The AI Pilot Flight Computer is a part which allows the AI to fly your craft for you. It has several settings for controlling the desired altitude, steering and speed which the AI should try to maintain.
It can be toggled through the settings pane by right-clicking the part itself, or through an action group. The Flight Computer will not function on units that do not have a Weapon Manager attached.
Note: AI Pilots can't turn on their own engines - this must be done manually.
Altitude controls[]
Default Alt.[]
The pilot will attempt to hold this altitude when it is orbiting, extending, or flying to a commanded position.
Minimum Alt.[]
If the pilot is below this altitude, it will prioritize climbing to exceed it.
Steering controls[]
The settings pane for the AI Pilot Flight Computer
Every plane handles differently, so the control system of the AI Pilot must be tuned to handle the plane properly.
Steer Factor[]
This is a constant that adjusts how much input the pilot should use to steer towards a target direction (proportional gain in PID control).
Tips for tweaking:
If the plane is over-correcting when trying to fly in a straight line, turn this value down. If the plane is not giving enough input to make a certain turn, turn this value up.
Steer Limiter[]
This limits the pilot's inputs. For example, if you don't want the pilot to ever pull 100% on the stick, set it to a lower value.
Steer Damping[]
This is a constant that adjusts how much input the pilot should use to counter rotational movement (derivative gain in PID control). It can help with reducing oscillations in the pilot's steering.
Tips for tweaking:
If the plane is steering well, but overshooting and oscillating once it reaches it's target direction, turn this value up.
If the plane is not giving full input when it should be (trying to turn, then reducing input too much when it starts to turn quickly), turn this value down.
Speed Controls[]
Max Speed[]
The maximum speed the pilot is allowed to go. If it exceeds this speed, it will always cut throttle and use brakes if necessary to drop to this speed.
TakeOff Speed[]
When landed and accelerating for take-off, the pilot will wait until it has reached this speed before attempting to rotate and climb.
MinCombatSpeed[]
If the pilot drops below this speed, it will prioritize re-gaining energy by aborting a turn and flying on a downward slope.
Idle Speed[]
The pilot will hold this speed if there are no threats and its just orbiting.
Max G[]
The maximum G-force the pilot will allow for when pitching. Set this lower to keep maneuverable aircraft from tearing apart when making sharp turns.
Max AoA[]
The maximum angle of attack the pilot will allow for when pitching or yawing.
Standby Mode[]
If you want to have a pilot sitting on the ground, waiting for enemies to be detected before taking off, you can set it on Standby Mode before enabling it.
Activate Pilot[]
This button will activate the pilot. It will immediately attempt to take off if it has active engines and is not in standby mode.