Flight Deck ONE is an iPad app that turns your tablet into a full secondary cockpit for X-Plane. It mirrors and controls avionics, autopilot, radios, lights, engines, and dozens of other aircraft systems — all from a touchscreen panel that sits alongside your simulator. This guide walks you through everything you need to get from a fresh install to your first controlled flight.
Contents
1. What You Need
- iPad — any iPad running iPadOS 16 or later.
- X-Plane 12 — running on a Mac or PC on the same local network as your iPad.
- Wi-Fi connection — both devices must be on the same network. A wired ethernet connection on your PC paired with a Wi-Fi router works fine; the iPad just needs to reach the simulator machine.
X-Plane 11 is also supported for most features, but X-Plane 12 is recommended for the best experience.
2. Installation
Download Flight Deck ONE from the App Store on your iPad. No plugin or additional software is required on the X-Plane side — the app communicates with X-Plane’s built-in network interfaces, which are active by default.
3. Connecting to X-Plane
Flight Deck ONE finds your simulator automatically — no IP addresses to type in. As soon as X-Plane is running and both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, the connection indicator in the toolbar turns green.
Connection Status
The simulator status badge in the top toolbar shows one of three states:
- Connected (green) — X-Plane is running and reachable. All controls are live.
- Searching (amber) — The app is scanning the network. Start X-Plane if it isn’t running yet.
- Disconnected (red) — X-Plane is not found. Check that both devices are on the same network and that X-Plane is open.
If Auto-Detection Doesn’t Work
Occasionally a firewall or network configuration blocks automatic discovery. Go to Settings → Connection and enter your simulator PC’s IP address manually. See the Connection Settings tutorial for a full walkthrough.
4. Your First Deck
A Deck is a panel layout — a collection of cockpit controls arranged on screen. Flight Deck ONE ships with a large library of pre-built decks covering popular aircraft including the Boeing 737, Airbus A320, Boeing 747, MD-11, Citation X, and General Aviation types.
Opening a Deck
- Load your aircraft in X-Plane.
- In Flight Deck ONE, tap Decks in the sidebar.
- The Deck Browser opens. Decks are grouped by aircraft family and system type.
- Find a deck that matches your aircraft and tap it to open it, or enable Focus Mode, which will show only the Deck(s) compatible with the currently loaded aircraft.
Once a deck is open, every control on it is live — turning a knob or pressing a button sends the corresponding command directly to X-Plane in real time.
Basic Controls
- Rotary knobs — Drag and rotate. The gesture mode can be changed in settings.
- Buttons — Tap once to press. Some support long-press for repeated or alternate actions.
- Selectors — Tap to cycle through positions, like a rotary selector switch.
- Displays — Read-only data readouts that update live from the simulator.
For a full explanation of every gesture available on rotary knobs, see the Rotary Gestures tutorial.
5. Navigating the App
Flight Deck ONE is organised into sections accessible from the sidebar. Tap the menu icon in the top-left corner to open it.
Main Sections
- Decks — Your cockpit panels. Open the browser, pick a deck, fly.
- Dashboard — A customisable command panel you can fill with your most-used controls and data readouts.
- My Hangar — Your personal aircraft fleet. Track each airframe, its location, and its maintenance status.
- Logbook — Automatic flight recording. Every flight is logged here with full telemetry and replay.
- Memories — Screenshots and videos from your flights, organised by date.
- World Map — A live map showing your aircraft, your fleet, nearby airports, navaids, and weather.
- EFB — Electronic Flight Bag. Dispatch, charts, weather, and performance data without leaving the app.
- Settings — Connection, integrations, appearance, and premium preferences.
The Toolbar
The toolbar runs along the top of the screen. When a deck is open it shows the connection status, flight time, and a screenshot button. Tap the time badge on the right to open the Control Center — a quick-access panel for the most common app controls.
6. Premium Features
The free version of Flight Deck ONE includes a selection of decks and basic connectivity. A Premium subscription or lifetime purchase unlocks the full app:
- The complete deck library and the Deck Composer to build custom panels
- My Hangar, Logbook, Memories, and World Map
- EFB with SimBrief integration, charts, and weather
- Automatic flight detection and Black Box telemetry recording
- Flight Statistics and PDF logbook export
To explore and activate Premium, go to Settings → Premium. See the Premium Settings tutorial for details on every option.
7. What’s Next
Once you have your first deck open and X-Plane connected, explore the rest of the app at your own pace. Here are the most useful tutorials to read next:
- Deck Browser — find and filter decks in the library.
- Rotary Gestures — master every gesture available on knobs.
- Logbook — understand how automatic flight logging works.
- My Hangar — add your aircraft fleet and track each airframe.
- World Map — explore the live map and teleport to any airport.
- App Settings — fine-tune the app to match your preferences.
