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Dashboard

The Dashboard answers the question "what is the bridge doing right now?" Flight state is on the left, stick activity is on the right, and operational state stays in the persistent top strip. Use it as a quick inspection page before and after tuning changes: Tuning is where you adjust gains, while Dashboard shows what the sim is currently reporting and which force channels the bridge is sending to the stick.

Current FFB-Bridge dashboard with flight state, effect groups, stick activity and the Learn about your aircraft action in the status strip
Figure 1. Dashboard: flight state and effect groups on the left, stick activity on the right. The persistent strip shows simulator and aircraft identity, Learn about your aircraft, Arm/device readiness, and the active profile.

Waiting for a simulator

Bridge can start before the simulator. Leave it open, start MSFS or X-Plane and load a flight; detection continues while waiting. Finding a process is only a hint: the SIM status becomes connected after a valid simulator response. A closed simulator is normal and does not produce repeated idle timeout warnings.

When telemetry stops

Read the message beside SIM. Bridge distinguishes a transport failure, an internal Bridge fault and an unknown stop. A stopped stream invokes the force-safety path; it is not permission to keep flying on old data. A valid stream can reconnect, but a device-recovery notice must be resolved before re-arming.

The SIM strip explains why telemetry stopped. This demonstration shows a simulator that stopped responding; the displayed reason depends on the actual session.
Figure 2. The SIM strip explains why telemetry stopped. This demonstration shows a simulator that stopped responding; the displayed reason depends on the actual session.

Flight state panel

The flight-state panel shows what the sim is telling the bridge. From the top:

  • Three numeric readouts in a row — AIRSPEED (kt), G-LOAD (g, turning amber when outside the normal range), and VERT SPEED (ft/min, turning amber past ±200 fpm).
  • ELEVATOR and AILERON deflection on a pair of BiBars — bidirectional meters with zero at centre, full-scale at the edges, and a signed numeric value to the right of each label.
  • A trim row beneath the bars showing signed ELEVATOR and AILERON trim together.
  • Warning rows: stall and overspeed (both turn amber when active), and a conditional Mach readout that only appears once Mach ≥ 0.30 so GA tiles don't waste space on "0.005".
  • Autopilot status — ENGAGED / OFF, plus the flight director's bank and pitch references whenever AP is driving the aircraft. When AP is off, the reference cells collapse to "—".

Unavailable flight values are shown as “—”. The dashboard is a summary of the latest simulator and force-model state. It does not measure force at the grip. Use the physical control and Diagnostics together when investigating a difference between the display and what you feel.

Effect groups card

Effect groups sits below Flight state in three rows and two columns. Each group has a checkbox, a colour swatch and a status to the right of its name. Uncheck a group to turn its effects off:

  • Stick feel — baseline spring, G-load stiffness, trim centre, dynamic deadband, rate damping, control-edge feel, and stick drop.
  • Engine — powerplant vibration. Uses the sim's per-engine vibration value when it reports one (turboprops, jets), else falls back to an RPM-driven ramp.
  • Airframe — stall, stall stick-shaker, overspeed, Mach, spoiler, flap, gear, and turbulence buffets.
  • Ground — runway rumble, gear bumps, brake shudder, reverse rumble, nosewheel shimmy, and the ground-acceleration pitch cue.
  • Mechanical — touchdown and gear/flap transition cues. Brief cues remain visible long enough to inspect even after the force has ended.
  • Autopilot — spring-centre following while the AP is commanding the aircraft.

These are quick-mute controls for in-flight A/B comparisons. If engine rumble masks a buffet you are tuning, untick it, fly the same manoeuvre, then turn it back on. Toggling a group does not change the per-effect gains on the Tuning page; it gates that group's contribution in the active profile.

Stick activity panel

The right side explains what the bridge is sending on this tick. The headline names the strongest dynamic contributors, the stacked activity bar groups them by family, and the large activity number gives a quick sense of how busy the stick should feel.

The baseline centring spring is treated separately from dynamic effects. You will usually feel spring centring even when no rumble, buffet, or axis-load channel is active. That is why the active channel list focuses on changes above the baseline: trim centre, G-load spring changes, airspeed-loaded pitch / roll, engine rumble, ground roll, buffets, and mechanical one-shots.

Active channels appear in a grid that fits the available space. Each chip uses its effect group’s colour and shows its current contribution. Inactive chips remain visible in a muted style. Select a linked chip to open its matching Tuning control.

Long chip names wrap within their buttons. Effect groups keep their name and current value together, with the value on the right.

Open the matching Tuning control

The blue pointer hint below the channel grid marks this shortcut. Click any linked value chip to switch to Tuning and land on the control for that channel. FFB-Bridge selects the section and tab that contain it, brings the row into view, and highlights it. Rotation kick, Surface follow, and Sideslip remain display-only because they have no dedicated slider.

A linked Dashboard chip opens its exact Tuning row and keeps the target highlighted for the adjustment.
Figure 3. A linked Dashboard chip opens its exact Tuning row and keeps the target highlighted for the adjustment.

The per-aircraft control-system feel (Manual / Hydraulic / Fly-by-wire) is not a chip of its own — it lives under Aircraft setup on the Tuning page and reshapes the existing spring and aero-load channels (and, on Fly-by-wire, quiets engine rumble and the stall shaker on the stick).

Axis load shows the signed pitch and roll constant forces after the force model has summed them. Centring spring shows the current spring coefficient, deadband, and pitch / roll centre. If MSFS is paused, dynamic forces go quiet and this section should settle to a neutral default spring rather than going limp.

The controls that stay with you

  • SIM shows the simulator connection and AIRCRAFT shows the name reported by the simulator. The compact book icon beside that name opens its reference; hover or focus it for Learn about your aircraft.
  • The central Arm control shows the force state and a device or readiness message beneath it. DISARMED means Bridge is not applying aircraft forces. ARMED means the force session is active. SAFETY STOP needs your acknowledgement before forces can resume; FAULTED identifies a condition that must be resolved.
  • The right-hand profile picker shows the active tuning profile. Tune opens its controls; Save appears when there are unsaved changes. Selecting an aircraft reference in Aircraft Library is separate from selecting a force profile here.

Learn about the aircraft in your simulator

Select the book icon beside the aircraft name in the top strip to open its AirframeDB reference. Its tooltip is Learn about your aircraft. Without a loaded aircraft, the reader can show a previously opened or randomly selected reference. Use Aircraft Library in the sidebar to browse the catalogue. Reading does not change the force profile or arm the controls.

Aircraft Library →

What the Dashboard does NOT do

The Dashboard is not a replacement for Tuning. It shows what is happening and lets you mute groups quickly, but per-effect gains stay on Tuning. To manage a large profile library, use Profiles. To diagnose a connection issue, use the Support page.

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