MSFS 2024 · Airliner

FlyByWire A380X Startup Checklist

FlyByWire A380X Startup Notes

The A380X powers up on four batteries, not two: BAT 1, ESS BAT, BAT 2 and the APU battery. Ground power surprises people next, because the airplane needs at least two external units to carry the network, and FlyByWire's SOP switches them on in the order 2, 3, 1, 4 so the displays come up faster. Set all three IR selectors to NAV early; alignment runs a realistic eight minutes unless you change it on the flyPad. And the FMS has no keypad - its pages live on the MFD, driven by the KCCU trackball.

Fuel and payload are the classic trap. They load exclusively through the flyPad EFB, and the sim's own weight and balance sliders snap back within seconds, so pilots set a load that never arrives and then meet an amber INITIALIZE WEIGHT/CG on the FMS. Engine start needs the APU running with APU bleed on, and the SOP asks for a ten second pause after IGN START so the FADEC can finish its engine tests before you lift the masters one at a time. Treat the SOP's OIT and laptop pages as background reading; the terminal is still largely inoperative in this alpha.

Common mistakes

  • Loading fuel in the sim's panel instead of the flyPad EFB
  • Connecting a single ground power unit when two are the minimum
  • Lifting the engine masters inside the ten second wait after IGN START

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