Fix swapped CH Throttle Quadrant propeller and mixture axes in FSX by clearing conflicts, remapping each lever and testing with a suitable aircraft.
Swapped propeller and mixture controls on a CH Throttle Quadrant are usually caused by two FSX axis assignments being reversed. In FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, select the CH device, delete both existing assignments, then reassign each function by moving only the intended lever; do not rely on the axis name.
How do I remap the propeller and mixture levers?
The reliable fix is to clear both assignments before adding them again, because replacing only one can leave the old axis bound elsewhere.
- Select the CH controller. Open Settings, choose Controls, and select the CH Throttle Quadrant from the controller list. If you use CH Control Manager in mapped mode, select the virtual CH device that FSX actually receives.
- Open Control Axes. Find the propeller and mixture axis entries. Include engine-specific entries such as
Propeller 1 AxisandMixture 1 Axisif they have been assigned. - Delete the old mappings. Remove every propeller assignment from the intended mixture levers and every mixture assignment from the intended propeller levers.
- Assign the propeller lever. Select the appropriate propeller axis, choose the assignment option, and move only the intended propeller lever through most of its travel. Keep every other lever still so a noisy axis is not detected first.
- Assign the mixture lever. Repeat the process with the correct mixture axis and intended mixture lever.
- Repeat for each engine. On a twin-engine layout, map the two propeller levers to the engine 1 and engine 2 propeller axes, then do the same for the mixture pair.
- Remove duplicate inputs. Select every other joystick, gamepad or virtual controller in FSX and clear any unwanted propeller or mixture axes.
- Check direction and calibration. Use Reverse only if a correctly assigned lever operates backwards. Start with high sensitivity and little or no null zone, adding a small null zone only if the axis jitters. Our CH quadrant calibration procedure covers detection and range problems in more depth.
The coloured lever caps do not define an electronic axis. They can be rearranged, while identifiers such as X Rotation or Slider may change with the controller mode, so always identify an axis by physically moving its lever.
Which FSX axis entries should I use?
Choose generic axes when one lever should operate every engine, and engine-specific axes when each engine has its own lever.
| Control layout | FSX assignments | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| One propeller and one mixture lever | Propeller Axis and Mixture Axis | Each lever should control all engines together |
| Independent twin-engine levers | Propeller 1 Axis, Propeller 2 Axis, Mixture 1 Axis and Mixture 2 Axis | Each engine has a separate lever |
| Buttons or keyboard controls | Propeller increase/decrease and mixture rich/lean commands | Discrete buttons only, not an analogue lever |
Do not bind generic and engine-specific versions of the same control to one lever. Also avoid assigning an analogue lever to increase/decrease commands; the FSX propeller and mixture command reference helps distinguish axis events from button events.
Why do the axes become swapped again after a restart?
Assignments usually return because FSX sees another controller profile or a second input layer is still sending the old mapping.
- Another controller has duplicate axes. FSX can automatically assign throttle-related controls to a joystick or gamepad. Work through our controller-detection and duplicate-axis checks if more than one device appears.
- CH Control Manager changed modes. Switching between direct and mapped modes can make FSX see a different controller. Configure either the physical device or the mapped virtual device, not both.
- FSUIPC is also processing the axes. Assign these levers in FSX or FSUIPC, then disable the corresponding assignments in the other system. For a multi-engine setup, use the separate engine-lever assignment method for FSUIPC.
- The USB device was detected again. Changing ports or controller profiles can cause default assignments to be created for a newly detected instance. Use the same USB port where practical and inspect all controller entries after reconnecting it.
Is a reversed axis the same as a swapped axis?
No. A swapped axis controls the wrong function, while a reversed axis controls the correct function in the wrong direction. Correct the propeller and mixture assignments first; then enable Reverse only if pulling a lever back increases that control.
What if the assignments are correct but the aircraft ignores them?
Test the quadrant in a default piston aircraft with constant-speed propellers and mixture controls, such as the FSX Baron 58.
- A fixed-pitch aircraft will not respond meaningfully to a propeller lever.
- A turbine aircraft may ignore the conventional mixture axis or use a condition lever instead.
- A complex add-on may replace standard FSX axis handling with its own control logic.
- Buttons activated below the CH lever detents may still be assigned to propeller or mixture commands, overriding the analogue position. Remove those button bindings unless they are intentional.
If each physical lever moves the correct cockpit lever in the default aircraft, the CH and FSX mapping is fixed. A problem confined to one add-on then points to that aircraft's control system rather than swapped quadrant axes.