Some tips regarding trim and AP for X-65F users

[atsmith6]

Hi

 

I've recently been learning to fly Ka-50 (wonderful sim!) and have come across a feature of the X-65F that somewhat reduces the workload.

 

The X-65F has a CMS hat switch (thumb hat switch) in the same place as the Ka-50 has the trim button. The following mapping has made life much easier for me:

 

HAT-Fwd - Trimmer Buttom

HAT-Back - AP Altitude Hold ON/OFF

HAT-Left - Toggle Show/Hide control deflection view

HAT-Right - Flight director mode button

 

The reason for being able to switch between flight director mode and non-flight director mode is clear: Flight director gives unopposed free but still stabilised flight. For a non force-feedback stick this is useful, and for a motionless stick like the X-65F a must, in my opinion. I find establishing my route in flight director mode and then trimming, then toggling flight director off, to be the easiest way to establish flight in any direction. Once moving I just hold the trimmer while changing course.

 

The altitude hold button is sometimes necessary when transitioning out of auto-hover. When engaging auto-hover with the pinky switch it turns on, but when disengaging it doesn't turn off. A good safety feature but the need to turn it off for free flight especially when taking evasive action makes it a valuable HOTAS feature.

 

Being able to quickly activate the the control deflection view is vital to me. In the real 'copter you have your stick in it's trimmed position. In the sim with a conventional joystick centre doesn't mean centre, it means trimmed. Where trimmed is isn't intuitively available to the pilot like in the real thing, so being able to toggle this view on and off quickly has made understanding where my controls are totally intuitive again.

 

Hope this helps someone trying to figure this sim out without a force feedback controller.

 

Please take the above with the qualification that I am not a pro at this sim yet.

[algerad3]

It is a bit different flying with the x-65, especially the black shark and it's trim system.

I like the way you set things up and will give it a try, looks like it will solve a lot of little quirks and issues inherent to the "non- moving" stick.