HeavyPro
Give your joystick the weight of a real airliner in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: set-up, tuning, aircraft and fixes.
Getting started
- What HeavyPro does (and why your stick suddenly feels heavy)A desktop stick snaps the controls instantly. A real airliner never does. Here is what HeavyPro changes, and what it leaves alone.
- Install HeavyProFrom download to the white R in your toolbar: install with RotaHub or the installer, activate your key, and you are done.
- Your first flight: set up the stick in two minutesDetect your axes, let HeavyPro pick the route, read the badge, and take off.
- What the badges meanSHAPING, MOVE STICK, AP ON · PAUSED: the header badge tells you exactly what HeavyPro is doing.
Flying with HeavyPro
- Routes explained: Auto, REAL1, Direct and MSFS bindingsHow your stick travels from your desk into the cockpit, why it matters for some aircraft, and how to choose.
- Tune the feel: Realistic Response and the slidersHeavier or snappier, per axis, live while you fly. What each slider does, with real numbers.
- Heavy toe brakesMake your pedal toe brakes feel like an airliner's hydraulic brakes: smooth stops, no locked wheels.
- SimBrief and flight plansLoad your SimBrief plan or a flight plan file, and let your real take-off weight shape the feel.
- Profiles: save, share and get feel profilesSave your tuning under a name, share it with every HeavyPro pilot, and try the community's best profiles.
- The in-game panelThe white R in your MSFS toolbar: switch feel and watch your stick without leaving the cockpit.
- Gliders: how HeavyPro flies a sailplaneLight, quick pitch, a slow big-wing roll and a rudder that leads: soaring the way it really feels.
- PMDG 777: Real 777 feelAn optional extra for the PMDG 777: more inertia and damping, built into a copy of your own flight model.
- Autopilot: why HeavyPro pausesWhen the autopilot flies, HeavyPro steps aside. Here is why, and what happens when you take over.
- Show what you are flying on DiscordYour Discord profile can show HeavyPro and your aircraft while you fly, with buttons for your friends.
Aircraft
- Aircraft recognised by nameThe payware aircraft HeavyPro knows by name, and the real controls it gives each one.
Troubleshooting
- My stick does nothing in the simThe aircraft ignores the stick, or the controls feel dead. Work through these checks in order.
- The controls jump, twitch or fight meUsually the stick reaches the aircraft twice. Here is how to make it one path.
- Windows or my antivirus warns about HeavyPro"Windows protected your PC" and antivirus warnings: why they appear and how to check your download.
- Send a good bug reportOne button collects everything we need. Here is how to use it, and what it does not contain.
Frequently asked questions
Does HeavyPro change my aircraft or the flight model?
No. HeavyPro only shapes your stick input on its way into the sim. No aircraft or flight-model file is touched. The one exception is the optional PMDG 777: Real 777 feel, which works on its own copy and is off until you turn it on.
Which simulator does HeavyPro work with?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).
Do I need force-feedback hardware?
No. HeavyPro is made for ordinary joysticks, yokes and pedals. Because a normal stick can't push back, HeavyPro turns weight into how quickly the aircraft's controls follow your hand.
Will my aircraft still feel different from each other?
Yes. HeavyPro gives Boeing columns, Airbus sidesticks, light aircraft and gliders the feel of their own control systems, and recognises many payware aircraft by name. See Aircraft recognised by name.
Does HeavyPro work with the autopilot?
It steps aside: with the autopilot on, the badge shows AP ON · PAUSED and HeavyPro hands the controls back. Disconnect the autopilot and it picks up from where your stick is.
Can I stream or make videos with HeavyPro?
Yes, monetised ones included. Please credit "HeavyPro by Rotaidem" and keep your licence key off screen.
How do I update HeavyPro?
Through RotaHub: when a new version is out, HeavyPro shows a reminder banner and RotaHub installs it with one click.
Does HeavyPro need the internet?
Only now and then. While online it re-checks your licence every 20 minutes; offline it keeps working for up to 14 days and warns you in the last 3.
Can I use HeavyPro with rudder pedals and toe brakes?
Yes. Detect your yaw axis in Setup, and set up heavy toe brakes for smooth, airliner-like braking.
I quit HeavyPro and now my stick does nothing. Why?
You made HeavyPro your stick's only path, so the sim only gets the stick through HeavyPro. Start HeavyPro again, or press Restore MSFS bindings in Setup to go back to your old bindings.