How do I use the LevelUp 737 AP disconnect in X-Plane 12?

In the LevelUp 737-800 for X-Plane 12, press the red autopilot-disengage switch on either control yoke once to disconnect CMD, then press it again to cancel the flashing A/P warning and aural alert. For hardware, bind that switch’s aircraft-specific autopilot-disconnect command rather than a generic autopilot toggle.

How do I operate the LevelUp 737 disconnect button?

The normal sequence is two separate presses: one to disengage the autopilot and another to acknowledge the warning.

1. Take control of the aircraft. Hold the required pitch and bank attitude before pressing the switch, particularly during an approach.
2. Press the red yoke switch once. The active CMD channel should disengage, its MCP light should go out, and the red A/P warning and aural alert should activate.
3. Press the same switch again. This silences and resets the disconnect warning; it does not reconnect the autopilot.
4. Confirm the result. Check the flight-mode annunciator and CMD lights rather than relying only on the sound.

Use two distinct press-and-release actions. Holding the switch or assigning it to a latching hardware toggle can produce unreliable behaviour.

The disengage bar below the MCP’s CMD controls is different. Lowering it disconnects the autopilot and prevents either CMD channel from engaging while the bar remains down, so it is not the normal hand-flying handover control.

How do I map AP disconnect to a joystick or yoke?

Load the LevelUp 737 first, then assign its aircraft-specific A/P disengage command to a momentary hardware button.

1. Open Settings > Joystick in X-Plane 12 and select the profile used by the LevelUp 737.
2. Press the physical button you want to assign, then search the command list for disconnect or disengage.
3. Choose the LevelUp or 737-specific autopilot-disconnect command when one is available. Aircraft scripts may not register their custom commands until the LevelUp has finished loading.
4. If there is no aircraft-specific command, use a one-way autopilot-servos-off command as a fallback, not a servos-toggle command. The fallback may disengage CMD without performing the second-press warning reset, in which case acknowledge the warning with the virtual yoke switch.
5. Test the assignment at a safe altitude and confirm that one press disconnects CMD without also operating trim, the disengage bar or autothrottle.

A mistake we see often is reusing a joystick profile from another 737 add-on. Similar cockpits do not guarantee identical plugin commands, so remove duplicate assignments before testing.

Why does the autopilot warning keep sounding?

The warning normally continues until the disconnect switch is pressed a second time.

• If you used the virtual yoke switch, click it again after CMD has disengaged.
• If a hardware button disconnects CMD but cannot silence the warning, it is probably assigned to X-Plane’s generic servo command rather than the LevelUp switch command.
• If repeated warnings occur without pilot input, check for a held button, duplicate assignment or noisy hardware contact.
• Do not confuse the A/P warning with the separate autothrottle-disconnect warning.

Does AP disconnect also turn off autothrottle?

No. The yoke’s A/P disengage switch releases the autopilot servos, but the autothrottle can remain active and the flight directors can continue displaying guidance.

Use the thrust-lever A/T disengage switches when you also want manual thrust. For a fuller explanation of what CMD, flight directors and the MCP modes do after disengagement, see our guide to 737 autopilot controls and disconnect behaviour.

Why does CMD disconnect immediately after engagement?

An immediate disconnect usually indicates a control input, conflicting assignment or unmet engagement condition rather than a faulty cockpit button.

• Centre the controls and stabilise the aircraft before selecting CMD.
• Check that the MCP disengage bar is fully raised.
• Release any trim, autopilot-disconnect or servo-toggle buttons.
• Remove duplicate bindings from other controllers and imported aircraft profiles.
• Confirm that the LevelUp aircraft scripts loaded correctly; missing aircraft-specific commands can indicate an incomplete or incompatible installation.

If CMD drops out in several aircraft rather than only the LevelUp 737, follow our X-Plane 12 autopilot-disconnect troubleshooting checklist for noisy axes, trim inputs, failures and controller conflicts.