How do I use autopilot in the FSX F/A-18 Hornet?

In the default F/A-18A Hornet in FSX Acceleration or FSX: Steam Edition, first stabilise and trim the jet. Press A/P on the UFC to open the autopilot page, then press the option-select button beside BALT, HSEL or another required mode. A colon beside the label confirms engagement; throttle control remains manual.

This procedure applies to the stock Hornet supplied with FSX Acceleration, the boxed FSX Gold bundle and FSX: Steam Edition. FSX Standard or Deluxe without Acceleration does not include the aircraft. Although F-18 is common shorthand, this model is the F/A-18A Hornet, not the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; these instructions therefore do not apply to the Super Hornet in MSFS 2024 or to add-ons with custom avionics.

How do I engage the F/A-18 autopilot?

Engage the autopilot from steady, trimmed flight and then select the required UFC hold modes.

1. Stabilise the aircraft: establish a sensible speed, reduce the climb or descent rate, centre the stick and trim away heavy control pressure. BALT is intended to maintain level flight, not recover the jet from a dive or steep climb.
2. Set the reference: move the heading bug before using HSEL, or activate the required route leg and navigation source before using CPL.
3. Open the autopilot page: press A/P on the UFC. This displays the available modes but does not, by itself, command the jet to hold anything.
4. Select the modes: press the small option-select button beside each required label. For straightforward cruise, use HSEL for lateral guidance and BALT for altitude.
5. Check the indications: a colon beside a mode shows that it is engaged. If the label appears without the colon, the mode is only displayed, not active.
6. Manage the throttle: these autopilot modes do not select or maintain airspeed. Adjust thrust as the aircraft climbs, turns or burns fuel.
7. Disconnect before manoeuvring or landing: cancel the active mode or use the assigned autopilot-master or disconnect control. In a standard FSX control assignment, Z toggles the autopilot master, but add-ons and customised mappings can override it.

The mistake we see most often is pressing A/P and waiting for the Hornet to level itself. A/P opens the mode page; an adjacent option-select button engages the actual hold. Readers unfamiliar with lateral and vertical modes can use our standard FSX autopilot workflow and control explanation as a primer.

Where is the UFC in the simulator?

The UFC, or Up-Front Controller, is the keypad and display on the centre instrument panel below the HUD in the virtual cockpit.

Press its A/P-labelled function button, then use the option-select buttons beside the displayed mode names. A third-party 2D panel or replacement cockpit may put these controls elsewhere or connect them to different simulator commands.

Which autopilot mode should I use?

Use HSEL with BALT for ordinary cruise, CPL with BALT for valid route guidance, ATTH for a temporary attitude hold and RALT only for carefully monitored low-level flight.

HSEL and CPL represent different lateral-guidance choices; BALT and RALT are alternative altitude references. Do not expect conflicting selections to command two paths at once. ATTH is not a substitute for either altitude mode because it holds an attitude, not a height.

Does BALT load a selected altitude?

No. BALT captures the barometric altitude being flown when the mode engages; it does not load or preselect a new target altitude.

To change level, cancel BALT, climb or descend manually, level off and engage BALT again. Fuel and payload load affect the Hornet's performance and trim, but they do not change how the BALT reference is selected.

What does RALT mean in aviation?

RALT means radar altitude: the aircraft's height above the ground or water directly beneath it, rather than altitude above mean sea level.

RALT is not terrain avoidance. Rising ground can make the autopilot pitch up, descending terrain can make it pitch down, and abrupt terrain may exceed what the simulated system can follow safely. Do not use it as a general cruise mode or assume it will detect ridges, trees and other obstacles.

Does the Hornet autopilot control airspeed?

No. ATTH, HSEL, BALT, RALT and CPL do not hold a selected speed, so the pilot must continue adjusting the throttle.

Any automatic-throttle or ATC function is separate from these UFC autopilot modes. Its availability and behaviour may also differ in replacement panels and third-party Hornets.

What about heading and HSEL?

HSEL follows the selected magnetic heading bug, not the course selector, waypoint bearing or direction of the aircraft's ground track.

Set the heading bug to the heading you actually want before engaging HSEL. Wind can make the jet's track across the ground differ from its heading, so HSEL may not keep the aircraft on a flight-plan line. If ATC tells you to fly a specific heading, HSEL is the appropriate mode; if you need to remain on an active route leg, use CPL with the correct navigation source.

Can the FSX F/A-18 autopilot follow a flight plan?

Yes, CPL can follow valid steering from an active navigation source, but HSEL cannot follow a flight plan because it tracks only the heading bug.

1. Load and activate the route: create or open the plan and make sure the intended GPS leg is active. Our guide to loading and using an FSX GPS flight plan explains the underlying route controls.
2. Select the correct source: confirm that GPS or the intended radio-navigation source is supplying steering. A route visible on the map is not necessarily the active autopilot source.
3. Approach the active leg sensibly: establish a reasonable intercept rather than engaging from far away while flying in the opposite direction.
4. Engage CPL: open the UFC A/P page, select CPL and check for the colon. Select BALT separately if altitude hold is also required.

If CPL does nothing, the usual cause is an inactive waypoint, the wrong navigation source or no valid steering signal. CPL does not create a flight plan, choose a destination or fix a broken route sequence.

Why will the FSX Hornet autopilot not hold?

Most failures result from opening the A/P page without selecting a mode, attempting capture from unstable flight or giving the autopilot the wrong reference.

• No colon appears: press the option-select button beside the mode. Pressing A/P alone only displays the page.
• BALT will not capture cleanly: level off manually and reduce the vertical speed before engaging it. Large trim errors can produce an abrupt correction or oscillation.
• HSEL turns the wrong way: check the heading bug rather than the course or OBS value. Remember that the shorter initial turn may not match the ground track you expected.
• CPL will not follow the flight plan: confirm that the route has an active leg and that the intended navigation source is selected.
• RALT will not engage: make sure the radar-altitude indication is valid and that the aircraft is operating at a height where the surface can be sensed.
• The jet porpoises or fights the controls: centre the joystick, remove duplicate pitch assignments and check for a noisy axis. Return to normal simulation rate if accelerated time is making control corrections unstable.
• The autopilot disconnects unexpectedly: inspect the FSX control assignments for duplicate autopilot-master, disconnect or stick-button bindings.
• The panel does not match these instructions: verify that you are flying the stock FSX Acceleration F/A-18A. Super Hornets, updates and third-party panels may use entirely different mode logic.

Can the default F/A-18 autopilot land on a carrier?

No. The stock FSX Hornet does not provide a complete carrier autoland that manages throttle, angle of attack, touchdown and arrestment.

CPL or approach guidance may help establish the aircraft, but the final carrier approach remains a manual flying task. Disconnect early enough to stabilise the jet and control speed yourself; our explanation of approach capture versus true autoland in FSX covers the same limitation on conventional final approaches.