First, we'd like to thank you for the purchase of our F-35 LIGHTNING II aircraft for Microsoft Flight Simulator. We have received very positive feedback from most users, and we have also received a strong and very encouragig support from the community.
Still, the F-35 is a very complex project and, as expected we, are receiving a lot of questions. This document is intended to provide a reply to the most common ones.
Aside, unfortunately, the current Flight Simulator (“SU7 Update” build 1.21.18.0) is prone to Crash To Desktop (CTD) issues, which does not help.
While we had good reasons to believe that, by and large, any CTD you will experience flying the F-35 is due to the simulator and not to the aircraft, we understand that this may be frustrating and disappointing - and it is an undeniable fact that CTDs are way more frequent if you fly the F-35 than the default aircraft.
In the worst case, please bear in mind that we have a very flexible refund policy – managed via Paypal - that typically goes beyond the rights granted by your distributors and purchase contract, and even the applicable law.
If your experience is so bad that you wish to apply for a refund, please write an email to indiafoxtecho@gmail.com with:
- System details: CPU, GPU, RAM, OS
- Description of the problem
- Exact version of the simulator you are running
- Proof of purchase
- Paypal address for refund
...and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Question/Problem: I cannot even fly the plane! IMMEDIATE CRASH TO DESKTOP AS SOON AS THE PLANE LOADS!!!!
Answer: This is typically due to Direct X 12. Please understand tha DirectX 12 implementation in Microsoft Flight Simulator Sim Update 7 is still a Beta, and in particular does not support some programming technicques uses in the F-35. In general, we do not recommend using DirectX 12 – which, by the way, does not generate a significant performance improvement.
Suggested action: Please DISABLE DirectX 12
Question/Problem: I am experiencing random Crash To Desktop problems! And it is definitely a problem of the F-35 since no other aircraft does that!
We understand this can be frustrating and we are sorry for that, but unfortunately Sim Update 7 is prone to Crash to Desktop issues with a number of different aircrafts and add-ons. A quick seach with Google or in the MSFS forums should convince you that CTDs are a common occurrence for SU7.
Most users are flying the F-35 without many problems, which should already be a proof that the aircraft code is OK, but we have even had Microsoft/Asobo to test the aircraft before releasing it.
Still, we understand you may not be convinced so let's go through some of the causes that may contribute to CTDs.
First... here is the official Microsoft “Basic Troubleshooting” guide:
https://flightsimulator.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406280399250-All-versions-Crashing-CTDs-issues-Basic-Troubleshooting
Out-of-Date Content: make sure that all the add-ons you have installed are up-to-date and compatible with your version of the simulator. Out-of-date content may cause crash to desktop (e.g. flying not too far from a problematic airport can cause CTD even if you cannot see the airport yet)
DirectX12 Beta: as stated above, DX12 implementation is a Beta and is not compatible with the F-35. Please do not use DX12
nVidia drivers and GeForce Experience: some versions of the nVidia drivers are known to generate CTD problems with MSFS. In particular 497.09 were problematic.
In general most users have a good experience with 497.29 or 496.76. Some users also needed to unistall GeForce Experience.
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/ctd-with-build-1-21-18-0-nvidia-drivers/479985/7
HAGS (on AMD graphic cards): it is recommended to disable HAGS, especially on AMD graphic cards.
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/tested-game-mode-and-hardware-accelerated-gpu-scheduling-hags/389677
English (US) Language Pack Installation: this seems to generate some problems for some users...
https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/587760-ctd-zendesk-response/
Rolling Cache: some users had CTD problems due to the rolling cache:
https://flightsimulator.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360019202439-All-versions-How-to-delete-the-Rolling-Cache-and-the-Manual-Cache
Realtek Audio Drivers: these seem to be problematic on some installations, and they are listed in the Microsoft Zendesk guide... in any case here is a discussion on the Microsoft forums:
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/solved-my-ctds-after-months-of-being-down/470916
.NET framework and C++ redistributable out of date: some users reported getting rid of the CTDs after updating the .NET and C++ redistributables - however there is not a strong evidence this is a factor.
Live Weather (and other server-side problems): sometimes MSFS has CTDs just because of problems on the MS servers side – for example, recently Live Weather feature was causing CTDs for some users:
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/current-issue-with-live-weather-and-associated-ctd-and-possibly-black-screen-on-xbox/486177
Incompatible add-ons: some users reported that their CTDs have been solved by removing/disabling certain add-ons, such as NXi G1000. However this is anecdoctal information only, and in theory it should not happen.
...and the list goes on.
Thank being said, if your experience with the F-35 is not satisfactory and you regret your purchase, please contact us to discuss a refund.
Suggested action: Please see above for possible causes of CTDs.
IMPORTANT – FOR ADVANCED USERS! IF YOU KNOW HOW TO CREATE A CRASH DUMP FOR MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR YOU MAY WANT TO PROVIDE IT TO US – WE WILL FORWARD IT TO MICROSOFT FOR ANALYSIS.
Question/Problem: My thottle is not working! It happens only on the F-35! Why is this happening?
This is typically a problem due to 1.21.18.0. At the moment of the release, the official MSFS version is 1.21.13.0, but there is the possibility to download 1.21.18.0 (via Steam Beta program or Microsoft Insider).
There seems to be a bug in 1.21.18.0 so that aircrafts that the throttle lever does not work for aircrafts do not use Asobo templates.
This is typically solved by changing the changing the axis assignment to THORTTLE AXIS 1 (instead of generic THOTTLE AXIS).
Suggested action: Please assign the throttle lever to THROTTLE AXIS 1
NOTE: you can assign the same slider/lever to multiple axis for multiengine aircrafts.
Question/Problem: I cannot get the plane to hover! And can it do vertical take-offs?
First thing, which may be obvious for most, please make sure you are flying with the F-35B, which is the only version.
To get the plane to hover, you must first be in the STOVL mode which can only be engaged in certain conditions (limited bank and roll angles, speed lower than 220kts) – this can be enabled by pressing the HOOK STOVL button or by the wing lights control.
Once in STOVL mode you can HOVER by clicking the HOVER caption or by using the AUTOPILOT HEADING HOLD key, but only if the aircraft is lighter than 40000 lbs.
If you enable HOVER mode on the ground, you can also perform a Vertical takeoff, but this is rarely done in reality due to weight constraints.
See manual for detailed instructions.
Live Weather (and other server-side problems): sometimes MSFS has CTDs just because of problems on the MS servers side – for example, recently Live Weather feature was causing CTDs for some users:
https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/current-issue-with-live-weather-and-associated-ctd-and-possibly-black-screen-on-xbox/486177
Incompatible add-ons: some users reported that their CTDs have been solved by removing/disabling certain add-ons, such as NXi G1000. However this is anecdoctal information only, and in theory it should not happen.
...and the list goes on.
Thank being said, if your experience with the F-35 is not satisfactory and you regret your purchase, please contact us to discuss a refund.
Suggested action: Please see above for possible causes of CTDs.
IMPORTANT – FOR ADVANCED USERS! IF YOU KNOW HOW TO CREATE A CRASH DUMP FOR MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR YOU MAY WANT TO PROVIDE IT TO US – WE WILL FORWARD IT TO MICROSOFT FOR ANALYSIS.
Question/Problem: My thottle is not working! It happens only on the F-35! Why is this happening?
This is typically a problem due to 1.21.18.0. At the moment of the release, the official MSFS version is 1.21.13.0, but there is the possibility to download 1.21.18.0 (via Steam Beta program or Microsoft Insider).
There seems to be a bug in 1.21.18.0 so that aircrafts that the throttle lever does not work for aircrafts do not use Asobo templates.
This is typically solved by changing the changing the axis assignment to THORTTLE AXIS 1 (instead of generic THOTTLE AXIS).
Suggested action: Please assign the throttle lever to THROTTLE AXIS 1
NOTE: you can assign the same slider/lever to multiple axis for multiengine aircrafts.
Question/Problem: I cannot get the plane to hover! And can it do vertical take-offs?
First thing, which may be obvious for most, please make sure you are flying with the F-35B, which is the only version.
To get the plane to hover, you must first be in the STOVL mode which can only be engaged in certain conditions (limited bank and roll angles, speed lower than 220kts) – this can be enabled by pressing the HOOK STOVL button or by the wing lights control.
Once in STOVL mode you can HOVER by clicking the HOVER caption or by using the AUTOPILOT HEADING HOLD key, but only if the aircraft is lighter than 40000 lbs.
If you enable HOVER mode on the ground, you can also perform a Vertical takeoff, but this is rarely done in reality due to weight constraints.
See manual for detailed instructions.
Question/Problem: I cannot see the aircraft in game! I am sure I have followed the instructions... help?
This is most likely due to an error during the manual installation process (in most cases the user has either picked the wrong folder, or has pasted the zip file instead of the unzipped folder).
Here is a video that shows the process of installing add-ons in the community folder.
Question/Problem: The landing light cycles on and off continuously during flight...very annoying? What can I do to fix that?
This is likely due to the fact that the user has a phisical switch assigned to the landing light switch. The F-35 code has provisions to turn off the landing lights if the gear is retracted... but this can create conflicts if there is a phisical switch. The physical switch must be either disabled or operated only when the landing gear is down and the light must be off when the landing gear is up.
Question/Problem: Is it possible to undock the primary control display to a separate screen?
No. The primary control display is coded in XML, and at the moment MSFS does not support 2D windows in XML.
