Basic Flight Controls – Axis Setup

(Where We Tame the Yoke, Wrangle the Rudder, and Throttle Like a Pro)

Now it’s time to tackle the real beasts of the flight deck—your flight control axes. Because if your yoke is limp, your rudder’s confused, and your throttle’s spiky… you're flying a flying brick with cool lights.

✈️ What Is an Axis?

Think of axes (plural of axis, not something you swing at your PC) as the analog controls—smooth, continuous inputs like:

• Yoke pitch & roll (your classic “push and pull” and “left and right”)

• Rudder pedals (tail wagging)

• Throttle(s) (moar power!)

• Mixture, Prop pitch, toe brakes, spoilers, flaps, coffee temperature knobs (okay maybe not that last one… yet)

If it moves smoothly and isn’t a button, it’s probably an axis.

X-plane Default Axes + Datarefs + Value Ranges

Axis Role	What It Controls	Default DataRef	Value Range
Pitch	Elevator (yoke push/pull)	sim/joystick/yoke_pitch_ratio	-1.0 (nose down) to 1.0 (nose up)
Roll	Ailerons (yoke left/right)	sim/joystick/yoke_roll_ratio	-1.0 (left) to 1.0 (right)
Yaw	Rudder (pedals or stick twist)	sim/joystick/yoke_heading_ratio	-1.0 (left) to 1.0 (right)
Throttle 1	Engine power (engine 1)	sim/flightmodel/engine/ENGN_thro[0]	0.0 (idle) to 1.0 (full power)
Throttle 2	Throttle (engine 2)	sim/flightmodel/engine/ENGN_thro[1]	0.0 to 1.0
Throttle 3, 4	More throttles	ENGN_thro[2], [3]	0.0 to 1.0
Prop 1	Prop RPM (engine 1)	sim/flightmodel/engine/ENGN_prop[0]	0.0 (low RPM) to 1.0 (high RPM)
Prop 2	Prop RPM (engine 2)	ENGN_prop[1]	0.0 to 1.0
Mixture 1	Fuel/air mix (engine 1)	sim/flightmodel/engine/ENGN_mixt[0]	0.0 (cutoff) to 1.0 (full rich)
Mixture 2	Mixture (engine 2)	ENGN_mixt[1]	0.0 to 1.0
Speedbrake	Spoilers / airbrakes	sim/flightmodel/controls/speedbrake_ratio	0.0 (retracted) to 1.0 (full out)
Flaps	Flap lever	sim/flightmodel/controls/flap_ratio	0.0 (up) to 1.0 (full flaps)
Reverse Thrust	Reversers active (per engine)	sim/flightmodel/engine/ENGN_thro_use_rev	0 (off) or 1 (on)
Brakes	Main brakes (left/right combined or split)	sim/flightmodel/controls/parkbrake or l_brake_add / r_brake_add	0.0 (released) to 1.0 (full brake)
Nosewheel Steering	Nose gear steering	sim/flightmodel/controls/nwheel_steer	-1.0 (left) to 1.0 (right)
Landing Gear	Gear handle (if used as axis)	sim/flightmodel/controls/gear_handle_down	0 (up) or 1 (down)

🎮 Step 1: Axis Configuration

• On the left panel, click the device you want to configure (like your yoke, throttle quadrant, pedals).

• Head to the “Axis” tab.

• You’ll see a list of all your available axis inputs. If it wiggles, it’ll show up here.

• move the axis you want to configure (wiggle that stick!).

✍️

🎚️

💾

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