Tuning

Tuning controls how the aircraft feels. Device selection, physical limits, calibration, and button assignments belong under Hardware.

Figure 1. Master gain, the profile selector, Save, Save as… and Set as aircraft default stay in the top card; the section sidebar below groups the aircraft’s controls.

Open the matching Tuning control

You can reach an effect directly from its Dashboard channel chip. Linked chips open this page, select the section and tab that contain the control, bring the matching row into view, and highlight it.

One rule keeps the interface understandable

If a setting describes the physical device, find it under Hardware. If it describes this aircraft, find it under Tuning.

Base limits here, aircraft feel in Tuning

Hardware owns pitch, roll and vibration limits, damping calibration and the Base resistance minimums used while armed. Tuning owns the aircraft’s damping, friction, inertia, progressive stops, input mode, Follow and other effects. A profile can add resistance above the armed minimums. Disarm restores the captured base configuration.

Start with the essentials

Make one change at a time and test the aircraft before moving to another section.

Confirm the selected aircraft profile and aircraft type.
Set Master gain for the overall aircraft-force level within the hardware ceiling.
Open Aircraft setup in the section sidebar; its Aircraft tab holds Control system and Aircraft auto-select.
Select the Control system that matches the aircraft, including Rotorcraft (helicopter) for helicopters.
Adjust only the effect groups relevant to that aircraft and the problem you are trying to solve.

Figure 2. Master gain in the top card. Default is 100%. The slider steps in 1% increments.

Sections and tabs group related controls

The section sidebar lists Aircraft setup, Forces, Control feel, Trim, Autopilot, Effect gains and Spring curves. Tabs inside a section hold related controls, and Reset section, where shown, returns that section to the loaded profile’s values.

Only relevant sections and tabs appear. Rotorcraft (helicopter) profiles show Helicopter instead of Trim and Spring curves, and Force sensing, Pitch directions and Roll directions appear under Aircraft setup only when Force sensing input is selected. A dot marks a section or tab with unsaved changes.

Figure 3. Control feel → Resistance holds pitch and roll damping, friction and inertia, while the top card keeps the profile controls in view.

Aircraft type removes irrelevant controls

Rotorcraft profiles show force trim, cyclic damping, and rotor cues. Fixed-wing profiles show their own aerodynamic, ground, trim, and stall controls instead.

Figure 4. A Rotorcraft profile presents helicopter feel without unrelated fixed-wing tuning.

Flight-model evidence and guarded fallbacks

Control loading derives feel airspeed from flight-model dynamic pressure in MSFS and X-Plane, so pitot/static or cockpit-indicator failures do not freeze the aerodynamic load. Indicated airspeed remains a guarded fallback when pressure evidence is unavailable.

Surface, rotor, and configuration evidence

Spoiler effects follow actual surface deployment, X-Plane 11 flap fallback is restored, and rotor vibration follows rotor speed and blade count even while windmilling. Missing or implausible optional values use explicit guarded fallbacks.

Control input and local mechanics

Control input chooses how pilot force becomes the aircraft command. Position / displacement is the normal mode. Exact AB9 hardware can use Force Sensing after guided four-direction calibration and validation. Damping, friction, inertia, and progressive stops remain aircraft-profile feel, while Hardware enforces the physical envelope and selects the exact-device renderer.

Autopilot follow

moves a linked control toward the simulator’s AP-inclusive command. Supported MOZA bases use their model-specific Follow path; Authority limits travel and Follow speed controls movement rate. Other devices use Bridge’s force path, with the saved authority on the X-Plane owned-axis path and a bounded cue on MSFS. Independent sidesticks use AP neutral hold instead of moving-control Follow.

Airbus-style AP neutral hold

AP neutral hold adds an Airbus-style centred sidestick while autopilot is engaged. It uses Bridge's shared force path, so it is not restricted to AB9. It is separate from moving-control AP Follow and does not implement a simulator autopilot-disconnect threshold.

For an appropriate Fly-by-wire profile, open Tuning → Autopilot → Neutral hold and enable Airbus AP neutral hold for this aircraft profile. It is off by default. When supported autopilot telemetry reports engagement, Bridge holds the sidestick near neutral. It does not move the stick to follow the flight controls or command an autopilot disconnect.

Trim compensation

AY90 and AY210 trim compensation supports matching MSFS 2024 aircraft. X-Plane 12.2 and later uses its native trim support for compatible aircraft across supported FFB devices. Aircraft with custom control systems can behave differently.

In MSFS, the cockpit yoke animation can differ from your physical yoke while trim compensation is active. Standard simulator input cannot independently position the animation. Assess trim using pressure relief and aircraft response.

Engine rumble

Engine rumble follows engine RPM and power evidence. Idle roughness adds a coarser low-speed texture that blends away into cruise without changing steady centering or pitch and roll load.

Centre cam

Open Tuning → Forces → Centre cam to add a rounded detent around the trimmed centre on pitch and roll. These controls belong to the aircraft profile and are hidden for helicopter profiles.

Centre cam strength sets the extra resistance near the centre. Zero turns this contribution off. Begin with a small value and compare it at the same flight condition.

Centre cam width sets the travel over which the extra resistance builds. A larger width spreads the buildup over more travel and feels softer. The stability limit can widen a narrow requested transition.

Choose an editable profile, adjust strength and width with the sliders or exact percentage entry, and compare the reference curve. Reset a row or section to the loaded profile, or discard unsaved changes. Select Save to keep the settings, or Save as… to create a separate profile.

The graph shows a calculated reference response. It does not measure force at the grip. Flight conditions, Master gain and hardware limits affect the result. The cam follows the trimmed spring centre and is inactive for helicopter profiles, Force Sensing input, Disarm and paused flight. It fades out when simulator telemetry becomes stale.

Figure 5. Centre cam strength and width, with a calculated reference curve and profile save controls.

Spring curves

Tuning → Spring curves holds two aircraft-profile editors. Both start off, so existing profiles keep their previous response. Pitch force buildup and Roll force buildup shape how spring resistance grows away from the trimmed centre: Linear keeps the reference spring, and Progressive starts softer. The two axes have separate curves and share one switch. Trim-dependent pitch spring changes pitch stiffness as trim changes without moving the spring centre; 100% keeps the aircraft's reference stiffness.

Drag points or enter exact values, start from a preset and watch the live response. Travel curves keep their endpoints and must rise steadily; trim curves may rise and fall. Apply curves while Disarmed, then save the profile to keep them. Discard edits restores the draft, and Undo restores the previous applied response. The graphs show the calculated reference response; they do not measure force at the grip.

For an add-on with its own trim signal, the trim curve can read one read-only X-Plane dataref or MSFS local variable (an L: name in number units) instead of ordinary elevator trim. A custom binding needs the exact aircraft title and variable name; X-Plane units label the values without converting them. Missing or stale custom data returns smoothly to the reference stiffness, and no binding writes to the simulator. Travel shaping needs native spring positioning and axis feedback; autopilot-held springs, Force Sensing and rotorcraft keep their existing response. Airspeed loading, profile strength, output ceilings and device limits still apply.

Edited values stay obvious

Dirty indicators show unsaved edits and reset arrows restore individual defaults. Compare a change in a real flight or use Flight Check to validate the affected force channel under controlled telemetry.

Zero means off

A zero effect gain or authority turns that contribution off. Other enabled effects and armed hardware resistance can still be felt. Some features, including AP neutral hold, also have an explicit enable control; check the relevant section when isolating a force.

Figure 6. Master gain edited from default 100% to 85%. The back-arrow reset glyph appears next to the value (click to revert that single slider), an amber dirty-dot sits next to the profile picker, an UNSAVED label appears beside the Tuning title, and a Discard button appears (reverts every dirty slider at once). Per-slider reset glyphs work the same way in every section, a dot beside a section or tab marks unsaved changes there, and Reset section reverts the selected section.

Save to the intended profile

Save only after confirming the correct aircraft profile is selected. Auto-select can then load the values when that aircraft connects.

To make a profile the default for the loaded aircraft, select it in Tuning, including a saved or duplicated copy, and choose Set as aircraft default in the profile toolbar. The text beside the button shows the aircraft's automatic selection. Your choice takes priority over included profiles on later flights and after a restart, and it turns on Auto-select if it was off. It leaves slider edits unsaved; use Save to keep them.

Tune in a controlled order

For a practical sequence from safe defaults to a finished aircraft profile, continue with the Tuning guide.

See the MOZA family overview