Microsoft Flight Simulator Handbook

by Jonathan M. Stern

Using the Numeric Keypad

If you are using the numeric keypad for airplane control, rest your right hand on the keypad with your second finger on 4, your third finger on 5, and your fourth finger on 6. Your third finger moves the airplane's nose up or down with the elevator controls (2 and 8) and neutralizes the ailerons to stop the airplane from banking (with the 5 key). Your fourth finger uses the 6 key to bank right and controls the throttle with the 9 (increase) and 3 (decrease) keys.

For this chapter, I describe the controls to be used with the numeric keypad. If you use a yoke, joystick, or mouse, use Figure 1.2 to determine the appropriate control movement.

If you use a mouse for aircraft control, you must press the right button on the mouse to toggle between control mode and pointer mode (used for such things as selecting flaps and changing radio frequencies). In any case, the numeric keypad or mouse should be used for throttle control unless your joystick or control yoke has a built-in throttle control.

In later chapters, I describe actions to be taken only with a control yoke and other traditional aircraft controls or the desirable outcome (for example, right aileron or bank right). You need to decide which controls in your configuration yield that result. I believe that the realism of the simulation is enhanced in this manner.

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