FliteSim.com Mobile Instructor Operating Station (IOS)

Set Up Every Lesson. Watch Every Manoeuvre. Change the Scenario Without Interrupting the Student.

Bring exercise setup, live flight monitoring and simulator control together in one touchscreen-friendly instructor interface.

FliteSim Instructor Station helps instructors spend less time navigating simulator menus and more time observing, teaching and adapting the lesson. Reposition the aircraft, change the weather, introduce failures, monitor instruments and flight controls, manage circuit traffic, and review the session from a browser on the simulator PC.

From a student’s first circuit to a demanding instrument approach, the information and controls you need remain within easy reach.

Multiple simulators. One familiar interface.

Multi-Sim Mode lets you save up to ten simulator stations and switch between them from the same browser. Select a named simulator to open its Instructor Station, monitor the flight and manage the lesson. Each simulator runs independently, with its own Windows PC running X-Plane and Instructor Station on the local network.

Step away from the desk. Stay in the lesson.

Good instruction does not always happen from a desk. WiFi-Enabled access puts the live Instructor Station on the device that suits the lesson, so you can stand beside the student, move around the simulator or teach from whichever seat gives you the best view.

Less time at the desk. More time instructing.

Instructor Station brings live simulator monitoring and scenario control to another browser—giving instructors more freedom to observe, demonstrate and respond without interrupting the lesson.

There is no separate app to download. Open the local address in a browser on any phone, tablet or laptop connected to the same Wi-Fi as the host PC, enter the six-digit pairing code and you are ready to instruct.

Use the device you already have

iPhone, iPad, Android device or laptop—if it has a browser and is connected to the same Wi-Fi as the host PC, it works with Instructor Station.

No app-store installation or device-specific software is required.

Keep essential controls within reach

Pause or resume X-Plane, reposition the aircraft, change weather and time, introduce failures, manage fuel and centre of gravity, tune radios and control training traffic from a responsive browser interface. Available controls depend on the connected aircraft and X-Plane adapter capabilities.

Teach from the best position

Stand beside the student during a briefing, observe control inputs from another seat or manage a scenario. The instructor can move while the simulator stays focused on the flight.

Pair in seconds

Instructor Station displays the WiFi access URL and a six-digit pairing code under Admin Settings. Open the URL, enter the code and give the device a name. Paired devices remain manageable from the host dashboard.

Clear control handover

Multiple paired devices can monitor the session. When it is time to act, select Take control on the device you want to use. Instructor Station makes the active controller visible, helping prevent competing commands.

Local by design

WiFi-Enabled access stays on the trusted local network between the browser and the X-Plane host PC. No router port forwarding or public internet exposure is required. Instructor Station should only be used on a trusted private Wi-Fi network.

How it works

Three steps to WiFi-Enabled control

1. Start Instructor Station on the Windows PC running X-Plane 12.

2. Connect the second phone, tablet or laptop to the same Wi-Fi and open the access URL shown in Admin Settings.

3. Enter the six-digit pairing code, then select Take control when you are ready to operate the session.

Simulator Startup

The Simulator Startup panel brings the essential session-preparation controls into one workspace, helping the instructor choose the aircraft, starting location and engine state before a lesson begins.

Start X-Plane from the Instructor Station when the simulator is configured and stopped. Clear status indications show whether X-Plane is stopped, running, ready for flight setup or processing a request. The instructor can also request a simulator shutdown while keeping the Instructor Station open.

Prepare the flight through three straightforward selections. Find an aircraft installed on the simulator PC, search for an airport by name or ICAO code, then choose an available ramp or parking position, or a departure runway. Starting locations come from the installed simulator scenery.

Choose Cold start to request engines off for startup practice, or Engines running to prepare for taxi or departure. Cold start controls the requested engine state; add-on aircraft may manage batteries, avionics and saved cockpit configurations separately.

Review the aircraft, airport, starting position and engine state in the Ready to load summary before selecting Load selected flight. A confirmation step makes clear that loading replaces the current exercise. Simulator shutdown also requires confirmation.

Use the Before the lesson shortcuts to pause or resume the simulation, open weather controls, adjust fuel and loading, review failures, or move to monitoring and recording. The compact layout keeps the preparation workflow visible without page scrolling on supported desktop layouts.

Simulator Startup Panel features:

  • Dedicated startup workspace with its own sidebar icon.

  • X-Plane launch and confirmed shutdown controls.

  • Simulator availability, readiness and operation-status indications.

  • Search and selection of aircraft installed on the simulator PC.

  • Airport lookup by name or ICAO code.

  • Ramp, parking-position and departure-runway selection from local scenery.

  • Cold-start and engines-running options.

  • A pre-load summary of the selected aircraft, location and engine state.

  • Confirmation before replacing the current exercise or shutting down X-Plane.

  • Pause and resume controls for lesson preparation.

  • Shortcuts to weather, fuel and loading, failures, monitoring and recording.

  • Clear availability messages and disabled controls when an operation cannot be performed.

Main Dashboard

The main Instructor Station dashboard gives the instructor an immediate view of the aircraft and the training session.

Monitor the familiar six-pack instruments, aircraft position, horizontal track, vertical profile, flight-control inputs, trim, flap position and available engine controls. Pause the simulator when an explanation is needed, and resume when the student is ready.

Forward View can display a local browser capture of the X-Plane window, allowing the instructor to relate the pilot’s visual picture to the aircraft’s instruments, controls and flight path. Forward View and Horizontal Track can also be undocked so they remain visible while the instructor moves between other workspaces.

Arrange the dashboard around the lesson. Move panels, select full- or half-width layouts and save named arrangements for different training activities.

Main Instructor Dashboard features:

  • Live aircraft and connection status with clear stale-data indications.

  • Primary flight instruments plus actual groundspeed, altitude and available terrain height.

  • Pitch, roll, elevator-trim, flap and engine-control monitoring.

  • Horizontal track, vertical profile and optional X-Plane window capture.

  • X-Plane pause, resume and native replay controls.

  • Local training-session recording, playback and download.

NAV/COM

The NAV/COM panel brings the aircraft’s communication and navigation radios into one dedicated workspace, helping the instructor prepare frequencies and manage radio changes throughout the lesson.

Monitor active and standby frequencies for COM 1, COM 2, NAV 1 and NAV 2. Select a frequency to edit it directly, move through valid channels with the channel controls or slider, and apply the new setting. Swap active and standby frequencies to practise frequency changes and prepare the next stage of a flight.

Find frequencies using the airport search. Search by airport name or ICAO code, then select from available communication frequencies, airport ILS facilities and nearby VOR or VOR-DME stations. Tune a listed frequency directly into either compatible radio’s active bank. Browsing another airport does not change the exercise runway or reposition the aircraft.

Manage each radio’s listening state using its ACTIVE ON/OFF control, where supported by the aircraft and connected adapter. Clear Live, Stale and Replay indications help distinguish current readings from held or recorded data, while unavailable controls remain disabled.

The compact layout keeps airport lookup, frequency selection and all four radios together without page scrolling on supported desktop layouts. Frequency information comes from installed simulator scenery and navigation data, with the navigation cycle and ATIS availability shown for reference.

NAV/COM Panel features:

  • Dedicated workspace with its own sidebar icon.

  • Active and standby frequency displays for COM 1, COM 2, NAV 1 and NAV 2.

  • Direct frequency entry, channel slider, individual channel stepping and 1 MHz adjustment controls.

  • Valid-channel checking before applying a frequency.

  • Active/standby frequency swapping for each radio.

  • Individual radio listening controls where supported.

  • Airport search by name or ICAO code.

  • Direct active-frequency tuning from available COM, ILS and nearby VOR/VOR-DME selections.

  • Nearby VOR/VOR-DME lookup within 25 NM of the browsed airport.

  • Navigation-cycle information and identification of ATIS frequencies where available in installed scenery.

  • Live, stale-data and replay status indications, with capability-based control availability.

Aircraft Repositioning

Put the Aircraft Where the Lesson Begins

Repeat the manoeuvre that matters without flying the entire route again.

Aircraft Repositioning lets the instructor search the installed X-Plane airport database, select a runway and preview the next starting position. Place the aircraft for takeoff, upwind, crosswind, downwind, base or final, or create a custom airborne or ground position.

Ready-made 3 NM and 10 NM final options reduce setup time. For a tailored exercise, adjust distance, circuit offset, heading, height and initial speed using touchscreen-friendly sliders and precise value fields. Save named positions and complete runway setups for consistent lessons across students and sessions.

Airborne placement leaves X-Plane paused so the instructor can verify the setup before handing control back to the student.

Aircraft Repositioning features:

  • Search airports by code or name, or find airports near the aircraft.

  • Review runway direction, dimensions and airport elevation.

  • Choose takeoff, circuit, final or custom positions.

  • Automatically calculate a three-degree final-approach height.

  • Configure heading, speed, altitude, distance and lateral offset.

  • Save repeatable exercise setups.

  • Automatically tune NAV 1 when a supported runway ILS is selected.

Instrument Approach

Make Instrument Approaches Easier to See and ExplainBring exercise setup, live flight monitoring and simulator control together in one touchscreen-friendly instructor interface.

The Instrument Approach workspace combines the pilot’s instruments with runway-relative vertical and horizontal flight-path displays.

Follow the six-pack and NAV 1 ILS indications while the Vertical Approach Profile plots the aircraft’s altitude against distance to the runway threshold. A central three-degree reference, supported by one-degree and five-degree guide lines, makes a high, low or unstable descent easier to identify and discuss.

The Horizontal Approach Profile shows the aircraft’s lateral path relative to the extended runway centreline. Select a 5, 10, 15 or 20 nautical-mile scale, follow the aircraft marker and review reported flap-extension points along the approach.

Instead of describing a deviation only after landing, the instructor can show the student where it developed and relate it to the instrument indications and aircraft configuration.

Instrument Approach features:

  • NAV 1 localizer and glideslope indications.

  • Runway-relative vertical and horizontal approach profiles.

  • Selectable profile scale from 5 to 20 NM.

  • Aircraft position markers and flight-path history.

  • Flap-extension markers with reported flap angles.

  • Live and recorded-session review.

Custom Weather

Change the Weath Conditions as the Lesson Develops

Move from a calm VFR exercise to demanding weather without leaving the instructor interface.

Start with a weather preset, use the current simulator weather as a baseline or refine the conditions with direct controls.

Adjust temperature, dew point, pressure, visibility, wind speed and direction, gust increase, directional shear, turbulence, precipitation and the first cloud layer.

Touch-friendly sliders make broad changes quick, while value fields support precise setup. Save useful combinations as favourites so recurring exercises can begin with consistent conditions.

The dashboard also includes a time-of-day control for daylight, dusk and night exercises.

Custom Weather features:

  • Quick weather presets for common VFR, marginal, IFR and convective scenarios.

  • Visibility, pressure, temperature and dew-point controls.

  • Wind direction, speed, gust, shear and turbulence controls.

  • Precipitation intensity and first-layer cloud controls.

  • Cloud type, coverage, base and top settings.

  • Thunderstorm setup and saved weather favourites.

  • Local time-of-day adjustment.

Fuel & Center of Gravity

Turn Loading Changes into Practical Teaching

Use the Fuel & Centre of Gravity workspace to explore how aircraft loading affects handling, performance and operating decisions.

Adjust supported fuel tanks with sliders or precise values, review the reported total fuel and aircraft mass, and change the aircraft’s longitudinal centre-of-gravity offset. Because the controls are available from the instructor station, loading scenarios can be prepared without interrupting the flow of the lesson.

Tank availability and adjustment limits follow the aircraft and the values exposed by X-Plane. The centre-of-gravity control changes the simulator’s longitudinal CG offset; it complements, rather than replaces, formal weight-and-balance planning.

Fuel & Center of Gravity features:

  • Individual supported fuel-tank controls.

  • Reported total fuel and aircraft mass.

  • Longitudinal centre-of-gravity offset adjustment.

  • Touch sliders with precise numeric entry.

  • Pause-protected changes with simulator readback where supported.

Failure Management

Introduce Failures at the Right Moment

Create recognition, diagnosis and recovery exercises from a dedicated Failure Management workspace.

Choose from supported engine, electrical, instrument, radio, fuel, flight-control, hydraulic and landing-gear failures. Trigger a failure immediately or set an individual countdown so the event occurs later, allowing the instructor to observe the student before the scenario changes.

Each system can be restored independently. Pending countdowns can be restarted or cancelled, and Clear All Failures returns the supported controls to their normal state when the lesson is complete. Timers run inside the X-Plane plugin, pause with the simulator and continue even if the instructor changes browser pages.

Failure Management features:

  • Thirty-one supported failure controls in the current catalogue.

  • Category filtering for faster scenario preparation.

  • Immediate activation or a 1–3,600 second countdown.

  • Individual restore, restart and cancel controls.

  • Clear All Failures for a fast reset.

  • Failure status and countdown telemetry where supported.

Active Traffic Circuit Training

Build a Multi-Aircraft Active Traffic Circuit Environment

The Traffic workspace adds purposeful training aircraft to the selected airport and runway, creating a more active environment for circuit awareness, radio work and spacing decisions.

Add up to ten supported Cessna 172 and Cirrus SR22 default aircraft models installed in X-Plane. Configure circuit direction and distance, altitude, circuit and approach speeds, final-approach length and landing behaviour. Start traffic at a holding point, on the runway or on an airborne circuit leg, and stagger multiple aircraft with a selectable injection interval.

Choose pilot position calls for a traffic-advisory scenario or select a tower-controlled circuit. In instructor-controlled Tower mode, issue line-up, takeoff and approach clearances from the traffic cards. Automated Tower can manage the exchanges when the student’s workload is the focus.

Scripted following-speed and flap protection support orderly training traffic, while unsafe approach spacing can trigger a go-around. The instructor remains responsible for supervising the complete scenario.

Active Traffic Circuit Training features:

  • Up to ten supported training aircraft.

  • Cessna 172 and Cirrus SR22 support when the corresponding models are installed.

  • Left- or right-hand circuits with configurable geometry and speeds.

  • Standard, short and extended final-approach profiles.

  • Touch-and-go, full-stop and low-approach behaviour.

  • Pilot position calls or tower-controlled circuit training.

  • Instructor-issued or automated Tower clearances.

  • Saved airport, runway and aircraft-specific traffic setups.

Multi-Sim

Multi-Sim Mode brings multiple simulator PCs into one Instructor Station workspace, allowing an instructor to move quickly between simulators operating on the same trusted network.

Enable Multi-Sim Mode from Admin Settings, then configure up to 10 simulator PCs with a display name and Instructor Station address. Each simulator can be identified by aircraft, registration, training device or station number, making larger training environments easier to manage.

Open the dedicated Multi-Sim workspace using the four-square sidebar icon. Each configured simulator appears as a square tile showing its name and network address. The current simulator is clearly highlighted, while selecting another tile switches the browser to that simulator’s Instructor Station.

The simulator directory follows the browser when switching between stations, so the same Multi-Sim panel remains available across the environment. Authentication remains separate: each simulator retains its own pairing credentials, and a browser may require pairing the first time it connects to a station.

Multi-Sim Mode supports desktop and mobile layouts. Addresses are validated before they are saved, with invalid, duplicate and unsafe addresses rejected. Embedded credentials and unsupported address schemes are not accepted.

Multi-Sim Mode features:

  • Admin Settings toggle for enabling or disabling Multi-Sim Mode.

  • Configuration for up to 10 named simulator PCs.

  • Custom simulator names for identifying aircraft, devices or training stations.

  • Dedicated four-square Multi-Sim sidebar icon.

  • Square simulator tiles showing each station’s name and network address.

  • Clear highlighting of the currently connected simulator.

  • One-click switching between Instructor Stations.

  • Shared simulator directory that follows the browser between stations.

  • Separate pairing credentials retained by each simulator.

  • Support for desktop, tablet and mobile layouts.

  • Validation of HTTP and HTTPS Instructor Station addresses.

  • Rejection of invalid, duplicate and unsafe addresses.

  • Protection against addresses containing embedded credentials.

  • Independent operation of each simulator and its local Instructor Station.

Sidebar and Workspace Customisation

Arrange the Station Around the Way You Teach

Every main workspace is one tap away in the left-hand sidebar. Hover over an icon to see its name, select it to change workspaces and use the reorder control to place the functions in the sequence that best suits your lessons.

The chosen sidebar order is saved automatically in that browser. The main dashboard can be arranged independently, with movable panels and reusable named layouts.

This gives each instructor a consistent workspace without forcing every lesson into the same screen arrangement.

First-Year Commercial License Included

Bring connected simulator management, guided practice, and detailed flight review into your training programme.

The first-year commercial license for the FliteSim.com Instructor Station is included with every purchase of a FliteSim.com Commercial System.

Give instructors real-time control over X-Plane 12 training sessions.

Monitor flight instruments, reposition aircraft, configure weather and failures, manage circuit traffic, and analyse instrument approaches—all from one user-friendly interface.

Book a Demo

Your first-year commercial license is included with every FliteSim.com Commercial System purchase.