Summit Simulators

What to do:

1. Plug the flight panel USB cable into a USB 3.0 port on your computer
   • USB 3.0 ports are usually blue inside or marked with "SS" (SuperSpeed)
   • If you're not sure, try the ports on the back of your desktop computer
2. Plug the rudder pedals USB cable into any USB port

✓ You should see: Small lights may appear on the devices when powered on

What to do:

1. Click the Windows Start button (bottom left corner)
2. Type "Windows Update" and press Enter
3. Click "Check for updates"
4. Install ALL available updates
5. Restart your computer if prompted

✓ You should see: "You're up to date" message when finished

For NVIDIA cards:

1. Visit: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
2. Select your graphics card model
3. Download and install the latest driver

OR use the GeForce Experience app:

4. Right-click on your desktop
5. Click "NVIDIA Control Panel"
6. Click "Help" at the top
7. Click "Updates"
8. Follow instructions to install latest driver

For AMD cards:

1. Visit: https://www.amd.com/en/support
2. Select your graphics card model
3. Download and install the latest driver

OR use the AMD Software:

4. Right-click on your desktop
5. Click "AMD Software"
6. Click the gear icon (settings)
7. Click "Check for Updates"

For Intel graphics:

1. Visit: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download-center/home.html
2. Download and install Intel Driver & Support Assistant
3. Run it and install recommended updates

✓ You should see: Notification that driver is up to date

What to do:

1. Insert the USB flash drive into your computer
2. Open the flash drive folder
3. Find and double-click: X-Plane 12 Installer.exe
4. Follow the installer (click Next, Accept, Install)
5. IMPORTANT: Note where you install it - most people use the default location: C:\X-Plane 12

Purchase license from:

• X-Plane Direct: https://www.x-plane.com/desktop/buy-it/
• OR Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/

Enter your license key when prompted

✓ You should see: X-Plane 12 icon on your desktop when finished

What to do:

1. On the USB flash drive, find and double-click: Air Manager 5.0 Home use.exe
2. Follow the installer (click Next, Accept, Install)
3. When installation completes, open Air Manager
4. You'll be asked to activate - purchase a license from: https://www.siminnovations.com/shop/air-manager-desktop/
5. Enter your license key

✓ You should see: Air Manager opens showing an empty panel workspace

What to do:

1. On the USB flash drive, find and double-click: Flight simulator plugins 4.3 Home use.exe
2. During installation, you'll be asked for the X-Plane 12 folder location
3. Click the "Browse" button
4. In the window that opens, click "This PC" on the left side
5. Double-click "Local Disk (C:)"
6. Now choose based on how you installed X-Plane:
   • If you installed X-Plane normally (NOT Steam): Double-click the "X-Plane 12" folder and click "Select Folder"
   • If you installed X-Plane from Steam: Double-click "Program Files (x86)", then "Steam", then "steamapps", then "common", then "X-Plane 12", then click "Select Folder"
7. Click "OK" or "Next" to continue installation

✓ You should see: Installation completes successfully with green checkmark

What to do:

1. On the USB flash drive, find and double-click: FL2000-2.1.36287.0.exe
2. Follow the installer (click Next, Accept, Install)
3. Restart your computer when prompted

✓ You should see: Installation completes successfully

What to do:

1. On the USB flash drive, find and double-click: WinUSBDisplay_Windows_V4.1.8.15.exe
2. Follow the installer (click Next, Accept, Install)

✓ You should see: Installation completes successfully

Skip this step if you don't have Logitech FIP displays

What to do:

1. On the USB flash drive, find and double-click: Flight_Instrument_Panel_x64_Drivers_8.0.150.0.exe
2. Follow the installer

✓ You should see: Your FIP displays light up when connected

Skip this step if you don't have Logitech Switch Panel, Multipanel, or Radio Panel

What to do:

1. On the USB flash drive, find and double-click: Flight_Panels_x64_Software_8.0.150.0.exe
2. Follow the installer

✓ You should see: Your Logitech panels light up when connected

Skip this step if you skipped steps 9 and 10

What to do:

1. On the USB flash drive, find the file: Xsaitekpanels_3_09.zip
2. Right-click on it and click "Extract All"
3. Click the "Browse" button
4. Navigate to your X-Plane folder:
   • Click "This PC" on the left side
   • Double-click "Local Disk (C:)"
   • If you installed X-Plane normally: Double-click "X-Plane 12" folder
   • If you installed from Steam: Double-click "Program Files (x86)", then "Steam", then "steamapps", then "common", then "X-Plane 12"
5. Inside X-Plane 12 folder: Double-click "Resources"
6. Inside Resources folder: Double-click "plugins"
7. Click "Select Folder"
8. Click "Extract"

Now do the same thing for the second file:

1. Find the file: XSaitekProFlight.zip
2. Right-click on it and click "Extract All"
3. Click the "Browse" button
4. Navigate to the same plugins folder (see steps above)
5. Click "Select Folder"
6. Click "Extract"

✓ You should see: The folders now appear in your plugins folder

Skip this step if you don't have RealSimGear panels

What to do:

1. On the USB flash drive, find and double-click: RealSimGear_X-Plane_Installer-3.12.exe
2. Follow the installer
3. The installer should automatically detect your X-Plane 12 location

✓ You should see: Installation completes successfully

What to do:

1. Now you can launch X-Plane 12 - double-click the desktop icon
2. When X-Plane opens, click on Settings (gear icon)
3. Click the Joystick tab at the top

✓ You should see: A list of connected devices on the left side

What to do:

1. In the device list on the left, click on your yoke device
2. Click the Calibrate button
3. Follow the on-screen instructions:
   • Move the yoke fully forward, then fully back
   • Turn the yoke fully left, then fully right
   • Move any other controls through their full range
4. Click Done when finished

Now assign the axes:

1. Look at the list of axes (Axis 0, Axis 1, etc.)
2. For each axis, click the dropdown menu next to it and assign:
   • Pitch (yoke forward/back motion)
   • Roll (yoke left/right rotation)
   • Throttle
   • Propeller
   • Mixture

For buttons:

• Click on each button number and assign functions as desired
• Common assignments: PTT (Push to Talk), Trim, AP Disconnect, etc.

✓ You should see: Each axis moves the corresponding bar when you move the control

What to do:

1. In the device list on the left, click on your rudder pedals
2. Click the Calibrate button
3. Follow the on-screen instructions:
   • Press the left pedal fully forward
   • Press the right pedal fully forward
   • Press both toe brakes fully
   • Release everything
4. Click Done when finished

Now assign the axes:

1. Find the main pedal axis (usually left/right motion)
2. Click the dropdown and select Yaw
3. Find the toe brake axes
4. Assign them to Left Toe Brake and Right Toe Brake

✓ You should see: Moving the pedals moves the yaw bar, pressing toe brakes moves brake bars

What to do:

1. In the device list, find the Pico device (may be called "RPI RP2" or similar)
2. Toggle the parking brake switch on the panel
3. Watch the buttons light up on screen - Button 2 should light up on the right side
4. Pull out (activate) the parking brake
5. Find Button 2 in the list and click its dropdown menu
6. Select "hold maximum brakes"
7. Click Calibrate button for this device
8. For any axes listed, click Ignore (Pico panels don't use axes)

✓ You should see: Button 2 lights up when parking brake is activated

What to do:

1. In the device list, find the second Pico device (for flaps)
2. Toggle the flaps switch UP and DOWN
3. Watch the buttons - you should see Buttons 5 and 6 light up
4. Assign the buttons:
   • Button 5 → "flaps down a notch"
   • Button 6 → "flaps up a notch"
5. Click Calibrate button for this device
6. For any axes listed, click Ignore

✓ You should see: Button 5 lights up when flaps move down, Button 6 when flaps move up

What to do:

1. Still in the Joystick settings, find "Control Sensitivity" section (usually at bottom)
2. Click "Add Response Curve" if you want to fine-tune controls
3. Adjust the curves to your preference:
   • Flatter curve = less sensitive, smoother (good for beginners)
   • Steeper curve = more sensitive, more precise (good for experienced pilots)

What to do:

1. Open Air Manager (should be running, or find it in Start menu)
2. You'll see a default profile - delete it (right-click → Delete)
3. Click "Add Panel" button (usually top left)
4. Browse the aircraft list and select either:
   • Cessna 172 (if you have a Cessna setup)
   • Piper PA-28 (if you have a Piper setup)
5. Click Add or OK

✓ You should see: A new panel appears in the left sidebar

What to do:

1. In the left sidebar, find your newly added panel
2. Toggle the panel switch ON (should turn green/blue)
3. Scroll down the left panel settings until you see "Start when Air Manager starts"
4. Check this box (this makes the panel load automatically)
5. Scroll down a bit more until you see "Display"
6. Click the dropdown and select which monitor/display to show this panel on
7. The panel should now appear on that screen!

✓ You should see: Your instrument panel appears on the selected display

What to do:

1. The instruments on your panel can be moved and resized
2. Click and drag any instrument to move it
3. Click and drag the corners of instruments to resize them
4. Arrange them to match your physical panel layout
5. When you're happy, your layout is automatically saved

Adding More Instruments:

1. Right-click anywhere on the panel background
2. Click "Add Instrument"
3. Browse through the available instruments - you can add just about anything you can dream of:
   • Attitude indicators
   • Altimeters
   • Speed indicators
   • Navigation instruments
   • Radio panels
   • Engine gauges
   • GPS displays
   • And many more!
4. Click on an instrument to add it to your panel

Precise Positioning:

• Click on any instrument to select it
• Use Arrow Keys on your keyboard to move it precisely:
  • Up Arrow = Move up one pixel
  • Down Arrow = Move down one pixel
  • Left Arrow = Move left one pixel
  • Right Arrow = Move right one pixel
• This is much easier than trying to click and drag for fine adjustments!

1. ALL SWITCHES → OFF POSITION

• Verify all panel switches are in the OFF position
• Check master battery switches are OFF
• Ensure all rotary knobs are at neutral/zero

2. MONITOR → POWER ON

1. Locate power button on monitor
2. Press to turn on
3. Allow monitor to initialize
4. Ensure it is set to input HDMI 1

3. COMPUTER → POWER ON

1. Press PC power button
2. Wait for Windows to fully load
3. Log in if required

4. AIR MANAGER → START

1. Locate Air Manager icon on desktop
2. Double-click to launch
3. Wait for application to fully load
4. Verify all instrument panels are displaying

✓ You should see: Your custom instrument panels appear on the flight panel displays

5. DISPLAY CONFIGURATION (If Needed) → CHECK

If any panel displays are on wrong screen:

1. Click the monitor icon for each active panel in Air Manager
2. Select correct monitor from dropdown menu
3. Verify panel appears on correct flight panel screen

If panels need resizing:

1. Click monitor icon for affected panel
2. Adjust size settings as needed

6. TRACKIR (Optional) → START

If using head tracking:

1. Locate TrackIR software icon
2. Double-click to launch
3. Verify tracking is active (green indicator)

If NOT using head tracking, skip this step

7. X-PLANE 12 → START

1. Locate X-Plane 12 icon on desktop
2. Double-click to launch
3. Wait for main menu to load

✓ You should see: X-Plane 12 main menu with New Flight, Resume, Settings options

8. HEAD TRACKING IN X-PLANE (Optional) → ENABLE

If using TrackIR head tracking:

1. Click "Settings" from the main menu
2. Select "Graphics" tab
3. Scroll to the bottom of the Graphics settings
4. Check the box for "Head Tracking" or "TrackIR"
5. Click "Apply" or "OK" to save
6. Return to main menu

If NOT using head tracking, skip this step

9. AIRCRAFT SELECTION → SELECT

1. Click on "New Flight" from the main menu
2. Click "Aircraft" button to browse available aircraft
3. Use filters to narrow by manufacturer or type
4. Click on desired aircraft to preview
5. Click "Select Aircraft" to confirm choice

✓ You should see: Aircraft details and configuration options

10. LOCATION SELECTION → SET

1. Click on the map or location selector
2. Search for airport by name or ICAO code (e.g., KLAX for Los Angeles)
3. Select specific runway or parking position

4. Confirm starting location

✓ You should see: Your aircraft positioned at the selected location

11. WEATHER & ENVIRONMENT → CONFIGURE

1. Click on "Weather" settings
2. Choose "Real Weather" for current conditions OR
3. Choose "Custom" to set your own conditions:
   • Adjust cloud coverage
   • Set wind speed and direction
   • Adjust visibility
4. Set time of day (dawn, day, dusk, night)
5. Set date and season if desired

✓ You should see: Weather preview showing your selected conditions

12. FLIGHT → BEGIN

1. Click "Start Flight" or "Fly"
2. Wait for simulator to load (this may take 30-60 seconds)
3. Verify all instruments are responding
4. Verify flight controls are functional (move yoke, pedals, throttle)
5. Begin your flight procedures!

✓ You should see: Cockpit view with all instruments active and responding

1. X-PLANE 12 → CLOSE

1. Press ESC key or click menu
2. Select "Quit" or "Exit"
3. Allow program to close completely

✓ You should see: X-Plane window closes, you're back at Windows desktop

2. AIR MANAGER → CLOSE

1. Click X on Air Manager window
   OR: Right-click Air Manager in taskbar → Close
2. Wait for application to close

✓ You should see: Instrument panels go blank, Air Manager closes

3. TRACKIR (If Used) → CLOSE

1. Right-click TrackIR icon in system tray (bottom right)
2. Select "Exit" or "Close"
   OR: Close from taskbar if visible

4. COMPUTER → SHUTDOWN

1. Click Windows Start button (bottom left)
2. Select "Shut Down"
3. Allow computer to power down completely

Wait for all lights and fans to stop

5. MONITOR → POWER OFF

1. Press monitor power button
2. Verify monitor is off

Problem: Panels or windows are on the wrong monitor

Solution:

1. Click on the window you want to move
2. Hold down the Windows key (⊞) + Arrow keys:
   • Windows + Left Arrow = Move to left monitor
   • Windows + Right Arrow = Move to right monitor
   • Windows + Up Arrow = Maximize window
   • Windows + Down Arrow = Restore/minimize window

This is especially useful for:

• Air Manager panels
• RealSimGear panel windows
• X-Plane itself

Expect to tinker and troubleshoot:

• Software updates (Windows, X-Plane, Air Manager, drivers) can change how things work
• Not everything works perfectly out of the box
• You may need to recalibrate or reconfigure things after updates
• Some trial and error is normal

You are your own best mechanic:

• YouTube is your friend - Search for guides from manufacturers on installation and use of their specific devices and software
• Google is invaluable - If you get an error message, copy it into Google. Someone else has probably solved it
• Forums and communities - X-Plane.org, Reddit's r/flightsim, and manufacturer forums are full of people who've solved the same problems

This guide gets you started, but learning to troubleshoot is part of the hobby. The good news? The flight sim community is huge and helpful. Whatever issue you're facing, someone else has probably documented the solution online.