Can there not be a somewhat simpler and less digitally demanding way of doing this, maybe only involving two keys?

Happy offender, dunce of the class and destined for the rear gun turret.

Kaybee ( who reaches 77 in May.)((age that is..not score))

Welcome to the forum!

>> I have a new keyboard and the shift key is half 'normal' size. \result is that pressing Ctrl-Shift and Z is not easy, specially as I use a joystick (right hand) and have to perform this trick with my left hand. Result the instructor shouts "WHOA!" as the aircraft banks severely during my left handed key juggling exercise. Ctrl-shift -1 is no better..even worse because of the stretch.
Can there not be a somewhat simpler and less digitally demanding way of doing this, maybe only involving two keys?

I see your point. At present FSFS does not permit the remapping of these keys to something else, but we are hoping to make something like this available in a future version.

The reason we picked these keys is to stay out of the way of the special key combinations used by Flight Simulator itself and the more popular add-ons - it least as much as we could.

Even so, in some cases at least one variation of the keys we've picked are already being used by other applications!  Happily they can often be redefined within those applications.

As to practical solution, can you perhaps map these key combinations to buttons on your joystick using the joystick's driver software? This would be the software which is invoked when you choose to recalibrate the joystick outside of Flight Simulator itself (for recalibration read "I need to tell you when the joystick is centred".

Nowadays, joysticks often have a load of buttons and their software allows you to choose which keystrokes are "faked" when this or that button is pressed. 

We do this all the time with our sticks and yokes here at 'The Lab'.

If your joystick does not have this option there's not much else to suggest except that if you have the autodetection turned on, FSFS will automatically detect all your flight modes except take off. So if you fly smoothly you won't need to press 'Advance Flight Mode' at all except to say "I am lined up and ready for takeoff!" and you can do that without holding the joystick!

Yeah - yeah - OK - there is one exception...

If you have 'Taxi in wind advice' turned on and if you have a joystick and if there is a stiff wind you will need to hold the rudder and ailerons in the correct position even at the time you say "I am lined up and ready for takeoff!"

However, by popular demand (user feedback) you will not actually be penalized for holding them in the wrong positions with regard to the wind unless you are moving. This is a simplification, but it is how the software currently works.

I hope this is of some help!

Jeff Preston ('Squadron Leader') - FSFlyingSchool Publisher & Lead Developer


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