Simulator setup · iPad & iPhone
Give your X-Plane 12 instruments their own screen.
Look around the cockpit. Switch to an outside view. Keep pitch, roll, speed and altitude in sight on the iPad beside you.
AirHorizon receives flight data from X-Plane and draws it as a HUD on your iPad or iPhone. Here’s how to connect the two, and how to tell when the readings are coming through.
Let’s connect it
A separate display for the flight you’re already flying
Your computer still runs X-Plane. The iPad shows the readings sent by that simulator, so moving the tablet does not change pitch and roll when those channels use the external source.
This is AirHorizon’s own instrument layout. It does not mirror your aircraft’s G1000, reproduce every cockpit gauge, or control its switches.
Before you start
- X-Plane 12 on your computer.
- An iPad or iPhone with iPadOS / iOS 18.1 or later.
- AirHorizon Pro for external simulator telemetry. The app is free to download; this connection is a Pro feature.
- Both devices connected to the same local network. The computer may use Ethernet while the iPad uses Wi-Fi.
No X-Plane plugin is required. The setup described here has been tested with X-Plane 12 on macOS and AirHorizon on iPhone and iPad.
Step 01
Tell X-Plane where your iPad is
On the iPad, open Settings → Wi-Fi, tap the information button beside your connected network, and find IP Address. On iPhone, follow the same steps.
That is the destination for the readings. Use the tablet’s address, not the computer’s address or the router address.
In X-Plane’s data output settings, enable network data output and enter that IP address as the destination. Set the destination UDP port to 49000, which is the port AirHorizon listens on.
The IP address can change when you reconnect to Wi-Fi. If a setup that worked yesterday stops connecting, check this first.
Step 02
Choose the readings to send
Open X-Plane Settings → Data Output → General Data Output. Enable Network via UDP for the rows below. The Show in Cockpit checkbox only displays values inside X-Plane; it does not send them to your tablet.
| Row | X-Plane data | On AirHorizon |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Speeds | Ground speed |
| 17 | Pitch, roll, headings | Horizon and heading tape |
| 20 | Latitude, longitude, altitude | Altitude above mean sea level |
| 4 | Mach, VVI, G-load | Vertical speed / variometer |
| 108 | Autopilot, flight director, HUD | Director Mode guidance |
Leave Director Mode for later if you just want the basic instruments. Its row numbering can differ between X-Plane versions; the tested setup uses row 108.
Step 03
Switch AirHorizon to the simulator
Open AirHorizon and allow Local Network access when iOS asks. In the app, go to Settings → External Source and enable Use External for All, or select only the signals you want from X-Plane.
For vertical speed, also enable Show Variometer under Settings → Variometer. If you select sources individually, turn on Use External for Variometer as well.
Start or resume a flight in X-Plane, then return to AirHorizon’s instrument screen.
Step 04
Make one turn. Watch both screens.
With the simulator flight running, make a gentle bank. AirHorizon’s horizon should follow the simulated aircraft while the tablet stays still. Then try a climb and watch the altitude and variometer respond.
The EXT status shows which selected channels have fresh data:
- S
- Speed
- A
- Altitude
- H
- Heading
- V
- Variometer
- P
- Pitch
- R
- Roll
A missing letter means that channel is waiting. WAIT means all selected channels are waiting. During a data interruption, pitch, roll, heading, speed and altitude hold their last readings; the app does not automatically switch those channels back to device sensors.
Why the speed can look different
AirHorizon shows ground speed. Your aircraft’s airspeed indicator usually shows indicated airspeed. They measure different things, so matching numbers are not a connection test. The altitude input is altitude above mean sea level, not height above the ground.
Once the basic readings work, try Director Mode with the flight director active in X-Plane and its data row enabled. The guidance comes from the simulator; AirHorizon does not fly the aircraft.
If something is missing
Nothing arrives, or EXT says WAIT
Check the iPad’s current IP address, destination port 49000, and the Network via UDP checkboxes. Keep an X-Plane flight running. In iOS Settings, confirm that AirHorizon has Local Network permission.
Guest Wi-Fi, router client isolation and VPNs can prevent devices on the same network from communicating. Use a network that allows local device connections.
The horizon moves when I tilt the iPad
Check the pitch and roll source selections in AirHorizon. Set them to External, or enable Use External for All. Make sure X-Plane sends row 17.
The horizon works, but the variometer does not
Enable row 4 in X-Plane, Show Variometer in AirHorizon, and Use External for Variometer. Keep the simulated flight running and try a climb or descent; level flight may correctly show zero.
The readings update in steps
Keep Auto Smooth enabled in AirHorizon’s External Source settings. If updates stop altogether, check EXT and the network connection before changing display settings.
Still stuck? Send a message to the developer with your X-Plane version, iPhone or iPad model, and which EXT letters appear.
Ready for your next session
A place for the view. A place for the instruments.
Put the iPad where it is easy to glance at, choose a readable layout, and return to your flight.
Get AirHorizon on the App StoreFree download · External telemetry requires Pro
For X-Plane’s own explanation of data output, see the X-Plane 12 Desktop Manual. For a quick reference or a Condor setup, see our telemetry connection notes.
This guide is for flight simulation. AirHorizon is not a certified aviation instrument and must not be used as a primary or backup attitude reference in a real aircraft.