also detailed space shuttles available. Scenery It can be fascinating to explore the scenery (or just test the graphics/frame rate) with UFO. First of all, increase your graphics quality. If you don't see buildings initially, keep FG open and wait for a while for TerraSync to finish downloading and for the buildings to appear. There are plenty of well-developed airports and scenery areas. You can also explore the scenery objects on the model map. Multiplayer FlightGear has some multiplayer servers that will let you fly in more lively skies, see Howto:Multiplayer. There are also OpenRadar and ATC-pie, standalone programs that will let you be an air traffic controller. There is also a multiplayer map that lets you see who is online right now, and even what navaids are nearby. Addons FlightGear has a lot of third-party addons containing enhancements. For beginners, Logbook and Which Runway may be the most useful addons.https://wiki.flightgear.org/New_to_FlightGear References