Please help a newbie with a few questions.

[FastDoc]

Good evening everybody. I am an instrument, rated commercial pilot, and new to flight simulation. With some help that I have received on this form, I am up and running, currently flying the Maule M7-235, with a Garmin 430, which stimulates my personal airplane pretty well. 
 

My main goal for this system is to practice my IFR techniques and approaches to airports that I fly to, but also explore places I have not been.

 

It is a long way from controlling the sim, to the controls of the airplane. The simulator is quite a bit more touchy, which leads to one of my questions.

 

Can somebody help me adjust the sensitivity of the controls? Specifically, I would like to reduce the elevator sensitivity/authority.

 

I would also like to be able to start approaches from in the air. I know that I could use the world map to start in the air someplace, but is there a way that I could enter a fix/waypoint and start there? This way I could start on the actual approach plate and save some time.

 

Also, is there a way that I could use the keyboard to program the GPS? Using the mouse and dragging the knobs around is fairly tedious.

 

Similarly, is there a way that I could zoom in on just the radio so that it fills the screen? I’ve discovered that I could right click and move around the cockpit, and scroll to the zoom in which is helpful, I was just wondering if there’s a better way.

 

Finally, I have not been able to find a way to turn off the “suggestion tags“ that show up every time that you roll the cursor over something in the cockpit. Often the pop-ups get in the way.

 

As before, I am grateful for your help and patience. Bill.

[Buck Turgidson]

Hey Doc, try this out:

 

To get rid of the suggestions go to assistance options

 

 

Select true to life

 

On the last one you may want to adjust some of the options.  Here is how mine are set.  Make sure you save before leaving.

 

 

To set the control sensitivity, select control options. Then select your controller and click on the blue sensitivity button upper left.  The screen will appear and provide control options for sensitivity.  You should probably also tell it it is doing a good job and looks like it lost weight.

 

 

[davidc2]

On 12/13/2023 at 10:26 PM, FastDoc said:

 

Also, is there a way that I could use the keyboard to program the GPS? Using the mouse and dragging the knobs around is fairly tedious.

 

 

Have you tried using Little Nav Map and importing the flight plan into the sim?  I've made some very intricate FP using LNM and it has greatly enchained the sim experience

[FastDoc]

5 hours ago, davidc2 said:

Have you tried using Little Nav Map and importing the flight plan into the sim?  I've made some very intricate FP using LNM and it has greatly enchained the sim experience

I’ve not heard of it before but I’ll check into it seems like something I could use. Thank you. 

[FastDoc]

19 hours ago, Buck Turgidson said:

Hey Doc, try this out:

 

To get rid of the suggestions go to assistance options

 

 

Select true to life

 

On the last one you may want to adjust some of the options.  Here is how mine are set.  Make sure you save before leaving.

 

 

To set the control sensitivity, select control options. Then select your controller and click on the blue sensitivity button upper left.  The screen will appear and provide control options for sensitivity.  You should probably also tell it it is doing a good job and looks like it lost weight.

 

 

Thank you for your thoughtful reply I’ll implement this soon. 

[oneleg]

On 12/13/2023 at 7:26 PM, FastDoc said:

...

Similarly, is there a way that I could zoom in on just the radio so that it fills the screen? I’ve discovered that I could right click and move around the cockpit, and scroll to the zoom in which is helpful, I was just wondering if there’s a better way.

 

 

 

A solution:
1. Zoom in to the radio.
2. Press Ctrl-Alt-1
3. Press Alt-1

Item #2 above saves a custom view into memory 1. Item #3 quickly loads it from memory 1.  

[FastDoc]

Thank you I'll put it on a stickie note.

[herringburden]

I'll stick it on a sticky note. Thank you.                                                               dordle

[Buck Turgidson]

On 12/14/2023 at 4:26 PM, FastDoc said:

I would also like to be able to start approaches from in the air. I know that I could use the world map to start in the air someplace, but is there a way that I could enter a fix/waypoint and start there? This way I could start on the actual approach plate and save some time.

 

One way to do this is with a free add on located here: https://flightsim.to/file/9067/sky-dolly

 

There are a few bugs with the way MSFS interacts but I find this to be a very useful add on I use mainly for formation flight.  It can start a flight in a location but you may spend a minute or so recovering from unusual attitudes til you are back on track.  It helps to start the flight in the sim on the closest airfield and set up your radios on the ground before teleporting.   The program only saves the aircraft data so you will have to set the weather the way you want it before each flight.

 

For this flight into Steamboat Springs CO I saved my flight just before crossing the VOR inbound at 13k allowing enough time to get the aircraft back under control and start the outbound leg.  You can set cloud levels, wind  and precipitation to levels that will limit visibility to levels you would never consider in real life.

 

 

For an aircraft like the Maul you may also find it useful for storing starting locations on off field location where there are no runways.  Be advised that you will need to start in a nearby airfield and teleport.  This can sometimes register as a crash on teleport.

 

 

 

[FastDoc]

Thank you Buck I'll try that tonight if I get a chance.