How do I control wing sweep in the X-Plane 11 F-111A, and fix sensitivity/view issues?

Hi ViperPilot,

The F-111 wing sweep and the other two issues can usually be sorted, but it depends a lot on which F-111A package you downloaded (some are “basic” models with no custom sweep logic, some use custom commands, and a few rely on X-Plane’s built-in variable-geometry controls).

1) Wing sweep control (things to try in order)

A. Check the aircraft’s own cockpit controls first
A lot of F-111s have a dedicated sweep handle/lever on the pedestal or throttle quadrant area. If you’re stuck only seeing certain panels on the main screen (your third issue), you may not be able to reach it yet—so still try the key/joystick methods below.

B. Assign a key/button to wing sweep
In X-Plane 11 you can usually bind variable-geometry / wing sweep to a command. Go to:

• Settings -> Keyboard (or Joystick)
• Use the search box and type: wing or sweep
• Bind whatever wing sweep / variable-geometry commands show up for your install/add-on

If the developer used custom commands, they may show up with the aircraft’s name/prefix rather than “sim/…”, so definitely try searching just “sweep”.

C. Check if it’s implemented as a “manual” system only
Some models don’t expose sweep to X-Plane’s normal commands at all, and only let you move it by clicking/dragging the sweep handle in the cockpit, or via a plugin menu (if the aircraft included one). If searching for “sweep” yields nothing relevant, that’s usually what’s going on.

2) Control sensitivity is hard to manage

This is almost always fixable from X-Plane’s side, regardless of aircraft:

1. Go to Settings -> Joystick.
2. Run/confirm Calibrate for your hardware.
3. Lower your Control Response (make it less twitchy).
4. Add some Stability Augmentation (start small—just enough to take the edge off).
5. If you’re using a short-throw joystick (or no pedals), also add a small Nullzone to reduce “micro-input” hunting.

If the F-111 model itself is over-sensitive because of how it was built/tuned, the above still helps, but it won’t fully “re-write” a bad flight model. That’s why knowing the exact F-111A add-on matters.

3) Only seeing interior panels on main screen (view/panels issue)

This sounds like either:

• You’re stuck in a panel-only / 2D panel view mode (depending on how the aircraft was authored), or
• Your monitor(s) / X-Plane rendering is set up so the 3D outside view isn’t being shown where you expect, or
• The aircraft has an unusual cockpit camera setup.

A couple quick checks:

1. Try switching to an external view and back to cockpit view using your normal X-Plane view controls (and/or assign a couple view commands in Settings so you can reliably jump between “3D cockpit” and “external”).
2. If you’re on multiple monitors, verify X-Plane’s monitor setup is set the way you intend (single outside view vs instrument/panel view on one screen).

Once you can reliably get into the full 3D cockpit view, you’ll also be able to find any wing sweep lever that’s modeled in the cockpit.

A few targeted questions so I don’t send you down the wrong path

• Which exact F-111A add-on did you download (name/version), and did it come from the .org store, a freeware download, etc.?
• Are you on a single monitor or multi-monitor setup? If multi, how are your screens assigned in X-Plane’s graphics/monitor settings?
• What controller hardware are you using (stick/yoke/pedals), and are you seeing any axis jitter/spiking in the Joystick calibration screen?
• When you search in Keyboard/Joystick settings for “sweep”, do you see any commands at all that look relevant?

Give me those details and I can tell you the exact best method for wing sweep on your specific F-111, and the quickest way to get your views and controls behaving for recording that flameout sequence.