Learn how to use turboprop reverse thrust, including beta range, control bindings, landing technique and fixes when reverse will not engage.
In a compatible turboprop aircraft in a flight simulator, use reverse thrust only after touchdown: bring the power levers to flight idle, cross the ground-idle or beta gate with the mapped detent, button or cockpit lever, then move farther aft into reverse. Modulate it and return to idle when deceleration is complete.
Turboprop beta range and reverse explained
A turboprop produces reverse thrust by changing the propeller blades to a negative pitch, not by deploying the bucket or translating-cowl reversers found on jets. Moving the power lever below flight idle first enters the ground or beta range; farther movement commands negative blade pitch and reverse thrust.
The terminology and lever arrangement vary between aircraft. Beta may provide almost no forward thrust for taxiing, while full reverse provides stronger deceleration. Some simpler simulator aircraft combine these positions or do not model them at all.
The power lever normally controls beta and reverse. The propeller lever selects propeller RPM, while the condition lever usually controls fuel cut-off and idle settings. A mistake we see constantly is assigning reverse to the propeller-pitch control instead of the power lever.
How do I engage reverse thrust after landing?
- Confirm that the aircraft supports reverse. Check its cockpit lever markings, checklist or documentation. Test the control while parked rather than discovering an incorrect binding during a landing.
- Set the propeller and condition levers correctly. Leave them in the positions specified by the aircraft's landing checklist. Do not pull the condition lever towards fuel cut-off.
- Touch down and reduce to flight idle. Establish directional control before crossing the beta gate. Reverse is normally a ground-only function, and aircraft with weight-on-wheels logic may block it before touchdown.
- Cross the idle gate. Lift or release the simulated latch if the cockpit lever has one, or hold the assigned reverse command. Hardware with a reverse detent can be moved aft through that detent.
- Apply reverse progressively. Increase it only as much as needed while watching torque, propeller RPM and engine temperature. Keep the application symmetrical on a twin-engine aircraft and use rudder to maintain the centreline.
- Stow reverse after deceleration. Move the levers forward to ground or flight idle as required by the aircraft procedure, then use wheel braking for the remaining slowdown and taxi.
For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, our step-by-step turboprop reverse procedure covers the simulator-specific command behaviour. In FSX, holding F2 after reaching idle is the default method; the full assignment appears in our FSX keyboard command reference.
Which reverse-thrust control should I bind?
Choose the binding that matches the physical travel of your throttle. Control names differ between simulators and aircraft, so verify the lever movement in the virtual cockpit before flying.
| Control method | Best choice when | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Throttle axis with reverse range | Your quadrant has a physical beta or reverse detent | Requires accurate calibration around flight idle |
| Hold reverse button | Your throttle axis stops at idle | The simulator may treat forward axis movement as reverse power while held |
| Toggle reverse | You have few buttons available | It is easy to lose track of whether reverse mode is active |
| Keyboard command | You have no suitable throttle hardware | Provides less precise modulation than an analogue axis |
| Cockpit lever with the mouse | The add-on models a gate or latch not exposed as a binding | Awkward during the landing roll |
If your quadrant has separate power, propeller and condition levers, our explanation of how to map a throttle quadrant correctly will help prevent the three axes being confused. MSFS 2020 users can also follow our throttle-axis calibration and binding guidance when setting the beta detent.
When should I use beta instead of full reverse?
Use beta for gentle ground deceleration or reducing residual thrust during taxi, and use reverse when stronger deceleration is needed and the aircraft's procedure permits it. Wheel brakes remain the primary means of stopping; reverse thrust supplements them.
- During taxi: use ground beta sparingly if the aircraft permits it. Sustained reverse can make speed control abrupt and increase propeller damage or foreign-object ingestion risk.
- After a normal landing: a modest reverse setting is usually easier to control than immediately selecting maximum reverse.
- For a short landing roll: use stronger reverse only within the published torque, temperature and propeller limits.
- On loose or unpaved surfaces: avoid unnecessary high reverse because debris can be pulled into the propeller and engine intake.
Do not select beta or reverse in flight unless the specific aircraft's documented procedure explicitly allows it. Most simulated passenger turboprops prohibit in-flight beta, and detailed add-ons may lock the controls until the aircraft is on its wheels.
Why is turboprop reverse thrust not working?
Reverse usually fails because the throttle never reaches a clean idle signal, the wrong axis is assigned or another controller is overriding the command.
- The lever will not cross idle: recalibrate the throttle and add a small idle dead zone. Axis jitter can keep the simulator just above the beta gate.
- The cockpit gate is locked: some aircraft require a latch to be lifted or weight-on-wheels logic to activate before the lever moves aft.
- The axis only covers 0–100%: assign a separate reverse-on-hold command or configure a calibrated reverse range if the simulator supports one.
- The lever moves by itself: remove duplicate throttle bindings from gamepads, joysticks and unused quadrant axes. Disable any assistance or automatic throttle mode that is taking control.
- Only one engine reverses: inspect the individual engine-axis assignments and make sure both levers reach the same idle and reverse positions.
- The animation works but thrust does not: the aircraft may not model propeller beta correctly, or its engine must be in a particular ground-idle configuration.
- Reverse immediately reaches maximum: a digital button is probably commanding full reverse. Use an analogue reverse range or a mode that lets the throttle axis modulate reverse power.