Brittany Vincent

Article / Updated 08-03-2023

Giving people a chance to fly without all the time, money, and risk that goes into actual piloting makes flight-simulator video games such a fun and rewarding experience. Microsoft Flight Simulator is currently the best of its kind for casual players and hardcore enthusiasts alike. Currently, you can purchase three different versions of Flight Simulator: the Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Deluxe editions. Differences among editions include the number and type of available airports and aircraft, and of course, the price. Even the Standard version of Flight Simulator includes around 37,000 airports! Other good news is that the game is largely the same across platforms (PC and Xbox series), so you won’t compromise the experience when it comes to choosing the platform you want to play on. What platforms can you use to play Microsoft Flight Simulator? Flight Simulator originally debuted as a PC-only title when it first released in August 2020. It also received a special virtual-reality version in December 2020, the first time any flight simulator had done so. Though it remained a PC exclusive title for some time, on July 27, 2021, Flight Simulator debuted on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The game likely won’t be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, or Nintendo Switch in the near future, given that it’s a Microsoft-owned property. So, if you’re interested in playing, you need to have a PC or Xbox series platform. Here are a couple of thoughts for your platform choice: On an Xbox: You may find that picking up an Xbox console (if you don’t already have one) makes playing the game simpler. Flight Simulator is highly playable on Xbox consoles and may be more accessible for those who aren’t comfortable configuring PC games and software. On a PC: Flight Simulator can be quite demanding on computers that don’t have pricey gaming equipment. On the other hand, you can expect awesome graphics if you play on a gaming PC that has the latest and greatest graphic card and processor. Which version should you buy? Each version of Flight Simulator differs in scope of content, such as airplanes and airports. The versions (depicted below) are priced in tiers, and depending on the experience you want from the game, you can expect more or less content based on how much you’re willing to pay. Hey, becoming a pilot isn’t cheap! Here’s a quick reference guide to what each version contains: Standard Edition: The base version of the game. It comes with 20 different planes and 30 enhanced airports, and it retails for $59.99 (USD, 2023). Deluxe Edition: This version of the game comes with everything in the Standard Edition, plus five additional enhanced airports and five additional airplanes. It retails for $89.99 (USD, 2023). The enhanced airports included are: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Netherlands) Cairo International Airport (Egypt) Cape Town International Airport (South Africa) O’Hare International Airport (USA) Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (Spain) The additional airplanes included are: Diamond Aircraft DA40-TDI Diamond Aircraft DV20 Textron Aviation Inc. Beechcraft Baron G58 Textron Aviation Inc. Cessna 152 Aerobat Textron Aviation Inc. Cessna 172 Skyhawk Premium Deluxe Edition: This version of the game comes with everything that the Deluxe Edition includes, as well as five more enhanced airports and another five airplanes. It retails for $119.99 (USD, 2023). The enhanced airports included are: Denver International Airport (USA) Dubai International Airport (UAE) Frankfurt Airport (Germany) Heathrow Airport (UK) San Francisco International Airport (USA) The additional planes included are: Boeing Company 787-10 Dreamliner Cirrus Aircraft SR22 Pipistrel Virus SW 121 Textron Aviation Inc. Cessna Citation Longitude Zlin Aviation Shock Ultra If you decide that you want to upgrade to the Deluxe or Premium Deluxe editions later on, you just have to pay the difference on the platform of your choice. You can download the additional content you were missing to the installation you already have. No pressure! Wait, what are enhanced airports? Don’t confuse the small number of enhanced airports in the different versions of the game with the total number of airports that you can fly out of (around 37,000). More enhanced airports come with the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe versions, which means you get adapted constructions of airports (for example, Chicago O’Hare) that are more true-to-life than what they’d normally be in-game. Game designers handcraft an enhanced airport from the ground up to look exactly like the locations in question; the standard, procedurally generated airports aren’t nearly as detailed. So, if you have a soft spot in your heart for the San Francisco International Airport, you might want to pick up the version of the game that includes its enhanced version so that you can see it just like it looks in your mind’s eye. The enhanced airports may end up making it a much more exciting game to jump into — and you want to get the most out of your money, of course! What do you need to get started? Depending on which version of Flight Simulator you plan on playing, the answer to what you need varies. For the most part, whether you’re playing on PC, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S, you need only a copy of the game, your platform of choice, and some type of input. Your input can be a mouse and keyboard, game controller (I recommend an Xbox controller if you have one), or flight stick. Obviously, you can find a wide variety of all these things. But if you want to use a controller, you can simply use the Xbox gamepad that comes with your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S by default. Otherwise, you need your sense of adventure and a little patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You can’t earn your fictional pilot’s license in a day, either. You have a lot to learn, but don’t get discouraged. As with all things, practice makes perfect, and the more time you spend learning to fly, the more you retain. The more you retain, the better you perform. The better you perform, the more you want to fly. And then, before you know it, you might want to try your luck behind the controls of a real plane! You might want to; not me. I’m still a little too terrified. Heights are not my thing.

Article / Updated 08-03-2023

To successfully fly in Microsoft Flight Simulator, you need to know how to use the various instruments included in your cockpit. At first, getting to know and understand each instrument may seem confusing. But, with a little time and guidance, you can discover what every instrument does, as well as how to read it during flight. The instruments in Flight Simulator can tell you how fast you’re going (airspeed), how high up you are (altitude), and other vital information you need to know, such as the direction you’re flying (your current heading). Flight Simulator has two primary types of cockpits that you can become acquainted with: An analog cockpit relies on analog instruments that appear as dials and gauges and rely on mechanical measurements to display information. You need to know how to read the various needles and indicators that relay these measurements. A glass cockpit relies on multiple electronic panels to sift through and display important information to you digitally during flight. This means you’ll get a direct readout rather than you having to interpret analog dials and gauges. Reading analog instruments Many of the planes in Flight Simulator have analog cockpits, especially the older planes. In fact, many of the planes that you fly during the game’s tutorial lessons rely on analog instruments for vital information such as heading, altitude, and so on. For that reason alone, you need to know how to read analog instruments early on in your career with Flight Simulator. However, some planes are hybrids with a combination of analog and digital systems. For example, the Cessna 172 includes a digital radio and navigation system but uses analog gauges for nearly everything else. Coming to terms with the instruments in your aircraft is about identifying each panel — where it is and what it does. Although a cockpit may look daunting at first, knowing the basics of each instrument (position and function) can make your flights easier in the long run. Overall, the exact layout, functionality, and appearance of instruments may vary depending on your aircraft. However, several fundamental instrument types are in each cockpit, so get acquainted with them. For this example, I present the cockpit of a Cessna 152, as shown below. The callouts in the figure above correspond with some of the instruments in this list: Airspeed indicator: Displays your airspeed (how fast you’re traveling), measured in knots (which is one nautical mile per hour). Pay special attention to this instrument during flight because aircraft are very sensitive to speed. For example, unlike cars, which will just stop in one place if you run out of speed, an airplane will drop like a rock. This situation is obviously bad for the pilot. The white lines on the airspeed indicator signal that you can extend the flaps at those speeds. Remember that the higher the speed, the lower the tilt (using the rudders to pivot the plane up or down). The green line marks the speed range in which you can safely tilt the rudders at their full range of movement. The yellow range means you’re quickly approaching the limit of the plane’s structural strength. Attitude indicator: Shows the current orientation of the plane in space. You make use of this instrument when you have to fly based on your instruments to ensure your angle of approach does not exceed recommendations. The brown portion in this indicator signifies the ground, and the blue part indicates the sky. Altimeter: Shows you the current ceiling (meaning the maximum density altitude an aircraft can reach) in feet or meters. Keep in mind that the altimeter measures the elevation of your craft Above Sea Level (ASL). Just because you’re on the ground doesn’t mean that you have an altimeter value of zero. When your craft is on the ground, the altimeter shows a value of anywhere from a few hundred feet to several thousand feet, depending on the elevation above sea level of the airport you’re currently visiting. Before takeoff, tune the altimeter to the barometric pressure at the airport’s location. Throttle RPM meter: Shows you the current revolutions per minute (RPMs) of the plane’s engine. Flaps control: Controls the flaps on the rear of the wings. Essentially, you can adjust these mechanisms to provide more load-bearing force — allowing the plane to take off from a shorter distance — or keep the plane airborne at a low speed. Additionally, flaps may be used to slow down the plane. Fuel Mixture control: Regulates how much fuel is injected into the engine. You need to reduce or increase the ratio of fuel to air being injected, depending on the altitude and density of the air that you’re flying through. Throttle: The throttle is pretty self-explanatory; it’s essentially your gas pedal. It controls the amount of fuel and air that is being injected into the engine. The more open the throttle, the more power the engine produces. Unlike cars, which have a gearbox to transfer power to the wheels, airplanes are direct drive, which means an increase in throttle always manifests as a higher RPM. Pitch Trim: By far one of the most important mechanisms in the cockpit. When set correctly, it allows the plane to fly without the pilot having to continuously hold the steering bar (also called the yoke). You may need to make adjustments to the pitch trim (which maneuvers the aircraft elevators) constantly throughout the flight in order to maintain altitude or a steady climb or decent. Vertical Speed indicator: Showcases the current speed of ascent or descent. It measures your plane’s speed in feet per minute. This instrument never sticks rigidly in one place; expect it to fluctuate. When landing or ascending, the standard rate of speed on this instrument varies from plane to plane. Current Heading: Shows the aircraft’s current heading course throughout the flight. The heading is essentially the direction that the aircraft is traveling relative to the magnetic north. The cardinal headings include: North at 360 or 0 degrees East at 90 degrees South at 180 degrees West at 270 degrees The Current Heading indicator itself gets input from a gyroscope, so you can expect it to show the wrong direction when not calibrated properly. Unfortunately, it becomes misaligned by itself often, and you need to calibrate it throughout your flight by resetting it every 10 to 15 minutes and ensuring it lines up with your compass. Parking brake: The parking brake is exactly what it sounds like. Use it at every takeoff and taxi situation to avoid any issues with air traffic control. Remember, when your aircraft’s engine is on, it generates thrust, even at idle. If you don’t make sure your parking brake is on, you may look down to hit a switch and find you’re rolling along.

Article / Updated 03-15-2023

Like real-world flying, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has a seemingly never-ending bag of tricks. Despite being an incredibly realistic sim, don’t forget that Flight Simulator is also a game — and there are always secrets and hints in games. These tips can make hopping into the cockpit and exploring the virtual world a little easier for beginners — and maybe even a bit more fun, too! Even a seasoned Flight Simulator veteran might find these tricks worth retaining, especially if you plan to play the game for many moons to come. For more information related to these tips, check out my book Microsoft Flight Simulator For Dummies. Start in midair Did you know you can completely skip the takeoff sequence? It's true, and you may prefer starting in midair if you want to (initially) avoid what can be a lengthy learning experience. To start your flights already in midair, follow these steps: Go to the World Map. Left-click or press A anywhere on the World Map that isn't an airport. Choose the Set As Departure option from the pop-up menu shown in the figure below. Press the Fly button in the lower right of the screen to start your flight. When you complete these steps, you can begin your journey at around 1,500 feet in the air. Find animals quickly How do you find animals so that you can get up close and personal? You can actually seek them out in a very simple way, and it only takes a few seconds. Follow these steps to get all the animal experiences you crave: Go to the World Map. Type the word "fauna" in the search bar (found on the left side of the screen) and click the Search icon. Click to choose your next destination from the list of locations that feature animals. After you start your flight and you’re on your way to the chosen destination, access the Pause menu by pressing Escape or the Menu button. Click the Assistance tab. Click the Navigation menu and find the Fauna Markers option. Click to toggle on the option. Markers appear on the map to show where you can find animals along your route. You need to decide which animals you want to find, but with Fauna Markers turned on, this decision becomes less of a headache. Refuel your aircraft anywhere In Flight Simulator, you can refuel while flying without missing a beat. You just need to change your keybindings (options that are tied to a specific input device key or key combination), but that change doesn't take very long. Just follow these steps: Access the Pause Menu and click the Controls tab. In the Controls Options window that appears (see below), choose the input type that you’re using. You can choose from Keyboard, Mouse, or Controller. Scroll down the resulting list of options and select the Repair and Refuel keybinding option. If you don’t want to scroll, you can type Repair and Refuel in the search bar in the left column of the Controls Options window, as shown in the figure below. Choose a key on your input device to which you want to bind the Repair and Refuel option. Press escape or the Menu button to exit the Pause menu screen. After you follow the preceding steps, you should still be in midair. You can press the key you just selected to instantly repair any issues with your aircraft that might be plaguing you at present, as well as receive an automatic refueling. You don't need to do anything special after that. Your gas gauge should be full once more! Turn off satellite overlay You can toggle on an instrument flight rules (IFR) view that may mitigate potential issues with locating landmarks. When you use IFR view, you get a plain gray map that makes it a lot easier to see things like distance between points at a glance. To turn on IFR view in the World Map, follow these steps: From the main screen open the World Map. Choose the Open Filters option that appears in the shortcut bar in the lower part of your screen. A window appears, as shown below, where you can scroll through filter options. Click the arrows to the left and right of the Background Map option to toggle the IFR option to replace Satellite. After following the preceding steps, you should have a better, more granular view of the Earth below. Explore outside the plane Did you know you can leave the plane in midair to look at the world around you? No, you aren't physically exiting the plane. But using a feature called Active Pause, you can take a look at your surroundings without having to land. Active Pause stops your plane right where it is, and you can explore your aircraft's cockpit, immediate surroundings in the air, or the entire world around you. Here's how to turn on Active Pause: Press Escape or the Menu button to go to the Pause menu, click on options, and click on the Assistance menu, which is shown in the figure below. Look for the Play/Pause icon on the toolbar that appears when you hover the mouse near the top of your screen. This icon represents a toggle for Active Pause. Click the Play/Pause icon to activate the Active Pause play mode. Toggling on the Active Pause mode activates a drone that you can maneuver using the standard aircraft controls on the keyboard or controller. You can explore to your heart's content without ruining your flight. And you don't even have to stop playing to do it! Explore the streets You may be playing a flight sim, but you still have plenty of ways to interact with the world around you. The same drone that allows you to exit the cockpit and travel around the world (during an Active Pause; see the preceding section) enables you to travel down to the streets and have a look around. It may take a bit of doing because your plane is fairly high up in the sky, but you absolutely can take your drone down to the streets (see below). Speed up your flight You can speed up the game's sim rate (the rate at which your flight proceeds along its route) in order to reach your destination more quickly. You can also fly to your endpoint more slowly if you want. You can adjust the sim rate up and down at your leisure. Follow these steps to adjust your game's sim rate if you’re playing on a PC: Press the R key on your keyboard. Hold the CTRL key and press either the plus (+) key or the minus (–) key on the number pad. As I’m sure you can guess, pressing + speeds up the sim rate and pressing – slows it down. Follow these steps to set your sim rate if you’re playing on a console: Press Escape or the Menu button to go to the Pause menu, select Options, and select Controls Options. From the Controls Options screen, as shown below, you need to assign a button for the sim rate. Type the search term sim rate in the search box on the left side of the Controls Options window, and then click the Search icon. Click to select the Sim Rate option. When prompted, choose a key or console button when prompted that you want to bind to your Sim Rate option. After following the preceding steps, you can adjust the sim rate on your console easily: Slow down: Press your chosen button and the left trigger. Speed up: Press your chosen button and the right trigger. By adjusting your sim rate, you can take those cross-country (or across-the-globe) flights in record time. Fast travel to flight phases If you don't care much for the lengthy cruise phase of a flight, you might opt to skip it entirely. You can do that. Instead of actively flying through the entire trip, you can fast travel to a phase that's more appealing to you. To use the Travel To option, just follow these steps: Press Escape or the Menu button to open your Pause menu. Click the Travel To button (which looks similar to a fast-forward button, as noted the figure below) to reveal your Travel To options. The Travel To window that appears lists the phases of your flight plan that you can choose from. The figure below shows Cruise, Descent, Approach, Final, and Taxi. Select the phase to which you want to fast travel. After you make your selection, your game skips to that phase. Hate taking off or cruising? Use this trick to skip past all of it! Customize your pilot avatar You're more than just your plane in Flight Simulator. You have a pilot avatar, too! You might not see your avatar much while playing the game (your view is as the avatar in the cockpit), but you do have a character that represents you. Plus, you can change what your avatar looks like. To customize your pilot avatar, follow these steps: Press Escape or the Menu button to open the Pause menu. Click Options and then General. In the General Options window that appears, click the Misc tab on the left. Under Pilot Avatar Settings, repeatedly click the forward or backward arrow beside the Pilot Avatar to scroll through your options. You can choose from 24 different pilot models. Find the one that suits you. The models appear on the right side of the General Options window, as shown below. When you find the avatar that matches your mood today, select it by making your choices and leaving the Misc menu. Now you can have a pilot that (hopefully) better represents you in the virtual world! Change your ATC call sign You can actually change your call sign, or title, that the air traffic control team uses to identify and address you over the radio. Follow these steps to customize your call sign: Press Escape or the Menu button to go to the Pause menu. Select the correct option to go to the World Map. Choose ATC Options by clicking on your airplane in the upper left part of the screen, then select Customization from the menu on the left column. In the text box next to Call Sign (see below), type in your desired call sign. For example, perhaps you’d like to be known as 8675309. Choose a fun call sign, but don't be naughty. The game doesn’t recognize profanity, so keep it G-rated (or you may be banned from online play). Save your choice by leaving the menu and return to your game. After you complete the preceding steps, ATC calls you by your desired call sign.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-08-2023

If you're new to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, you have much to learn. Having an entire simulated world available for flying may be overwhelming for budding pilots, but checking out this Cheat Sheet can help you find a path forward. These tips will help you get started, choose the right airplane, understand autopilot controls, and earn your wings in no time.