These two electric aircraft by FlightFX looked awesome in the Developer’s preview stream.
However I can’t find a way to map my controls to make them work.
In the Joby I can take off and hover normally but then in TRC mode the right inceptor stops working, also it seems that the FBW system is not working.
For the Archer I couldn’t find any way to map the left inceptor to any hardware, tried levers, sticks, etc but the result is that it jumps up and down like crazy and the aircraft is impossible to control.
If anyone has a success story please share so we can all fly it!
Hi @anon4683901,
I just used my default aircraft settings, which sorta worked, but sometimes the Joby stopped responding to my inputs - likely user error rather than a bug. I probably should have read the manual before my first flight in it!
I also am finding that the displays are rather dim, even when you increase their screen brightness to 100%
Yes - battery was running low, I wanted to descend, it wanted to hover - which it did - until zero charge, at which time it most certainly did descend!
At least it is easy to recharge on the ground - flight time on a full battery is rather short.
On the Midnight, it starts out assuming your LHI is a digital input (up and down buttons). If you’re using an analog axis for your throttle it’s going to do bad things. I think this is what you’re seeing - it goes to 100% when you move it, then centers as soon as you stop moving the throttle.
This is an aircraft option. On the PFD, Softkey 12 is “Sim Actions”. When you go there, there is an option for “LHI Assist”. That should be OFF if you have an analog throttle stick.
To go over 30kts, you also need to map the “ACCEL/DECEL” thumbstick controls. These are bound to the “Increase Flaps” And “Decrease Flaps” buttons (I think V and B with the default key bindings).
I’m still missing the “RHI Twist” which doesn’t seem to be bound to the rudder axis like you’d expect.
Thanks also for the link to the manual. I just tried the Joby without manual and managed to get from KSEZ to P52 ok and land. This looks like a very interesting machine and I’m pleased to see it’s from FlightFX.
the archer drains battery (so does the jetson thing), just not the joby. im starting my game now and will see if thats on
edit: yeah it was on. idk why only that craft it seemed to apply to (other fuel based craft were draining fine)
Thank you for confirming here … what I am suspecting (and seeing).
I also have trouble using the “Throttle axis” on the Jetson ONE. There it does absolutely nothing. With the Archer I at least get the throttle “dancing”.
Guess those aircraft are not finished yet … so I might revisit them after the next update.
UPDATE: Ok, the Jetson “problem” was just a stupid goose … I forget to check if the “default” other command binding is really active for the Jetson. Seems like “default for all aircraft” is not really default. Well.
UPDATE 2: Seems like even using the keyboard for “throttle increase - decrease” will not make the Archer “flyable”. So perhaps the throttle axis “does work” in the same (unpredictable way) as the keyboard commands … plus the axis triggers some strange animation and additional “stuff”.
After all, based on the manual, it seems to me like the throttle in the Archer is more like a “logical change speed” (acceleration) control … rather then an “absolut physical power setting”.
I cant get the Joby J4 to bank to the left or right in a hover. Only my rudder inputs work. And moving my throttle moved the “speed” dot on the screen but the aircraft doesn’t move forward or backwards.
EDIT: starting on the runway I can bank it to the left or right just fine. Only when starting cold and dark does it seem to not work properly. I checked to make sure the pitot covers and chocks are off.
I can only yaw left and right and get it to accelerate. But once it gets up to speed I cant roll or pitch normally.
I fly the Archer and Joby all the time now with no problems.
Suggest the following for the Archer Midnight:
Most important: Turn off LHI Assist in Sim Operations.
Use two joysticks. I use Flightstick for RHI and Airbus Thrustmaster for LHI.
Map for RHI: Fwd/Back to Elevator Axis (Note: in all mappings remove any conflicts!), Left/Right to Aileron Axis, Twist to Rudder Axis.
Map for LHI: Fwd/Back to Throttle Axis, Left/Right to Rudder Axis. You can then use either LHI or RHI for function.
Map for LHI hat switch: First, remove all conflicts first - most likely camera views. Then map Up/Down to Decrease Flaps and Increase Flaps. Also, very important, click the gear and turn off Repeat Input for both up and down.
Map any other buttons for Autopilot and whatever, but don’t map any to the controls above.
Now, it works as follows:
On ground: LHI forward - taxi accelerate. Release when at desired taxi speed. LHI backward - taxi decelerate. Release when at desired taxi speed. This is an “accelerator”, not a “throttle”
On ground taxiing: Steer with either LHI Left/Right or RHI Twist.
On ground: RHI forward - no inception of an action. RHI backward - Power lift vertically if not taxiing or power lift up and forward if already taxiing.
In hover or hover taxi below 30kts: LHI forward - accelerate to max of 30 kts hover taxi. Release holds current hover taxi speed. LHI backward - decelerate to desired hover taxi speed.
In hover or hover taxi below 30 kts: Hat switch forward - see speed bug and display say either 96kts or 117kts. Wait; you will soon be going above 30 kts and heading for either 96 or 117. Move the LHI inceptor fwd or back and you will hold the current speed. Hat switch backward - if set to 117 kts, new setting will be 96kts. Push back again, and you will head to 0kts. This switch only commands three settings. Use the stick to lock the speed at current.
In hover or hover taxi below 30kts: RHI left or right - yaw left or right. RHI twist or LHI left/right - sideslip. Handy for skitterish behavior in ground effect.
In forward flight at over 30kts: LHI forward - accelerate until stick released. LHI backward - decelerate until stick released. If held back, you will slow below 30kts and have to use the hat switch again to go faster. Or, you can hold all the way to 0kts and hover.
In forward flight at over 30kts: RHI forward - set up descent attitude. When stick released, descent is trimmed in. RHI backward - set up climb. When released, ascent is trimmed in.
In forware flight at over 30kts: RHI left or right - set up bank and turn (maxed at about 45 degrees). When released, turn is trimmed in. Level wings to return to straigt.
This is a fly-by-wire system. You can’t possibly stall it, crash it into the ground on a hover descent, or roll it. Try some runway pattern work, too. It’s fun.
Thanks to the folks at FlightFX!
HTH
Honestly, we’re impressed someone mapped two joysticks given Windows propensity to randomly at times activate one versus the other in sequence during power up or wake from sleep, and messing with the assignments.
We aimed to deliver to the most typical configurations - i.e., joystick or joystick+TQ, and/or XBox Controller, but Archer did test our configurations and approved them.
Could you explain, then, the intended function of the LHI Assist? I’ve never had a problem with the two sticks getting mixed up; they’re both plugged in all the time.
Again, thanks for a wonderful job on the Archer Midnight and the Joby! You put in a lot of features I didn’t even mention.
