``Hello everyone. I have seen several people post screenshots of their game play, and they appear to not be utilizing the Instrument Dock to its full capabilities. In this post I will be describing all 29 of the individual displayable information.
If you do not know what the Instrument Dock is, it is the bar that shows flight information at the bottom of your HUD below the compass. Everyone has the ability to customize it by simply holding down on one of the 7 available information boxes.
I will list each one with what it does, it’s ups and downs, an example, and whether or not I would personally recommend it. Please note that the recommendations and heavily opinionated and may not apply to you!
But before I do that, it It is important that you understand what a Knot (KT) is. A knot is a unit of speed that equals one nautical mile an hour. So 5 Knots, is 5 nautical miles/hour.
[details=G-Forces]G-Force is the vertical acceleration in the plain of your aircraft. 1.0 G-Forces is 1x the normal amount of gravity, so that is the amount of G’s you are experiencing while you are standing still. The higher your acceleration, the more G’s you will experience. The average human will pass out after 5 G’s.
The plus side to having this on your Instrument Dock is that it will give you more information on your acceleration, and if you strive for passenger comfort, realism.
The down sides to this is that airplanes are indestructible in infinite flight, and you don’t really have passengers, so there is not much practical use for this while flying.
Example as it would appear in-game: 1.0G
I would personally not recommend this simply because there is no real practical use for this feature in-game.
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[details=N1]N1 is the rotational speed of the aircraft engines that is shown in a percentage. It is similar to the revolutions per minute (RPM) of an average piston engine, shown in percentage instead of in the actual rotation rate.
The plus side to having N1 in your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to see the N1 percentage of your engines.
The down side to having N1 in your Instrument Dock is that it is not necessarily needed, since the N1 Percentage can be clearly seen above the engine throttle to the left of your HUD.
Example as it would appear in-game: 20%
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that it is already readily available on your HUD, therefor making it a waste to use it in the Instrument Dock.
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[details=Vertical Speed]Vertical Speed, commonly referred to as VS, is the rate that you are either climbing or descending at in Feet Per Minute (FPM). For example, if it takes you 1 minute to climb 2,000 Feet, then your VS is 2,000. You can put autopilot to climb at a certain VS as well.
The plus side to having Vertical Speed in your Instrument Dock is if you speed a lot of your flight in a non HUD camera mode (etc: 3rd Person or Wing View) then you have the ability to see your Vertical Speed and still stay in the said camera view,
The down side to having Vertical Speed in your Instrument Dock is that it is simply not needed. It is clearly visible below your Altitude Indicator to the left of your HUD.
Example as it would appear in-game: 0ft/m
I would personally not recommend this for the same reason that I do not recommend N1. It is already readily available on your HUD, therefor making it a waste to use it in the Instrument Dock.
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[details=Heading (True)]True Heading is the aircraft’s heading according to True North which is the exact location of the Northern-Most point on Earth. This is not the same as Magnetic North which is what ATC will vector you with.
The plus side to having True Heading on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to add to some realism, especially if you are really into navigating.
The down side to having True Heading on your Instrument Dock is that it does not give any real benefit to you as a pilot as of this time.
Example as it would appear in-game: 147°T
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that there is no real benefit to having this on your Instrument Dock, and it will most likely just be a wasted slot if you do choose to add it.[/details]
Heading (Mag)
Magnetic Heading is the heading that most compasses will use. Magnetic Heading is based off of the Earths Magnetic Field. This is the heading that will appear above your compass, the heading that your autopilot controls, and the heading that Air Traffic Control will vector you with.
The plus side to having Magnetic Heading on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to see your aircraft’s heading while you are in a non-HUD camera mode.
The down side to having Magnetic Heading on your Instrument Dock is that along with most of the Instrument Dock options, it is already visible on your HUD. It is located directly above the center of your compass.
Example as it would appear in-game: 170°M
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that like I said earlier, it is already on the HUD, therefor using it on the Instrument Dock is a waste of space.
[details=Altitude AGL]Altitude AGL (Actual Ground Level) is the distance in feet between your airplane and the ground below you. For instance, if you are gliding over the top of a mountain on your decent into KASE in the Denver Region, your AGL may become as low as 50 feet. For whatever reason, when you are on the ground, the AGL desplays as -1’. So just be aware of that.
The plus side to having Altitude AGL on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to see the exact distance between you and the ground. This is extremely useful on mountain approaches or in areas that are high above sea level, and it is a detail that is not already available on your HUD.
The down side to having Altitude AGL in your Instrument Dock is that if you find yourself not needing it or not using it, it may become a waste of a spot on your Instrument Dock.
Example as it would appear in-game: 213'
I would personally absolutely recommend this due to the fact that like I said earlier, it is an extremely valuable resource to have on mountainous approaches.
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[details=Altitude MSL]Altitude MSL (Measured Sea Level) is the altitude of your airplane from Sea Level. For example, since KASE is an airport that is high above Sea Level, its MSL is approximately 8,000 Feet. This is what autopilot and ATC refer to as Altitude.
The plus side to having Altitude MSL on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to see your aircraft’s heading while you are in a non-HUD camera mode.
The down side to having Altitude MSL on your Instrument Dock is that along with most of the Instrument Dock options, it is already visible on your HUD. It is located in the Middle-Right of your screen.
Example as it would appear in-game: 29'
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that like I said earlier, it is already on the HUD, therefor using it on the Instrument Dock is a waste of space.
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[details=Ground Speed]Ground Speed (GS) is your aircrafts speed in relation to the ground. Your car’s speed is ground speed, since it is on the ground. The same goes for a taxiing aircraft.
The plus side to having Ground Speed on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to see your speed while taxiing in third person mode, as most people do. It is especially useful to watch since there is a violation if you exceed 35 Knots GS.
The down side to having Ground Speed in your Instrument Dock is if you taxi in cockpit view or HUD view, then it is already readily available. Located above the map, to the top right just below the Airspeed Indicator.
Example as it would appear in-game: 0kts
I would personally absolutely recommend this due to the fact that I always taxi in 3rd person, therefor making this a very useful tool.
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[details=Air Speed]Air Speed (AS) is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. This is different than the speed of your aircraft on the ground. The higher up you get, the less air speed you need to maintain the same ground speed.
The plus side to having Air Speed on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to see your aircraft’s Air Speed while you are in a non-HUD camera mode.
The down side to having Air Speed on your Instrument Dock is that along with most of the Instrument Dock options, it is already visible on your HUD. Above the Map and the Wind Indicator.
Example as it would appear in-game: 0kts
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that like I said earlier, it is already on the HUD, therefor using it on the Instrument Dock is a waste of space.
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[details=X-Track]The X-Track, commonly referred to as the Track Offset, is an indication on how far of course you are from your planned course. The Track Offset is shown in Nautical Miles.
The plus side to having X-Track in your Instrument Dock is that if you are that guy who really wants to stay on a precise course, this bit of detail will help you correct you if you are off course.
The down side to having the X-Track in your Instrument HUD is if you find yourself not using it, then it becomes a waste of space.
Example as it would appear in-game: 0.00nm>
I would personally absolutely recommend this because it is overall a very useful detail to have, although I personally do not have it on my Instrument Dock.
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[details=Bearing]Bearing To Next is the magnetic heading that you need to fly in order to reach your next planned way-point on your flight plan. This number will change depending on your track offset.
The plus side to having Bearing To Next in your Instrument Dock is that it makes on point navigation very easy, and the number is almost always reliable.
The down side to having Bearing To Next in your Instrument Dock is that it does not round to the nearest 10th, it actually just ignores the decimal overall.
Example as it would appear in-game: 30°
I would personally absolutely recommend this because it is overall a very useful detail to have for anyone that frequently relies on a flight plan to get from A to B.
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[details=ETE to Dest]ETE to Dest (Estimated Time Enroute) is the approximated time it will take you to reach your destination if you maintain your current Ground Speed.
The plus side to having ETE to Destination in your Instrument Dock is that it will give you a very rough idea on how long it will take you to reach your destination.
The down side to having ETE to Destination in your Instrument Dock is that the time is extremely inaccurate, due to the fact that you will hopefully slow down for landing, therefor adding several minutes since it is based on your speed.
Example as it would appear in-game: 00:15
I would not recommend this simply because of how unreliable it is.
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[details=ETE to Next]ETE to Next is a lot like ETE to Dest, the only difference being that instead of calculating the time to your final destination, it calculated the time to your next waypoint on your flight plan.
The plus side to having ETE to Next in your Instrument Dock is that it will give you a rough idea on how long it will take you to reach your next waypoint.
The down side to having ETE to Next in your Instrument Dock is that the time is still fairly inaccurate, due to the fact that again, it is based off of speed.
Example as it would appear in-game: 00:05
I would recommend this because although it is inaccurate, it is not quite as inaccurate as ETE to Dest because of the shorter distance.
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[details=Dist to Dest]Distance to Destination is the distance in Nautical Miles from you to your planned destination. This number is only valid if you follow your flightplan. If you deviate from it for whatever reason, the number is no longer accurate.
The plus side to having Distance to Destination in your Instrument Dock is that is allows you to have a fairly good idea on how far you are from your destination. If you get the hang of it, you can also judge the time it will take to reach your destination.
The down side to having Distance to Destination in your Instrument Dock is that the number becomes unreliable if you deviate from your flight plan.
Example as it would appear in-game: 93.5nm
I would absolutely recommend this because it is a very reliable number and a useful statistic during your flight assuming you stick to your flight plan. If you need to deviate from your flightplan due to ATC, oh well.
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[details=Dist to Next]Distance to Destination is the distance in Nautical Miles from you to your planned destination. This number is only valid if you follow your flightplan. If you deviate from it for whatever reason, the number is no longer accurate.
The plus side to having Distance to Next in your Instrument Dock is that is allows you to have a fairly good idea on how far you are from your next waypoint.
The down side to having Distance to Next in your Instrument Dock is that the number becomes unreliable if you deviate from your flight plan.
Example as it would appear in-game: 18.2nm
I would absolutely recommend this because it gives you a solid way to judge how long until you have to descend, at least in my case because I usually have a main leg, then end it at a waypoint and mark that as my time to descend. This waypoint is usually 50 or so Nautical Miles out.
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[details=Next WPT]Next Waypoint is fairly self explanitory. It tells you what your next waypoint/airport/fix is in your flightplan.
The plus side to having Next Waypoint in your Instrument Dock is that it will tell you, well, what your next waypoint is. And therefor adding some realism if you hold navigation deep at heart.
The down side to having Next Waypoint in your Instrument Dock is that if you find yourself not needing it since you can just pull up your flightplan on the map, then it becomes a waste of space.
Example as it would appear in-game: ZABKI
I would recommend this if you are the type that likes to have a good idea of your flightplan and want to add some realism to your flight.
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[details=Visibility]Visibility is the distance that you are able to see clearly. This is weather data, so it is based off of real life reports of the weather, and in this case visibility in the area you are flying.
The plus side to having Visibility in your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to know the distance that you are able to see, aswell as when the visibility is decreasing or increasing.
The down side to having Visibility in your Instrument Dock is that if you do not really care about visibility, this will be a waste of space in your Instrument Dock.
Example as it would appear in-game: 32.26Km
I would highly recommend this to most pilots simply because it is always useful to have visibility information easily accessible,
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[details=Pressure]Pressure is the amount of pressure inside the cabin of the aircraft. This will always hold stedy at 1,013hPa.
The plus side to having Pressure in your Instrument Dock is if you enjoy the realism of monitoring the cabin pressure, than it definitely adds realism.
The down side to having Pressure in your Instrument Dock is that it never changes, I am not sure if this is a bug and it is supposed to be outside pressure, but it never changes.
Example as it would appear in-game: 1,013hPa
I would not recommend this because at the current point in time, it is completely useless.
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[details=Temperature]Temperature displays the temperature in Celsius outside of the aircraft. In Infinite Flight, the tempature does affect engine performance. Many people do not know this. The colder the air is outside, the better the engines run, and vice versa.
The plus side to having Temperature on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to see the outside air temperature while you are in a non-HUD camera mode.
The down side to having temperature on your Instrument Dock is that along with most of the Instrument Dock options, it is already visible on your HUD. It is located above the airspeed indicator.
Example as it would appear in-game: 8°c
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that like I said earlier, it is already on the HUD, therefor using it on the Instrument Dock is a waste of space.
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[details=Winds ]Wind is the direction of the wind in Knots relative to the aircraft. Whichever way the arrow is pointing, that is the direction the wind is heading, not coming from.
The plus side to having Winds on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to see the wind while you are in a non-HUD camera mode.
The down side to having Windon your Instrument Dock is that along with most of the Instrument Dock options, it is already visible on your HUD. It is located to the right of the Ground Speed indicator, above the map.
Example as it would appear in-game: —> 0°M, 0kts`
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that like I said earlier, it is already on the HUD, therefor using it on the Instrument Dock is a waste of space.
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[details=Network Type]Network Type shows you whether you are Offline, you are on WiFi, or whether you are on Cellular Data.
The plus side to having Network on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to quickly and easily see what network you are on, incase you forgot.
The down side to having Network on your Instrument Dock is it only shows those three options, and other than that, does not help with your flight.
Example as it would appear in-game: WiFi
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that it does not help with your flight in any way, shape, or form.
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[details=Server]The Server option shows you which server you are on, either being Expert, Training 1, Casual, or a dotted line for Single Player.
The plus side to having Server on your Instrument Dock is that is shows you the name of your current server for quick and easy knowledge in case you need the information for whatever the reason may be.
The down side to having Server on your Instrument Dock is that is only shows you the name of the server you are currently flying on.
Example as it would appear in-game: Expert
I would personally not recommend this due to the fact that it does not help with your flight in any way, shape, or form.
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[details=Connection] The Connection option shows your current connection status to the server, being either Offline, Online, or a dotted line if you are on single player.
The plus side to having Connection on your Instrument Dock is that it allows for you to easily see your connection status to the serve you are on.
The down side to having Connection on your Instrument Dock is that it is already visible on your screen. It can be found in the top right corner. Yellow means attempting to connect, green means connected, and grey means not connected.
Example as it would appear in-game: Online
I would personally not recommend this because it is already readily available on the screen.
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[details=Yoke] The Yoke shows the planes movement. It is pretty much a steering wheel but for a plane, as well as having the ability to move forward Andy backward for Decent and Climb. It’s main purpose is the simulate realism in your flight as most planes have a yoke, except newer Airbuses.
The plus side to having a Yoke on your Instrument Dock is that it may help with controlling your plane aswell as adding plenty of realism to your flight.
The down side to having Yoke on your Instrument Dock is that if you find yourself not using the feature, or just not needing it, then it becomes a waste of room on your Dock.
Example as it would appear in-game: (How the heck do I draw this with a keyboad?
I would personally not recommend this because I prefer to the the Airbus A320, which as most of us know, does not have a yoke.
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[details=Flight Time] This number shows how long it has been since you have started your flight. The first number is hours, second is minutes. So if the flight has lasted 5 Minutes, the flight time will read 00:05
The plus side to having Flight Time on your Instrument Dock is that it allows you to easily keep track of how long your flight has been without having to look at a clock.
The down side to having Flight Time on your Instrument Dock is that if you just don’t use this, then it will become a waste of space on your Dock.
Example as it would appear in-game: 00:05
I would personally recommend this for anyone that is in a virtual airline that keeps track of minutes or just likes to know how long their flight has lasted,
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[details=Airplane Load] Airplane Load tells you, in percentage, how full your airplane is. 0% being empty, and 100% being completely full.
The plus side to having Airplane Load on your Instrument Dock is that it is generally always good to know how heavy your plane is, as it affects your flying.
The down side to having Airplane Load on your Instrument Dock is that if you find yourself not using the feature, or just not needing it, then it becomes a waste of room on your Dock.
Example as it would appear in-game: 50%
I would personally recommend this if you tend to switch up your airplane load on different flights.
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[details=Local Time] This displays the Local Time of the region you are in. The time will always be displayed in 24 hour time. Do not get this confused with Zulu Time!
The plus side to having Local Time on your Instrument Dock is that if you like to change up the time of day depending on the local time, this is the way to do it.
The down side to having Local Time on your Instrument Dock is that if you find yourself not using the feature, or just not needing it, then it becomes a waste of room on your Dock.
Example as it would appear in-game: 20:21
I would personally absolutely recommend this if you are like me and like to add a bit of realism and change the time of day depending on local time.
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[details=Zulu Time] This shows your time in Zulu Time, which is the universal time. It is also commonly known as Greenwich Mean Time.
The plus side to having Zulu Time on your Instrument Dock is that if you are attending an event that is scheduled in Zulu, it is always nice to have an easy way to see the current Zulu Time, among other similar reasons.
The down side to having Zulu Time on your Instrument Dock is that if you already know the conversion from your time zone to Zulu, and vice versa, then it becomes a waste of space on your Dock.
Example as it would appear in-game: `22:48
I would personally recommend this to anyone that is new to the concept of Zulu time and wants a quick and easy reference.
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[details=Nearest Airport] This shows the nearest airport from your current position.
The plus side to this is it may help you determine how close you are to landing, and also add to the fun if you like to practice emergency in single player.
The down side to having Nearest Airport on your Instrument Dock is that if you find yourself not using it, then it becomes a waste of space on your Dock.
Example as it would appear in-game: KLGA
I would personally not recommend this simply because I don’t see a whole lot of practical uses for it at the moment.
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After two hours of research and writing later, I am finally done! I hope you guys appreciate this post and as always, if you have any questions feel free to reply with them or PM me!
Also, if you notice any typosincorrect information, or have a suggestion, feel free to write a reply about it. If you are pointing out a typo or incorrect information, quoting the section of text is greatly appreciated.