How do I hide the yoke in cockpit view in FSX?

In FSX and FSX: Steam Edition, switch to the virtual cockpit and press Shift+Y to hide the on-screen yoke; press it again to restore it. This changes only the visible cockpit model, not your controller input. If nothing happens, the aircraft may use a custom yoke or the key assignment may have changed.

What is the FSX yoke hide shortcut?

The standard FSX command is Shift+Y, labelled Yoke (hide/display) in the keyboard assignments.

1. Enter the virtual cockpit. Under the default controls, press F9 or select the virtual cockpit from the Views menu.
2. Hide the yoke. Hold Shift and tap Y.
3. Restore it when required. Press Shift+Y again.

Do not press Y by itself: that toggles Slew Mode. If this happens, press Y again to return to normal flight. Our FSX keyboard-command reference covers the other default cockpit shortcuts.

In a 2D cockpit, the yoke may be part of the panel or a gauge rather than the aircraft’s 3D model. The standard command only works when that particular panel supports hiding it.

Why doesn’t Shift+Y hide the yoke?

Shift+Y fails when the assignment has been altered, the simulator is not receiving keyboard input, or the aircraft does not use FSX’s standard yoke-visibility command.

• Changed or conflicting assignment: Open the Controls settings and find Yoke (hide/display). Restore or assign a convenient key combination. See our explanation of checking and remapping FSX keyboard controls if the command is missing or another function responds.
• Custom add-on yoke: Some third-party aircraft use their own animation. Move the pointer around the yoke hub, column or base and look for a hand cursor; the model may use a clickable hide control instead.
• Aircraft-specific configuration: A complex add-on may place yoke visibility in its supplied cockpit panel or configuration utility rather than accepting Shift+Y.
• No hide function: Some aircraft models simply do not include one. There is no universal aircraft.cfg switch that can safely add the missing animation.
• Keyboard focus: Close open dialogue boxes and click inside the main flight view before trying the shortcut again.

Can I move the cockpit view instead?

When an aircraft cannot hide its yoke, raising or moving the virtual-cockpit eyepoint is usually the cleanest alternative. You can also switch to the 2D panel if the aircraft provides one and you mainly need an unobstructed view of the instruments.

Our guide to FSX cockpit views and eyepoint adjustment explains those options without changing the aircraft model.

Does hiding the yoke disable my controller?

No. The command removes only the visible yoke from the cockpit; your joystick, physical yoke, keyboard controls and autopilot continue working normally. If control input stops at the same time, treat that as a separate controller-assignment or window-focus problem.