Setting Up Failures
Contents
Instrument Failures
System Failures
Radio Failures
Engine Failures
Control Failures

Related Links

Flight Simulator as a Training Aid
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Flying Twin-Engine Aircraft
Test your skills when the going gets rough

Today's aircraft are extremely reliable, but pilots still need to understand how to handle unexpected situations. Real-world pilot training simulates instrument, system, radio, and engine failures because conscientious pilots always consider that someday they may have to handle real emergencies in the cockpit.

Using the Failures dialog box, you can set up failures in the aircraft's instruments, systems, radios, or engine that will occur immediately, randomly, or during a specified period of time.

Note: You cannot declare an emergency to air traffic control in Flight Simulator.

To open the Failures dialog box

  1. On the main screen, click Free Flight.
  2. Click Failures.
    -or-
  • On the Aircraft menu, click Failures.

Instrument Failures

While flying in clouds or fog, pilots rely entirely on their instruments to navigate and keep the aircraft right side up. Only instrument-rated pilots can legally fly in weather conditions below the minimum standards required for Visual Flight Rules.

All instrument-rated pilots practice instrument failures. Some instruments fail slowly, and as a result, the pilot may continue to refer to the failed instrument, which can be disastrous. For example, when the attitude indicator fails, it slowly tilts to one side. Referring to the tilting horizon on the instrument, the pilot will bank the aircraft, attempting to keep the attitude indicator horizon bar level. In the clouds, the seat-of-the pants perceptions that pilots rely on in visual conditions are not reliable. Unless the pilot is scanning and crosschecking the attitude indicator with other instruments, the pilot won't know that the aircraft is turning and won't realize the instrument has failed. That's why learning to scan and crosscheck is a critical part of instrument training.

Flying in visual conditions, a failed heading indicator forces the pilot to rely on the magnetic compass—a challenge due to inherent compass errors when turning, climbing, and descending. And without a functioning airspeed indicator, hitting a target landing speed is more difficult.

In a real aircraft, you can only practice complete, instantaneous failure by covering the instrument. By practicing failures in a simulator, you can learn to recognize situations as they occur in a real-life failure, where failures aren't often immediately obvious.

For more information on instrument flying, see the Instrument Pilot section of Rod Machado's Flight Academy.

You can choose whether to trigger a failure immediately or whether the failure should occur during a specified period of time. Remember that if you set the failure time to a minute into the flight and you have a long way to taxi, the failure may occur before you ever get off the ground.

You can set failures for any or all of these six instruments:

  • Attitude indicator
  • Heading indicator
  • Vertical speed indicator
  • Altimeter
  • Airspeed indicator
  • Turn coordinator

To set an immediate failure for a specific instrument

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Instruments tab.
  2. Click Single instrument failures.
  3. Select the Failed option for the instrument that you want to fail.
  4. Click OK.

To set a timed failure for a specific instrument

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Instruments tab.
  2. Click Single instrument failures.
  3. Select the Armed option for the instrument that you want to fail.
  4. Double-click the left Fails in box and then type the minimum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure.
  5. Double-click the right Fails in box and then type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure.
  6. Click OK.

To set a random instrument failure

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Instruments tab.
  2. Click Random instrument failures.
  3. Double-click the Fail box, and type the number of instruments you want to randomly fail.
    -or-
  1. Click the spin box next to the Fail box to increase or decrease the number of instruments that you want to randomly fail.
  2. Double-click the first box to the right of Failures occur between, and type the minimum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  3. Double-click the second box to the right of Failures occur between, and type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  4. Click OK.

The Failure timer does not start until you click FLY NOW!

System Failures

Different instruments, gauges, and items are affected by system failures in various aircraft. For example, in the Cessna Skyhawk SP Model 172, the flaps are electric; in Boeing aircraft, the flaps are hydraulic. Some aircraft are equipped with electric attitude indicators, and some have vacuum-driven attitude indicators.

Failures in the following systems can affect both IFR and VFR flight.

System failed Affected items
Vacuum Attitude indicator and heading indicator
Pitot static Airspeed indicator
Electrical Clock, radios, fuel gauges, flaps, attitude indicator, heading indicator, pitot heat, and turn coordinator

To set an immediate failure for a specific system

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Systems tab.
  2. Click Single system failures.
  3. Select the Failed option for the system that you want to fail.
  4. Click OK.

To set a timed failure for a specific system

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Systems tab.
  2. Click Single system failures.
  3. Select the Armed option for the system that you want to fail.
  4. Double-click the number in the left Fails in box and type the minimum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure occurs.
  5. Double-click the number in the right Fails in box and type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure occurs.
  6. Click OK.

To set a random system failure

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Systems tab.
  2. Click Random system failures.
  3. Double-click the Fail box, and type the number of systems that you want to randomly fail.
    -or-
  1. Click the spin box next to the Fail box to increase or decrease the number of systems that you want to randomly fail.
  2. Type the minimum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  3. Type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  4. Click OK.

Note: The Failure timer does not start until you click Fly Now!

Radio Failures

You can also simulate the failure of communication, navigation, and transponder radios.

Note: Flight Simulator air traffic control does not issue lost communication instructions. If a communications radio fails while on an IFR flight plan in Flight Simulator, you won't hear ATC instructions; if you don't respond to ATC, your flight plan will be cancelled.

To set an immediate failure for a specific radio

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Radios tab.
  2. Click Single radio failures.
  3. Select the Failed option for the radio that you want to fail.
  4. Click OK.

To set a timed failure for a specific radio

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Radios tab.
  2. Click Single radio failures.
  3. Select the Armed option for the radio that you want to fail.
  4. Double-click the number in the left Fails in box and then type the minimum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure occurs.
  5. Double-click the number in the right Fails in box and then type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure occurs.
  6. Click OK.

To set a random radio failure

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Radios tab.
  2. Click Random radio failures.
  3. Double-click the Fail box, and type the number of radios that you want to randomly fail.
    -or-
  1. Click the spin box next to the Fail box to increase or decrease the number of radios that you want to randomly fail.
  2. Type the minimum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  3. Type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  4. Click OK.

Note: The Failure timer does not start until you click Fly Now!

Engine failures

During training flights, real-world pilots practice engine failures repeatedly. For each aircraft you fly, it's important to know what to do when the engine quits. During engine failures, single-engine airplanes behave like gliders, and you have to find a safe place to land immediately. Multi-engine airplanes present the challenge of asymmetric thrust when an engine fails on one side. Helicopters must autorotate to a safe landing when their engine shuts down.

For more information on multi-engine airplanes, see Flying Twin-Engine Aircraft.
For more information on helicopters, see Flying Helicopters.

To set an immediate failure for a specific engine

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Engines tab.
  2. Click Single engine failures.
  3. Select the Failed option for the engine that you want to fail.
  4. Click OK.

To set a timed failure for a specific engine

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Engines tab.
  2. Click Single engine failures.
  3. Select the Armed option for the engine that you want to fail.
  4. Highlight the number in the left Fails in box and type the minimum number of minutes you want before the failure occurs.
  5. Highlight the number in the right Fails in box and type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure occurs.
  6. Click OK.

To set a random engine failure

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Engines tab.
  2. Click Random engine failures.
  3. Double-click the Fail box, and type the number of engines that you want to randomly fail.
    -or-
  1. Click the spin box next to the Fail box to increase or decrease the number of engines that you want to randomly fail.
  2. Highlight the number in the left Fails in box and type the minimum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  3. Highlight the number in the left Fails in box and type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  4. Click OK.

Note: The Failure timer does not start until you click Fly Now!

Control failures

Control surfaces on an aircraft allow the pilot to turn, coordinate, climb, and descend. Failure of one or more control surfaces can put the flight in danger or affect the ability of the pilot to continue to the planned destination. You can safely practice control failures in Flight Simulator.

To set an immediate failure for a specific control

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Controls tab.
  2. Click Single control failures.
  3. Select the Failed option for the control that you want to fail.
  4. Click OK.

To set a timed failure for a specific control

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Controls tab.
  2. Click Single control failures.
  3. Select the Armed option for the control that you want to fail.
  4. Highlight the number in the left Fails in box and type the minimum number of minutes you want before the failure occurs.
  5. Highlight the number in the right Fails in box and type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure occurs.
  6. Click OK.

To set a random control failure

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click the Controls tab.
  2. Click Random control failures.
  3. Double-click the Fail box, and type the number of controls that you want to randomly fail.

    -or-

  1. Click the spin box next to the Fail box to increase or decrease the number of engines that you want to randomly fail.
  2. Highlight the number in the left Fails in box and type the minimum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  3. Highlight the number in the left Fails in box and type the maximum number of minutes you want to pass before the failure or failures occur.
  4. Click OK.

Note: The Failure timer does not start until you click Fly Now!

Reset failures

If you want to cancel all failures, you can reset failures to the default setting.

To reset the Failures settings

  1. In the Failures dialog box, click Reset failures.
  2. Click OK.
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