Is it possible to use a USB joystick to control a fixed-wing aircraft via iNav?

[dona-fassinou]

Hi iNav devs 👋

Hey iNav team 👋,

I’m working on a ground control station to fly a fixed-wing UAV running iNav (FC: SpeedyBee F405 Wing). I’m wondering if it’s possible to use a USB joystick (simulator style or Thrustmaster) connected to my PC to directly control the plane via iNav—similar to how you can with Mission Planner and ArduPilot.

Specifically:

Does iNav support input from a USB joystick on a PC to fly an aircraft through MAVLink or another protocol?

Is this feature available now, or planned for the future?

Are there any alternative solutions or workarounds (e.g., scripts, joystick-to-RC bridges, or using QGroundControl) to achieve this?

Setup details:

TX16S + ELRS + iNav FC

Goal: fly in FPV using a joystick instead of a radio controller

OS: Windows 11

Thanks a lot for your help 🙏

[stronnag]

Sure, you can do this.
One example implantation: https://www.daria.co.uk/mwptools/mwp-hid-device-support/

[dona-fassinou]

Thanks a lot for the quick reply! 🙏
I’ll dive into the link you shared and see how I can set it up.
Really appreciate the support.
Cheers!

[stronnag]

Bottom line: INAV provides MSP_SET_RAW_RC to send RC channels to the FC. How you use that is merely an implementation detail. mwp's implementation is just one such detail. Good luck with your GCS.

[dona-fassinou]

Got it ! Thanks !!