Using Views and Windows

Get a better look at all there is to see in Flight Simulator

Cockpit view
Virtual Cockpit view
Tower view
Spot plane view
Top-down view


In a real airplane, you can look around by moving your head. In Flight Simulator, though, you'll need to use views. And the best part is that unlike in the real world, you can move your head outside the airplane!

Full-Screen Mode

Flight Simulator can run in either Windowed mode or Full-Screen mode. In Windowed mode, Flight Simulator runs in a window, just like other Windows applications. You can have Flight Simulator visible alongside other applications, and resize, drag, or minimize the window.

To take full advantage of your 3-D video card, though, you should run Flight Simulator in Full-Screen mode. In Full-Screen mode, Flight Simulator will fill the entire screen, at the resolution you specify on the Hardware tab of the Display Options dialog box. To learn more about setting resolution, see Changing Display Settings.

 

To switch to Full-Screen mode

  • Press ALT+ENTER.
    -or-
  • On the Views menu, select Full Screen.

To return to windowed mode, press ALT+ENTER again, or on the Views menu, deselect Full Screen.

Note: To display the menu in Full-Screen mode, press ALT.

Views

 

To change views

  • Press S to cycle through Cockpit, Virtual Cockpit, Tower, and Spot plane views. (Press SHIFT+S to cycle backwards.)
  • Press CTRL+S to turn Top-down view on or off.

You can also access these views using Button 2 on your joystick, or by using the Views menu as explained in the sections below.

Whenever you change views, text in the upper right corner of the screen momentarily reminds you which view you've selected.

Looking Around

In Cockpit, Virtual Cockpit, and Spot plane views, you can look around using the hat switch on your joystick. by pressing keys on the numeric keypad (see the Key Commands page of the Kneeboard for the full list of commands), or by using the View Options dialog box.


In any view, it's easy to look around.

 

To use the hat switch on your joystick

 
To... Do this...
Look ahead/right Move hat switch up/right
Look right Move hat switch right
Look back/right Move hat switch down/right
Look back Move hat switch down
Look back/left Move hat switch down/left
Look left Move hat switch left
Look ahead/left Move hat switch up/left
Look up Move hat switch up

 

To use key commands

 
To... Do this...
Look Ahead SHIFT+Num Pad 8
Look Ahead/Right SHIFT+Num Pad 9
Look Right SHIFT+Num Pad 6
Look Back/Right SHIFT+Num Pad 3
Look Back SHIFT+Num Pad 2
Look Back/Left SHIFT+Num Pad 1
Look Left SHIFT+Num Pad 4
Look Ahead/Left SHIFT+Num Pad 7
Look Up CTRL+Num Pad 5
Look Ahead/Up CTRL+Num Pad 8
Look Ahead/Right/Up CTRL+Num Pad 9
Look Back/Right/Up CTRL+Num Pad 3
Look Back/Up CTRL+Num Pad 2
Look Back/Left/Up CTRL+Num Pad 1
Look Ahead/Left/Up CTRL+Num Pad 7
Look Down SHIFT+Num Pad 5

 

To look around using the View Options dialog box

  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the View direction drop-down list, select the direction in which you want to look.
  3. Click OK.

Zooming In and Out

You can use zoom controls to magnify or reduce any view (Cockpit, Tower, Spot Plane, or Top-down). Zoom in close enough to see the rivets on your aircraft, or zoom out to get a bird's-eye view of the airport below. Press the EQUAL SIGN (=) to zoom in, or HYPHEN (-) to zoom out. Text in the upper right corner of the screen reminds you if the zoom factor is anything other than 1x.

 

To zoom in and out in Cockpit, Tower, Spot Plane, or Top-down view

  • Press the EQUAL SIGN (=) to zoom in.
    -or-
  • Press HYPHEN (-) to zoom out.
    -or-
  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Select View box, select the desired view.
  3. In the 3D Preview section, enter a value in the Zoom box, or click the arrows.
  4. Click OK.
    Note: To return to 1x zoom, press BACKSPACE.

Moving the Eyepoint

Having trouble seeing over the instrument panel? In a real airplane you'd just lean forward a bit or sit on a phone book. In Flight Simulator you can move the eyepoint, the point where your virtual eyes look out from. It's a particularly useful ability when taxiing taildraggers in Cockpit or Virtual Cockpit views.

To move the eyepoint

 
To... Do this...
Move Eyepoint Back* CTRL+ENTER
Move Eyepoint Down SHIFT+BACKSPACE
Move Eyepoint Forward* CTRL+BACKSPACE
Move Eyepoint Left* CTRL+SHIFT+BACKSPACE
Move Eyepoint Right* CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER
Move Eyepoint Up SHIFT+ENTER
Reset Eyepoint SPACE

* Virtual Cockpit view only

Cockpit View

Cockpit view is the default view, and is the view to use if you want to pay close attention to the instruments. You'll be able to see both the 3-D world outside your windscreen and the detailed 2D instrument panels, and you can use the mouse to manipulate the controls.


Cockpit view puts you in the cockpit in front
of a detailed 2D panel.

 

To switch to Cockpit view

  • Press S to switch between Cockpit, Virtual Cockpit, Tower, and Spot plane views.
    -or-
  • Press Button 2 on your joystick to switch between Cockpit, Virtual Cockpit, Tower, and Spot plane views.
    -or-
  • On the Views menu, point to View Mode, and then choose Cockpit.
    -or-
  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Select View box, select Cockpit.

For better forward visibility when flying in Cockpit view, you can display just the primary flight instruments by pressing W. Press W again to remove the instrument panel entirely.


In Cockpit view, press W once to display just
the primary instruments.

Virtual Cockpit View

Virtual Cockpit view puts you inside a 3-dimensional aircraft. Use the hat switch on your joystick or the numeric keypad keys to look around, press the EQUAL SIGN (=) and HYPHEN (-) to zoom in and out, and use your mouse to manipulate the controls.


Virtual Cockpit view puts you inside a 3-D cockpit.

To switch to Virtual Cockpit view

  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Select View box, select Virtual Cockpit.

Tower View

Use Tower View if you want to see your aircraft as it looks from the closest air traffic control tower. You can't change where you're looking in Tower view, because you're always looking at your aircraft. For information about positioning the virtual control tower exactly where you want it, see Using The Map View.


In Tower view, you can see your aircraft from the
perspective of an air traffic controller.

To switch to Tower view

  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Select View box, select Tower.

Spot Plane View

Use Spot Plane View if you want to see your aircraft from the outside, as you would from another aircraft. In Spot Plane View, you can watch your aircraft and see how you're doing. You can also reposition the spot plane, so you can analyze yourself in flight from any angle you want.


In Spot Plane view, you can do something you
can't do in a real aircraft: see your aircraft from
the outside.

To switch to Spot Plane view

  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Select View box, select Spot Plane.

To set options for Spot Plane view

  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Select View box, select Spot Plane.
  3. Set the desired zoom factor:
    In the 3D Preview section, enter a value in the Zoom box or click the arrows.
  4. Set the desired angle from which you want to view your plane:
    In the 3D Preview section, drag the red line in the picture of the plane to the desired position. (You can also change the angle while flying by using the hat switch on your joystick or by pressing 1 through 9 on the numeric keypad.)
  5. Set the desired distance and altitude of the "spot plane" relative to your aircraft in the Distance and Altitude boxes.
  6. Select a transition type for the spot plane:
    Select the Gradual transition check box, then in the Type drop down list, select Roll, Loop, or Fixed. (To have no transition, uncheck the Gradual transition checkbox.)
  7. Click OK.


Top-Down View

Use Top-down view if you want a bird's eye view of your aircraft. Top-down view puts you, literally, above it all. You can access Top-down view by pressing CTRL+S, or by using the Views menu. In the View Options dialog, you can set the map orientation and altitude. You can also press the EQUAL SIGN (=) to zoom in or HYPHEN (-) to zoom out.


In Top-down view you can get a bird's eye view
of your aircraft.

 

To switch to Top-down view

  • Press CTRL+S.
    (Press CTRL+S again to return to the previous view.)
    -or-
  • On the Views menu, point to View Mode, and then choose Top-down.
    -or-
  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Select View box, select Top-down view.

 

To set options for Top-down view

  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Select View box, select Top-down view.
  3. Use the Map orientation drop-down list to specify a Map orientation: North oriented, aircraft oriented, or North at high altitude.
  4. Use the Altitude drop-down list to specify how far above ground level (AGL) your view will be.
  5. Click OK.

Using Windows

The Flight Simulator screen is composed of windows. In Cockpit view, the instrument panel is displayed in one window, and the outside world in another. You can open additional windows, and put any view in them. For example, you can fly in Cockpit view and open an additional window that displays Top-down view for some extra situational awareness in the traffic pattern.


It's easy to add new windows for extra situational
awareness.

 

To open a new view window

  • Press [ (LEFT BRACKET).
    -or-
  • On the Views menu, point to New View, and then click the view that you want.

Making a Window Active

You can have several different windows open at once. Flight Simulator adds new windows to the bottom of the Views menu, and numbers them in the order that you opened them. The active view window has a check mark next to it. Once a window is active, all keyboard and joystick view commands apply to it.

 

To activate a window

  • Click anywhere inside the window.
    -or-
  • Press CTRL+TAB to cycle through the windows, selecting the window you want to activate.
    -or-
  • In the list at the bottom of the Views menu, click the window you want to make the active window.
    -or-
  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. In the Window drop-down list, select the window you want to activate.
  3. Click OK.

Other Flight Simulator Windows Tricks

Flight Simulator offers many keyboard shortcuts to help you work with views and windows. For the complete list, see the Key Commands page of the Kneeboard (press F10 to display). Here are some other tricks you can do with windows. The best way to learn about these is to experiment with them.

 

To display or hide view titles

  1. On the Views menu, choose View Options.
  2. Select or clear the Show titles in windows check box.
  3. Click OK.

 

To close a view window

  • Click the view window, then press ] (RIGHT BRACKET).
    -or-
  • Right-click on the view window, then choose Close Window from the shortcut menu.

 

To make a view window fill the entire Flight Simulator window

  • Press W.
    To return to the smaller window, press W again.
    -or-
  • Right-click the view window, then choose Maximize Window from the shortcut menu.
    To restore the view window to its previous size, right-click in the window and clear Maximize Window.
    -or-
  • On the Views menu, choose Maximize View.
    To restore the view to its previous size, on the Views menu, clear Maximize View.

 

To resize a window

  • Drag a corner or a side of the window until it is the size you want.

To "undock" a Flight Simulator window and move it outside the Flight Simulator application window

  1. Click the window that contains the view you want to undock.
  2. On the Views menu, click Undock View.
    -or-
  1. Right-click the window that contains the view you want to undock.
  2. Choose Undock Window.
    You can now drag the undocked window anywhere on the Windows desktop.

To dock an undocked window and move it back inside the Flight Simulator application window

  1. Click the window that contains the view you want to dock.
  2. On the Views menu, deselect Undock View.
    -or-
  1. Right-click the window that contains the view you want to dock.
  2. Deselect Undock Window.
    The window moves back inside the Flight Simulator window.

Displaying Subpanels

To see the flight instruments more easily, several aircraft have separate windows or subpanels for their radio stacks, compass, engine controls, and other cockpit controls. Use SHIFT+1-7 to display the various subpanels (see the list of key commands for each aircraft on the kneeboard in the cockpit).

View Options

The View Options dialog box lets you change views, set the zoom level for a view, and change the view direction. (You can also perform these tasks using key commands, as explained in the sections above.)


The View Options dialog box

The View Options dialog box is also the place to go to:

 

To open the View Options dialog box

  • On the Views menu, choose View Options.

Axis Indicators

Using the Axis indicator drop-down list, you can choose to display one of three different types of axis indicators on the windscreen of your aircraft:

An axis indicator makes it easy to determine pitch and bank angles relative to the horizon without having to look at the attitude indicator; real-world pilots often use a smudge on the windscreen for the same purpose. The axis indicators in Flight Simulator are a great tool when you're learning basic flying maneuvers.


In the View Options dialog box, you can choose to
display one of three axis indicators.