AUTOPILOT

From Battleground Europe Wiki

The “Autopilot” (AP) in the game is not actually an autopilot. It is an “level attitude lock”. Get close to level flight (wings and fuselage are level to the ground), and by pressing the “a” (or “A”) key will lock the aircraft in perfectly level flight.

Unlike a TRUE autopilot, the lock forces the aircraft into level flight, but any medium to heavy force on it will cause the system to unlock. Understand that as your airplane goes slower or faster, it will want to climb or drive, and the lock will not compensate for this (unlike a true autopilot).

To make the games “autopilot" to work, you need to trim aircraft to as close to level as possible before you engage. After about a minuet to stabilize, you will need to “turn off” the AP and re-trim the aircraft for level flight.

For large aircraft it is relatively easy to trim out and hold it locked, but small fighters like the 109 or D.520 are very sensitive to changes in speed and stick/trim movement and can easily “break” the lock.

Again, it is advisable turn off the AP to check your trim at least twice before one can be sure the AP will not be forced to unlocked by changing flight forces.

Did I mention that you have to go off of AP a couple of times to make sure your airplane very nearly trimmed level so it will not break the AP?

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