There are three common autopilot features with one unique autopilot mode for each playable aircraft. The player may disable a mode by pressing the OFF button in their autopilot section or by applying strong throttle and/or flight stick inputs against the autopilot (for relevant modes). The three common autopilot methods are NAV, ALT, and HDG autopilot:
- NAV: "Navigation Autopilot" - This mode vectors the aircraft directly towards the current waypoint. If the player has created a path in the NAV and GPS pages, NAV autopilot will also fly that path for them. NOTE: Using the NAV mode to navigate to a waypoint under 5000 ft ASL will set the altitude to approximately 5000 ft ASL. If the waypoint is above 5000 ft ASL, the autopilot will match the waypoint's altitude. Using this mode may not be desirable when navigating through mountainous terrain.
- ALT: "Altitude Autopilot" - This mode holds the current altitude using pitch. The plane will automatically pitch up or down to maintain altitude when banking, making this useful for manually orbiting or skimming close to the sea.
- HDG: "Heading Autopilot" - Holds the current heading using roll and yaw. The player may provide pitch input without overriding this setting.
There are also three unique autopilot modes, one for each aircraft:
- HVR: "Hover Autopilot" - This mode is unique to the AV-42C, and can only be toggled when its engines are 90 degrees up. The autopilot will attempt to cancel out any horizontal movement and the player can move the stick in any direction without the autopilot turning off. This is useful for steady vertical landings; get close to your landing area without the autopilot on and use the HVR autopilot to make a soft, controlled landing. It's especially helpful when time isn't an urgent factor in your landing.
- SPD: "Speed Autopilot" - This mode, exclusive to the F/A-26B, will allow the computer to control the aircraft's thrust to hold the aircraft at a desired speed. This can be very helpful for staying in formation with other squad members and can also help with aerial refueling. Speed can be adjusted using the SPD knob located on the analog air speed indicator. The white number indicates the current speed and the green number indicates the set speed.
- VCAP: "Vertical Control Autopilot" - This autopilot mode is exclusive to the F-45A, and is arguably one of the most complex ones. It is used for easing vertical takeoffs and landings. It alters the roles of the throttle and the flight stick; in this mode, the throttle controls your forward and backward movement, while your flight stick controls your ascent/descent rate (with forward and backward input, respectively). An F-45A must have a Thrust to Weight Ratio greater than 1.04 to use this feature properly. See its section in the F-45A's article for more information.
Using multiple autopilot modes[]
The autopilot modes couple to other avionics and controls.
Common autopilot modes[]
The ALT autopilot mode can be used with either the HDG or NAV autopilot mode to maintain desired altitude and direction. Adjustments can be made in the F-45A by using the autopilot menu at the top right part of the screen, and in the F/A-26B by using the AP ALT panel and the HDG knob located on the Horizontal Situational Indicator.
Unique autopilot modes[]
- AV-42C: Using the HVR mode and the ALT mode allows the AV-42C to essentially translate through space without the coordination needed for a manually flown helicopter. The player may control the ascend or descend rate using the throttle lever, and control horizontal movement using the flight stick at any time without turning off the autopilot modes.
- F/A-26B: The SPD mode can be used in addition to the ALT + HDG/NAV modes to maintain a desired speed along with a desired altitude and direction. Using these three autopilot modes in conjunction can be very helpful when trying to stay in formation with a squadron.