Do I have to set-up a profile in Controls Options for each aircraft type that I fly?

I searched the forum but could not find a simple answer to my question.

I have a desktop PC with Windows 10 and I fly in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 using a wireless keyboard and a CH Products FlightSim Yoke LE connected to my PC by USB cable. My yoke has a throttle lever only, no mixture or prop levers, and there’s apparently no pre-set configuration for my CH Products yoke in MFS.

I’ve used MFS since August 2020 and have had no problems controlling all my aircraft with my yoke and keyboards in the last twelve months. But recently, in an effort to get rid of unwanted throttle reverser operation in my FBW A32NX, I made some changes to my Controls Options’ yoke settings but these caused problems.

This morning, to get rid of these problems, since the aircraft I use the most is the FBW A32NX, I followed FBW’s directions and calibrated my yoke’s throttle per their recommendations. Since my old yoke has a simple throttle lever with no apparent reverser, I used Throttle 1 Axis (0 to 100%) and Throttle 2 Axis (0 to 100%). Under ‘Sensitivity,’ my Joystick L-Axis Z shows everything at 0% except Reactivity at 100% and no dead zones at all. My yoke only has Flight Control Surfaces and Throttle mapped to it; I control all other functions such as gear and flaps from my keyboard and my only Throttle settings are F1 for Throttle Cut and F3 for Throttle Increase.

Now, flying the Cessna 172, everything still seems about normal throttle-wise. For the FBW A32NX, when I pull my yoke’s throttle all the way back, the cockpit’s throttle stops at 0. If I want to use throttle reverse, the only way I found is to click my keyboard’s F1 key (Throttle Cut). This action brings my cockpit’s throttles all the way back to Full Reverse, where it stays. To release that Full Throttle, I only have to push my yoke’s throttle forward slightly until the cockpit’s throttles snap forward and come to rest on 0. I don’t know if this is expected FBW throttle behaviour but as long as I’m able to get rid of my previous, unwanted throttle reverse, I’m happy.

(I tried using my keyboard’s F3 (Throttle Increase) key to move my cockpit’s throttles forward but this action pushes my throttles forward only as far as the beginning of the orange REV markings. As a result, since they don’t quite reach the 0 or Idle detent, my reversers stay on; for that reason, I don’t use F3 to get out of reverse.)

But now, when I fly the headwind A330-900, the cockpit throttles have a definite problem. When I pull my yoke’s throttle all the way back in the A330-900, the aircraft’s cockpit throttles do not stop at the ‘idle detent’ and both levers go to full reverse and I have no easy means of getting them back to 0. I can take off and fly the A330-900 normally if I keep the throttles in the CL detent but landing and using the reversers is a problem.

Do you all believe the only way to resolve my A330-900 problem is to set-up a separate A330-900 profile for my yoke and play with the yoke’s throttle settings until the throttles act more or less normally? And, if yes, will I have to go to Controls Options and switch profiles every time I want to change my aircraft from, say, the FBW A32NX to the headwind A330-900 and vice-versa?

Thanks all for any insight and my apologies if you found this post too long.

It’s always recommended to create a separate profile for a specific aircraft. I set my TCA Quadrant profile for A32NX, and I set a separate profile for A330-900neo. Each of them have different sensitivity curve and bindings.

So whenever I fly one aircraft, I just activate the appropriate profile.

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I use spad next so it allows me for most aircraft to use the same controller profile in MSFS (which has pretty much nothing assigned) and then specific profiles in spad.next that automatically changes for me for different aircraft.

Oddly though for the DC6 spad will not manage the throttles so I do have a specific on in MSFS for that.

Thanks Neo. Guess I’ll have to do as you suggest. I spoke too soon when I said my FBW A32NX worked well. I’m still having problems with that aircraft’s throttle. I’ve been using Microsoft Flight Simulator software since 1995 and I do not recall having trouble connecting my old CH Products Yoke LE in the numerous previous editions of the simulator. There were no regularly scheduled updates bringing changes to the sim environment in the old days and I think I’ll have to start studying how to properly configure a proper profile for each type of aircraft I wish to fly. This means I’ll probably be flying a lot fewer aircraft types than I used to, given the work involved in the creation of each profile and the additional step of having to open Controls Options at every change of aircraft.

Thanks for your comment. I spent an hour this morning looking at the software you suggested but I finally decided against getting it because it seems a bit too complicated for what I need. I will simply start using fewer planes in MFS and that will mean less work involved in creating profiles.

Yes, but as an old wisdom saying “it’s better to suffer now at the beginning so that you can enjoy it later”. It does took me hours to recalibrate my throttle, doing some rebinding throttles, and testing and everything. Heck, it took me a whole day doing them.

But doing recalibration throttle for 5-6 hours straight for all the profiles, is pretty much irrelevant, compared to the 1000+ hours I’ve been flying without problems because I spent that time in the beginning.

What you’re saying makes a lot of sense. But before I start, I will read as much as possible on the subject. About the bindings, yes, but also about the sim’s sensitivity settings. I also want to be sure about my yoke’s state and, to be certain, I deleted it from Windows, re-installed it and re-calibrated it. Now to find a comprehensive treatise on how best to converse with the MSFS ‘Controls Options’ vagaries !

Good point. To get spad right it can be a bit of a workload. There are things called lvars which can take a time to find the correct one and setup.

I previously went down the route of a different profile for all my planes within MSFS and it works. Just have to remember to change each time you fly. Whichever route you take enjoy and good luck setting up!

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