Chapter 4: Using the Application (iPad Version)
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Introduction
Once both the mobile device and the PC or Mac copy of X-Plane have been properly configured, it’s time to use Remote. If you are using an iPad, continue reading. If instead you are using an iPhone or iPod Touch, click here to jump to the previous chapter.
Upon launching the X-Plane Remote app on the iPad, users are greeted with the screen seen below.
Here, users can select the view they will use by tapping one of the eight buttons in the top half of the screen. Beneath the view buttons is the use for joystick button; when it is colored white (as it is in the image above), it is selected, and the iPad will be used for flight controls in the desktop simulator.
The Cali tab of this window allows users to change the calibration of the iPad’s flight controls. Just hold the device at the desired angle and tap the Set Current iPad Tilts as Center button to make that the attitude at which control input is zero. This lets users fly with the device in their lap when sitting or standing, or held vertical when lying down, or anywhere in between.
The Panel Views
The flight controls within each of the panel views are identical to their X-Plane 9 for iPad counterparts—for instance, the “old fighter” panel is the same one used in X-Plane for iPad’s P-51, the “standard general aviation” panel is the same one used in X-Plane for iPad’s Cessna 172, and the “airliner” panel is the same glass cockpit-style panel used in the sim’s Boeing 747 and Cirrus SJ50.
Note that any X-Plane Remote panel can be used with any X-Plane host aircraft. For obvious reasons, though, it makes sense to use certain types of aircraft with certain panels.
About the Flight Controls
The panel views, with the exception of the Orbiter panel, follow two general formats. One format is used for the general aviation, heavy metal, and airliner panels. In this type of panel, the throttle, flaps, and speedbrake all exist as control levers in the panel, with the trim control located above the panel as a slider.
The general aviation panel below is an example of this format:
In the other format, the one used for the glider, modern fighter, and old fighter panels, all four of these controls (trim, throttle, speedbrakes, and flaps) are sliders located above the panel.
The glider panel is an example of this format:
In both formats, the gear lever is in the panel, as is the brake control (which is in the bottom left of each panel).
The Throttle Control
The throttle control in the two types of panels is highlighted in the following images:
When this control is at the top of its range of motion, it commands full throttle; when it is at the bottom of its range of motion, it commands no throttle.
The Flaps Control
The flaps control in the two types of panels is highlighted in the following images:
When this control is at the top of its range of motion, it commands no flaps; when it is at the bottom of its range of motion, it commands full flaps.
The Speedbrakes Control
The speedbrakes control in the two types of panels is highlighted in the following images:
When this control is at the top of its range of motion, it commands no flaps; when it is at the bottom of its range of motion, it commands full flaps.
The Trim Control
The trim control in the two types of panels is highlighted in the following images:
When this control is in the center of its range of motion, it commands no trim. When it is at the bottom of its range of motion, it commands full upward trim, and when it is at the top of its range of motion, it commands full downward trim.
About the Instruments
For information on the function of the instruments in the panel, please see Chapter 2 of the X-Plane for iPad manual. Since these panels are taken straight from the iPad simulator, the instruments are identical to the ones there.
The Orbiter Panel
The Orbiter panel is unique in that it doesn’t have most of the controls found in the other panels. Since the real-life Orbiter has no fuel left upon re-entering the atmosphere, its panel has no controls for throttle—just flaps to slow you down!
To access the special Shuttle missions in X-Plane, move the mouse to the top of the screen in the simulator. Click File, then Load Situation, as seen in the following image.
When the Load Situation window appears, select the portion of the Shuttle reentry to load by clicking one of the Space Shuttle buttons from the lower right of the window, as illustrated in the following screenshot.
When flying the re-entry and approach in X-Plane, just follow the glidepath indicated in the rightmost EFIS panel (seen in the following image). Glide the yellow shuttle representing the Orbiter down the center green path for a clean approach to Edwards Air Force Base.
The EFIS Moving Map Display
The EFIS map display is a larger version of the map found in the “airliner” panel. Airports are labeled in blue, with the aircraft’s heading at the top of the compass in the center of the screen, as seen in the following image.
In the image above, the aircraft had a heading of 134 degrees.
The large magenta triangles in the image above represent the localizers for the various airports.
You can use the Zoom + and Zoom – buttons to zoom in and out of the display. Note that in this viewing mode, the only flight controls available when the joystick is enabled are the pitch and yaw controls (corresponding to the iPad’s tilt).
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