Microsoft Flight Simulator guide: How to turn off the parking brake with a controller

Mapping all of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s controls to a console controller is basically impossible. There are just too many options. That said, a lot of the most common controls are available on your controller. They’re just not always obvious, and the tool tips don’t always help.

In this Microsoft Flight Simulator guide, we’ll explain how to turn (on and) off the parking brake with your controller. Beyond that, we’ll talk about remapping some of those commands to controls that work better for you.

Turn off the parking brake

The very first thing you’ll be asked to do on most flights departing from an airport is turn off the parking brake. On the keyboard, this is Ctrl + Num Del by default. On the controller, you can do this with Y + B.

Using combinations of buttons brings up some interesting options for remapping your controller’s buttons.

Remapping anything and controller button combinations

Head to Options > Controls > Controller to see a list of every command on your controller. If you want to change anything — like inverting the Y-axis on the right thumbstick — you can scroll through the lists and choose the new button from a drop-down menu.

If you’re looking for something not currently mapped to your controller, check the left side of the Controls screen. Make sure the Filter option is set to All — this will list all controls in the menu, not just the ones already assigned to your controller. You can also search for a control by name in the search box.

Click on anything in these menus to assign buttons. Since the drop-down only lists individual buttons and thumbstick directions, you’re going to run out of options long before you address all of your needs. However, it’s also possible to map controls to combinations of buttons.

Image: Asobo Studio/Microsoft Corporation via Polygon

In the box that pops up to assign a button, click inside the Search by input box. On your controller, press the buttons you want. In the image above, we’ve set Toggle Drone to A + down on the D-pad. For things you need more fine control over (like rudder controls), you can even set a combination including a button and a thumbstick direction. Just be careful if the controls are already assigned — they might overlap in disastrous ways.