Learn how to hold level flight and constant speed with pitch, power and trim, understand LVL mode, and fix climbs, porpoising and speed drift.
To hold level flight and constant speed in a general flight simulator, level the wings, set a suitable cruise attitude and power, then trim away steady control pressure. Scan altitude, vertical speed and indicated airspeed, make one small correction at a time, and wait for the aircraft to settle.
Level flight means there is no sustained climb or descent; it does not mean the nose must point at zero degrees on the attitude indicator. The required pitch attitude changes with aircraft type, weight, configuration and speed. Control behaviour also varies between simulator aircraft, particularly when fly-by-wire systems or simplified assistance are active.
What controls level flight and speed?
Stable straight-and-level flight comes from balancing attitude, power, trim and bank rather than treating any one control as an altitude lock.
- Pitch attitude controls the immediate flight-path trend and helps arrest a climb or descent.
- Power supplies the thrust needed to balance drag at the chosen speed.
- Trim removes sustained elevator pressure once the attitude and speed are established; it does not hold a particular altitude.
- Bank must remain close to level because a bank directs some lift sideways, reducing the component supporting the aircraft's weight.
- Configuration matters because flaps, landing gear, spoilers, propeller settings and changes in weight alter lift and drag.
In steady, unaccelerated level flight, lift approximately balances weight and thrust balances drag. Changing pitch or power disturbs both balances, so expect to make a small supporting adjustment with the other control and then retrim.
How do I hold level flight and constant speed step by step?
The reliable sequence is to stabilise the aeroplane, set attitude and power, let the speed settle, then trim and correct only genuine trends.
- Choose sensible practice conditions. Start at a safe altitude in calm weather, using a light training aircraft if available. Disconnect the autopilot and disable any assistance that moves the flight controls or trim automatically.
- Set the cruise configuration. Retract flaps, landing gear and spoilers as appropriate. Use a normal cruise power setting from the aircraft's checklist or documentation rather than assuming one throttle percentage suits every aeroplane.
- Level the wings. Use the outside horizon or attitude indicator and check that the heading has stopped changing. Correct an unnoticed bank before chasing altitude or airspeed.
- Set the level-flight attitude. Place the nose at the attitude that stops the climb or descent. Many aeroplanes require a slightly nose-up indication in level flight, so forcing the pitch indication to exactly zero may cause a descent.
- Confirm the vertical trend. Cross-check the altimeter and vertical speed indication. Make a small pitch correction if the aircraft is still climbing or descending, then neutralise the control instead of holding a large displacement.
- Set the speed with power. If the aircraft is level but too slow, add a little power while holding the level attitude. If it is too fast, reduce power. Allow time for the new airspeed to develop.
- Trim away the pressure. Apply nose-up trim while holding steady back pressure, or nose-down trim while holding forward pressure. Gradually relax the joystick or yoke towards its centre and assess the result.
- Scan, correct and wait. Check attitude, altitude, vertical speed, airspeed, heading and engine power. Correct one trend at a time and let the aircraft respond before adding another input.
If you are already above or below the target but no longer moving away from it, establish a shallow return towards the desired altitude and lead the level-off. Do not point sharply at the number. Our more detailed manual altitude-control technique using pitch, power and trim covers this correction without creating an oscillation.
Does pitch or power control speed in level flight?
In ordinary cruise flight, use pitch to stop the vertical trend and power to correct a sustained speed error, while coordinating both controls to keep the aircraft level.
The controls remain coupled. Raising the nose initially reduces airspeed; lowering it increases airspeed. Adding power can also change pitch or yaw, particularly in a single-engine propeller aircraft. Hold the required attitude through the power change, allow the speed to settle and retrim.
Slow flight and approaches may require a different emphasis. On the back side of the drag curve, pitch is commonly used to protect the target airspeed while power controls the flight path. Follow the procedure for the aircraft and phase of flight rather than applying one pitch-versus-power slogan everywhere.
Should I hold indicated airspeed or groundspeed?
Hold indicated airspeed, or the appropriate Mach number in a high-altitude jet, rather than GPS groundspeed.
Wind changes groundspeed without necessarily changing the aerodynamic state of the aircraft. True airspeed also differs increasingly from indicated airspeed as air density falls, so neither groundspeed nor true airspeed is normally the primary manual control reference for basic level flight.
Which instruments should I scan in level flight?
Control the aircraft with the horizon or attitude indicator, then use the performance instruments to confirm that altitude and speed are stable.
- Outside horizon or attitude indicator: immediate pitch and bank information.
- Altimeter: the actual altitude deviation, though it may not reveal a new trend immediately.
- Vertical speed indicator: developing climb or descent. Traditional mechanical-style indications can lag behind the aircraft.
- Airspeed indicator: whether indicated airspeed is stable, increasing or decreasing.
- Heading indication: an unintended heading change often exposes a slight bank.
- Engine instruments: RPM, manifold pressure, torque, N1 or the power reference appropriate to the aircraft.
A mistake we see often is staring at one instrument and reacting to every movement. If the aircraft is slightly below the target altitude but the descent has already stopped, a large nose-up input will create the next error. In turbulence, correct sustained trends rather than every brief displacement.
A cosa serve questo? What does LVL mode do in a flight simulator?
LVL usually means level mode, but it may level only the wings or command both wings-level flight and approximately zero vertical speed, depending on the aircraft and autopilot.
The wording modo LVL simply means LVL mode. A dedicated level button in some general-aviation systems is primarily a recovery or stabilisation feature and may engage the autopilot even if it was previously off. It should not be assumed to hold a captured altitude or manage speed.
| Mode or label | Typical function | What it may not do |
|---|---|---|
| LVL or LEVEL | Levels the wings and, on some systems, commands close to zero vertical speed | It may not return to or hold a selected altitude, heading or speed |
| ALT or ALT HOLD | Uses pitch to maintain a captured barometric altitude | It normally does not control throttle unless separate thrust automation is active |
| VS | Uses pitch to maintain a selected vertical speed | It does not protect altitude or necessarily protect airspeed |
| SPD, IAS or MACH | Maintains a speed reference using pitch or thrust, depending on the system and phase of flight | A selected value is not necessarily active until the mode annunciation confirms it |
| A/T or A/THR | Controls thrust when autothrottle or autothrust is active | It does not replace the autopilot's lateral or vertical modes |
Read the active and armed mode annunciations on the primary flight display rather than relying on the selected numbers or an illuminated button alone. Default aircraft, third-party add-ons and generic controller bindings can assign different functions to the same-looking LVL label.
Can autopilot hold both altitude and speed?
Autopilot can hold altitude and speed only when the required vertical and thrust or speed-control modes are both available and active.
In many light aircraft, ALT mode controls pitch to maintain altitude while the pilot still adjusts the throttle for airspeed. If power is too low, the autopilot may keep raising the nose to defend altitude while speed decays. Selecting a speed in the cockpit does not by itself guarantee that anything is controlling it.
Aircraft with autothrottle or autothrust can usually use thrust to maintain a selected or managed speed during level flight. During a climb or descent, the system may instead use pitch to control speed while thrust remains at a climb or idle setting. Our explanation of altitude, vertical-speed and speed modes in MSFS 2024 shows how to identify which mode has control.
Do not fight an engaged autopilot with manual pitch or trim. Disconnect it, take control, stabilise the aircraft and retrim. If the correct thrust mode is active but speed still drifts, check the causes in our autothrottle and autothrust troubleshooting guide.
How do you hold level flight and speed in an A340?
The Airbus A340, sometimes entered in searches as а340 using a Cyrillic letter, normally maintains cruise altitude with the autopilot and cruise speed or Mach with autothrust.
Confirm the active modes on the Flight Mode Annunciator at the top of the primary flight display. A value selected on the flight control panel is only a target; the annunciator shows whether altitude hold, speed control and autothrust are actually active.
When hand-flying an accurately modelled A340 in normal control law, the fly-by-wire system supplies automatic pitch trim. Repeated manual trim inputs are therefore not the normal way to hold level flight. Use small sidestick commands to stabilise the flight path, set or confirm the appropriate thrust, then let the indicated airspeed or Mach settle.
A simplified A340 add-on may not reproduce the full Airbus control laws or mode logic, and abnormal control-law simulations can behave differently. Do not assume a generic LVL command represents standard Airbus operation; use the aircraft's Flight Mode Annunciator and documentation to identify the active function.
Why does my aircraft keep climbing, descending or porpoising?
Persistent deviations usually come from an incorrect attitude or power setting, poor trim, large repeated inputs, turbulence or an unwanted controller command.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Practical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude slowly increases | Nose slightly high, excess power or nose-up trim | Lower the nose enough to stop the trend, verify power and retrim after speed stabilises |
| Altitude slowly decreases | Nose slightly low, unnoticed bank or insufficient power | Level the wings, restore the level-flight attitude, correct power if needed and retrim |
| Airspeed falls while altitude is held | Too little power, added drag or an altitude mode trading speed for height | Add power and check flaps, gear, spoilers and the active autopilot modes |
| Airspeed rises while altitude is held | Excess power or an inactive speed-control mode | Reduce power slightly while holding altitude, then wait for the new equilibrium |
| Repeating climb and descent | Chasing the altimeter or adding another correction too soon | Use a smaller pitch input, neutralise the control and monitor the trend |
| Constant push or pull required | The aircraft is not trimmed for its present speed and configuration | Hold the correct attitude first, then trim away the steady pressure |
| Pitch or roll moves with hands off | Axis noise, duplicate assignments, an active assist or automation | Inspect all bound devices and watch the simulator's control-input display |
| Impossible to hold an exact value in gusts | Turbulence rather than incorrect trim | Maintain an average attitude and correct sustained deviations only |
If the controls are twitchy, apply only enough dead zone to remove genuine axis noise. A large dead zone creates an inactive region around the centre followed by an abrupt response, which makes small corrections harder rather than easier.
Why will trim not hold the aircraft steady?
Trim cannot stabilise an aircraft until its attitude, power, speed and configuration are close to equilibrium.
With a spring-centred joystick or yoke, the physical control usually returns to centre even though the simulator has shifted the virtual elevator neutral point. Hold the desired attitude, apply trim in short increments and progressively relax your hand pressure. If the nose jumps as you release the control, you either used too much trim or kept too much control displacement while trimming.
- Each trim input is too large: use shorter button presses or reduce trim response where the simulator provides that option.
- Trim moves by itself: check for autopilot operation, automatic trim assistance, a stuck switch or duplicate bindings.
- Trim buttons appear ineffective: an assigned trim axis may be continually overriding them.
- The aircraft drifts after a change: retrim after changing power, speed, flaps, landing gear or propeller setting.
- Perfect trim never lasts: fuel burn, weather changes and simulated turbulence can gradually alter the required setting.
Our guide to adjusting trim sensitivity and resolving axis conflicts explains the difference between trim buttons and an absolute trim axis.
The useful memory sequence is level the wings, set attitude, set power, trim, scan and wait. Correct the developing trend with one small input instead of chasing the displayed altitude or speed.