User Guide

Simulation Interface
Welcome to the most realistic general aviation flight simula-
tor ever developed for the personal computer. No need, however,
to crow too much about the things that make Fly! special — since
you are reading this manual, you’ve already been convinced!
This reference guide is divided into two primary sections.
The first section covers the configuration and user interface issues
underlying this simulation: menus, options, and simulation con-
trols. The second section - Flight Instruction - leaves these nuts-
and-bolts procedures behind and immerses you entirely in the
flight simulation aspects of Fly! The information detailed in both
of these sections are equally essential to your enjoyment of this
product, but are outlined separately to reinforce the central prem-
ise in Fly! — once you are in the virtual cockpit, you are in a
plane and every effort is made to then free you of thoughts of
video card configurations and key definitions.
Fly! can be played on computers running either Microsoft
Windows or Apple’s MacOS. Throughout this manual, most state-
ments will refer to both versions. In the rare occasions when your
choice of operating system requires specific attention, however,
we will refer to the appropriate information for both platforms.
Finally, we realize that not every virtual pilot wants the same
level of simulation. Some will want to spend time tinkering with
every control, lever, and option, getting every ounce out of Fly!’s
realism. Others, however, will not want to quibble with fuel mix-
ture, load, or wing icing, rather craving the thrill of flight and the
beauty of the scenery. No matter which kind of pilot you are (or
even if you’re somewhere in between), you will find your desired
experience in Fly! with only a few changes to some essential
options.
Starting the Simulation
Once installed, locate and open Fly!’s folder and double-
click on Fly!’s icon (“FLY.EXE” in Windows or “FLY!” in MacOS)
to launch the program. The first time you run the program, you
will be taken directly to the Intro Screen and primary menu bar.
Many users will be content to start Fly! through this welcome
screen, but it is possible to customize which of the interface
screens will greet you when you launch the program in the future
(see Graphics Options, p.10).
Interface
Once you have completed setup and configuration of your
video card, sound card, and input devices, you can proceed to Fly
Now! or the Flight Planner views to prepare a flight. Once you
select and begin a flight, the simulation will start and you can
begin interacting with the plane and your environment.
There are some basic interface items to be aware of while in
simulation mode.
The mouse is “active” at all times, but will automatically
hide itself after 5 seconds of inactivity. Whenever you wish to
manipulate a cockpit item, or use the mouse to control a window
or other feature, simply move the mouse and the cursor will
appear. To hide the cursor, simply stop using the mouse and it will
disappear after 5 seconds.
Any windows you open will operate like normal windows
in your other applications. You can click in a window to activate
it, click at the top of the window or in its title bar to drag and
move the window, click in the lower right corner to resize the
window (if it has a size box), and click in the upper corner to close
the window (if it has a close box.) The “main” visual area is also
treated as a window – although you will not see a “border” or title
bar, you can still click on the sides or bottom right corner to click
and resize the main area. Clicking on the top will allow you to
drag the main window to a new location. The cursor will change
to indicate when moving or resizing is a valid option.
All windows remember the last location, size, and state they
were in when you exit and re-enter the simulation. You can re-
arrange the size and location of the primary “window” and any
secondary windows, and they will automatically return to those
positions the next time you use Fly!
If you are running Fly! in full screen mode, you can press the
Space Bar to access the primary menu bar. The primary menu bar
will give you access to all available settings dialogs and second-
ary windows (see Primary Menu Bar, p. 9)
To exit the simulation and return to the primary Fly! inter-
face screens, press the Escape key.
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Simulation
Simulation