Meet Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit. Blackbird’s 310R documentation places it in Cessna’s 1950s light-twin lineage and notes that the last 310R left the factory in 1981. Its twin engines, propeller controls and fuel management add another layer of cockpit work to the familiar yoke-and-pedal arrangement.
The 310R guide identifies dual yokes, electric pitch trim and separate pitch, roll and yaw trim wheels. The KAP140 automatic-flight system is part of that rendition.
History & design
A long-lived light-twin family
Blackbird’s guide discusses the 310’s 1950s origin and the 1981 end of 310R production. The product adds configurable avionics, persistent wear and failure options around its IO-520-M-powered 310R. Those are the implementation’s documented capabilities, separate from Digital Replica’s C310L product.
Blackbird / Milviz · 310R User Guide — Blackbird / Milviz ↗Blackbird 310R guide and aircraft background.
Three trim axes and a dual-yoke cockpit
Pitch, roll and yaw trim wheels appear alongside electric pitch trim and AP disconnect controls. The guide describes the KAP140 installation. These details support a three-axis trim and automatic-flight cockpit account for the 310R rendition, without assigning that same equipment to every 310L or modified real-aircraft cockpit.
Blackbird / Milviz · 310R User Guide — Blackbird / Milviz ↗310R user guide pp. 34, 39, 43.
Systems & details
A cockpit that carries its condition between flights
Blackbird’s 310R combines swappable avionics with persistent wear and failure options. The product also depicts luggage and passengers according to station loading, icing and frost, inflatable de-ice boots and accumulating dirt inside and outside the aircraft. These details make the selected aircraft state part of the simulation rather than a cosmetic livery choice alone. Its twin 285 hp IO-520-M installation belongs to the 310R product and should remain separate from the 310L’s configuration.
In your simulator
No released simulator product is listed for this aircraft in the developers reviewed. Announced products are excluded.
Manuals & resources
Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
310R User Guide — Blackbird / MilvizBlackbird / Milviz · Blackbird 310R guide and aircraft background.; 310R user guide pp. 34, 39, 43.Aircraft background
MV310 for MSFS2020Blackbird Simulations · Aircraft equipment and developer product details. Digital Replica UpdateDigital Replica · Aircraft equipment and developer product details.Developer documentation
Cessna 310L-DigitalReplica-310store.x-plane.org · Aircraft equipment and developer product details.Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261011-v3 · 4 profile choices
Blackbird 310R
Blackbird Simulations · Free and Pro · Revision 5 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit.
Digital Replica C310L
Digital Replica · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
The Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit.
Cessna 310L
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 12
The Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit.
Cessna 310R
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 · X-Plane 12
The Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit.
Blackbird 310R
The Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit.
Aircraft and simulator scope
- Blackbird 310R · Blackbird Simulations · MSFS 2020 · Add-on starting point
- Blackbird 310R · Blackbird Simulations · MSFS 2024 · Add-on starting point
The simulator model and controls
Blackbird 310R is the selected Blackbird Simulations configuration.
How this profile feels
Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
Valid trim provides the configured pressure relief. Autopilot following is off.
Aircraft and configuration
The Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit. Blackbird’s 310R documentation places it in Cessna’s 1950s light-twin lineage and notes that the last 310R left the factory in 1981. Its twin engines, propeller controls and fuel management add another layer of cockpit work to the familiar yoke-and-pedal arrangement.
Three trim axes and a dual-yoke cockpit
Pitch, roll and yaw trim wheels appear alongside electric pitch trim and AP disconnect controls. The guide describes the KAP140 installation. These details support a three-axis trim and automatic-flight cockpit account for the 310R rendition, without assigning that same equipment to every 310L or modified real-aircraft cockpit.
About the values
Strengths are normalized hardware-feel settings. They set the effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its limits. The IAS reference is a tuning value.
Documentary review and sources
These decisions describe the documentary basis and remaining gaps for this revision. Aircraft documentation and a starting setting describe different kinds of evidence.
Aircraft and variant
InheritedBlackbird 310R is the selected Blackbird Simulations configuration.
Flight controls
InheritedThe Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit.
Trim
InheritedTrim: Pitch, roll and yaw wheels; electric pitch trim. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0.12.
Autopilot and stability
InheritedAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel.
Equipment
InheritedThe Cessna 310 is a piston twin with a low wing, retractable landing gear and a side-by-side cabin cockpit. Blackbird’s 310R documentation places it in Cessna’s 1950s light-twin lineage and notes that the last 310R left the factory in 1981. Its twin engines, propeller controls and fuel management add another layer of cockpit work to the familiar yoke-and-pedal arrangement.
Speeds and limits
InheritedThe indicated-speed references set the profile response scale; they are separate from aircraft operating limits.
Simulator integration
InheritedThe profile targets msfs2020, msfs2024. Add-on-specific controls use only the supported references configured by this profile.
Force-feedback settings
InheritedThe settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
Starting settings and their rationale
These configured values are starting estimates. The explanations describe what each setting controls; physical validation appears separately below.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.74 | What it controls and whyPitch, roll and yaw trim wheels appear alongside electric pitch trim and AP disconnect controls. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 65 KIAS. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.8 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 160 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value160 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value65 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.73 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.73 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
All 44 starting settings and their rationale
The settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.74 | What it controls and whyPitch, roll and yaw trim wheels appear alongside electric pitch trim and AP disconnect controls. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 65 KIAS. |
| Spring deadband | Starting value0.045 | What it controls and whySets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.8 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 160 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| QBlend Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it. |
| QSpring Minimum Factor | Starting value0.5 | What it controls and whySets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength. |
| QSpring Start Knots | Starting value8 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value65 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value160 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening gain | Starting value0.15 | What it controls and whyThe high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0.15. It strengthens the permitted spring response above 65 KIAS, with the squared-speed ratio capped at 5. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening limit | Starting value5 | What it controls and whyLimits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.73 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.73 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Elevator Authority | Starting value0.3 | What it controls and whyTrim: Pitch, roll and yaw wheels; electric pitch trim. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0.12. |
| Aileron Authority | Starting value0.12 | What it controls and whyScales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response. |
| Force Trim Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyEnables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification. |
| GLoad Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it. |
| Rate Damping Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyAutopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot follow authority | Starting value0.1 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Autopilot neutral hold strength | Starting value0.6 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions. |
| Gain | Starting value0.35 | What it controls and whySets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate. |
| Maximum flap index | Starting value3 | What it controls and whySets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3. |
| Minimum flap index | Starting value2 | What it controls and whySets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate. |
| Shaker Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment. |
| Stick shaker amplitude | Starting value0.5 | What it controls and whySets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.4 | What it controls and whySets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration. |
| Gain | Starting value0.25 | What it controls and whySets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact. |
| Gain | Starting value0.65 | What it controls and whySets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.12 | What it controls and whySets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement. |
| Gain | Starting value0.12 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue. |
| Gain | Starting value0.12 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects. |
Limits and open questions
- Blackbird 310R; msfs2020, msfs2024. Previously observed titles and implementation identifiers are retained; installed matching remains deferred.
- Conventional manual light-twin yoke; IAS-dependent loading, with engine and accessory textures kept separate from aerodynamic forces.
- Estimated pitch/roll aerodynamic relief; electric pitch trim and pedestal wheels operate the same aircraft trims. No custom LVar or undocumented neutral mapping.
- Manual identifies default MSFS KAP140. Preserve native observations and disconnect behaviour; third-party GPS changes do not establish installed servo-follow acceptance. AP servo-follow and neutral hold remain disabled; engagement indicators are not force-demand signals.
- Twin IO520M pistons, retractable wheels and flaps. Ownership/rental mode, wear and avionics choices do not change calibrated hand forces.
- 160 KIAS is an estimated feel reference, not cruise TAS or a certified limit. No invented Mach, VNE or weight scheduling.
- Read-only native telemetry for aircraft motion and accessory positions. Custom switches, display animations and mode lamps are not calibrated servo targets. No unverified LVars/datarefs or simulator writes.
- Spring 0.74; lateral scale 0.73; trim authorities 0.3/0.12; per-axis output cap 0.55. Editable engineering estimates, not measured hand forces. No body-rate torque, surface following or fabricated hydraulic-failure loads.
- New physical and installed-product checks deferred by owner. Existing separately recorded acceptance retains its original device, simulator, add-on and version limits. Source review does not broaden custom telemetry acceptance.
- Only actual accessory position changes drive movement texture; static drag and command-triggered kicks are disabled. Select and save an aircraft default when telemetry lacks a discriminating developer/configuration identity.
Physical validation
No physical force validation is recorded in this public catalogue for this revision. Documentary review and software checks do not establish how a particular device feels.
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