January 2017 – X-Plane 11 flight model improvements + map tips

Hello there!

X-Plane 10 Mobile just got a major update that includes a new free aircraft, and cockpit manipulators. X-Plane 11 is getting better all the time thanks to the bug reports we get and the bug fixes we get in with every update.

Austin’s X-Plane 11 Flight Model Updates

There is some cool new stuff for X-Plane 11 beta 3 and beta 4 that is really nice. Now that I am flying a pressurized airplane with a PT-6 engine, I have really gotten the PT-6 model and pressurization system modeling dialed in for X-Plane! This includes everything from the dynamic and organic feel of the free turbine in the PT-6 to the need to carry some power in the descents at high altitude to maintain pressurization!

Also I have gone over the rotor dynamics in X-Plane 11 starting with beta 4 to dial in the effects of hovering in and out of ground effect by effectively bouncing prop wash off the ground.Carefully tuning these dynamics, I’ve gotten the various power requirements and climb and descent rates really close to real helicopters acting in these sometimes catastrophic corners of the envelope.

I’ve also dived into jet engine supersonic dynamics for beta 4! Using the dynamics of total pressure recovery, normal shocks, and the recently de-classified Pilots Operating Handbook for the F-4 Phantom, I have really dialed in the supersonic jet engine dynamics as well, getting not only the SPEED of the F-4 accurate to within a few hundredths of a Mach number, but getting the supersonic acceleration and deceleration of that aircraft accurate to within a few seconds as well!

The details go on for a few pages, so check it all out over here in my articles on the X-Plane Developer Blog!

— Austin

See all flight model improvements

Tips and Tricks

The X-Plane 11 map looks quite a bit different than the map in X-Plane 10, but much of the same functionality is there. You can open the map by using the ‘m’ key, the icon in the top right corner of the menu, or from under the Flight menu.

• Use the Mode drop down menu to pick between three different types of map information, displaying items such as airways and ILS beacons.
• Use the Layers drop down to display clouds or precipitation on the map in real time.
• Check the boxes to toggle the flight path, a compass rose around your aircraft, or to disable downwind ILS beacons.
• Toggle the Glideslope Cross Section when flying approaches, which you can change with the Approach drop down menu.
• Use the buttons in the top left corner of the map to zoom in or out, center on your aircraft, and change whether the top of the map is north, or the direction your plane faces.

You can also click on almost any of the icons in the map to open the powerful Inspector window. Use this window to:

• View airport details such as conditions and communications frequencies.
• Move the plane to a new runway or set up a final approach.
• Tune NAV radios with a single button.
• Change your aircraft’s heading, altitude, speed or climb angle.

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Happy flying!

— The X-Plane Team