📸Camera & Searchlight

Operation of the externally mounted camera and searchlight.

The Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera (Police) and broadcast camera (above) systems are simulated as a cosmetic-only feature. Both systems share the same camera controller and display, and only differ in external 3D models. While this model is fully articulated and integrated into the cockpit controls, users should be aware of the following functional limitations:

• Articulated Turret: The FLIR ball on the nose of the aircraft is fully animated. It will respond to control inputs (Pan/Tilt) via the assigned keybinds (please refer to Keybinds List).

• No Thermal Overlay: The system does not generate a true "thermal" (infrared) image. While you may see a camera feed on the Multi-Function Displays (MFDs), it functions as a standard daylight or low-light digital camera with filters, rather than a heat-signature sensor.

• Target Tracking: The "Cosmetic Only" designation means the FLIR cannot autonomously slave to, lock onto, or track AI entities (vehicles, ships, or people) based on heat signatures.

• Objects rendering limitations: The FLIR implementation will not render SimObjects (Buildings, Ships, vehicles, aircraft or people). It is limited to render terrain, satellite imagery, and airport grounds, as fed by the Synthetic Vision engine in MSFS.

The primary reason the FLIR system is restricted to a cosmetic or "synthetic" view is the absence of Camera-in-Gauge support within the MSFS SDK.

For mouse users, the FLIR can be controlled using the modelled joystick on the right-side of the camera controller shown above.

Searchlight

The searchlight (Police variant only) can be controlled using the left joystick of the same controller. Please refer to Keybinds List for more information on controlling the searchlight movements.