Newbie, major problems, can't find first base, MSFS so buggy it won't work?

User Support Hub Aircraft & Systems
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I am confused/concerned/annoyed by what seem to be many bugs at the most basic level of MSFS 40th Anniversary Edition - 1.33.8.0. I am trying to get through the flight training which is based on a Cessna 152. I am on the PC platform (Windows 11 via MS upgrade from Windows 10).

I have taken 3 or 4 lessons in real Cessna 152/172 and did not have a problem with basic aircraft control/understanding of control surfaces.

My question - no sarcasm intended - how do any of you enjoy and progress with this game if it just doesn’t seem to pass even the most basic bug testing?

My hardware is:
Dell XPS 8930 Vintage 2018, Windows 10 Pro originally, now at W11 via MS upgrade
Intel i7-8700 @ 3.20 GHZ, 6 cores, 12 MB cache
16 GB of memory, 2 x 8 GB DDR4-2666
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI 4 GB GDDR5
256 GB SSD as system drive 143 GB used/ 79 GB free
during MSFS install this drive was identified as not having enough free space
1 TB 7.2K data drive 203 GB used/728 GB free
MSFS installed on this drive primarily in the WPSYSTEM directory which contains 163 GB

I have newly purchased Thrustmaster periperals - the TCA Boeing yoke and the T-LCM pedals.

When I first started trying to do the flight training with the Thrustmaster Yoke only installed, I couldn’t manage to do much at all. Seemed like I had to have both the keyboard and the mouse available as well. After lots of frustration with that setup I tried with just the keyboard and mouse. I found what I assume most everyone else already knows - memorizing several hundred key combinations is somewhere between a total buzzkill and impossible. So, I went back to the yoke, installed the pedals and have been trying again. Both the Yoke and the pedals are responsive to some degree.

At this point I am experiencing the following problems most commonly:
-Frequent lockups of the mouse which means various view panning and control adjustment freezes.
-The footpedals may not be appropriate to a Cessna 152 because they do not have toe brakes. Unsure what is and is not working for braking but can’t really steer the aircraft during taxi.
-Incomplete control of the rudder via any method I have tried - I can trim left but not right.
-Having extreme difficultly mapping controls to the yoke because apparently some are already mapped but I can’t find anything that tells me what the mapping is. Thrustmaster site seems useless. Unable to find anything on YouTube that is directed at this specific issue (mapping, Thrustmaster).
-Engine start/run is erratic. I have actually managed to keep the engine running only once. All other startups result in a brief run up to 700 RPM and then a prompt fall of RPM back to 0. I think I have the switches set properly for engine start (followed several YouTube videos). Yes, the fuel is turned on (although it took quite a while to actually find the handle because the contrast on the cockpit floor is so poor).
-I have made a few tries at the initial flight but find it almost impossible to control the airplane due to a combination of awkward view key sequences and a somewhat sluggish yoke response.

A part of the problem I am experiencing is that there don’t seem to be any reference materials that help me connect it all up. Slow, step by step, how to with specific notes on how to map controls, how to get the yoke interacting properly. What I find mostly assume the “controls” all work properly and I know how to find/use them.

My bottom lines:
-I really want this to work. For medical reasons I can’t get my real license. This is my substitute.
-I’m not (currently) interested in flying anything other than pretty basic, propellor aircraft like the Cessna. Maybe sometime I’ll try for my twin engine or IFR qualifications but as things are now, I can’t even find first base, let alone actually get there!
-The total absence of support from Microsoft and Thrustmaster seem like pretty serious road blocks.
-If this is all about needing a new system, I’m OK with doing that but right now it’s not about great performance, it just doesn’t seem to work at all.
-I would love to find a patient mentor who can help me get off the ground (pun totally intended)

How did the rest of you EVER get to your advanced levels?

Thanks,
Tom

2

There is much to try and unpack here.

In the interest of brevity, the biggest issue for you sounds like controls.

  1. Check Options > Assistance and turn all of the assistance functions off that are related to flying the aircraft. You’re probably fighting the AI trying to control your plane to “help(?!?!)” you fly.

  2. Check Options > Control Options and along the top of the interface will be tabs with the name of each of your peripherals. Look over what has been assigned by default to the controls. I would strongly encourage you just bite the bullet and remap these to your liking. You may even want to initially just strip out a number of the mappings and keep it basic until you’ve determined what things you’d like to add.

  3. Yes, you’re going to have to do a bit of memorization if you want to use keyboard mappings. Personally, I use a Boeing yoke and throttles, plus rudder pedals. I barely use the keyboard for anything. I’ve mapped a number of view controls and ATC responses to my yoke buttons, along with trim, plus a few other things like AP disconnect, toggling the taxi ribbon and a few others. Likewise, my throttles, aside from throttles, spoilers and flaps, have a number of AP controls like master, NAV, approach, HDG, ALT, bug adjustments, etc. For most of the specialized equipment for the aircraft I’m flying, I’ve chosen to use the mouse to manipulate the other controls, like lights and dimmer switches, etc.

  4. Along with the control mappings, check the Sensitivity settings for your yoke & pedals and adjust them, as needed. You’ll find those in the same section for mapping controls, but over on the left.

Start there, get all that sorted and see where you stand. You’re just going to need to take a step back and explore the menus and options to get a sense of what is available to you to set to make the sim “yours”. It’s important to do this.

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Look into Control Profiles as well. Don’t forget you can Search by Input to see if controls are already mapped.

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  • This is a substitute for the real thing for many of us, so you have joined a group of frustrated pilots, among others.

  • MSFS, particularly the C152, is modeled quite well. I fly mostly small GA aircraft, too, and have found it very enjoyable. I recently added the C414AW and have found it too, to seem quite realistic. Once you get your controls working better and start to learn a few (not many) key combinations, you will likely really enjoy it.

  • You will find the people on this forum can be extremely helpful with any issues, questions or support you may have/need.

  • You might consider beefing up your system, but you should be able to run at low settings with the one you have. Your graphics card is a 1050 TI 4GB. I used a 750 TI 2GB at low to medium settings for about 1.5 years before upgrading to an RX 6650 xt. The upgrade has made a considerable difference in that I can run three 1080p monitors now to get a great view! Your CPU should be adequate to get started, though. It is slightly slower than mine and I’m able to run at high to ultra settings with the new graphics card. Your system drive does seem low. You might consider a larger drive for the system.

  • @NixonRedgrave has many good suggestions.

  • Here’s a link to a keyboard shortcuts listing that might help: MSFS Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Here’s a link to an explanation of control profiles: Control Settings and Profiles

Hope this helps get some things figured out. As a newbie to MSFS, it can seem overwhelming and frustrating, but you will get there. Use this forum (post) to help whenever you need it. There are many of us very willing to help!

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I just read about these pedals. It appears they are for auto racing games, not flight simulation. You might consider replacing these for MSFS. I can see that the lack of toe brakes would be a problem and it doesn’t appear they move forward and backward, as is required for an aircraft rudder.

I searched this forum for help with this particular yoke and came up with the following which might be very helpful. The post was initiated by @NixonRedgrave!
TCA Yoke Pack Button Assignments

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Thank You! Big Time! This is just the kind of help I need. I appreciate your comments about my system. I’ll have to pull the covers off and see whether I can reasonably replace the graphics controller.

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I did worry when I posted that my chatter was so long that it would be asking too much of forum members to “unpack” it. Thank you for making that effort. I am now working on the suggestions you and other have made. Yup, slow and steady to win my wings. Thank you also for your other posts that are so helpful to those of us trying to get the controls figured out.

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Thank you very much for the update on the pedals. I am returning them today. I find it quite difficult to know what to get instead. I ended up ordering the Logitech G Flight pedals. Fingers crossed.

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Controls and getting the sim set up working the best way on your system can be a challenge at times. Luckily you’ve joined at a good time, a lot of the early bugs have been ironed out.

Feel free to send me a PM concerning some of your issues, I have been flying this sim since the beginning and am happy to help out as I can.

Firstly, I agree with others get those pedals changed, It will help emensly. Check your assistance settings, and make sure the items you don’t want are turned off, Such as auto-rudder and the like,

Welcome to a bigger world that gets better everyday! :).

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My advice is concentrate on the 152 while you get your controls, keymapping, and flight experience sorted out; it really is good trainer in the sim. Previous posters have given some excellent advice, and there really is a lot of help available. Print a checklist for your Cessna 152, and assign the most frequently used cockpit views to your joystick, you won’t need many for this aeroplane but it makes life a lot easier.

Above all don’t get disheartened, you’re at the start of a fairly steep learning curve which leads to great pastime that’s better now than it has ever been.

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Another quick thought:

Make sure you have Options > General Options > Flight Model set to Modern. You may want to set it to Legacy, click Apply and Save and then switch it back to Modern and click Apply and Save just to ensure it’s set correctly.

This has caught out a few people in the past. Legacy is for imported aircraft from previous versions (FSX?) of MSFS and shouldn’t be used with the current aircraft models. Set incorrectly, it can really throw the flight dynamics out of whack.

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I have these pedals and I think you won’t be disappointed. I first bought the Thrustmaster Flight Rudder and regretted it. They were total rubbish as they had very low quality controller pots, resulting in jumping inputs. The Logitech pedals work so much better.

Mapping all the buttons on your joystick is a must, especially for up and down trim. I use the Thrustmaster Airbus edition flightstick which has 16 programmable buttons and a direction hat switch. Now I only use the keyboard for just a few commands like Gear or Flaps, which is easy enough to remember. Looks like your Boeing yoke has a few switches you can assign common commands to, so you will never need to remember key commands once they are all set up.

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You’re welcome! Glad to help. Your choice of pedals seems like a good one!

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Having trouble with the (new) Logitech G Pedals. Trying to do the flight training, initial taxi. The pedals seem very sluggish to me and work only “sort of”. The pedals become unresponsive so often that I always fail to get to the hold point. I am unable to taxi at all at 1000 rpm. Have to throttle up to at least 1500 rpm. MSFS training changes the throttle setting quite often and seems to return to 1000 rpm even before notifying me of a fail.
I am finding it annoying that although I would always prefer to begin a lesson with the engine NOT running, the 3rd session starts with the engine running already.
Any advice will be most gratefully received and executed.

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Firstly, 1000 rpm isn’t usually enough to get the aircraft moving on small aircraft, 1500 is good but then you have to reduce the throttle back to around 1000rpm to maintain a low safe taxi speed.

As regards the pedals, MSFS usually recognises most addon equipment without any need to adjust anything, although “Options/Controls” gives users the chance if required. Go to the Controls menu and see if your pedals are recognised, you might need to scroll through from Default. Select the pedals, save then exit back to the sim. If you can’t see them, you may need to install drivers, the instructions for your pedals will show you how. You can adjust the sensitivity as needed but you may need to experiment - don’t forget to save after each adjustment - if you muck it up just go back to “default”.

You can check the workings by selecting “Sensitivity” from the box on the left of the “Controls/Pedals” section. Sliders should show you the movement and also that of the toe-brakes.

Finally regarding startup with the engine running, make sure your throttle is closed before initiating the lesson; that way the aircraft shouldn’t move even with no brakes but if it’s not already make setting the parking brake your first action. Only the more powerful aircraft are likely to taxi with idle power.

Hope that helps.

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If you still get the mouse freezes, make sure to have about 5% dead zone on each controller axis. Noisy controllers are known to cause intermittent mouse freezing.

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Agree with @Terrylawdinn: in a small Cessna, you have to throttle to 1500 rpm to get the plane rolling, then back off to 1000 to keep it moving over a flat surface. This idea applies to other aircraft as well, although the rpm targets may be somewhat different.

Agree also that you need to make sure that you see your new pedals in Options, Controls. If not, click the left or right arrow under the pedals section. If it’s like my CH pedals, you might see “Default” selected at first. Clicking one of the arrows may get you to a choice named “Logitech G Pedals” or similar. Click “Apply and Save” once you have your pedals selected.

You might see an entry for your old pedals. If so, delete that profile.

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Just wondering if you’ve had any luck? What is your fps? Is all MSFS slow or just your pedals?

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Thanks for following up with me. I progress - just very slowly. I think I finally understand that I pretty much need to assume all the default sensitivity settings need changing. I have just finished several “change and retest” sessions with the ailerons and the elevators sensitivity. I kept getting dinged by the training modules for over-controlling. Seems to be working more appropriate way now.

As for the pedals, I have found the sensitivity control useful but obscure in many ways (both for the pedals and for the Thrustmaster yoke). I definitely see my Logitech pedals both on my computer Device Manager and on the Control Options. When is operate the pedals (including toe brakes) I get a response under the Sensitivity settings. The profile that I am using is named “Flight Rudder Pedals Profile”. I do see that there is also a Default profile. I can see that when I make changes to the profile I am using and do a Apply/Save, the changes are saved to the “Flight Rudder Pedals Profile” but do not affect the Default profile.

I think I may have messed with the profile when I had the Thrustmaster (wrong!) pedals. So, I did try to delete the “Fligh Rudder Pedals Profile” as you suggested because I couldn’t tell whether it had been saved when I had the Thrustmaster pedals. I couldn’t find any way to delete the profile.

In the Windows Device Manager, I don’t really understand why the Yoke is under Sound Video and Game Controllers AND under Human Interface Devices but the pedals are only under Human Interface Devices, with a detail level entry for HID and another for USB. I am bothered by the message “Device USB\VID_06A3&PID_0763\5&1488a0d9&0&6 requires further installation.” which shows up under Events on the Hid for both the USB and HID detail lines.

I have spent time reading the various posts here looking for a better understanding of the Logitech pedals. Sure would be nice if there was a Windows 11 driver package available from Logitech. Can’t really figure out why they haven’t made that available. I am running their Windows 10 driver package. I see lots of references to “Calibration”. I haven’t been able to find any way to to that operation on my system.

I have uninstalled the pedals from the Windows Device Manager and then allowed them to reinstall on a restart with no apparent effect.

Sorry, I thought this reply would be little more than a very short Thank You with a few lines of status.

New Dell Alienware system coming in about a week (more SSD, more RAM, faster GPU, larger curved screen). I won’t get it set up until the end of the month. I intend to start off with nothing but MSFS app software installed so that the variables are limited.

Thanks Again.

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Wow! A whole new system. That should make quite a difference. Thanks for the update!

Don’t know whether these “calibration” fixes work with your pedals under Win 11, but they might be worth a try:

Logitech Rudder Pedals “Calibration”