New CoPilot feature is an outstanding addition

1st Official Post

    I have been working my way through my virtual hangar and dusting off some of the seldom flown airplanes so my new CoPilot can take them for a spin. It is really enjoyable to have the CoPilot fly the traffic pattern at my local airport while I sit back and observe using the external view. My little town in Mississippi has a ton of improvements with practically all of them contributed by the Apollo50 team members.

    I have never really sat back and looked at all the improvements but the CoPilot feature make that so easy to do.

    The CoPilot is certainly not something I would have placed as a priority above ATC, AI, weather, water, FMS and systems completion among other things, but, now that we have it available it only makes sense to use it. 8o

    • Official Post

    The main use of the copilot is on mobile devices. The autopilot was expanded and got more complex, so much so that the old interface was no longer working, since there were too many differences between the different autopilots. We wanted to make the experience more unified and thus added the copilot, which is available in all aircraft, regardless weather or not they have an autopilot. The copilot is capable of controlling the autopilot but can do much more, as you already found out. From takeoff to landing on any runway, flying a full traffic pattern, heck even an entire route from takeoff to finish...

    Even as a hardcore simmer on desktop you'll find uses for the copilot. On the first stage of engagement it just holds your current flight path, which means you can assign a key to the copilot and press it mid flight and it will take over control. And it works even on aircraft that don't usually have this autopilot like level of comfort. This is like pausing the sim and letting go of the controls without actually freezing in mid air.

    In the future I want the copilot to take over many other tasks. E.g. I don't like following yellow lines on the tarmac especially when there is a crosswind and I need to run the cockpit scan. By the time I look back outside I am in the grass. Goal should be that the copilot can taxi the aircraft for me while I am busy with other things.

    Quote from larrylynx

    Does the co-pilot work for helicopters ?

    Nope, I already tried this it with the R-22. It might work with that new fangled military job that is being built for FS2 by one of the users. It does work with the 737-500 though. He is turning final at my home town airport at this exact minute. It will be interesting to see if he can get it stopped on the asphalt. He got off OK, but just barely. Heck, he barely used half the runway landing but is evidently saving his brake pads. Fun stuff.

    I have the mobile 2019 on my iPad, but, never flew anything. I can watch tv and fly around tonight. neat.