Note the items here go beyond the usual tech support. These things are for people who are comfortable editing files and tweaking things beyond what can be done using the menus in FS One. Word of warning: Make a backup copy of any files that you might decide to tweak or else you might need to reinstall FS One plus the patches.

Advanced Users Only: How can I add my own panorama flying site? (Q1050-FS)
Advanced Users Only: What's the trick to adding collision data to a pano field? (Q1053-FS)
Advanced Users Only: I'd like to reorder the airplane/heli lists to put my favorites at the top. (Q1041-FS)
Advanced Users Only: I'd like to reorder some of the other lists. How can I do that? (Q1042-FS)
Advanced Users Only: I want to reinstall FS One. How can I "import" my previous edits to airplanes, helis, and transmitters? (Q1046-FS)
Advanced Users Only: I want a wide-angle field of view with autozoom. How can I change the autozoom field of view (FOV)? (Q1051-FS)

Sound

I hear a beep-beep-beep... when I fly. How can I turn that off? (Q1047-FS1)

Mac Users

Does FS One run on a Mac? (Q1030-FS1)

Known Issues

I made some changes in the Options menu, and now the program sometimes crashes. How can this be fixed? (Q1048-FS1)
I installed FS One correctly, but when I try to launch the program it complains that it does not detect the USB interface. How can this be fixed? (Q1045-FS1)
I am having issues with the sound quality in FS One. Is there a way to fix this? (Q1014-FS1)
Some users have reported issues when using a program called "Window Blinds". What's the solution? (Q1026-FS1)

FAQ Updates

What new FAQs have been added or updated lately? (Q1007-FS1)

How can I remove the HUD ladder and make other HUD tweaks? (Q1056-FS1, 3/29/09)
How can I size-up the electric Brio and add the Saito 180 glow motor? (Example 3) (Q1057-FS1, 1/1/07)
Describe the SwiftE basic transmitter setup? (Q1055-FS1, 9/9/07)
Advanced Users Only: What's the trick to adding collision data to a custom pano field? (Q1053-FS, 5/12/07)
Advanced Users Only: How can I add my own panorama flying site? (Q1050-FS, 5/10/07)
Where can I get the latest Help Manual? (Q1052-FS1, 5/5/07)
What is the latest version of FS One? (Q1005-FS1, 5/5/07)
How can I use my Spektrum DX6 or JR 662 transmitter with FS One (6-Ch JR)? (Q1004-FS1, 4/29/06)
Advanced Users Only: I want a wide-angle field of view with autozoom. How can I change the autozoom field of view (FOV)? (Q1051-FS, 3/29/07)
How can I "repaint" an aircraft in FS One? I want it to look just like my own airplane! (Q1036-FS1, 3/23/07)
How can I use my Futaba T9CAP 9-channel transmitter with FS One (9-Ch Fut)? (Q1028-FS1, 3/23/07)
How can I use my Futaba PCM1024 T9ZAP 9-channel transmitter with FS One (9-Ch Fut)? (Q1033-FS1, 3/23/07)
How can I use my JR XP9303 transmitter with FS One (9-Ch JR)? (Q1013-FS1, 3/23/07)
How can I use my Hitec Optic 6-channel transmitter with the Blade CP (6-Ch Hitec)? (Q1044-FS1, 3/19/07)
How does the map overlay work? (Q1049-FS1, 2/19/07)
I made some changes in the Options menu, and now the program sometimes crashes. How can this be fixed? (Q1048-FS1, 2/4/07)
I hear a beep-beep-beep... when I fly. How can I turn that off?(Q1047-FS1, 1/31/07)
How can I reduce the control surface throws and adjust the rates and expos? (Q1003-FS1, 1/4/07)
Advanced Users Only: I want to reinstall FS One. How can I "import" my previous edits to airplanes, helis, and transmitters? (Q1046-FS, 12/5/06)
I installed FS One correctly, but when I try to launch the program it complains that it does not detect the USB interface. How can this be fixed? (Q1045-FS1, 12/4/06)
Where can I get the latest patch? (Q1008-FS1, 11/27/06)
I'd like to use a dual stick (analog) gamepad with FS One. How can I do that? (4-axis)? (Q1043-FS1, 11/17/06)
Advanced Users Only: I'd like to reorder some of the other lists. How can I do that? (Q1042-FS1, 11/5/06)
Advanced Users Only: I'd like to reorder the airplane/heli lists to put my favorites at the top. (Q1041-FS1, 11/5/06)
With the Scaling Wizard, I want to add my own information about wing span, weight, prop size and motor info? (Example 2) (Q1040-FS1, 11/7/06)
What's the easiest way to rescale (resized) an airplane using the Scaling Wizard? (Example 1) (Q1039-FS1, 11/7/06)
Hangar 9 Edge 540 33% and Hangar 9 Ultimate TOC 46% hover aero changes. Beta testing status: Open (B1001-FS1, 11/4/06)
What adapters come with FS One? What adapter cables do I need? (Q1038-FS1, 11/1/06)
Why are there so many transmitter setups in FS One? (Q1037-FS1, 10/29/06)
I am having issues with the sound quality in FS One. Is there a way to fix this? (Q1014-FS1, 10/14/06)
How can I use my Airtronics Stylus 8-channel transmitter with FS One (8-Ch Air)? (Q1035-FS1, 10/28/06)
How can I use my Airtronics RD8000 8-channel transmitter with FS One (8-Ch Air)? (Q1034-FS1, 10/26/06)
When helis crash, the engine does not startup like I would expect on reset. What's happening here? (Q1032-FS1, 10/25/06)
Check your F1 and F2 views! (Q1031-FS1, 10/24/06)
Does FS One run on a Mac? (Q1030-FS1, 10/24/06)
I'd like to learn to hover 3D airplanes. How can I do airplane hover training? (Q1029-FS1, 10/24/06)
How can I use my Futaba T4VF 4-channel transmitter with FS One (4-Ch Fut)? (Q1027-FS1, 10/22/06)
Some users have reported issues when using a program called "Window Blinds". What's the solution? (Q1026-FS1, 10/18/06)
I'm flying the Hangar 9 Alpha 40 and at 1/2 throttle it climbs out and turns left without any stick input. Why? (Q1025-FS1, 10/18/06)
How can I use my JR XF421EX 5-channel transmitter with FS One (5-Ch JR)? (Q1024-FS1, 10/16/06)
Can I use my JR Sport S400 or Quattro transmitter with FS One (4-Ch JR)? (Q1023-FS1, 10/16/06)
I use a JR (or Spektrum) transmitter. When I plug the Tx into the interface, does this drain the battery while I fly? What happens with Hitec and Futaba transmitters? (Q1022-FS1, 10/15/06)
I heard about the 30 plus airplanes and helis in the sim, but where are the 70 extra scaled variants? (Q1021-FS1, 10/15/06)
When I fly overhead I lose orientation. How can I keep the horizon in view (more)? (Q1020-FS1, 10/14/06)
I'd like to try thermal soaring. What's a good example setup for that? (Q1019-FS1, 10/14/06)
How can I zoom in and out? How can I move in and out relative to the aircraft? (Q1018-FS1, 10/14/06)
How do I use the camera views in FS One? (Q1016-FS1, 10/14/06)
How can view recorded airplanes while I fly? (Q1017-FS1, 10/14/06)
I'm flying in a Pano, where did all the camera views go? (Q1015-FS1, 10/14/06)
Is FS One "Plug and Play"? (Q1012-FS1, 10/14/06)
I don't need FS One support. I want to find out more about FS One. Where are the Product FAQs? (Q1011-FS1, 10/14/06)
Where are more FS One FAQs? (Q1010-FS1, 10/14/06)
I have the G2/G3 controller. How can I use that with FS One? (Q1009-FS1, 10/12/06)
What new FAQs have been added lately? (Q1007-FS1, 10/14/06)
How can I make an airplane in FS One fly like my own airplane? My airplane is smaller (or bigger) than the one in the sim. (Q1006-FS1, 10/14/06)
I am running FS One with the latest patch and there are problems with calibration. What should I do? (Q1002-FS1, 10/12/06)
I am running FS One version 1.0.1 and having problems with calibration. What should I do? (Q1001-FS1, 10/12/06)

Where are more FS One FAQs? (Q1010-FS1)

The FS One website has more FAQs here.

General

Is FS One "Plug and Play"? (Q1012-FS1)

Yes, if you purchase the version that includes the TacCon Controller. Follow the instructions listed on the short install guide.
Test the system by following all of the instructions outlined in the blue "FS One Install Guide".
After installing and testing, be sure to install the latest FS One patch.
For the version with the TacCon controller, after installing the sim, go to Single-Player Freestyle on the startup window, and pick a plane. The Tx icon lights up "not calibrated", so click on it and calibrate. The calibration instructions outline exactly what to do with each stick, button, knob and switch on the TacCon controller. Do not skip a step. Go back and click the Fly button to fly. That's as simple as it can get. To end the session hit "Esc". These same instructions are included on the small install card/guide that comes with FS One.
Use the included keyboard card to see the function of the keys, or press "?" when flying to see the options available through the keyboard.
As an example, press the function keys (F1, F2, F3, and so on) to change the views. Press 'F1' for the pilot view, and then 'A' key when flying, and then 'Z' or 'X' to manually zoom in or out. Use the color coded keyboard card as a guide.
Set the three position switch on the TacCon controller to select the Flight Mode which controls dual rates, expos, and mixing.
FS One has more capability beyond the Plug and Play. Explore!
To use your own transmitter with FS One is more work. It requires some setup on the real Tx side with the channel assignments and then getting an appropriate setup on the sim side to accept those inputs.
FS One will work with the G2/G3 controllers out of the box without requiring any transmitter edits on FS One. As a result, using the G2/G3 controllers is Plug and Play. Using the G2/G3 controllers requires selecting that controller as a new interface ("Select Interface" button). G2/G3 - Read more.

I don't need FS One support. I want to find out more about FS One. Where are the Product FAQs? (Q1011-FS1)

The FS One website has Product FAQs here.

Versions and Patches

What is the latest version of FS One? (Q1005-FS1)

FS One is up to version 1.0.6. Patches for FS One can be found at http://www.fsone.com/Downloads/ and http://www.inertiasoft.com/support.html
The changes are listed here: ReadMe_1_0_6.txt

Where can I get the latest patch? (Q1008-FS1)

http://www.fsone.com/Downloads/

http://www.inertiasoft.com/support.html

Where can I get the latest Help Manual? (Q1052-FS1)

The latest Help Manual can be downloaded from here: http://www.inertiasoft.com/fsonefaq/FSOne.zip
Unzip the file to get FSOne.chm and copy it to your FS One installation help folder here:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Help
When you click on help from within FS One, it will open the new help manual on the page related to where you are in FS One (i.e. it is context sensitive).
The help manual can also be opened outside of FS One by clicking the FSOne.chm file after unzipping.
We welcome any feedback for making it better. We realize there will always be more things to add!

Calibration

I am running FS One version 1.0.1 and having problems with calibration. What should I do? (Q1001-FS1)

Update your FS One by installing the latest patch by clicking here.
If you cannot get the latest patch, try deleting the .cal files within
C\:Program Files\FS One\RadioEquip\Calibrations
After deleting the files, recalibrate the controller normally within FS One. When recalibrating follow the on-screen instructions and move all sticks, switches, buttons and the flap knob. Still apply the latest patch to bring your FS One up-to-date and avoid future trouble with calibration.

I am running FS One with the latest patch and there are problems with calibration. What should I do? (Q1002-FS1)

Recalibrate. When recalibrating follow the on-screen instructions and move all sticks, switches, buttons and the flap knob.

Using Your Own Transmitter/Controller (general)

Why are there so many transmitter setups in FS One? (Q1037-FS1)

This FAQ covers the big picture view of transmitters in FS One. Details about specific transmitters are covered below in other FAQs.
Aircraft in FS One come in many different configurations. For instance, the Aerobird Xtreme has a V-Tail and electric speed control (throttle) while the BVM MiG-15 has ailerons, flaps, rudder, elevator, airbrakes, jet (throttle), and wheel brakes. One transmitter setup will not work on both. So just like in real, the transmitters to fly the Aerobird Xtreme and MiG-15 in FS One are different.
In real life different transmitter setups are stored on a single transmitter in "model memory". Some transmitters have 30 or more different model memories for use with 30 different airplanes. In FS One the different transmitter setups in the Transmitter Selection window are in effect the different model memories for each of the airplanes in FS One. The transmitters in FS One are called "software radios".
By default, when an aircraft is picked in FS One, the simulator will automatically pick the corresponding transmitter (the "software radio") for that aircraft. In each case, the transmitter setup will be specific to that model, e.g. the transmitter setups for the Aerobird Xtreme and MiG-15 will be different. To see the specifics on how the TacCon controls function for each aircraft, click on the "Flight Manual" button on the fly page (e.g. "Single Player | Freestyle" window). Things will be different depending on the aircraft. For example, on the Funtana 90, the 3-position switch changes the Flight Mode from "Low" to "Snap" to "3D". On the Tracon sailplane, it controls the camber presets. On the Ultra Stick Lite it controls the aileron/flaperon/crow function. Again, this information is the Flight Manual specific to the airplane.
For all aircraft in FS One, the TacCon controller 3-position is used to set the Flight Mode. For a typical power plane, the Flight Modes are "low", "med" and "high". For the most part the low/med/high refer to the rates (sometimes called "dual rates" or in this case "triple rates"), i.e. the amount of control throw. Each Flight Mode can have a different set of rates for the control surfaces. Also, the amount of "expo" can change, and this is especially true for the extremely aerobatic airplanes like the Edge 540 33%. More discussion about the basics of dual rates and expos is here.
In the Transmitter Selection window there are different categories in the drop-down as shown in the graphic below. The top level category "FS One" is the default category, and when it is picked all the "software radio" setups for the TacCon controller are shown. There are roughly 30 different transmitters for the 30 airplanes, and a similar one-to-one group for helis.
The other categories include other "software radio" setups for different types of controllers. For instance, a JR XP9303 9-channel radio can be used to emulate the TacCon controller sticks, switches and buttons. When using the JR XP9303, pick the transmitter from the "JR 8-Ch Emu + FS One" category to emulate the TacCon. For real transmitters with 6 channels, say, the JR 662, the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" category can be picked. In this setup for 6-channels, some of the TacCon functions are moved to the keyboard, and so on with the other categories.
In addition to the categories for real RC transmitters, there are other categories for using game joysticks like the Logitech 3D Extreme. In this category, there are "software radio" setups for all airplanes in FS One. The last category includes "software radio" setups for use with the G2/G3 USB controllers.
To summarize, each aircraft in FS One comes with a group of "software radio"/Tx setups which are unique transmitters or model memory just like in real. By default, picking an aircraft will automatically load the TacCon controller "software radio" setup from the first category ("FS One"). If you are not using the TacCon controller, this automatic selection feature can be turned off in the options (turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller"). With your own controller (something other than the TacCon controller), pick the category corresponding to your controller, and then pick the particular "software radio"/Tx setup transmitter in that category for your aircraft. If you are using an interface other than the FS One USB Interface, then it is necessary to change the interface by clicking on the "Select Interface" button on the fly page. Picking a new interface using the "Select Interface" button is required when using other USB controllers like the Logitech or G2/G3 controllers for example. G2/G3 - Read more.

What adapter cables come with FS One? What adapter cables do I need? (Q1038-FS)

If you want to use your own real transmitter with FS One, the versions of FS One with and without the TacCon Controller both include adapters for JR (mini-plug), Hitec and Futaba (round 6-pin). An Airtronics RD-style adapter cable (HANS3020, round 5-pin) and Futaba (HANS3030, micro, rectangular 6-pin) are available separately. An Airtronics Stylus mini round 4-pin can be made.

I have the G2/G3 controller. How can I use that with FS One? (Q1009-FS1)

Yes. The G2/G3 is a USB game controller and FS One can read any generic USB game controller. Plug in the USB interface, and then start FS One. Then select the interface from the fly page (e.g. Single-Player Freestyle) by clicking on the "Select Interface" button. Then click on the Transmitter icon, and pick the Tx category called "Other RC Controllers". To calibrate, move all sticks, buttons, switches, knobs and then click "Next" repeatedly until being done with "Finish". When flying, use the spacebar-key to reset and the u-key for instant up. Calibration is only required once, and the controller will fly all aircraft without requiring any transmitter edits. When picking a new aircraft, be sure to also pick the appropriate Tx from the "Other RC Controllers" Tx category on the Transmitter Selection window. In other words, to fly the Hangar 9 Edge 540 33%, pick that Tx in the "Other RC Controllers". (FS One works like in real. To fly an aircraft requires first picking the aircraft and second picking the associated transmitter for that aircraft. This is required because not all aircraft are alike!)

Using Your Own Transmitter/Controller (airplane examples)

How can I use my Spektrum DX6 or JR 662 transmitter with FS One (6-Ch JR)? (Q1004-FS1)

The Spektrum DX6 is a 6 channel transmitter (4 axes and 2 switches) with 10 Model Memory. The 6 channels and all dual rates, expo and mixing on the real transmitter can be used to fly airplanes in FS One, but the easier approach is to use the DX6 to emulate the functions of the FS One TacCon controller. When taking this approach all dual rates, expos and mixing are handled inside the "Software Radio" in FS One. This approach is described.
This outline also applies to the JR 662.
On your real transmitter, select a DX6 model to fly, say, Memory Model 1.
Refer to your DX6 manual to reset all programming on Model 1 to the factory default settings, using Aircraft mode (not Heli mode).
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Select an airplane to fly.
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" group. This name "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" means use a JR 6-Ch radio (Spektrum falls in this group), use the FS One USB Interface which comes with the simulator, and set things up to emulate the FS One TacCon Controller.
In the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" list of transmitters, pick the transmitter corresponding to the airplane that you want to fly.
Now calibrate. Since the DX6 is a 6 channel transmitter and the FS One USB Interface has 8 axes, 2 channels (sliders) will not move when calibrating. This is OK.
Quick Calibration Method: Click "Calibrate" on the right. Move the sticks to all corners, move the top right and left switches, and then click "Next" repeatedly and then "Finish" to end the calibration process.
Now the DX6 can be used with any aircraft, and it does not need to be calibrated again. Always use the Tx from the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" list.
The TacCon Controller has a three-position switch for Flight Modes, and also the "ResetPlus" and "InstantUp" buttons. The DX6 does not have these extra buttons and switches, so these functions have been moved to the keyboard. The keyboard Space Bar and U-key serve as the ResetPlus and InstantUp buttons. The keys 1 thru 9,0 include the other functions, like Flight Modes (rates), e.g. keys 1, 2, and 3. A description of all the functions of the DX6 + keyboard support is given in the Flight Manual associated with each aircraft. Back on the fly page, which shows the airplane, click on the Flight Manual button to get help, and then click on the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" group to see the Tx setup for the airplane that is selected.
When using the Spektrum DX6 with the FS One Blade CP, the controls are given below.

How can I use my JR XP9303 transmitter with FS One (9-Ch JR)? (Q1013-FS1)

In FS One, real transmitters can be used to emulate the TacCon Controller where the FS One "Software Radio" is used, or real transmitters can be setup so that the real transmitter dual rates, expos, flight modes, etc are used. The description here outlines how to use the JR XP9303 to emulate the TacCon controller and thus use the "Software Radio" settings inside FS One. When taking this approach, the calibration needs to be done only once, and the JR XP9303 can be used to fly all FS One airplanes and helicopters without modifications to the JR XP9303 transmitter.
The JR XP9303 A/S 9-Ch transmitter is used as the example.
Read your JR XP9303 instruction guide to go through these steps. Select a Model Memory on your real transmitter, say, Model 8. Go to MDL Reset and reset the model. Resetting will put the model in PPM mode, Acro (Airplane) and the channel assignments will be like shown in the graphic below (use the JR XP9303 "List | Monitor" menu items to see these default/reset channel assignments for your Model 8 airplane). Do not change anything else with the transmitter; leave everything reset (you can change the name).
Plug the FS One USB Interface into the computer. Use the adaptor cord to plug the JR radio into the interface. You can confirm the connections by going to the Microsoft Game Controller gadget. In the MS Game Controller, click on the "Hangar9 FS One v1" controller, click properties, and wiggle the sticks. Move the sticks, the right slider, AUX2 switch, FLAP switch, and GEAR switch. They should all function in the MS Game Controller gadget. Exit the gadget. FS One does not use the MS Game Controller calibration. Calibration is done inside FS One.
With all connections still in place, start FS One. Go to "Single-Player | FreeStyle" and pick the Hangar 9 Edge 540 33% (could be any airplane). Click OK to go back to the fly page. Check to make sure that the "Auto-Load Radio/Controller" option is checked (the install default option). When this option is checked, picking the Edge 540 airplane will automatically pick the FS One Edge 540 33% transmitter, which will appear below the plane as shown in the graphic below.
On this same page, click the "Select Interface" button next to the transmitter icon. Pick the "Hangar9 FS One v1".
Now calibrate inside FS One. Click on the transmitter on the fly page. Click "Calibrate" on the right. Move ALL channels by doing this: Move the right stick to its limits (hit the four corners). Move the left stick to its limits. Move the right slider to its limits, and leave the slider set in the middle. Move the AUX2 switch up/down and leave the switch set in the middle. Move the FLAP switch up/down and leave the switch set in the middle. Move the GEAR switch back and forth and leave it to either side. Put the throttle stick in the center. Do not move any trims. Click "Next" repeatedly until you get to the end and you're done calibrating.
Now go back and click "Fly".
The right slider will act like the ResetPlus/InstantUp buttons (leave it in the middle to get out of ResetPlus/InstantUp). The AUX2 switch are the Flight Modes, the FLAP switch will function like the TacCon flap knob, and the GEAR switch simulates the gear switch.
If the right slider is not centered, then the transmitter will produce a constant ResetPlus or InstantUp command, and the aircraft will not move. One clue that this might be happening is that the propeller will turn slowly when the throttle is advanced. Center the slider for normal operation - ResetPlus/InstantUp not active.
For the various aircraft, click on the "Flight Manual" button on the fly page to see what the Tx controls and keyboard do for the specific aircraft selected.

How can I use my JR XF421EX 5-channel transmitter with FS One (5-Ch JR)? (Q1024-FS1)

The JR XF421EX is a 5 channel transmitter. The best setup is to use your transmitter with the first 4 channels plus keyboard support to emulate the functions of the FS One TacCon controller. When taking this approach, the built in "Software Radio" will provide dual rates, expo and mixing. This approach is described.
Refer to your XF421EX manual to reset all programming to the factory default settings.
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Select an airplane to fly.
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" group. This name "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" means use the first 4 channels of your transmitter, use the FS One USB Interface which comes with the simulator, and set things up to emulate the FS One TacCon Controller.
In the "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" list of transmitters, pick the transmitter corresponding to the airplane that you want to fly.
Now calibrate. Since the XF421EX is a 5 channel transmitter and the FS One USB Interface has 8 axes, 2 channels (sliders) will not move when calibrating. This is OK.
Quick Calibration Method: Click "Calibrate" on the right. Move the sticks to all corners, move the top right and left switches, and then click "Next" repeatedly and then "Finish" to end the calibration process.
Now the XF421EX can be used with any aircraft, and it does not need to be calibrated again. Always use the Tx from the "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" list.
The TacCon Controller has a three-position switch for Flight Modes, and also the "ResetPlus" and "InstantUp" buttons. The XF421EX does not have these extra buttons and switches, so these functions have been moved to the keyboard. The keyboard Space Bar and U-key serve as the ResetPlus and InstantUp buttons. The keys 1 thru 9,0 include the other functions, like Flight Modes (rates), e.g. keys 1, 2, and 3. A description of all the functions of the XF421EX + keyboard support is given in the Flight Manual associated with each aircraft. Back on the fly page, which shows the airplane, click on the Flight Manual button to get help, and then click on the "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" group to see the Tx setup for the airplane that is selected.

Can I use my JR Sport S400 or Quattro transmitter with FS One (4-Ch JR)? (Q1023-FS1)

No. These transmitters were not designed to work with the FS One USB Interface.

How can I use my Futaba T4VF 4-channel transmitter with FS One (4-Ch Fut)? (Q1027-FS1)

The Futaba T4VF is a 4 channel transmitter. The best setup is to use your transmitter with the 4 channels plus keyboard support to emulate all functions of the FS One TacCon controller. When taking this approach, the built in "Software Radio" will provide dual rates, expos and mixing. This approach is described.
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Select an airplane to fly, e.g. the Alpha 40.
On this same page, click the "Select Interface" button next to the transmitter icon. Pick the "Hangar9 FS One v1".
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" group. Click on the Alpha 40 transmitter in this group. Click on "Copy" to make a copy of the transmitter. Give it a name, for example: "MyFutaba-4Ch-Alpha40". The new transmitter will be put into the first category in the transmitter list (i.e. "FS One" transmitters).
Calibrate your setup. Center the trims on your real transmitter. Click on "Calibrate" and move the right stick up and down. Then move the right stick left and right. Then move the left stick up and down, and left and right. Center both sticks. Then click "Next" repeatedly until the end and click "Finish". During calibration the first four sliders will move with stick motion. After calibration the top four sliders will move with the stick motion.
Now click "Edit" to reassign the channels. Reassigning the channels is necessary because the JR and Futaba channel order is different on the real transmitters.
The Edit Transmitter window will appear as shown below.
Move the transmitter sticks to observe that the aileron stick (right stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 4, the elevator stick (right stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 7, the rudder stick (left stick right/left) to Axis 5, and throttle stick (left stick up/down) to Axis 6.
Starting with the first line, in the Edit Transmitter window, the blue column indicates that this is the Throttle channel. Click on the source input (purple) and set the axis to the Futaba throttle stick, which is Axis 6. Click on the window slider at the bottom and now when moving the throttle stick, the throttle servo moves in the window.
For the next line with the rudder servo, set the input to be Axis 5.
For the next line with the elevator servo, set the input to be Axis 7.
For the next line with the right aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 4.
For the next line with the left aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 4.
Now at the top, click on blue "Show A/C" button. This will display the Alpha 40 airplane. Click on the window to move it to a convenient location. Seeing the airplane can be used to help assign the axes (in this example this reassignment was already done in the previous steps).
Click on the image below to see the new axes assignments and airplane.
Move the elevator stick. If the elevator moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Move the rudder stick. If the rudder moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Move the throttle stick. If the propeller slows as the throttle stick is moved up, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right). Pressing the "k" key will kill the engine when the throttle is in the idle position. If the engine can be killed when the throttle stick is pushed all the way up, then reverse the channel.
Move the aileron stick. If the right or left aileron moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Now test all 4 channels (move the right/left sticks) to observe the proper function on the airplane. Use the slider on the window to view the Alpha 40 servos as the sticks are moved. The servos are on the far right side of the slider window.
Note that the Alpha 40 "software radio" (transmitter) in this example uses dual rates. With a 4-channel transmitter, these dual rates cannot be activated by the transmitter. Instead, the keyboard is used to control the dual rates using flight modes. Press the "1" key for low rates. Press the "2" key for high rates. In the high rate Flight Mode the control surface deflections are increased for more control authority when in flight. The Flight Mode is indicated in the "Current Flight Mode" box in the Edit Transmitter window.
More details about this particular transmitter setup can be found by clicking on the "Flight Manual" button in the fly page. Then click on the 4-Ch Emu setup.
The boxes at the bottoms of the columns can be clicked to expand and collapse each colored group transmitter information.
This completes the reassignments of the axes for a 4-channel Futaba radio for use with the Alpha 40.
Close the aircraft window.
Click OK in the Edit Transmitter window.
Now on the fly page, click "Fly" to begin flying with the new transmitter. Be sure that the proper transmitter is selected. In this example it was named "MyFutaba-4Ch-Alpha40", and it will appear in the first group of transmitters named "FS One".
Although this outline was long, the operation is relatively quick. Decide which "Software Radio" is appropriate for your real transmitter (4 channel, pick the 4-Ch Emu; 6-Ch, pick the 6-Ch Emu; 8-Ch, pick the 8-Ch Emu). Select the transmitter for the aircraft that you want to fly. Make a copy. Calibrate the transmitter. Edit the transmitter to reassign the axes as needed. Show the airplane to check the proper function of the controls. Exit the Tx Edit window, and fly. Read the Flight Manual for the airplane/Tx combination to see what functions are controlled by the keyboard. With more channels on the real transmitter, fewer functions are displaced to the keyboard. Your new Tx will be put in the top category in the Tx list.

How can I use my Futaba T9CAP 9-channel transmitter with FS One (9-Ch Fut)? (Q1028-FS1)

In FS One, real transmitters can be used to emulate the TacCon Controller where the FS One "Software Radio" is used, or real transmitters can be setup so that the real transmitter dual rates, expos, flight modes, etc are used. The description here outlines how to use the Futaba T9CAP 9-channel transmitter to emulate the TacCon controller and thus use the "Software Radio" settings inside FS One.
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Select an airplane to fly, e.g. the MiG-15. This airplane is the most complex to setup and serves as a good example.
The TacCon controller has two sticks, one three position switch (right side), one two-position switch (left side), one flap knob (right side), and the ResetPlus/InstantUp buttons. These can be emulated using the Futaba T9CAP transmitter and its channel reassignment features.
Read your Futaba T9CAP instruction manual to reset a model in memory. Navigate to PARAMETER - RESET - EXECUTE, and reset. The settings should then be TYPE-ACROBATIC, MODUL-PPM, ATC-ON, AIL-2-CH6or7. Navigate to AUX-CH and assign CH6 to switch G, CH7 to VR(C), and CH8 to switch C. In this setup, switch G will emulate the TacCon three-position switch, VR(C) will emulate the flap knob, and switch C will emulate the ResetPlus/InstantUp function. Switch E (CH5 default) will emulate the TacCon two-position switch.
Plug the FS One USB Interface into the computer. Use the Futaba square adaptor cord to plug the Futaba T9CAP radio into the interface. You can confirm the connections by going to the Microsoft Game Controller gadget. In the MS Game Controller, click on the "Hangar9 FS One v1" controller, click properties, and wiggle the sticks. Move the sticks, VR(C), and switches C, G, and E. They should all function in the MS Game Controller gadget. Exit the gadget. FS One does not use the MS Game Controller calibration. Calibration is done inside FS One.
With all connections still in place, start FS One. Go to "Single-Player | FreeStyle" and pick the MiG-15. Click OK to go back to the fly page.
On this same page, click the "Select Interface" button next to the transmitter icon. Pick the "Hangar9 FS One v1".
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 8-Ch Emu + FS One" group. Click on the MiG-15 transmitter in this group. Click on "Copy" to make a copy of the transmitter. Give it a name, for example: "MyFutaba-T9CAP-MiG-15". The new transmitter will be put into the first category in the transmitter list (i.e. "FS One" transmitters).
Calibrate your setup. Center the trims on your real transmitter. Click on "Calibrate" and move the right stick up and down. Then move the right stick left and right. Then move the left stick up and down, and left and right. Center both sticks. Move the VR(C) knob back and forth, and flip switches C, G, and E. Center the knob and center the three-position switches. Then click "Next" repeatedly until the end and click "Finish". During and after calibration all eight sliders will move with inputs from the real transmitter.
Now click "Edit" to reassign the channels. Reassigning the channels is necessary because the JR and Futaba channel order is different on the real transmitters.
The Edit Transmitter window will appear as shown below.
Move the transmitter sticks to observe that the aileron stick (right stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 4, the elevator stick (right stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 7, the rudder stick (left stick right/left) to Axis 5, and throttle stick (left stick up/down) to Axis 6. Switch E (two-position) corresponds to Axis 3. Switch C (three-position) corresponds to the ResetPlus/InstantUp and will not be seen in the Tx Editor sliders. Switch G (three-position) corresponds to Axis 2. The VR(C) knob corresponds to Axis 0.
Starting with the first line, in the Edit Transmitter window, the blue column indicates that this is the Throttle channel. Click on the source input (purple) and set the axis to the Futaba throttle stick, which is Axis 6. Click on the window slider at the bottom and now when moving the throttle stick, the throttle servo moves in the window.
For the next line with the rudder servo, set the input to be Axis 5.
For the next line with the elevator servo, set the input to be Axis 7.
For the next line with the right aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 4.
For the next line with the left aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 4.
For the next line with the flap servo, set the input to be Axis 0 (VR(C) knob).
For the next line with the landing gear servo, set the input to be Axis 3 (switch E).
For the next line with the Flight Mode Switch, set the input to be Axis 2 (switch G).
For the next line with the airbrake servos, leave it as is. We are out of axes for use with the FS One USB Interface, and this airbrake input has been moved to the keyboard (Key 0, slide right to see the servo move with key 0 toggle).
Now at the top, click on blue "Show A/C" button. This will display the MiG-15 airplane. Click on the window to move it to a convenient location. Seeing the airplane can be used to help assign the axes (in this example this reassignment was already done in the previous steps).
Click on the image below to see the new axes assignments and airplane.
Move the elevator stick. If the elevator moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Move the rudder stick. If the rudder moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Move the throttle stick. If the propeller slows as the throttle stick is moved up, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right). Pressing the "k" key will kill the engine when the throttle is in the idle position. If the engine can be killed when the throttle stick is pushed all the way up, then reverse the channel. In this example, for the MiG-15 jet, the "Rev/Norm" can only be determined after flying the airplane first. The channel will need to be reversed.
Move the aileron stick. If the right or left aileron moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Now test the right/left sticks to observe the proper function on the airplane. Use the slider on the window to view the servos as the sticks are moved. The servos are on the far right side of the slider window.
Assign the "Rev/Norm" as desired for the switches and flap knob.
Note that the MiG-15 "software radio" (transmitter) in this example uses Flight Modes (dual rates, expos). Move switch G to see the different Flight Modes. The Flight Mode is indicated in the "Current Flight Mode" box in the Edit Transmitter window.
More details about this particular transmitter setup can be found by clicking on the "Flight Manual" button in the fly page. Then click on the 8-Ch Emu setup for the MiG-15.
The boxes at the bottoms of the columns can be clicked to expand and collapse each colored group transmitter information.
More info: This completes the reassignments of the axes for the Futaba T9CAP radio for use with the MiG-15. Although the Futaba T9CAP is a 9 channel radio, only 8 channels are used in this emulation mode because the FS One USB Interface can only read up to 8 channels from a real transmitter. One channel from the real transmitter is used to perform the ResetPlus/InstantUp button function, and another channel is used for the Flight Mode switch, leaving 6 channels for flight (throttle, rudder, elevator, aileron, flaps, and gear).
Close the aircraft window.
Click OK in the Edit Transmitter window.
Now on the fly page, click "Fly" to begin flying with the new transmitter. Be sure that the proper transmitter is selected. In this example it was named "MyFutaba-T9CAP-MiG-15", and it will appear in the first group of transmitters named "FS One".
Switch C will function as the ResetPlus/InstantUp button combination. Center the switch to fly, and push it up/down to use the ResetPlus/InstantUp feature.
If switch C is not centered, then the transmitter will produce a constant ResetPlus or InstantUp command, and the aircraft will not move. One clue that this might be happening is that the propeller will turn slowly when the throttle is advanced. Center the switch for normal operation - ResetPlus/InstantUp not active.
Although this outline was long, the operation is relatively quick. Decide which "Software Radio" is appropriate for your real transmitter (4 channel, pick the 4-Ch Emu; 6-Ch, pick the 6-Ch Emu; 8-Ch, pick the 8-Ch Emu). Select the transmitter for the aircraft that you want to fly. Make a copy. Calibrate the transmitter. Edit the transmitter to reassign the axes as needed. Show the airplane to check the proper function of the controls. Exit the Tx Edit window, and fly. Read the Flight Manual for the airplane/Tx combination to see what functions are controlled by the keyboard. With more channels on the real transmitter, fewer functions are displaced to the keyboard. Your new Tx will be put in the top category in the Tx list.

How can I use my Futaba PCM1024 T9ZAP 9-channel transmitter with FS One (9-Ch Fut)? (Q1033-FS1)

In FS One, real transmitters can be used to emulate the TacCon Controller where the FS One "Software Radio" is used, or real transmitters can be setup so that the real transmitter dual rates, expos, flight modes, etc are used. The description here outlines how to use the Futaba PCM1024 T9ZAP 9-channel transmitter to emulate the TacCon controller and thus use the "Software Radio" settings inside FS One.
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Select an airplane to fly, e.g. the MiG-15. This airplane is the most complex to setup and serves as a good example.
The TacCon controller has two sticks, one three-position switch (right side), one two-position switch (left side), one flap knob (right side), and the ResetPlus/InstantUp buttons. These can be emulated using the Futaba PCM1024 T9ZAP transmitter.
Read your Futaba PCM1024 T9ZAP instruction manual to reset a model in memory. Set your transmitter to the following configuration: AIR, PPM, Ch1-AIL, Ch2-ELE, Ch3-THR, Ch4-RUD, Ch5-GEA (top left 3-pos switch), Ch6-FLP (face left knob), Ch7-AU1 (face right knob), Ch8-AU2 (left slider). In this setup, Ch6-FLP emulate the TacCon three-position switch, Ch7-AU1 will emulate the flap knob, and Ch8-AU2 will emulate the ResetPlus/InstantUp function. Ch5-GEA will emulate the TacCon two-position switch.
Plug the FS One USB Interface into the computer. Use the Futaba round adaptor cord to plug the Futaba PCM1024 T9ZAP radio into the interface. Confirm the connections by going to the Microsoft Game Controller gadget. In the MS Game Controller, click on the "Hangar9 FS One v1" controller, click properties, and wiggle the sticks and the other controls: Ch5-GEA (top left 3-pos switch), Ch6-FLP (face left knob), Ch7-AU1 (face right knob), Ch8-AU2 (left slider). They should all function in the MS Game Controller gadget. Exit the gadget. FS One does not use the MS Game Controller calibration. Calibration is done inside FS One.
With all connections still in place, start FS One. Go to "Single-Player | FreeStyle" and pick the MiG-15. Click OK to go back to the fly page.
On this same page, click the "Select Interface" button next to the transmitter icon. Pick the "Hangar9 FS One v1".
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 8-Ch Emu + FS One" group. Click on the MiG-15 transmitter in this group. Click on "Copy" to make a copy of the transmitter. Give it a name, for example: "MyFutaba-T9ZAP-MiG-15". The new transmitter will be put into the first category in the transmitter list (i.e. "FS One" transmitters).
Calibrate your setup. Center the trims on your real transmitter. Click on "Calibrate". Follow the instructions. If you have the latest patch, move the controls in this order: Ch7-AU1 (face right knob), Ch8-AU2 (left slider), Ch6-FLP (face left knob), Ch5-GEA (top left 3-pos switch), right stick right/left, left stick right/left, left stick up/down, right stick up/down. Center the sticks, the left slider, right and left knobs, and center the three-position switch. Then click "Next" and then click "Finish". During and after calibration all eight sliders will move with inputs from the real transmitter.
Tip: There is a short cut to this procedure once you get the hang of it. Without going step-by-step, go full deflection back and forth on Ch7-AU1 (face right knob), Ch8-AU2 (left slider), Ch6-FLP (face left knob), Ch5-GEA (top left 3-pos switch), right stick right/left, left stick right/left, left stick up/down, right stick up/down. Center the sticks, the left slider, right and left knobs, and center the three-position switch. Then click "Next" repeatedly until the end and click "Finish".
At this point, write down the axis numbers corresponding to the controls on the real transmitter. The axes numbers are indicated next to each slider in FS One are shown in the graphic below.
Move the transmitter sticks to observe that the aileron stick (right stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 4, the elevator stick (right stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 7, the throttle stick (left stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 6, and the rudder stick (left stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 5. Ch5-GEA (top left 3-pos switch) corresponds to Axis 3. Ch6-FLP (face left knob) corresponds to Axis 2. Ch7-AU1 (face right knob) corresponds to Axis 0. Ch8-AU2 (left slider) corresponds to the ResetPlus/InstantUp which is always Axis 1. The mapping is shown below.
Now click "Edit" to reassign the channels to the proper axes. Reassigning the channels is necessary because the JR and Futaba channel order is different on the real transmitters. FS One is based on the JR standard.
The Edit Transmitter window will appear as shown below.
Starting with the first line, in the Edit Transmitter window, the blue column indicates that this is the Throttle channel. Click on the source input (purple) and set the axis to the Futaba throttle stick, which is Axis 6. Click on the window slider at the bottom and now when moving the throttle stick, the throttle servo moves in the window.
For the next line with the rudder servo, set the input to be Axis 5.
For the next line with the elevator servo, set the input to be Axis 7.
For the next line with the right aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 4.
For the next line with the left aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 4.
For the next line with the flap servo, set the input to be Axis 0 (Ch7-AU1 (face right knob)).
For the next line with the landing gear servo, set the input to be Axis 3 (Ch5-GEA (top left 3-pos switch)).
For the next line with the Flight Mode Switch, set the input to be Axis 2 (Ch6-FLP (face left knob)).
For the next line with the airbrake servos, leave it as is. We are out of axes for use with the FS One USB Interface, and this airbrake input has been moved to the keyboard (Key 0, slide right to see the servo move with key 0 toggle).
Now at the top, click on blue "Show A/C" button. This will display the MiG-15 airplane. Click on the window to move it to a convenient location. Seeing the airplane can be used to help assign the axes (in this example this reassignment was already done in the previous steps).
Click on the image below to see the new axes assignments and airplane.
Move the elevator stick. If the elevator moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Move the rudder stick. If the rudder moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Move the throttle stick. If the propeller slows as the throttle stick is moved up, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right). Pressing the "k" key will kill the engine when the throttle is in the idle position. If the engine can be killed when the throttle stick is pushed all the way up, then reverse the channel. In this example, for the MiG-15 jet, the "Rev/Norm" can only be determined after flying the airplane first. The channel will need to be reversed.
Move the aileron stick. If the right or left aileron moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Now test the right/left sticks to observe the proper function on the airplane. Use the slider on the window to view the servos as the sticks are moved. The servos are on the far right side of the slider window.
Assign the "Rev/Norm" as desired for the switches and flap knob.
Note that the MiG-15 "software radio" (transmitter) in this example uses Flight Modes (dual rates, expos). Move left knob to see the different Flight Modes. The Flight Mode is indicated in the "Current Flight Mode" box in the Edit Transmitter window.
More details about this particular transmitter setup can be found by clicking on the "Flight Manual" button in the fly page. Then click on the 8-Ch Emu setup for the MiG-15.
The boxes at the bottoms of the columns can be clicked to expand and collapse each colored group transmitter information.
More info: This completes the reassignments of the axes for the Futaba PCM1024 T9ZAP radio for use with the MiG-15. Although the Futaba PCM1024 T9ZAP is a 9 channel radio, only 8 channels are used in this emulation mode because the FS One USB Interface can only read up to 8 channels from a real transmitter. One channel from the real transmitter is used to perform the ResetPlus/InstantUp button function, and another channel is used for the Flight Mode switch, leaving 6 channels for flight (throttle, rudder, elevator, aileron, flaps, and gear).
Close the aircraft window.
Click OK in the Edit Transmitter window.
Now on the fly page, click "Fly" to begin flying with the new transmitter. Be sure that the proper transmitter is selected. In this example it was named "MyFutaba-T9ZAP-MiG-15", and it will appear in the first group of transmitters named "FS One".
The left slider will function as the ResetPlus/InstantUp button combination. Center the slider to fly, and push it up/down to use the ResetPlus/InstantUp feature.
If the left slider is not centered, then the transmitter will produce a constant ResetPlus or InstantUp command, and the aircraft will not move. One clue that this might be happening is that the propeller will turn slowly when the throttle is advanced. Center the slider for normal operation - ResetPlus/InstantUp not active.
Although this outline was long, the operation is relatively quick. Decide which "Software Radio" is appropriate for your real transmitter (4 channel, pick the 4-Ch Emu; 6-Ch, pick the 6-Ch Emu; 8-Ch, pick the 8-Ch Emu). Select the transmitter for the aircraft that you want to fly. Make a copy. Calibrate the transmitter. Edit the transmitter to reassign the axes as needed. Show the airplane to check the proper function of the controls. Exit the Tx Edit window, and fly. Read the Flight Manual for the airplane/Tx combination to see what functions are controlled by the keyboard. With more channels on the real transmitter, fewer functions are displaced to the keyboard. Your new Tx will be put in the top category in the Tx list.

How can I use my Airtronics RD8000 8-channel transmitter with FS One (8-Ch Air)? (Q1034-FS1)

In FS One, real transmitters can be used to emulate the TacCon Controller where the FS One "Software Radio" is used, or real transmitters can be setup so that the real transmitter dual rates, expos, flight modes, etc are used. The description here outlines how to use the Airtronics RD8000 8-channel transmitter to emulate the TacCon controller and thus use the "Software Radio" settings inside FS One.
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Select an airplane to fly, e.g. the MiG-15. This airplane is the most complex to setup and serves as a good example.
The TacCon controller has two sticks, one three position switch (right side), one two-position switch (left side), one flap knob (right side), and the ResetPlus/InstantUp buttons. All of these can be emulated using the Airtronics RD8000 transmitter except the ResetPlus/InstantUp buttons.
Read your Airtronics RD8000 instruction manual to reset a model in memory. Then move to channel 8 and use your EPA to set the end points to 0% postive and 0% negative. This will disable to switch and leave the output centered which is essential for proper use with FS One in emulator mode. After taking these steps, the transmitter will be set to the following configuration: AERO, PPM, Ch1-EL, Ch2-AI, Ch3-TH, Ch4-RU, Ch5-G (top left 2-pos switch), Ch6-P/F (top right 3-pos switch), Ch7-7 (left AUX1 switch), Ch8-8 (right AUX2 switch). In this setup, Ch6-P/F will emulate the TacCon three-position switch, Ch7-7 will emulate the flap knob, and Ch8-8 will not be used. Ch5-G will emulate the TacCon two-position switch.
Plug the FS One USB Interface into the computer. Use the Airtronics round adaptor cord to plug the Airtronics RD8000 radio into the interface. You can confirm the connections by going to the Microsoft Game Controller gadget. In the MS Game Controller, click on the "Hangar9 FS One v1" controller, click properties, and wiggle the sticks and the other controls: Ch5-G (top left 2-pos switch), Ch6-P/F (top right 3-pos switch), Ch7-7 (left AUX1 switch), Ch8-8 (right AUX2 switch). Ch8-8 will be centered since it has the EPA set to 0%/0%. They should all function in the MS Game Controller gadget. Exit the gadget. FS One does not use the MS Game Controller calibration. Calibration is done inside FS One.
With all connections still in place, start FS One. Go to "Single-Player | FreeStyle" and pick the MiG-15. Click OK to go back to the fly page.
On this same page, click the "Select Interface" button next to the transmitter icon. Pick the "Hangar9 FS One v1".
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 8-Ch Emu + FS One" group. Click on the MiG-15 transmitter in this group. Click on "Copy" to make a copy of the transmitter. Give it a name, for example: "MyAir-RD8000-MiG-15". The new transmitter will be put into the first category in the transmitter list (i.e. "FS One" transmitters).
Calibrate your setup. Center the trims on your real transmitter. Click on "Calibrate" and move the right stick up and down. Then move the right stick left and right. Then move the left stick up and down, and left and right. Center both sticks. Move the remaining channels: Ch5-G (top left 2-pos switch), Ch6-P/F (top right 3-pos switch), Ch7-7 (left AUX1 switch), Ch8-8 (right AUX2 switch). Center the three-position switch. Then click "Next" repeatedly until the end and click "Finish". During and after calibration all sliders will move with inputs from the real transmitter except for the one attached to the AUX2 switch. The AUX2 slider channel in FS One should become centered and stay that way after calibration. This FS One slider is the second one up from the bottom.
Now click "Edit" to reassign the channels. Reassigning the channels is necessary because the JR and Airtronics channel order is different on the real transmitters.
The Edit Transmitter window will appear as shown below.
Move the transmitter sticks to observe that the aileron stick (right stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 7, the elevator stick (right stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 4, the rudder stick (left stick right/left) to Axis 5, and throttle stick (left stick up/down) to Axis 6. Ch5-G (top left 2-pos switch) corresponds to Axis 3. Ch8-8 (right AUX2 switch) does nothing. Ch6-P/F (top right 3-pos switch) corresponds to Axis 2. Ch7-7 (left AUX1 switch) corresponds to Axis 0.
Starting with the first line, in the Edit Transmitter window, the blue column indicates that this is the Throttle channel. Click on the source input (purple) and set the axis to the Airtronics throttle stick, which is Axis 6. Click on the window slider at the bottom and now when moving the throttle stick, the throttle servo moves in the window.
For the next line with the rudder servo, set the input to be Axis 5.
For the next line with the elevator servo, set the input to be Axis 4.
For the next line with the right aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 7.
For the next line with the left aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 7.
For the next line with the flap servo, set the input to be Axis 0 (Ch7-7 (left AUX1 switch)).
For the next line with the landing gear servo, set the input to be Axis 3 (Ch5-G (top left 2-pos switch)).
For the next line with the Flight Mode Switch, set the input to be Axis 2 (Ch6-P/F (top right 3-pos switch)).
For the next line with the airbrake servos, leave it as is. We are out of axes for use with the FS One USB Interface, and this airbrake input has been moved to the keyboard (Key 0, slide right to see the servo move with key 0 toggle).
Now at the top, click on blue "Show A/C" button. This will display the MiG-15 airplane. Click on the window to move it to a convenient location. Seeing the airplane can be used to help assign the axes (in this example this reassignment was already done in the previous steps).
Click on the image below to see the new axes assignments and airplane.
Move the elevator stick. If the elevator moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Move the rudder stick. If the rudder moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Move the throttle stick. If the propeller slows as the throttle stick is moved up, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right). Pressing the "k" key will kill the engine when the throttle is in the idle position. If the engine can be killed when the throttle stick is pushed all the way up, then reverse the channel. In this example, for the MiG-15 jet, the "Rev/Norm" can only be determined after flying the airplane first. The channel will need to be reversed.
Move the aileron stick. If the right or left aileron moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right).
Now test the right/left sticks to observe the proper function on the airplane. Use the slider on the window to view the servos as the sticks are moved. The servos are on the far right side of the slider window.
Assign the "Rev/Norm" as desired for the switches and flap knob.
Note that the MiG-15 "software radio" (transmitter) in this example uses Flight Modes (dual rates, expos). Move right three-position switch to see the different Flight Modes. The Flight Mode is indicated in the "Current Flight Mode" box in the Edit Transmitter window.
More details about this particular transmitter setup can be found by clicking on the "Flight Manual" button in the fly page. Then click on the 8-Ch Emu setup for the MiG-15.
The boxes at the bottoms of the columns can be clicked to expand and collapse each colored group transmitter information.
This completes the reassignments of the axes for the Airtronics RD8000 radio for use with the MiG-15.
Close the aircraft window.
Click OK in the Edit Transmitter window.
Now on the fly page, click "Fly" to begin flying with the new transmitter. Be sure that the proper transmitter is selected. In this example it was named "MyAir-RD8000-MiG-15", and it will appear in the first group of transmitters named "FS One".
The space bar and 'u' key will function as the ResetPlus/InstantUp.
Although this outline was long, the operation is relatively quick. Decide which "Software Radio" is appropriate for your real transmitter (4 channel, pick the 4-Ch Emu; 6-Ch, pick the 6-Ch Emu; 8-Ch, pick the 8-Ch Emu). Select the transmitter for the aircraft that you want to fly. Make a copy. Calibrate the transmitter. Edit the transmitter to reassign the axes as needed. Show the airplane to check the proper function of the controls. Exit the Tx Edit window, and fly. Read the Flight Manual for the airplane/Tx combination to see what functions are controlled by the keyboard. With more channels on the real transmitter, fewer functions are displaced to the keyboard. Your new Tx will be put in the top category in the Tx list.

How can I use my Airtronics Stylus 8-channel transmitter with FS One (8-Ch Air)? (Q1035-FS1)

The Airtronics Stylus uses a 4-pin mini DIN PS-2/S-Video style connector and Hangar 9 does not make an adapter for it. An adapter can be made by connecting up a cable as shown here (black wires to black, and red wires to red). A generic adapter is shown below. Click on the image to see the specific adapter layout for wiring the Stylus to the FS One USB 3.5 mm mono jack (JR size connector).
The Airtronics Stylus is an 8 channel transmitter. These 8 channels and all dual rates, expos and mixing on the real transmitter can be used to fly airplanes in FS One, but the approach here is to explain how to make the Stylus emulate the functions of the TacCon controller. For the Stylus in the default "AERO" setup, it couples the flaps with the spoilers, and we could not find a way to disable this coupling. Thus, it effectively becomes a 6-channel radio for use in the TacCon emulation approach described here. With this emulation approach, all dual rates, expos and mixing are handled inside the "Software Radio" in FS One.
If there is a way to uncouple the flap and spoiler channels, please let us know and we'll update this outline.
Refer to your Stylus manual to reset all programming on one of the models and use the "AERO" default settings. Set the transmitter into PPM mode.
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Select an airplane to fly.
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" group. This group (JR) will work because the Stylus radio (with "AERO" setup) has the same channel order as a standard JR transmitter. The "+ FS One" means use the FS One USB Interface which comes with the simulator.
In the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" list of transmitters, pick the transmitter corresponding to the airplane that you want to fly.
Now calibrate. First center the upper left 17/18/19 switch. This switch will not be used, but it must be centered. Center all trims. Click "Calibrate" on the right. Move the sticks to all corners, and then center the throttle stick. Move the left slider up and down and center it. Move the right slider up and down and then center it. Move the upper right 4/5 switch. Click "Next" repeatedly and then "Finish" to end the calibration process.
Now the Stylus can be used with any aircraft, and it does not need to be calibrated again. Always use the Tx from the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" list.
The TacCon Controller has a three-position switch for Flight Modes, and also the "ResetPlus" and "InstantUp" buttons. The Stylus when using only 6-channels per above cannot emulate these extra TacCon buttons and switches, so these functions have been moved to the keyboard. The keyboard Space Bar and U-key serve as the ResetPlus and InstantUp buttons. The keys 1 thru 9,0 include the other functions, like Flight Modes (rates), e.g. keys 1, 2, and 3. A description of all the functions of the Stylus + keyboard support is given in the Flight Manual associated with each aircraft. Back on the fly page, which shows the airplane, click on the Flight Manual button to get help, and then click on the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" group to see the Tx setup for the airplane that is selected.
With the Stylus, the left slider will usually control the flaps, the right slider is not used, and the 4/5 switch will usually serve as the gear switch. But the specific function depends on the airplane as outlined the Flight Manual.

I'd like to use a dual stick (analog) gamepad with FS One. How can I do that? (4-axis)? (Q1043-FS1)

This example outlines how to hook up a 4-axis dual stick (analog) gamepad with FS One. The Logitech Rumble Pad 2 is used to show the steps. These same steps can be followed with any 4-axis dual stick (analog) gamepad.
One significant difference between a gamepad and a standard transmitter is that the throttle stick on a gamepad is spring loaded. On a real RC transmitter the throttle stick is on a rachet and stays wherever it is positioned (it does not spring back). This difference only matters during calibration which will be discussed later.
Plug in the FS One USB interface and have a transmitter connected to it. When setup like this, FS One will recognize that you have a legitimate copy of the software.
If you have a TacCon controller, plug it into the FS One USB Interface and then plug the USB interface cable into the computer. If you do not have the TacCon controller, then use a real transmitter and plug the real Tx into the interface, and then plug the USB interface cable into the computer. Now FS One will properly recognize the FS One USB Interface.
Next, plug your USB gamepad into the computer.
Start FS One.
Go to one of the fly pages, e.g. Single-Player Freestyle, and click on the "Select Interface" button. In the window, pick the gamepad that you want to use. Below the Logitech gamepad is shown in the example.
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Select an airplane to fly. Pick the Alpha 40 airplane for this example.
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" group. This group will work with the gamepad because it is setup for a 4-axis controller. Pick the transmitter for the Alpha 40 near the top of the list. Click on "Copy" to make a copy of the transmitter. Give it a name, for example: "MyGamepad-Alpha40". The new transmitter will be put into the first category in the transmitter list (i.e. "FS One" transmitters).
Calibrate the controller. Special care will need to be taken to make the throttle control function properly inside FS One. Click "Calibrate" on the right. Move the right gamepad stick all around, hitting the four corners. Now for the left, during calibration do not move it down. Move the left stick up to the right corner and then the left corner, and then let it return to center. Then click "Next" repeatedly until the end and click "Finish". This completes the calibration.
The right gamepad stick will control the elevator and ailerons. The left gamepad stick will control the rudder and throttle. Now when flying, when the left stick is centered, this will be the engine idle throttle ("zero") setting. Pushing the gamepad stick up will be full throttle setting.
Make note of the axis number corresponding to the stick motion. Patch 1.0.4 or later is needed to see the axis numbers displayed on the Transmitter Selection windows as shown below. Move the right stick up and down and note the axis number. Do the same for each axis (up/down and right/left). For the Logitech Rumblepad 2 USB controller, the axis numbers are shown below on a generic dual stick (analog) gamepad.
It's worth mentioning that some gamepad controllers have the sticks laid out on a square-type bezel frame (like the Logitech Rumblepad) and others are rounded (like Thrustmaster Firestrom Dual Power 3). The square-type joystick frames more closely match the sticks on a real transmitter and are therefore better for use in flight simulation.
Now click "Edit" to reassign the channel axes. Reassigning the channel axes is necessary because there is no standard order for the axes assignments, so these have to be set properly inside the Transmitter Editor in FS One.
Starting with the first line, in the Edit Transmitter window, the blue column indicates that this is the throttle channel. Click on the source input (purple) and set it to Axis 2. Click on the window slider at the bottom and now when moving the throttle stick, the throttle servo moves in the window.
For the next line with the rudder servo, set the input to be Axis 3.
For the next line with the elevator servo, set the input to be Axis 0.
For the next line with the right aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 1.
For the next line with the left aileron servo, set the input to be Axis 1.
Now at the top, click on blue "Show A/C" button. This will display the Alpha 40 airplane. Click on the window to move it to a convenient location. Seeing the airplane can be used to help assign the axes (in this example this reassignment was already done in the previous steps).
Move the throttle stick. If the propeller slows as the throttle stick is moved up, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right). Pressing the "k" key will kill the engine when the throttle is in the idle position. If the engine can be killed when the throttle stick is pushed all the way up, then reverse the channel.
Move the elevator stick. If the elevator moves in the wrong direction, reverse the channel by clicking on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right). Repeat this process for the rudder and ailerons.
The boxes at the bottoms of the columns can be clicked to expand and collapse each colored group transmitter information.
More details about this particular transmitter/controller setup can be found by clicking on the "Flight Manual" button in the fly page. Then click on the "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" controller (used to make the copy).
This completes the reassignments of the axes for the gamepad for use with the Alpha 40.
Close the aircraft window.
Click OK in the Edit Transmitter window.
Now on the fly page, click "Fly" to begin flying with the new transmitter. Be sure that the proper transmitter is selected. In this example it was named "MyGamepad-Alpha40", and it will appear in the first group of transmitters named "FS One".
The space bar and 'u' key will function as the ResetPlus/InstantUp.
As per the "Flight Manual" for the Alpha 40, keys 1 and 2/3 will set the dual rates.
Although this outline was long, the operation is relatively quick. Decide which "Software Radio" is appropriate for your gamepad. For a 4-axis gamepad, pick the "JR 4-Ch Emu + FS One" category. From this category, then pick the transmitter for the aircraft that you want to fly. Make a copy. Calibrate the transmitter. Edit the transmitter to reassign the axes as needed. Show the airplane to check the proper function of the controls. Exit the Tx Edit window, and fly. Read the Flight Manual for the airplane/Tx combination to see what functions are controlled by the keyboard. Your new Tx will be put in the top category in the Tx list.

I use a JR (or Spektrum) transmitter. When I plug the Tx into the interface, does this drain the battery while I fly? What happens with Hitec and Futaba transmitters? (Q1022-FS1)

Yes, the battery on the transmitter is being used when flying. With the JR systems, the battery can be charged simultaneously. For systems like the JR XP9302, the RF module can be removed to conserve power.
With Hitec and Futaba, the transmitters must turned on when plugged into the FS One USB Interface.

Using Your Own Transmitter/Controller (helicopter examples)

How can I use my Hitec Optic 6-channel transmitter with the Blade CP (6-Ch Hitec)? (Q1044-FS1)

In FS One, real transmitters can be used to emulate the TacCon Controller where the FS One "Software Radio" is used, or real transmitters can be setup so that the real transmitter dual rates, expos, flight modes, etc are used. The description here outlines how to use the Hitec Optic 6-channel transmitter to emulate the TacCon controller and thus use the "Software Radio" settings inside FS One.
This outline will generally apply to all 6-channel Hitec and Futaba transmitters since they follow the same channel order.
This example uses the E-flite Blade CP micro helicopter as the example.
Since you are not using the actual TacCon controller, go to Options and turn off "Auto-Load Radio/Controller". When this is done, FS One will not automatically pick the FS One TacCon controller when an aircraft is selected.
Read your Hitec Optic 6 instruction manual to reset a model in memory. Set your transmitter to the following configuration: Aerobatic Plane, PPM, Ch1-Right Aileron, Ch2-Elevator, Ch3-Throttle, Ch4-Rudder, Ch5-Gear, Ch6-Left Aileron. (This setup is given on page 16 of the Hitec manual.) Only channels 1-5 will be used with the Blade CP. The fact that this is an aerobatic airplane setup does not matter since the channels will be mapped accordingly using the FS One Transmitter Editor.
Plug the FS One USB Interface into the computer. Use the Futaba/Hitec round adaptor cord to plug the Hitec Optic 6 into the interface. Confirm the connections by going to the Microsoft Game Controller gadget. In the MS Game Controller, click on the "Hangar9 FS One v1" controller, click properties, and wiggle the sticks and the move the switches. Six sliders should move since it is a 6 channel transmitter. Exit the gadget. FS One does not use the MS Game Controller calibration. Calibration is done inside FS One.
With all connections still in place, start FS One. Go to "Single-Player | FreeStyle" and select the E-flite Blade CP in the helicopter list. The Blade CP is popular and serves as a good example. Click OK to go back to the fly page.
On this same page, click the "Select Interface" button next to the transmitter icon. Pick the "Hangar9 FS One v1".
Select the transmitter by clicking on the transmitter in the FS One window. In the Transmitter Selection window, go to the categories and pick the "JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One" group. Click on the Blade CP transmitter in this group. Click on "Copy" to make a copy of the transmitter. Give it a name, for example: "MyHitec-BladeCP". The new transmitter will be put into the first category in the helicopter transmitter list (i.e. "FS One" transmitters).
Calibrate your setup. Center the trims on your real transmitter. Click on "Calibrate". Follow the instructions. Make sure you have the latest patch. Move the controls (sticks and gear switch). Six sliders should move in the process. With the Hitec setup described here, the aileron stick will move two channels for the right/left ailerons. Two sliders will not move because this is only a 6-channel transmitter. Then click "Next" to advance through the sliders and then click "Finish". During and after calibration six sliders will move with inputs from the real transmitter.
At this point, write down the axis numbers corresponding to the controls on the real transmitter. The axes numbers are indicated next to each slider in FS One as shown in the graphic below.
Move the transmitter sticks to observe that the aileron stick (right stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 4, the elevator stick (right stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 7, the throttle stick (left stick up/down) corresponds to Axis 6, and the rudder stick (left stick right/left) corresponds to Axis 5. Ch5-GEA (top left 2-pos switch) corresponds to Axis 3. Ch6 which is Left Aileron in this model memory with the Hitec radio corresponds to Axis 2. This mapping is shown below.
Now click "Edit" to reassign the channels to the proper axes. Reassigning the channels is necessary because the JR and Hitec/Futaba channel order is different on the real transmitters. The default in FS One is based on the JR standard.
The Edit Transmitter window will appear as shown below.
Starting with the first line, in the Edit Transmitter window, the blue column indicates that this is the "right stick fore/aft". Click on the source input (purple) and set the axis to the Hitec/Futaba elevator stick, which is Axis 7.
For the next line with the "right stick left/right", set the input to be Axis 4.
For the next line with the "left stick left/right", set the input to be Axis 5.
For the next line with the "left stick fore/aft", set the input to be Axis 6.
For the next line with the "flight mode switch", set the input to be Axis 3.
For the next line with the "throttle hold switch", ignore the input because this is not used with the Blade CP.
Click on the image below to see the new axes assignments.
This bullet item applies only for FS One v1.0.4 and before. For this heli Tx group ("JR 6-Ch Emu + FS One"), the helicopter Flight Modes are based on the joystick axes (axis numbers). This requires some extra steps in FS One. In the Transmitter Editor, click on the Flight Mode button ("Flt Modes"). Click on the Normal Flight Mode, and then click Edit. Change the Joystick axis to Axis 3 (click on it). This is the same Axis used for the "throttle hold switch" on the main Tx Edit window. Click OK until returning back to the Flight Mode Configuration window. Repeat this process for the Idle Up Flight Mode. These steps are indicated below.
At this point, moving the GEAR switch will change the Flight Mode in the Edit Transmitter window.
A final step, exit the Edit Transmitter window and fly the Blade CP to test whether or not any of the axes need to be reversed. If an axis is backwards, back on the Edit Transmitter window click on the "Rev/Norm" button in the Reverse column (purple column, button on right). For this setup, both sticks right/left were reverse, and the final result is shown below.
In the Edit Transmitter, the boxes at the bottoms of the columns can be clicked to expand and collapse each colored group transmitter information.
When returning to fly this setup (Blade CP with your Tx setup), be sure that the proper transmitter is selected. In this example it was named "MyHitec-BladeCP", and it will appear in the first group of transmitters named "FS One".
The name and description can be edited by clicking on the "Description" button on the Edit Transmitter window.
Although this outline was long, the operation is relatively quick. Decide which "Software Radio" is appropriate for your real transmitter (4 channel, pick the 4-Ch Emu; 6-Ch, pick the 6-Ch Emu; 8-Ch, pick the 8-Ch Emu). Select the transmitter for the aircraft that you want to fly. Make a copy. Calibrate the transmitter. Edit the transmitter to reassign the axes as needed. For helicopters, this includes checking the Flight Mode joystick assignments. Exit the Edit Transmitter window, and fly. For more complex setups, read the Flight Manual for the aircraft/Tx combination to see what functions might be controlled by the keyboard. Your new Tx will be put in the top category in the Tx list.

Scaling Wizard (for airplanes)

What's the easiest way to rescale (resized) an airplane using the Scaling Wizard? (Example 1) (Q1039-FS)

FS One let's you resize any of the original airplanes using the built-in Scaling Wizard. This outline is a condensed version of FAQ topic: Q1006-FS1.
Let's use the Edge 540 as an example. Suppose you have a 40% Edge 540 model in real (like the Carden 40% Edge 540) and you want to make the original Hangar 9 Edge 540 33% sim model fly like your larger version. Although 40% is not that far away from 33%, it's a huge difference when it comes to how the airplane looks and handles in the air.
Resize the airplane to match your own 40% scale version. In the Airplane Selection window, pick the airplane that you want to change, and click "Copy" to make a copy of the airplane. Then click "Edit" to get into the Aircraft Editor window. You can do a lot here, but let's fast forward to the Scaling Wizard buttons at the bottom of the list. The first of these is the "Scaling - Size/Wgt" page. On this page in the Aircraft Size section, set the wingspan to match your own model. Optionally, the percent change can be given. In going from a 33% scale model up to a 40% scale model, the original Hangar 9 model needs to grow to 121.2% (=.40/.33) of its original size. So instead of giving the span, 121.2% can be entered to scale up the original model.

That's all there is to it. Click "Ok", and go back to the fly page. Now the physics and model sized will be automatically rescaled.
When the sim starts after clicking "Fly", the airplane is recognized as being scaled and it reports the following information to the window.
This information reports that the scale factor is 1.21. The wing span has been resized to be 118 inches. The weight is autoscaled to 40.06 lbs. The propeller diameter has been autoscaled to 30.3 inches. The cost of an airplane this size as compared with the original will be near 1.78 times the original.
The relative speed is a bit technical. It's a measure of how many wing spans the plane flies per second as compared with the original Edge 540 33%. The value of 0.95 indicates that the airplane will appear to fly slower in flight. When *any* airplane is scaled in FS One, the relative speed is compared to this one Edge 540 33% - it's the standard against which everything else is compared.
The reporting rate of the Scaling Wizard data (shown above) can be changed in the Options. The screen grab above was made using these settings.

With the Scaling Wizard, I want to add my own information about wing span, weight, prop size and motor info? (Example 2) (Q1040-FS)

This example goes a step beyond the first. If the objective is to match, say, a 40% Carden 540 airplane and some information is known about the wing span, weight, prop size and motor, this example shows how this specific information can be used. The Scaling Wizard, will then autoscale data that required to get the physics right.
The wing span of the 40% Carden 540 is 118 inches, the weight is near 38 lbs, and the prop diameter is 30 inches. This information was found online, and when this information is compared with the autoscaled results in the first example, it should be clear that the autoscaling can come pretty close with requiring this specific input! But we will use this data nevertheless in this second example.
Go to the "Scaling - Size/Wgt" page and click on the buttons for span and weight, and enter the known values (see screen grab below).
Now go to the "Scaling - Propulsion" page, and in the propeller section click on the button to specify the diameter. Enter 29 inches. Leave the propeller weight as zero if you do not have that information. When the weight is left as zero, then the Scaling Wizard will compute it automatically.
For the motor, power data on motors are not always reliable. If we know the approximate maximum RPM, that is a better figure to use. For this 40% sized airplane with a 29 inch diameter propeller, a value of 5200 RPM is reasonable and is used as shown in the graphic below.
All of this information above is used to scale the baseline 33% Edge 540 data to produce the 40% scale version like the Carden Edge 540.

How can I size-up the electric Brio and add the Saito 180 glow motor? (Example 3) (Q1057-FS)

To turn the electric 41-inch span Brio into a scaled-up 74-inch span, Saito-180 powered Brio with a 17x6 prop, the first step is to make a copy of the original Brio. Then edit that and pick the Saito 180 glow motor together with the APC 17x6 prop. Then in the Scaling Wizard (size), set the span to 74 inch. In the Scaling Wizard (propulsion), set set the prop diameter to 17 inches and the max motor speed to 9500 RPM (a reasonable value for this motor/prop combination). That's it. Click OK to finish. That's all you need to do to make the transformation.
The last two steps mentioned above (prop diameter and RPM) are obviously simple (like the example above), but it does require some understanding of how things work. When picking the Saito 180 motor and 17x6 prop, that swaps out the electric setup with the Saito glow setup. So it's like putting a monster engine on the original 41-inch span Brio. That by itself will not workout well. Once you go into the Scaling Wizard part, the span is set to 74 inches. Stopping things there would take the Brio and Saito motor and scale everything up to 180% of the original. The Saito would scale up and that would produce too much power. To avoid that, the motor RPM is set to what the original Saito 180 can produce (say, 9500 RPM), and the propeller is set to 17 inches. This way the motor and propeller are not scaled up but are over-ridden by the specified RPM and propeller diameter.
Another tidbit, the motor sounds can be changed to the Saito motor. This is done by picking that motor sound (see images below). The RPM range shown in the image only means that correct sounds can be produced over that range -- not that the motor can produce that kind of max RPM(!). To get air rush sounds (for the larger plane), pick the air rush sounds by clicking on the Sound button a second time, and pick the air rush sounds for the Ultimate TOC (see graphic below). Now you will hear the swoosh of the plane when the motor is killed.
These steps are shown in the screen grabs below.

Airplane and Tx Customizations

How can I reduce the control surface throws and adjust the rates and expos? (Q1003-FS1)

In FS One the aircraft and transmitters are separate and must be modified in separate steps just like in real.
To change the control surface throws on an airplane, first in the Aircraft Selection window make a copy of the airplane and give it a name. Then click on Edit, and then click on Aerodynamics. Use the scroll bar to slide down to the Joystick section (yellow text). Click on the text for the surface that you want to change, e.g. "ElevRK" for the right elevator. A description of the item will then appear below along with the Current and New box. Enter the New value and click Apply. Click OK on the window to move back and fly the airplane with the new changes.
To change the transmitter, from the fly window click on the transmitter and then make a copy of the transmitter. Click Edit to enter the Transmitter Editor. Use the TacCon 3-position switch to set the Flight Mode that you want to change. The name of the flight mode will be displayed in the Transmitter Editor text box. Then, in the green section of the Transmitter Editor are all the values for dual rates and expos for that flight mode. Clicking on the items pulls up a box to enter the new values. As the edits are being made, the aircraft can be displayed at the same time by clicking on Show A/C. Click OK when finished.

How can I make an airplane in FS One fly like my own airplane? My airplane is smaller (or bigger) than the one in the sim. (Q1006-FS1)

Sit back. This is a long one. But in FS One it can take less than a minute to make the airplane tweaks. The discussion below is all about what few things need tweaking and why.
Let's use the Edge 540 as an example. Suppose you have a 25% Edge 540 model in real and you want to make the Hangar 9 Edge 540 33% sim model fly like your smaller version. Although 25% is not that far away from 33%, it's a huge difference when it comes to how the airplane looks and handles in the air.
When people watch airplanes fly, they get a sense of speed, but it's not speed in mph. Take a jet transport high over head. It's impossible to deduce how fast it's flying in mph just by looking up. In fact, it might even appear slow as compared with a model airplane if the model were high up and more or less looked the same size in the sky. In this case, the model would look like it's flying faster. (Think about your experience with smaller planes. They really zip around!) The sense of speed that a pilot sees is based on not mph, but instead how many wingspans the airplane travels in a given amount of time. In a sense, the RC pilot on the ground perceives a "relative speed" which is in fact relative to the size of the airplane - the more wingspans traveled in a given amount of time the faster it will look. To quantify this relative perceived speed, something called the square-cube law can be used to show this very effect. In can be shown that if the wingspan of the larger plane is twice the smaller, then the time it takes the larger plane to travel one wing span is 41% longer than the smaller. So although the larger plane is actually flying 41% faster, it looks 41% slower. That is a big difference! A 25% Edge is not going to look and fly like a 33% Edge. To get around this fundamental problem of size, FS One includes a Scaling Wizard. Any airplane in the sim can be resized and the physics is scaled automatically.

Step 1: Resize the airplane to match your own. In the Airplane Selection window, pick the airplane that you want to change, and click "Copy" to make a copy of the airplane. Then click "Edit" to get into the Aircraft Editor window. You can do a lot here, but let's fast forward to the Scaling Wizard buttons - the last two menu items on the page. The first of these is the "Scaling - Size/Wgt" page. On this page in the Aircraft Size section, set the wingspan to match your own model. Optionally, the percent change can be given. In going from a 33% scale model down to a 25% scale model, the original Hangar 9 model needs to shrink down to 75.7% (=.25/.33) of its original size in this example. So instead of giving the span, 75.7% can be entered to downsize the original model.

The relative speed mentioned above depends on the physical size of the plane as well as the physical speed of the airplane. In this scaling approach, the main determining factor that governs the physical speed is the wing loading, which is aircraft weight divided by the wing area, e.g. units of oz/sq ft. With the wing span set and the wing loading the relative speed as perceived by the pilot is set.

Step 2: On the "Scaling - Size/Wgt" page in the Weight Characteristics section enter the wing loading. If that's not known, then enter the weight instead. In other words, enter one or the other, but wing loading is the better one to use.

The next big thing are the control throws. In FS One, the H9 Edge 540 33% is setup to have large control throws for 3D flying. These maximum control throws are activated only when in the "3D Rates" Flight Mode. The Flight Modes are controlled by the TacCon three-position switch. For the Edge with the TacCon Tx setup, the three modes are: "Low Rates", "Snap Mode", and "3D Rates". In high rate mode, "3D Rates", the control throws are setup to be 40 deg for rudder, 50 deg for elevator, and 42 deg for ailerons. Setting these values to match your own real airplane can be done by going into the Aerodynamics menu of the editor.

Step 3: Set the maximum control surface throws in degrees to your own preference. On the Scaling Wizard window, click on the Aerodynamics menu item. Use the scroll bar to slide down to the Joystick section (yellow text). Click on the text for the surface that you want to change, e.g. "ElevRK" for the right elevator. A description of the item will then appear below along with the Current and New box. Read the description, enter the New value and click Apply. Adjust the others to your preference.

That finishes the major changes to the airplane that affect the flying. With those changes above that take all a minute or less, that's enough to have an airplane fly like your own. Beyond this there are FS One transmitter tweaks that can change the settings to make it feel like your own.
Dual Rates! Flight Modes! What are they? The FS One TacCon controller uses the switches to control Flight Modes. When the three position switch is moved, it changes the Flight Mode. On the Edge 540, the three Flight Modes are "Low Rates", "Snap Mode" and "3D Rates". On a conventional airplane like the C182, they are called "Low Rates", "Med Rates" and "High Rates". Just like the names imply, "Low Rates" move the control surfaces less and "High Rates" move them more. The rates for the Flight Modes are set by editing the Transmitter just like in real - you'd edit the transmitter, not the airplane.
Expos! What are they? First it's important to cover some fundamentals of aerodynamics in the high angle of attack post-stall regime of flight. As an airplane is slowed down by pulling up on elevator, the "feel" is more or less "linear". In other words "twice" the pull might produce "twice" the amount of pitch up. So there's pretty much a one-to-one correspondance and it feels "right". Things are all in quote here because this discussion is a bit subjective, but nevertheless is it still quantitative to some degree. When the angle of attack starts to get high, the airplane can stall. It's in this regime that things start to get "nonlinear". It might take double or three times the stick throw to get out the desired response. The decay in the response is a result of stall, or separated flow. To some pilots, the necessarily larger stick input in the high angle of attack stalled state might feel like "poor" handling qualities. And this is where "expos" enter the picture. Adding in expos is like adding in a "linearizer" to the aerodynamics. To some degree, expos make the airplane feel more "linear" in high angle of attack post-stall flight. Expos in effect make the control surfaces move a lot more at the extreme stick positions. In other words, at the extreme stick positions, twice the stick push might result in four times the control throw. This extra control surface throw in turn produces a larger aerodynamic response and compenstates for the decay in aerodynamic performance (lift) in the high angle of attack state.
Amount of Expos. Different pilots prefer different amounts of expos. Also, the preferences change depending on the Flight Mode. Some pilots fly "3D" with zero expos. Most pilots tend to like some expos. In "Low Rates", usually pilots prefer a low or zero amount of expo. In FS One, all of the "3D" airplanes use considerable expos. For the Edge 540, the expos in the "3D Rates" Flight Mode are 40% on rudder, 70% on elevator, and 55% on aileron. To some people, that will feel just right and to others it will feel like too much (especially to someone who uses 0% expo, 1-to-1 stick to surface movement). For some airplanes in FS One, even the "Low Rates" use expos. It's all a function of pilot preference and it's settable in the sim.

Step 4 (optional): Edit the FS One TacCon Controller (transmitter) settings to make it feel more like your own. From the fly window click on the transmitter and then make a copy of the transmitter. Click Edit to enter the Transmitter Editor. Click on the Flight Mode button at the top and select the particular Flight Mode to edit. Then, in the green section of the Transmitter Editor are all the values for dual rates and expos for that Flight Mode. Clicking on the items pulls up a box to enter the new values. As the edits are being made, the aircraft can be displayed at the same time by clicking on Show A/C. Click OK when finished. Your next Tx will be put in the first category at the bottom along with all the other FS One Controller setups.

How can I "repaint" an aircraft in FS One? I want it to look just like my own airplane! (Q1036-FS1)

In FS One, find the aircraft that you want to "repaint" (or "reskin").
In the Aircraft Selection window, click on "Copy" to make a copy of the airplane. Give it a name, say "MyAlpha40". Copying the plane will make a copy of the physics files that can be changed in the FS One aircraft editor. It also makes a copy of the graphics files, and this includes the original FS One photo-realistic "textures".
These textures can be edited using graphics tools like Adobe Photoshop and others.
The copied textures under the name given for the new aircraft ("MyAlpha40" in this example) are located in the folder:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Graphics\Aircraft\FixedWing\MyAlpha40
For helicopters, the files will be in
C\:Program Files\FS One\Graphics\Aircraft\RotaryWing
FS One uses what's call levels of detail (LOD). For every aircraft in FS One there are three LOD models: high, med and low. The main difference in the texture files is their size. The larger texture files are in the "high" folder, and the file format is '.tga'.
Create your own artwork or take photos of your own airplane, and copy/repaint that imagery over the "high" resolution tga files. Copy over part-for-part, i.e. copy the new wing textures over the old ones in the tga file. Sometimes it is useful to experiment by marking (e.g. typing "1", "2", "3", ...) on the original textures to see how the tga file maps onto the airplane.
Save your tga files, and click 'fly' again to see the result.
In FS One, be sure that the 'Options | Graphics 2 | Player Aircraft Quality' is set to "High" so that the high resolution textures are used.
After repainting, then save the textures to dds format in the "med" and "low" folders so that the repainted airplane will work for all graphics settings: high/med/low.
DDS graphics utilities for Adobe Photoshop are available from nVidia.
http://developer.nvidia.com/object/nv_texture_tools.html
For the dds files, the format needs to be: -dxt1c -nomipmap

Airplanes and Helis in FS One

I heard about the 30 plus airplanes and helis in the sim, but where are the 70 extra scaled variants? (Q1021-FS1)

FS One comes installed with over 30 airplanes and helis listed below:
In addition to these, FS One comes with an airplane Scaling Wizard/Aircraft Editor that's been used to create over 70 additional airplanes in FS One. They range from a 3-inch span Aerobird Xtreme to an electric ducted-fan park flyer BVM Bobcat jet up to many full-size airplanes like the Ultimate aerobatic biplane with a constant-speed propeller just like full-scale. In each case, the Scaling Wizard scales the model size, mass, propulsion system, aerophysics, etc. Everything is automatic, but you can selectively override the auto-scaling and change the airplane weight, motor, propeller, etc to your specifications to match a known model or create an entirely new airplane based on one of the originals.
The scaled airplanes are listed in the second category of the Aircraft Selection window.
The scaled airplanes in FS One are listed below:

Aerobird Xtreme - 3-in span, 145 mg (nano electric kitchen flyer)
Aerobird Xtreme - 6-in span, 1 gr (micro electric)
Alpha40 - 72-in span, 7-lb (glow trainer)
Ascent - 108-in span, 3-lb (electric park glider)
Ascent - 12-ft span, 8-lb (electric park glider)
Bobcat - 16-in span, 5-oz (electric ducted-fan park flyer)
Bobcat - 32-in span, 22-oz (electric ducted-fan park flyer)
Bobcat - 80-in span, 26-oz (BVM Kingcat sized jet)
Bobcat - 100-in span, 74-lb (150% sized BVM Bobcat jet)
Cessna 182 Skylane - 19-in span, 4-oz (electric park flyer)
Cessna 182 Skylane - 38-in span, 15-oz (electric park flyer)
Cessna 182 Skylane - 143-in span, 44-lb (33% scale gas)
Corsair - 22-in span, 5-oz (electric park flyer)
Corsair - 93-in span, 21-lb (glow warbird)
Corsair - 162-in span, 93-lb (33% scale gas warbird)
Edge 540 - 37-in span, 18-oz (mini Edge 540 sized electric park flyer)
Edge 540 - 80-in span, 13-lb (27% scale glow)
Edge 540 - 117-in span, 38-lb (40% scale gas)
Edge 540 - 14-ft span, 100-lb (57% scale gas)
Edge 540 - 24.3-ft span, 1450-lb (full-scale)
Funtana90 - 31.5-in span, 9-oz (super-light electric park flyer)
Funtana90 - 36-in span, 21-oz (mini Funtana90 sized electric park flyer)
Funtana90 - 96-in span, 19-lb (ultra-light 33%-sized gas 3D aerobatic)
Funtana90 - 96-in span, 26-lb (Krill Aviation Katana S 33% sized)
Funtana90 - 136-in span, 44-lb (Krill Aviation VOLEX 47% sized)
Funtana90 - 23-ft span, 1580-lb (full-scale Terzi T30 Katana sized)
J-3 Cub - 6-in span, 2-gr (micro electric park flyer)
J-3 Cub - 12-in span, 15-gr (mini electric park flyer)
J-3 Cub - 19-in span, 4-oz (electric park flyer)
J-3 Cub - 48-in span, 26-oz (HobbyZone Super Cub RTF sized electric)
J-3 Cub - 80-in span, 7-lb (Hangar 9 J-3 Cub sized glow)
J-3 Cub - 144-in span, 35-lb (33% scale gas)
MiG-15 - 18-in span, 5-oz (electric ducted-fan park flyer)
MiG-15 - 35-in span, 26-oz (electric ducted-fan park flyer)
MiG-15 - 131-in span, 141-lb (33% scale jet)
P-51 - 20-in span, 5-oz (electric park flyer)
P-51 - 39-in span, 21-oz (electric park flyer)
P-51 - 65-in span, 7.75-lb (glow warbird)
P-51 - 91-in span, 18-lb (glow warbird)
P-51 - 147-in span, 86-lb (33% scale gas warbird)
Pawnee - 19-in span, 4-oz (electric park flyer)
Pawnee - 38-in span, 17-oz (electric park flyer)
Pawnee - 143-in span, 41-lb (33% scale gas)
Pawnee - 190-in span, 95-lb (44% scale gas)
Pawnee - 36-ft span, 1738-lb (full-scale)
Stryker - 37-in span, 20-oz (brushless Stryker F-27C sized)
Swift - 43-in span, 5-oz (park glider)
SwiftE - 43-in span, 5-oz (electric park glider)
Swift - 165-in span, 14-lb (33% scale sailplane)
SwiftE - 165-in span, 14-lb (33% scale electric sailplane)
Swift - 41.6-ft span, 870-lb (full scale aerobatic sailplane)
SwiftE - 41.6-ft span, 870-lb (full scale aerobatic electric sailplane)
T-34 Mentor - 130-in span, 49-lb (33% scale warbird)
Texan - 166-in span, 87-lb (33% scale warbird)
TraconE - 100-in span, 38-oz (standard-class electric sailplane)
TraconE - 134-in span, 60-oz (super-light unlimited-class electric sailplane)
TraconE - 160-in span, 26-lb ("Alba", sized like a Wandering Albatross for dynamics soaring)
Tribute - 36-in span, 8-oz (3D profile, modern weight)
Tribute - 72-in span, 6-lb (super-sized Tribute)
Tribute - 12-ft span, 77-lb (mega-sized Tribute)
Ultimate EFL- 34-in span, 12-oz (3D profile, modern weight)
Ultimate TOC - 77-in span, 17-lb (33% scale gas)
Ultimate TOC - 125-in span, 78-lb (57.5% scale gas)
Ultimate TOC - 19.5-ft span, 1450-lb (full scale)
Ultra Stick Lite - 39-in span, 22-oz (mini Ultra Stick sized electric park flyer)
Ultra Stick Lite - 50-in span, 59-oz (E-flite Ultra Stick 25e sized electric)
Ultra Stick Lite - 58-in span, 5.5-lb (Hangar 9 Ultra Stick 40-sized glow)
Ultra Stick Lite - 66-in span, 6-lb (Hangar 9 Ultra Stick 60-sized glow)
Ultra Stick Lite - 100-in span, 23-lb (sized up from original 75-in span)
Ultra Stick Lite - 125-in span, 45-lb (sized up from original 75-in span)
Ultra Stick Lite - 150-in span, 77-lb (sized up from original 75-in span)
Ultra Stick Lite - 200-in span, 182-lb (an extreme RC machine, sized up from original 75-in span)

The scaled planes above use the same graphics from the originals, but the physical size of the graphics model is changed and the physics is automatically scaled accordingly.
Any of the baseline planes and these scaled variants can be changed in size in less than a minute using the Scaling Wizard. Make a copy of the airplane. The new airplane will be placed in the top-level default category with the original airplanes at the bottom of the list. Enter the editor ("Edit") to make your changes. Save and fly.

FS One Tx Setups

Describe the SwiftE basic transmitter setup? (Q1055-FS1)

This FAQ describes the transmitter setup ('software radio') for the SwiftE when using the FS One interface and TacCon controller. This is the default setup. The basics of mixing in FS One is also discussed in this example.
First, pick the airplane with the TacCon controller. Click on the Flight Manual, and then click on the TacCon link. The flight manual shows the following. For the SwiftE, the sticks control the elevator, rudder, ailerons, and spoilers. The knob controls the electric motor. The keyboard is used to control the retractable gear (key 4). The three-position switch controls the flight modes (low, medium and high rates), and the two-position switch controls the aileron-to-rudder mix.
To see the inner workings of the 'software radio', click on the transmitter and make a copy. Give it a name, and then click edit. Now any changes you make will be made to your copy, so nothing bad can happen if you make any edits. You can always delete your copy by finding it in the main list and using the 'Delete' button in the 'Transmitter Selection' window.
In the 'Edit Transmitter' window, the current Flight Mode is shown. It will show "Low Rates", "Med Rates", or "High Rates" depending on the initial position of the three-position switch. Moving the three-position switch will change the Flight Mode and text. Click on the Show A/C button to see the aircraft. As the flight mode is change, the maximum control throws will change. High Rates will give the most control throw.
To the right of the Flight Mode box are the Active Mix indicators. For the SwiftE there are two mixes. Hovering over the indicators with the mouse will display the mix names. The first mix is the Aileron-to-Rudder mix. Per the Flight Manual, moving the two-position switch will turn the Aileron-to-Rudder mix on (bright green) and off (dark green). When the mix is on, rudder throw is mixed in with aileron stick. The term 'mix' means that the rudder throw from the mix (via the aileron stick) is added to the rudder throw from the rudder stick. The second mix relates to the landing gear. The landing gear mix is on (bright green) by default. Pressing key 4 on the keyboard will turn the landing gear mix off/on, and the landing gear will move up/down. The gear is down when the mix is on.
The center window shows the channels from the transmitter, and how they are used to produce commands to the servos. (The servos are grey because they are part of the aircraft, and to edit them requires editing the aircraft ... not the transmitter which is the current view).
The first five channels are the spoilers (Channel 1), rudder (Channel 2), elevator (Channel 3), right aileron (Channel 4) and left aileron (Channel 5). The purple column shows the USB axis slider outputs which are used by the various channels. Moving the sticks moves the axis sliders that drive the channels. The ailerons take input from the same axis (axis from the USB FS One Interface). Sliding the window to the right shows the servos which move with the sticks. The input to the servos is the output of the channels which is indicated by the 'Output Sliders' on the right in the main green column. These sliders range from -1 to +1.
After the first five channels, the remaining channels are:
- Channel 6 - Not Used
- Channel 7 - Gear (slave)
- Channel 8 - Throttle (knob)
- Channel 9 - Flight Mode Switch (3-pos switch)
- Channel 10 - Aileron-to-Rudder Mix (2-pos switch)
- Channel 11 - Master Mix (=1)
Moving the knob and switches will move the sliders on the left (purple column, 'Raw Output' sliders). The knob is directly connected to the servo (it will move with the knob). The channel output ('Output Sliders') of the switches are used to determine the Flight Mode and Ail-to-Rudder mix on/off state. The retractable landing gear involves channels 7 and 11 together with mixing.
To see how the Flight Modes are set, click on the green 'Flt Modes' button. Then click on the first Flight Mode labeled "Low Rates" and click "Edit". It shows that this turns on when Channel 9 (3-pos switch) is below -0.75. Clicking on the remaining two Flight Modes shows their ranges. The other features of the "Edit Flight Mode" window are not used for this aircraft/tx-setup. Click "OK" to return to the main 'Edit Transmitter' window.
Next to the 'Flt Modes' button, click on the green 'Mixing' button. In the list, the first mix is "AileronToRudderMix". Click to select it, and then click "Edit". The window is labeled: "Configure Linear Programmable Mixing" which means that a simple gain is used for this mix. It shows that the mix is turned on when Channel 10 (2-pos switch) is greater than -0.75. When the mix is on, Channel 4 (right aileron) is used as input and it's then gained by a factor of 0.4 and the output goes to the slave channel, which is Channel 2 (rudder). This rudder mix is added to the rudder from the stick. The amount of mixing can be increased by increasing the gain from 0.4 to something higher. (The total amount of rudder control surface throw however is limited/cropped by the aircraft maximum control surface throw, i.e. servo stall.)
Now the retractable gear is discussed.
- At this point all 8 channels of the TacCon controller are used up. The 8 axes are tied to: elevator, ailerons, rudder, spoilers, throttle (speed controller), 2-pos switch for mix, 3-pos switch for flight mode, and InstantUp/Reset. Thus the gear cannot be hooked up to an axis since they are all used.
- For the retractable landing gear, look at the gear channel output (Output Slider) in the green section of the window. Press key 4 to see the slider go from -1 to +1 and back as the key is pressed. The gear servo will move. This -1 to +1 output is needed to move the servo full one direction and then full the other direction to raise and lower the gear.
- It would be convenient if the key could be tied directly to the servo. But keys change from 0 to 1, and they are momentary, i.e. the value is 1 only when the key is depressed. So using only the key would move the gear only half way and the gear would stay down only when the key is pressed. That's not desireable.
- The solution is to use the key to turn on/off a mix. The mix is tied to the gear channel and setup to make the output change from -1 to +1.
- To make a mix there's a master and slave channel, so let's start there. The slave channel is the one tied to the landing gear in this case. On the purple column on the left, note that the source input for the "Gear (Slave)" channel is a constant value of 1. Clicking on this box will show that the Input Type for a channel can be an axis like the ones before it, or a constant, or key. So in this case, the Raw Output of the source is 1 here. Sliding to the right shows that the channel output (Output Slider) is 1 when the gear mix is off. If the value is -1, then the gear mix is on and the Active Mix button above will be bright green. In this case, press key 4 to turn off the mix and retract the gear. Now the value will be -1.
- Now we want to add an increment to the gear channel so that it goes to -1 when the mix is on. Therefore, we need to add -2 to make the channel output -1 (i.e., 1 - 2 = -1).
- To make a mix we need a master channel. Channel 11 ("Master Mix (=1)" has been setup for this purpose. Note that the source for this channel is a constant value of 1 (purple column). The channel is not tied to any servo. It is just a 'dumb' channel that's going to be used as input to the mix.
- Click on the green 'Mixing' button, and then select the "4KeyToGearMix". Click on edit. It shows that the mix is a Non-Linear Programmable mix (title on window). The mix is toggled on/off using key 4. The master input is Channel 11, and the slave is the gear on Channel 7. The mix output will be added to Channel 7. Click on the 'Slave Gain' which is a table and plotted. When the mix is turned on, the value of Channel 11 (=1, x-value of plot) will be used with the table to return a value of -2 (y-value of plot).
- When the mix is toggled on (key 4), the final value for Channel 7 becomes -1 and the gear drops. When the mix is toggled off the value is 1 and the gear retracts.
- Summary: The gear is tied to a channel that has a constant output that's set to raise the gear. Key 4 is used to turn on a mix. This mix adds an increment to the gear channel to lower the gear. Pressing Key 4 toggles the mix off/in to raise/lower the gear.

Keyboard Operations

When helis crash, the engine does not startup like I would expect on reset. What's happening here? (Q1032-FS1)

When helis crash in FS One, pressing Reset puts the helis back to the starting position. Reset does not stop the rotor from spinning or restart the engine if it quit in a hard crash.
After pressing Reset, put the two-position switch in Hold (idle) mode, and then press the 'j' key to start the engine (if it quit in the crash). Then take it out of Hold (two-position switch) and into Normal Flight Mode (three-position switch). Add some collective, and wait a few seconds for the gyro to spoolup and then add collective to fly.

Camera Views

Check your F1 and F2 views! (Q1031-FS1)

The first version of FS One that's being distributed has the default F1 view set to be a "perfect" view where the airplane is perfectly centered on the screen. When the sim starts flying, it uses this F1 view.
For a more realistic experience, change the F1 view to be a "lagged" view.
Click on the options page, and set the Primary Camera (F1 view) to be the first view labeled "Lagged/Autozoom-1" like shown below.
With this new view, the camera pointing at the airplane is lagged, and this lagged camera view better simulates what might be seen through a video camera.
If you don't like the lagged view, change it back to the original one or try out the others. The Primary View corresponds to what's on the F1 key and the Secondary View is what's on the F2 key.

How do I use the camera views in FS One? (Q1016-FS1)

In FS One, the functions keys (F1, F2, F3, ...) control the cameras. These are indicated on the color-coded keycard that came with the simulator and can also be viewed by pressing the "?" key when running.
The F1 and F2 views are the primary pilot views. The default F1 view should be set to the first lagged view with autozoom for the most realistic experience. With this view, the camera tries to keep the airplane in the center of the screen but there is lag. The default F2 view is a "Shifted Elevation View". The concept here is that as the plane moves up high (to a high elevation angle), the camera is pointed a little bit down below the plane so that the plane is shown higher on the screen and therefore more ground can come into view. The default cameras for the F1 and F2 can be changed in the Options menu.
The F3 cycles through a series of cameras. The name of the first camera in the series begins with an '*'. The other F3 cameras do not include the '*' in the name. So the '*' can be used as cue to getting back to the first camera in the cycle. These F3 cameras include the various cameras that can be assigned to the F1 and F2 keys on the Options page.
F4 has field cameras. The Frasca Field flying site (a 3D flying site) is setup to illustrate how they work. Pressing F4 includes a view looking down on the airplane on the runway. Cycling through the F4 cameras goes through various cameras located around Frasa Field, in effect a loop around the site, ending back at the pilot standing position on the runway.
Views F5 thru F12 only work for 3D fields. Most of them move with the airplanes which is why they only work for 3D fields. In a Pano field the pilot eye can only be in one position (fixed) so only the the F1-F4 keys work in Pano fields.
The first three F5 views are lagged in the vertical direction and can be thought of as trying to always catch back up or down to the same level as the aircraft.
Views under the F6 key are chase views and aligned with the flight path of the airplane as it moves. The camera only aligns itself once the aircraft has started to move.
The F7 views are mouseable chase views, in other words the view direction is determing by moving the mouse.
The F8 views are onboard camera views - cameras fixed to the airplane.
F9 includes padlock views. The best way to get a handle on these is to add a recorded airplane and fly with it. Pressing the PageUp and PageDown keys will cycle through the various padlock targets (e.g. other airplanes), so if there are many recorded airplanes included the padlock will lock on to each one as the PageUp/PageDown keys are cycled.
As for the rest (F10-F12), explore!

When I fly overhead I lose orientation. How can I keep the horizon in view (more)? (Q1020-FS1)

First some background. The last bullet covers the answer.
Go to Options->General and change your Primary and Secondary views. These are the views that are used with the F1 (primary) and F2 (secondary) keys. You can change these to suit your preferred "default" views. The simulator always starts in the F1 view.
There are "perfect" and "lagged" tracking types as well as autozoom and shifted modifiers.
Lagged views have a slight lag in their pointing and tend to follow a bit behind the aircraft, while perfect views have no lag in the pointing.
Autozoom automatically zooms in on the aircraft as it flies away, while the "shifted" modifier shifts the view vertically to keep more of the horizon in the view. These are the "Shifted Elevation Views", and the sim installs with F2 including this view.

How can I zoom in and out? How can I move in and out relative to the aircraft? (Q1018-FS1)

Press the F1 key. Press the 'A' key to turn off autozoom. Now press 'Z/X' to zoom in and out manually. The default field of view in FS One is around 30 deg. Many of the other simulators available use a wider angle as the default. A wider angle can be achieved by pressing 'X' to zoom out after pressing 'A' to get into autozoom.
When in manual zoom mode (AutoZoom Off), pressing 'D' will set the field of view to the default value for the camera.
Not all cameras support autozoom and/or manual zoom.
Some cameras support moving to and from the airplane using the 'B/N' keys, e.g. these are supported with the F6 cameras.

How can view recorded airplanes while I fly? (Q1017-FS1)

Simply press the Tab key to cycle through the viewing of other aircraft. To get back to looking at your own plane, merely cycle through all the aircraft by repeatedly hitting Tab until your aircraft is back in view.
When flying at a 3D field, you can also press the F9 key to "padlock" other aircraft. This keeps your aircraft in view while also looking at another aircraft. You can cycle through the target padlock aircraft by hitting the Page Up and Page Down keys.

I'm flying in a Pano, where did all the camera views go? (Q1015-FS1)

For the Pano fields, only the first four camera keys work - F1 thru F4. These are the pilot fixed views where the pilot eye is position at the location of the camera focal point in the original setting where the photos were taken.

Widgets and Tools

How can I remove the HUD ladder and make other HUD tweaks?(Q1056-FS1)

The file that defines what's on and off in the heads-up-display (HUD) is located in your FS One installation folder here:
C\:Program Files\FS One\HUD
Open the file called HUD.txt which will look like this:
By default, all elements of the HUD are turned on (set to 1). To turn off an element of the HUD, e.g. the ladder (Use_Ladder), set the value to zero, save the file and restart the sim. Now when 'h' is pressed for the HUD, your changes will be seen.

How does the map overlay work?(Q1049-FS1)

The map overlay is turned on with the 'm' key. Pressing it repeatedly cycles through the three types of maps. Each of the three maps contains these things:
Runway outline (magenta)
Aircraft (red)
View Vector/Arrow (blue)
The first map (1st time 'm' is pressed), is the "Runway-Aligned" map. In this one the runway is frozen. The red aircraft icon moves around as the aircraft flies. The blue arrow points in the direction of the pilots' head.
The second map (2nd time 'm' is pressed) is the "View-Aligned" map. Now the blue arrow is pointed straight ahead (frozen on the map). Again, this blue arrow is the direction that the pilot is looking. Now the aircraft and runway move around relative to the blue arrow.
The third map (3rd time 'm' is pressed) is the "Aircraft-Centered" map. Now the red aircraft icon is pointed straight ahead (frozen on the map). This red icon is the orientation of the aircraft. Now the pilots' view and runway move relative to the red aircraft.
Pressing 'm' for the 4th time will then toggle off the map-cycle.
Pressing 'p' key with any map will pause the sim and help in understanding how they work as described above.
The first map is useful when the pilot is standing fixed on the ground (default F1 view key).
When flying with the aircraft (moving along with the aircraft in a 3D site), then the "Aircraft-Centered" map will be most useful. It will show where the runway (magenta) is relative to the aircraft (red). The blue arrow will still show the view direction of the pilot.
The "View-Aligned" map when flying with the aircraft might be more intuitive because it will indicate the orientation of the aircraft relative to the view and also the orientation/location of the runway relative to the view.

Flying Scenarios

I'd like to learn to hover 3D airplanes. How can I do airplane hover training? (Q1029-FS1)

FS One includes a hover training feature for "3D" airplanes like the Edge 540 33%, Funtana 90, etc.
Pick your favorite "3D" aerobatic airplane in the Aircraft Selection window, and make a copy of it using the "Copy" feature.
Click "Edit", and find a parameter in the Aerodynamics section that's called mHoverTraining_UserFac and click on it. Set the value to something like 10. It will make hovering easier - it's a hover trainer knob! This is the best approach. It will make the airplane more stable in the hover position.
Another approach is to pick the 12-ft span scaled (resize) Tribute in the "Scaled: All Airplanes" category. At 12-ft span, the airplane acts like it's in slow motion and hovering will be easier.
When learning to hover, put in right aileron to counter the torque from the propeller. Then think about flying the airplane straight up to a point in the sky. Keep in mind that now gravity is acting down the fuselage through the tail (vs conventional level flight). With this frame of reference in mind, learning to hover will come faster and eventually it will become natural. This learning process might take 1 month or 1 yr ...

I'd like to try thermal soaring. What's a good example setup for that? (Q1019-FS1)

Vario: In Options, turn on the vario sounds under the Sound/Music menu. Turn on the built-in music if you like that too!
Sailplane: Pick the Tracon sailplane from the list and use the TacCon Controller.
Site: Select the Valkyrie 3D site.
Winds: Select Thermal Set 10.
Skyscape: Pick the Foxtrot Oscar sky just because that's one of the favorites. Tip: The very last item on the sky list has the 40 skyscapes listed in alpha order for quick searching. The thermals are not correlated with the cloud cover.
Takeoff (method): Select the Hi-Start.
After making these selections, the Single-Player Freestyle page will look like what's below.
Click Fly. For the Tracon, push the 'throttle' stick all the way up to pull up the flaps/crow. Center the three-position switch to get into cruise mode (no camber or reflex). For more details on how the Tracon is setup, hit 'Esc' to exit flying and click on the Flight Manual button.
Easy Button: If the thermals are hard to find, click on the small icon below to see the locations of the thermals at Valkyrie Field for Thermal Set 10. These blue dots in the graphic represent the thermals. Each thermal is different and the updraft and radius through the thermal change with altitude. The image below was taken from FS One and shows the high-quality terrain imagery at this site. The blue dots are not shown in the simulator!
Once everything is loaded and the sim is running, press the spacebar to release the sailplane and climb on the hi-start. Using launch camber on the three-position switch might help a little in getting more altitude at launch. The Tracon is a high-performance sailplane and can take a lot of load before breaking its wings in flight (wings break under aero loads), so you can do zoom launches.
Pressing 'V' will toggle on/off the variometer instrument. Pressing 'M' will show the map and it can be used to help locate the thermal shown in the "easy-button" graphic above.
When your variometer reads a positive climb rate, you're climbing. The variometer will also beep faster. And with the 'H' key HUD up, the rate of climb will also be shown there. On top of all this, the sailplane will go up which is the idea! To see it all happening up close, press the F5 key when thermalling in a circle.
Change the view to the "Shifted Elevation View", which is F2 to see more of the ground. The sailplane will appear high on the screen in this case.
Press 'T' to show the timer, which can be use to record the time aloft and also carryout a landing countdown sequence.
Press 'L' to get a landing spot for spot landing practice, and to see it press the F12 key twice to get the mouseable view to see the spot on the runway just ahead of the pilot position. Move the mouse around.
Finally, 'P' might come in handy to pause the sim and get a look around with the second F12 view!
One final tip, after hitting 'Esc' to quit, click on the 'Save Flight' button to save the settings. Then later the 'Load Flight' button can be used to automatically populate the page with most of the current settings (i.e., aircraft, site, sky, etc).

Physics Effects

I'm flying the Hangar 9 Alpha 40 and at 1/2 throttle it climbs out and turns left without any stick input. Why? (Q1025-FS1)

This is all expected. "Welcome to the real world". It's aerodynamics.
What's happening is that the propeller is trying to turn one way and that results in turning (rolling) the rest of the airplane the other way. The airframe tends to roll left due to this shaft torque. Then the propeller aerodynamics results in some swirl that hits the left side of the vertical tail. This results in a left sideslip (flow "hitting your right ear"). With dihedral in the wings, the left sideslip produces a left rolling moment which adds to the propeller torque rolling moment. So the end result is that the plane does roll left and turn left. With the throttle up past 1/2, the airplane will get into a porpoise. The ParkZone electric J-3 Cub does the same thing, but to a lesser extent because the propeller has a bigger diameter and this produces less swirl to push the tail around into sideslip.
With a real airplane, when it's taken out to the field, the surfaces are not set exactly to zero deflections like in the sim. So things are a little bit out of alignment and this is OK. Things are close enough to zero that planes climb out OK. Once in the air, the trims are used to make the plane fly straight.
So in the sim the trims on the controller can be used to compensate for these aero effects outlined above.
Finally, if you climb and cut the throttle and glide, the airplane will fly straight if the surfaces are all ZERO exactly. It flies straight because the propeller swirl and torque go away.

Beta Airplanes (airplane testing in progress)

Hangar 9 Edge 540 33% and Hangar 9 Ultimate TOC 46% hover aero changes. Beta testing status: Open (B1001-FS)

We are experimenting with some of the hover physics of the large Edge 540 33% and Ultimate TOC 46% airplanes. Modifications have been made, and the new data for the 'beta test' airplanes can be downloaded.
We believe that the modified airplanes are more real in hovering (as well as other aspects of flight). Experienced pilots will notice a difference, and we're looking for their feedback. The vehicle for this feedback is currently the RCU forum (link above).
To try the new Edge 540, use the menus in FS One to make a copy of the Edge 540 33%, and give it a name, e.g.
"My-Edge540-BetaAirplane".
When this is done, FS One makes an entirely new copy of the original Edge 540 files. The new file (below) should be applied to the copied airplane, not the original. Do not (never) modify any of the files in the original airplane folders. Only modify/edit/delete/etc copies.
After making the copy using the menus in FS One, the new Edge 540 files will be in the folder:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Aircraft\FixedWing\My-Edge540-BetaAirplane
Download the following zip files. The version 2 file should be easier to hover then version 1. Unzip the file and save it to the location indicated (to the location of the copy). The new downloaded file should be copied over the old one (i.e. put differently ... delete the first original one and use the new one that you download).
C\:Program Files\FS One\Aircraft\FixedWing\My-Edge540-BetaAirplane\AeroHH\Aero_Edge540.cfg
Zip file version 1: Aero_Edge540_1.zip
Zip file version 2: Aero_Edge540_2.zip
This completes the process for the Edge 540. Repeat the process for the Ultimate TOC. Make a copy of the original and download this new file:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Aircraft\FixedWing\My-UltimateTOC-BetaAirplane\AeroHH\Aero_UltimateTOC.cfg
Zip file version 1: Aero_UltimateTOC_1.zip
Zip file version 2: Aero_UltimateTOC_2.zip
Your copied airplanes are now updated with the new aerodynamics.
If you try them out, please give us your feedback. Thanks!

Moders (for people who like to look and work under the hood)

Advanced Users Only: How can I add my own panorama flying site? (Q1050-FS)

The first step in making a new panorama site in FS One is to generate a full panoramic image in a spherical projection like the image shown below.
Many tools exist for creating this type of picture, see "AutoStitch" to get started the easy way:
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~mbrown/autostitch/autostitch.html
All panoramas installed with FS One have a maximum resolution of 8192 pixels wide by 4096 pixels high at the highest setting (see FS One options menu). A smaller maximum size could be used, but the basic full image must have horizontal and vertical dimensions that are based on a power of 2, e,g. 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192.
FS One will support full panoramas with resolutions higher than 8192 pixels wide by 4096 pixels high. The individual tiles for any full panorama can be no larger than 2048x2048 due to graphics card technology limitations.
For optimum performance, the full panorama must be broken up (sliced up) into tiles each of which is square. When these squares are all lined up, then the full panorama is seen. Example tile layouts are shown below:

4x4 Tiles

8x4 Tiles

16x8 Tiles
Any layout can be used along as the tiles are themselves square (some power of two, e.g. 128x128, 512x512, 1024x1024, 2048x2048). For example, a full 8192x4096 panorama could be created using 8 tiles laid out 4 wide and 2 tall, each being 2048x2048 in size.
The naming and numbering of the panorama tile files must follow the convention shown in the tile images above (click on the top image to see the file names). The first tile in the upper left corner is named Image_001.tga, then moving to the right, Image_002.tga, and so on until finishing with the tile on the lower right.
The file format of the tiles can be tga, jpg, or dds. The tga format will give the best image quality. The next best is jpg and after that comes dds. However, the differences in these formats (differences in compression) are not very noticeable in FS One. The dds format is preferred because it will load faster in FS One and uses less memory on the video card.
Note that in FS One the tga tiles must be 24-bit and uncompressed. For the dds files, the format needs to be: -dxt1c -nomipmap. Files in jpg format can be any level of compression, but it's best to use low compression for best quality in the sim.
In addition to these tiles, FS One needs the images that are used in the GUI when picking the flying sites. The files are Icon.tga (256x128) and IconLarge.tga (1024x512). Again these can alternatively be in jpg format or dds format.
FS One uses three levels of resolution with panoramas, and the user selects the setting. For each of the three resolutions, there are file folders that contain the respective tiles, and these folders are named "low", "med", and "high". The recommended approach with FS One is to setup these folders with the following files: 4x4 tiles each with a resolution of 512x512, 8x4 tiles each with a resolution of 512x512, and 16x8 tiles with a resolution of 512x512. However, any setup for the "low", "med" and "high" can be used as long as the tiles are square.
When FS One looks for the tiles, it looks for them in this order: tga first, jpg second, dds third. So if the folder with the tiles has tga files, those are used no matter what else is there.
In addition to the tiles, FS One needs at least four other files to define the panorama. If the main pano name is "PanoExample", these four other files are named PanoExample.fld, PanoExample.dom, PanoExample.ele, and LandingTarget.txt. The fld file contains information about the field (such as the starting position of the aircraft). The dom file includes information about the panorama files (such as the sun position and tile configuration). The ele file contains information about the ground elevation data, and this is not presently documented. The ground elevation file in the sample setup to follow is level ground. The landing file includes the position of the target for use in practicing landings in FS One (using the "L" key).
FS One puts the pilot eye at 6 ft above the ground, and this value is set inside the options.txt file in the Options folder. This means that to obtain the proper perspective, the original pano photos should be taken with the camera set at 6-ft high.
A sample pano file folder can be downloaded here: PanoExample.zip. Once unzipped it will look like this:
To install a new panorama, the new pano folder should be given a name ("PanoExample" in this FAQ). Then the new folder should be be put in this location in the FS One install path:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Fields\Pano\PanoExample
The new pano tiles after they are created should be placed in their respective folders (low, med, and high). The dom file should be edited to update the dome tile configuration. The fld file should be edited to have it point to the proper dom and ele files (see "DOM" and "ELE" lines). A new Icon.tga and IconLarge.tga files should be created and added to the folder (over-writing those already there from the zip file). These tga icon files must be 24-bit and uncompressed.
Fhe new pano should be added to the menu list here: C\:Program Files\FS One\Fields\Pano\List.cfg
To add the pano, open the List.cfg file and start a new category at the top of the file and add the new name at the bottom (or put the new name in an existing category). Then end in the file with at least one blank line. These images show these changes using the example name "PanoExample" in the new category "Example".
Now when FS One starts, click on the flying site. Then select the new category from the main menu. The new panorama should then appear in the "Example" category list and be visible when running the simulator.
When viewing the new panorama in FS One, the pilot view direction is based on the starting position of the airplane. To set the starting position of the airplane, taxi the airplane to the desired starting point and then press the single-quote-key '. This key will popup a widget with the current x-y position of the airplane in feet. Write down that information, stop FS One, open the PanoExample.fld file and enter the x-y position in this area of the file. There are entries for the first airplane (used in single player mode) and the second (used in two-player mode). The z-position should remain as zero in this simple example.
To change the direction of north in the pano, open the PanoExample.dom file and edit the Azimuth (deg) value. Changing this Azimuth value will rotate the dome (pano). Changing the Pitch (deg) and Roll (deg) in the file will tilt the pano and can be used to make the horizon in the pano line up better with the ground elevation (level in this example). To move the sun position, edit the Azimuth (deg) and Elevation (deg) values in the Sun section of the file. To turn on/off the lens flare, set the flag to 1/0. These sections are shown below:

Advanced Users Only: What's the trick to adding collision data to a pano field? (Q1053-FS)

Conceptually, it's actually pretty easy to do. However, it does required a background and lots of experience with using 3D modeling software Blender3D, AC3D, 3D Studio Max and similar programs. These programs can be found online. Blender3D is free, and like any 3D modeling program it takes considerable time to learn the basics.
To setup for making a collision file, using the example above, add the lines below to the PanoExample.fld file.
Create the file called PanoExample.col and put this in the folder with the fld file. Add some blank lines to the file.
You can check the file structure by running the sim. It should run like it did before. There will be no collision data since the collision file is empty.
The points that define the collision objects must be in an x-y-z coordinate system that matches the coordinate system of the panorama. FS One uses the NED system (standard for flight simulation), which is North-East-Down where positive X points North, postive Y points East and positive Z points down. To see this work, pick the Big-T Landing pano and click Fly. Press the single-quote key ' to get the position widget. With this pano the airplane starts out facing south. Adding throttle moves the plane further south. Pressing the single-quote key ' again will show the new position, and the first value (x) will be more negative because the plane is moving south which is in the negative x-direction. Turn the airplane 90 deg to the left to face east (press "C" to see the compass widget). Now move east and press the single-quote key ' along the way to see that the second value (y) will increase which is in the positive y-direction. Climb out and press the single-quote key ' to see that the third value (z) will become more negative because positive z is down. It might not make the most sense, but that is the convention for a NED system and using the "right hand rule", z gets more negative going up. We had to pick something, and we picked the standard.
An example collision mesh is shown in the first image below. This image shows the collision mesh for the Decatur site panorama. As a point of reference, the frequency board (soon to be obsolete at real flying fields) is highlighted in yellow. The flying field shelter is also clearly discernable in the mesh. This mesh can be compared to the real photo on the right.
Now it's time to create the collision data and add it to the file.
Collisions in panos in FS One are defined by triangle facets that surround the collision objects. These facets are then included in the col file (i.e., PanoExample.col in this examle).
Their outward normal must point (as the name implies) outward. So if the collision object were a square, the outward normals must point outward. This way the aircraft cannot go inside the square; instead the aircraft will hit the square and bounce off. If the collision object were the inside of an indoor flying site, then the "outward normals" must point to the inside so that the aircraft stays inside and bounces off of the walls (of the collision object).
These outward normals are defined by the right hand rule when following around the face of a triangle facet. Some drawing packages will render the normals and that's a way to easily check the direction. If the direction is wrong, then reverse the normals. Most drawing packages have a way to quickly reverse the normals of an object or mesh.
Using your favorite modeling software, create the collision objects. Save the file as triangles (sometimes the file extension is *.raw). Include these triangle facet data in the col file, add the word "facet" to the beginning of each line (use your editor to do this), save the file and run FS One to test the collision objects.
Currently FS One does not separately render the raw triangle facets in FS One. These must be created and viewed along with the panorama image in your own favorite 3D graphics software.
Examples of the triangle facet data files are included in this zip file: PanoExampleColRawFiles.zip

Advanced Users Only: I'd like to reorder the airplane/heli lists to put my favorites at the top.(Q1041-FS)

The order of the airplanes in the Aircraft Selection window is determined by the order of the names in the file:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Aircraft\FixedWing\Lists.cfg
You can re-order the airplanes by moving the airplane names around in this file. You can also add new categories (see the file for syntax). In this file, keep the first category "[All Airplanes]" as the first category name, but you can put any airplane in this list. The file for heli's is in the RotaryWing folder.
Make a backup copy of the original files before making changes.

Advanced Users Only: I'd like to reorder some of the other lists. How can I do that?(Q1042-FS)

In the selection windows in FS One, the airplanes, helis, transmitters, flying sites, etc are ordered by list files in the installation. The lists files are given below.
First, make a backup copy of the original files before making changes.
Airplane and Helis lists were discussed in Q1041-FS1
Transmitters are located in these files:
C\:Program Files\FS One\RadioEquip\Lists_Airplanes.txt
C\:Program Files\FS One\RadioEquip\Lists_Helis.txt
Flying sites and skyscapes are located in these files:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Fields\3D\Lists.cfg
C\:Program Files\FS One\Fields\Pano\Lists.cfg
C\:Program Files\FS One\Skies\List.txt

Advanced Users Only: I want to reinstall FS One. How can I "import" my previous edits to airplanes, helis, and transmitters?(Q1046-FS)

Supposed you've already installed FS One once, but now you want to reinstall. Doing this will mean that all your hard work in customizing airplanes, helis and transmitters will be lost UNLESS you take some special steps before you uninstall. These steps are outlined below.
Saving and reusing a previous airplane is covered first.
When making a copy of an airplane in FS One, it asks for the name. Let's say the name given to a new airplane is "MyAlpha40". The name is then used to create the folders for the aircraft in the FS One directories. The following folders get written to the physics and graphics areas:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Aircraft\FixedWing\MyAlpha40
C\:Program Files\FS One\Graphics\Aircraft\FixedWing\MyAlpha40
At the same time when the copy is made, the name of the new airplane "MyAlpha40" is added to the airplane list file, which is located here:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Aircraft\FixedWing\Lists.cfg
In the file, the name "MyAlpha40" is added at the end of the first category ("[All Airplanes]") like shown below:
To reuse the "MyAlpha40" airplane in a new install requires (1) moving the physics and graphics folders out of the original install location before the uninstall, and then requires (2) putting them back into the same areas after reinstalling FS One.
As a final step, to have FS One see the new airplane, the airplane list file needs to be opened and the "MyAlpha40" line needs to be added in using a text editor. Open the Lists.cfg file and edit it accordingly (like shown in the image above). Add the highlighted line with "[[MyAlpha40]]".
Saving and reusing a previous heli is covered second.
The process is the same as described above, except the folders and list file are in the "RotaryWing" locations, i.e.:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Aircraft\RotaryWing\MyBladeCP
C\:Program Files\FS One\Graphics\Aircraft\RotaryWing\MyBladeCP
C\:Program Files\FS One\Aircraft\RotaryWing\Lists.cfg
Saving and reusing a previous transmitter setup is covered last.
When making a copy of a transmitter in FS One, it asks for the name. Let's say the name given to a new transmitter is "MyAlpha40-HitecTx". The name is then used to create a folder for the transmitter here:
C\:Program Files\FS One\RadioEquip\Tx\MyAlpha40-HitecTx
The name is also used to create a controller file named "MyAlpha40-HitecTx.cfg" located here:
C\:Program Files\FS One\RadioEquip\Controllers\MyAlpha40-HitecTx.cfg
The transmitter name "MyAlpha40-HitecTx" is also added to the list file. Depending on whether or not it is an airplane or helicopter transmitter, it will be put in the first category in one of the following two list files:
C\:Program Files\FS One\RadioEquip\Lists_Airplanes.txt
C\:Program Files\FS One\RadioEquip\Lists_Helis.txt
To reuse the "MyAlpha40-HitecTx" transmitter setup in a new install requires (1) moving the transmitter folder and controller file out of the original install locations before the uninstall, and then requires (2) putting them back into the same areas after reinstalling FS One.
As a final step, to have FS One see the new transmitter, the airplane (or heli) list file needs to be opened and the "MyAlpha40-HitecTx" line needs to be added in using a text editor. Open the Lists_Airplanes.txt (or Lists_Helis.txt) list file and edit it accordingly, adding the line "[[MyAlpha40-HitecTx]]" to the first category.
Final tip: Make a backup copy of the original list files before making changes.

Advanced Users Only: I want a wide-angle field of view with autozoom. How can I change the autozoom field of view (FOV)?(Q1051-FS)

FS One uses the function keys to change cameras. Each key corresponds to a different type of camera. Examples of different types of cameras are the pilot-view cameras from the ground and the chase-view cameras that follow the airplane. Pressing the same function key repeatedly will cycle through all the cameras assigned to the particular function key.
When FS One starts up, the F1-key camera is used as the default. Eight different cameras can be assigned to the F1 key, and the user can set this primary camera view in the Options menu.
The first primary F1-key camera uses a default autozoom field of view of 32 deg. When the aircraft is close to the pilot the field of view is 32 deg. As the aircraft moves away, autozoom starts to work and the field of view reduces (camera zooms) to keep the airplane visible.
This FAQ outlines how to use a wider field of view with autozoom (different from the default F1 primary camera field of view of 32 deg). Some other simulators default to a wider angle at startup (wider than 32 deg), and this behavior can be matched in FS One.
The example here shows how to modify the first F3 camera to increase the field of view in a panorama. The camera file used for panoramas is here:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Cameras\Pano\cameras.txt
Open the cameras.txt file. The cameras assigned to the F3 key follow the label "[F3]" shown in the first image below. The autozoom information is highlighted. To change the default autozoom field of view (FOV) to 40 deg, comment out the original lines using a semicolon (they will then be ignored) and add the new lines as shown in the second image (note the "40" highlighted).
Install the new camera zoom table indicated in the edits. Download the zoom zip file (Q1051-AutoZoomTables.zip). Unzip and put the contents in the Cameras/Pano directory here:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Cameras\Pano
Start FS One, and pick a panorama. Pressing the F3 key will use the first F3 camera which now uses the new field of view table that defaults to a 40-deg wide-angle view.
The zip file includes new field of view tables for 30 deg to 60 deg in 2-deg increments. Changing the "40" above to correspond with any of the new tables will use that new field of view, e.g. "60" will set the field of view to 60 deg. (The tables allow these fields of view to work: 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60 deg.)
A new camera can be added to the F3-key group by copying the block of data that defines the first F3 camera (see again image above). There is no limit on the number of cameras that can be assigned to a key. Adding a new block of camera data will add that to the list when cycling through the F3 cameras.
New cameras can be added to the F3 and F4 keys for pano fields, and F3 through F12 for 3D fields (e.g. Frasca field).
To add new field of view autozoom cameras for use with 3D fields, edit the camera txt file here:
C\:Program Files\FS One\Cameras\3D\camera.txt
Then copy the same table files to this folder
C\:Program Files\FS One\Cameras\3D

Sound

I hear a beep-beep-beep... when I fly. How can I turn that off? (Q1047-FS1)

The beep-beep-beep... is the variometer sound for thermal soaring. To turn it off, go to Options. Click on the Sound/Music menu item, and then turn off "Use Vario Sound".

Mac Users

Does FS One run on a Mac? (Q1030-FS1)

FS One was developed to run on Windows machines. But it has been reported to work on Mac computers running Bootcamp. Below is a list of configurations reported to run FS One on Mac machines with Bootcamp.

Apple MacBook Pro laptop
RCGroups Discussion - Apple Mac, Boot Camp and FS One
(11/10/06)
Apple iMac 17" - Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz
17", 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM, 160GB Serial ATA, DVD-R/CD-RW Super Drive 8x, 10/100/1000 BASE-T Enet, Built-in AirPort Extreme, Built-in Bluetooth 2.0, Built-in iSight, OS X 10.4.4
(11/8/06)
Apple MacPRO Dual Dual Core desktop
Bootcamp and Windows XP Home with a 7300 video card and 4 gigs of memory
(10/06)

Known Issues

I made some changes in the Options menu, and now the program sometimes crashes. How can this be fixed?(Q1048-FS1)

To reset the Options back to the default install settings, start FS One.
Go to Options | Messages and click on the box for "Use Default Options Upon Shutdown."
Exit FS One.
Restart FS One.
This will set everything in the options back to the default install, and it has been known to solve some issues.

I installed FS One correctly, but when I try to launch the program it complains that it does not detect the USB interface. How can this be fixed?(Q1045-FS1)

This appears to happen on a small fraction of systems.
The problem is that the computer does not read the FS One USB hardware interface properly. Horizon Hobby has a solution. Horizon Product Support @ (877) 504-0233 can help you out.
When this issue has been encountered, it has been resolved on every system in a matter of minutes over the phone while working at your computer.
The fix requires modification to the registry on the computer.

I am having issues with the sound quality in FS One. Is there a way to fix this? (Q1014-FS1)

Exit FS One and go into the windows Control Panel | Sounds and Audio Devices. Click on the "Audio" tab. In the section on Sound Playback, click on "Advanced". Then click on "Performance". In the section on Hardware Acceleration, move the slider down from the "Full" setting. Start by moving the slider to "None" and apply, then restart FS One. This has been known to solve most all engine sound issues within FS One.
This particular problem is common to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS on HP systems (and others). The particular settings that have been known to solve the issue are shown in the graphic below.

Some users have reported issues when using a program called "Window Blinds". What's the solution? (Q1026-FS1)

"Window Blinds" causes FS One to crash sometimes. To prevent this from happening. Disable "Window Blinds".