MSFS: It pays to read the manual

[TangoWhiskey]

I'm sure EVERYONE ELSE already knows this... but I just read it yesterday, tried it, and it works. Sheesh. I've been doing it the hard way.

I'm talking about tuning radios and setting the heading bugs with the mouse. I know you can do it with the keyboard, too, but with the mouse I've always pointed at the knob or bug til I got that little + or -, then clicked the left mouse button.

That's the HARD way. Turns out you can point at the heading bug, radio knob, autopilot display, etc, and just roll the mouse wheel (if you have one of those scroll-wheel mice).

Cool. It was one of those 'smack my forehead' moments. Like I said, I'm sure everyone else already knew this.... so I'm admitting my stupidity publicly.

 

[SkyHog]

I'm sure EVERYONE ELSE already knows this... but I just read it yesterday, tried it, and it works. Sheesh. I've been doing it the hard way.

I'm talking about tuning radios and setting the heading bugs with the mouse. I know you can do it with the keyboard, too, but with the mouse I've always pointed at the knob or bug til I got that little + or -, then clicked the left mouse button.

That's the HARD way. Turns out you can point at the heading bug, radio knob, autopilot display, etc, and just roll the mouse wheel (if you have one of those scroll-wheel mice).

Cool. It was one of those 'smack my forehead' moments. Like I said, I'm sure everyone else already knew this.... so I'm admitting my stupidity publicly.

You know, I never found that in any manual, its something I stumbled upon by accident one day. Once I learned it, I never went back!

 

[fgcason]

That's exactly why I like the old stuff with printed manuals. You can flip through them and actually find stuff - including the stuff you're looking for.

 

[Ghery]

That's exactly why I like the old stuff with printed manuals. You can flip through them and actually find stuff - including the stuff you're looking for.

Well, that goes for a lot of software, not just MSFS. Boy, would I like a printed manual for Vista! XP, for that matter.

 

[ScottM]

There are manual? I thought all those went away a long time ago. Now when I buy software all I see is a CD or DVD. Then it is learn by trail and error.

 

[BruceAir]

Flight Simulator may not include a printed manual, but the Learning Center, an extensive Web-like guide to the product, is available via the Help menu in Flight Simulator. Among the topics available in the Learning Center is Using the Mouse (available via this link as a .pdf file).

I've also posted Using Flight Simulator Fundamentals, a .pdf version of a self-paced PowerPoint presentation included with my book about using Flight Simulator as a training aid.

That document describes how you can use the mouse (and mouse wheel) as if it were your hand in a real cockpit for many tasks, including tuning radios, setting bugs, and operating the throttle, mixture, propeller, trim, landing gear, flaps, and other controls.