Flight simulator controls glossary

A physical stop or resistance point on a combat-sim throttle marking the move into afterburner. Its design depends on the throttle.

Helicopter pedal controls used to manage yaw against rotor torque. Sim pedals provide that input separately from the cyclic and collective.

A hardware panel with buttons and dials for changing simulator autopilot modes or targets, such as heading and altitude.

A continuous input channel, such as stick pitch or throttle position.

An assignment that links a button or axis to a simulator command.

Setting or checking the center and travel range a device reports.

A stick mounted between the pilot's legs, rather than beside the seat.

A support that attaches a control to a chair rather than a desk.

A mount that grips a desk or chair rather than relying only on the controller's weight. Check its fit before arranging the controls.

The pilot's operating space, or a home simulator frame and controls arranged to represent it.

A helicopter control that changes the pitch of the main rotor blades together, affecting rotor thrust.

A separate collection of physical switches or buttons that operates simulated cockpit systems alongside your main flight controls.

A helicopter control that changes blade pitch around each rotation to tilt the rotor's thrust.

A range of control movement that produces no input, often set near the center to stop drift.

A bracket or support that fixes a control to a desk at a chosen position.

A notch or distinct stop in a control's travel that marks a set position.

Software that lets the operating system work with a hardware device.

A throttle unit with two power levers. With suitable bindings, the levers can operate the simulated engines independently.

Software stored in a hardware device that controls how it operates.

A physical lever assigned to the simulator's flap command. Some throttle quadrants include it with their other system controls.

A setting that changes how much resistance a control lever has as you move it. It is different from a spring returning it to centre.

A hardware control for commanding the simulated landing gear up or down. Some panels also display gear-state lights.

The broad civilian flying category represented here by small single-engine and light twin aircraft. Its common cockpit controls differ from jet panels.

The mechanism that supports a stick and lets it pivot along its axes.

A sensing method that measures a magnetic field, allowing position sensing without a sliding electrical contact.

A small thumb-operated switch with several directions, often assigned to views or trim.

Hands On Stick And Mouse. A layout combining a joystick with mouse control.

Hands On Stick And Stick. A layout with two joysticks, often used for space simulation.

Hands On Throttle And Stick. A control layout that puts key functions on the throttle and flight stick.

A control stick whose movement sends axis inputs to a simulator or game.

Multi-function display. A screen that can show different instruments or system pages.

The fuel-to-air proportion control on piston engines that provide manual mixture adjustment.

An airliner-style panel for selecting autopilot modes and targets. A jet-specific layout may suit airliner flying better than general-purpose switches.

Rotation that raises or lowers the aircraft's nose.

A variable resistor used in some controls to measure position through changing resistance.

A USB hub with its own power supply. It adds connection points when a cockpit setup has several separate controllers and panels.

A ready-made set of control settings that can serve as a starting point.

A saved set of control assignments and settings for a game or aircraft.

A grouped set of levers used for controls such as throttle, propeller or mixture.

A simulator peripheral with physical frequency dials and displays. A transfer control typically swaps the active and standby frequencies.

The relationship between physical control movement and the input sent to the simulator.

Rotation around the aircraft's lengthwise axis, tilting its wings.

The movable vertical-tail surface used to help control yaw in a conventional aircraft.

Foot controls used to command yaw, often with separate toe-brake inputs.

An axis setting that changes how much physical control travel is needed to reach full simulated input.

A flight stick placed beside the pilot rather than in the center.

A bank of physical cockpit switches for functions such as lights, electrical systems and engine starting, subject to simulator support and bindings.

A control used to set engine power or thrust in a simulator.

Separate brake inputs operated by pressing the tops of rudder pedals.

An adjustment that reduces the control force or continuous input needed to hold an aircraft attitude.

A wheel-shaped input for adjusting simulated aircraft trim. It lets you make those changes without assigning them to spare stick buttons.

Rotation of a joystick grip around its upright axis, often assigned to rudder control.

A device that connects several USB devices through one host port. Power and data limits still apply.

A group of indicator lights for simulated aircraft conditions. The device and simulator must communicate correctly for the lights to show the right state.

Rotation around the vertical axis, turning the aircraft's nose left or right.

A wheel-like flight control used to command pitch and roll in many aircraft simulations.