Configuring an XBox 360 Controller for
Flight Simulator Xtm

If yoke and pedals aren't your thing, are too expensive for you, or you are looking for a more portable controller, I highly recommend checking out an XBox 360 controller. A friend of mine suggested it, and I had read tdragger's and other's comments about it, but I was really skeptical at first. But then I tried it and I love it. This controller is much more natural for the way I fly than a joystick with a twist function for rudder pedals. Also, I use a laptop a lot and the controller is very portable; and I even often use it with my desktop rather than a yoke and rudder pedals since it keeps my desk clear.

This is how I like to set up my buttons:


Y- Increase throttle (repeat full right)
B- Decrease throttle (repeat full right)
A - Brakes (repeat full right)
X - Switch Views (S key)
1 - rudder axis (left)
2 - rudder axis (right)
3 - Elevator trim (down) (repeat full right)
4 - Elevator trim (up) (repeat full right)
5 - Ailerons axis and Elevator axis
Press 5 - Flaps retract fully
6 - View - left/right axis (pan) and View - up/down axis (pan)
Press 6 - Flaps Down incrementally
7 - Look (Pan) left, right, up, down, up-left, up-right, down-left, down-right
8 - Transmit Voice (push to talk) (For multi-player play)
9 - Landing Gear (extend/retract)

To program FSX to use these commands, plug the controller into a USB slot, and then start FSX. In the main menu go to Settings/Controls. Under Buttons/Keys and Control Axes, double click each event you want to program, and then press the button on the controller that you want to apply to that command. Buttons 1&2, 5 and 6 are programmed under the Control Axes menus, the rest are programmed under the Buttons/Keys menu. This same menu is accessible in the program itself under Options/Settings/Controls if you want to change settins while you fly.

I've found in certain situations that the controller can "forget" its settings and either revert to the default settings or just screw up altogether. To fix this, often, unplugging the controller and plugging it back in will return it to your own programmed settings.

Eventually, I hope to figure out how to make these commands the default commands so that FSX can't "forget" them. When I figure that out, I'll post the solution here.