A Guide To Flight Simulator Extended Edition v1.85 SINGLE

This guide is not endorsed by Microsoft or affiliated in
VERSION 1.85EE
any way and should not be seen as official. This is a fan-
JULY 2022 made guide for informational purposes only to support
your flight simulation experience.
INTRODUCTION
GUIDING YOU TO HAVE THE BEST FLIGHT SIM EXPERIENCE
Welcome to A Guide to Flight WELCOME TO THE WORLD

Simulator: Extended Edition. OF FLIGHT SIMULATION.
Our original guide was first released
This is a brave new world you’ve embarked on
in August 2020 with over 120-pages
and we would like to thank you for choosing
of original and insightful content that
our guide to help you on your quest to having
supported newcomers and experienced
the best experience possible in this virtual
simmers alike. Over time, we updated our
new world.
guide to reach over 280-pages dedicated
to getting the most out of your simulator.
When Microsoft first announced that a
brand new flight simulator would be coming,
This Extended Edition of the guide will
simmers and gamers alike were incredbily
continue to be regularly updated with new
excited. The visuals of the new simulator were
information, new tutorials and continue
simply breathtaking and demonstrated a true
to support you as the flight simulator
next-generation flight simulator.
evolves. On Page 6 of this guide, you will
find the Extended Edition contents page,
highlighting all of the new information as For years, the world has awaited for the revival
well as telling you what to expect in the of such an established franchise, which is why
near and distant future. it is so exciting to finally be able to take to the
skies once again.
Detailed information on exactly what is
new and how to distinguish between That said, we also know that there are plenty
content in our original guide and our of challenges and that it is sometimes
Extended Edition is also on Page 6. We overwhelming. When the whole world can
want to make sure that those customers be your oyster, knowing where to start is a
who have enjoyed our guide can continue daunting task.
to track the changes as we continue to
improve the guide based on changes and
your feedback. This guide has been carefully crafted to help
anyone and everyone looking to get started
with flight simulation. Focusing on the latest
For those who are new to this guide, release in the long-established Microsoft
you will get to also enjoy the original series, we want this to be a trusty companion
280-pages, plus all of the new content and as you get to grips with the new sim.
free regular updates.
Whether you’re a cadet putting on the uniform

We hope you find the Extended Edition for the first time or an experienced captain
just as useful on your journey to ensure you who has been in flight simulation since the
get the most out of your flight simulator. start, we hope this guide helps you get the
most from your flight simulation.
Please continue to provide SoFly your
feedback and we look forward to hearing The SoFly Team
from you.
A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 3

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
BRAND NEW!
IN-SIM GUIDE!
How to access the in-sim

guide?
Once you are in flight, hover

your cursor to the top of the
screen to bring up the in-sim
tool bar. You will see a new
'book' icon. Click this and
you can now open the guide
within your simulator.
Get Your Guide Directly in the Simulator Features

• Open up the latest version of A Guide to
We're pleased to announce that you can Flight Simulator: Extended Edition from
access the guide directly from within your within the simulator.
flight simulator. Our brand-new in-sim toolbar • Search through the whole document to
allows you to view all of the guide quickly and find exactly what you're looking for.
easily without opening up any external tools or
having to swap windows. • Preview tab enables you to scroll through
the pages quickly.
• Search via page numbers.
• Zoom function to view the high-quality
images.
• Works well in VR mode with built-in
keyboard
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 4 • Zero impact on performance.
Microsoft Flight Simulator In-Sim
Marketplace or Orbx Customer?
The guide will automatically install to your

flight simulator. You can also access the
PDF files to then transfer to any device.
The location will depend on where you
purchased the product from.
Orbx Central/OrbxDirect
The PDF files are located in your
'Community' folder.
[COMMUNITYFOLDER]\sofly-pdfmanual\
inc\PDF\
Microsoft Flight Simulator In-Sim

Marketplace
The PDF files are located in your 'official'
Microsoft Flight Simulator folder.
Installation Instructions
In order to have A Guide to Flight Simulator: [core simulator folder]\Official\OneStore\
Extended Edition in your simulator, you will orbx-pdfmanual\inc\PDF\
need to follow the below instructions:
1. Download the latest 'In-sim' version of the YOUR FOLDER MAY BE IN A DIFFERENT
guide from your original store. LOCATION IF YOU INSTALLED VIA STEAM.
2. Extract the contents of the zip folder to Please check online for the location if
anywhere on your PC. you're unsure.
3. Drop the ' sofly-pdfmanual' folder into your

Can't find it? You can get support from us:
Flight Simulator Community Folder.
https://sofly.io/support
4. In the simulator, a new toolbar icon will
appear. Click this and the guide will load.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
CONTENTS EASILY FIND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
Interactive Contents Pages

Thanks to feedback, we’re now able to say
that any page number reference (including
here on the contents page) is now
interactive. Clicking it will take you directly
to the corresponding page.
Introduction In-Sim Menu

10 History of Flight Simulation 56 In-Sim Menu Overview
14 The Technology 58 Using ATC
16 PC Specs and Editions 61 Camera Controls
18 Hardware Overview 66 Using Integrated Checklists
26 VR Hardware Overview 68 Lock Interaction System and Cursor Control
28 Getting Set-Up
Aircraft Overview
Menus and World 72 Aircraft Overview
30 Welcome to Your New World 74 Propeller Aircraft
32 World Map 81 Jet Aircraft
40 Challenges, Activities, and 82 Airliner Aircraft
Training 83 Turboprop Aircraft
44 Profile and MarketPlace 84 Game of the Year Aircraft Additions
46 Options and Performance
48 Data and Internet
50 Flight Model and Accessibility LOOKING TO PRINT?
52 Assistance and Controls You can now print WITHOUT the need
of a password. Simply print as you
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 6 would normally from your device.
Feedback?
We're always looking to hear your feedback
about the guide. Whether that be a
suggestion, an improvement or for us to fix
a mistake. Please head to sofly.io/support
where you can submit feedback to us.
Our next version of the guide will include a

roadmap and currently active issues we're
working on.
Thank you in advance.
Updates / Changes
Over time, our guide has seen many changes and
additions. Significant changes are indicated by
the sticker above along with the version number.
We also make changes to the content itself on
other pages, which is indicated by a blue/yellow
line to the side of it.
The markings and indicators show you differences

Airports and Cities from the previous version of the guide. A full
changelog of the guide can be found at the back
86 Airports and Cities Overview of the guide.
88 Europe
98 France / Benelux
Go Beyond The Training
100 Nordic Airports
104 Austria, Germany and Switzerland 182 G1000 Overview and Training
108 Iberia (WU VIII) 198 TBM Tutorial Flight
110 Italy and Malta (WU IX) 218 A320Neo Tutorial Flight
112 Game of the Year Airport Additions 238 Snow and Ice
116 United Kingdom & Ireland 240 Airport Manoeuvring
122 North America UPDATED v1.85EE 244 Multiplayer Set-Up
142 Asia / Oceania / Australia (WU VII) 246 Finding Animals
152 Africa 248 Maximise Performance
158 Central / South America 252 Virtual Reality - Performance and Set-Up
164 Japan 268 Assistance Options

272 Flight Assistance Enhancements
First Flight Training 274 Earn The Achievements

276 Third Party Developers
170 Training Intro and Controls
276 Default Key Combinations
171 Attitudes and Instruments
282 Liveries and Aircraft Adjustment
172 Take Off
284 Updating Your Simulator
173 Landing
316 World Update I - Japan
174 Traffic Pattern
318 World Update II - US
177 First Solo Flight
320 World Update III - UK & Ireland
178 Navigation
322 World Update IV - France / Benelux
180 First Solo Navigation
344 Future of Flight Simulator
181 Challenging Flights
500 This Is Just the Start
502 Update Changelog
EXTENDED EDITION CONTENTS
NEW CONTENT
A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended
Edition features all-new content, tutorials
and information to help you get even more
from your simulator. We'll continue to
provide updates regularly so you always stay
up-to-date. Any new updates to the guide
will be presented here under this section.
New Sim Updates

324 World Update V: Nordics
326 Sim Update IV Info
328 Sim Update V Info
330 World Update VI: AT, DE & CH
332 Sim Update 6 Info
334 Sim Update 7 Info
Advanced Info
336 World Update VII: AU
338 Sim Update 8 Info 376 Airliner Training - Airbus
340 World Update VIII: Iberia 386 More Training Courses
342 Sim Update 9 Info 388 Top Rudder Solo 103 Tutorial
344 World Update IX: Italy and Malta 396 Icon A5 Tutorial Flight
346 World Update X: USA NEW v1.85EE 410 PMDG DC-6 Tutorial Flight
348 Future World / Sim Updates 426 Junkers JU-52 Tutorial Flight
350 Xbox Series X|S Edition 442 Reno Air Racing
448 F/A 18 Tutorial
Advanced How-To 460 Xbox Cloud Gaming
(MSFS on Mobile)
352 Installing the Developer SDK
354 Creating a Flight Plan with Live
Spotlight
Traffic
356 Installing Third Party Content 466 Introducing 'Spotlight'
364 New Marketplace Layout 467 Other SoFly Products UPDATED v1.85EE
368 Enabling Replay Mode 468 Top-Five Freeware

370 Enabling DX12 (Optional) 472 Top-Five Payware
372 MS DLC Aircraft UPDATED v1.85EE 476 Honeycomb Hardware
480 Community Websites
What's New? What's Not?
Anything new or changed will be indicated by either a gold coloured box (with the version number it was
changed) or a gold line. The gold line indicates a slight change since the last update. Any content for the
Extended Edition will most likely be found following the original guide. We will indicate any Extended Edition
specific content with the words "Extended Edtion Exclusive".
Discovery
484 Introducing 'Discovery
485 All Photogrammetry Cities UPDATED v1.85EE
494 Short Scenic Flight
Sim Help & Support

496 Installation Issues & Help
498 Updating Issues & Help
Future Content
We are continuing to provide regular updates
to A Guide to Flight Simulator. Our plans will
include more tutorials, up-to-date information
as the simulator changes and more tips and
tricks as they're discovered.
HISTORY OF
FLIGHT SIMULATION
Flight Simulation began way back in the Flight Simulator 1.0 (1982)
year that saw Concorde take her maiden
commercial flight, Nasa unveils the first
Space Shuttle - Enterprise and Jimmy
Carter win the Presidential Election - 1976.
What began as a project between two

roommates at the University of Illinois, Bruce
Artwick and Stu Moment, initially created a
set of articles about a 3D computer graphics
program that Artwick had published in
a magazine. After much interest from
the subscribers of the magazine who
wanted to buy the program, the duo set
about founding the Sublogic Corporation. Released in 1982 for IBM computers, this
version featured improved graphics, variable
The company began to sell early flight weather, time, and a coordinate system which
simulators to computer platforms including remained in place until version 5. Microsoft
the Intel 8080, Altair 8800 and IMSAI 8080. In claimed in advertising that if flying your IBM
1979 the company, founded by Artwick and PC got anymore realistic, you would need a
Moment, released FS1 to the Apple II computer license.
and the TRS-80 which followed in 1980.
Around 1981-82 Microsoft began to express an Flight Simulator 2.0 (1984)

interest in obtaining a license from Sublogic
Corporation. In 1982 Flight Simulator 1.0 was
released, and has evolved to become the series
we know today.
Before we go into great detail about how to

get the most out of your new flight simulator,
let’s take a look at the rich history behind the
franchise and how it has evolved over the years
to become one of the most prolific and iconic
series of all-time.
Released in 1984 for IBM computers. The

simulator itself remained relatively unchanged,
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 10

to this, with the popularity of the simulator
came the increased series of add-on products
that were produced for FS4, which notably
included the ability for users to create their
own aircraft which could then be uploaded to
3rd party websites and similarly downloaded
and installed from - the equivalent of the
but small adjustments were made such as Avsim and Simviation forums.
joystick and mouse input, improvements in
graphics which would support RGB monitors
and later LCD displays. Microsoft also took the Flight Simulator 5.0 (1993)
opportunity to expand their limited scenery
coverage to include the whole of the United
States, however airports remained limited to
what was included in the initial release.
Flight Simulator 3.0 (1988)
This was the first version to use textured

components in the simulator which truly
changed the dynamic of the simulator adding
an extra dimension of realism. Unfortunately,
with this leap in technology came a trade-
off which meant that all pre-existing addon
scenery and aircraft were obsolete. Aside from
Flight Simulator 3.0 is where Microsoft really this, several improvements were made to the
began to expand their product horizons, way both the weather system and AI worked.
additional aircraft; a Learjet 25, Cessna Skylane This was also the version that replaced the
and Sopwith Camel were added as well as previously used scenery files into BGLs that
allowing the user, for the first time, to display we know today.
multiple windows and camera angles, not too
dissimilar to what we currently use i.e. top-
down, spot, locked spot, tower. Flight Simulator for Windows 95 (1996)
Flight Simulator 4.0 (1989)
With the release of this version of Flight

Simulator, Microsoft opted to change from
using numerical version release to advertise
In this version, Microsoft brought several the release of the new operating system.
improvements including improved aircraft New features included an additional aircraft
models and the ability to set pre-recorded (EXTRA 300) and enhanced three-dimensional
paths that air and ground traffic would follow detailing which made geographical locations
- the building blocks for AI traffic. In addition more identifiable.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Flight Simulator 98 (1997) during ground movements. Other new
features included precipitation and the ability
to download real-world weather. New aircraft
to the franchise included Concorde and the
Boeing 777. Microsoft also added an additional
17,000 new airports, this enabled them to claim
that virtually every documented airport and
navigation aid was included in their simulation.
Microsoft Flight simulator 2000 would be the
last in the series to support Windows 95 and
Windows NT 4.0 operating systems.
Flight Simulator 2002 (2001)

This version featured a Bell 206BIII JetRanger
helicopter and a revised Cessna 182 with
updated flight models and graphical changes
as well as a Learjet 45. Amongst other changes,
Microsoft improved the user interface for
adding additional aircraft and scenery,
generally streamlining the process. New to
this version was the inclusion of 45 detailed
cities and an increase in the modelled airport
count to around 3000, up from 300 in earlier
releases. Support was also included for the
Microsoft Sidewinder pro force joystick which
allowed the user to receive some sensory input.
Finally, with the advancements in technology, In comparison to its predecessors, FS2002
this version was the first to take advantage of offered superior performance and included
3D graphics cards through DirectX technology several visual features including custom
enhancing the experience for the user by the viewpoints that gave you the perspective of
implementation of more dynamic weather the pilots in the cockpit, inertia effects and the
effects and camera viewpoints. ability to limit your framerate which allowed
you to reduce the stutter effect we often see
users in the current day expressing frustration
Flight Simulator 2000 (1999) at.
Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight

(2003)
This release is significant in the sense that

this was the first version in which Microsoft
offered two versions of the product, a standard
version and a professional version which
featured additional aircraft. The product also Known to many as FS9 or FS2004, this release
featured improved graphics making use of celebrated significant milestones in the history
new hardware and the introduction of 3D of aviation and was released to commemorate
elevations which meant the scenery elevations the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother’s
could be adjusted. Advanced navigation in the first flight. Included in the release were several
way of GPS was added and AI was enhanced historic aircraft such as the Wright Flyer, Ford
so that AI traffic would stop to avoid collisions Tri-Motor and the Douglas DC3 to name a few.

This version also featured an improved weather
engine that provided three-dimensional
clouds, and localised weather conditions
based upon an actual reporting station. Other
improved features included more variety in the
autogen, enhanced ATC communications and
better modelled interactive virtual cockpits.
Flight Simulator X (2006)
Abbreviated as FSX, this release featured less

aircraft than its previous version, however,
aircraft that were included tended to be new to
the franchise, notably the Airbus A321, Maule
Orion and CRJ700. Other notable features
included improved multiplayer support which
allowed two users to fly a single aircraft and for
a user to simulate the role of ATC through the
Deluxe and Gold Editions which were released
later. An expansion pack called ‘Acceleration’
was originally released in 2007 and added
new aircraft, missions and other quality of
life improvements. In 2014, Dovetail Games
announced a licensing agreement which
allowed them to distribute the simulator on
Steam. Named Flight Simulator X: Steam
Edition, this version featured the Gold Edition
of the original simulator release and also the
aforementioned Acceleration expansion pack.
Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)
The latest Flight Simulator is also the most

technologically advanced version of the
simulator to date. Using data, tools and
technology previously unseen by any flight
simulator in the past, Microsoft hopes
to provide the most authentic simulator
experience possible. With the largest range
of aircraft, hand-crafted airports and most
advanced weather system available, simmers
will get to explore the world in a way never
before seen. This is a true generational leap
in software to provide the ultimate flight sim
experience.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
THE
TECHNOLOGY
Before we can dive into everything the simulator has to offer, we must
first understand the technology driving the simulator.
The World Full of Data

The world in this new era of flight simulation is
primarily built on real-world data. Taking data
feeds, imagery and information from around
the world; this is a dynamic and ever-changing
environment.
As a result, flight simulation has never looked so

realistic, nor has it ever represented the world
as we know it so accurately. The technology
that the development teams have included
with the new simulator offer breathtaking
new views of the world and give us the chance
to explore many of the key cities in ways that
have never been possible until now.
Bing Maps
The world’s foundation primarily comes
from Bing Maps. By using over 2 petabytes
of data from Bing Maps, the new simulator
can seamlessly stream data directly into the
simulator to provide a more realistic take on
the world. No home computer could handle
all of that data, so the developers have found
innovative ways to stream that data into your
simulator via online networks.

The Power of Azure Advanced live weather is provided by
Being a Microsoft product, the new Metroblue, bringing the environment to life.
simulator takes full advantage of their Azure Cloud formations, preciptiation, storms, wind,
infrastrucutre. Simply put, Azure is a powerful air pressure and more are all sourced using
cloud network that can stream data around satellite data.
the world in seconds, provide powerful AI
capabilities and support a large number of One final data source that you may find
connections at any one time. interesting is the inclusion of real-world
navigation data. Provided by NAVBLUE,
The developers take full advantage of this every 28-days, new AIRAC data (Aeronautical
technology for multiple simulator related Information Regulation And Control) will
functions. With streaming the aerial imagery automatically be added to the simulator. This
from Bing Maps and generating millions means you will always fly with up-to-date data
of buildings, trees and other vegetation based on real-world charts. Nav Adis and data
so that it all looks realistic, the power of such VORs, NDBs, Waypoints and SID/STAR
Azure brings flight simulation to the next- data will be accurately updated for the whole
generation. Buildings which are procedurally world automatically. This is great for when you
generated are the correct height, width and start planning those cross-country flights or
have textures to match the region they are take on the challenge of a long-haul flight.
placed in. This applies to millions of cities in
the world, but there are 400 cities which offer
something even more unique and advanced. The Environment
These cities are built in the simulator using
photogrammetry data. Whilst the focus may be on flying, the new
simulator feels alive thanks to the immersive
Lifelike Cities environment. Lighting, weather and sound all

provide you with a breathtaking experience
anywhere in the world.
Whilst the AI can build great looking cities
based on hundreds of data points, some cities The dynamic soundscape will enable you to
look even more realistic thanks to advanced hear the busy aprons at international airports
photogrammetry data. This is when an or listen to the waves crashing on the shore at
area has 3D data for systems to understand many of the exciting coastal areas.
elements such as structual height and exact
geo-location.
Certain parts of the world also feature animals
giving you even more reason to explore
Photogrammetry will provide you with unspoiled wildlife rich areas.
the most lifelike experience in cities that
feature this technology. Over 400 cities have
photogrammetry data including New York, However you choose to experience this new
San Francisco, Las Vegas and Seattle. These world, we can’t wait to see you in the skies.
cities do require an internet connection, but
you can save photogrammetry data if you
want to fly offline.
Data Sources
To really bring the world alive, the new
simulator utilises data sources from a variety of
partners. These data sources help to enhance
the simulation experience. Using FlightAware,
the new simulator can inject real-time traffic
so your virtual skies look and feel alive.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PC SPECIFICATIONS
UNDERSTANDING THE HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
You may already have the simulator

downloaded and installed, but understanding
the PC specifications is an important part of
getting the most out of your simulator.
The new simulator has a minimum,

recommended and an ideal scenario. The
more powerful your computer set-up, the
better in-simulator texture, resolution and
performance you will have.
Quite often you will hear the term “FPS”

(Frames Per Second) and this is an important
factor for any flight sim user. We’ll discuss how
to get the best performance from your set-
up in a later chapter. For now, the following
information is the official PC specifications for
the new flight simulator.
CPU? GPU? What does it all mean?

Your CPU is your Central Processing Unit, which is essentially responsible for processing and executing
instructions within your computer. The Graphics Processing Unit looks after the output to your screen.
RAM stands for random-access memory and enables your PC to store data and access it quickly whilst
also removing what it doesn’t need. This is different from memory such as your hard disk space (HDD/
SSD) as that stores long-term data (such as the simulator).
When it comes to bandwidth, in this instance, this is the download speed you are achieving with your
internet service provider. This is required to access the data from the Azure Cloud or other services used
by Microsoft in the new flight simulator. You can search for ‘Internet Speed Test’ on Google and run a
quick test to know what speed you are getting.
MINIMUM RECOMMENDED IDEAL
This is the absoloute minimum spec The recommended specifications The ideal specifications Microsoft
required to run the flight simulator. will put you in a ‘medium’ setting has recommended will put you
Expect low-quality textures and in the simulator. The simulator will into the ‘ultra’ settings in the
modelling, a lower frame rate at a run at a decent frame rate on a simulator. This will allow you to
lower resolution. The GPU and CPU 1080p resolution; a perfect balance immerse yourself in a smooth 4K
will hold you back significantly. between cost and performance. visual experience .
CPU: Ryzen 3 1200/Intel i5-4460 CPU: Ryzen 5 1500K/Intel i5-8400 CPU: Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X/Intel i7-5800X
GPU: Radeon RX 570/NVIDIA GTX 770 GPU: Radeon RX 590/NVIDIA GTX 970 GPU: Radeon VII/NVIDIA RTX 2080
VRAM: 2GB VRAM: 4GB VRAM: 8GB
RAM: 8GB RAM: 16GB RAM: 32GB
HDD: 150 GB HDD: 150 GB HDD: 150 GB SSD
OS: Windows 10 Nov 2019 update OS: Windows 10 Nov 2019 update OS: Windows 10 Nov 2019 update
Bandwidth: 5 Mbps Bandwidth: 20 Mbps Bandwidth: 50 Mbps

EDITIONS
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDITIONS
Upon release, the new flight simulator comes in various editions. All of the editions include the
entire world, over 37,000 airports, dynamic weather, live multiplayer and navigation database
sets.
The primary differences will be with the number of included hand-crafted airports and the
included aircraft.
Did you know? You can upgrade your digital edition any time via the in-sim MarketPlace.
STANDARD
20 Aircraft
30 Hand-Crafted Airports
Aircraft Airports
Airbus A320neo Orlando Int’l (KMCO)
Boeing 747-8i JFK Airport (KJFK)
Cessna 172 (G1000) Lukla Airport (VNLK)
EXTRA 330 Haneda Int’l (RJTT)
...More here. ...More here.
DELUXE
25 Aircraft
Aircraft Airports
Diamond DA40 TDI Amsterdam (EHAM)
Diamond DV20 Cape Town (FACT)
Baron G58 Cairo Airport (HECA)
C152 Aerobat Chicago Int’l (KORD)
C172 Skyhawk Madrid Int’l (LEMD)
PREMIUM DELUXE
30 Aircraft
Aircraft Airports
Boeing 787-10 Frankfurt (EDDF)
Cirrus SR22 Heathrow (EGLL)
Pipistrel SW121 Denver Int’l (KDEN)
Citation Longitude San Fran Int’l (KSFO)
Zlin Shock Ultra Dubai Int’l (OMDB)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Overview COMPATIBLE
Below is a quick overview of all of the
hardware confirmed to be compatible with
the new flight simulator.
HARDWARE
Having the right hardware for your simulator
is a vital step to having the best experience
Honeycomb Aeronautical possible. With the new flight simulator, you
Alpha Flight Controls will immediately have access to plenty of
hardware all compatible with the simulator.
Logitech What’s great is that anything you see in these

Extreme 3D Pro Joystick pages is plug and play. What we mean by that
is you can simply hook up your device and the
Flight Rudder Pedals controls will be automatically pre-configured
Flight Throttle Quadrant for each of the standard controls within the
Flight Yoke System simulator. No need to mess around with
controls, but also know that each control can
X52 be adjusted for maximum flexibility.
X56 H.O.T.A.S
You can read more about how to configure
Microsoft your controls here.
Xbox Controller
Xbox Adaptive Controller
Thrustmaster
TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition
HOTAS Warthog
F/A-18 Grip
Pendular Rudder
MFD Cougar
T.16000M FCS Flight Pack
T.Flight Stick X
T.Flight Hotas 4
T.Flight Hotas One
T.Flight Hotas X
Virtual-Fly
Ruddo+
Yoko+
TQ3
TQ6
V3rnio TPM
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 18 Go and see Christ the Redeemer in Rio, Brazil
YOKES / STICKS
Honeycomb Aeronautical - Alpha
Flight Controls
This ergonomically designed yoke and panel

brings a streamlined and modern aesthetic to
your setup, all whilst maintaining the traditional
style and functionality of desktop panels we’ve
seen before.
Honeycomb also expects to release
complementary hardware providing a total
solution for your simming needs.
Logitech - Extreme 3D Pro Joystick
A popular choice for those starting out with flight

simulation, this affordable joystick features twist
axis and a basic throttle mounted on its sturdy
weighted base, as well as 12 configurable hard
key buttons, an 8-way hat switch and a trigger.
The Logitech 3D Pro bridges the gap between
affordability and quality, whilst providing all the
functionality you need.
Logitech - Flight Yoke

The last in the ‘Flight’ series, this desk mounted
yoke features all the buttons you need and is
designed to complement the Flight Series so
you’ll find a consistent look and feel throughout
this range just as you would inside a real aircraft.
A great feature of the yoke is that if your PC is
running out of available USB ports, the yoke
base has an integrated USB hub to allow for the
integration of additional Logitech hardware.
Logitech - X52 HOTAS / X52 Pro HOTAS
The X52 is a HOTAS (Hand ON Throttle and Stick)

package that, as you would expect consists of a
Joystick and throttle unit. The X52 is the most
affordable in the X series and whilst its design
is firmly rooted and inspired by the controls of a
fighter jet, it features a spaceship style aesthetic.
The joystick itself incorporates a twist axis rudder,
3 hat switches and an LCD display.
The X52 Pro also features the use of part metal
components offering an additional finish to the
product.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
YOKES / STICKS CONTINUED
Thrustmaster - TCA Sidestick Airbus
Edition
The TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition is the first in a

series of products targeted at Airbus operators.
It features the distinctive shape and look of its
iconic real-life counterpart and operates as you
would expect with a sliding throttle located on
the base. The TCA Sidestick is fully ambidextrous
and features four modular parts for full control.
The controller also has a twist axis which can
be used as a tiller (additional flight control) or
alternatively, it can be kept locked.
Thrustmaster - F/A-18 Grip
Available as an add on product the F/A-18C Hornet

grip is crafted to replicate the flight stick found
in the real F/A-18C Hornet aircraft and is officially
licensed by Boeing. The stick is fully compatible
with Thrustmaster’s Warthog and features 19
buttons and a 2-step trigger system. With plenty
of buttons and configuration options, this is a
great stick with a nice metalic feeling.
Thrustmaster - T.Flight Stick X
The T.Flight Stick X is a more basic piece

of hardware in comparison to its cousins.
Whilst retaining common features such as
programmable buttons and axis, the T.Flight
Stick X features a small throttle lever similar
to the Logitech 3D Pro. The controller is also
compatible with both PC and PS3.
Thrustmaster - HOTAS Warthog (stick

and throttle
Produced under license from the U.S Air Force,

the HOTAS Warthog is a replica of the flight
controls used in the A-10C attack aircraft.
Weighing in at a combined weight of more than
14lbs, the Warthog casts an imposing shadow on
its rivals. Of course, the quality is also reflected in
the price with a vast majority of its components
made of metal.

YOKES / STICKS CONTINUED
Thrustmaster - T-Flight HOTAS One / X
Designed more for the gamer, the T.Flight Hotas
One is compatible with both PC and Xbox One.
The product features a joystick, rudder control
and throttle and allows the user to decide how
they want to set out their ‘flight deck’. On the
throttle, there is a small lever that pivots in either
direction, simulating the movement of rudder
pedals. The joystick also features a trigger switch
as well as a small hat switch.
Thrustmaster - T.16000M FCS Flight

Pack
The sidestick features the precision enhancing

H.E.A.R.T technology as is standard with most
Thrustmaster products. The T.16000M also shares
some commonality with the TCA Sidestick in the
way that it caters to both left and right-handed
users with modular parts. A throttle is also located
on the base of the Sidestick and the pack also
features the TWCS throttle and the TFRP pedals
for the all-in-one flight sim set-up.
Virtual-Fly - Yoko+
The Virtual Fly Yoko+, much like their other

products, looks like it has just been pulled out
of an aircraft. Whilst the actual unit lacks any
kind of adornment, the attention to detail in
the control column and yoke handle itself is
exquisite. With all buttons and switches in the
right place, the yoke looks incredibly organic.
This product features an 8-way hat switch and
6 programmable buttons. An incredible looking
piece of kit!

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
RUDDER PEDALS
Logitech - Flight Rudder Pedals
Taking your experience to the next level, rudder

pedals greatly enhance your immersion and
give you unrivalled control and precision. As is
commonplace with Logitech, the brand has
found the balance between price and quality.
These rudder pedals feature adjustable foot
pedals, tension dial and toe brakes.
Thrustmaster - Pendular Rudder
These Pendular Rudder pedals differ from

traditional pedals in the sense that they operate
on a unique suspended mechanism instead of
being mounted on top of a base. The precision
the pedals offer means that you can make minor
adjustments very easily thanks to the smooth
fluid motion the pedals provide. The pedals have
five adjustable positions ranging from 35 to 75
degrees giving you flexibility for comfort.
Virtual-Fly - Ruddo+
Despite looking rather primitive in its design, the

Ruddo+ pedals boast several features including
Hall Effect Magnetic Sensors and solid steel parts
that are designed for long-lasting performance.
Additionally, according to Virtual Fly, the pedals
are equipped with pressure sensors that calculate
the force excreted by each foot to simulate the
minimum effort excreted in the real aircraft.
THROTTLES (STANDALONE)
Logitech - Flight Throttle Quadrant
The Flight Throttle Quadrant is designed
to complement the Flight series however
can be used in conjunction with any other
hardware setups. The equipment features
an interchangeable series of heads providing
simmers the ability to add multi-engine throttles,
mixture and prop pitch levers as well as flap and
gear levers making it a truly versatile piece of kit.
Virtual-Fly - TQ3 / TQ6
The TQ3 looks like its been pulled straight from

an aircraft for parts. With its solid construction
using metal components, and actual soft
detents which feature a reverse area, feather
zone and cut off zone, you’ll be able to simulate
any number of single engine GA aircraft.
The TQ6 is prepared for multi engine piston,

turboprops and turbo-fan aircraft. Utilising Hall
Effect Magnetic Sensors, the user can achieve
precision movements. Constructed out of metal,
this component looks incredibly lifelike and
offers a lifetime guarantee.
Virtual-Fly - V3rnio TPM

The V3rnio TPM is said to be the only 100% TPM
(Throttle, Propeller, Mixture) designed from
scratch in the flight simulation market. The use
of Hall effect sensors is used throughout their
product range, and here is no different, ensuring
the power is precisely where you need it, when
you need it.
Brooklyn Bridge in New York, United States

GAME CONTROLLERS
Microsoft - Xbox Controller
Available in wired and wireless, the iconic

controller comes with a 3.5mm stereo headset
jack and Bluetooth technology to allow you to
play all your favourite games on the Xbox One or
Windows 10 PC.
Microsoft - Xbox Adaptive Controller
Designed primarily to meet the needs of

gamers with limited mobility, the Xbox adaptive
controller is a unified hub for devices that help
make gaming more accessible. The Adaptive
controller provides a platform from which users
can connect external devices such as switches,
buttons, mounts and joysticks to create a
controller experience that is unique to them. In
the touching words of Microsoft: ‘When everyone
plays, we all win!’.
The iconic Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia
Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo, Japan

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
COMPATIBLE Why are some headsets
VIRTUAL REALITY
'recommended?'
HARDWARE The new simulator is compatible

with a range of headsets which
support OpenXR. However, the
The new flight simulator now supports Virtual following three headsets have been
Reality hardware and equipment. Over the optimised for the simulator and thus
next few pages, we will show you hardware recommended by the developer.
which is supported and recommended.
HP - Reverb G2
The latest VR headset from HP provides a much
better experience over their previous attempts
by providing higher screen resolution, easier
setup and a lower price tag for the unit. The
Reverb 2 comes with two controllers and doesn't
require any additional equipment to track head
Recommended movements.
HP - Reverb G1
The original VR headset from HP comes with
a great display, comfortable headband and
impressive audio through its dual speakers.
Whilst the newer models do boost various
improvements, the Reverb G1 still enables users
to get a great experience from the headset.
Simply plugin and try VR for the first time.
Recommended
Samsung - Odyssey+
The Samsung Odyssey+ is a Mixed Reality

headset that features dual 3.5 AMOLED 1440p
resolution screens and offers a field of view of
110 degrees. The built-in axis compass will be
able to track your head movements with ease
and the lightweight headset means prolonged
experiences will remain comfortable.
Recommended
Click here to learn how to set

up VR in your sim!
Oculus - Rift S and Quest 2
Backed by social media giant Facebook, Oculus
provides an all-round great experience for Virtual
Reality. The relatively low-entry cost means that
Oculus is a great choice for newcomers to VR.
The Rift S is aimed more at those looking to
game in a VR environment, whilst the Quest 2
is a standalone product with a variety of games
and apps preinstalled. That said, the Quest 2 can
be hooked up to a PC via a USB-C cable and can
be used for the simulator.
HTC - Vive
The HTC Vive was co-developed by HTC and Valve
and uses 'room scale' tracking to enable users
to move in a 3D space to track movements. The
headset features an impressive HD resolution
meaning you will get clear looking imagery
within the sim making reading gauges and
instruments easy.
Valve - Index
Valve (an American game company) has entered
the virtual reality scene with their Index product.
The two 1440p LCD screens offer a great balance
between picture quality and affordability,
whilst the audio provides an immersive sound
experience. The Valve Index plugs into a PC
via USB and power connections, making this
headset one of the easier ones to add to your
set-up.
Which headset is right for me?

We're sure that many of you who don't own a headset will want to know which headset is
right for them. This will vary on your requirements, but reviews are mostly positive for all
headsets. Our recommendation would be to invest in a headset that is both supported and
recommended by the developers as you can ensure future compatibility for any additional or
new features.
We'll update this guide in the future with more definitive recommendations once we have
more data to provide you with an accurate conclusion.
What about others?

It has been confirmed that headsets which support OpenXR will be compatible with the
simulator. When deciding which headset is right for you, be sure to be on the lookout for that
detail. OpenXR powers Windows Mixed Reality (WMR), Oculus and SteamVR.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
GETTING SET-UP
If this is your first time running the new simulator, you will have to go through various set-up
pages. This will help you initially configure your simulator based on your system specifications
and your own preferences.
Clear Some Space

Once you have downloaded your brand new
copy from the store, you will need to make
sure that you have enough room on your hard
drive to install the simulator; you will need up
to 125GB available. If the default drive does not
have room, you can navigate to another drive
which has the required space.
Give It Some Time

The installation of the flight simulator will
take some time, so now is a great time to read
through other parts of this guide.
Setting Up Your Experience

After installation is complete, the simulator
will guide you through your settings choices.
These settings will be determined, based
on your hardware set-up, however, you can
configure them to your personal preference.
You can change settings at any time. Details

on the options available can be found here.
Step 1 - Graphics Settings
You can configure your graphics settings

ranging from Low to Ultra. These settings will
automatically default to what the simulator
thinks will give you the best performance.
Have a look at our recommendations on PC
specifications for a better understanding of
which setting will be best for you.
You can click on ‘Customise’ to change some

of the finer details. More on this here.

Step 2 - Services
As the simulator relies heavily on online data

sources, you’ll have the option to configure
it during the set-up. The recommended
configuration is to switch ‘Usage of Bing data’
on, however, you can turn it off if you have low
internet connectivity.
If you switch ‘Satellite Data Streaming’ on, a

pop-up will appear asking if you have any data
constraints. This option is useful if you have
limitations on your connectivity (such as a
data cap) or if you want to limit the amount of
data streamed to your device.
Step 3 - Control Settings
Your simulator will automatically detect any

of the officially supported controllers that you
have plugged into your PC at this time. If you
click on ‘Customize’, you are able to adjust
the controller options to suit your needs.
When you’re happy with the options you have
selected, click on next to continue.
Step 4 - Assistance
Finally, you can now change your flight

simulation assistance settings. If you’re a
newcomer, then ‘Easy’ will set you up with the
support you need, whilst experienced simmers
may want to start with ‘True to Life’.
In the assistance menu there are six settings

that you can control. If you click on each
heading, you are able to alter more detailed
options within that section.
Top Tip: Read our blog post on how to get

With that complete, the simulator will now better download speeds when installing the
load up and you’ll be taken to the main menu. new flight simulator.
CLICK HERE TO READ IT ONLINE >>

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
UPDATED IN LINE WITH SIM UPDATE 7 (V1.21.13.0)
WELCOME TO YOUR
NEW WORLD
HELPING YOU UNDERSTAND EACH SECTION OF THE NEW SIMULATOR.
Now you have the right hardware, PC equipment and know the differences between simulator
versions, it’s time to step in. We’ll take you through all the menus and help you navigate your
way through the simulator.
MAIN MENU
A B C D J E F G H
1 2
3 4 5
1 - DISCOVERY FLIGHT 4 - ACTIVITIES

Find exciting places to fly or load up any of the Find a new landing challenge or bush trail to
included training missions and scenarios. explore within the world of flight sim.
2 - WORLD MAP 5 - NEWS

This is where you will spend most of your time, The lastest news by Microsoft about upcoming
finding new places to explore. updates, services and how to give feedback.
3 - FLIGHT TRAINING
A series of training scenarios designed to help
newcomers get to grips with the new sim.

ICONS
Checking Your Version Number
Clicking on your User Profile (H) will show you your username
and the version of the simulator you are using.
A - Main Menu
B - Profile
C - Marketplace
D - Options
E - Online Groups
F - Friends
G - Notifications
H - User Profile
ASDASDAS
I - Quit to Desktop
J - Radar - Find local users
IN-DEPTH
We will cover each menu option in detail over
the next few pages. Some highlights include:
Profile (B)
In your profile, you will have access to your
Pilot Profile, your Hangar, and Logbook. In
addition, you will be able to manage your
third-party add-on content through the
‘Content Manager’. Find out more here.
Marketplace (C)
The Marketplace (C) is where you will be able
to download, purchase and update content
from selected third-party vendors. You can
find out more about the role of a third-party
vendor here. You will be able to manage your
third-party content without accessing the
store through your ‘Content Manager’ within
your Profile (B).
Options (D)
The options available to you are incredibly
vast and offer simmers a huge number of
possibilities to make the sim your own. We will
talk more about options when we look at how
to fine-tune performance for your simulator.
You will be able to read more about that here.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD MAP 1 - AIRCRAFT SELECTION
Clicking here will allow you to select an aircraft
from your aircraft hangar.
The World Map is where you will spend a
good portion of your time. It’s important
you understand how the map functions, the 2 - FROM SELECTION
options available to you and how you can plan
your first flight. Select a departure airport from over 37,000
airports with an ICAO or IATA code or by airport
name / city.
Some terms...
ICAO - 4 letter code designating aerodromes
around the world. Not all airports have one. 3 - TO SELECTION
IATA - 3 character code for airports around the Select an arrival airport from over 37,000
world. airports with an ICAO or IATA code or by airport
name / city.
1 2
5
4 - FLIGHT CONDITIONS 7 - Search Bar
Select whether you have multiplayer, live Search almost anything with this search
weather or pre-set arrangements. bar, inlcuding landmarks, locations and even
coordinates.
5 - TIME OF DAY
Airports - You can search ICAO/IATA codes or
Select the time of day with the slider. Watch airport names.
as the Earth moves in time with the slider to
show you what sort of light you will have.
Cities and Landmarks - Any landmarks
included in the simulator can be searched.
6 - FLY NOW
Coordinates - Type in decimal codes and this
When you’re ready to fly, the yellow button will will add a custom location on the map for you.
light up and you can get ready to jump into We have included many examples throughout
your flight. this guide.
3 4
6
WORLD MAP - NEW FEATURES
Sim Update V brought many changes,
including extensive changes the World Map
to improve the overall user experience.
New Satellite Imagery

Before the update, when you zoomed in on
the map, the world would turn into a few
solid colours. Since the new update, it's now
possible to see satellite imagery even when
zoomed into very low altitude on the world
map. This new satellite imagery will help you
identify cities, landmarks and runways easier
than ever before.
To see this, you need to zoom in close on the

World Map. It may take a few moments to load
in, but once it does, you'll get a crisp looking
map.
If you don't see this, you may need to adjust

your map setting to the satellite option. You
can do this by clicking on 'Open Filters' and
then changing 'Background Map' to 'satellite'.
New Icons and City Markers

To help you identify cities and locations better,
new map icons have been added.
Furthermore, when you have zoomed in,

towns and city labels will appear, which will
help you to quickly identify what part of the
world you're currently over. These labels will
help you identify smaller towns and locations
and even other areas of interest.

Improved Aircraft Selection Menu
Although subtle, the new aircraft selection
menu has been revamped. Instead of a
horizontal scroll, you will need to scroll
vertically through the options.
The left-hand side menu has also been

adjusted. This gives you the chance to pick
from a selection of liveries for those aircraft,
adjust the failures, and also customise the
flight model of that particular plane for that
flight.
You will now find the ATC options in the

customisation option.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD MAP - SETTING UP A FLIGHT
Early Morning In Aspen
Let us set-up a flight from Aspen-Pitkin Country
Airport in a Cessna 172 (with maximum fuel
for a long trip) with weather pre-set: ‘Broken
Clouds’.
Aircraft Selection and Fueling

From the main menu selection, let’s click on
the aircraft icon. This will bring up your hangar
full of aircraft. Either search for ‘Cessna 172’ or
select it from the menu.
On the left-hand side, a range of options are

available to choose from. Select Weight and
Balance and a new menu will appear.
In the fuel section, simply drag the sliders to

the right side to fill up your tanks. Let’s set it
to 75%.
You can also set up your ATC options and

program failures if you so choose (but if you’re
a newcomer, let’s avoid this for now!).
Airport Selection
Now we need to select Aspen-Pitkin Country
Airport (KASE). Once you have made your
selection for the aircraft, click on ‘close’ and
you will head back to the world map. In the
From Selection (2), search either the airport
name, IATA or ICAO code.
Once you have found it, click it and it will

highlight the region and set it as your
departure. You will get a brief overview of the
weather and a default runway will be selected.

Choosing our Weather
With our airport and aircraft ready, we need
to set some pre-defined weather. Upon your
initial start, you will have the time, date and
online traffic all set to live. This means you
will have online traffic and current real-world
conditions. However, for this example, let’s
change this to fly offline (we don’t want to
get interrupted by others for now) and also
change our weather.
Select ‘Off’ for Multiplayer and this will enable

us to select the Weather and Time.
Here we can choose to use “Live” weather,

“Preset” weather or “Custom” weather. Since
we are going to use a pre-set, simply select
that option.
You will now see a range of options to pick

from. Select ‘Broken Clouds’ and also ensure
you pick a time that is daylight.
Finally, let’s set up a custom way point towards

the city. In the Search Bar (7), type in the
following coordinates and click “add arrival”:
39.186940, -106.816208
Now we’re all set up! Click on the yellow “Fly”

button and let’s load up our Cessna with fuel
at Aspen ready for an early morning flight.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD MAP - OTHER FEATURES
Selecting a Runway / Gate
After you have chosen an airport for departure,
you can select the runway or gate you wish to
depart from.
Clicking on “Zoom to Details” will zoom the
map right in and you can select from any
number of gates or either end of the runways
at the airport.
See Runway and Frequency Info

Once you have selected an airport, a new
menu section will open on the right-hand
side. The two tabs will show you either runway
or ATC frequency information.
See LIVE Air Traffic at Each Airport

Under the runway and frequency chart is
another button reading “Live Airport Activity”.
Clicking that will show you all real-world
departure and arrival traffic to that specific
airport.
Clicking on a flight will then give you the

option to import the flight plan from the same
data pilots use.
Few things to watch out for:

1) Ensure you have “Live Traffic” selected from
the Flight Conditions (4) section.
2) Under the Aircraft Selection (1) box, ensure

you have “High-Altitude airways” selected
to ensure you have waypoints and airways
represented.

Import Flight Plans
If you have used a previous version of Flight
Simulator in the past, you will be able to
import both Flight files (.flt) and Flight plan
(.pln) files. These may have been produced
by other software or systems, but importing
them will automatically generate airports and
way points for your pre-made route.
Pressing the ‘Space’ bar whilst on the World

Map will bring up this option.
Simply select your file and it will then load the

content directly into your simulator.
Head to a Landmark / Point of Interest

If you’re looking for a particular landmark or
area of interest, using the search bar (7) can
make it super easy. Simply start searching and
if it exists in the simulator, you will be able to
start from 1,600ft above the landmark. This
makes it nice and easy to explore without
having to worry about guessing where to
head after take off from a nearby airport (that
should be your ultimate goal!)
To help, we have dropped a few “Navigation”

marks throughout this guide to give you some
inspiration on where to fly. Use this search bar
when entering the coordinates.
Your Map; Your Way

With the filter section (F Key), you can change
how your map looks. Turn off/on airports,
adjust the style of the map and even adjust
what weather is displayed around the world.
There are plenty of options to choose to

customise the map your way and change it at
any time.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
DISCOVERY FLIGHTS
As of Sim Update V (v1.18.13.0) Discovery
Flights has replaced the Live Events.
The all-new Discovery Flights introduced by

Sim Update V give you the chance to explore
the planet and see some of Earth's finest views.
Inspired by the desire for people to recreate
moments from various videos and trailers, the
Discovery Flights section gives you access to
pre-defined locations and settings for a great
experience. This is perfect for newcomers to the
simulator.
Discovery Flights are broken down into different

sections.
Core Content
When you first download and install the
simulator, you will have the chance to discover
6 locations across the world. These are:
• Mount Everest (Nepal)

• Giza (Egypt)
• Bora Bora (French Polynesia)
• Naples (Italy)
• New York (USA)
• Rio De Janeiro (Brazil)
Each location will put you in a specific aircraft

and allow you to fly anywhere in that area,
discovering points of interest and various cities.
You can then land at any airport in the nearby
area.
Upon choosing the area of the world you want

to visit, you will be given a brief introduction of
what to expect. Once you're happy, you can click
on FLY and begin your discovery.
World Updates
With each World Update, new Discovery
Flights packs will be included. You will need
to download them from the Marketplace, and
once installed, you can fly to a variety of new
locations.

FLIGHT TRAINING
As of Sim Update V (v1.18.13.0) Flight Training
saw an overhaul.
Whether you’re a newcomer or an experienced
simmer, taking part in the 2 hour training
session beforehand to get started is a good
idea.
Not only will it help you to familiarise yourself

with the camera and controls, it will also aid
your comfortability with, the flight physics,
weather and understanding your system’s
performance.
Later in this guide, you’ll find a full walk-

through of the tutorial flights to help you
get the most from it. For now, here’s a brief
rundown of each of the lessons included with
the simulator.
Each training session will now give you a score

and a grade, along with contextual voiceovers
during the training to help you understand
where you can improve.
Basic Controls
Understand the basics of handling the aircraft
and in-sim controls.
8 Modules
Take-Off and Landing

Practice getting into the air and safely back
down again.
6 Modules
VFR Navigation
Learn about Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and how
to use the outside world to navigate the skies
5 Modules.
Airline Training
Step into the pilot's seat of an Airbus A320neo.
2 Modules.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ACTIVITIES
Choose Your Activity

Whether you fancy taking on some of the most
challenging landings in the world or taking it
easy with some exploration flying, the pre-set
activities will help you find inspiration.
Landing Challenges
24 landing challenges are already available
with the new simulator upon release and they
will take you around the world and test even
the best pilots.
Famous
You will likely know of some of these airport
names already and now is your chance to try
landing at them in a variety of aircraft.
Epic
Some of the world’s most dangerous airports
are featured under this category.
Strong Wind
If tough approaches weren’t bad enough, mix
in some strong wind and you have a really
hard day. Consider this the expert level for
flight simulation.

Bush Trips
These trips have been designed to take you
cross country in a slow, charming and relaxing
way. In the release build of the new simulator,
there are three iconic routes to choose from.
Each trip will give you a full navigation log and

routing to follow so you can focus purely on
flying the aircraft and seeing the sights below.
These are trips I highly recommend you grab

a friend for so that you can experience this
together. You can read all about how to get
started with multiplayer here.
1 - Breckenridge to Mariposa Yosemite

A nine and a half hour journey across the
west-coast of the US seeing a huge number of
beautiful sceneries down below from your Zlin
Savage Cub.
2 - Rijeka to Santorini
It will take you nearly 8 hours to complete this
tour of old world mythology. Explore southern
Europe from your new Cessna 172 with 16 stops
in total.
3 - Los Cerros to Cochrane

Whilst it may be the shortest of the trips
included, seeing the Land of Fire and stunning
glaciers in South America is truly a wonderful
way to explore the simulator.
Custom Content
If you have downloaded new custom content
from third-party developers that include bush
flights or landing challenges, you will find
them here.
TOP TIP
To make the most of the views or even step
away for a few minutes, enable the AI to take
control. It will help you to take everything in,
especially during the longer routes.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
YOUR
PROFILE
All Your Content In One Place

Continuing with our run through of the user
interface for the all-new flight simulator, the
“Profile” section is somewhere you will visit
often to manage your simulator.
My Hangar
Your hangar is personal to you. All aircraft are
available from the start, but if you buy third-
party content, or new aircraft are added, then
you can find out more information in the
hangar on your profile.
Find out about stats, background and history

on each aircraft and cycle through each of
them in a power-down state both from an
external and internal view.
We have compiled a detailed breakdown of

each of the included aircraft. Read here.
Content Manager
When you buy an add-on from the built-in
store, it will be added to your Content Manager.
Here you can remove products and see which
ones you have installed.
You can also view which version you’re using

and any other dependancies it relies on to
function within the simulator.
My Logbook
Each time you perform a flight, the simulator
will automatically capture that in a logbook
showcasing your departure and arrival info,
flight time and also your operational condition
time. Clicking a flight will enable you to do the
same flight again.

What Is the Marketplace?
The built-in Marketplace is a centralised hub
to download and install content from both
Microsoft and Third-Party content creators.
Some examples of Third-Party content could
be new airports, aircraft or missions and tools
to help you get the best experience.
Why Do I need Third-Party Add-ons?

Whilst the new simulator includes a huge
range of content to see and explore, Third-
Party developers enhance the experience
further by making very feature rich and hand-
crafted products. Later in the guide, we’ll
show you how some products enhance the
simulator even beyond the included hand-
crafted airports.
Using The Marketplace

Using the tab on the home menu to access
the Marketplace, you will be shown some of
the latest content available. Clicking ‘Official
Content’ will show you a range of products
which can be sorted, filtered and even added
to your own wishlist.
Third-party content can also be controlled

here, along with adding, updating and buying
new products.
Each dedicated page will give you a detailed

rundown of the included features, customer
reviews, videos and screenshots of the product
in question. Developers will update their
products all the time so be sure to continuously
check out what is available.
THE
MARKETPLACE
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
OPTIONS AND MENUS
Complete Control of Your Sim

The new flight simulator has a huge number SAFE MODE
of options available to allow you to have the A new feature that was introduced in
best experience possible. From changing your version 1.19.8.0 of the simulator is called
camera controls and assigning commands 'Safe Mode'.
to adjusting screen resolution and texture
quality, the options menu will give you the
ability to have complete control of your sim. Safe mode will allow you to launch the sim
in a 'basic state' following a crash from the
previous time the sim was launched.
Over the next few pages, we’ll dive into these
options and how you can control them for the
If you experience a crash during the flight or as
best simulator experience.
the simulator shuts down, the next time you
load the simulator, a pop-up box will appear
indicating as such. It will ask you if you wish
You can access your menu options from the
to continue in safe mode or in normal mode.
main menu or by pressing the ESC key when
Opting to continue in normal mode may see
in the simulator. you experience another crash to desktop.
General Options Overview Safe mode, however, will allow you to boot
the simulator up without any community
• Graphics content and help you to troubleshoot the
• Camera issue.
• Sound
• Traffic
• Data
• Flight Model
• Misc
• Accessibility
• Developers

GRAPHICS
Within this section, you are able to customise
the graphical experience within the simulator.
Recommended Settings
Based on the many hours of testing, we feel
that the “High Settings” provide the best
balance between performance and visual
quality. Of course, your performance will vary
depending on the hardware. That said, there
are plenty of options you can adjust that will
help you get the best performance within the
simulator. Let’s go through some of the key
settings which could make your simulator
even more smooth during flight.
Full Screen Resolution

By default, this will match your monitor
settings. So whether you’re running a 4K
display or a 1080p monitor, your settings will
automatically default to match. However, if
you’re seeing poor performance, then reducing
your resolution may help resolve some of that.
Anti-Aliasing
Try to experiment between changing
these settings to see how it impacts your
performance. FXAA provides the fastest
performance at a visual cost, whereas TAA gives
you the smooth image with a performance
impact.
Terrain Level of Detail

Adjusts the visual quality of the terrain.
Lowering this will give you better performance
at the expense of the clarity of textures.
Buildings / Trees / Grass & Bushes

If you know you’re going to fly high in the
sky, you may want to reduce these settings
slightly to improve performance. It will effect
the quality of the procedurally-generated
buildings and vegetation.
Shadow Maps
If shadowing isn’t of huge importance to you,
changing the resolution to a lower value can
improve performance of the simulator.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
DATA AND INTERNET
Data plays a huge role in the new simulator.
You can adjust your data settings via the
options menu depending on your internet
connection and settings. We’ll break down
each option and show you how it impacts the
simulator.
Online Functionality - Overall online features

can be switched on or off.
Bing Data World Graphics - This is the aerial

imagery streamed into your simulator via the
cloud. Can be switch on or off.
Photogrammetry - This is for cities such as

Seattle with 3D building data. Can be switched
on or off.
Live Real-World Air Traffic - You can switch

on/off live air traffic services or stick to the
built-in AI.
Live Weather - Switch on or off live weather

services and use the built-in default pre-sets.
Multiplayer - The ability to connect to online

multiplayer sessions or see other users in the
vacinity.
Data Consumption
You are able to track and limit your data
consumption based on your online
functionality options. You can set data ABOVE: Seattle with no data being streamed to the
limitations, remove them or simply see what sim.
your current consumption is.
BELOW: Seattle with complete photogrammetry data
and vector data streamed to the sim.
If you have specific bandwidth caps or need
to limit the bandwidth, you are able to do this
here.
Finally, the Rolling Cache Settings enable you

to start grabbing specific regions and places
to download and use in an offline environment
with high quality resolution and data.

Manual Cache
If you’re unable to have an always online
connection, you will be able to download
specific areas and zones. From the Data
Consumption section of the settings menu,
click on Manual Cache and wait whilst the
map screen loads.
Step 1 - Once it has loaded, you will need to

tell the simulator how the cache size you are
willing to make. Click on modify cache to then
save this.
Step 2 - You now need to select ‘Cache New

Region’ which will enable you to start selecting
the area or region you wish to have in detail
offline. You can use the search bar to help you
find specific areas, cities, airports or points of
interest.
Step 3 - With that now complete, you can

start the download process. It will take a few
moments to do so.
Once that is finished, you will now have access

to a downloaded region complete with building
data, aerial imagery and any photogrammetry
data included in that specific region.
You are able to delete the region afterwards if

you so wish.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
FLIGHT MODEL
Under the General Options section, you will
be able to adjust the flight model of your
simulator.
We recommend that you leave the

flight model to the 'Modern' setting.
We firmly believe this will give you the best

experience possible in your new flight sim. The
new 'Modern' setting means that your aircraft
will interact with the environment itself based
on what is happening in the world. As the
modern flight model uses over a thousand
contact points on the aircraft, it means it will
react realistically to the weather, control input
and other effects. Furthermore, developers
who are making third-party aircraft for the
simulator will be using the modern flight
model and not the legacy option. Likewise,
any aircraft developed by the makers of the
simulator will also be using the modern
setting.
However, should you wish to use the 'Legacy'

mode, you can change it under this menu. By
changing the flight model to this option, you
can adjust various values.
Here are the options available to you to change:
Global Preset - Adjusts the overall flight

model realism. You can select from Realistic,
Intermediate or FSX.
Adjusting the following values will make the

global preset change to 'Custom'
Generals - Adjusts the overall flight model.

Crash Realism - Damage from hard landings.
Gyro - Adjust the amount of gyroscopic
precision.
P-Factor - Adjusts the amount of asymmetrical
thrust generated by propellers.
Torque - Adjusts the amount of torque
generated by propellers.

ACCESSIBILITY
Under the General Options section, you will be
able to adjust various accessibility options.
Screen Narration Settings

Here you will be able to adjust whether you
have on-screen narration. Right now, this is
only in English. You can adjust the volume,
pitch and speed.
User Interface
In this section, you can adjust settings such as
the text size, interface scale and other tooltips.
Minimum Text Size - Adjusts the smallest size

font on the main menu.
Interface Scale - Scale the size of the fonts

and other elements.
Cockpit Interaction System - Switch between

the Lock and the Legacy system in the cockpit.
Top Tip!
Menu Tooltips - Toggle the tooltips 'on' for the You can remove the instrument tooltip
menu when hovering over icons. and interaction system by adjusting to
these settings:
Cockpit Interaction System: Legacy
Instrument Name / Description Tooltips -
Turn on or off the tooltips for the instruments Instrument Name Tooltips: Off
in the cockpit.
Background Opacity - Adjust the menu's

opacity. The higher the value, the less
transparent it shall be.
Menu Animations - Turn on or off animations

on the main menu.
Subtitles - Turn on or off subtitles when in the

simulator. Controller Vibration - Adjust the value of the
vibration you will receive through a supported
controller.
Skip Pre-Flight Cinematics - Turn on or off
the pre-flight cinematics after the simulator
finishes loading. Cursor Settings
If you're using an Xbox controller, you can
adjust the acceleration and max speed of the
on-screen cursor.

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ASSISTANCE
Throughout this guide, we have been giving
you detailed information on how to take
advantage of the numerous assistance modes
available within the simulator.
Whether you are an experienced pilot or a

newcomer, there are plenty of options for you
to adjust to your liking.
You can adjust the options to any of the

included pre-sets, or customise the settings
and adjust each one individually. Here’s an
overview on what is on offer.
Piloting
You can adjust elements like the assisted
checklist, the yoke, and support for assisted
take off and landings.
Aircraft Systems
Here you can adjust features such as the
automixture, unlimited fuel and aircraft lights.
Failiure and Damage

No, you won’t see your aircraft burst into
flames, but you can control crash detection. If
this is on, stressing your engines to their limits
or flying into a building will be recognised as a
crash. You can turn this off if you want a worry-
free flight experience. You can also control the
effect icing conditions have on your aircraft,
this means when ice builds up, you can
either let it have an impact on your aircraft’s
performance or only allow it to be visual.
Navigation Aids
Whilst experts may switch these off,
newcomers will be able to enjoy having the
option to turn on the taxi ribbon (to follow the
correct route), a landing path, city markers (to
go exploring) and even points of interest.
Notification
Flying tips, objectives and other software tips
that would pop up during the flight to help
you with your flying experience can be turned
on or off.

User Experience
The final option is all about your experience
with the simulator. You can adjust the ATC UI
apperance, the checklist UI appearance and
even whether the VFR or NAV log displays are
present when you start a flight.
The Taj Mahal can be seen within the simulator. Find it in your simulator now!

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
CONTROLS
If you have any of the compatible hardware
(mentioned earlier in this guide), then you
are able to simply plug in the controller and
the simulator will automatically set up those
controls. However, for those wanting to have
a bit more flexibility over the controls, you are
able to adjust each value to your liking.
Open the control menu option and your

control options (those in use) will display.
B C D
A - Control Menu
See the full list of controls you currently have
plugged into the PC along with adjusting the
profiles you wish to use (custom or default).
B - Search
You can search controls either by name, input
type, or filter it based on variables such as:
essential controls, controls already assigned,
and all control options.
C - Control Names
The control names for all types of controls.
TOP TIP
You can You can
adjust axisadjust numerous
controls also, andaxis
see for
howcontrols
they’re
such the
working with as elevators and the like. You can then
in-built sliders.
D - Control Details test the movement range by looking at the
slider in the control menu.
A detailed overview of what the control is.

To Change a Control Is Easy
From within the Controls menu, you are able
to adjust any control with the input controllers
you have plugged in. Changing a control is
easy.
First, select the input controller you are wishing

to adjust. In this case, it’s the keyboard. We are
going to change the ‘Parking Brake’ control.
Step 1 - Navigate to the Keyboard input section

from the Control Menu (A).
Step 2 - Using the search bar (B), let’s type

in “parking” to bring up the control input we
want.
Step 3 - We can see a key is already assigned,

but we want to change it. We’ll click in the box
with the current key assignment (C).
Step 4 - Now we can change the key either by

clicking in the top box or by selecting an input
from the drop down menu. We recommend
that you press the key you wish to avoid
confusion. Now click on ‘validate’.
Step 5 - You will be asked to now give this new

control profile a name. Type in the name you
wish it to be displayed as and click OK.
You have now changed your control input

with a new profile. You can adjust your profie
anytime by clicking the options under the
Control Menu (A).
The Taj Mahal can be seen within the simulator. Find it in your simulator now!

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ACTIVE PAUSE
[NEW IN 1.8.3.0]
A new Active
Pause icon is listed
permently in the
navigation bar.
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IN-SIM
OPTIONS
AND MENU
Once you are in the simulator, you will have the ability to
change numerous settings and view other tools to help you on
your flight. In this section of the guide, we’ll go through various
tools to help you get the most from your simulator.
To see this menu, hover your mouse over the top of your screen.
IN-DEPTH
Page 50 - Air Traffic Control
Page 53 - Camera Controls
Page 58 - Checklist System

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Weather and Time
Change the weather on-the-
fly from the sim. You can
choose to use pre-set weather,
specify certain conditions or
use live weather. You can also
adjust the time of day to get
the lighting just right.
Weight and Balance Customise Toolbar

Running low on fuel? Find Toggle on/off any of the menu
you’re flying too heavy? options above to have your
Adjust all of that within the own custom experience. Note
simulator. Be careful though that in some challenges/
as adjusting them may have missions you are unable
adverse effects on your to change some of these
aircraft. options.
DID YOU KNOW?

Clicking on the “Pop-out” icon for each menu option will open it
into a separate window outside of the simulator. This means you
can drag it to a second screen or similar for your convenience.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ATC MENU OPTIONS AND SUPPORT
Aviate, Navigate, Communicate
Three words you will hear often on your journey
to learning aviation and flight simulation.
Communicating with Air Traffic Control (ATC)

is an important part of the flying experience.
We will cover in-depth communication skills
in the future, but for now, let us take a look
at how ATC works within the world of flight
simulation.
In our example, we are going to be in the Zlin

Savage Cub at Bristol Airport, UK (EGGD). Set
the weather and time to how you wish (we
recommend day-time for this).
Bringing Up the Menu

When you first start up your flight (on the
runway), one of your first tasks will be to
communicate with ATC about your intentions.
For this simple exercise, we are going to simply
take off and complete a circuit with a full stop
landing.
To bring up the menu, click the ATC button

from the in-sim navigation section.
You will see there has already been some prior

communication between you and the tower.
For now, we will just take off and fly straight.
Once you are in the air continue for 5 miles
and climb to 2,500ft.
You will soon get a radio transmission from ATC

telling you that you are leaving the airspace
and that you should change frequency.
Acknowledging Instructions and

Changing Frequency
When an instruction comes through from
ATC, you must then follow it up with an
acknowledgment. This is usually a read-back
of the instruction given, followed by your call-
sign. Luckily for us in the simulator, we only have
to press a few buttons to initiate this, real pilots
don’t have this luxury. Hit the corresponding
key to acknowledge the change.

Communicating Instructions
Now you have acknowledged your instructions,
you need to act on it. Again, the simulator
makes this process easy by simply assigning a
key to the action. Press the corresponding key
to tune Bristol Approach and request flight
following.
You can also manually tune the radios yourself

from within the cockpit.
Afterwards, you will receive some instructions

to follow, including a squawk code. This code
is your unique identifier for the area you’re
flying in.
Being Situationally Aware

If you’re flying with live traffic or online
with friends, you may hear other traffic
communicating with ATC. This can be
overwhelming. Keep your eyes peeled and you
may also be told to tell ATC if you’re able to see
the other traffic.
Once you’re comfortable, start flying a left-

hand circuit being aware of nearby traffic. You
can learn more about circuits in our training
walkthrough here.
Requesting Full Stop Landing

Right now, we’re able to fly around freely
without too many restrictions on where we
can go. However, before we land, we need
to request this from ATC. Bring up your ATC
menu and select “Nearest Airport List”.
As we are landing at Bristol, we need to select

it from the list. Of course, if you decide to head
somewhere else, choose that airport instead.
Now you will need to tune Bristol Tower.
Use the selection menu to assist if you’re
uncomfortable with the radios at this point.
Several new options will appear. As you can

probably guess, you need to select “Request
Full Stop Landing”. ATC will then give you
further instructions which you will need to
acknowledge. They will also provide you with
the latest weather.
Continue your approach into Bristol.

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Touching Down and Taxi to Gate
You should now have been given the
instruction to be able to land at Bristol Airport.
You will need to acknowledge this instruction
before you can then land.
After you have landed, Bristol Tower will hand

you off to Bristol Ground. Select this frequency
from the menu option and you will tune and
contact the new controller. Once you have
cleaned up your aircraft (flaps retracted for
example), you should then request taxi to a
gate. ATC will then assign you a stand along
with instructions on which taxiways to follow.
Don’t fret too much for now on this as we’ll
cover that type of detail in later guides. For
now, it’s about getting comfortable with using
the built-in ATC.
Once you’ve parked up, you’re free to either

head back into the skies on a different route or
complete the circuit again.
This Is the Start
Air Traffic Control is a hugely complex subject

which requires extensive knowledge and time
to fully embrace.
The built-in tools within the simulator will

enable you to familiarise yourself with some of
the instructions you may hear if you fly with
online networks such as VATSIM, IVAO and
PilotEdge. You can read a bit more about them
in our resources chapter here.
TOP TIP
If this sounds like too much, you can set
your co-pilot (AI) to take over all radio
communications for you, whilst you take care
of the flying.

CAMERA CONTROLS
Getting The Best View
The simulator is incredibly visual, so having a
grasp of the camera controls is vital to ensure
the best possible experience. Over the next
few pages, we’ll go over each of the various
camera control options, how you can set up
pre-set cameras and much more.
Starting With the Basics in the Cockpit

Let’s load up any aircraft at any airport.
Before we load up the camera menu, let’s go

through some basic controls. It’s worth noting
that in the first tutorial lesson built into the
simulator, you will go over some of these. If
you haven’t done that yet, here’s an overview
of the default controls.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Understanding What It Means
With an overview of the basic camera controls
from within the cockpit, let’s now go over
what it means for you as a simmer and some
of the helpful functionality built-in.
SPACE BAR
Pressing the space bar will give you instant

access to the UPPER VIEW within the cockpit.
This is helpful when you want to have better
visibility over the cockpit instruments.
MIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON
This will enable the FREELOOK functionality.

With the middle mouse button pushed in,
you will be able to freely look around the
cockpit.
If your mouse has scroll functionality with the

middle mouse button, then you will also be
able to zoom your viewpoint in/out.
ARROW KEYS
Using any of the arrow keys on your keyboard

will enable you to move freely around the
cockpit.
It’s worth noting that holding the ALT key will

enable you to move up and down vertically.
CTRL + SPACE
If you need to RESET your view, simply

holding these keys down will put you back to
the default cockpit view for that aircraft.
END
Switching views can be done with the END

key. Now, let’s do that and see our aircraft
from the outside.

External View
Now we’re in external view, we can start to
manipulate the camera to start capturing
some stunning cinematic shots during our
flight. Of course, the focus is on flying the
actual aircraft, but it’s always fun to see the
view from outside. Let’s discuss some of the
options available.
MIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON
This will enable the FREELOOK functionality.

With the middle mouse button pushed in,
you will be able to freely look around the
aircraft from a fixed position. Simply drag the
mouse and watch your camera move. Right
clicking will achieve the same thing.
CTRL + SPACE
This key combination will reset your view

point back to the original set-up.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

At this point, you will have likely seen the
overlay in the external view. Whilst these are TOP TIP
covered in more detail in the tutorial flights, You can hide the overlay in the settings menu.
Head to GENERAL / CAMERA and change the
let’s highlight them with an overview right
setting ‘Instrument Heads-Up Display (HUD)’
now so you can start to familiarise yourself to off.
with them.
Compass
360 degree compass with useful information.
Airspeed / Engine Status /

Fuel / AOA (L-R)
Flaps / Trim / Altitude / VS (L-R)
Airspeed (in knots) of the Your current flap configuration,

aircraft, your engine status the trim you have set in the aircraft
with current output levels, (keep in green for take-off), current
your remaining fuel quantity altitude and the vertical speed (VS)
and the angle of attack of of the aircraft.
your aircraft. You want to keep
them all in the green.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Exploring All Camera Settings
Now that we have a basic understanding of
the controls within the simulator, let’s have a
look at some of the more advanced options
available.
Open up the Camera Menu from the selection

icon at the top of the screen to bring up the
camera controls and options.
From this menu, we can configure options

such as the cockpit view, the external view and
something called showcase.
Now some of these controls are actually

just button presses for some of the shortcut
keys we learned on the previous few pages.
However, you are also able to adjust them on
the fly via this menu to help you with your
flying. For example, you can adjust things such
as the zoom level, the freelock speed and also
the momentum.
Quick Camera Selection Views

With us having now understood some of the
included options, we can set up views using
the quick camera selection mode. With the
camera menu still available, you can click on
the drop down menu for the pilot, instrument
and also quickview. This will cycle between
pre-set views for the aircraft for those specific
areas.
This is particularly helpful when you need to

jump from view to view to see a specific set of
instruments.
Pressing the Q button will enable you to

cycle through the quickview selection in fast
succession.

Showcase Mode
This mode will enable you to create unique
views and some extremely cinematic views.
Drone Follow and Lock Mode

This option will either have your camera (aka
drone) follow the aircraft or stay in a lock
position - unless you move the camera.
Drone Focus Mode

This will give you some control over the depth
of field. You can either have it in manual mode
to change the blurriness or have it in auto
mode to add some visual flare.
Zoom Level
Adjust the zoom level of your drone. This
should be set between 50% - 60%.
Drone Speed and Rotation Speed

These options allow you to move the drone
at your own speed. The drone can be moved
in a 3D space or moved on its axis to pan the
camera around aircraft or scenery.
TOP TIP
For the best results, use a game controller and
be sure to disable any of the flight controls
with it. This is the best method to pan your
camera around the aircraft.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTEGRATED CHECKLIST
Why Pilots Use Checklists
Pilots in the real world use checklists to ensure
that no steps are missed. As with anything,
doing something too many times can lead
to complacency, so having checklists in place
helps to mitigate this risk.
Not only does a checklist help an experienced

pilot complete tasks in the correct order each
time, it helps newcomers to better understand
aircraft.
The integrated checklist within the flight

simulator will help newcomers and experienced
simmers learn the included planes and ensure
that they do things correctly each and every
time.
How the System Works

In the options menu, open up the Checklist
menu. You will see a list of phases of flight -
everything from preflight to securing the
aircraft after you have finished.
The integrated checklist system will help

guide you through each checklist item with an
option to zoom into the corresponding area of
the cockpit. The switch, button or lever that
you need to use in order to action the checklist
item will be highlighted.
Load Up a Quick Flight To Test

We’re going to load up the Cessna 172 at
Innsbruck Airport (LOWI/INN). The aircraft
will load up in a powered state, but let us turn
everything off so we can start from the very
beginning.
We won’t go through each of the checklist

items, but we’ll go through how the system
works to give you the perfect base to then find
out more for yourself.
Once you’re ready, open the checklist menu,

click on “Preflight Inspection - Cockpit” to
bring up the list of items.

Reading Through the Checklist Reading Through the Checklist
TOP TIP
Now we are ready to start going through each Now we are ready to
Experienced startdon’t
pilots goingneedthrough each
to use this
of the check list items. of the check list items.
functionality, but it’s certainly helpful when
learning new aircraft you’re unfamiliar with.
Let’s take a look at the formatting of the Let’s take a look at the formatting of the
integrated checklist options. integrated checklist options.
B C
D
E
F
A - Checklist Name (and Menu Icon) E - Manual Complete Action

Click between menu items to navigate Once you have completed a checklist action,
between them. you can click tick to move on to the next item.
B - Checklist Items F - Further Details

This is a list of checklist items within your See some more detailed information on
selected checklist. the checklist item itself and some spcific
instructions you may need to complete in
order to complete it.
C - Checklist Action
This is the action you need to take to complete
the checklist item.
D - Automatic View
For some items within the cockpit, you can
view the component within the aircraft you
will need to interact with to complete the
checklist action. It will highlight blue and the
camera will automatically pan to that selected TOP TIP
button, switch or panel. Use the automatic viewfinder to easily
identify the area of the cockpit in which that
switch, lever or panel is located for you to
action each item on the checklist. It makes
life so much easier in a non-intrusive way.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
LOCK INTERACTION SYSTEM
With Sim Update V, a brand new system
was implemented to make use of the Xbox
Top Tip!
controller. This new system is called the "Lock" You can remove the instrument tooltip
interaction system and helps newcomers and and interaction system by adjusting to
these settings:
experienced simmers alike get to grips with
their aircraft even with limited buttons or Cockpit Interaction System: Legacy
control options. Instrument Name Tooltips: Off
Enabling the Lock Interaction System

By default, the Lock interaction system
is switched on. However, should it not be
working, you can enable it via the following
method:
Options -> General Options -> Accessibility
From there, change the 'Cockpit Interaction

System' to 'Lock'.
Basic Overview
In short, the Lock interaction system allows
anyone to understand how to interact with
any part of the cockpit. This will give you an
overview on what it is you're interacting with
and how to perform the action. It also gives
you contextual information so you can make
more informed decisions or read information
without having to zoom in close or pan the
camera.
Simple Example
Let's start with something simple to show you
as an example. We're going to be flying the
Cessna 152 around Phoenix, US. If you want to
follow along with this section, then feel free to
pick the same aircraft and join us.
Regardless of your control type, hover your

cursor over the yoke. You will see some basic
information such as the name of what you're
interacting with, the current status of the
piece of equipment and also what you need to
do to interact with it.
In this example, pressing the 'A' button on the

Xbox controller will set the visibility of the yoke.
You will now see that the status has changed
to 'Hidden'

Something with an Axis
The yoke example was very straightforward,
but what happens when you want to interact
with something a little more complex. Let's
take a look at the throttle.
Place your cursor over the throttle. Unlike the

yoke, there isn't any contextual information to
help other than knowing what it's called. As
there are various functions with the throttle,
you will need to 'lock' onto it in order to
interact with the throttle. Pressing 'A' on the
Xbox controller will lock us to the throttle.
The below image gives you a closer look at

what's going on here.
1 - Name
This is the name of the equipment, switch,
lever or button you're interacting with.
2 - Contextual Direction Interact with the throttle using the new 'lock'
method and watch the percentage increase
This gives you an idea of which direction you
and decrease as you use the intuitive system.
need to move the stick or if it's a button press.
Once you're happy, press the corresponding

3 - The Action button (in this case 'B') to quit.
This tells you what you need to do in order to
adjust the section you're locked in on. It also
tells you what you will be changing. Note: Once you are locked, you will not be
able to interact with the aircraft until you
quit out of the lock.
4 - Information / Status
This will tell you the current status of the
element you're interacting with as well as
other contextual information.
3 4
2

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Other Examples
The new 'lock' system works on all the included
aircraft in the simulator. As such, there are
hundreds of buttons, switches and elements
you could interact with.
Still in the Cessna 152, try interacting with the

radio stack. Locking to the COM 1 volume,
you will have the ability to interact with two
elements under one lock.
The 'lock' system also works on screens and

displays like the G1000.
If you are going to be taking up a big jet, then

the lock feature works there too. It also works
on the FMS / MCDU.
Control Options
These examples were primarily based on the
Xbox controller, however, you can use mouse
and keyboard, and other controllers to use the
lock interaction. When using a mouse, to 'lock',
you will need to hold down the corresponding
mouse button and then turn/twist your mouse
if required.

CURSOR SYSTEM
Sim Update V brought with it a new cursor
system that allows game controller users to
easily navigate the menus as though it were
a mouse.
If you're using the cursor, you can navigate the

main menus, the cockpit and more.
To make adjustments, or select items, when in

the menus using the cursor mode, a contextual
icon will also appear. For example, on the
world map, select a new departure airport.
You will see in the scroll bar an 'R' in a circle
with arrows above and below it. This means
you will need to use the right thumbstick to
scroll up or down. Each menu option has these
contextual indicators to help you navigate
more effectively.
To show the cursor again, you will need to

push the left thumbstick in to allow it to pop
up. This is useful when you want to navigate
the screen to the navigation bar or want to
use the 'lock' system on a piece of equipment
without panning the camera.
A Bit Slow? A Tad Fast?

Do you find the cursor is a little slow for
you? You can easily change the speed and
acceleration of the cursor in the options. You
can change it by heading to the following
option page:
Options -> General Options -> Accessibility
From there, scroll down to 'cursor settings' and

adjust the values listed. The higher the value,
the faster the cursor will move.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
YOUR GUIDE TO
AIRCRAFT
STEP INTO THE COCKPIT
The new flight simulator features a
comprehensive range of aircraft for you to
explore the world in. From the small propeller
aircraft to the larger jets, each aircraft is unique
and carries a range of characteristics that will
give you plenty to learn and discover in the
simulator.
Over the next few pages, we will give you an

overview of each aircraft included across all
simulator editions. The editions are Standard,
Premium and Premium Deluxe.
Standard
20 Aircraft + 30 Hand-crafted airports
Premium
25 Aircraft + 35 Hand-crafted airports
Premium Deluxe Debunking Some Terms

30 Aircraft + 40 Hand-crafted airports Max Take-Off Weight
The maximum weight the aircraft is
certified to take off at. This includes all fuel,
Whichever aircraft you choose to fly, be sure passengers, baggage and the weight of the
plane itself.
to consider using the assistance features if it is
your first time. They will be incredibly helpful Maximum Passengers
as you get used to the new shiny cockpit. The maximum number of passengers the
aircraft can hold and is certified to fly with.
Max Altitude
Max altitude does not mean you can climb
straight to this altitude, it is the certified
max for the aircraft type. Weather, aircraft
weight and direction of flight have an
impact on which altitude you should cruise
at.
Range
The maximum range the aircraft can fly
with a maximum Zero Fuel Weight (ZFW).
The ZFW is calculated based on the load of
passengers, cargo, baggage and any other
supplementary onboard facilities such as
water or catering.
Cruise Speed
The cruise speed is measured in Knots True
Airspeed (KTAS) or KM/H. The cruise speed
recommended for individual aircraft is what
you should be aiming for in order to achieve
maximum efficiency.
First Flew
The approximate date the aircraft first flew.
This will help you determine the possible
functionality, features and avionics of the
aircraft.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PROPELLERS
Standard Premium Deluxe Standard
Pitts Special S2S Cirrus SR22 Cubcrafters XCub
A fun lightweight aerobatic This single engine aircraft The X Cub is an evolution of
Standard
aircraft that has been in is made from composite the iconic PA-18 SuperCub.
production since 1944. Due material making it incredibly Longer range and higher
to its flexibility, and common lightweight and fast. With speed means more flexibility
usage, it’s still in production a cruise speed of 150 knots to the already go-anywhere
today. It can reach speeds and an impressive range with aircraft. The X Cub is quickly
of up to 278 km/h making it a decent capacity, this is a becoming a favourite among
super fast in all scenarios. very fun and diverse aircraft. backcountry pilots as they
Perfect for quick scenic tours. travel the virtual world.
Facts and Figures Facts and Figures Facts and Figures

Max Take-Off Weight Max Take-Off Weight Max Take-Off Weight
737kg 1,633kg 1,043kg
Maximum Passengers Maximum Passengers Maximum Passengers

1 3 2
Max Altitude Max Altitude Max Altitude

15,000ft 17,500ft 14,000ft
Range Range Range

298nm 800nm 695nm
Cruise Speed Cruise Speed Cruise Speed

150 KTAS / 278 km/h 150 KTAS / 278 km/h 126 KTAS / 233 km/h
First Flew First Flew First Flew

September 1944 November 2000 5th June 2016
Did you know? Did you know? Did you know?
In 1972 the US aerobatics team The SR22 is equipped with The XCub is 50 percent faster
won the world championship CAPS - Cirrus Airframe than a stock Super Cub.
flying only Pitts biplanes. Parachute System, the design
was the first of its kind to be
certified by the FAA.
Ski variant
NEW
Float variant

Premium Standard Standard
Diamond DA40 TDI Diamond DA40NG Diamond DA62
High ratio wings, reliability, High ratio wings, reliability, The Diamond DA62 is the
and an unrivalled safety and an unrivalled safety perfect solution to a twin-
record. The DA40 is a perfect record. The DA40 is a perfect engine GA requirement. This
addition to the hangar for all addition to the hangar for all is a solid stepping stone to any
those looking for a modern GA those looking for a modern GA simmer looking to step
experience. The TDI edition GA experience. The modern into larger birds. Featuring
features a diesel engine. design means it looks more modern avionics, it is
extremely elegant in the skies easier to take in the stunning
as you soar the mountains. vistas.

1,310kg 1,310kg 2,300kg

3 3 6

16,400ft 16,400ft 20,000ft
Range Range Range

940nm 940nm 1,283nm


June 18th 2003 5th November 1997 3rd April 2012
The TDI model of the Diamond The DA40NG is a popular The DA62 fills the gap
DA40 is not certified to fly in choice amongst flight schools between high performance
the United States in the real- and is used to train both single pistons and entry level
world. defence and commercial turboprops.
pilots.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PROPELLERS CONT...
Diamond DV20 Extra 330LT Flight Design CTLS
Built in Austria as a lightweight The EXTRA EA-300 is seen Over 350 Flight Design CT
general aviation aircraft, the commonly at numerous aircraft have been produced
DV20 allows for quick learning airshows around the world. and the Light Sport version
which makes it perfect for With a light-weight aircraft, has improvements in various
flying schools. The success you will be able to perform a areas of design. These
of the Diamond DV20 saw varied range of stunts at high include a revised fuel system,
further developments of the speeds like never before. upgraded landing gear and
type also included with the improved aerodynamics.
new flight simulator. Commonly used for training.

750kg 870 to 950kg 600kg

1 1 1

13,120ft 10,000ft 15,000ft
Range Range Range

630nm 600nm 780nm


June 1991 May 1988 March 1996
The DV20 is only known by this The 330LT is a two seat, Despite its small size the
name in Austria. It is known aerobatic tourer capable of a Flight Design CTLS can fly
more commonly around the maximum speed of 205 KTAS from London to Frankfurt.
world as the DA20 Katana. but features a reduced roll
rate in comparison to its fully
aerobatic counterparts.

Standard Standard Premium Deluxe
Standard
ICON A5 JMB Aircraft VL-3 Pipistrel Virus SW121
A lightweight, amphibious This ultralight aircraft is also

Standard
The aircraft is the most
aircraft. You will be able to the world’s fastest. You can advanced and affordable 2
land on both land and water cruise along at 241 km/h with seater aircraft that is certified
with this versatile aircraft. you and one other passenger. by EASA to help train student
This plane is purely designed With a decent range, the ultra pilots. It features dual glass
for fun and with the fantastic light aircraft can take you on displays, airbrakes and can
water dynamics already a range of exciting journeys also tow gliders if required.
demonstrated by Microsoft, through rainforests, deserts This is a fun and fast aircraft
this plane should be a hit. and beyond. for bush trips.

686kg 600kg 760kg

1 1 1

15,000ft 13,000ft 16,000ft
Range Range Range

427nm 690nm 642nm


15 July 2008 28th April 2010 10th August 1999
The A5 features a unique The aircraft itself weighs just Over 1000 of these aircraft
Angle of Attack indicator that 290KG. have been produced since
simplifies flying and instantly 1999.
informs the pilot how much
more is possible to ask of the
aircraft.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PROPELLERS CONT...
Standard Standard Premium
Robin CAP 10 Robin DR400 Baron G58
This is one for the thrill- Another option popular with This twin-engine propeller
seekers. The Robin CAP 10 is private pilots, the DR400 aircraft has a huge range
an aerobatic aircraft produced has carved itself a nice little and can carry 5 people at a
until 2007. You and one other reputation due to its ‘cranked decent speed. With nearly
passenger can perform wing’ design and wooden 2,000 made, the aircraft
exciting maneuvers over your frame making it easy to fly. The remains popular today with
favourite cities at immense Robin DR400 is used often as production still ongoing. The
speeds. Take a spin in this an initial training plane, so it’s G58 features glass cockpit
varied aircraft. great if you’re new. displays to help pilots.

760kg 1,100kg 2,495kg

1 3-4 5

16,000ft 14,000ft 20,688ft
Range Range Range

650nm 550nm 1,480nm


August 1968 February 1972 23rd June 1969
The CAP 10 is a two-seater The aircraft owes its relativly The G58 Baron lineage can
aerobatic aircraft constructed high performance to the be traced back to 1961 where
primarily out of wood with the pronounced washout in the it was popular with the
later versions featuring the outer panels of the wing. United States Army. The G58
use of Carbon Fibre. Since they have a lower angle was introduced in 2005 and
of attack to the airflow than features the Garmin 1000
the centre section, they create glass cockpit.
less drag in cruise flight.

Bonanza G36 Cessna 152 Cessna 152 Aerobat
Introduced in 1945, the six- The Cessna 152 has, sadly, not The Cessna 152 has, sadly, not
seater has been in production seen the same success and seen the same success and
longer than any other aircraft longevity as it’s older brother. longevity as it’s older brother.
in history. With this long record With production ending in With production ending in
under its belt, the aircraft has the mid 80’s, it still sees use the mid 80’s, it still sees use
seen use in civil and military today as a trainer and personal today as a trainer and personal
roles. This is a great aircraft to aircraft. It’s slow speed and aircraft. This particular variant
fly if you’re looking to land at high-wing make it a great has been designed specifically
remote strips. aircraft for touring. to perform exciting aerobatics.

Max Take-Off Weight Max Take-Off Weight Max Take-Off
Max Take-Off Weight
Weight
1,656kg 758kg 2,300kg
758kg
Maximum Passengers Maximum Passengers Maximum

Maximum Passengers
Passengers
5 1 6
1

Max Altitude
18,500ft 14,700ft 20,000ft
14,700ft
Range Range Range

Range
920nm 415nm 1,283nm
415nm

Cruise Speed
176 KTAS / 326 km/h 107 KTAS / 198 km/h 171
107KTAS
KTAS//317
198km/h
km/h
First Flew First Flew First

First Flew
Flew
December 1945 January 1977 3rd April1977
January 2012
The bonanza lineage is Despite ending production in The aerobatic version of

traceable all the way to 1985, the 152 is still in regular the Cessna 152 has several
back 1945 with the G36 use with flight training modifications including:
(2006-Present) featuring a schools. skylights, jettisonable doors,
glass cockpit update. four-point harnesses and
removable seat cushions
to allow the wearing of
parachutes.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PROPELLERS CONT...
G1000 Display
Cessna 172 Skyhawk Cessna 172 Skyhawk Zlin Savage Cub
This household name is This household name is This aircraft is great for bush
the best selling aircraft the best selling aircraft flying around the world.
ever. The numbers speak ever. The numbers speak Jumping in, you will have a
for themselves and it’s no for themselves and it’s no different perspective on the
surprise that Microsoft has surprise that Microsoft has world until your aircraft has
chosen to include the 172 chosen to include the 172 in enough speed to bring the
in the new simulator. This the new simulator. Complete nose down a little. Sturdy gear
version features the standard with the G1000 Avionics suite, and a short takeoff mean you
analogue gauges. you’ll love this beautiful plane. can go anywhere in the world.

1,157kg 1,157kg 560kg

3 3 1

14,000ft 14,000ft 14,400ft
Range Range Range

640nm 640nm 377nm


12 June 1955 12 June 1955 July 2005
The 172 is the most successful The 172 is the most successful In the real-world, the Savage
mass-produced light aircraft mass-produced light aircraft Cub can be configured for
in history. in history. This version features bush flying operation in less
the Garmin 1000 avionics than three hours.
suite.
Ski variant Ski variant

NEW
NEW
Float variant Float variant

JETS
Premium
Standard Deluxe
Standard Deluxe
Standard
Zlin Shock Ultra Cessna Citation CJ4 Citation Longitude
The Zlin Shock Ultra is the Travel in style with this private This long-range business jet
lightest aircraft ever made by jet aircraft. Designed to fly made its first flight in October
the company. The lightweight fast, high and comfortable, 2016 and continues to impress
design and other design the Cessna Citation CJ4 is to this day. The comfort,
improvements mean you can a remarkable aircraft that range and payload have
truly explore anywhere in the comes packed with great been praised by pilots and
world without limitation. Fly features that make it a joy to passengers. It is the newest
very low and slow to take in fly. aircraft type in the sim, only
the scenic views. reaching certification in 2019.

600kg 7,761kg 17,917kg

1 10 12

15,750ft 45,000ft 45,000ft
Range Range Range

323nm 2,165nm 3,500nm

78 KTAS / 145 km/h 451 KTAS / Mach 0.77 483 KTAS / Mach 0.79

October 2018 29th April 1991 8 October 2016
The Shock Ultra is an ultralight The CJ4 can be comfortably In 2018 the corporate jet sales
weight version of the Savage flown and is certified for single and charter company NetJets
Cub, featuring hyper STOL pilot operation. placed an order for 175 super-
abilities which means it’s midsize Cessna Longitudes.
able to become airborne well
below 50 km/h.
Ski variant
NEW
Float variant

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
AIRLINERS

Standard Deluxe
Standard
Airbus A320Neo Boeing 747-8i Boeing 787-10
The latest from Toulouse, the The queen of the skies has Boeing’s latest long-haul jet is
Standard
A320 Neo is the latest addition risen to aviation immortality its most fuel efficient, quietest
to the A320 family with and is, quite possibly, the and most comfortable
new and improved engines most recognizable aircraft experience yet. It features
and sharklets as standard. in the world. The 747-8i advanced fly-by-wire, state
Using modern Fly-By-Wire (intercontinental) is the most of the art displays and other
technology, this is the perfect recent passenger variant in pilot-favourites to keep you
aircraft to start your jet flying this line-up and sees service occupied during the long
experience. with a number of operators. hauls flown by the 787-10.

79,000kg 447,400kg 254,000kg

195 605 440

39,800ft 43,100ft 41,100ft
Range Range Range

3,500nm 8,000nm 6,430nm

455 KTAS / Mach 0.78 493 KTAS / Mach 0.86 490 KTAS / Mach 0.85

25th September 2014 8th February 2010 8 October 2016
According to a survey Powered by four GEnx-2B The 787 series is the world’s
undertaken by FPG Amentum 787 Technology engines, the first commercial airliner to
in 2018, the NEO equipped 747-8 can travel the length of use composite materials as
A320s are 11-12% more fuel three FIFA football pitches in the primary material in the
efficient than their original one second. airframe.
counterparts.

TURBOPROPS
Standard Standard Standard
TBM 930 King Air 350i 208B Grand Caravan
The TBM 930 is an upgraded The Beechcraft King Air 350i The Textron Aviation Cessna
TBM 900 with a Garmin G3000 was originally produced in 208B Grand Caravan EX is
touchscreen avionics suite. 2008 as an upgraded version another ‘do-anything’ aircraft.
While the TBM sees most of of the original 300 series. The Whether you enjoy regional
its use in private and charter new edition of this twin-prop charter hops or bush flying
environments, the French aircraft reduces noise levels in the Okavango Delta, this
Government also uses the and improves passenger plane could prove to be your
TBM because of the versatility comfort. The perfect aircraft primary work-horse.
the aircraft offers. for short-haul regional jumps.

3,354kg 6,804kg 3,629kg

6 9 11

31,000ft 35,000ft 25,000ft
Range Range Range

1,730nm 1,806nm 964nm


19th April 2016 7th October 2008 9th December 1982
In the real-world, it would cost Since deliveries of the King The C208B was originally
you over $4 million USD to Air 350i began in December certified as a two-seater cargo
purchase the TBM 930. 2009, 440 have been delivered aircraft before eventually
to customers all around the being certified as an 11 seat
world. passenger aircraft in 1989.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
GAME OF THE YEAR AIRCRAFT
Standard Standard Standard

Standard
Boeing F/A-18 Volocity Pilatus PC-6 Porter
The F/A-18 is the first official Developed by German The Pilatus PC-6 Porter has the
Standard
fighter jet for the new company Volocopter, this capability to do short takeoff
simulator. Designed as a aircraft of the future gives you and landings in a variety of
twin-engine, supersonic the closest experience yet to locations around the world.
and carrier-capable combat flying a helicopter in the new The aircraft is versatile and
jet, the F/A-18 give you the sim (without third-party add- the big bush tyres mean you
chance to fly at high speeds ons). This aircraft is powered can land almost anywhere in
whilst performing interesting by electricity and serves urban the world.
manoeuvres. cities as an air taxi.

29,937kg Unknown 2,800kg

1 3 10

45,000ft 2,500ft 26,900ft
Range Range Range

2,160nm 20nm 390nm

1,030 Knt / Mach 1.6 48 KTAS 125 KTAS

November 1995 Unknown 4 May 1959

Standard Standard
CubCrafters NX Cub Pitts Special S-1S
The most recent version of This light aerobatic aircraft

CubCrafters Cub is the NX was originally designed by
version. This tri-wheeled Curtis Pitts and is known
aircraft is nimble, fast and can for dominating the world of
be flown almost anywhere in aerobatic competitions. Even
the world. With an impressive today, its fast cruise speed
range, you can take on a and agility means it's still used
number of missions in the commonly today despite
simulator with the NX Cub. being designed in the 1940s.
Facts and Figures Facts and Figures

Max Take-Off Weight Max Take-Off Weight
1,050kg 737kg
Maximum Passengers Maximum Passengers

2 1
Max Altitude Max Altitude

14,000ft 15,000ft
Range Range
750nm 340nm
Cruise Speed Cruise Speed

130 KTAS 150 KTAS
First Flew First Flew

November 2020 September 1944

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
YOUR GUIDE TO
AIRPORTS
EXPLORE THE WORLD
The world is an expansive and exciting place to
see. Beyond the technology, atmosphere and
environment mentioned earlier in this guide,
the airports are where you will likely spend
most of your time.
Whilst all 37,000 airports are included with the

simulator (all editions), between 30-40 hand-
crafted airports have also been included, all of
which provide a lot more detail and accuracy
in comparison to the others.
In this guide, we take you to all of the hand-

crafted airports included in all editions, to give
you a detailed look at each of them. We also
highlight some key information that will prove
to be helpful to know.
Since this guide can be put onto your tablet,

it’s a great companion tool to help you learn
about suggested routes, runway lengths and
Some Key Information
much more.
ILS Approach
Also known as an autoland, the instrument landing
We imagine that most of you will try out your system is used by pilots primarily in low-visibility
conditions as the radio waves guide the aircraft
local airport first, but be sure to give those a automatically to the runway. ILS capability is mostly
little more unknown and unique a go too as found in jet aircraft.
they can be both fun and challenging.
Visual Approach
This means the pilot will use visual clues outside and
their own judgement to approach the runway and
land, without any instrument aids.
Runway Designations
This is the number of the runway itself. The number
represents the heading direction the runway is
facing using the first two digits. E.g. a runway facing
south heading 182, would be known as runway 18.
Sometimes there is a left, central or right runway,
which is given a letter assignment afterwards. E.g.
18L, 18C or 18R.
Airport Elevation
The elevation of the highest point of any runway at
an airport above the mean sea level. The higher it is,
the thinner the air is so you may need to watch your
airspeed.
Frequent Visitors
In this guide, “frequent visitors” highlights key, or
frequent airlines that visit the airport to help inspire
you with ideas on flights to simulate.
City Pair Suggesions

In this guide, city pair suggested routes are there
to help you plan flights between the hand-crafted
airports featured in their respective simulator
editions.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
HAND-CRAFTED AIRPORTS
EUROPE
Exploring all corners of Europe will give you a taste of all kinds of
exciting envrionments. Some of these airports are also some of the most
challenging in the world.
KEY CITIES
Some airports in Europe require World
Update IV and/or World Update V and/or
World Update VI to be downloaded and in-
stalled.
With numerous countries in • Berlin • Stockholm

Europe, there are a range of • London • Edinburgh
key cities included with the
simulator that are all unique • Madrid • Lisbon
and exciting in their own way. • Barcelona • Rome
All worth exploring.
• Frankfurt • Pisa
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 88 Included In Included In Included In

Standard Deluxe Premium Deluxe
HIGHLIGHTS
London (City)
The iconic city and capital of the United
Kingdom, London is known for its historic
buildings and sweeping river banks. Explore
iconic landmarks such as the Houses of
Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye.
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

Charles de Gaulle is the second busiest
airport in Europe after Heathrow and
handles approximately 498,175 aircraft
movements every year.
Innsbruck Airport
Renowned for its scenic, meticulously

planned approaches through the
Austrian Alps leave many in wonderment.
Explore this exciting and thrilling airport
in the simulator.
Rome (City)
The ancient city of Rome is renowned for

its captivating history and is home to some
of the most magnificent structures. Soar
above the most famous building of the
Roman Empire; The Colosseum.
Barcelona (City)
The striking scenic views this Mediterranean
City has to offer are sure to keep you going
back. Across the stunning skyline, you’ll
find everything from glistening waters
along the coastline to the impressive
Gothic Barcelona Cathedral.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTERNATIONAL // FRANCE
PARIS CHARLES DE GAULLE

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
ICAO: LFPG // IATA: CDG
BRIEF BIO Key Information

Charles de Gaulle is the second busiest airport in Europe
after Heathrow and handles approximately 498,175 aircraft Airport elevation: 392ft
movements every year. Located just 25km north east
of Paris, it is the main hub for national carrier Air France.
Currently CDG offers direct flights to the most countries in Runway designations:
the world and serves the most diverse range of airlines. Taxi 08R/26L - 8,858ft x 197ft
past Concorde (F-BVFF) as you head towards the distinctive
spindle shaped Terminal 1. 08L/26R - 13,589ft x 148ft
09R/27L - 13,780ft x 148ft
The city of Paris is just a stone throw away from Charles De Gaulle and is
incredibly beautiful on approach. Be sure to take the time to fly over it.
09L/27R - 8,858ft x 197ft
World Map: 28.416467, -81.581182

Approach types:
ILS, RNP, RNAV
FREQUENT VISITORS
CITY PAIR SUGGESTIONS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira (LPMA), Innsbruck

(LOWI), Los Angeles (KLAX), John F. Kennedy (KJFK),
Orlando International (KMCO), Haneda (RJTT)
Deluxe - Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM), Cairo (HECA),
Cape Town (FACT), Chicago O’Hare (KORD), Madrid-
Barajas (LEMD)
Premium - Denver (KDEN), Dubai (OMDB), Frankfurt
Main (EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO)

Donegal Airport
EIDL / CFN
REGIONAL // IRELAND
Located on the picturesque
north western coast of Ireland,
just off Carrickfinn beach,
Donegal Airport serves the local
community with links to Dublin
and Glasgow. Natural resources
in the area mean that a lot of
energy companies with offshore
installations are based here and
frequent helicopter flights serve
their employees.
Airport elevation: 30ft

CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Runway designations: 03/21 - 4908ft x 98ft Being set along the coast means you often
Approach types: Visual, NDB, LOC get strong winds sweeping over the runway.
Courchevel Altiport
LFLJ / CVF
AIR FIELD // FRANCE

Perhaps one of the most
famous airports in the world,
Courchevel is most known for
its 18.6% gradient slope and
hair raising short runway. With
no go around procedure there
is clearly no margin for error so
you must utilise all your skills to
master this difficult approach.
Best of luck!
Airport elevation: 6,583ft

TOP TIP
Runway designations: 04/22 - 1,762ft Don’t be intimidated by the gradient and use
Approach types: Visual (No “go-around” procedure) it to help you slow down/speed up.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Gibraltar Airport
LXGB / GIB
REGIONAL // UK / SPAIN
Located at the pinch point
between Europe and North
Africa, Gibraltar originally
served as a Ministry of Defence
installation known as RAF
Gibraltar. In later years, the
runway remained the property
of the MOD whilst the terminal
facilities were civilian operated.
It still remains this way today.

GO AND SEE
Runway designations: 09/27 - 5830ft x 148ft The Rock of Gibraltar is home to natural beauty
Approach types: Visual, RNAV (RNP), SRA which provides a compelling reason to visit.
Madeira Airport
LPMA / FNC
REGIONAL // PORTUGAL
With a perilous circling approach
and the fact the airport is
partially built on stilts, Funchal
features a challenging approach
on the best of days. Coupled with
a veil of low cloud and whipping
Atlantic winds it’s sure to really
test your airmanship.

TOP TIP
Runway designations: 05/23 - 9,124ft x 148ft Configure your aircraft for landing with at least
Approach types: Visual, RNP, VOR 30 miles left so have time to focus on flying.

REGIONAL // AUSTRIA
INNSBRUCK
AIRPORT
ICAO: LOWI // IATA: INN

Renowned for its scenic, meticulously planned approaches
through the Austrian Alps leave many in wonderment. Airport elevation: 1,907ft
The airport is known for being a particularly challenging
one for its restrictive nature. The mountainous valley that
the airport sits in is prone to strong winds and currents with Runway designations:
the mountains working in the wind’s favour intensifying the 08/26 - 6,562ft x 148ft
challenge for the pilots. The airport also features
parallel glider strips north
of the field.
Tucked within the Swiss Alps, Innsbruck is surrounded by huge mountains, but
the cute town is distinctive as you fly over it on approach.
World Map: 47.257235, 11.437152 Approach types:

RNP, LOC, Visual
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira (LPMA), Paris

Charles de Gaulle (LFPG)
Deluxe - Madrid-Barajas (LEMD)
Premium - Madrid-Barajas (LEMD), Frankfurt Main
(EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTERNATIONAL // ENGLAND
LONDON HEATHROW
AIRPORT
ICAO: EGLL // IATA: LHR

Originally called London Airport until 1966, Heathrow is the
busiest airport in Europe by passenger traffic. Serving the Airport elevation: 83ft
surrounding area and the City of London, Heathrow is one
of six airports that encompass the city. It is both a popular
entry and departure point for international travellers and Runway designations:
cargo services for the United Kingdom. 09L/27R - 12,802ft x 164ft
09L/27L - 12,008ft x 164ft
With its stunning views of the nation’s capital on westerly
approaches to the ‘string of pearls’ that illuminate the night
sky, Heathrow carries a certain romanticism both in and out
of the sim. Approach types:
ILS, LOC, RNAV (GNSS)
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Innsbruck (LOWI), John F. Kennedy (KJFK),

Entebbe (HUEN), Los Angeles (KLAX), Paris Charles de
Gaulle (LFPG), Mariscal Sucre International (SEQM), Rio
de Janeiro (SBGL)
Deluxe - Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM), Cairo International
(HECA), Cape Town (FACT), Chicago O’Hare (KORD),
Madrid-Barajas (LEMD)
Premium - Dubai International (OMDB), Frankfurt Main
(EDDF), San Francisco (KSFO)

INTERNATIONAL // GERMANY
FRANKFURT MAIN
ICAO: EDDF // IATA: FRA

Frankfurt Main Airport, not to be confused with Frankfurt
Hahn, is located 13km south west of Frankfurt. Frankfurt is Airport elevation: 83ft
one of the world’s leading financial centres and is the home
of many financial institutions.
Runway designations:
07L/25R - 9,186ft x 148ft
It comes as no surprise that connections spread far across
the globe like an intricate spider’s web. Frankfurt Main 07C/25C - 13,123ft x 197ft
is also a significant cargo hub handling 2,231,348 metric 07R/25L - 13,123ft x 148ft
tonnes of loaded and unloaded freight serving a plethora of
18/36 - 13,123ft x 148ft
cargo handlers.
Approach types:
ILS, LOC, RNAV (GPS), GLS,
FREQUENT VISITORS VOR

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Los Angeles (KLAX), John F. Kennedy (KJFK),

Orlando International (KMCO), Paris Charles de Gaulle
(LFPG), Seattle-Tacoma (KSEA), Innsbruck (LOWI),
Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira (LPMA)
(HECA), Chicago O’Hare (KORD), Cape Town (FACT)
Premium - Denver Airport (KDEN), Dubai International
(OMDB), Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTERNATIONAL // THE NETHERLANDS
AMSTERDAM
AIRPORT
ICAO: EHAM // IATA: AMS

Amsterdam Schiphol is one of Europe’s busiest and most
important airports. With flights to all corners of the world, it’s Airport elevation: 3ft
a popular transit hub for the tens of millions of passengers
and cargo that pass through its doors each year. Around 70+
airlines operate through Schiphol regularly. Runway designations:
18R/36L - 12,467ft x 197ft
Preferential Runway System: From 22:30-0630LT RWYs 18C/36C - 10,827ft x 148ft
04/22, 09/27, 18L & 36C are not available for departures. 18L/36R - 11,155ft x 148ft
Assignment of RWYs in use is based on preferential runway
04/22 - 6,627ft x 148ft
system dictated by ATC.
06/24 - 11,283ft x 148ft
09/27 - 11,329ft x 148ft
FREQUENT VISITORS
Approach types:

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Los Angeles (KLAX), Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira

(LPMA), Donegal Airport (EIDL), John F. Kennedy (KJFK),
Mariscal Sucre International (SEQM)
Deluxe - Cairo International (HECA), Cape Town (FACT),
Chicago O’Hare (KORD), Madrid-Barajas (LEMD)
Premium - Denver (KDEN), Dubai International (OMDB),
Frankfurt Main (EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco
(KSFO)

INTERNATIONAL // SPAIN
MADRID–BARAJAS
ICAO: LEMD // IATA: MAD

Commonly known as Madrid-Barajas, it is Europe’s sixth
busiest airport, in terms of physical size, it is the second Airport elevation: 1,998ft
largest behind Paris Charles de Gaulle. Serving 61.8 million
passengers in 2019 Barajas is a bustling hub for several
airlines and a vital connection point for those travelling Runway designations:
further afield. 18R/36L - 13,711ft x 197ft
18L/36R - 11,483ft x 197ft
14R/32L - 13,084ft x 197ft
14L/32R - 11,483ft x 197ft
Approach types:
FREQUENT VISITORS VOR

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Innsbruck (LOWI), John F. Kennedy (KJFK),

Entebbe (HUEN), Los Angeles (KLAX), Paris Charles de
Gaulle (LFPG), Mariscal Sucre International (SEQM)
Deluxe - Seattle-Tacoma (KSEA), Amsterdam Schiphol
(EHAM), Cairo International (HECA), Chicago O’Hare
(KORD)
(EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE IV - FRANCE AND BENELUX
Rotterdam The
Hague Airport
EHRD / RTM
REGIONAL // NETHERLANDS
Since the growth of the economy,
Rotterdam The Hague Airport
has served several operators.
Following the suspension of a
number of routes, most flights
today are operated by smaller
jets including the B737 and the
A320.
Airport elevation: -14ft

TOP TIP
Runway designations: 06/24 - 7213ft x 148ft
You can download the World Update Airports
Approach types: Visual, RNAV (RNP), SRA directly from the in-sim Marketplace for free.
Megève Altiport
LFHM / MVV
Airfield // FRANCE
When Megeve opened in the
60’s, it was not accessible to
commercial planes because of
the short length of the runway
at just 434 metres. The first
airline to operate into Megeve
had its aircraft equipped with
skis to allow for a safe landing,
however, the runway is now able
to take light aircraft and private
jets as long as the snow has
been properly cleared.
Runway designations: 15/33 - 1,424ft x 80ft
Approach types: Visual

REGIONAL // FRANCE
NICE CÔTE D'AZUR

AIRPORT
ICAO: LFMN // IATA: NCE

Translated, Côte d'Azur means Blue Coast, a very apt name
for its position; located in the French Riviera on the south- Airport elevation: 13ft
east coast. The airport is in the top 3 busiest in France and due
to its proximity to the principality of Monaco, many airlines
market Nice Airport as the airport for this destination. Runway designations:
04L/22R - 8,432ft x 151ft
Capable of handling over 14 million passengers per year, 04R/22L - 9,711ft x 151ft
Nice Airport has 3 passenger terminals and uses 2 parallel
runways to serve it’s many passengers.
Approach types:
ILS, RNP, LOC, Visual
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME

Deluxe - Madrid-Barajas (LEMD)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE V - NORDICS
Bornholm Airport
EKRN / RNN
REGIONAL // DENMARK
After construction began in 1937,
flights were suspended not long
after the first route commenced
on a temporary licence, which
was due to runway problems.
In 1940, the airport was officially
opened and began operating a
daily route to Copenhagen.

TOP TIP
Approach types: Visual, RNAV, ILS directly from the in-sim Marketplace for free.
Ísafjörður Airport
BIIS / IFJ
Regional // ICELAND
Landing into Ísafjörður Airport
is quite challenging due to its
location in a fjord with steep
and uneven terrain on either
side. The airport has just one
runway and when landing to
the northeast, it’s necessary to
complete a full 180 degree turn
before touching down safely.
Although the IFR approach can
be difficult with severe turbulent
mountain waves, Ísafjörður
Airport has been called one of
the most scenic in the world.

REGIONAL // NORWAY
SVALBARD
AIRPORT
ICAO: ENSB // IATA: LYR

The construction of Svalbard Airport was started in 1973
and was then opened just two years later in 1975. It is the Airport elevation: 94ft
northernmost airport in the world so, in the winter, the sun
never rises. When the airport was built, it had to be built
on permafrost so that the runway was insulated against the Runway designations:
ground and would not melt in the summer months. Due to 10/28 - 8,146ft x 150ft
incorrect construction method, the runway was inundated
with frost heave and the airport was forced to re-asphalt the
runway regularly. In 2006, this was rectified and the runway Approach types:
was completely re-insulated. ILS, RNP, LOC, Visual

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
REGIONAL // FINLAND
VAASA
AIRPORT
ICAO: EFVA // IATA: VAA

In 1938, the airport was first opened but things came to a halt
throughout the war. Passenger routes were then opened Airport elevation: 21ft
again in 1945 when the airport building was completed. The
runway has been extended 3 times since its first extension in
1950 with its length now at 2,500ft which was completed in Runway designations:
1998. Vaasa Airport is the 6th highest passenger welcoming 16/34 - 8,202ft x 136ft
airport in Finland and has been chosen as Airport of the
Year in Finland in 3 separate years.
Approach types:

INTERNATIONAL // SWEDEN
STOCKHOLM-ARLANDA
ICAO: ESSA // IATA: ARN

When the airport was first opened, it was only used for
practice flights, then a year later, in 1960, it was used for civil Airport elevation: 137ft
traffic. This was however limited but officially opened for
civil aviation in 1962. In the ‘70s, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet
was beginning to be used at Arlanda and flying to New York Runway designations:
and the Canary Islands. After the 3rd runway was built here 01L/19R - 10,830ft x 180ft
between 1998 and 2002, the first Airbus A380 landed into
Arlanda in 2010. 01R/19L - 8,202ft x 178ft
08/26 - 8,202ft x 175ft
Approach types:
VOR

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE VI - AT, DE, CH
Lübeck Airport
EDHL / LBC
REGIONAL // Germany
Although it is much smaller
than its main city counterpart,
Lubeck Airport serves as the
secondary airport for Hamburg
in Germany. The airport used
to serve a number of low-cost
airlines, but now only sees a
limited of routes from Lumbeck
Air to other Germany cities.

TOP TIP
Approach types: Visual, RNAV, ILS directly from the in-sim Marketplace for free.
Klagenfurt Airport
LOWK / KLU
Regional // Austria
Klagenfurt Airport serves as
the main airport for Klagenfurt.
Despite being the sixth-largest
city in Austria, the number
of routes out of the airport is
somewhat limited. However, the
airport does have a busy general
aviation presence.

Runway designations: 10R/28L - 2,329ft x 80ft
10L/28R - 8,924ft x 130ft
Approach types: Visual, ILS

INTERNATIONAL // GERMANY
STUTTGART AIRPORT
AIRPORT
ICAO: EDDS // IATA: STR

Stuttgart Airport is the main international city of the same
name in Germany. The airport opened initially in 1924 as Airport elevation: 1,276ft
Boblingen Airport and has seen exponential growth in
recent years. The airport serves as a very important hub
for Eurowings, along with TUI fly Deutschland, Condor and Runway designations:
Turkish Airlines. 07/25 - 10,974ft x 150ft
Alongside the busy airport apron is the Stuttgart Army Approach types:
Airfield which operates a small helicopter base. This is still
used today and makes for a great place to start when flying
over the city itself.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
REGIONAL // SWITZERLAND
ST. GALLEN–ALTENRHEIN
AIRPORT
ICAO: LSZR // IATA: ACH

Located near Lake Constance, St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport
is a small airport in Switzerland. Home to airline People's, the Airport elevation: 21ft
airport sees regular flights to Vienna, along with seasonal
routes to Ibiza, Menorca, Naples, Pula and more.
10R/28L - 4,921ft x 136ft
Due to its short runway, the airport can only handle aircraft
such as the Embraer or other similarly sized business jets. 10L/28R - 1,968ft x 40ft
There is a large number of general aviation aircraft parked
at the airport and is used by adventurers looking to see the
more scenic side of Switzerland.
Approach types:

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE VIII: IBERIA AIRPORTS
La Seu d'Urgell
Airport
LESU / LEU
REGIONAL // Spain
The airport itself is sat on top
of a plateau, making for some
interesting approaches and
takeoffs. With plenty of farmland
and forestry around, you get to
see Spain's more green areas.

Approach types: Visual, RNAV
Pico Airport
LPPI / PIX
REGIONAL // Azores
Located in the Atlantic ocean,
Pico airport offers great views
as its sits alongside the coast
itself. Airlines such as Azores
Airlines regularly fly passengers
to mainland Portugal.

Approach types: LOC, DME, Visual

Faro Airport
LPFR / FAO
REGIONAL // Portugal
Faro Airport is sat right on the
southern coast of Portugal and
is a popular leisure destination
for families across Europe. With
its coastal location, Faro offers
great views, especially at sunset
as the sun reflects off of the
ocean.

Approach types: Visual, RNAV, ILS, VOR
A Coruna Airport
LECO / LCG
REGIONAL // Spain
Serving the northwest of Spain,
A Coruna Airport is a great
regional airport that allows you
to see a less-common part of
Spain. Airlines such as Volotea
and Vueling take passengers to
other parts of the country and
Europe.

Approach types: Visual, RNAV, ILS, NDB

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE VXI: ITALY & MALTA AIRPORTS
Marina di Campo
NEW v1.80EE
Airport
LIRJ / EBA
REGIONAL // Italy
Located in the village of La
Pila, Marina di Campo Airport
is a focus city for Silver Air. The
Tuscan airport sees over 16,000
passengers a year.

Approach types: Visual, RNAV
Sondrio Airport
LILO
AIR FIELD // Italy

This small air field in italy is a
great place for you to practice
your circuit training, whilst
being able to admire the Italian
countryside. The nearby terrain
can also pose an issue, but this is
a great training destination.


Palermo Airport
LICJ / PMO
REGIONAL // Italy
The airport is just north of
Palermo on the island of Sicily.
In terms of passenger numbers,
over 7 million pass through its
doors each year. Airlines such
as Ryanair, Wizz Air and Volotea
focus on the airport bringing
people from across Europe to
the busy hub.

02/20 - 6,807 x 142ft
Approach types: Visual, RNAV, ILS, VOR
Bolzano Airport
LIPB / BZO
REGIONAL // Italy
SkyAlps is the primary airline
at Bolzano Airport, serving
many routes to Germany, Spain
and Switzerland. Located in
Northern Italy, the airport is
surrounded by rugged terrain
and high mountains, which
provide a scenic view during the
approach.

Approach types: Visual, RNAV, ILS, NDB

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION - NEW AIRPORTS
Leipzig/Halle
Airport
EDDP / LEJ
REGIONAL // Germany
This is Germany's 11th largest
airport and handled more than
2.5 million passengers in 2019.
The airport sees carriers focus
mostly on holiday destinations
within Europe. DHL also has
a large base here for its cargo
operations.

Runway designations: 08L/26R - 11,811ft x 140ft
08L/26R - 11,811ft x 140ft
Approach types: Visual, RNAV, ILS
Allgäu Airport
EDJA / FMM
REGIONAL // Germany
This regional airport sees
dominance from low-cost
carriers such as Wizz Air and
Ryanair who compete on taking
passengers across Europe.
The airport has seen steady
growth in recent years thanks
to its location and accessible
infrastructure.


Kassel Airport
EDVK / KSF
REGIONAL // Germany
This minor airport serves the city
of Kassel in Germany. The main
termainl at the airport features
only basic functionality for the
only airline that operates to the
airport; Sundair. This airline takes
passengers to destinations such
as Palma, Rhodes and Tenerife.

Lugano Airport
LSZA / LUG
Regional // Switzerland
This beautiful airport is sat right
next to a gorgeous lake. As you
fly overhead, you will be able to
admire the views. As there's no
parallel runway, you will need to
backtrack in order to use the full
length of the runway.


V1.85EE | JULY-2022
GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION - NEW AIRPORTS
Luzern-
Beromunster
Airport
LSZO / QLJ
Airfield // Switzerland
Luzern-Beromunster is a small
airport in Lucerne, Switzerland
with 2 runways. The airport
doesn't publish a METAR, 8
miles away lies Emmen Air Base,
which is the closest weather
station to Luzern-Beromunster.

Runway designations: 16L/34R // 16R/34L - 1,673ft x 60ft
Patrick Space Force

Base
KCOF / COF
REGIONAL // USA
Named in honour of Major
General Mason Patrick, Patrick
Space Force Base is located in
Florida. It is situated between
Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach
and is home to Space Launch
Delta 45 which is known as the
45th Space Wing.

11/29 - 4,000ft x 100ft

Zurich Airport
LSZH / ZRH
REGIONAL // Switzerland
The largest international airport
in Switzerland is Zurich Airport
serving the largest city and the
majority of the country. There are
three terminals with one serving
only Schengen destination, one
serving only non-Schengen
destinations and the other
serving all destinations.

Runway designations: 16/34 // 14/32 // 10/28
Marine Corps Air

Station Miramar
KNKX / NKX
Regional // USA
Located in San Diego, California,
Marine Corps Air Station
Miramar is home to the 3rd
Marine Aircraft Wing. It has
been the location for the United
States Navy Fighter Weapons
School as well as the TOPGUN
training program and movie.

Runway designations: 06L/24R - 12,000ft x 150ft
06R/24L - 8,001ft x 130ft

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
UNITED KINGDOM &
IRELAND
World Update III added five all-new airports to the simulator for free. You
can get them through the Marketplace as part of the overall package.
Let's see which airports were included.
KEY CITIES
In addition to the new • Bristol
airports, five cities were given • London
photogrammetry treatment
enhancing the overall look • Cambridge
and appearance to include • Birmingham
photorealistic buildings.
• Oxford
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 116 Included In Standard

(Need to download World Update III)
HIGHLIGHTS
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Named after the famous Liverpudlian
musician, John Lennon of the Beatles,
this airport is the primary airport for the
city of Liverpool.
St Just (Land's End Airport)

Also known as Land's End Airport, St Just
has a large number of general aviation
enthusiasts visit each year. The coastal
location of the airport offers scenic views in
the south of Cornwall in the UK.
Manchester Barton Airport
Sat just outside of Manchester, this small

airfield is the perfect getaway for those
looking to explore the North of England
and enjoy great countryside views. The all-
grass airport makes a great way to fly with
friends.
Barra Airport
Sat on the shallow bay of Traigh Mhor at

the northern tip of Barra, the airport is
unique as pilots land and take off on the
beach itself. Keep a close eye on the tide as
it'll have a big impact on available take off
and landing space.
Out Skerries Airport

This challenging airport is famous for the
fact it has the shortest commercial runway
in the world. Measuring at just 1,195ft, you
have to be a bit of an expert to successfully
land here (without ending up in the water).

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Barra Airport
EGPR / BRR
AIRFIELD // UK
Sat on the shallow bay of Traigh
Mhor at the northern tip of
Barra, the airport is unique as
pilots land and take off on the
beach itself. Keep a close eye on
the tide as it'll have a big impact
on available take off and landing
space. Daily flights to and from
Glasgow take place multiple
times a day.

Runway designations: 07/25 - 2,621ft, 11/29 - 2,231ft, 15/33 - 2,776ft (Sand)
Approach types: Visual (Not open for night flying)
Out Skerries Airport

OUK
AIRFIELD // UK
This challenging airport is
famous for the fact it has the
shortest commercial runway
in the world. Measuring at just
1,195ft, you have to be a bit of
an expert to successfully land
here (without ending up in the
water).

Runway designations: 09/27L - 1,195ft (Gravel)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
St Just Airport
EGHC / LEQ
AIRFIELD // UK
Also known as Land's End
Airport, St Just has a large
number of general aviation
enthusiasts visit each year. The
coastal location of the airport
offers scenic views in the south
of Cornwall in the UK.

Runway designations: 16/34 - 2,572ft, 07/25 - 2,221ft (Asphalt), 02/20 - 1,591ft, 12/30 - 1,673 (Grass)
Manchester Barton
EGCB
AIRFIELD // UK
Sat just outside of Manchester,
this small airfield is the perfect
getaway for those looking to
explore the North of England
and enjoy great countryside
views. The all-grass airport
makes a great way to fly with
friends.

Runway designations: 08R/26L - 2,051ft, 08L/26R - 2,103, 02/20 - 1,749ft, 14/32 - 1,306 (Grass)

REGIONAL // LIVERPOOL (UK)
JOHN LENNON
AIRPORT
ICAO: EGGP // IATA: LPL

Originally known as Speke Airport when it was operated by
the RAF following the outbreak of WWII, the now Liverpool Airport elevation: 81ft
John Lennon Airport has just one passenger terminal
and a runway length of 7,500ft. After VE Day, civil aviation
resumed from the airport and between 1945 and 1948, Runway designations:
passenger figures increased by 50% and today the airport 09/27 - 7,497ft x 155ft
has a capacity to serve 7 million passengers a year.
Approach types:
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME

Deluxe - Amsterdam (EHAM)
(EDDF)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
NORTH AMERICA
North America provides a scenic and inspirational place for any pilot to
visit. Here’s an overview of the included hand-crafted airports.
KEY CITIES
From the west coast to the • Los Angeles • Orlando
east, there are numerous • New York City • San Francisco
cities to explore. From the
towering skyscrapers of New • Miami • Denver
York to the cultural city of • Chicago • New Orleans
New Orleans.
• Las Vegas • Memphis
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 122 Included In Included In Included In
Standard Deluxe Premium Deluxe
HIGHLIGHTS
Orlando International Airport
Initially McCoy Air Force Base, hence the
IATA MCO, the airport became Orlando
International in 1975 to serve the greater
area of Orlando.
Los Angeles Airport

Los Angeles International is the largest and
busiest airport on the west coast of the
United States, serving as a major gateway
to the west coast and a connection point
for millions.
John F. Kennedy Airport
Originally built to relieve some of the

pressure from LaGuardia Field, the airport
was renamed in honour of President
John F. Kennedy in 1963 and is now one
of the busiest in the world.
Telluride Regional Airport
Situated high on the slopes of the Sneffels

Range; an area of the San Juan Mountains,
Telluride Regional is the highest
commercial airport in North America.
Stewart Aerodrome
Stewart Aerodrome is located at the head
of the Portland Canal near the Alaskan pan
handle and sits adjacent to the small town
of Stewart.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTERNATIONAL // UNITED STATES
ORLANDO
ICAO: KMCO // IATA: MCO

Initially McCoy Air Force Base, hence the IATA MCO, the
airport became Orlando International in 1975 to serve the Airport elevation: 96ft
greater area of Orlando. Now it’s very much the gateway to
Walt Disney World and the heart of Florida. It should come
as no surprise that most of its international travel is made Runway designations:
up of leisure operators such as Virgin Atlantic, Norwegian, 18R/36L - 12,004ft x 200ft
Sunwing and British Airways.
18L/36R - 12,005ft x 200ft
17R/35L - 10,000ft x 150ft
After take off, head west and you’ll eventually stumble upon Walt Disney World.
See how many parks and attractions you can spot from the air.
17L/35R - 9,001ft x 150ft
World Map: 28.416467, -81.581182

Approach types:
ILS, RNAV (GPS), VOR
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Aspen-Pitkin (KASE), Los Angeles (KLAX), John

F. Kennedy (KJFK), Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG), Seattle-
Tacoma (KSEA)
Deluxe - Telluride Regional (KTEX), Sedona (KSEZ), Rio
de Janeiro (SBGL), Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM), Cairo
(HECA), Chicago O’Hare (KORD), Madrid-Barajas (LEMD)
Premium - Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO),
Frankfurt Main (EDDF), Denver International (KDEN),
Dubai (OMDB)

Aspen-Pitkin
County Airport
KASE / ASE
REGIONAL // UNITED STATES
Nestled in the Sawatch Range
of the Rocky Mountains, Aspen-
Pitkin County Airport is infamous
for its challenging terrain, harsh
weather conditions and its
heavy restrictions, but for most
it’s the gateway to winter sports.

GO AND SEE
Runway designations: 15/33 - 8,006ft x 98ft The Mount of the Holy Cross stands at over
Approach types: Visual, LOC, RNAV (GPS), VOR 14,000ft and provides breathtaking views.
Nanwalek Airport
KEB
AIR FIELD // UNITED STATES

Nanwalek, formerly English
Bay, is situated in the Cook
Inlet and has a lone gravel
runway perched on tidal flats.
This airport features a difficult
approach with terrain just
0.21nm from the end of runway
01 and the village of Nanwalek
to the north off runway 19. Not
for the faint hearted.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Runway designations: 01/19 - 850ft Set the weather to be wet and windy. The low-
Approach types: Visual, LOC, RNAV (GPS), VOR visibility and cross wind will test your ability.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Sedona Airport
KSEZ / SDX

Built in the heart of cowboy
country in 1955 as merely a
dusty red airstrip atop a mesa
overlooking the city below, the
airport has grown to become
a popular tourist hotspot. The
airport facilitates the arrival and
departure of small business jets
and attracts many leisure flyers.

GO AND SEE
Runway designations: 03/21 - 5,132ft x 100ft Village of Oak Creek sits just south of the
Approach types: GPS, Visual airport with great views of the mountains.
Telluride Airport
KTEX / TEX
AIR FIELD // UNITED STATES

Situated high on the slopes
of the Sneffels Range; an area
of the San Juan Mountains,
Telluride Regional is the highest
commercial airport in North
America with an elevation above
sea level of 9,070ft. Telluride is
popular for its stunning vistas
making it a hit for those seeking
picturesque shots.

QUICK TIP
Runway designations: 09/27 - 7,111ft x 100ft Your engine’s performance will be impacted
Approach types: LOC, RNAV (GPS) by the high altitude so bear that in mind.

JOHN F KENNEDY
ICAO: KJFK // IATA: JFK

Located on the north-eastern shores of Jamaica bay, Idlewild
Airport was originally built to relieve some of the pressure Airport elevation: 13ft
from LaGuardia Field. In 1963 upon recommendation of the
then Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr, the airport was renamed in
honour of the late President John F. Kennedy. Runway designations:
JFK Airport is now ranked as the busiest international 13L/31R - 10,000ft x 200ft
passenger gateway into North America. 13R/31L - 14,511ft x 200ft
22R/4L - 12,079ft x 200ft
New York is one of 400 photogrammetry cities in the new flight simulator. You
can see sights such as Central Park or the Empire State Building in high detail.
22L/4R - 8,400ft x 200ft
World Map: 40.749172, -73.985364

Approach types:
ILS, RNAV (GPS & RNP),
FREQUENT VISITORS VOR, and Visual

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Los Angeles (KLAX), Paris Charles de Gaulle

(LFPG), Seattle-Tacoma (KSEA), Telluride (KTEX), Haneda
(RJTT)
Deluxe - Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM), Cairo (HECA),
Cape Town (FACT), Madrid-Barajas (LEMD), Chicago
O’Hare (KORD)
Premium - Denver (KDEN), Dubai (OMDB), Frankfurt
Main (EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
LOS ANGELES
ICAO: KLAX // IATA: LAX

Los Angeles International is the largest and busiest airport
on the west coast of the United States, serving as a major Airport elevation: 128ft
gateway to the west coast and a connection point for the
millions of connecting passengers and cargo that pass
through its doors. LAX World Airport truly is a behemoth, Runway designations:
offering ultimate versatility with an almost endless résumé 06L/24R - 8,926ft x 150ft
of serving airlines and operators.
06R/24L - 10,885ft x 150ft
07L/25R - 12,923ft x 150ft
Go and find the famous Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee. The iconic structure
overlooks the bustling city. The large lettering makes it easy to spot.
07R/25L - 11,095ft x 200ft
World Map: 34.135323, -118.321033

Approach types:
ILS, RNAV (GPS & RNP),
FREQUENT VISITORS LOC

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Aspen-Pitkin (KASE), Entebbe International

(HUEN), John F Kennedy International (KJFK), Orlando
International (KMCO), Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG)
Deluxe - Haneda (RJTT), Toncontin (MHTG), Amsterdam
Schiphol (EHAM), Cairo International (HECA), Madrid-
Barajas (LEMD), Chicago O’Hare (KORD)
Premium - Dubai (OMDB), Frankfurt (EDDF), Heathrow
(EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO)

Preferential Runway System at Los Angeles
Los Angeles Airport has
adopted a “Preferential
Runway Use Policy” to help
minimise noise around
the airport for residents.
During daytime hours, 06:30

- 00:00, the airport uses
the Westerly Operations
plan, with departing
aircraft taking off to the
west and arriving aircraft
approaching from the east.
During 00:00 - 06:30, the

air traffic pattern becomes
Over Ocean Operations, with
departing aircraft taking
off to the west and arriving
aircraft also approaching
from the west.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Billy Bishop Toronto
City
CYTZ / YTZ
REGIONAL // CANADA
Billy Bishop is a conveniently
placed small airport built upon
the Toronto Islands on Lake
Ontario. It is primarily used for
civil aviation, air ambulances
and regional airlines providing
shuttle services to key cities.

GO AND SEE
Runway designations: 08/26 - 3,998 x 150ft | 06/24 - 2,460 x 100ft Fly south from Billy Bishop tracking the Niagara
Approach types: ILS, RNAV (GNSS & RNP), LOC River to experience the beauty of Niagara falls.
Stewart Aerodrome
CZST / ZST
AIR FIELD // CANADA

Stewart Aerodrome is located at
the head of the Portland Canal
near the Alaskan pan handle and
sits adjacent to the small town
of Stewart. The town served as a
port for Canadian mining activity
after the discovery of Silver in
the Salmon river basin. The
Aerodrome lacks basic facilities
and operates ad-hoc services.

QUICK TIP
Runway designations: 18/36 - 3917 x 50ft Careful of the turbulence caused by the
Approach types: Visual mountains on departure as they will rock you.

SEATTLE-TACOMA
ICAO: KSEA // IATA: SEA

Located between the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, the
airport was built in 1944 after the US military took control Airport elevation: 432ft
of Boeing Field. The airport is the largest in the pacific
northwest region and it serves many airlines across the
world featuring a large cargo hub. On a clear day you’ll be Runway designations:
able to see Mt Rainier as you depart south. Alternatively, take 16R/34L - 8,500ft x 150ft
a scenic flight north, tracking the Duwamish Waterway into
Elliot Bay, flying along the coast you’ll see Pike Place Market. 16C/34C - 9,426ft x 150ft
16L/34R - 11,900ft x 150ft
Seattle is another of the included photogrammetry cities meaning buildings
and structures will look lifelike. Go and find the iconic Space Needle.
Approach types:
World Map: 47.621027, -122.349664
ILS, LOC, RNAV (GPS &
RNP), Visual
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME

F. Kennedy (KJFK), Orlando International (KMCO), Paris
Charles de Gaulle (LFPG), Haneda (RJTT)
Deluxe - Telluride (KTEX), Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM),
Premium - Denver (KDEN), Dubai International (OMDB),
Frankfurt Main (EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco
(KSFO)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
DENVER
ICAO: KDEN // IATA: DEN

Located northeast of Denver, Denver International is home
to the longest public use runway in North America. Its Airport elevation: 5,434ft
unmistakeable white peaked roof was designed to resemble
snow capped mountains and pay homage to the Native
Americans whose teepees were located throughout the Runway designations:
Great Plains. 16R/34L - 16,000ft x 200ft
16L/34R - 12,000ft x 150ft
17R/35L - 12,000ft x 150ft
17L/35R - 12,000ft x 150ft
07/25 - 12,000ft x 150ft
08/26 - 12,000ft x 150ft
FREQUENT VISITORS
Approach types:
RNP)RNP), Visual

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Los Angeles (KLAX), John F. Kennedy

(KJFK), Orlando International (KMCO), Mariscal Sucre
International (SEQM), Rio de Janeiro (SBGL)
Deluxe - Haneda (RJTT) Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM),
(EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO)

CHICAGO O’HARE
ICAO: KORD // IATA: ORD

Located just under 27km northwest of the Windy City, O’Hare
held the title for being the world’s first busiest airport, a Airport elevation: 672ft
title it defended from 1963-1998. To give you an idea of scale
O’Hare handles on average 2,520 aircraft movements per
day, partly due to its high volume of regional airlines that Runway designations:
permit travel to almost every part of the united states. 09L/27R - 7,500ft x 150ft
09R/27L - 7,967ft x 150ft
Chicago O’Hare is currently undergoing redevelopment 10L/28R - 13,000ft x 150ft
and expansion to enable same terminal transfers between
10C/28C - 10,800ft x 200ft
domestic and international flights, faster connection and
improved facilities for both passengers and staff. 10R/28L - 7,500ft x 150ft
04L/22R - 7,500ft x 150ft
04R/22L - 8,075ft x 150ft
FREQUENT VISITORS
Approach types:
RNP)

INSPIRE ME

F. Kennedy (KJFK), Orlando International (KMCO), Paris
Charles de Gaulle (LFPG), Sedona Regional (KSEZ)
Deluxe - Telluride (KTEX), Haneda (RJTT), Amsterdam
Barajas (LEMD)
Premium - Frankfurt Main (EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL), San
Francisco (KSFO), Denver Airport (KDEN)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SAN FRANCISCO
ICAO: KSFO // IATA: SFO

The City by The Bay - it can be none other than San Francisco.
21km South of downtown San Francisco you’ll find San Airport elevation: 13ft
Francisco International. It is the largest airport in the Bay
Area and protrudes into the San Francisco Bay. The area
boasts a plethora of sights to take in. Runway designations:
01L/19R - 7,650ft x 200ft
Why not take off flying north up the Bay, over the San 01R/19L - 8,650ft x 200ft
Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge past Treasure Island, towards 10L/28R - 11,870ft x 200ft
Alcatraz then tracking to the Iconic Golden Gate Bridge
10R/28L - 11,381ft x 200ft
before looping back towards Coit Tower, tracking the piers
along the coast before heading back to SFO.
Approach types:
FREQUENT VISITORS RNP), LDA, Visual

INSPIRE ME
Standard - John F. Kennedy (KJFK), Aspen-Pitkin (KASE),

Los Angeles (KLAX), Orlando International (KMCO), Paris
Deluxe - Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM), Chicago O’Hare
(KORD), Madrid-Barajas (LEMD), Cairo International
(HECA)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ATLANTA
ICAO: KATL // IATA: ATL

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the
busiest airport in the world for passenger volume and Airport elevation: 128ft
number of flights. Over its five runways, the airport handles
all types of traffic from short-haul domestic flights to long-
range international journeys. Despite its size, the airport has Runway designations:
one of the best on-time performance stats of any airport in 08L/26R - 9,000ft x 150ft
the world. Easily one of the most exciting destinations to fly
to in flight simulator. 08R/26L - 9,999ft x 150ft
09L/27R - 12,390ft x 150ft
Travel north-east to find the newly added Biltmore Estate. It’s a truely scenic
view even as you travel low and slow.
09R/27L - 9000ft x 150ft
10/28 - 9000ft x 200ft
Approach types:
FREQUENT VISITORS
ILS, LOC, RNAV

INSPIRE ME

International (KMCO), Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG)
Deluxe - Haneda (RJTT), Toncontin (MHTG), Amsterdam
Barajas (LEMD), Chicago O’Hare (KORD)

DALLAS FORT WORTH

ICAO: KDFW // IATA: DFW

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport hosts American
Airlines as its main operator with the second busiest hub for Airport elevation: 128ft
the large US airline. Over 260 destinations are served by the
airport with 67 international and the rest domestic. Despite
the airport’s young age, it features an impressive 6 in-use Runway designations:
runways over a large area of land meaning taxi times can 13L/31R - 9,000ft x 150ft
sometimes get incredibly long.
13R/31L - 9,301ft x 150ft
17C/35C- 13,401ft x 150ft
17L/35R - 8,500ft x 180ft
17R/35L - 13,401ft x 180ft
18L/36R - 13,400ft x160ft
FREQUENT VISITORS
Approach types:
ILS, LOC, RNAV

INSPIRE ME

International (KMCO)
(HECA), Madrid-Barajas (LEMD), Chicago O’Hare (KORD)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
FRIDAY HARBOR
AIRPORT
ICAO: KFHR // IATA: FHR

The public-use airport is located just southwest of the town
of the same name. In the US State of Washington, Friday Airport elevation: 128ft
Harbor Airport is also unique in that the IATA and ICAO
codes for the airport are dissimilar to that of others in the
US. The IATA code for Friday Harbor Airport is 'FRD' whilst Runway designations:
the ICAO is 'KFHR'. 16/34 - 3,402 x 98ft
The only passenger traffic is from Kenmore Air and San Jaun Approach types:
Airlines who fly aircraft to Eastound, Anacortes and Evertt.
Visual
FedEx Feeder also operate cargo flights to Seattle/Tacoma
on a regular basis.

NEW YORK STEWART

ICAO: KSWF // IATA: SWF

One of the smallest airports in New York State is Stewart
International Airport. The airport only has two airlines server Airport elevation: 128ft
for passenger operations to destinations such as Orlando,
Memphis and Punta Gorda, whilst cargo operators fly to Las
Vegas, Atlanta and Hartford. Runway designations:
09/27 - 11,817ft x 130ft
The airport features two runways, one used for the primary 16/34 - 1,830 x 70ft
traffic and a smaller one to accommodate the GA traffic that
also departs from the airport.
Approach types:
ILS, LOC, RNAV, Visual
FREQUENT VISITORS
INSPIRE ME
Standard - Orlando International (KMCO), Atlanta Airport

(KATL)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE X - NEW AIRPORTS
Catalina Airport
NEW v1.85EE
KAVX / AVX
REGIONAL // USA

Runway designations: 04/22 - 3,041ft x52ft
Approach types: Visual, VOR DME
Lake Tahoe Airport

KTVL / TVL
REGIONAL // USA

Approach types: Visual, ILS, VOR, DME

Valdez Airport
PAVD / VDZ
REGIONAL // USA (Alaska)

Block Island
Airport
KBID / BID
Regional // USA

Approach types: Visual, VOR

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ASIA / OCEANIA
A region full of lush tropical vegetation, busy urban cities and a wealth of
opportunity. Asia and Oceania is often forgotten about, but can provide
a truly wonderful flight simulation experience.
NEW - v1.50EE
Additional information following
World Update VII: Australia.
KEY CITIES
Explore some of the richest • Dubai • Singapore
cities in Asia or fly over up • Hong Kong • Jakarta
and coming locations within
the world of the new flight • Tokyo • Bangkok
simulator. Here are some of • Mumbai • Sydney
our top picks.
• Seoul • Wellington
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 142 Included In Included In

Standard Premium Deluxe
HIGHLIGHTS
Dubai (City)
The most populated city in the United Arab
Emirates hosts numerous sky scrapers,
businesses and a range of luxury hotels and
apartments. This makes it an interesting
place to do some scenic flying.
Tokyo (City)
Tokyo is home to numerous tech companies
operating all over the world and houses a
hugely dense population in tall high-rise
buildings. Numerous key landmarks and
beautiful parks give you plenty to see from
the air.
Paro Airport
Only 24 pilots in the whole world are able

to land into Paro Airport, take on the
challenge in your virtual environment to
see how well you can perform the landing
through the steep valleys.
Haneda Airport
One of the busiest airports in Japan both

for domestic and international arrivals.
Take travellers to far away destinations
thanks to the variety of runways available
at Haneda Airport.
Sydney (City)
Visit Sydney like never before. Take a tour
along Sydney Harbour and see the famous
Opera House or land a sea plane straight
into the docks of this beautiful city. Make
sure you visit at night for great views.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTERNATIONAL // JAPAN
HANEDA
ICAO: RJTT // IATA: HND

Located on the west side of Tokyo Bay, Haneda is one of two
primary airports serving the city of Tokyo. Whilst Narita is Airport elevation: 21ft
built on the outskirts of the city, Haneda is very much an
unmistakable part of the city skyline. Visitors from all around
the world visit Haneda Airport because of the easy access to Runway designations:
and from Tokyo via the local transport links. This busy hub 04/22 - 8,202ft x 197ft
is always thriving with traffic and a great location for you to
see in Asia. 05/23 - 8,202ft x 197ft
16R/34L - 9,843ft x 197ft
Being so close to Tokyo means you will see numerous high-rise buildings, but
none stick out quite as much as the Tokyo Skytree standing at 2,080ft.
16L/34R - 11,024ft x 197ft

World Map: 35.710742, 139.811387
Approach types:
ILS, LOC, RNAV (GNSS &
FREQUENT VISITORS RNP), LDA and Visual

INSPIRE ME

(LFPG), Sydney Airport (YSSY), Seattle-Tacoma (KSEA)
(KORD), Madrid-Barajas (LEMD)
Premium - Dubai International (OMDB), San Francisco
(KSFO), Heathrow (EGLL)

Tenzing-Hillary
Airport
VNLK / LUA
AIR FIELD // NEPAL
Known for being the gateway
to Everest, the airport attracts
visitors from all over the world
who connect via Kathmandu.
Lukla was rated the world’s
most dangerous airport in the
world thanks to its unforgivable
terrain, high altitude and ever-
changing weather systems.

QUICK TIP
Runway designations: 06/24 - 1,728ft x 98ft You may have to apply more power for longer
Approach types: Visual due to the high-altitude you will land at.
Queenstown
Airport
NZQN / ZQN
REGIONAL // NEW ZEALAND

In 2015 the airport was voted
the ‘Worlds Most Scenic Airport
Landing’. With its crested peaks
jutting skywards, the many
mountains in the area provide
a clear obstacle to aviators but
alas, with some fancy sky work
you can conquer this stunning
approach.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Runway designations: 05/23 - 5,830ft x 148ft | 14/32 - 2,362ft x 131ft
Crank up the winds and feel the turbulence
Approach types: RNAV (GNSS & RNP), VOR, Visual come from the nearby mountains on approach.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Paro International
Airport
VQPR / PBH
REGIONAL // BHUTAN
Perhaps one of the most
restrictive and revered airports
in the world. Perilously located
at the bottom of a deep valley
on the banks of the Paro Chhu
river shouldered by steep
mountains as high as 18,000ft,
Paro Airport is only accessible in
visual conditions.

DID YOU KNOW?
Runway designations: 15/33 - 7,431ft x 98ft Amazingly less than 24 pilots are certified to
Approach types: Visual, RNAV (RNP) operate in and out of Paro.
BUGALAGA
AIRSTRIP
WX53
AIRFIELD // INDONESIA
Located in the heart of Bugalaga,
this small airstrip poses multiple
challenges to pilots. Not only
is the terrain very uneven, but
the tall surrounding trees, short
runway and nearby buildings
mean you have to be incredibly
skilled to make this landing.

TOP TIP
Runway designations: 06/24 - 478ft x 75ft Be mindful of your altitude and power settings
Approach types: Visual when on the final approach.

INTERNATIONAL // AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY
ICAO: YSSY // IATA: SYD

Located on the northern banks of Botany Bay, Sydney
Airport started life as a Bullock paddock before being Airport elevation: 21ft
acquired by Nigel Love, a first world war fighter pilot. Love
was interested in establishing an aircraft manufacturing
facility, a first for the country. Eventually the small strip grew Runway designations:
to become the busiest airport in Australia. In 2018, Sydney 16R/34L - 12,999ft x 148ft
Airport was rated the 20th best airport in the world at the
Skytrax World Airport Awards. 16L/34R - 7,999ft x 148ft
07/25 - 8,301ft x 148ft
With the city of Sydney located just 12km north of the airport it’s possible to see
stunning views of Sydney Harbour and the famous Opera House.
Approach types:
World Map: -33.857616, 151.214907
ILS, GLS, RNAV (GNSS),
LOC
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Los Angeles (KLAX, John F. Kennedy (KJFK),

Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG*), Orlando International
(KMCO), Queenstown (NZQN), Haneda (RJTT)
Deluxe - Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM), Cape Town (FACT),
Chicago O’Hare (KORD)
Premium - Cape Town (FACT), Chicago O’Hare (KORD),
Dubai (OMDB, Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTERNATIONAL // UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
DUBAI
ICAO: OMDB // IATA: DXB

Dubai International Airport needs very little introduction.
This industry giant handles around 86 million passengers Airport elevation: 62ft
a year with Emirates accounting for 51% of all passenger
movement. Situated just under 5km east of the City of
Dubai, it is an incredibly strategic location particularly for Runway designations:
flights requiring a stopover with more than 63% of their total 12L/30R - 14,275ft x 197ft
annual passenger count made up of transit passengers
joining connecting flights. 12R/30L - 14,590ft x 197ft
Approach types:
ILS, RNAV (GNSS)
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME

(LFPG)
Deluxe - Cairo International (HECA), Cape Town (FACT),
(EDDF), Heathrow (EGLL), San Francisco (KSFO), Denver
Airport (KDEN)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Longreach Airport
YLRE / LRE
REGIONAL // AUSTRALIA
Longreach Airport is the
gateway to Outback Central
Queensland and is located off
the Landsborough Highway
approximately 2km from the
centre of Longreach. A retired
Qantas Boeing 747-200 is sat at
the airport for visitors to admire.

Runway designations: 04/22 - 6,352ft X 130ft
Approach types: GPS, Visual
Mount Beauty
Airport
YMBT
AIR FIELD // AUSTRALIA

Nestled at the foot of Mt Bogong,
Mount Beauty Airport offers
visitors easy access to the Kiewa
Valley, Bogong High Plains and
Falls Creek. The airport is a base
for general aviation, gliding,
ultralight and model aircraft
flying.

QUICK TIP
Runway designations: 14/32 - 2,800ft x 80ft You will need to download and install World
Approach types: Visual Update VII in order to get these four airports.

Paraburdoo Airport
YPBO / PBO
Paraburdoo Airport is an airport
serving Paraburdoo, a town in
the Pilbara region of Western
Australia. Paraburdoo's primary
air traffic is a mixture of Qantas
and Virgin Australia flights,
along with plenty of GA flights
taking to the skies.

Approach types: GPS, Visual, LOC, VNAV
Shellharbour
Airport
YSHL / WOL
Shellharbour Airport is known
by a few other names, including
Wollongong Airport. Due to its
location between Melbourne
and Sydney, the airport is a great
link between the two major
cities.

16/34 - 5,968ft x 120ft
Approach types: LOC, RNAV (GPS), ILS, LOC

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
AFRICA
Known as the Motherland, Africa has a nice variety of exciting destinations.
From desert-filled cities to tropical jungles, Africa offers bush fliers the
perfect place to explore.
KEY CITIES
We love flying around Africa • Cape Town • Johannesburg
thanks to the varied locations • Lagos • Cassablanca
throughout the large
continent. Here is a selection • Cairo • Morocco
of cities you should go and • Kinshasa • Durban
explore in the simulator.
• Nairobi • Hurghada
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 152 Included In Included In

Standard Deluxe
HIGHLIGHTS
Cairo (The Great Pyramids)
See one of the Ancient Wonders of World
up close from the comfort of your own
home. Taking off from Cario to see these
fascinating structures is breathtaking and
simply must not be missed.
Cape Town (City)

This South African city has great vistas
thanks to nearby mountain ranges,
numerous settlements and a variety of
ports. Once the sun sets, enjoy the twilight
glisten across the ocean.
Entebbe International Airport
Located on the northern shores of Lake

Victoria, Entebbe International is the
only international airport in Uganda, with
flights across the continent and beyond.
African Plains
Explore the plains of Africa where wildlife

congregate in the most diverse and
enormous numbers. Be sure to check
out the interrupted expansiveness of the
Serengeti. OI Doinyo Lengai is the only
active volcano in the area.
Casablanca
Casablanca serves as the largest city in all
of Morocco. The coastal city is an economic
power-house with a range of exciting
buildings, tower blocks and other points of
interest to find amongst the various souks.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTERNATIONAL // UGANDA
ENTEBBE
ICAO: HUEN // IATA: EBB

Located on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, Entebbe
International is the only international airport in Uganda, Airport elevation: 3,784ft
with flights across the continent and beyond to the likes of
Istanbul, Amsterdam, Brussels and Dubai this airport offers
true versatility. Runway designations:
17/35 - 12,001 x 148ft
So grab your long-haul plane and set-off on a new journey.
Approach types:
Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to a huge range of wildlife that may be
out and about exploring in your simulator. Fly low and slow to see them!
ILS, RNAV (GNSS), VOR
World Map: -0.161432, 30.019181
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG)

(HECA), Cape Town International (FACT), Madrid-Barajas
(LEMD)

The Great Pyramid
of Giza
LANDMARK // EYGPT
The oldest of the Seven Wonders
of the Ancient World, The Great
Pyramid of Giza sits high and
mighty in the middle of the
desert. Soar closer than any
tourist can from the comfort of
your own home. Not only can
you see the pyramids, but also
The Great Sphinx of Giza.
Landmark Height: 66ft

DID YOU KNOW?
Nearby City: Cairo It is thought that over 2 million bricks were
Location on World Map: 29.980201, 31.133987 used to construct The Great Pyramid of Giza.
Table Mountain
LOCATION // SOUTH AFRICA
Table Mountain is a flat-topped
mountain forming a prominent
landmark overlooking the city of
Cape Town in South Africa. It is
a significant tourist attraction,
with many visitors using the
cableway or hiking to the top.
Its heighest point is just over
3,500ft above sea level and has
a cable car taking visitors to the
peak on a regular basis.
Elevation: 3,558ft
DID YOU KNOW?
Nearest City: Cape Town Table Mountain is one of the New Seven
Location on World Map: -33.957314, 18.403108 Wonders of the world.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTERNATIONAL // EGYPT
CAIRO
ICAO: HECA // IATA: CAI

Cairo International is the busiest airport in Egypt, located
just 20km northeast of the City of Cairo and around 41km Airport elevation: 467ft
from The Great Pyramids of Giza, it’s a popular hub for both
the residents of Cairo and visitors to one of the 7 wonders of
the world. Originally built as Bayn Field Air Force Base which Runway designations:
served allied forces during the war, this was a strategically 05L/23R - 10,830ft x 197ft
important location providing vital air links to Benghazi,
Algiers and Dakar as well as further east to Jeddah and 05C/23C - 13,120ft x 197ft
Karachi. 05R/23L - 13,123ft x 197ft
Approach types:
ILS, LOC, VOR, RNP
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME

Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG), Haneda (RJTT)
Deluxe - Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM), Cape Town (FACT),

INTERNATIONAL // SOUTH AFRICA
CAPE TOWN
ICAO: FACT // IATA: CPT

Located right in the centre of Cape Town, Cape Town
International is the fourth busiest airport on the African Airport elevation: 151ft
continent. Annually the airport serves just under 11 million
passengers. With its stunning views of Table Mountain as
you approach, it’s sure to delight. Popular for its diverse Runway designations:
attractions, tourists flock to Cape Town each year to 01/19 - 10,502 x 200ft
experience all that it has to offer. From the Winelands to
Boulder beach its appeal is obvious. 16/34 - 5,581ft x 151ft

Approach types:
ILS, RNAV (GNSS & RNP),
VOR
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Entebbe (HUEN), John F. Kennedy (KJFK),

Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG), Rio de Janeiro (SBGL),
Haneda (RJTT)
(HECA), Madrid-Barajas (LEMD)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA
There are plenty of locations across Central and South America ready for
you to explore. From the lush beaches of the Caribbean to the extravagant
Andes in South America, you are sure to have a varied flying experience.
KEY CITIES
The huge variation in terrain • Rio de Janeiro • Panama City
makes flying in both Central • Buenos Aires • Antigua
and South America thrilling
and exciting. Here are some • Santiago • Mexico City
key cities to refuel at before • Quito • San Miguel
you continue your journey.
• Salvador • Lima
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 158 Included In

Standard
HIGHLIGHTS
Rio de Janeiro Airport
Over time new facilities were added
including a new terminal and runway.
Today it is the fourth busiest airport in
Brazil by passenger traffic and features a
beautiful approach.
Gustaf III Airport

Known more famously as St. Barts, this
tropical island paradise is located 28km
south east of Sint Maarten and features a
spine tingling drop over the brow of a hill
before touching down on the extremely
short runway,
Juancho Yrausquin Airport
Saba is located on the Dutch Caribbean

island of Saba, some 52km south of Sint
Maarten. It is serviced by Windward Islands
Airways (Winair) who have operated to and
from the island since 1963.
Mariscal Sucre International Airport
Officially opened on the 20th of February

2013 to replace the old, dangerous Quito
Airport located in the middle of the city,
the airport is the only 5-star airport in the
western hemisphere according to Skytrax.
Toncontin International Airport

Its geographical location makes it
necessary for approaches from the south
to follow a very strict descent schedule
with several low turns near terrain to align
with the runway.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Toncontin Airport
MHTG / TGU
REGIONAL // HONDURAS
Its geographical location makes
it necessary for approaches from
the south to follow a very strict
descent schedule with several
low turns near terrain to align
with the runway.

DID YOU KNOW?
Runway designations: 02/20 - 6,631ft x 148ft The southern end of the runway received a
Approach types: RNAV (RNP), VOR 984ft extension to make landing easier.
Sirena Aerodrome
MRSN
AIR FIELD // COSTA RICA

This grass strip airport does not
currently have any scheduled
services. It is commonly used by
charter services on an ad-hoc
basis to bring tourists to this area
of Costa Rica.

QUICK TIP
Runway designations: 03/21 - 2383 x 50ft Finding the airport is hard because of the
Approach types: Visual surrounding forest so using a marker may help.

INTERNATIONAL // BRAZIL
RIO DE JANEIRO
ICAO: SBGL // IATA: GIG

Like most airports, Galeão started out as a military Air Force
Base. Post war, Santos Dumont Airport was unable to handle Airport elevation: 28ft
the increasing demand from both airlines and passengers
given its tricky location, so it was decided to expand Galeão.
Over time new facilities were added including a new terminal Runway designations:
and runway. Today it is the fourth busiest airport in Brazil by 10/28 - 13,123ft x 148ft
passenger traffic and features a beautiful approach.
15/33 - 10,433ft x 154ft
Taking off from Rio De Janeiro-Antonio Carlos Airport and heading south-west
will take you towards one of the Wonders of the World: Christ the Reedemer.
Approach types:
ILS, LOC, RNAV (GNSS),
World Map: -22.949999, -43.210359
NDB, VOR, Visual
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Los Angeles (KLAX), John F.Kennedy (KJFK),

(LFPG), Mariscal Sucre International (SEQM), Toncontin
(MHTG)
(KORD), Madrid-Barajas (LEMD)
Premium - Denver (KDEN), Dubai (OMDB), Heathrow
(EGLL), Frankfurt Main (EDDF), San Francisco (KSFO)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Mariscal Sucre
Airport
SEQM / UIO
INTERNATIONAL // ECUADOR
Officially opened on the 20th of
February 2013 to replace the old,
dangerous Quito Airport located
in the middle of the city, the
airport is the only 5-star airport
in the western hemisphere
according to Skytrax.

QUICK TIP
Runway designations: 18/36 - 13,445ft x 148ft You will use a lot of the long runway because
Approach types: ILS, LOC, RNAV (RNP), VOR of the humid weather and high-altitude.
Chagual Airport
SPGL
AIR FIELD // PERU

Chagual is a very small airport
serving the local community
and town of Chagual. Located
in a deep canyon on the banks
of the Marañón River, flanked by
dangerous terrain, this airport
is sure to challenge your flying
ability.

GO AND SEE
Runway designations: 14/32 - 3,953ft x 60ft Travel south-east and you’ll eventually find
Approach types: Visual the stunning waters of Laguna Pias.

Gustaf III Airport
TFFJ / SBH
REGIONAL // ST BARTS
Known more famously as
St. Barts, this tropical island
paradise is located 28km south
east of Sint Maarten and features
a spine tingling drop over the
brow of a hill before touching
down on the extremely short
runway, don’t think just because
you’ve touched down the ride is
over, you’ve still got to stop.

QUICK TIP
Runway designations: 10/28 - 2,119ft x 59ft You can only take off on runway 10. Taking off
Approach types: Visual from runway 28 is prohibited in real-life.
Juancho E.
Yrausquin Airport
TNCS / SAB
REGIONAL // SABA
Saba is located on the Dutch
Caribbean island of Saba, some
52km south of Sint Maarten.
It is serviced by Windward
Islands Airways (Winair) who
have operated to and from the
island since 1963 providing vital
air links to the local community
and further afield.

DID YOU KNOW?
Runway designations: 12/30 - 994ft (12) 1312ft (30) x 48ft The airport is widely known for having the
Approach types: Visual shortest commercial runway in the world

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
JAPAN WORLD UPDATE
The first World Update for the simulator included six brand new airports
in Japan for simmers to explore. The stunning landscapes, urban cities
and vast history make Japan an exciting place to visit.
KEY CITIES
As part of the update, various • Sendai • Yokohama
cities in Japan were given • Takamatsu
the 3D photogrammetry
treatment for an even better • Tokushima
visual representation within • Tokyo
the simulator.
• Utsunomiya
Included In Standard (Needs down-
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 164 loading from Marketplace for free)
HIGHLIGHTS
Kushiro Airport
This northernly airport sees frequent visits
from airlines around Japan bringing in both
tourists and locals to the area. International
flights to South Korea, Taiwan and Hong
Kong also frequent Kushiro Airport.
Nagasaki Airport
Nagasaki Airport is Japan’s first full airport
built over water and first opened in May
1975. The airport sees a range of flights
from destinations such as Hong Kong,
Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe.
Shimojishima Airport
Shimojishima Airport has the longest

runway of any of the Japanese Islands
which means various airlines can visit the
island with ease carrying many passengers
to the area.
Hachijojima Airport
The airport opened up as a civilian

airport in 1954 and is controlled by local
authorities on the island. There is a
regular service to Tokyo shuttling people
to and from the island and the capital.
Mount Fuji
As the highest mountain in all of Japan,
Mount Fuji offers stunning and irresistible
views from any angle. Take your favourite
aircraft and explore this famous mountain
in the land of the rising sun.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Shimojishima
Airport
RORS / SHI
REGIONAL // JAPAN
Shimojishima Airport has the
longest runway of any of the
Japanese Islands which means
various airlines can visit the
island with ease carrying many
passengers to the area.

Approach types: RNAV (RNP), VOR
Kushiro Airport
RJCK / KUH
REGIONAL // JAPAN
This northernly airport sees
frequent visits from airlines
around Japan bringing in both
tourists and locals to the area.
International flights to South
Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong
also frequent Kushiro Airport.

Runway designations: 17/35 - 8,202 x 160ft
Approach types: RNAV (RNP), VOR and ILS.

REGIONAL // JAPAN
NAGASAKI
AIRPORT
ICAO: RJFU // IATA: NGS

Nagasaki Airport is Japan’s first full airport built over water
and first opened in May 1975. The airport sees a range of Airport elevation: 8ft
flights from destinations such as Honk Kong, Tokyo, Osaka
and Kobe. The northernly location of the airport means the
weather is often colder and more challenging than other Runway designations:
airports in the country. 14/32 - 9,843ft x 159ft
Approach types:
You can fly over the Nagasaki Peace Park which lies south of the airport itself.
This historic park looks great from the air.
ILS, LOC, RNAV (GNSS),
NDB, VOR, Visual
World Map: 32.775946, 129.863424
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Tokyo-Haneda Airport

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
REGIONAL // JAPAN
HACHIJOJIMA
AIRPORT
ICAO: RJTH // IATA: HAC

The airport opened up as a civilian airport in 1954 and is
controlled by local authorities on the island. There is a Airport elevation: 301ft
regular service to Tokyo shuttling people to and from the
island and the capital city.
08/26 - 6,560 x 143ft

Approach types:
Hachijō-jima Volcano sits just south of the airport. Take a small aircraft up and
see what the volcano has to offer.
ILS, RNAV (GNSS), VOR
World Map: 33.103291, 139.803311
FREQUENT VISITORS

INSPIRE ME
Standard - Tokyo-Haneda Airport

Suwanosejima
Airport
RJX8
AIR FIELD // JAPAN

This grass strip airport does not
currently have any scheduled
services. It has stunning green
trees and scenery surrounding
this great looking airport.

Runway designations: 14/32 - 2699 x 49ft
Kerama Airport
ROKR
REGIONAL // JAPAN
Kerama Airport gained a license
to operate commercial flights
in the 1960s but has since seen
airliners pull out of the airport.
However, the scenery makes for
great views.

Runway designations: 02/20 - 2617 x 98ft

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WALKTHROUGH
IMPORTANT
This tutorial section was based on a
build prior to Sim Update V. We will
update the guide in the next major
release to include the tutorial flights
are they are in the si. However, most of
the information should remain true to
help you get started.
TRAINING FLIGHTS
HELPING YOU TO SUCCEED YOUR INITIAL TRAINING FLIGHTS
Now that you have an understanding of the conduct all of your flights from Sedona Airport
simulator, the aircraft, airports and other in the Cessna 152 and you’ll have all the help
functionality, it is time to step into your first you need to: take off, fly a circuit, navigate and,
training sessions. With the new simulator, your of course, land. In total, the initial eight training
initial training will comprise of eight detailed sessions will take you two hours to complete.
tutorial sessions. In each of the eight training You can jump in at any time and even repeat
lessons, your instructor will brief you, provide those that you want a bit more time with. So
you with objectives and provide support all buckle up and get ready to take to the skies on
along the way. You and your instructor will your brand new adventure.
1 - BASIC CONTROLS AND CAMERAS

Training Session Duration: 08 Minutes Walkthrough
Your instructor will give you all the direction
Key Learnings: you need for this one. Simply hit the right key
commands when instructed and you’ll pass
• Use the camera control system. first time.
• Pitch and roll the aircraft using your control
set-up.
• Use the rudder to yaw the aircraft safely.
• Add and reduce power to the aircraft and
its behaviour towards these changes.
Overview:
Starting off in the air, you will be introduced
to your instructor and given the rundown on Top Tip: Use gentle force when moving the
some quick action camera controls and also controls and try to be as smooth as possible.
the basics of controlling the aircraft. Jerky movements will cause you to lose control.

Instructions for flight simulation use only. Not to be used for real-world flying.
2 - ATTITUDES AND INSTRUMENTS
Training Session Duration: 07 Minutes
Key Learnings:
• Read the instruments in the cockpit and
know their functionality.
• Change pitch attitude to control your
airspeed.
• Manage power to control how your aircraft
climbs or descends.
• Maintain attitude when making turns.
Overview:
Now you have an understanding of the
laws of flight, you can put this into practice
by maintaining altitude, descending and
climbing. Cockpit panel instruments are also
covered in this lesson.
Top Tip: Don’t rush going through the

instruments in the cockpit. Take the time to
fully understand what data they show you.
whilst maintaining altitude. When you enter

Walkthrough the bank, you must be mindful to pull gently
back on the stick so that you don’t loose
You start this tutorial in the air, where your altitude in the turn. This is because your aircraft
instructor will introduce you to the horizon line, will dip down below the horizon as your wings
also known as the cruise attitude. You will then make the turn.
be given a rundown of various instruments in
the cockpit, including your airspeed indicator,
your attitude indicator and altitude indicator. Once you have made the turn, slowly start
Afterwards, your instructor will give you control to level out your wings by maneuvering in
of the aircraft. the opposite direction. Do be mindful of your
speed as it will fluctuate as you make the
directional change.
Your first task will be to head into a climb
with a gentle pull back on the stick and with
full throttle. Once you’ve climbed, you will Once you have completed this, you’ll hand
have to level out with an RPM set to 2,300. controls back to your instructor in preparation
Your instructor will give you the next task of for the next lesson.
entering the descent attitude. Simply push
down gently and reduce the throttle until you
reach idle. As you watch your speed increase
and altitude drop, be sure to be mindful of the
terrain.
With you now knowing how to change altitude,

your next part of the lesson is how to bank,

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
3 - TAKE OFF
Key Learnings:
• Taxi your aircraft onto the runway.
• Set take-off power in a small aircraft.
• Take off and climb to a low cruising altitude.
Overview:
Learning to take off is both exciting and
exhilerating. In this tutorial, you’ll be able to
experience your first take off in the Cessna 152.
Walkthrough
Starting on the edge of runway 21, you will
begin your taxi onto the runway. Gently apply
a bit of power and release the parking brakes
with your assigned key or controller input.
Following the yellow line will lead you nicely
onto the runway.
Your instructor will also tell you to be sure

you’re clear of any oncoming traffic so use
your camera contols to pan to the left-side to
allow you to check this. Once cleared, line up
on the runway and when you’re as centred
as possible, apply the brakes and come to a
complete stop.
Now your friendly instructor will give you the

go ahead to apply full throttle power until
you accelerate to 55 knots. Be sure to use the
rudder pedal controls to stay as centred on
the runway as possible, whilst also keeping an
eye on your airspeed. Once you reach 55 knots,
your instrcutor will tell you to “gently pull back
on the yoke.”
Once airborne, maintain a pitch that will

give you a climb speed of 75 knots until you
reach 5,500ft on the altimeter. Now level off
by reducing power on the throttle and slowly
lowering the nose to maintain cruise attitude.
Now that you have performed your first take

off, you’re ready to learn how to get back to
Top Tip: Using your elevator trim will help you
Earth.
to maintain a good rate of climb whilst also
providing you the right speed.

4 - LANDING
Key Learnings:
• Manage power and pitch during an
approach.
• Use flaps to increase drag and reduce
speed.
• Flare the aircraft.
If you still find yourself too fast and high,
• Safely stop after touching down. you can apply more flaps. You can do this by
panning your view to the lever that controls
Overview: the flaps to manually adjust or by using the
default F7 key. As you apply the flaps, your
You’ve mastered take off, but now it’s time aircraft will start to slow down and pitch up.
to land. This very quick tutorial will have you This is because you are adding drag and lift to
perform an approach into Sedona Airport and the aircraft. You may need to compensate for
land safely on the runway. this by applying more power or pitching your
aircraft down. Another sidenote: you should
only apply flaps when at safe speeds to do so.
Walkthrough In the Cessna 152, this is indicated by the white
This tutorial is a little more challenging because inner line on the airspeed indicator.
you start 6000ft up and around 5 miles away
from the runway meaning you have to react as
well as listen to instruction. Once you start to approach the threshold
of the runway, your instructor will tell you
to change your aimpoint to the end of the
runway. Continue to fly the approach and start
Top Tip: If at any point you feel a little to consider the landing flare.
overwhelmed and need to break, press the
PAUSE key to stop the sim. You can also listen
to the instructions from your instructor whilst For most aircraft, you will need to flare to touch
your plane remains motionless. down smoothly and safely. This is done so that
the main landing gear touches down first,
followed by the nose gear. Flaring becomes
easier with experience and practice. Pulling
From the start of your tutorial lesson, you will
back too much, too quickly will send you flying
be told to try to maintain an approach speed of
again. Too late and you’ll be kissing the ground
65 knots. Whilst you try to maintain this speed,
a bit harder than you’d like.
you also need to keep youself aligned with the
runway. If you need to, apply small amounts of
roll, but be sure to put your wings level again
as soon as you are aligned.
To keep you on the correct glideslope for

landing, you will want to aim for the runway’s
number. If you find yourself a bit too high,
adjust your pitch and reduce the throttle so
that you increase your rate of descent. If you’re
too low, increase your pitch and add power. Continued on next page...
DID YOU KNOW?

When correcting your approach path, The main gear is located at the front of some
remember to only make minor and aircraft which means flaring isn’t necessary
since the main gear touches down before the
incremental adjustments. tail gear. One example is the Zlin Shock Ultra.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
4 - LANDING CONTINUED
Once you are over the runway’s threshold, you
need to start the flare. As mentioned, you need
to be quite delicate to achieve this. First, you
should slowly reduce the power to idle with
your throttle. This will now start to slow your
airspeed so that you can touch down.
Pull gently back on the stick so that your

nose is slightly above your aimpoint. Now
that you’re in the flare, the aircraft will start
to slowly glide onto the runway. Don’t panic
if things aren’t happening too quickly, just
make fine adjustments to get yourself on the
ground. Eventually, the aircraft will touch the
ground and begin the rollout.
Once all of your landing gear is firmly on the

runway, you can apply the brakes by hitting
the corresponding key and your aircraft will
slowly start to decelerate. As your aircraft slows
down, keep on the centre-line until you come
to a complete stop.
Once you have successfully landed, your

intructor will give you some advice which is
important to remember.
“ Landings can be hard, even

for seasoned pilots ”
Don’t be put off if you found this scenario

quite tough. The more you practice, the easier
it becomes, and you’ll always find landing is
the most rewarding part of any flight.

5 - TRAFFIC PATTERN
Key Learnings:
• Complete a full flight from take off to
landing.
• Utilise power management to reach
specific altitudes and speeds.
• Vacate the runway safely.
Overview:
This puts you on the downwind leg. Level off
With take off and landing now complete, it’s at 5,700, reduce power to 2,100 RPM and check
time to take on your first circuit. This flight will the runway out on your left-hand side again
take you out of Sedona Airport, fly a left-hand to make sure you are flying parallel with the
turn and fly 1,000ft above the airport before runway.
descending back into Sedona.
Continued on next page...

Walkthrough
Start by releasing the parking brake and
applying full power to start the take off roll.
Once you hit 55 knots, gently pull back and
start your climb keeping on the same heading
as the runway.
Once airborne, you will need to climb to

5,400ft. Maintain a climb speed of 75 knots
whilst keeping full power on the throttle. You
should adjust your elevator trim where needed
to maintain a good rate of climb. A marker will
appear on your screen alerting you that there
is about a mile to go until you need to start
making a left-hand turn.
Once you reach the entrance to the traffic

pattern, you will need to turn left heading
122 degrees. Slowly move the stick to bank.
Remember to watch your airspeed and
altitude, making adjustments to the power
and pitch to maintain a speed of 75 - 90 knots.
As you make the turn, you will need to start

climbing to 5,700ft. If you can, keep an eye on
the left-side of your wing. The runway should
appear almost central as you exit the turn
Top Tip: The loading screen will be helpful
heading 122 degrees. A new marker will appear
here. Take careful note of the points you will
so be sure to take advantage of it to help you
be flying to so that you have a visual reference.
stay on course. Once at the marker, you are
going to turn onto heading 034 degrees.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
5 - TRAFFIC PATTERN CONTINUED
The downwind leg can get quite busy. During
this time, you need to start considering your
approach and landing.
As mentioned in the landing tutorial, you want

to start slowing the aircraft down by applying
flaps. Once the speed is within the white inner-
arc, we can extend the flaps by 10 degrees. You
can do this by pressing F7 on your keyboard.
Watch your speed and be prepared to counter
the new change in lift by applying some
downward elevator trim.
Continue to fly towards the marker “Base Turn”

which is about a mile past the threshold of the
runway, whilst maintaining speed and 5,700ft.
Once you reach the marker, you need to make

another left-hand turn heading 283 degrees.
This is known as the base leg. However, as you
bank, you need to gently reduce power to idle
whilst maintaining cruise attitude so you start
a slow descent over the valleys. You should
have a vertical speed of around -700 feet per
minute (FPM). As you slow down to 65 knots,
your approach speed, keep your eye on the
runway. When you can see the runway on your
left-hand side, you will need to complete the
final part of the circuit known as the final leg.
Turn left to align yourself with the runway,

ensuring you maintain a careful rate of
descent and keeping your speed at 65 knots.
Just as with the landing tutorial, you will want
to aim for the runway’s number and as you
reach the threshold of the runway, you will
want to change your aimpoint to the end of
the runway. As you reach 10ft, reduce power to
idle, start the flare, and touch down.
Congratulations, you’ve just done your first

complete flight.
The next tutorial sees you completing the

same circuit, just without any navigation aids
or instructor. Good luck!
Top Tip: If you feel the final leg is too short, you
can always extend the downwind leg a little
bit more to give yourself some extra time.

6 - FIRST SOLO FLIGHT
Key Learnings:
• Complete the Sedona traffic pattern on
your own.
Overview:
This tutorial flight will put you in total control
of your Cessna 152 to complete your first solo
flight. This will be the same traffic pattern as
you completed in the previous tutorial.
Walkthrough
This tutorial flight is the same as the previous
tutorial. The difference this time is that you are
on your own and there will be no navigation
markers to help guide you.
Here are the key points about this flight to

remember:
• Take Off Leg: Take off at a speed of 55

knots and maintain the runway heading
until you reach 5,400ft.
• Crosswind Leg: Turn left heading 112
degrees and continue to climb to 5,700ft.
• Downwind Leg: Keeping the runway
parallel outside your left window, maintain
5,700ft, heading 34 degrees. Apply 10
degrees of flaps once you are parallel
to the runway’s threshold. Continue for
approximately another mile.
• Base Leg: Gently reduce to idle, lower the
nose to start pitching down and keep your
speed at 65 knots.
• Final Leg: Line up with the runway
ensuring you maintain a safe descent
profile. Flare once you are over the runway
threshold and keep the nose slightly up
until you touch down.
Once you have landed, taxi the aircraft to a

position of choice.
Congratulations, you’ve just completed your Top Tip: Use the objectives menu to remind
first solo flight! you which phase of the circuit you are currently
in and which phase you should complete next.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
7 - NAVIGATION
Key Learnings:
• Follow a planned route using landmarks to
guide you.
• Monitor time and distance to ensure you’re
on target.
Overview:
With your first solo flight out of the way, it’s
time to start tracking across the country. In
your first navigation flight, you will fly from
Sedona Airport (KSEZ) to Flagstaff Airport
(KFLG) using only visual flight rules.
Walkthrough
The first step is to take off and climb to 5,800ft.
Don’t stray too far from the airport as you will
need to overfly it once you reach 5,800ft. Once
you have established cruise attitude, you will
need to overfly the airport as indicated by the
marker ‘Departure Position’. After reaching
the airport, your instructor will tell you to
start the clock. The Nav Log menu will pop up
automatically, click on start and proceed to
the next stage of your cross-country journey.
With your timer now on, your next task is to

head to the first position in your nav log; Munds
Park. You will need to fly heading 041 degrees
for approximately 8.85nm, which is going to
take you around 5 minutes. Your instructor will
advise you to consider factors like wind, which
may change your estimated enroute time. The
timer you started will allow you to compare
your actual with the estimated flight time.
After enjoying some of the scenic views out

of your window, you will soon come across
Munds Park. Your instructor will tell you to fly
to Flagstaff-Pulliam Airport. Whilst a marker
will appear on your screen, your instructor
will advise you to instead use identifiable
landmarks to guide you to the airport. In this
case, you’ll be using the I-17 highway to take
you towards the airport. Start to turn so that
you overfly the highway.
Note: Be sure to restart your timer.

7 - NAVIGATION CONTINUED
As you close in on the airport, your instructor
will tell you to get ready to enter the traffic
pattern. You will need to keep your cruise
attitude and enter the downwind leg as you
continue to follow the highway and markers.
As you approach the downwind marker, you
should be parallel to the runway on your left-
hand side.
With entering the traffic pattern, you will need

to reduce power and pitch down slightly to
start your descent. Keep flying heading 240
until you reach the base turn marker.
The rest of the flight will continue as though

you’re completing a traffic pattern. You will
need to reach the base turn with 10 degrees of
flaps applied and start to reduce your throttle
to idle. Continue the pattern, lining yourself up
for a landing on runway 21.
Once you’re down, apply some braking, make

a right turn off the runway and park.
That’s it, you’ve done your first navigation

flight.
Top Tip: Note any key locations, landmarks

or even parks down below. You’ll need to
remember this for the next tutorial to help you.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
8 - FIRST SOLO NAVIGATION FLIGHT
Key Learnings:
• Gain confidence in navigating on your
own.
Overview:
This is the last of the included tutorial flights
and will bring everything you have learned
over the previous seven lessons to fruition.
You will need to navigate yourself, without
any markers, from Flagstaff Airport (KFLG) to
Sedona Airport (KSEZ).
Walkthrough
From take off to touch down, it’s all down to
you. You will start at Flagstaff Airport on the
runway ready to depart. Once you’re ready,
push the throttles to full thrust and take off at
the usual speed of 55 knots.
Here are the key points about this flight to

guide you back to Sedona:
• Once Airborne: Climb to 8,000ft,

remembering to not go too far from the
airport.
• Departure Checks: When at cruise
attitude, overfly the runway, just as you
learned in the previous tutorial. Start the
timer and begin following the I-17 highway
back to Munds Park.
• From Munds Park: It should take you
around 7 minutes to reach Munds Park.
After you fly overhead, turn onto heading
221 degrees and fly for another 5 minutes.
• Entering the Pattern: You will now have
Sedona Airport in sight. Enter the traffic
pattern as you were taught in previous
tutorials and remember to fly the pattern
at 5,700ft.
• Landing: Complete the pattern,
remembering to approach the airport at a
speed of 65 knots. After you have landed,
turn off the runway and park. Top Tip: You may feel overwhelmed since
you’re on your own, but use the external
camera views to get a better picture of your
Congratulations, you have successfully surroundings.
completed all the training missions with your
new flight simulator. Now take to the skies!

TAKE ON A CHALLENGE
With your initial training flights now complete,
you are ready to take on any of the numerous
challenges or missions available.
Landing Challenges
Take on some of the toughest landing
challenges in the world or take advantage of
some of the most scenic.
There are 24 of these challenges to start you

off.
Some Examples Include:
• Landing an A320Neo at Sydney, Australia.

• Landing a Cessna 172 at Llanada Grande,
Chile.
• Landing a Cessna Grand Caravan at Lukla
Airport, Nepal.
• Landing a TBM 930 at Saba Airport in the
middle of the Caribbean.
• Landing a Boeing 747-8i in strong winds at
Innsbruck Airport, Austria.
• Landing a Cessna 152 in a strong crosswind
at Sedona Airport, USA.
Bush Trips
Three 7 hour+ bush trips are ready for you and
a friend to go and take on together. Take the
Zlin Savage Cub across North America or soar
across Europe in the Cessna 172 Skyhawk in
numerous flights that you will never forget.
Famous Landmarks
Throughout the world, there are plenty
of exciting and well-known landmarks to
discover. Either take off from a nearby airport
and navigate to your destination, or find them
on your world map and start your journey right
next to them.
This is the perfect way to see the world and

capture amazing screenshots all along the
way.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
G1000 OVERVIEW AND TRAINING
With your first flights now out of the way, you Using the G1000 In Flight Simulator
likely want to get to grips with some more
As with the real-world, having a G1000 avionics
advanced systems. In the previous lessons,
suite provides you with even greater detail
you took the time to learn how to follow
when flying around the virtual world. From
roads and landmarks as part of a true VFR
keeping a close eye on your aircraft’s speed,
experience. Whilst this is flying in the truest
altitude and bank, you can also set direct
sense, technology has advanced over the years
courses, manage your radios and even enable
to provide pilots with even more data and
a basic autopilot system to guide you to your
systems to make flying safer, more enjoyable
destination.
and easier than ever to navigate.
In any flight simulator, this means you can

The Garmin G1000 avionics suite is industry-
spend more time enjoying the views than
leading when it comes to providing detailed
worrying about navigation - especially on the
information for pilots and observers. The
longer flights.
large glass displays are brimming with useful
information for pilots and provide data to keep
pilots aware of the situation at all times. In this new flight simulator, we have the
chance to fly with this technology in a variety of
aircraft. As such, the next few pages will cover
successfully operating the G1000 included
with the simulator.

What This Guide Will Cover
G1000 Display
Across the next few pages, this guide will talk
you through each of the functions the G1000
in the new simulator will provide, along with
a step-by-step guide on completing your first
basic autopilot flight.
Before you to take on the challenge of learning

the built-in G1000, be sure to be familiar with
flying, your aircraft’s handling and other basic Standard
sim functions (such as ATC handling) so that
you are not overwhelmed with information. Cessna 172 Skyhawk
Facts and Figures
Our Examples Max Take-Off Weight
We will be using the standard Cessna C172 1,157kg

Skyhawk equipped with the Garmin G1000 Maximum Passengers
for our example flights. Other aircraft have the 3
G1000 fitted, but may have a slight variation
on functionality and uses. Max Altitude
14,000ft
Range
640nm
Cruise Speed
124 KTAS / 230 km/h
First Flew
12 June 1955

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
1 6
2 7
8
3
10
4 11
5
Main Display Overview

Upon loading the Cessna C172 Skyhawk, you
will notice that there are two displays on each
side of the cockpit. This overview is for the one
4 - ALTITUDE SET
on the captain’s (left) side. When using the autopilot functionality, here is
where you can adjust the altitude you wish to
set. You can see the result of the changes in
the blue text on point E. This is known as the
1 - NAV AUDIO LEVELS ‘Selected Altitude’
When passing over certain markers, an audible
noise can be heard in the cockpit. Adjust this
knob to change the volume. You can adjust the HUNDREDS with the top
dial, or the THOUSANDS with the bottom dial.
2 - NAVIGATION TUNING
5 - SOFTKEYS
Adjust the navigation tuning using this dial.
You can see the current tuning on point A. Numerous softkeys to change various options.
More details here.
3 - AUTOPILOT FUNCTIONS
6 - VOLUME KNOB
Numerous buttons are present here serving
as part of the built-in autopilot functionality. Non-functional in the simulator, but this would
From the top, you have the heading control, allow you to adjust the speaker volume of the
followed by numerous softkeys. G1000 device.
This is covered in greater detail here.

7 - COM TUNING On The Display Overview
Adjust the radio tuning for your communication A - Navigation Frequencies
channel. You can switch between standby and For tuning VOR or NDB information.
active with the two-way arrow button. Clicking B - Distance and Bearing
the central button will swap COM1 to COM2. Distance and direction to next waypoint.
C - Communication Frequencies
The radio frequency tuned for communication (Eg. ATC).
8 - CRS/BARO CHANGE D - Speed Strip
Change the barometric pressure and/or course Your Indicated Airspeed (IAS). Inactive until 20 knots.
information using this knob. E - Altitude Indicator
Blue represents your selected altitude and white is current.
F - Artificial Horizon and Attitude Indicator
9 - RANGE See the pitch and bank of your aircraft whilst in the air.
This will enable you to adjust the range of the G - Inset Map
map on your display.
A bird's eye view of the vicinity you are in. Can be adjusted.
H - Heading Indicator
10 - FMS SOFTKEYS See the heading you are flying and also course selected.
I - Barometric Pressure Indicator
Buttons used to program specific functionality
The currently selected pressure manually set by the pilot.
of the Flight Management System (FMS).
J - System Warnings
Information on current warnings. Empty if none occurring.
11 - FMS KNOB K - Transponder Information
Transponder details and local time.
Two-tier knob to adjust specific areas of the
FMS.
A B
E
D
I J
G

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
H
A
E
I
F
J
Map Display Overview

ZOOMING INTO THE DETAILS
A - RPM Indicator
Your current Rotations Per Minute for your engine.
B - Fuel Flow Per Hour (Gallons)
The range of your map can be your best
friend. The smaller your range, the more
How much fuel you are using on a per hour basis.
detail you will get for the area you’re in.
C - Oil Pressure
The oil pressure in your engine.
D - Oil Temperature If you’re at an airport, then you can see
The indicated oil temperature in your engine.
runway information, taxiway information
and much more. You can set a range to
E - EGT and VAC Indicators
0.5nm for the most detail and as far out
Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) that you’re producing and
as 200nm. This can be adjusted using
VAC system information.
point 9 (click here)
F - Fuel Quantity (Gallons)
How much fuel you have in your tanks (left and right).
G - Electrical Information
The electrical information for your aircraft.
H - Wind Indicator
The direction and strength of the wind in your location.
I - Map / Aircraft Indicator
Your current location in the world with a VFR map.
J - Waypoint Indicator
Waypoints in your nearby vicinity.
K - Range Indicator
The map range indicator which is adjustable.

G1000 IN-DEPTH
With an understanding of the layout of the
G1000, it is time to learn about some of the
more minor details found in the systems.
Start on the main display and cycle through

the various options on the softkeys (point 5).
This guide will go from left to right, starting
with INSET.
INSET
OFF
Turns off the inset map.
TOPO
Toggle between turning on or off a topographic
map in the range you’re in.
Note: This is best displayed on the main map and not the inset.
NEXRAD
Shows weather and radar coverage as blocks
within the local area.
Note: This is best displayed on the main map and not the inset.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PFD
WIND
Various options on how to display the wind on
the G1000’s Primary Flight Display (PFD).
DME
Toggle between showing or hiding a DME
based on the ADF/DME data. This is shown
here on how to input.
BRG1 / BRG2
Cycle between various bearing distance
measurements including GPS (based on a
flight plan), ADF and information found in the
navigation information (point A).

HSI FRMT
Adjust between a 360 Horizontal Situation
Indicator (HSI) or an Arc HSI.
CDI
Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) enables
you to switch which navigation mode you’re
following when using the G1000. You can cycle
between FMS or VORs. The FMS data can be
obtained through a flight plan (details here).
ADF/DME
Input information for local ADF and DME to
help you navigate. To change it, click on the
appropriate softkey, and use the FMS knob
(point 1) to adjust the tuning information.
Then press enter (ENT) once to confirm the
frequency, and enter again to transfer the
information across.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
XPDR
This section relates to your transponder. This
is a signal and data sent out to nearby radio
towers and ATC stations to track which aircraft
is which.
Each aircraft flying IFR is assigned a squawk

code, but those flying VFR can use 1200 as you
will be identified using other information.
You can set your transponder to be on, off or

alternative.
Clicking on VFR will default the squawk code

to 1200 and the IDENT softkey will send out a
pulse signal to the tower so they can identify
where you are in their vicinity. This is not
functional when flying in the simulator, but if
you were flying online (e.g. VATSIM), then this
would be used and requested.
Finally, CODE will enable you to program in

a squawk code you may have been given by
ATC.
TMR/REF
Here you will be able to see a selection of
reference speeds for your aircraft along with a
timer. You can use the FMS knob (point 11) to
adjust the time. Use the FMS softkeys (point
10) to confirm the details.
NRST
Display the nearest airports to you based on
nautical miles. You are able to use the FMS
knob (point 11) to navigate between them and
then use the FMS softkey (point 10) DIRECT
to set a direct course to your chosen airport.
Once you have selected it, ACTIVATE the new
course using the ENT key on the FMS softkeys.
CAUTION
Displays all the alerts happening in your
aircraft right now.

G1000 FMS MENU
The built-in G1000 features a flight
management system that can help you fly
directly to airports, waypoints and more. Here
is the functionality you can use with the built-
in systems.
These functions are all activated by the FMS

softkeys (point 10) and the FMS knob (point 11)
DIRECT
As mentioned earlier, this DIRECT key will
enable you to select a waypoint or airport to
set as your next waypoint. In our tutorial lesson
(click here), we’ll show you how to put this into
practice.
Use the FMS knob (point 10) to scroll through

your options. Airports are referred to by their
ICAO codes (e.g. KLAX is for Los Angeles)
MENU
Enables to select numerous options including
cancelling the direct following (from the
previous selection)
Note: This can only be pressed when in a menu for another FMS
function, e.g. DIRECT.
FPL
The flight plan button will showcase your
current flight plan. If you launched into the
simulator with a flight plan from the map
page, this would include direct routing, VOR
to VOR and even low-altitude airways.
This will also show you your distance to go for

each segment.
PROC
If your airport or route has procedures (SID
and STAR) you can select them through this
option.
CLR/ENT
These keys will either clear (CLR) or enter (ENT)
your action. Enter is also known as confirm.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
G1000 TUTORIAL FLIGHT
IMPORTANT
This tutorial was written prior to some sim updates
which has removed the 'SAP' waypoint in the
simulator. We will be revamping this tutorial in a
future update, but many of the fundamentals remain
the same.
With an understanding of the G1000, it’s time

you took to the skies. Choose the Cessna 172
with the G1000 equipped.
For this flight, head to your world map, load up

a flight from La Mesa International Airport
(MHLM) to Toncontin International Airport
(MHTG). This is about a 50-minute cross
country flight.
From the world map page, just under the

aircraft selection menu, click on the drop
down menu and select VOR to VOR. This will
add an additional waypoint for us to head to
on our cross-country VFR flight.
Load up the simulator and you will be placed

onto runway 22 with the engines running and
the Garmin G1000 loaded up.
Checking Your Flight Plan

As you have filed a flight plan on the world
map page, you can quickly check our flight
plan within the G1000. Click on the FPL softkey
to open up your flight plan.
Here you can see you are going to travel to

Toncontin International Airport (MHTG) via
SAP and then ESC. SAP is your next waypoint
on your route and is actually just beside La
Mesa International Airport (MHLM).
With everything now looking good, you can set

up other elements such as the transponder,
course settings and other navigation aids.
Squawk Code
As you are flying a VFR flight today, you can
choose the VFR option in the XPDR menu.
This will automatically set our transponder to
1200. With this set, set this to ‘ON’.
Taking Off
Now that the basics are set up and ready, you
should now take off. Use the G1000 to help you
monitor your speeds and climb rate.
As a reminder, you can check your VR speed

(rotate) using the TMR/REF softkey. If you
loaded up the default aircraft with standard
weights, the take-off speed should be 55 knots.
After take-off, climb straight out until you

reach 1000ft.
Heading for SAP

Once you have reached 1000ft, make a right
turn to head for the SAP waypoint. Using the
G1000 to help you visually, continue flying
towards the waypoint and keep your airspeed
around 80 knots. Start climbing to 1500ft by
adjusting your throttles and also your trim.
As you fly over SAP, you will see your G1000

change the next waypoint you need to
head to. Along with changing the waypoint,
new information will be displayed on your
system to help you best navigate to the next
waypoint. Take a look at your HSI and note the
new CRS and the magenta lines. This CRS is
the recommended direction you should now
head in to reach the ESC waypoint. As you
make your turn, you will see that the magenta
line will start to line up with the direction of
your aircraft.
The goal is to get your aircraft following the

magenta line on your HSI. This means you are
on the right course and following the flight
path set out by the G1000. Once you have lined
up, climb to 5,500ft and continue following the
magenta line ensuring you stay on course (165
degrees). Continue flying this until you reach
the waypoint ESC.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Heading for ESC
Your journey now to the next waypoint
is around 58 nautical miles. This will take
approximately 30 minutes over stunning
landscapes and a handful of mountains.
When flying these types of routes, especially

with the terrain you have to navigate, you
will need to make minor adjustments to your
speed, pitch and trim to ensure you are getting
optimal efficiency from your aircraft.
After you have reached 5,500ft, you should

find yourself making minor adjustments to
your throttle, mixture and pitch settings to
maintain a good cruise speed of 110 knots and
an RPM of 2300. You can find your RPM on the
secondary display (point A).
Another point to note is to avoid clouds. Whilst

flying in a straight line is quicker, you should
avoid clouds at all costs. Right now you are
flying a VFR (visual flight rules) flight which
means you must have visibility at all times.
Passing through a cloud will obstruct your
visibility and you are currently not authorised
to use Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). If you find
yourself heading towards a cloud, then make
the appropriate turn to avoid it and then use
the magenta line and your course settings to
get yourself back on track.

Using the Autopilot
As you continue your trip to ESC, now is a great
time to try out the autopilot capabilities of the
G1000.
Before you turn on the autopilot, it’s worth

noting some of the functionality and what
each of the various switches mean.
AP - Autopilot On / Off Toggle

This will turn on or off the autopilot feature.
FD - Flight Director On / Off Toggle
The flight director is a visual of the path your
aircraft should be taking to maintain the
correct course.
HDG - Heading On / Off Toggle
Heading mode will follow the selected
heading, which is tuned using the HDG knob.
Your selected heading is shown in blue on the
left side of the HSI.
ALT - Altitude On / Off Toggle
Altitude mode will set the selected altitude,
which is tuned using the ALT knob. Your
selected altitude is shown in blue at the top of
the altitude indicator strip. You must have this
on if you wish to maintain a set altitude.
NAV - Navigation Mode On / Off Toggle
If you have a flight path set, the aircraft will
follow that navigation route set if this is on.
VNV - Vertical Navigation On / Off Toggle
If this is on, your aircraft will climb and descend
based on the data in your flight plan to those
selected altitudes.
APR - Approach On / Off Toggle
If an approach is programmed in, then the
aircraft will follow the approach pattern.
BC - Backcourse On / Off Toggle
Used when you’re approaching a runway with
an ILS approach.
VS - Vertical Speed On / Off Toggle
Climb or descend the aircraft based on a
selected vertical speed.
FLC - Flight Level Change On / Off Toggle NOSE UP / DN - Nose Up or Down On / Off
Toggle
Change your altitude (set by the ALT knob)
based on your current speed. This will Climb or descend based on the nose profile you
automatically climb or descend at a rate best wish to maintain. This gives you even greater
suited to maintain the current speed. control over your climb or descent rates. You
need to use this to adjust your vertical speed.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
As you continue towards ESC, set up some
autopilot functions so you can spend time
adoring the views outside without worrying
about the flying aspect.
1 - Flight Director
Turn on the Flight Director. This will enable the
autopilot to know exactly where you need the
aircraft to head.
2 - Set the Altitude

You want to maintain your altitude of 5,500ft.
Set the altitude using the ALT knob. The outer
knob handles the HUNDREDS of feet, whilst
the inner knob handles the THOUSANDS.
Providing you are at 5,500ft, click the altitude

hold mode to on and your aircraft will
automatically trim itself to maintain that
altitude.
3 - Set the course

As you have already established a flight plan,
your G1000 will already have a route loaded
in. Clicking on NAV will automatically enable
your aircraft to follow the flight director to stay
on course for the next waypoint. In our case, it
is ESC. Let go of the controls and watch your
plane manoeuvre itself to stay on track.
With these things set, your autopilot will

now handle the rest.
Climb to 6,500ft
As you continue your plan towards ESC,
you will notice that there are numerous tall
mountains in the area. Whilst 5,500ft is a safe
altitude, now is a good time to practice using
the G1000 autopilot to climb another 1,000ft.
Using what you have learned so far in this
guide, set a new altitude to 6,500ft and use
FLC to climb. You should aim to maintain a
speed of 100-110 knots.
Remember to reapply your prop mixture and

throttle to ensure your aircraft can climb whilst
maintaining speed.

Next Stop: Toncontin Airport (MHTG)
You should soon be approaching the ESC
waypoint. If you have your autopilot set to nav,
you will find your aircraft will continue to fly
towards it and make a left turn towards your
next waypoint; Toncontin International Airport
(MHTG).
The airport is approximately 30nm away from

the ESC waypoint and should give you plenty
of time to consider your descent.
Approximately 13nm from MHTG, change

your altitude to 4,300ft. This will put you
approximately 1,000ft above the elevation of
the airport itself. Select VS and adjust your
vertical speed to -500 foot per minute. This will
place you approximately 5nm away from the
airport once you reach 4,300 providing you
maintain 100 knots.
As you approach the airport, continue following

the navigation set by the autopilot. Once you
are 1nm away, disengage the autopilot so
you can continue hand-flying the rest of the
approach.
Overfly the airport by 1nm and then enter a

left-hand circuit for runway 20. Continue using
the primary flight display on the G1000 for
information such as your speed and altitude
to continue a stable approach and landing, as
you have learned in past lessons.
Whilst Toncontin Airport features an ILS

approach, we will leave that tutorial for another
time and another aircraft. However, you
should now be confident to play around with
the features of the G1000 and it’s functionality.
Congratulations, you have successfully used

the G1000 to navigate from one airport
to another, whilst using the autopilot
functionality to assist.
There is still much more to learn and discover

with the Garmin G1000 so now that you know
the basics, you should easily be able to discover
so much more.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
TBM 930 TUTORIAL FLIGHT
Getting Your Hands on Something More
Powerful
The TBM 930 is a powerful, fast and highly
versatile aircraft that provides pilots and
passengers with an unprecedented level of
comfort in a single-engine aircraft. Despite
the single-engine, it can easily reach speeds of
611km/h and fly over 1700nm at high altitudes.
This powerful and fun aircraft is a joy to fly in
the new simulator but does take some practice
to get used to. Standard
TBM 930
In this tutorial series, this guide is going to
provide you with the details to get you up and
running and start to get a little more detailed The TBM 930 is an upgraded
about charts, navigation planning and so TBM 900 with a Garmin G3000
forth. Our tutorial flights are designed to give touchscreen avionics suite.
newcomers and serious simmers a taste of While the TBM sees most of
the aircraft and enough knowledge to build its use in private and charter
confidence to take the aircraft out on your environments, the French
own. Government also uses the
TBM because of the versatility
the aircraft offers.
In this tutorial, for the TBM 930, this guide will
cover the following:
Facts and Figures
Max Take-Off Weight
• Basic Flight Planning (using SkyVector) 3,354kg
• Cold and Dark Start-Up Maximum Passengers

6
• Following and Completing Checklists
• Programming a Route Max Altitude
31,000ft
• Push Back and Start-Up
Range
• Autopilot Capabilities 1,730nm
• Using VOR for Navigation
Cruise Speed
• First Look at Airport Charts 330 KTAS / 611 km/h
• Using the G3000 First Flew

19th April 2016
As you can see, there’s still plenty to learn even

with a single-piston aircraft. Flying Tips
SETTING YOUR EXPECTATIONS In the real-world, it would cost

you over $4 million USD to
purchase the TBM 930.
This tutorial has been created to support
people with their flight simulation
experience. It has been cross-checked
by numerous testers, but is not endorsed
by a real-world TBM pilot. The scope of
this tutorial is to provide enough detail
to complete an A-B flight with plenty of
room for self-learning and teaching.

PART 1 - Flight Planning
Good morning, and welcome to your new
aircraft. The TBM 930 is a fast, ambitious and
exciting aircraft that requires planning and for
you to always be thinking 3 steps ahead. If you
don’t, then the aircraft will quickly punish you
for it.
In our tutorial flight today, you are going to

embark on a relatively short 115nm flight from
Telluride Airport (KTEX) to Aspen Airport
(KASE).
To start, load up the flight simulator and set-

up your flight with the following details:
Departure Airport: Telluride Airport (KTEX)

Parking 9
Arrival Airport: Aspen Airport (KASE)
Local Time: 07:00am
Weather Conditions: Scattered Cloud
Multiplayer: Off
Air Traffic: Off
You’ll be taking yourself and 4 other VIPs to

Aspen Airport in this virtual scenario.
Total flight time is expected to be 30 minutes.
Before you then click ‘Fly’, click on ‘Nav Log’

and adjust the cruise altitude to be 16,000ft.
This is crucial as you’ll be flying in an area with
plenty of tall mountains and high terrain so we
want to avoid those at all costs.
With that complete, click on ‘Fly’ and let

the simulator load up your plan. You will be
dropped into the simulator powered down
with the early morning sun shining on your
aircraft.
Before you start bringing life to your aircraft,

you will need to do a little bit more flight
planning to ensure this journey goes nice a
smooth.
You will be a using flight planning tool

SkyVector (website) to help you with this.
Open SkyVector Here

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 1 CONTINUED - SkyVector
For the newcomers to the world of flight

simulation, you may never have previously
heard of SkyVector. In summary, SkyVector is
a free online flight planning tool that assists
pilots in navigating numerous parts of the
world.
Using the tool enables pilots and virtual pilots

the ability to put in data to plot out their route.
This type of functionality is embedded with
the new flight simulator, but SkyVector goes
beyond the in-built functionality by providing
even more data to assist.
In this tutorial, you’re going to use SkyVector

to help you find nearby ‘Very high-frequency
Omni-directional Range’ (VOR) systems to
guide you from Telluride to Aspen. Navigating
between VORs is a commonly used practice
when flying these types of jets and the built-
in G3000 makes using this navigation aid
easier than ever. Later on in this tutorial, this
guide will show you how VORs work and their
use, but for now, you need to head over to
SkyVector to get some important data.
Plotting Our Route In SkyVector
First plot your route within SkyVector. From the

top-left box, start by inputting the departure
and arrival details using the ICAO codes. Once
done, hitting enter will automatically zoom
into the area and plot a single magenta line
between Telluride and Aspen.
When it comes to flight planning, many

pilots or routes route between waypoints or
other key points to ensure that traffic can
flow smoothly. In our case, we’re going to fly
between numerous VORs to ensure you make
it to Aspen as safely as possible. Of course, this
is a simulator and you can fly direct, but flying
between VORs is another technique to add to
your collection of skills.
In this tutorial you will be flying to the Blue

Mesa ‘HBU’ VOR, which sits just north-east of
Telluride.

To add the VOR waypoint to your routing in
SkyVector, you will need to input the data
into the ‘Flight Plan’ box. After the grey arrow,
type in ‘HBU’. Press enter and the map will
automatically populate the VOR into your plan
between Telluride and Aspen.
Why Is This Important?
In theory, you can plot the same route in the

simulator using very similar methods, but
using tools such as SkyVector is important for
a few reasons:
1. It contains the VOR radio details (which

we’ll need in the aircraft).
2. It enables us to see the nearby terrain and
any considerations you need to take.
3. You can use the data from plotting our
route to find out our course data.
VOR Details
You need to make a note of the VOR frequency
and details so you can take that information
into the flight simulator.
As you can see from SkyVector, the VOR

frequency is 114.90. This is made clear from
the chart on SkyVector. Keep a note of this (or
keep this guide to hand).
Considerations
Another useful function of SkyVector is
the ability to give you an idea of other
considerations you need to take. Taking off
from Telluride Airport, you will already be
at 9000ft above sea level and amongst the
mountains. For any pilot taking off at the
airport, appropriate clearance must be made
to get past the mountainous terrain. With
SkyVector, you can see what’s around you,
what obstacles you may face and also see the
height of the terrain.
You can get an idea of the height of these

mountains using the visual charts provided
on SkyVector. The darker the shade of brown,
the taller the terrain. The height of many of the
peaks are then documented in bold numbers
and is measured in feet.
Using SkyVector, have a scan of your current

route to find the highest terrain you need to A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 201
avoid. V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Routing Away from Danger
Now that you are aware of some of the dangers
in the area of the airport you’re flying to, you
now need to add a little bit more detail to help
ensure you avoid any complications.
Being prepared now will prepare you for your

flight. You’ll soon discover that a lot of pilot’s
time is spent planning and being ready for any
eventuality.
With this in mind, you are going to plot an

additional two waypoints to ensure you can
complete this flight safely and successfully.
New Waypoint One: After Take-Off
If you’ve looked carefully at the SkyVector

map, you will have noticed that Telluride
is surrounded by extremely tall terrain. To
ensure you avoid this comfortably, after take-
off, you are you going to fly 8nm straight
out from departure as you climb above the
mountains. To add this waypoint, right-click
on the SkyVector map just under Placerville. A
new menu will pop up; simply click on ‘Plan’
next to the GPS coordinates. This will add the
waypoint to your plan.
However, you will notice things go a little

wrong and you will have to move the VOR
waypoint ‘HBU’ to after this new waypoint.
You now have a visual representation of the

route we’re going to take, whilst safely avoiding
the mountains. With all this data, you can now
download the ‘Nav Log’ data to understand
the route a lot better and get the important
course data to ensure you fly correctly towards
the ‘HBU’ VOR.
The ‘Nav Log’ button is located on the bottom-

right of the flight plan box on SkyVector.

Using This Nav Log Data
The Nav Log is full of useful information for

pilots when plotting their route. For you, you
just need to extract the information on the
course you need to set in the aircraft to fly to
the VOR on our plan.
Looking at the above information, after you

have flown the initial take-off route, you will
need to turn right heading 061 to follow a
course that will take you to the ‘HBU’ VOR. There
may be some variations on this depending
on where you put the data on the SkyVector
map. If there is some difference between your
output and the above, that’s okay (give or take
10 degrees either side).
With all of this data now at our disposal and

a good visual of our route, head back to the
simulator as you’re now going to input this
information into your aircraft via the G3000.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 2 - Cold and Dark Set-Up
Back in the aircraft within the simulator, it’s
time to get the plane warmed up and ready for
you to input some of the data we discovered in
the first step.
Using the Checklist System to Power Up
Learning any new aircraft can be a challenge,

but the integrated checklist system will help
you to make that process easier. Hopefully, you
remember the tutorial on using the integrated
checklist system from earlier. Throughout this
tutorial, you should use this to assist in finding
specific switches, levers and buttons you will
need to operate in the TBM 930 to complete
a successful flight from cold and dark to
shutdown.
You will notice that your aircraft is currently in

a state known as “cold and dark”. This means
you have no power, and more importantly, no
way to warm up the cold cockpit. You will go
through the checklist to start changing this
and breathe life into the beautiful cockpit.
Start by pulling up the integrated checklist and

choose the ‘Inside Inspection’ checklist and
start ticking off the items. It is worth noting
that everything in the cockpit you will need to
interact with can be done with the mouse, but
feel free to refer to the key combinations for
some shortcut keys.
After you completed the ‘Inside Inspection’

checklist, move straight to the ‘Before Starting
Engine’ checklist to get some power to your
plane and also to have the G3000 equipment
switch on.
Use this time also to have a look around the

cockpit and discover some functionality. You
can use the references on page from earlier to
assist you further.
TOP TIP
Use the ‘quick view’ button (the eye) to quickly
show which part of the aircraft the checklist is
referring to. This makes finding small buttons
much easier.

PART 3 - Programming Your Route
With the aircraft powered up, you can have a
look at programming your route up to Aspen
Airport. All of the programming will be done
via the G3000 equipment and the touchpad
just under the central screen.
The Garmin G3000 is a more sophisticated

piece of software compared to the G1000
covered in the previous tutorial (page here), but
carries a lot of familiar look and functionality.
This tutorial assumes you are comfortable with
some of the terminology and functionality of
the G1000 to assist you with programming the
route in the G3000 within the TBM 930 in the
simulator.
Setting Up the VOR
As mentioned in the first part of this tutorial,

you’re going to use a VOR to help you navigate
to Aspen Airport. As you initially loaded the
simulator with a basic flight plan (from Telluride
to Aspen), your G3000 will show you a direct
GPS route already in the system. However, you
will want to program in the ‘HBU’ VOR.
1
To accomplish this, first, click on the softkey
corresponding to ‘NAV COM’ on the lower
touchscreen display. This will showcase a series
of communication frequencies. You’re looking
for a way to change our navigation frequencies
and to access this you will need to select ‘Audio
& Radios’ from the selection. From here, you
will see NAV1 and NAV2 information, which is
exactly what you want to change.
Remember the VOR frequency you noted

earlier on? Input this information on both NAV1
using the same display. Clicking on the area
with the frequencies will bring up a new input
page; simply enter the correct data. Once
done, on the upper knob (1), click and hold the
central button for a few seconds whilst the
standby frequency (114.90) becomes active.
2
Your new VOR waypoint will become active in
your system and the PFD will display the new
details.
Important: You may need to change the ‘Active

Nav’ to VOR1/NAV1 to display the information
correctly by using the softkey on the PFD (2).

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
What About the Other Waypoint?
The other waypoint you created on SkyVector
was used for two purposes:
The first was to create a visual representation

for you to have a better idea of your flight
route. The second was to give you the data you
needed to input course information to direct
you to your VOR after takeoff, ensuring that
you cleared the nearby mountains.
Setting up the course using the autopilot

functionality will be key to ensuring you
remain on course.
PART 4 - Setting Up the Autopilot
When you are ready, use the following

information to set up the autopilot accurately.
You will be able to make the adjustments
using the autopilot panel and see the results
on your PFD.
Altitude: 16,000ft
Course: 300 Degrees
Heading: 274 (runway heading)
Once this is set-up, ensure that your flight

director (FD) is switched on along with the yaw
damper (YD). Do not switch on the autopilot
at this point.
You have now set up the initial autopilot

settings, along with programming some of
the route we’ll be taking to get us to Aspen
Airport.
When you’re ready, call up the ATC panel and

get the latest weather using the ATIS option.
This will give you an audible briefing of the
weather. If you set up the preset set out at the
start of the tutorial, you will learn that we are
departing on runway 27 with the winds at 8
knots coming from the west with clear and
clear skies.

PART 5 - Push Back & Engine Start-Up
You are now ready to start the push back from
your parking stand and starting the single-
engine for the TBM 930. Request the push
back sequence using shortcut key SHIFT+P.
The ramp agent will start the sequence and
once you are rolling, release the parking brake.
After you have pushed back, you will need
to tell the rampy to stop. You can do this by
pressing SHIFT+P a second time. Once the tug
has been disconnected, reapply the parking
brake.
Note: You will get an audible warning tone

in the cockpit with the parking brake set
again. Simply hit “Master Warning” to stop
the warning sound.
Once you’re in place, open up the interactive

checklist system again and run through the
checklist in order, ensuring that you follow the
instructions carefully.
During our testing, we noted some oddities

which didn’t follow the checklist as hoped. Here
is what we found and what we recommend
when starting the engines.
Starting the Engine

When you start the engine, wait until the N1
reaches 13% before you move the throttle from
3
‘Cut Off’ to lo-feather.
Moving the throttle

It is a bit sensitive with the mouse so try moving
the camera around to get a better angle (3).
Moving From Lo to Hi Feathering

4
The checklist doesn’t tell you to move the
throttle from lo to hi feathering during the
start-up sequence, but you should once the
ITT reaches the green arc.
At No More than 750 ITT

You should move the throttle from Hi feathering
to flight idle when the ITT is between 600-750.
Keeping it in Hi feathering will cause stress to
the engine and could cause it to cut out. Once
you have moved the throttle to flight idle, the
ITT should stablise to around 515 (4).

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 6 - Taxi, Take-Off and Climb Out
Before you start your taxi, ensure you have
completed the ‘Before Taxi’ checklist. During
our testing, feathering the engine twice during
the before taxi sequence led to the engine
cutting out if you didn’t perform the action
quick enough. Be mindful of that.
Once you are ready, contact ATC announce

your intention to taxi and proceed to follow the
taxiway A to holding point A4 for runway 27
(more details on what this means can be found
on page here). At the holding point, run the
‘Before Line Up’ checklist and then familiarise
yourself with the ‘Take Off’ checklist. 5
Taking Off
Taking off out of Telluride is interesting due to
the sloped runway and high-altitude. However,
that said, apply throttle to mostly full-power
(keep the TRQ in the green) and as you start
progressing down the runway, maintain the
centerline.
For the TBM 930, you will find you will quickly
build up speed (especially on the downhill
section of the runway). Once you reach 110
knots, gently pull back and pitch up to 10
degrees. This will generate a positive climb
and give you good performance.
POSITIVE RATE; GEAR UP

Don’t forget, once you have a positive
rate of climb, you will need to retract your
landing gear. Either use your mouse to
pull up the lever, or use shortcut key G to
perform the action.
Now that you are airborne, continue climbing

at a rate of around 1,200ft per minute (indicate
on the VS portion of the PFD) and maintain
a speed of approximately 130 - 160 knots.
Remember to retract the flaps once you reach
115 knots.
During this time, remember to complete all of

the checklists up until ‘Before Descent’.

PART 7 - Finding the VOR & Autopilot
Once you are stable in your climb out, you
can enable the autopilot to start assisting you
through the bumpy skies.
As you had previously set the cruise altitude

to 16,000ft and the runway heading, you can
simply turn on the autopilot to start assisting
you. Press the AP key on the autopilot panel
to switch it on. Now the aircraft will fly the
heading you selected earlier, however, you will
need to tell it how to continue the ascent to
16,000ft. You can choose either FLC (which will
try to maintain speed and set the rate of climb
accordingly), or you can set the vertical speed.
As you are already climbing at 1,500ft per
minute, you should select VS mode and adjust
the autopilot to match this. You can adjust the
slider with your mouse and see the results on
the PFD.
The autopilot is now set and your aircraft will

now control the pitch and heading without
any input from you. Now you can turn your
attention back to the navigation side of things.
Earlier in SkyVector, you set a waypoint for 8nm

away from the airport. By the time you have
completed all of the above tasks, your aircraft
should be that distance away from Telluride
Airport. However, the important thing to
note is your altitude compared to the terrain
around you. Based on the data from SkyVector,
the tallest terrain to your immediate north
is 10,347ft. Ideally, you will want a minimum
of 1,000ft clearance between you and the
mountain. With that in mind, once you are
above 11,500ft, you can now start making your
way towards the ‘HBU’ VOR, even if you’re not
quite 8nm away from the airport as originally
planned. Be sure to also set the CRS previously
outlined at the start of this tutorial. The
purpose of you setting the waypoint earlier
was to enable you to have plenty of time and
altitude to avoid the mountains, but now that
you are stable and above the peaks, you can
now safely make your way towards the VOR.
Using the Autopilot

As you set everything up the VOR frequency
and the course on the ground, you can simply
hit ‘NAV’ on the autopilot panel and the aircraft
will now start making a right turn towards the
VOR.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
How the VOR Autopilot Works
On the PFD, you will see in the HSI has a green
line pointing towards the east. This is your VOR
needle and will help guide you to the VOR For
you, this needle is pointing towards the ‘HBU’
VOR. You will also notice that the line is broken
up. For your plane to be on track towards the
VOR, the needle should be solid and pointing
in the same direction as your aircraft.
After you pressed the NAV button, the aircraft

will turn right and start flying on a more
northerly route. What is happening is that your
aircraft will start flying to get the VOR needle
in a solid position. This means you’re tracking
towards the VOR. As you get closer to being in
parallel to the VOR, the line will edge closer to
the centre of the needle to make it solid. Once
this happens, the aircraft will make another
right turn to now track towards the course you
set on the ground.
You are now heading to the ‘HBU’ VOR.
Adding a New Waypoint on the G3000

Tracking via the VOR frequency is useful, but
with the G3000, you have the ability to add in
waypoints on the fly.
Point your view back to the central touch

screen and click on the middle softkey to open
up the MFS home display. From here, click
on Flight Plan to see your current flight plan.
From here, click on “add enroute waypoint”
and key in ‘HBU’. You will be presented with
two options; select the top one which is the
nearest and also the correct VOR you’re now
heading to.
The ‘HBU’ VOR will appear on your navigation

display and a new magenta line will appear
marking this new waypoint. However, this
alone won’t activate the autopilot to now follow
a path that leads to the VOR and subsequently
towards Aspen Airport. To activate the autopilot
to follow your routing via the waypoint set in
the G3000, from the PFD click on the ‘Active
Nav’ softkey until it reads ‘FMS’. Just note that
you may need to press the NAV button on the
autopilot again to activate it. Your aircraft will
now follow the new route using the autopilot’s
FMS data. After you reach ‘HBU’, the plane will
turn to follow the plan towards Aspen Airport.

PART 8 - Preparing for Arrival
After you have passed the ‘HBU’ VOR, you are
now on course for Aspen Airport. The airport
now sits approximately 42nm north of the VOR,
giving you about 10 minutes before you reach
the airport. Before you plan your arrival, you
should cast your mind back to the SkyVector
chart near Aspen Airport. Whilst the airport
is at a lower elevation than that of Telluride,
Aspen Airport is still surrounded heavily by
high and mountainous terrain. As such, being
careful with descent planning is crucial.
Typically, pilots will have planned all of this

beforehand on the ground, but for this
tutorial, you wanted to do things in a slightly
more logical order for how you would tackle
problems. Your next challenge is how do
you land at a challenging airport. There are
numerous tools and resources out there which
document how to approach Aspen Airport,
but for simplicity (and this tutorial is focusing
more on how to handle this aircraft) you’re
going to do something little more makeshift.
Safe, but perhaps not exactly procedural.
Head back to SkyVector (pause the sim using

the ESC key in the meantime) and look at
Aspen Airport. Just north, you will see a VOR
called Red Table (‘DBL’ / 113.00). For this flight,
you’re going to overfly Aspen Airport and
head for this VOR. This means you’re going to
fly 13nm north of the airport and then make a
turn back towards runway 15 at Aspen Airport.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
The Arrival Plan
Flying overhead Aspen Airport (KASE), you
will start your descent to 12,500ft. You should
aim to be at this altitude before you reach the
‘DBL’ VOR.
You will want to be at 120 knots at passing

‘DBL’.
Once at the ‘DBL’ VOR, you will disengage the

autopilot and make a sharp 180 degree turn
to get a visual on Aspen Airport and runway
15. Once you have established you can see
the runway, you will want to reduce speed
further to be able to drop the flaps to landing
configuration, lower the landing gear and
begin a visual descent onto the runway.
This planning and this plan should allow you

to arrive safely into Aspen Airport and give
you plenty of time to ensure you are fully
configured.
PART 9 - Configuring Your Arrival

When you’re ready, add a new enroute
waypoint into the FMS using the new VOR
data provided for ‘DBL’. You may need to
change the active waypoint, but ensure you’re
going to fly from ‘HBU’ to ‘DBL’.
Complete the ‘Before Descent’ checklist,

following each step and performing the
appropriate actions.
As you approach with Aspen Airport on your

right-hand side, pull back on the throttle to as
close to idle as possible and set the altitude
on the autopilot panel to be set to 12,500ft.
Using VS, select around 1,000ft per minute
to give you a good rate of descent whilst also
reducing your speed.
With your aircraft now in the descent, it’s time

to run through the checklist.
Continue on this path until you reach the ‘DBL’

VOR and once you have reached it, disengage
the autopilot by clicking the AP button. You
will also need to turn off the Flight Director
(FD) and the Yaw Damper (YD).

PART 10 - Flying to the Runway
The majority of this flight has been using the
autopilot to get you from point A to point B,
but now it is time to hand-fly this beautiful
aircraft. It’s worth noting that this aircraft is fast
and slippery, so make every movement count.
The reason you started slowing down and
descending so early was to give you enough
time to make those minor corrections.
With you now passing the ‘DBL’ VOR, you

should be stable at 12,500ft. This will keep you
clear of the mountains below as you head now
towards the airport. Turn right to now head
back towards Aspen Airport, using the valley
below you as a visual guide to help you. Don’t
forget to also use your central map to help you
navigate to the airport.
As you make this turn, start to slowly bring the

throttle back to reduce power. Once you can
see your speed within the white arc (on the
PFD), lower the flaps to the LDG position and
drop the gear. Your nose will drop and adjust
the pitch slightly to ensure you don’t descend
too quickly. You should not forget there is still
plenty of high terrain in the surrounding area.
What Are PAPI Lights?
Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)
When you are configured, you should have the
lights are used by pilots to help determine
runway in sight. Our testers found that you will
the altitude of the aircraft in relation to
be able to see the PAPI lights off to the left-
the runway. It’s a visual guide to help
hand side. Use this as a visual reference to help
pilots maintain the correct approach
guide you to the runway. Some other visual
path to the runway. PAPIs are usually
references you can use to help you include the
made up of 4 lights (red and white) and
roads leading to the airport and also the small
change depending on the altitude of the
village just to the base of the runway. Continue
approaching aircraft.
your descent at a steady rate, keeping a close
eye on the nearby terrain.
What do the lights mean?
When you’re able, run through the ‘Approach’ Each combination has a meaning. You
checklist. There is a ‘Short Final’ checklist but may need to adjust your approach.
this you will ignore today as you have already
completed those items (landing gear, flaps Too High
and disengaging the autopilot).
Slightly High
Continue your approach to runway 15 at Aspen
Airport and maintain an approach speed of 90
knots. On Glide Slope
Slightly Low
Too Low

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 11 - Landing and Taxi to Stand
The TBM 930 is a very slippery aircraft to handle
so be sure to use small corrective inputs to
ensure that you remain stable on your final
approach to the runway. Keep the power on
your engine until after you cross the threshold
of the runway and gently bring it back to flight
idle.
After you have touched down, let the aircraft

roll out and slowly apply some manual braking
to help ease the aircraft to a safe speed to taxi.
You should be slow enough by the time you
reach intersection A3. After you have left the
runway, and you’re happy to concentrate on
a checklist, run through the ‘Runway Clear’
checklist.
Once you are at a safe speed, make a left turn

onto the taxiway and then taxi along taxiway A
and find somewhere nice for you to park. Once
you have found a space to park, apply your
parking brake and now finally go through the
shutdown checklist.
After you have completed the ‘Shutdown’

checklist, you have successfully completed
your flight in the TBM 930 from Telluride to
Aspen Airport.
Recap - What Did You Cover?

This was an extensive tutorial covering many
aspects. Here is a recap of what was covered:
• Flight planning with SkyVector

• Understanding terrain data
• Using the checklists to power up an aircraft
• Programming a route with navaids
• Interacting with ATC and ground services
• Using navaids to fly to waypoints
• Using the autopilot to navigate
• Adding enroute waypoints
• Using an aircraft with retractable landing
gear
• Hand flying an aircraft through challenging
terrain
Congratulations and enjoy flying many

other exciting TBM 930 routes.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
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TBM 930
COCKPIT
REFERENCE
Use this to help identify specific elements
you will use during your tutorial flight when
learning the TBM 930. Autopilot Panel
Primary Flight Display (PFD) Main Navigation Di
Lower Touch D
Landing
Gear
Parking
Deicing Systems Brake
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isplay
Display
Pedestal Area
Below the Lower Touch Display you will find
your throttle, engine cut-off, trim control and
flaps.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
A320NEO TUTORIAL FLIGHT
Experience a short-haul with a jet.
The Airbus A320Neo is one of the most modern
and fuel-efficient aircraft in the world and is
used by airlines around the world. The aircraft
is incredibly popular thanks to the new fuel-
efficient nature of the sharklets and the new
engines.
In this tutorial, you will learn the very basics of

taking the A320Neo from point A to point B. In
Standard
this tutorial, you will go through the following:
Airbus A320Neo
• Setting up your flight
• Loading up the aircraft from cold & dark The latest from Toulouse, the
A320 Neo is the latest addition
• Engines, taxi and take-off to the A320 family with
• Climb to cruise new and improved engines
and sharklets as standard.
• Cruise Using modern Fly-By-Wire
• Descent and arrival technology, this is the perfect
• Landing and taxiing to stand aircraft to start your jet flying
experience.
• Shutting down
Facts and Figures

As a pre-requisite to this tutorial, you should
Max Take-Off Weight
first understand the basics of the simulator, 79,000kg
how to interact with ATC and also manoeuvring
around airports. Below is a list of areas which Maximum Passengers
you should be aware of before taking part in 195

this tutorial:
Max Altitude
39,800ft
• ATC Interaction Range

3,500nm
• Airport manoeuvring
• Checklists Cruise Speed
455 KTAS / Mach 0.78
• Flight Training
First Flew
25th September 2014
You should also have some experience flying
various aircraft such as the TBM 930.
Did you know?
TAKE NOTE: This tutorial will give you a According to a survey

run-through of flying from A to B with the undertaken by FPG Amentum
Airbus A320Neo. It is by no means a true- in 2018, the NEO equipped
to-life representation on how to operate A320s are 11-12% more fuel
the aircraft. There are also some limits on efficient than their original
what the simulator allows you to do. This counterparts.
guide will give you enough information
for you to complete your own learning
in the future. This is a basic tutorial with
more advanced learning coming soon.

PART 1 - Setting Up Your Flight
Welcome to the start of the next step
in your virtual career. Flying a large jet
such as the A320Neo is both exciting
and daunting at the same time.
Despite its size, flying this aircraft will likely

be a lot easier than those smaller aircraft
thanks to its big wings, large engines
and the robust autopilot capabilities.
That said, piloting such an expensive aircraft

with hundreds of people onboard will mean
you need to ensure you do everything perfectly
to ensure you have a safe and smooth flight.
Today, you are flying a loaded A320Neo from

busy San Francisco International Airport
(KSFO) to Seattle Tacoma Airport (KSEA)
transporting hundreds of business travellers
home for the weekend.
From the world map page, you should start by

programming in the following flight route.
Departure Airport: San Francisco Intl’ (KSFO)

Any Parking Stand
Arrival Airport: Seattle Tacoma Airport (KSEA)
Local Time: 09:00am
Weather Conditions: Scattered Cloud
Multiplayer: Off
Air Traffic: Off
Before you hit ‘Fly Now’, you’re going to use

the built-in flight planning tool to plan a high-
altitude route using accurate waypoints and
data. On the world map page, just under your
aircraft selector, you will need to select ‘IFR
(High-altitude airways)’. This will plot a course
from KSFO to KSEA. However, you are then
going to want to add a Standard Instrument
Departure (SID) and a Standard Instrument
Arrival to the route. You can add this from
under the FROM and TO airport selection.
In this scenario, you will need to choose the

SFO4 28R departure and the OLM2 34C arrival.
In the real-world, an airline’s operations team
will do the planning for you, but today, you will
do it yourself. Sometimes ATC can adjust the
SID and STAR. Learning more about SIDs and
STARs will come later, but for now, load up the
flight with your new route.
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
FUEL BUTTO
Aircraft
Lighting
A320NEO
COCKPIT
REFERENCE
Use this to help identify specific elements
that you will use during your tutorial flight
when learning the Airbus A320Neo.
NOTE: THIS IS A BASIC OVERVIEW OF THE

FUNCTIONS YOU’LL PRIMARILY USE DURING
THIS TUTORIAL FLIGHT.
Autopilot Panel
Primary Navigation Electronic

Centralised
Flight Display Display Aircraft
(PFD) (ND) Monitor
(ECAM)
Multi
Function
Control and
Display Unit
(MCDU)
ONS (ABOVE)
APU
Pedestal Area
Below you will find your throttle, engine cut-off,
trim control, spoilers and flaps.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 2 - Loading Up the Aircraft
When you first load the aircraft at your gate
of choice, your aircraft will be in a cold and
dark state. With all the displays off and a silent
atmosphere, it will be your job as the pilot in
command to turn everything on.
Your first job will be to enable the external

power to be used to generate the energy to
your aircraft. You can turn this on by pressing
the EXT PWR from the overhead panel. Once
you have pressed that, the aircraft will slowly
wake up with all your displays turning on.
After this, you will need to turn on both of the
batteries in the aircraft.
In Airbus aircraft, the philosophy is that if a

button is blank, then there is no issue. If you see
a white label on a button, it usually means you
need to make an action to rectify a potential
problem. Keep this information in mind as you
move forward.
Your aircraft is now powered up and ready for

you to continue prepping for your departure.
When you are ready, initiate your ground
services and request the baggage, catering
and jetbridge to attach to your aircraft. This
is purely optional and just to add a sense
of realism to your journey. Doing this won’t
impact your aircraft in any way, but does look
cool when you switch to an external view.
QUICK TIP: If a master warning alarm

rings in the aircraft when you enable a
jetway, simply press the MASTER WARN
button to disable to alarm and remove
the warning.

Pre-Flight Checks
Whilst other aircraft in the flight simulator
included a detailed checklist to follow, the
current checklist included with the A320Neo
is lacking. As such, you should follow the
following points to get you started.
It’s also worth noting that many of the

buttons within the aircraft are classified as
‘INOP’. In aviation terms, this means a piece of
equipment inoperpable, but currently in the
simulator, it just means the switch or button
has no functionality. This means some items a
pilot would actually do in the aircraft is simply
not possible in this simulation.
You should begin in the overhead panel

section. Looking at the panel, you should
notice that it’s designed in three sections: left,
middle and right. Pilots will work their way
from top to bottom, starting from the left-
hand side. However, in the simulator, the left-
hand side is full of INOP items meaning you
will need to instead start in the middle section.
With power already applied to the aircraft via

the EXT PWR and having already switched on
the batteries, you will only be able to adjust
the aircraft’s lighting. You should turn on the
NAV lights to let outsiders know the aircraft is
occupied.
Unfortunately, the right-hand side panel is

also full of INOP items meaning that once
you’ve set the NAV lights to on, there is little
else for us to do at this point with the overhead
panel. You now should continue your pre-
flight checks with the main panel.
As the PFD and the ND are already turned

on, there’s nothing more for you to do here.
However, on the MCP, you will need to ensure
that the barometric pressure is set to the
correct setting. If you used the weather preset
suggested, then you will need to set this to
29.92 IN HG.
Just below the barometric pressure selector,

you will see two small buttons named Flight
Director (FD) and LS. Turn on the FD button; it
will turn green when switched on.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Setting the Flight Plan
With the pre-flight checks for the aircraft now
complete, you now need to ensure the flight
plan is loaded into your on-board computer.
This is done from the MCDU.
Upon first look, you will see the MCDU Main

menu giving you basic aircraft information.
You will want to click on the ‘INIT’ button. This
will show you basic information such as your
FROM/TO route, flight number (FLT NBR) and
your cruise altitude (CRZ FL). One piece of
information that is missing is the COST INDEX.
For airliners, time equals money and so cost
index is used to find the balance between
speed and fuel burn. The faster you fly, the
more fuel you’ll burn. Whilst it is an interesting
subject, for this flight, you should use a COST
INDEX of 25. Type in 25 using the keys on the
MCDU and click on the key left to where is
reads COST INDEX.
As you did the flight planning before loading

up the flight, your MCDU will already be
programmed with the route you will be
flying today. If you’re a more advanced user,
you could programme your route, but as
mentioned before, this guide will focus on the
basics to get you flying from A to B. To see the
route in full, click on F-PLAN.
Using the up/down arrows, you will be able to

scroll through your planned route. Again, this
data comes from the flight planning you did
on the World Map page.
Position your view back to the ND and also

the barometric pressure dial. To the right, you
will see two white twistable switches. This
will control your ND’s range and viewpoint.
The left-side dial will adjust the viewpoint
(standard should be ARC) and to the right is
the range.
If you change the viewpoint to PLAN, you can

cycle through your entire flight route using
the up/down keys on the MCDU whilst still in
F-PLAN mode. Adjust the range and play with
this setting to experiment on how it works.
This is useful if you want to see the route path
you will be taking on your flight.

With the route now in place and your cost
index applied, you now need to initiate the
take-off performance. On the MCDU click on
PERF.
A new page will appear and this will show you

your current take-off performance. On the
left, you will see your V1, VR and V2 speeds,
followed by your transition altitude (TRANS
ALT) and your thrust reduction/acceleration
altitudes (THR RED/ACC). As you are flying in
America, the transition altitude for this flight is
18,000ft, so go ahead and change that value.
The transition altitude is the altitude where you
will need to change the barometric pressure
from the local value (in your case currently
29.92 IN HG to a standard value (aka STD). You
will learn a little more about this after take-off
as you reach your cruise altitude. As for the
thrust reduction/acceleration, for this tutorial,
you will leave as it is.
On the right-hand side of the PERF page,

there are various other values. In this tutorial,
you will be changing the flaps (FLAPS) and
take-off temperature (FLEX TO TEMP).
You will be taking off with your aircraft flaps in

configuration 2.
Your take-off temperature should be set to 35.
The FLEX TO TEMP is a way in which pilots can

reduce the amount of thrust to the engines
to help preserve them, be better for noise
pollution and the environment. When you
tell the aircraft you want to have a take-off
temperature of 35, the aircraft will think the
outside air temperature is hotter than it is thus
reducing the amount of thrust available to
the engines. This is used when you are flying
a light-load or have a long-runway. When the
runway is wet, your aircraft is heavy or the
air temperature is already high, you may not
apply a FLEX TO TEMP. This is circumstantial,
but for this tutorial 35 is a safe temperature
to use given the relatively light-load and long
runway at San Francisco Airport.
Your take-off speeds are now set and will

automatically be added to the PFD. Your
preparation with the MCDU is now complete.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Final Preparations and Contacting ATC
With the flight routing now programmed
and your take-off speeds confirmed, there
are just a handful of other preparations to do
before you contact ATC to request clearance
to Seattle.
Turn on both VOR needles via the toggle

switch next to the barometric dial.
Finally, above the two white dials, there are

a variety of buttons. Pressing this will cause
different data to appear on the NDA. You
can turn on airports (ARPT) to see a range
of airports in your vicinity, or try turning on
the constraints (CSTR) to see if there are any
speed or altitude restrictions on your route.
For now, you should turn on airports as a
visual reference. Position your view back to
the ND and also the barometric pressure dial.
To the right, you will see two white twistable
switches. This will control your ND’s range and
viewpoint. The left-side dial will adjust the
viewpoint (standard should be ARC) and to
the right is the range.
You are ready to contact ATC to request

clearance delivery. Open up the ATC menu and
select to TUNE SAN FRANCISCO GROUND
and click on REQUEST IFR CLEARANCE.
During the clearance delivery, you will be given

your takeoff runway (28R), your initial climb
altitude and squawk code. On the occasions
we ran the tutorial, the climb altitude varied
from 8,000ft to 10,000. The squawk code will
also differ from our example.
Your aircraft should automatically apply the

given squawk code. However, you will now
need to adjust the altitude on your autopilot
panel to read the initial climb altitude ATC
gave you. Use the scroll wheel to change this
to the assigned altitude. In our instance, it was
10,000ft.
Now that you are cleared to Seattle Airport,

you are now going to run through the before-
start checklist. Before you do, now is a good
time to stop any of the ground services (e.g.
baggage cart) and to remove the jetway.

Before Engine Start
As mentioned before, there is a handful of
included checklists built into the aircraft. One
of those checklists is the ‘BEFORE STARTING
ENGINE’. From the in-sim menu, click on the
checklist icon and open up this particular
checklist. Some of the first items on the list we
completed to ensure we could power up the
aircraft. That said, work your way through the
checklist, using the automated view finder to
help guide you. Everything you need to do is
located on the overhead panel.
When you reach ‘Fuel Pumps’, STOP!
You do not want to yet turn the fuel pumps

on until you are ready to start your engines.
For now, close the checklist menu and open
up the ATC panel. You’re now going to request
taxi clearance to the runway.
If you have the assistance feature switched on

to show you your taxi path (we recommend
that you do for a big airport such as San
Francisco), then following your interaction
with ATC, your path will now be displayed.
With taxi clearance given, you can now

continue with the ‘BEFORE STARTING ENGINE’
checklist by turning on the fuel pumps and
also switching the beacon to ON.
Once completed, call up ATC, request pushback

and once you are moving, release the parking
brake. Continue pushing back until you are in a
comfortable position and when ready, tell the
ground crew to stop moving the aircraft. Once
they have disconnected from your aircraft. re-
apply the parking brake. You will now be ready
to start the engines.
QUICK TIP: If you’re confident, you can

start the engines during the pushback
sequence. For this tutorial, we want to
take things a step at a time.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 3 - Engines, Taxi and Take-Off
Bring up the checklist system again and move
onto the ‘STARTING ENGINE’ checklist. Follow
the instructions using the interactive system
where needed to help you. Your thrust levers
should be in idle before starting any of the
engines.
After you have started both engines, you

will see your ECAM come alive with new
information. Your N1 should be idle at 19.5.
With both engines now confirmed to be

operational, there are a few other items
you need to complete before you taxi to the
runway.
• Complete the ‘AFTER STARTING ENGINE’

checklist.
• Your flap configuration must match what
you programmed in the MCDU. In your
case, this is config 2.
• You must put the speed brake into the
armed position. You can do this by
dragging the spoiler lever upwards with
your mouse.
• You must set your autobrake to MAX.
• You should turn on the taxi light from the
overhead panel.
With these tasks now complete, you can now

start taxiing to the runway you have been
assigned by ATC.
Slowly advance the throttles forward to give

yourself enough speed to build momentum
and use the rudder/tiller controls to turn the
aircraft. As a rule of thumb, you should keep
the yellow taxi lines between the PFD and the
ND to ensure your centre gear remains on the
taxi line. You should taxi around corners at no
more than 10 knots.
Continue taxiing to the runway. When you

approach the runway, you will need to open the
ATC menu and select TUNE SAN FRANSISCO
TOWER. Contact them when available and
request take-off clearance. Before you taxi
onto the runway, ensure that you have turned
on your STROBE light, your RWY lights and
also that you’re ready for take-off. Once you
have clearance from ATC, line up and wait on
the runway keeping as centred as possible.
Now that you have lined up on the runway,
there are a few things to note before you
simply push the throttles forward. Remember,
it’s all in the preparation.
• Your V-speeds are on the PFD. You should

slowly rotate the nose to no more than 10
degrees pitch up once you have reached
your V2 speed. This is a heavier aircraft than
you’re used to so it’ll take a few seconds
longer to gain altitude.
• After you have established a positive rate,
you will need to bring the gear up.
• You should maintain a climb speed of
V2+20 knots.
• Once you see your speed pass the green
F on your PFD, that is indicating to you to
bring your flaps up to config 1.
• After take-off. ATC will hand you to another
controller.
• After you have passed 500ft you can
engage the autopilot (AP).
As you can see, in just a few minutes, a lot is

going on. Before take-off, we recommend that
you hand radio controls over to the AI so you
can focus on flying. This is purely optional, but
our testers found this to be the easiest way to
concentrate on more important elements of
flying.
When you are ready, slowly advanced the

throttles forward so that your N1 setting is at
50%. Once you’re happy the engines are stable,
bring the throttles forward again until they
are in the FLX/MCT position. This will ensure
the engines adhere to your FLEX TO TEMP
of 35 degrees. At this point, your engines will
be set to take-off thrust and now you need to
concentrate on keeping yourself as centred
as possible (using the rudder to assist) whilst
keeping a close eye on the speed. As you pass
V2, rotate the nose slowly and maintain your
climb.
Configure the aircraft accordingly (as per the Slowly pull back on the throttle until it sits
above bullet points) and when you’re ready, in the CL position. Your autothrottle (A/THR)
engage the autopilot and watch as your switch should be lit up green, but if not, enable
aircraft starts to climb and follow the flight it so that your throttle can be controlled
director. automatically by the aircraft.
As you pass 1,500ft, your aircraft’s PFD will start You should now be climbing to your assigned
flashing LVR CLB. This indicates you need to altitude.
change your thrust settings on the throttle.
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 4 - Climb to Cruise
You are now in the air climbing. Soon after
take-off, you will see your speed accelerate
quite sharply. As you gain speed, you will need
to bring in the flaps until you’re in a clean
configuration. As mentioned on the previous
page, as you pass the green F on the PFD, you
will need to go from flap configuration 2 to 1.
When you notice the speed tape go beyond
the green dot (small circle on the strip), you
can now fully retract your flaps.
As you continue to climb, ATC will give you

further clearance to increase your altitude.
Once you get clearance, as you did before, use
the autopilot to increase the cruise altitude.
Once you have it set to whatever clearance you
have been given, you want to push in the knob
to engage ‘managed altitude mode’. This will
now ensure your aircraft continues its climb to
the altitude set in the window.
After you have passed 10,000ft, you can now

turn off the landing, take-off and runway
lighting. Leave your strobe, beacon and
nav lights on. You will also notice that the
autopilot will increase your speed from 250
knots. Around the world, there is a limit for
aircraft (unless circumstances say otherwise)
for aircraft to maintain 250 knots or less below
10,000ft.
Earlier, you set a transition altitude in the

MCDU. After you have been cleared to pass that
particular altitude (in your case, 18,000ft), you
can set the barometric pressure to standard
(STD). You can do this by pushing the dial-in.
Continue to climb as per your instructions

from ATC. Once you reach your cruise altitude
(which should be 38,000). From here, simply
enjoy the views as you head north to Seattle.

PART 5 - Cruise
Whilst in the simulator, you can monitor the
views outside, keep an eye on your fuel flow
and generally maintain a good overview that
nothing seems off. The simulation in this
aircraft means you can fly from A to B fine
without worrying too much about the on-
board systems.
It should take you approximately 1 hour and 30

minutes to reach Seattle so sit back and relax.
If you are handling the radios, then you will need

to acknowledge as you pass from controller to
controller as your flight progresses.
Enjoy this more quiet phase of flight as you

will start to soon have to prepare for landing.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 6 - Descent and Arrival
Around 150nm from Seattle, you’re going to
want to start preparing for your arrival into
Seattle. To do this, you need to head back to
the MCDU and set a few things up.
First, you should click on the F-PLAN button to

bring up your route. For this scenario, we know
that we will be landing on runway 34C. To
ensure that this runway is set, you will need to
click on the button to the left of KSEA from the
route menu (button-left key) and then select
‘ARRIVAL’ (top-left key on the next page). A
selection of runways will appear. Select the
one that says 34C. As we had already planned
our route via the world map, our STAR will have
also automatically populated for our route
along with the transition.
With the runway now set, you need to

configure some other important data for the
aircraft via the PERF page in the MCDU.
Similar to the take-off data, you need to fill out

the information for our arrival. Starting on the
top-left, you need to set the QNH, the airport’s
arrival temperature (TEMP), the wind and
direction (MAG/WIND) and transition altitude
(TRANS ALT); whilst on the right-hand side, the
decision height (DH).
Whilst you may want to find the information

on your own, to make this tutorial easier for
you, here is the data you will need to add to
this page.
QNH - 2992
Temp - 15
Wind - 270/04
Trans Altitude - 18000
DH - 604
After you have completed all of your data

input, make a note of your VAPP speed.
Optionally, you can now use the PLAN feature

on the ND to view the arrival route you will
be taking.

As you continue towards Seattle, ATC will
soon tell you to begin your descent towards
the airport. As you did when you climbed to
your cruise altitude, adjust the altitude in the
autopilot widow and use managed altitude
mode to start your descent towards the airport.
When your aircraft starts to descend, you will
notice a new white line with a downwards
arrow on the ND. This indicates an estimate of
when you will hit the assigned altitude in the
autopilot window.
You will notice that your engines will spool

down to IDLE. Do not touch your throttle as
you are flying with autothrottle so it will do the
hard work for you.
Continue following your route and descending

in line with ATC instructions.
You should now also set the autobrake to LOW.
A few things to remember:
• Once you pass the transition altitude

(18,000ft), you will need to change your
barometric settings to the airport’s
barometric pressure (29.92 IN HG).
• As you pass below 10,000ft, you must turn
on your landing lights.
• As you pass below 10,000ft, your aircraft
will automatically start to slow down to 250
knots.
• If you need to slow down as your aircraft is
too fast, you can use the speed brakes to
help add drag to your aircraft and slow you
down. Remember to put them back to 0%
once you have reached your desired speed.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
As you start to get closer to the airport, you will
start managing your speed. Approximately
30nm from the runway, reduce your speed via
the autopilot window to 210 knots. This will
keep your speed above the green dot whilst
also giving you plenty of time to configure
yourself for landing. To do this, turn the speed
knob on the autopilot panel until it reaches
210 knots. You will need to push to enable ‘AIR
SPEED MODE’. As you are using autothrottle,
the aircraft will start to reduce power to reach
your selected speed.
At this point, you should also turn on constraint

markers (CSTR) for your ND.
Remember the aircraft will be trying to reduce

speed and lose altitude so you may need to
use your speedbrake to help slow down.
When you selected the arrival in the MCDU,

you chose the ILS approach to runway 34C.
You are going to use the ILS to guide you to
the runway automatically so you can focus
on ensuring your aircraft is configured to
land safely. When you’re 15nm away from
touchdown, press the LS button (next to the
FD button) and it will light up green. You will
now notice that the PFD says ILS34C and
two purple diamonds will appear both below
and to the side of the artificial horizon. Those
purple diamonds are indicators of your aircraft
in relation to the ILS. For you to be accurately
on the path, the diamonds need to be centred
on the yellow lines at both the bottom and the
side.
ATC will soon instruct you to descend to 5,000ft

which is the final approach altitude for Seattle
Tacoma Airport (KSEA). Set your altitude to
decsend and now set your speed to 170 knots.
Watch as your speed decreases as you will

need to start applying flaps in increments. As
your speed tape falls below the green dot, you
will need to apply the first level of flaps.
To ensure that your aircraft will track the ILS,

you now need to engage the ‘LOC’ button
from the autopilot panel. This will ensure that
your aircraft finds the localiser to fly the correct
course for the runway. As the purple diamond
indicator lines up on the base of the artificial
horizon, you then engage the ‘APPR’ button so
that your aircraft follows the glideslope.
It is worth noting that your aircraft will
automatically track the ILS towards the
runway and actually will descend below
5,000ft without you changing the altitude in
the autopilot window. Keep this as 5,000ft and
watch the aircraft follow the glideslope to the
runway.
When your aircraft is on the glideslope, lower

the landing gear and add another increment
of flaps to configuration 2. Finally, ensure that
the speed brake is armed (as you did for take-
off).
At your discretion, reduce your speed to the

VAPP speed and lower the flaps to FULL.
You should aim to have a fully configured

aircraft at least 7nm from the airport and at an
altitude of 1500ft.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
PART 7 - Landing and Taxi to Stand
With your aircraft now fully configured
and ready to land, you should be at a stable
point to be able to disengage the autopilot
and complete a manual landing. Continue
your approach ensuring you use the PFD
as guidance along with the PAPI lighting to
assist.
As you get lower to the ground, you will hear

various call-outs indicating your altitude above
the ground. Once you are approximately 20ft
above ground, the aircraft will make a new
call-out saying “RETARD, RETARD”. This is
your indication to pull the throttle back to idle.
This is also the point where you should start
your flare to bring the nose up slightly for that
smooth touchdown. Don’t pull up too much
on the stick or else you will climb back up
which is the opposite of what you want to do.
Continue losing speed and altitude until you
touch down.
Once you’re down, maintain the centerline

and watch as the autobrake kicks in to start
slowing you down.
The A320Neo is also equipped with reverse

thrust. Use the key binding (default is F2) to
activate reverse thrust. Once your aircraft
slows down to 60 knots, bring the throttles
back to idle and start applying manual braking.
When possible, vacate the runway. Providing

you still have the taxiway ribbon assistance on,
you will get a path to follow.
After you have vacated the runway, you

will need to ‘clean-up’. This is a process of
retracting the flaps, lowering the speedbrakes
and ensuring the lighting is correct.
So to ‘clean-up’:
• Retract flaps up
• Turn off landing and runway lights
• Lower speed brakes
• Turn on the APU (as you did earlier)
Continue taxiing to your parking stand

following any of the markings or guidance.

PART 8 - Shutting Down
Once you are at the gate, apply the parking
brake and turn off both master engine
switches. Your engines will now slowly spool
down.
With that done, you can now safely turn off the
beacon light and the final taxi light. Switch off
all of the fuel pumps from the overhead panel
and reconnect to the EXT PWR.
Now that you are on the external power, you

are safe to disengage the APU.
Remember to attach the jetbridge (if you’re

at a parking stand with one), call the baggage
handlers and prepare any new catering.
With everything now complete and safely

shut down, you can say you’ve finished your
first flight in the Airbus A320Neo.
Congratulations, you’re on your way to

becoming the best virtual pilot.
NOTE FROM EDITOR: Any tutorial

teaching you how to fly any type of
aircraft is a daunting task. However, we
were keen to ensure that the guide was
easy enough to follow for newcomers,
whilst also giving experienced simmers a
chance to try out something new.
We are aware that this tutorial may not

be for everyone, but we feel it helps
cover a lot of the basics needed to help
people have a good understanding of
the fundamentals. Of course, there is still
much more to learn.
With that in mind, we are truly open to

feedback so please do reach out via our
support tools to tell us what you think.
This is still a live guide being updated
regularly so any new contributions would
be hugely appreciated if it helps support
the flight simulation community.
Visit our Support Page.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SNOW AND ICE
A Winter Wonderland
Whilst aircraft engines love cool conditions,
aircraft, in general, are not big fans of
snow and ice. Both types of conditions can
cause big headaches for airports, pilots and
passengers. In the new flight simulator, snow
and ice conditions are present and can have
an adverse effect on your aircraft.
Snow, when it builds on the ground, can make

manoeuvring airports even more challenging
and slow, but does provide a breathtaking
visual experience. When the snow falls from the
skies and lands on the ground in the simulator,
you will be able to watch it build-up over time
and provide a true winter wonderland.
As for the icing on an aircraft, this can be

incredibly dangerous and must be remedied
by the pilot in control as quickly and as safely
as possible. Over the next few pages, this guide
will show you how to get those picturesque
shots and also how you, as a pilot, can deal
with any ice that may build up on your aircraft.
Adding Snow To Your Simulator

There are a few ways in which you can add
snow-filled landscapes to your simulator.
The easiest way is to simply find an area in
the world where it is currently snowing and
load up the simulator there. Of course, that is
providing you are using “live weather” to inject
this data into the simulator.
Then there’s using a preset from the flight

conditions pages within the world map. By
selecting snow, you will load anywhere in the
world you choose (even in warmer locations)
snow falling from the sky and very low visibility.
If you find that the preset is not suitable for

you, or you wish to adjust it, simply use the in-
sim menu option to adjust the weather on the
fly to create your perfect scenario.

Creating Your Snowy Environment
With the weather menu selected, you are able
to manipulate numerous aspects to get the
conditions just right.
To get the snow-filled environment just how

you like it, you will need to adjust mostly the
cloud values found in the weather menu. If
you chose the preset ‘Snow’ you may find that
the visibility is too low for you to really enjoy
the stunning views with the ground lit up in
white.
Start by adjusting the cloud’s coverage. From

the weather menu, click on the lowest cloud
icon (just above ground level). Four new
options will appear on the right-hand side,
with one of them being coverage. Changing
that from 100 to 0 will see an increase in
visibility.
You can further adjust the weather by clicking

on the cloud icon again and dragging it up
and down the altitude scale. This will change
the tops and bottoms of the cloud coverage.
The higher up the clouds, the more visibility
you will have.
You can continue adjusting the weather

behind the cloud’s coverage and scatter.
Clicking on the ‘Settings’ menu above the
altitude box will display even more options for
you to play around with.
You can adjust the snow depth (the greater the

number, the more snow will fill the ground)
and also the precipitation. The precipitation
is the rate at which the snow will fall. It does
need the right cloud coverage to actually fall
from the skies to create that perfect scene.
Once you’re done, you can then save the preset

and load it again any time you wish to use it.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ICE AND AICRAFT
Preventing a Disaster
Ice and aircraft simply do not mix well. Ice
building up on the wings or fuselage can have
a huge detriment to the aerodynamics of the
aircraft. In fact, it can have catastrophic events,
especially during critical phases of flight.
Ice can build up on an aircraft during sub-zero

conditions on the ground or even whilst flying.
Typically ice forms when your aircraft flies
through moist conditions - such as clouds.
Luckily most aircraft are fitted with deicing

capabilities. These deicing tools will warm up
specific parts of the aircraft (critical surfaces)
to help prevent ice building up in the first
place, or heating it up to melt it away.
Not only can ice affect the performance of

the aircraft and the aerodynamics, but it can
also have an impact on your onboard systems.
Aircraft use a pitot tube to measure key aircraft
performance values such as airspeed and
altitude. These tubes can freeze up, and if they
do, your aircraft’s systems will no longer get
the data to tell you what your aircraft is doing.
You can see from some of the images that if the

pitot tubes freeze, your airspeed and altitude
on the PDF will drop to 0. This is obviously a
cause for concern and you will need to find a
way to rectify that situation.
If you’re flying, one of the easiest ways to avoid

any ice building up on your aircraft is to avoid
clouds. As said above, moisture in the air can
be a cause of ice on your aircraft.
However, sometimes this isn’t possible and

icing could inevitably build up anyway. To
prevent ice building up, or to help melt away
any build-up you do get, you need to use the
deicing systems on your aircraft.

Various Aircraft Deicing Systems
Different aircraft have different deicing
systems and methodology. Some require you
to turn on various systems when you detect
ice, whilst others will simply be switched onto
‘AUTO’ whilst on the ground and will only
activate when the aircraft detects ice building
up.
For example, in the TBM 930, there are various

switches near the captain’s yoke which you
can turn on/off. The Airbus A320Neo however,
has specific anti-ice buttons located on the
overhead panel. If you look at the King Air’s
cockpit, you will also find there are various
options to have wing anti-ice, engine anti-ice
and even an override switch. Investigate each
aircraft at your own pace to discover how it
works and also take note of the integrated
checklist system as it will sometimes
incorporate the anti-ice methodology as part
of setting up your flight.
When To Turn On Deicing?

If you are flying an aircraft with a manual mode
to the deicing functionality, you should turn
on icing as soon as you can visually see it. You
will first notice it build up on the windscreen
and then possibly on your control surfaces.
The system in the simulator will dynamically
build it up from starting off barely noticeable
to being very in-your-face.
You may also see your airspeed and altitude

drop to 0 on the PFD, which indicates that
your pitot tubes have frozen up. This isn’t a
bug of the simulator, but actually how it would
happen in real life. If this happens, turn on
your deicing tools (in particular the pitot tube
option) and soon the ice will melt and your
instruments will give you accurate readings.
How Else to Prevent Icing Build Up?

Ice typically builds up in higher altitudes and
when you fly through moisture in the air. To
prevent icing, or to help melt it quicker, avoid
clouds and descend to lower altitudes. Find
warmer air, increase the RMP on the throttle
or increasing your airspeed are also other
effective ways to help rid your aircraft of the
icy build-up which may be having an adverse
impact on your aircraft’s performance and
handling.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
AIRPORT MANOEUVRING
In your journey to learn more about the world
of flight simulator, you have always started on
the runway. As this guide continues to expand,
more focus will be placed on point A to point
B flying, meaning this will include navigating
airports.
Navigating airports in flight simulator can be

easy and there are numerous tools to assist
you. Navigating an airport from the gate to
the runway means you will need to taxi across
taxiways, possibly cross active runways and
also make way for other aircraft at various
intersections.
Taxiways are made up of paths, intersections,

holding points and other aircraft specific areas.
They are each given an alphanumeric code
(not always in alphabetical order). It may seem
daunting at first, especially at larger airports,
but navigating airports is made easier in the
simulator thanks to some of the built-in tools.
After Pushback
After you have pushed back from the gate, you
will need to contact the air traffic control tower
to request clearance to taxi to the runway.
They will instruct you on the taxiway routing
you need to take. The larger the airport, the
more complex sometimes the routing can be.
In our example, we are looking to take off

out of Dubai International Airport (OMDB).
Once ATC has been contacted, they will issue
instructions on which runway you will be
taking off from and how to get there.
With complex airports, there is a lot to take in.

If you’re new to moving around airports, then,
fortunately, you can turn on some assists to
help navigate you. Press ESC to open the main
menu and then click on ‘Assist’. From there,
click on the drop down menu for Navigation
Aids and search for ‘Taxi Ribbon’.
Turning this on will give you a series of markings

in the simulator guiding you along the path
ATC gave you to help you to the runway.

Taxiway Lines
When manoeuvring around the airport, you
need to keep your nosewheel on the central
yellow taxiway line. This has been done to
ensure adequate clearance from buildings
and other taxiways. Taxi slowly and carefully.
Airport Signage
Those who are looking for a bit more realism
in moving around the airport will want to use
the airport signage. Understanding these
big signs is easy once you learn some of the
basics. Whilst some of the signage may vary
from country to country and airport to airport
(depending on the use), there are some
fundamentals that will help you regardless.
Yellow Background, Black Text

This signage represents taxiways you’re about
to cross. These intersection indications give
you, as the pilot, knowledge of which taxiway
lies in which direction.
Black Background, Yellow Text

This indicates to you which taxiway you are
currently on. If you were to continue straight
at an intersection, it means you will remain on
that said taxiway.
Sometimes you may get a number following

the letter, meaning it’s likely an intersection
or holding point along a specific taxiway. The
number represents which one in a series of
intersections / holding points along that given
taxiway.
Red Background, White Text

Red is an indication that you’re entering a
critical part of the airport. These are dominant
at runway intersections and serve as a stark
reminder that you should only enter this area
if you’ve been given specific instruction to
do so. You will see the runway designator on
these taxiway signs.
Next to the signage you will also find ground

markings again reminding you this is a critical
part of the airfield. The yellow block lines.
indicate this is where you must stop if you
have yet to receive clearance to taxi onto the
runway.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
MULTIPLAYER
Fly Online With Friends
Now that you are ready to explore the world
on your own, this is actually the perfect time to
grab some friends and fly together.
Luckily, flying with friends in multiplayer is

super easy with the new simulator. Providing
you have their gamertag, you will be able to
add them to your friends list and get a flight
going in a matter of minutes.
We’ll talk you through each step to help get

you started.
First - Get on the Server

From the main menu, head on up to your
username in the top right hand side. Clicking
on it will show you the available servers to you.
Providing you haven’t changed anything since

installing the simulator, the sim will default
to the nearest server to you. You will see a
number (e.g. 18ms) followed by a series of bars.
These represent how quickly your internet can
interact with the server. The lower the number,
the better it is.
Leaving your simulator in automatic mode will

always hook you up to your nearest server, but
if you need to change it, this is where you would
go.
Adding Friends
Now that you’re hooked up to the right server,
it’s time to add some friends to your list. Simply
click on the “Add Friend” icon from the main
menu, enter their Gamertag and click send.
A request will be sent to them, which needs

to be accepted before you’ll be able to fly
together. If you get a request, you will receive
a notification and you’ll have the chance to
approve or decline.

Creating a Group
When it comes to online flying, you have a few
options, one of those is to create a group and/
or join a group.
Creating a group is done by clicking on your

friend’s name from your friends list and clicking
create group. This will create a virtual server that
only you and those you have requested join the
group will appear in.
In group mode, you are able to set whether you

have live traffic, AI traffic, real world weather,
pre-set weather or completely custom made
traffic and weather. If you are in a group, the
group leader (the person who makes the group)
can change the time of day and weather on-the-
fly for everyone in the group. So whether you’re
looking for a challenging approach or a calm
bush tour, the group leader can customise your
experience to suit everyone in the group.
Once the group is made, and the conditions are

set, you can then spawn into the flight simulator
and you will all see each other. If you have tags
turned on in the general settings, then you will
be able to identify who is who.
You can be completely private, in a group or take

part with the rest of the world.
Being Part of the Online World

It isn’t just creating private groups that form
part of the multiplayer options, you are also
able to join the thousands of online pilots in a
world packed full of simmers.
While you are flying online, you will have to fly

with live weather and live traffic. You will also be
able to see friends, (and others online) practicing
their landings, taking off on long-haul flights and
finding their next landing-strip.
To be part of the online world, all you have to do

is select the “Live Players” option from the main
flight conditions page and jump into any airport
around the world.
Top Tip: You must be on the same server if you

intend on flying with friends to see each other.
If you still can’t see each other, change servers
and go back to the original one. This has been
a proven fix for many.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
FINDING ANIMALS
Explore Wildlife
The world is full of life. Whilst there are plenty
of cities, towns and landscapes to explore,
there are also plenty of opportunities to find
wildlife within your flight simulator.
Below is a complete guide on how to find a

range of wildlife scattered around the globe in
their respective geographical locations.
From the Main Menu

Your first step is to head to the World Map. You
should be familiar with the World Map, but if
not, head to our previous pages for a rundown.
From here, you’ll be able to find wildlife, but

with animals in the simulator spread far and
wide, you should use the filter system to make
the process easier.
Finding Animal Clusters

Pressing the F key on the World Map menu
will open up the filter options. As a reminder,
these options are there to make finding areas
of the world much easier. Since we’re looking
for clusters of animals, you should turn off
most options such as cities, landmarks and
points of interest.
However, you should leave ‘Fauna’ on. As

described by the Biology Dictionary, “Fauna
is a term which refers to all of the animal life
within a specified region, time period, or both.”
With this option left on for the World Map,

finding animals is a lot easier. You will need to
zoom into the map a little closer than usual to
find them, but our handy guide on the next
page will help you identify which animals
you can find and where in the world they are
waiting for you.
Once you have found them, as with other

identifiers on the map, click and set the animal
as a departure (or arrival). You can then load
up the simulator to discover these wonderful
creatures.

Biology Dictionary ‘Fauna’ Definition
What You Can Find
The world is huge and finding the clusters of animals can be
a little challenging. Below you’ll see all of the different types of
animals you can find and where in the world they are.
Top Tip: Use the ‘Smart Camera’ to be pointed in the

direction of the cluster of animals in the nearby area.
This makes finding them easier.
Geese
WHERE TO FIND THEM:

• Skadar Lake, Montenegro
• Limni Voularia, Greece
Elephants Giraffes
WHERE TO FIND THEM: WHERE TO FIND THEM:

• Bugna, Ethiopia • Dawunt, Ethiopia Black Bears
• Dessie Zuriah, Ethiopia • Blue Nile, Sudan
• Meshesha Wenz WHERE TO FIND THEM:
• Bodad (CA), USA
• Grass Lake (CA), USA
• Yosemite (CA), USA
Seagulls Flamingos
WHERE TO FIND THEM: WHERE TO FIND THEM:

• McNeil Cove (AK), USA • Cochrane, Chile Grizzly Bears
• English Bay (AK), USA • O’Higgins, Chile
• Lake Isabella (CA), USA • Lago Argentino, Argentina WHERE TO FIND THEM:
• Lake Tahoe (CA), USA • Dahlak, Massawa • Chinitna Bay (AK), USA
• Punta Arenas, Chile • Izembek (AK), USA
• Tivat & Rijeka, Montenegro • Norma Bay (AK), USA
• Syros, Greece
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
GET MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE
Whilst the new flight simulator is geared towards modern hardware, as outlined earlier in this
guide, there is still plenty of scope to improve your personal performance to get the best possible
results from your simulator. Here are some handy tips for you to get maximum performance
from your simulator. All of our tips are verified by an industry expert and an IT professional.
Before We Begin
It should be noted that these tips and tweaks
are simple, safe and generally quite common
across multiple simulators and games. Whilst
tweaking your system may result in better
performance, you should be aware that the
simulator can continue to be optimised (it
doesn’t utilise all processing cores, as an
example) and that this simulator is also built
for more powerful hardware in the future.
It is also worth noting what your specifications

are and comparing that to the recommended
components outlined by Microsoft. Tweaking
will yield some positive results, but if you’re
on low-end machines, then you may need to
consider upgrading the hardware.
That said, applying some of these tweaks

should help you boost performance. Your
mileage may vary and we’ll continue to update
the guide if and when new tweaks are found.
Up to Date Video Card Drivers

The first thing you should do is ensure that
your video card drivers are up to date. Video
card drivers link your physical hardware (your
GPU) to your computer and have specific
optimisations for games and applications
(including Microsoft Flight Simulator).
Nvidia Graphics Cards:

As of January 2021, we recommend you use
Nvidia driver 457.30 WHQL and above. This
driver has specific optimisations for Microsoft
Flight Simulator to help maximise your
performance.
AMD Graphics Cards:

The latest AMD video card driver is 20.12.2. This
driver has specific optimisations for Microsoft
Flight Simulator to help maximise your
performance.

Clean Install of Video Card Drivers
If you already have a video card driver installed
(which is very likely), you should perform a
“Clean” install of that video card driver. Below is
a quick guide on how to uninstall your current
driver and replace it with the most up-to-date
in a “Clean” state.
Nvidia Drivers
Step 1 - Removing Old Drivers
Navigate to your ‘Add or remove programs’
menu on your Windows PC. In the search bar,
look for Nvidia, which will look for all programs
with that name. You will then see your driver.
Click on ‘Uninstall’ and follow the prompts to
uninstall the driver. This will take a few minutes
and your screen may go black a few times, but
this is normal. You will need to restart your PC
afterwards.
Note: If you already have 452.06 installed,
then you have the latest already.
Step 2 - Downloading New Drivers

If you haven’t already downloaded the new
drivers (452.06), then you will need to from
Nvidia’s website.
Select your graphics card, language, etc and

the system will find you the correct driver to
download. For the cleanest driver download,
choose the ‘GeForce Game Ready Driver -
WHQL’ version. The download will now start
and will take a few minutes depending on
your connection.
Step 3 - Installing Clean

With your new driver downloaded, you are
now able to start the process of installation.
Run the download as an Administrator on
your system.
During the installation process, a checkbox

named “Perform Clean Install” will be visible.
Ensure that this is checked. This will help
ensure any old files are deleted to prevent any
issues.
With the driver now installed, SHUT DOWN

your computer and turn it back on.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
AMD Drivers
Step 1 - Removing Old Drivers
AMD has provided a simple solution to remove
your AMD drivers. Download the AMD Cleanup
Utility from their website and run after it has
downloaded.
Follow the prompts to reboot your PC in ‘safe

mode’. Rebooting in ‘safe mode’ will give you
the best results for a smooth driver update.
After your PC has rebooted, a new prompt

will appear asking you if you wish to remove
all AMD drivers and applications. Click on ‘Yes’
and the removal process will begin. Afterwards,
shut down your PC and turn it back on.
Note: Navigate to your Windows installation
folder in your Windows Explorer folder and
if you have a folder named ‘AMD’, delete
this completely. The typical location for this
folder is “C:\AMD”
Step 2 - Downloading New Drivers

If you haven’t already downloaded the new
driver, v20.8.2, then head to the AMD website
and enter the details of your card. This will
search for the latest driver for you to install.
Click on download and start the process of

saving the driver to your PC.
Step 3 - Installing Clean

Once the new driver has downloaded, start
the file as an Administrator.
Since you have removed all the previous

folders, files and driver data in step 1, the driver
will perform a clean install. You can also click
on ‘Clean Install’ to ensure this is still the case.
Wait a few minutes for this to happen. Your
screen may flicker at this time.
With the driver now installed, SHUT DOWN

your computer and turn it back on.

ADVANCED USERS Using DDU
The previous instructions are intended for
those unfamiliar with using PCs to remove/
install video card drivers. Those with more
advanced knowledge can also use tools such
as ‘Display Driver Uninstaller’ (DDU) to perform
the clean driver installation.
This tool will work for both Nvidia and AMD

video cards. Set up does require a little more
knowledge and experience.
Graphic Card Settings

With fresh drivers now installed, you should
now look at adjusting a few settings within
your Graphic Card Control Panel.
These settings are easy to configure and

change should you wish to revert back.
Nvidia Users
On your desktop, right-click and select ‘NVIDIA
Control Panel’ to open up a new window.
Within the Control Panel, on the left-hand

side, open ‘3D Settings’ to show a new menu
named ‘Manage 3D Settings’.
In the main menu area, you will see a new range

of options appear. Click on the tab ‘Program
Settings’ and from the drop-down menu, find
and select Microsoft Flight Simulator. Here
you will change two settings.
Power Management Mode

Scroll down to find ‘Power Management
Mode’ and change it from ‘Use global setting
(Optimal Power)’ to ‘Prefer Maximum
Performance’. This will now use the full power
of your GPU.
Texture Filtering - Quality

Find ‘Texture Filtering - Quality’ and change
it from ‘Quality’ to ‘High Performance’. These
Top Tip: If you purchased Flight Simulator
are proven to help with 3D performance in
on Steam, you won’t see the sim on Program
various games and simulators.
Settings on Nvidia Control Panel. Instead, you
can adjust these as Global values to take effect
Now click on ‘Apply’ for these to take effect. for Steam users.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Adjusting Windows Settings
We have our video card drivers set up, so now Top Tip: If you are running any other
it’s time to ensure we are getting the most background tasks such as Nvidia
from Windows. ShadowPlay, turning this off will also
help with performance.
Not only do we want to get the best

performance from Windows, but we also want
to ensure that our processors are doing as
much work as possible to get that stutter-free
experience.
There are a handful of quick tweaks we can do

to maximise our performance.
Game Mode
We are now recommending that you turn
Game Mode OFF. This is providing you are
using the latest version of Microsoft Flight
Simulator and also Nvidia 457.30 drive and
above. This also assumes you are using
Windows 10 update 20H2 and above.
Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling

Similarly to Game Mode, we are now suggesting
that you turn Hardware-accelerated GPU
Scheduling to OFF.
This will improve syncing and reduces

stuttering. Again, this is providing you are using
the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator
and also Nvidia 457.30 drive and above. This
also assumes you are using Windows 10
update 20H2 and above.
Captures
The final change you’re going to make is to
‘Background recording’. To ensure this is ‘Off’, Did you Know? Hardware-accelerated
click on ‘Captures’ from the left-hand side to GPU scheduling is only available in
open up a new menu. Now you can turn off Windows 10 Version 2004.
‘Background recording’.
With these changes in place, now restart

your PC.

Setting the Priority to High
With the video drivers now set and your
windows settings enabled to give you
maximum performance, we’re now going to
make some changes to how the simulator
runs. We want to ensure that the simulator
uses as much of the processing power we have
to give us the smoothest experience. There is
a function within Windows, which is known as
changing priority.
To do this, first load up the simulator as you

usually would. Once it starts to boot, you want
to run the Task Manager. If you’re unsure how
to open up the Task Manager, hit CTRL + ALT
+ DELETE at the same time, and then click on
‘Task Manager’ from the menu.
In Task Manager
When in Task Manager, you may only see a
basic overview. Click on ‘More Details’ to show
a lot more information. If you’re less technically
minded, don’t worry as we’ll only be touching
a handful of things here.
With the new view on display, click on the

‘Details’ tab. This will show you a list of
programs running on your PC. Scroll down to
find ‘FlightSimulator.exe’.
Now, right-click on it, hover your mouse over

‘Set priority’ and now select ‘High’. This will
now give your simulator a higher priority for
your processing power over other applications.
Why not set to Real-Time?

This has adverse effects to your system and
other functions simply need to have that
type of priority over a flight simulator. Setting
it to ‘High’ is safe and gives you improved
performance.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
RECOMMENDED SIM SETTINGS
Earlier, this guide documented some of the
key changes you could make to the simulator
to get the best performance in your simulator.
With version 1.10 of this guide, we decided

to expand upon it, which when combined
with our tweaks and tips listed on the
previous pages, will give you the maximum
performance possible on your simulator.
From any point in the simulator, click open up

the ‘Options’ menu, then ‘General’ and ensure
you are on the ‘Graphics’ tab.
Biggest Performance Impact

We have identified there there are several
settings within the new simulator that have
the biggest impact on performance. These
settings do have an effect on the overall visual
look of the simulator, but tweaking them just
enough will give you smoother performance
whilst also retaining a good looking flight
simulator.
Let us take a look at some of those that have

some of the biggest impacts on performance.

This will adjust the level of detail you will
have from the terrain. The higher the setting,
the better quality you will see, but reduced
performance.
We recommend a setting no higher

than 200.
Why? Above: Terrain Level of Detail 100

Our testers and experts found this was the best Below: Terrain Level of Detail 200
balance between quality and performance.
Even if you have a PC that can have ‘Ultra’
settings, anything above 200 will degrade
performance with no added benefit for visual
quality. The recent sim updates mean you
can push the limit up without compromising
performance, but get better visual results.
UPDATE: Sim Update 6 has added the ability

to go up to 400 for terrain level of detail. We
have updated our advise above.
Object Level of Detail
This setting will adjust objects such as
generated buildings and other objects in
the world. The higher the setting, the better
quality you will see, but reduced performance.

than 100.
Above: Object Level of Detail 100
Why? Below: Object Level of Detail 200
Our testers and experts found this was the best
balance between quality and performance.
Even if you have a PC that can have ‘Ultra’
settings, anything above 100 will degrade
performance with no added benefit for visual
quality.
Texture Supersampling
This setting adjusts the texture’s Anti-Aliasing.
Higher settings will use more VRAM, so a
modern GPU is required for higher settings. If
you use a high-res display, you can use lower
values to compensate for the increased pixel
number.

than 4 x 4 (even if your GPU has loads of VRAM)
Why?
The performance benefit of a lower setting
outweighs the minor visual differences of
higher settings. Regardless of monitor size
or GPU, 4 x 4 is a good setting to balance
performance and visuals.
Shadow Maps
Shadows make the world look alive, especially
when the sun is low. This setting will adjust
the quality. The higher the number, the more
Above: Shadows @ 2048
impact it will have on performance.
Below: Shadows @ 768

than 768.
Why?
When flying at altitude, our testers found the
visual quality to be little to no different than on
higher settings, but the added performance
benefit was worth it. However, you may notice
some jaggy textures a little closer to the
ground. A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 255
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Anti-Aliasing Left: TAA Right: FXAA
In simple terms, this setting smooths out the

edges within the simulator. This will enable
models and texturing to look crisp and clear
with no rough edges or ‘jaggies’.
We recommend using TAA (Temporal

Anti-Aliasing)
Why?
Whilst anti-aliasing is a huge performance
killer, you want to balance visual quality and
performance. Turning this setting any lower
than TAA resulted in better performance, but
at an expense of bad looking texturing and
modelling. Our testers preferred to cut down
on other elements whilst keeping this setting
to TAA.
Water Waves Above: Waves HIGH
This will adjust the resolution of the waves Below: Waves LOW
produced in the flight simulator. The higher
the setting, the better the quality but at a cost
to performance.
We recommend using Medium

settings.
Why?
Unless you intend on doing a lot of water-
based flying, then putting this setting to
medium will improve performance to have
little to no impact on your flying experience.
This was said by numerous testers, especially
when flying at altitude.
Depth of Field
This setting will adjust how far afield the
simulator will render and to what quality.
High values improve quality but reduce Above: Depth of Field HIGH
performance. Below: Depth of Field LOW
We recommend using Medium or High

(GPU dependant)
Why?
This felt more like eye-candy settings rather
than something that enhanced the experience.
Turning this down gave better performance
with little visual impact.

Render Scaling
Render scaling is how the simulator will scale
the resolution of your simulator. So if you’re
using 1080p and render at 100, it will render
the scene at 1080p resolution. If you drop that
to 75, it will render at 75% of that resolution.
Above: Bloom On
Below: Bloom Off
We recommend using a setting of
100 for 1080p displays and 70 for 2/4K
displays.
Other Settings to Consider

Those were just some of the settings we have
adjusted to improve performance, whilst
maintaining a good looking flight simulator.
If you still find performance is not adequate

enough for you, then you should try these
other recommended settings.
Sim version 1.19.8.0 added a new option
called ' Offscreen terrain pre caching'.
Bloom This allows you to cache offscreen
Turning off bloom saw a minor increase in scenery at various quality levels. 'Ultra'
performance, but our testers did miss the will reduce FPS drops and LOD popping,
visual effect. but will impact performance.
Reflections We recommend using a setting of

High or Ultra (depending on your GPU)
Turn to medium to find a good balance
between performance and good looking
visuals.
Do Remember that these tweaks

Texture Synthesis
have been tested by numerous
Turning this to medium helped add a few people all of whom have had a varied
extra FPS to our performance, even in intense degree of success. You should set your
areas such as New York. own expectations when it comes to
performance and not always assume
you will reach the magic “60 FPS”
Trees number we all so crave. Performance will
Turning this setting to medium gave out improve over time thanks to updates to
testers a small performance boost and little to the simulator, changes to hardware and
no changes visually. of course, the more we learn, the more
we can advise of future tweaks and tips.
VSync
Our commitment to you is that when
Our testers found that keeping this setting ‘Off’
we feel there is something new that will
offered the best performance and minimised
enhance performance we will update
stutters.
this guide accordingly so you always
have the best possible information to
help you maximise performance in your
new flight simulator.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
HOW TO SET UP VIRTUAL REALITY
Welcome to our guide to setting up your PC and simulator in preparation for Virtual
Reality. Sim Update II enabled simmers to explore the world in the most immersive way
possible through a wide range of compatible VR headsets. The results of virtual reality in
the simulator are incredible and need to be seen to be believed. However, to set up virtual
reality and ensure you have to a smooth performance can be a little overwhelming at first.
We hope this section of our guide will provide you with all the tools and information you need
to get set-up quickly. After you have everything set up, our performance guide will take you
through some of the tips and techniques we've discovered to give you a smooth experience.
As we familiarise ourselves with the new feature and see improvements in the simulator, we'll
update this section with additional information to help you even more.
Before We Begin
This guide assumes that you already own a
compatible headset (view them here) and have
followed your manufacturer's instructions on
installing the correct drivers and hardware
(including any controllers or camera devices).
Here are some other recommendations you

should consider before proceeding with using
virtual reality with the simulator.
We also assume you have the most up to date

version of the simulator, which comes with VR.
Video Card Drivers

We have detailed this in our Maximum
Performance section, but there is a good
understanding now of a driver which
compliments VR best.
Nvidia Graphics Cards:

The most stable Nvidia video card driver is
457.30 WHQL. This has been reported by
various users as the most stable driver for
virtual reality with the simulator.
AMD Graphics Cards:

At the current time, no specific driver was
mentioned for AMD graphic cards that provide
the best results. However, we recommend that
you download the latest driver. As of January
11th 2020, the latest driver is: 20.12.2.

Understanding Your Headset Type
Fine-tuning your VR experience will depend
on how well you understand your current
headset type. Whilst all those with OpenXR
support are compatible with the simulator,
there are a few other considerations to note. In
summary, any headset that runs on Windows
Mixed Reality (WMR), Oculus and SteamVR are
all supported. Each manufacturer has their
own software to support the implementation
of VR and also feature settings you can adjust
to get optimal performance.
We will assume that you know which headset

type you own, but we will give you performance
instructions and ideas for a variety of headsets.
Obtaining VR Headset Software

Now that you know your headset type, it's time
to ensure you have the right software.
WMR owners should ensure they have

runtime 104.2012.9003 installed. You can
download the latest version of Windows Mixed
Reality from the Windows store directly to
your PC. Type "Windows Mixed Reality OpenXR
Development Tools" and download for free.
SteamVR compatible headset owners

should ensure they have the latest versions of
SteamVR. You can launch this directly from
Steam.
HTC compatible headset owners should

ensure you have downloaded the beta version
for the Vive console. Head to our resources
page to get a link.
Oculus compatible headset owners should

ensure you have the Oculus app downloaded
and installed. It's also vital that you have opted
into the Beta program and set Canal testing
to on.
With the software now on your PC with the

correct drivers, you are ready to start adjusting
some general settings to get VR performing
as best as possible on your system.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
VR PERFORMANCE SETTINGS
A Dedicated Settings Tab
Flying in virtual reality is a different experience
compared to your standard PC monitor. With
the simulator effectively having to produce
two versions of the image (one for each
screen per eye), ensuring you have optimal
performance is key to a smooth experience.
The key to having the best VR experience is

more than just a stable frame rate. It is also
about image quality and clarity.
To help users experience the best of both

worlds, the new update gives you the option
to have settings set dependant on the view
mode you're using. This means you can be
more specific with your VR settings and adjust
them without impacting your settings for
normal usage.
You can access the dedicated VR performance

settings via the settings menu by toggling the
result in the "Graphics" section.
You can adjust the "Traffic" settings for a

specific VR profile also.
Finally, from the general options setting, you

can adjust the "VR Mode" key combinations
and toggle VR mode on/off.
Your Mileage Will Vary

Whilst Virtual Reality will give you an incredible
experience, the performance requirements
are now greater than the original simulator's
requirements. This means you may need a
more powerful PC to harness the full potential
of VR and get that smooth picture quality. As
such, your mileage with performance tweaks
will vary.
If you're looking to try VR with a low-end PC,

then set your expectations now that you may
lose some of the visual quality you previously
experienced. VR is, right now at least, ideally
suited for those with more powerful hardware
and conform to at least the recommended
level of hardware for an enjoyable experience.

Performance Settings Rationale
The simulator comes with an array of options
to help support simmers with a range of
hardware get the most from their set-ups. Our
research has shown there are various settings
which dramatically impact performance,
whilst others have marginal hits on the frame
rate. Our guide will take you through the most
performance hitting settings first followed by
those which have less of an impact.
Render Scaling
Known by many to be the most impactful on
performance. Lower settings give you better
frame rates, but also lower quality resolution
and image quality.
We recommend a setting of 100.
Please note that you should use the above

setting in conjunction with your OpenXR
software (more on that here) to give you the
most stable performance.
Volumetric Clouds
Having detailed clouds comes at a cost to
performance. This is similar to that of using a
standard display.
We recommend using Medium.
Ambient Occlusion
This setting has an impact on the lighting
engine within the simulator and has a large
impact on VR performance.
We recommend using Low.
Buildings
This setting will adjust the number of auto-
generated buildings in the simulator. It has a
relatively high impact on performance.
We recommend using Medium.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Reflections
Similar to Ambient Occlusion, reflections can
have a big impact on performance as the
lighting engine needs to render more.
Terrain Shadows
This setting will adjust the resolution of
shadows created by terrain. Has a large impact
especially in mountainous areas.
We recommend using 512.
Anti-Aliasing
This setting will help with ensuring edges
appear smooth and non-pixelated.
We recommend using TAA.
Light Shafts
This setting adjusts light shafts formed
because of atmospheric conditions.
Bloom
This setting adds an effect when looking at a
light source.
We recommend using Off.

This setting will enhance or reduce the
distance you can see with clarity and detail in
the simulator.
We recommend using 100.
Contact Shadows
This setting adds shadows to aircraft and
buildings.

Our Recommended Settings
We have described settings with the most
impact on performance so that you know
which ones to play with to find the sweet
spot for your PC. Below is a snapshot of the
settings we are using, along with details on
our hardware and which headset we used to
test these settings.
Graphics
Render Scaling 100
Anti-Aliasing TAA
Terrain Level of Detail 100
Terrain Vector Data Medium
Buildings Medium
Trees High
Grass And Bushes Low
Objects Level of Detail 100
Volumetric Clouds Low
Texture Resolution Ultra
Anisotropic Filtering Off
Texture Supersampling Off
Texture Synthesis Low
Water Waves Medium
Shadow Maps 768
Terrain Shadows 512
Contact Shadows Low
Windshield Effects Medium
Ambient Occlusion Low
Reflections Low
Light Shafts Low
Bloom Off
Depth of Field Off
Lens Correction Off
Lens Flare Off
Traffic
Aircraft Traffic Type Real-Time Online
Airport Life All 0
Land and Sea Traffic All 20
Generic Plane Models On
Traffic Variety Medium

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE INFO
Whilst there are various settings in the
simulator you can change to better suit your
performance needs in VR, we have some
additional tips you should follow when using
the functionality in the simulator.
OpenXR Settings
Within OpenXR, you should turn on the
latest OpenXR runtime. From the "Developer
Settings" menu within the application, turn on
the runtime.
You should turn on 'Custom render scale' and

set this to 50%. This setting in combination
with the render scale in the sim set to 100
will give you the best balance between visual
quality and steady performance.
Note: This is only applicable to headsets that

use Windows Mixed Reality (WMR). If you're
using a non WMR headset and want to use
OpenXR, we have some tips on the following
page on installing the software to work with
your device.
Nvidia Settings
There are settings within the Nvidia Control
Panel which will help to give you a smoother
VR experience. By using the Nvidia Control
Panel you can ensure your graphics card can
better render the frames required for your
headset. These settings should work for all
types of headsets.
(We have listed settings you should change

and what we recommend)
Low Latency Mode On

Threaded Optimization On
Vertical Sync Fast
Virtual Reality pre-rendered frames 1
Note: We are evaluating similar performance

benefits with AMD cards. An update to this
guide will be issued once we are comfortable
sharing advice. If you're an AMD user and have
feedback to share with us, please get in touch.

Note #2: Adjusting these settings will also
impact your settings when using a standard
monitor. Be sure to remember or backup your
Nvidia settings if you swap back to using a
standard display.
Windows 10 Settings
There are settings within the operating system
which we recommend you adjust.
Both Hardware-Accelerated GPU scheduling

and Game Mode should be turned off. You
can refer to our overall performance guide for
details on how to adjust these.
SteamVR Settings
Those of you who are using SteamVR, there
are some specific settings which will help
you get better image quality. Below are our
recommendations for those users.
Refresh Rate (Hz) 90

Motion Smoothing Off
Custom Resolution Multiplier 100%
How to Install OpenXR on

Non WMR Headsets.
How to Install OpenXR on Non WMR Headsets.

If you're using a non WMR headset, you follow the following steps to add OpenXR to your
headset, giving you additional options to tailor your performance settings.
1. Right-click on your Start menu and select Run.

2. Type in “regedit” (without quotations) and hit Enter. This will launch the Registry Editor.
3. Locate the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Khronos\OpenXR\1
4. For ActiveRuntime change its value to the one that matches your platform (note: default
path is shown below):
C:\Program Files\Oculus\Support\oculus-runtime\oculus_openxr_64.json
5. Close the Registry Editor. You are now ready to enter VR with your Oculus headset.
Read more on the official support FAQ >>

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
USING VR IN THE SIMULATOR
By now, you have hopefully configured your
simulator settings, VR headset and your PC to
finally experience a new level of immersion.
Accessing VR Mode
When you load up the simulator, you will be
able to access VR through specific key binding.
By default, this key combo is CTRL + TAB
This will automatically change your view point

to a VR mode, meaning you can now put your
headset on. All menus and options can be
viewed in VR.
Navigation and Interaction

At the time of publication, you are able to
interact with menus with your mouse or
keyboard assignments.
When you are in the aircraft, you are able to

interact with instruments, controls and dials
through the use of your current controls
such as a mouse, keyboard and third-party
hardware.
At the time of publication, VR handsets and

controllers are not supported by the simulator.
Flying In VR
The major difference with flying in VR is that
you are able to move your head in a 3D space
to change your viewpoint. That ultimately
means you won't need to rely on camera
controls to change your viewpoint. However,
there are some control bindings to reset your
views. This can be adjusted from the setting
menus under "VR Mode".

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ASSISTANCE OPTIONS
This flight simulator has a huge range of
assistance options available to those looking
to try new things. Here is a break down of each
of them and how they can help your simulator
experience.
Top Tip: You can change any of these

settings from within the simulator of
the main menu via the Assistance
section of the menu.
PILOTING
Take-Off Auto-Rudder
Assisted rudder to help you during the take-
off roll.
Assisted Yoke
Should you need help to keep your aircraft
straight and level with pitch and roll assistance.
Assisted Checklist
Additional options will appear on the
integrated checklist menu. Either the copilot
completes the action or verifies what you have
done is correct.
Assisted Landing
Once you are in the final approach phase of
flight, the AI will assist with the throttle, pitch,
gear and flaps in preparation for landing. You
can continue to control the aircraft and override
this setting at any time even if switched on.
Assisted Take-off
During the take-off phase of flight, the AI
will assist with the throttle, pitch, gear and
flaps. You can continue to control the aircraft
and override this setting at any time even if
switched on.
Delegate ATC to AI
Focus on flying and delegate your AI co-pilot
to handle the radio and communication
interactions with ATC.

AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS
Automixture
Have the engine fuel mixture applied
auomatically.
Unlimited Fuel
Have no worries about the virtual fuel and fly
with unlimited fuel to fly as far as you like.
Aircraft Lights
Allow your copilot to adjust the lights
accordingly depending on time of day and
phase of flight.
Gyro Drift Autocalibration
Have the simulator automatically calibrate the
gyro during the flight. If off, you will have to do
it manually.
FAILURE & DAMAGE

Crash Damage
Turn on or off the crash detection. If you have
any significant impact with terrain, buildings
or other objects, the flight will come to an end.
Aircraft Stress Damage
Flying with excessive G-forces for a prolonged
period of time will cause your aircraft’s airframe
to break up and thus your flight will come to
an end. You can turn this option on or off.
Engine Stress Damage
Simililar to aircraft stress damage, causing
your aircraft’s engine to over-perform can
have adverse effects. If you stress the engine
too much, you will cause the flight to end.
Icing Effect
As described on page 190, icing can have an
impact on your aircraft’s ability to fly through
the air. You can either have the icing effect
purely visual or have it have an impact on the
way your aircraft handles.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
NAVIGATION AIDS
Route & Waypoints
Adjusts whether navigation icons are visible in
the world
Taxi Ribbon
Display a taxi path on the ground at any airport
after you have received instructions from ATC.
More details on how to taxi around airports
can be found here.
Landing Path
Visible path to demonstrate the correct glide
slope you should take to achieve a great
landing.
Smartcam Mode
Have the smart camera automatically
point in the direction of a nearby important
landmark, runway or other marker. You can
have this manually assigned to a key or move
automatically.
POI Markers
Markers to help you identify where nearby
points of interest are in relation to you (e.g. the
Space Needle).
City Markers
cities are in relation to you (e.g. New York).
Airport Markers
airports are in relation to you (e.g. London
Heathrow).
Fauna Markers
fauna (animals) are in relation to you (e.g.
Elephants). You can read more on how to
discover various animals on page 198.

NOTIFICATION
Piloting & Controls Notifications
Display on-screen information about the
various control inputs for the aircraft you are
flying.
Aircraft Systems
Display on-screen notifications about the
aircraft’s systems during flight. Differs
depending on the aircraft type.
Flying Tips
Have aviation terms and concepts appear
during the flight to help you when flying.
Objectives
Display on-screen notifications about the next
action you should take in the flight.
Software Tips
Display software tips during the flight in the
simulator.
USER EXPERIENCE
ATC UI Panel Open at Start
Show the ATC UI panel open during the start
of a flight.
Show Message Log in ACT Menu
Display messages from ATC in a log format so
you can revisit previous messages from ATC in
the correct panel UI.
ATC Voices
Turn on or off the ATC voices in the flight. You
will be able to interact with ATC via the text
menu option.
Checklist UI Panel Open at Start
Show the checklist UI panel open during the
start of a flight.
VFR Map UI Panel Open at Start
Show the VFR Map UI panel open during the
start of a flight.
Nav Log UI Panel Open at Start
Show the nav log UI panel open during the
start of a flight.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
FLIGHT ASSISTANT / NEW ASSISTANCES
A new UI and options were made available to
the flight assistant mode with the release of
Sim Update V. You can access these changes
either in the Discovery Flights section or
anytime during Free Flight.
The tools within the flight assistant option allow

the AI to take control of your plane so you can
focus on the spectacular views on the outside.
Whilst flight assistant is not new, some new
options help to make the experience better
than before.
To activate any of the flight assistant modes,

you will need to toggle the menu open from
the navigation bar when in Free Flight or in a
Discovery Flight.
Interesting Places Around You

This new section will allow you to quickly and
easily find airports, cities, landmarks and fauna
that is in close proximity to you.
Cycle through any of the options and once

you have found a location you want to travel
to, click on 'Set As Destination'. This will
automatically add the Display Direction arrow
so you can follow it. If you'd rather turn that off,
you can do so.
AI
Within the flight assistant menu, you can also
have the AI do all the work for you. This will
work with or without an aircraft with autopilot
capabilities. There are a few options you can
select/deselect depending on your flying
mood or ability.
AI Piloting
This option will take full control of your aircraft
and fly it in a straight line (whilst avoiding
terrain). If you choose a destination, then the
AI will fly to that place automatically.
AI Anti-Stall Protection
If you have this on, the AI will kick in if you
begin to stall your aircraft. This is a welcome
addition, especially for newcomers.

AI Auto-Trim
Enabling this option will have the AI keep your
aircraft in trim at all times. This is very helpful
when you just want to focus on basic flight
without the worry of the trim.
AI Radio Communications (ATC)

Let the AI focus on communicating with the
built-in ATC. With this on, you can fly and let
the AI handle the radios.
AI Piloting in Cursor Mode

If you're using an Xbox controller and you need
to navigate with the cursor, enabling this will
have the AI fly the aircraft whilst you navigate
the options or menus. This will ensure you
can take the time to do what you need to do
without the flight going wrong.
Recommended Speeds
If you need a quick reference for what your
takeoff, landing and stall speeds are, then the
recommended speeds will let you know.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ACHIEVEMENTS
Did you know? After you have earned
a badge, you can apply it to your Pilot
Do More; Earn More Profile. Simply head to the badges
To help you get the most out of the new page in your profile, select your
simulator, there are over 40 achievements you favourites, and then select a slot to
can earn. The more you do, the more you will apply it to. Now when people view your
earn and ultimately be able to brag to your profile, they can see what badges you
friends. have earned.
Here is the complete list of achievements

available to you and how to earn them.
Challenge Accepted Look Ma, No Hands!

Complete any activity. Utilize autopilot for a total of 600 miles.
Fill ‘er Up! Light Chop

Refuel at any ground fuel station. Land at an airport where windspeeds are in
excess of 5 knots, without using any assistance.
Rubberneck On the Green

Use the Smart Cam to view a star landmark for Land on a grass runway, without using any
3 seconds, from a distance of 550 yards or less. assistance.
Mother Nature Stay on Target

Adjust the weather during a flight. Use the Instrument Landing System (ILS) to
complete a landing.
Start Me Up My Way
Manually start the Airbus A320neo’s engines, Complete a non-stop 300+ mile flight from
without using Assistance. parking to parking spot, without assistance.
By the Book Deadstick Landing

Request landing clearance from ATC at a After receiving landing clearance, switch off
towered airport, without using ATC assistance. engines and successfully land on the runway.
In The Wild Working for the Weekend

Use the Smart Cam to view animals for 3 Complete a weekly activity.
seconds, from a distance of 550 yards or less.
Service with a Smile Frequent Flyer Miles

Request each type of pre-flight Ground Service Fly from LFBD airport near Asobo Studio to
while at an appropriate airport gate. KSEA airport near Microsoft HQ.
Back-Up Plan Road Trip

Utilize pre-flight Pushback Service to move Taxi aircraft for a total distance of 100 miles.
aircraft, for a total distance of 1 mile.
Job Shadowing A Few Bumps

Create a flight plan based on a Live Traffic Land at an airport where windspeeds are in
aircraft, then fly the route without assistance. excess of 15 knots, without using any assistance.
Wheels Up, Wheels Down Short Stuff

Complete a non-stop flight of at least 300 miles Land on a runway shorter than 2,000ft, without
from take-off to landing. using any assistance or bypassing any travel.

Uphill Climb Night Owl
Land on a runway that has at least a 12 degree Accumulate 50 hours of flight time at night.
incline, without using any assistance.
Fire and Ice Instrumental

Complete the Patagonia Bush Trip, without Accumulate 50 hours of IFR flight time,
using any navigation assistance. including at least one take-off and landing.
Anemoi Decathlon
Complete the Balkans Bush Trip, without using Complete 10 weekly activities.
any navigation assistance.
Goldrush Completionist
Complete the Nevada Bush Trip, without using Complete every activity.
any navigation assistance.
Tour Guide SIDs and STARs

Use the Smart Cam to view 25 star landmarks, Land at every star airport shown on the World
from a distance of 550 yards or less. Map.
Pilot Program Landmarks the Spot

Accumulate 50 hours of flight time in a single Use the Smart Cam to view 100 star landmarks,
pilot profile. from a distance of 550 yards or less.
Greased World Traveler

Complete every Landing Challenge. Land successfully at 500 different airports.
Hydroplaning Jack of All Planes

Accumulate 50 hours of flight time in rainy Complete a 300+ mile flight with every aircraft
weather. in the standard edition of Flight Simulator.
Flights of Fancy Journeyman

Complete flights of at least 300 miles using a Accumulate 500 hours of flight time in a single
prop, jet and airliner. pilot profile.
Saddle Sore Wing Commander

Complete a flight of at least 8 hours with a Accumulate 1,000 hours of flight time in a single
propeller or turbo-prop aircraft. pilot profile.
Century Club
Accumulate 100 hours of flight time in a single
pilot profile.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
THIRD-PARTY CONTENT
Enhance Beyond the Base Simulator
Flight Simulators, across all platforms, have DEVELOPER
thrived on having talented developers create
content that goes beyond the base simulator. HIGHLIGHT
Whilst this new simulator goes above and
beyond what we’ve seen before, there is still Top-Tier Scenery Development for Flight
Simulation
plenty to improve on, for aircraft, utilities and
airports.
Orbx is the largest and most prolific scenery
developer in the flight simulation community.
SoFly has partnered with scenery developer From the start, they have focused on
Orbx to showcase the difference a third-party producing quality software and delivering
add-on can have to the flight simulator to exceptional customer service. With over 250
products in their catalogue, we are expecting
enhance the experience.
many of them to make their way to the new
flight simulator.
Default Airport vs Third-Party Airport

Orbx also has its very own convenient store
A default airport is any of the 37,000 airports called Orbx Central, which houses all your
included with the simulator. Orbx products and enables you to buy, install
and configure them through one app.
Accessing new flight simulation content

couldn’t be easier with Orbx.
London City Airport (EGLC) Comparison
DEFAULT AIRPORT ORBX ADD-ON
Buy Now From Orbx

London City (Landmarks) Comparison
DEFAULT AIRPORT ORBX ADD-ON
Innsbruck Airport (LOWI) Comparison Buy Now From Orbx
HAND-CRAFTED AIRPORT ORBX ADD-ON
Buy Now From Orbx

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
DEFAULT KEY COMBINATIONS
By now you will have mastered many elements Flight Instruments keyboard controls
of the new flight simulator. However, with Set Altimeter - B
so much to take in, having a guide to key
combinations will be super useful to help get Toggle Autorudder - Shift + Ctrl + U
you started with the simulator. Select Airspeed Bug - Shift + Ctrl + R
Select Altitude Bug - Shift + Ctrl + Z
This is a comprehensive list of all of the default Select Heading Bug - Shift + Ctrl + H
key combinations available to you in Microsoft
Decrease Heading Bug - Ctrl + Del
Flight Simulator.
Increase Heading Bug - Ctrl + Insert
Toggle Alternate Static - Alt + S
Remember that these are the default controls
and you can change any of them at any time Set Heading Indicator - D
in the settings page.
Instruments and Systems keyboard controls

Updated: March 2022 with v1.60EE Select Engine - E
Auto Start Engine - Ctrl + E
Menu keyboard controls Engine Autostop - Shift + Ctrl + E
Toggle Active Pause - Pause Toggle Anti Ice - H
Toggle Pause - Esc Toggle Pitot heat - Shift + H
Toggle Basic Control Panel - Ctrl + C Toggle Master Battery - Alt + B
Display Checklist - Shift + C Toggle Master Battery and Alternator - Shift + M
Help Menu - Tab Toggle Master Alternator - Alt + A
Next Toolbar Panel - (.) Increase Cowl Flap - Shift + Ctrl + V
Previous Toolbar Panel - / Decrease Cowl Flap - Shift + Ctrl + C
Magneto - M
Miscellaneous keyboard controls Magnetos Both - Shift + Alt + F
Minus - Ctrl + Numpad plus Magnetos Left - Shift + Alt + S
Plus - Ctrl + Numpad subtract Magnetos Right - Shift + Alt + D
Skip RTC - Backspace key Magnetos Start - Shift + Alt + G
New UI Window Mode - Right Alt Magnetos Off - Shift + Alt + Q
Request Fuel - Shift + F Toggle Master Ignition Switch - Alt + I
Toggle Pushback - Shift + P
Display Map Navigation - V Fuel keyboard controls
Display Navlog - N Toggle Fuel Pump - Alt + P
Sim Rate - R Fuel Selector 1 All - Alt + W
Toggle Delegate Control to Co-pilot (AI ) - Fuel Selector 1 Off - Ctrl + Alt + W
Ctrl + Alt + X
Toggle Fuel Dump - Shift + Ctrl + D
Toggle All Fuel Valve - Alt + V

Control Trimming keyboard controls Autopilot Controls
Elevator Trim Up - Numpad 1 Toggle Autopilot Wing Leveler - Ctrl + V
Elevator Trim Down - Numpad 7 Toggle Autopilot Master - Z
Rudder Trim Left - Ctrl + Numpad 0 Toggle Autopilot Mach Hold - Ctrl + M
Rudder Trim Right - Ctrl + Numpad Enter Toggle Autopilot Localizer Hold - Ctrl + O
Aileron Trim Left - Ctrl + Numpad 4 Toggle Autopilot Attitude Hold - Ctrl + T
Aileron Trim Right - Ctrl + Numpad 6 Toggle Autopilot Approach Hold - Ctrl + A
Increase Autopilot Reference VS - Ctrl + Home
Power keyboard controls Increase Autopilot Reference Airspeed - Shift
Cut Throttle - F1 + Ctrl + Insert
Decrease Throttle - F2 Increase Autopilot N1 Reference - Ctrl + Home
Increase Throttle - F3 Decrease Autopilot Reference VS - Ctrl + End
Mixture Lean - Shift + Ctrl + F1 Decrease Autopilot Reference Altitude - Ctrl

+ PgDn
Decrease Mixture - Shift + Ctrl + F2
Decrease Autopilot Reference Airspeed - Shift
Increase Mixture - Shift + Ctrl + F3 + Ctrl + Del
Mixture Rich - Shift + Ctrl + F4 Decrease Autopilot N1 Reference - Ctrl + End
Propeller Pitch Low - Ctrl + F1 Autopilot On - Alt + Z
Decrease Propeller Pitch - Ctrl + F2 Autopilot Off - Shift + Alt + Z
Increase Propeller Pitch - Ctrl + F3 Autopilot Nav 1 Hold - Ctrl + N
Propeller Pitch High - Ctrl + F4 Autopilot N1 Hold - Ctrl + S
Autopilot Airspeed Hold - Alt + R
Exterior Lights keyboard controls
Toggle Beacon Light - Alt + H
Toggle Strobes - O
Togle Nav Lights - Alt + N
Toggle Taxi Lights - Alt + J
Toggle Landing Lights - Ctrl + L
Landing Lights Up - Shift + Ctrl + Numpad 8
Langing Lights Down - Shift + Ctrl + Numpad 2
Landing Lights Left - Shift + Ctrl + Numpad 4
Landing Lights Right - Shift + Ctrl + Numpad 6
Landing Lights Home - Shift + Ctrl + Numpad 5

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Radio keyboard controls Cockpit Camera keyboard controls
Transponder - T Cockpit Upper View - Space key
Com Radio - C Reset Cockpit View - Ctrl + Space key
Nav Radio - N Zoom In the Cockpit View- =
DME - F Zoom Out the Cockpit View - -
ADF - Shift + Ctrl + A Cockpit View Left - Left
VOR OBS - Shift + V Cockpit View Right - Right
Frequency Swap - X Increase View Height - Up
Set Transponder - Shift + Alt + W Decrease View Height - Down
Set Com 1 Standby - Shift + Alt + X Translate Cockpit View Forward - Right Alt
Com 1 Switch to Standby - Alt + U + Up
Nav 1 Swap - Shift + Ctrl + N Translate Cockpit View Backward - Right Alt
+ Down
Display ATC - Scroll Lock
Load Custom Camera number (from 0 to 9)
Decrease VOR 1 OBS - Shift + Ctrl + End - Alt + (0 to 9)
Increase VOR 1 OBS - Shift + Ctrl + Home Save Custom Camera number (from 0 to 9)
ATC Panel Choice number (from 0 to 9) - - Ctrl + Alt + (0 to 9)
(from 0 to 9) Load next custom camera - K
Increase Wheel Speed - Shift Load previous custom camera - Shift + K
Toggle Marker Sound - Ctrl + 3 Toggle Smart Camera - S
Increase Nav 1 Frequency - Shift + Ctrl + PgUp Look Up - Shift + Up
Decrease Nav 1 Frequency - Shift + Ctrl + Look Down - Shift + Down
PgDown
Look Left - Shift + Left
Look Right - Shift + Right
Secondary Control Surfaces keyboard
controls Quickview Cycle - Q
Decrease Flaps - F6 Quickview Up - Ctrl + Up
Increase Flaps - F7 Quickview Rear - Ctrl + Down
Retract Flaps - F5 Quickview Left - Ctrl + Left
Extend Flaps - F8 Quickview Right - Ctrl + Right
Toggle Spoilers - /
Camera Mode Switches keyboard controls
Camera Instruments keyboard controls Toggle Drone - Insert key
Next - A Cockpit/External View Mode - End key
Previous - Shift + A
Set Custom Smartcam Target - T
Reset Smartcam - Ctrl + F
Camera AI Player - Ctrl + Home
Select Next Point of Interest - PgUp
Next Smartcam Target - Ctrl + PgUp
Previous Smartcam Target - Ctrl + PgDown
Toggle Follow Smartcam Target - PgDown
Unset Custom Smartcam Target - Shift + T
Toggle Instrument View number (from 0 to
9) - Ctrl + (from 0 to 9)
Fixed Camera keyboard controls Drone Camera keyboard controls
Next Fixed Camera - A Translate Drone Backward - S
Previous Fixed Camera - Shift + A Translate Drone Forward - W
Reset Fixed Camera - F Translate Drone Left - A
Toggle Fixed Camera number (from 0 to 9) - Translate Drone Right - D
Ctrl + Shift + (0 to 9) Translate Drone Up - R
Translate Drone Down - F
External Camera keyboard controls Top Down View - Ctrl + Space
Zoom In External View - (+) Pitch Up - Numpad 8
Zoom Out External View - (-) Pitch Down - Numpad 2
Reset External View - Ctrl + Space Roll Left - Numpad 7
External Quickview Left - Ctrl + Left Roll Right - Numpad 9
External Quickview Right - Ctrl + Right Reset Roll - Space
External Quickview Top - Ctrl + Up Yaw Left - Keypad 4
External Quickview Rear - Ctrl + Down Yaw Right - Keypad 6
Reset Target Offset - Numpad 5
Decrease Translation Speed - F1
Increase Translation Speed - F2
Decrease Rotation Speed - F3
Increase Rotation Speed - F4
Toggle Follow Mode - Tab
Toggle Plane Controls - C
Zoom In - Keypad +
Zoom Out - Keypad -
Toggle Depth of Field - F1
Decrease Depth of Field - F2
Increase Depth of Field - F3
Decrease Exposure - Ctrl + F2
Increase Exposure - Ctrl + F3
Toggle Autofocus - F4
Toggle Foreground Blur - F5
Attach to Next/Previous Target - Ctrl + PgUp/
PgDown
Lock to Next Target - T
Lock to Previous Target - Shift + T
Toggle Auto Exposure - Ctrl + F4
Toggle Lock Mode - Ctrl + Tab
Quick Tip: You can plug in almost any

game controller (Xbox, PlayStation,
Nintendo) and use this to control the
drone. We highly recommend it.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
LIVERIES AND AIRCRAFT ADJUSTMENT
With recent updates to the simulator, you are
now able to adjust the liveries on select aircraft,
as well as update various characteristics of
each airframe.
Liveries
Many of the default aircraft now include
the ability to select from a variety of liveries.
Liveries, for those who don't know, is simply
the "paint job" for the aircraft. For example,
airlines will paint their aircraft to represent
their branding and this is known as the livery.
For you to change the livery of your selected

aircraft, you will first need to select the aircraft
you wish to fly. From the menu on the left-
hand side, you will need to select "Liveries". This
will show you the different liveries currently
installed for the selected aircraft. Simply then
click which livery you wish to apply and then
continue planning your flight as normal.
Sim Update III added a large number of liveries

for all types of default aircraft.
Installing Custom-Made Liveries

Some talented community members have
painted a large number of custom-made
liveries for a range of aircraft, including the
default A320 Neo. To install them, you will first
need to find a file to download from any of the
freeware sources currently online.
Once you have downloaded the file, there

will often be instructions included. However,
if there isn't the most standard convention is
to install the livery through the 'Community'
folder in your simulator installation.
Simply drag and drop the folder to

the 'Community' folder. It should be
noted that your simulator should not
be running during this process. If it is,
you will need to restart the simulator.
You will now find your newly added livery in

the same area as the included ones.

Customise the Flight Model
As part of Sim Update III, you are now able to
customise elements of the flight model before
each flight. The new flight model customisation
means you can adjust the wear and tear levels
of an aircraft, along with adjusting the elevator,
rudder and aileron authority.
The reason someone may want to adjust

these parameters is to closely match them
to the handling of specific aircraft as per real
life. For example, an older aircraft that has
many flying hours will likely have dirt build-
up and generally be more used than a brand
new aircraft. All of this will have an impact on
airflow and the aerodynamics of the aircraft.
These new options mean you can fine-tune
your aircraft experience to simulate an older,
more used aircraft versus something brand
new.
The authority adjustments mean you can

adjust how responsive the various flight
controls on the aircraft are.
It's worth noting that the changes to the flight

model are not persistent meaning you will
need to adjust them each time you load up a
flight.
How to Customise the Flight Model

To adjust the flight model, you will need to
head to the aircraft selection page and then
click on "Customization".
Under the ATC OPTIONS, a new section has

been added to enable you to adjust the flight
model.
Once done, you can then click on "Fly Now"

and begin your flight with the new flight
model parameters.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
UPDATING YOUR SIMULATOR
Over time, Microsoft will update the simulator
to include patches, new features and other
vital updates. At the time of writing, the most
current version of Microsoft Flight Simulator is
version 1.8.3.0. Updating the simulator is easy,
and straight forward.
How To Update
If an update is available, when you try to
launch Microsoft Flight Simulator, you will get
a notification to tell you that a ‘mandatory
update’ is now available to you. Clicking close
will open up your Microsoft Store on your PC
and take you directly to the Microsoft Flight
Simulator page.
Once there, you will need to ensure that the

update is downloading. A progress bar will
appear above the box art to show you the
current status. You can pause or resume the
download the update at any time.
After this download is complete, you can

relaunch the simulator. Loading up the
simulator will begin the next stage of the
update process. As when you first installed
the simulator, you had to go through the
process of downloading and installing various
packages. This process will happen again
when you update the simulator.
In the case of 1.8.3.0, the update files totalled

over 15gb.
After this process is complete, you can click on

‘continue’ and enjoy the simulator, along with
the new features, as normal.
Over the course of the updates we issue to this

guide, we will cover highlights from the patch
updates.

Patch #2 - Build 1.8.3.0
This patch carried a significant update for
users of the simulator. In particular, it focused
on performance improvements, changes to
the included aircraft of the simulator and
fixes for numerous bugs pointed out by the
community.
Below are some of the notable changes in this

particular update.
Performance
• Optimized cockpit screen display when
screens are not displayed on screen.
• New option available to control cockpit
screen update frequency.
• Tweaked CPU thread priorities to reduce
interruption of frame critical threads.
• Optimized loading system to reduce overall
loading times.
• Optimized heavy airport scenes impact on
CPU.
Aircraft
• General airliner AP behavior improvements.
• Various fixes to airliner systems and
avionics for the Boeing 747-8i, Boeing 787-
10 and the Airbus A320neo.
Environment and the World

• Fixed 225°/3kt issue with inconsistent wind
in game.
• Fixed issue with weather persistency on
flight restart.
Camera System
• Pilot camera position can now be saved or
reset.
Miscellaneous
• Upgraded multiplayer servers.
• Incoming ATC Azure speech has now three
different voices.
• Active pause button has been added in the
toolbar.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
The focus for this build was on the introduction
to World Update I, which focused on Japan.
The new update included a free downloadable
content pack which enables you to discover six
new airports in Japan, various new cities with
3D photogrammetry and numerous other
landmarks to find. You can explore Japan freely
from the world map or take part in numerous
challenges and sight-seeing tours.
In addition, the patch brought a handful of

other quality of life improvements, of which
has been highlighted below.
Airports Added:
• LEMG – Málaga Airport
• LFLC – Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne
• PAFR – Bryant Army Airfield Heliport
Aerodynamics
• Fuel consumption updating mass problem
has fixed for some airplanes
• A plane with no fuel leak system should no
longer lead to a crash
• Aircraft gyroscopic stability can now be set
in our SDK toolset
Camera System
• Fixed visual glitch happening in camera
cuts
• Fixed wrong LOD selection when a camera
cut happens
World
• Ocean rendering has been improved
(waves scale, foam and reflections)
• Water mask has been edited to display
actual aerial image near the shore in some
areas
• Luminance has been tweaked for some
photogrammetry cities (Napoli, Darwin,
San Gorgonio, Las Vegas)
• Fixed terraforming issue which was
causing issues in KTEX airport
• Water elevation has been updated to
improve rivers (Missouri river and around
Toronto for example) and lakes (center of
Canada)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
This is a small patch that has improved various
elements of the simulator and addressed
a handful of problems reported by the
community. It also added brand new Navblue
navigation data as part of the ongoing support
to ensure airways, and other navigation data is
up to date.
Here are some highlights from build 1.9.5.0

which was released on October 13th 2020.
Aerodynamics
• Auto Pilot pitch oscillation has been
reduced on some planes
Activity
• Multiplayer has been deactivated in the
Japan Discovery Flight
Marketplace
• Quality of life updates for the marketplace
World
• Autogen buildings height has been
reviewed
• TIN luminance (Sendai, Takamatsu,
Tokushima, Tokyo, Utsunomiya, Yokohama)
UI
• Version history is now properly displayed in
the Marketplace and Content manager
• The multiple simultaneous downloads in
the content manager are better handled
to prevent crashes or freezes
• The packages downloaded through the
content manager should now be correctly
loaded without requiring a reboot of the
title
• The airport icons in the world map have
been slightly modified

This is an image taken using the add-on Weather Preset
Pro to achieve zero visibility within the simulator.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Patch #5 - Build 1.10.7.0 Patch #6 - Build 1.10.1.0
Patch #5 was released on October 29th 2020. Patch #6 was released on November 10th 2020.
The patch focused on improving aircraft, the Navblue data was updated with this patch,
UI and issues with the world. This update along with changes to some of the jet aircraft
removed the need to "press any key to get found in the simulator.
started", which was seen as a huge thing by
the community.
Below are some of the key patch notes.

Navigation
• Navblue data has been updated
Planes
• Navigation data date is now dynamically
• Improved sensitivity and twitchiness of set in the avionics
control surfaces for the Daher TBM 930,
Cessna 152, Cessna 152 Aerobat, Cessna 172
classic and Cessna 172 G1000 ATC
• Improved autopilot behavior for pitch • ATC window should now list the entire
management, altitude capture and name of approaches
stability for Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan
EX, Cessna Citation Longitude, Boeing 747- • ATC should respond to requests for
8 Intercontinental and Daher TBM 930 changing an approach into an airport
• User should now have the option to request
an IFR clearance in the air even if they have
Input a flight plan entered / loaded in their GPS
• Support for Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant • ATC should now respond to requests
Airbus Edition for changing runways while near / on
approach to an airport
UI
• Press any key to start screen is now Planes
automatically skipped at launch • The Fly-by-wire bank oscillation has been
• Option added to the Misc menu to switch fixed for the Airbus A320neo
between Metric and US standard units • The overpowered engine of the Boeing
• Cockpit tooltips can now be deactivated in 787-10 Dreamliner has been reduced
the Accessibility options menu • Fixed broken plane instruments when
• The TrackIR can be enabled/disabled in the switching to Metrics via the options menu
camera panel during flight • Fixed cockpit interactions that were either
getting mixed up or not working on 3rd
party airplanes
Weather
• All liveries should now be accessible in
• Metar data refresh issue has been fixed game and properly loaded
World Weather
• Motion blur has been added • Lightning should no longer be triggered in
• New temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) has been clear skies
implemented
• Night lighting has been improved Input
• Huge hole in Brazil has been fixed • The sensitivity curve methodology has
• Water night reflections have been added been adapted for the different inputs

Patch #7 - Build 1.11.5.0 Build 1.11.7.0
Patch #6 was released on November 24th This small patch fixed some issues with third
2020. party aircraft and the cockpit interactions.
This update focused on bringing the World There was only change in the patch notes.
Update for the USA to life. There are some
other quality of life imporvements also in this
update. Performance and Stability
• Fixed crashes affecting 3rd party aircraft
cockpit interactions
Performance and Stability

• Several crashes were fixed to improve
overall stability of the title
• Optimization on photogrammetry loading
Planes
• Fixed: Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental fuel
consumption issue
• Fixed: Airbus A320neo fuel consumption
issue
• Pipistrel Virus SW121: Fixed – Cruise speed
adjusted (previously too low) in the aircraft
selection menu
• Added visual notification on PFD when
deactivating AP
Input
• Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant
default preset has been added (GA Twin
engines configuration)
• CH Flightstick Pro default preset has been
added
Activity
• The logbook should now properly log
unfinished flights (either via return to main
menu or via landing and shutting down
the engine and Master)
UI
• The data consumption value calculation
has been fixed
• The livery name should now be correctly
displayed in the menus
• Some accuracy for the live time have been
fixed

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Release Build 1.12.13.0 LATEST User Interface (UI)
Release 1.12.13.0 was released on December • New Content manager menu
22nd 2020. • Reactivity” and “Extremity dead zone”
parameters have been added to the device
sensitivity screen
This substantial update brought Virtual Reality,
improved live weather (snow and ice coverage) • Copilot is no longer turned on through
along with new liveries, and additional training different play sessions
missions. • Visual help has been added to highlight
instruments during tutorials
Below are some of the key patch notes. • You can now map buttons / switches
numbered higher than 30 using the Search
option in the Input box
New Content
• Scroll is now available for camera toolbar
• Virtual Reality is now available to all users panel
as a free update for all OpenXR-compliant
• In Controls Options, the profile description
headsets! Visit the VR options menu in-
of a newly plugged peripheral is now
game to enable the feature.
displayed
• Two new training missions will help you
• Performance in the marketplace has been
take off and land with the Airbus A320neo.
improved
• Live Weather is enhanced with Meteo blue
• Various accessibility issues have been fixed
data to include snow and ice coverage.
• Fixed VFR map becoming transparent
• Spotlight Event now features an Airbus
when resizing
A320neo Landing Challenge. See how well
you do after training!
• Sam and Rufus liveries for the Aviat Pitts Audio
Special S2S • Ground SFX improvements on Textron
• Aviators club livery for all 30 planes available aircrafts
in the Marketplace for free! • Kinematic sounds improvements on
• Test pilot livery for all 30 planes will be aerobatic planes
granted to all Alpha and Beta testers! • Added seatbelt & no smoking chimes in
airliners
Performance and Stability • Bug fix and polish on instruments, buttons
and flight control SFX
• Fixed an issue where standard animations
on air traffic planes could crash the game. • Fixed no audio heard when aircraft flies
over Outer marker beacon
• ATC memory footprint has been optimized
World
Navigation / ATC
• Fixed flickering clouds for some specific
• Fix choosing closed runway on the World
GPUs
map
• Fixed sun flare flickering on certain
• Fix ATC pronouncing airport name letter
occasions OR in certain situations
by letter
• Reduced density of lights on secondary
• Fix ATC giving wrong altitude if first
roads in the countryside
approach waypoint has no altitude
descriptor • Fixed taxi ribbon displayed inside the
cockpit

Planes Planes - Airliners (Shared)
• Plane models update and optimization • Fixed radio frequencies not updating
• Fixing avionics / FMS validating next when changing them via the ATC window
waypoint too early when flying • Fixed old path not disappearing when
• Fixed several aircraft going back to changing flight plan in a direct-to situation
departure airport when approach is • Improved radar altitude value refresh rate
activated on G1000 • Fixed waypoints sometimes appearing
• Tweaked ground effect twice on PFD or navigation displays
• Planes can land and roll on ice • Fixed duplicate waypoints in FMC / MCDU
• Fixed warnings and alerts not resetting • Fixed various presentation and flow issues
when instruments reboot in FMC / MCDU
• Fixed monitor a frequency in COM 2 • Fixed various graphic glitches in cockpit
• Copilot behavior has been improved • Added various missing labels and stickers
in cockpits
Planes - General Aviation • Fixed various cockpit model graphic details
• Fixed various plane oscillation and • Fixed various cockpit backlight issues
overshoot AP related issues • Fixed various issues related to the FMA
• Fixed station ID visible on Garmin displays • Fixed autopilot oscillations in certain
despite being not received by aircraft conditions
• Fixed issue in Garmin avionics preventing • Fixed multiple “direct to” issues
to fly a “direct to” after deleting the current • Fixed incorrect speed trend vector behavior
flight plan
• Fixed various tooltips issues
• Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed issues with
displays not updating or freezing in certain • Fixed various issues with Mach
situations management
• Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed right engine ITT
red line badly placed
• Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed missing last leg
of a flight plan when finishing at a point of
interest
• Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed aircraft not
intercepting and tracking VOR when NAV
mode is engaged
• Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed impossibility to
turn yaw damper on
• Cessna Citation Longitude: fixed incorrect
fuel tank capacity
• Cessna Citation Longitude: tweaked thrust
settings
• Cessna Citation Longitude: fixed aircraft
empty weight and center lift
• Tweaked fuel flow and ITT for Cessna
Citation CJ4 and Longitude

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Release Build 1.13.15.0 Planes
Release 1.13.15.0 was released on February 16th • Fixed induced speed calculation bug with
2021 bi propeller engines
• Fixed the plane crash detection when
landing on iced water with crash detection
This update saw the release of World Update III:
‘ON’
UK & Ireland. Along with the new scenery, the
update saw improvements to performance, • Fixed swapped screens in DA62 TestPilot
VR and specific aircraft. version
• Fixed VS Knob Turn not working on the
Airbus A320Neo
• Improved flaps system of aircraft: Aircraft
creators can now move the wing surface’s
New Content position and camber with each flap system
• World Update III: UK & Ireland at each flap level
• Improved ground effect wing to ground
interaction system to avoid pitch dip at
Performance and Stability rotation on some aircraft
• Fixed various crashes across the title
• Fixed a specific crash while using Little Navigation
Navmap in Bush trip activities
• Latest AIRAC cycle has been integrated
and is now available
World
• Several terrain spikes have been fixed, Input
including incorrect cases of water elevation
issues • CH ECLIPSE YOKE default preset have
been added
• Water masks have been updated across
various locations in the world • Fixed Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant ENG 1+2
don’t start engines
• Reduced the frequency of water artifacts
appearing on cliffs
• Noise issue affecting clouds has been fixed
VR
• The ‘Activate/Deactivate VR’ button is
now always displayed in the main menu
(bottom left corner of the screen) when
a VR headset is plugged in. If no controls
are displayed on this button, then it means
that no controls are bound to this action.
• When the toolbar is opened, it does not
block interactions anymore with other
menus displayed in front of it.
• The cursor doesn’t jump anymore when
moving across the Options menu in the
cockpit.
• Gray boxes don’t appear anymore when
using the ‘Travel to’ feature in VR.
• After leaving VR mode, the sim window is
no longer forced on top and the player can
drag and drop any other window over it.

Release Build 1.14.5.0 Displays
Release 1.14.5.0 was released on March 9th • Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner – Enhanced
2021. HUD Projection
• Airliners – Speed Trend arrow is now more
reactive and accurate
This update saw the release of Sim Update
III. This new sim update added new aircraft • Fixed some bearings indicated outside of
liveries and the ability to customise aircraft's the 0-360 range in Garmin instruments
conditions. • Fixed a bug in GNS430 and GNS530 where
the cursor did no automatically jump to
“Activate” in Direct-to page on validation of
the entered ident when there is no ident
duplicate
New Content • Added airport ident and ILS runway name
• FSX legacy liveries on selected aircraft in GNS530 when tuning nav radio to a
localizer
• Contrails are now displayed on the player’s
aircraft (MP and AI are not supported yet) • Fixed flight director roll not working when
autopilot is not activated
• New customization menu in the World
map to further adjust the aircraft to • Added wind display in G3X Touch in PFD or
perfectly match specific real world aircraft. Splitted mode
The changes only affects the next flight • Added possibility to adjust brightness level
and they are not persistent in G3X Touch
• Added possibility to adjust brightness level
Performance and Stability in G3000
• Fixed various crashes across the title • Fixed issue in FLT files that lead to flight
plan not being loaded in instruments
• Fixed a specific crash while using the
manual cache • Fixing the display of LDA approaches
which were wrongly aligned to the runway
at the end of their path
Planes • Added option to display the fuel range in
• Corrected an issue which prevented the VS the G1000 MFD map
Wheel from working in FLC mode on the
Cessna Citation Longitude
Controls
• Disabled the autopilot which was
incorrectly set as available on the JMB VL-3 • Corrected Flaperon animation on Boeing
787-10 Dreamliner which was incorrect in
• Corrected an issue preventing the use of the air.
the VS Wheel to control the pitch on some
planes • Corrected an issue preventing the
autobrakes of the Airbus A320neo from
• Corrected an issue with the VS Knob not enabling on the Fungal mission.
properly responding to commands on the
Airbus A320neo • Fixed Beechcraft Baron G58 inoperative
rudder trim
• Prevented the autopilot from being
polluted by incorrect data when exiting
slew mode VR
• VOR/ADF Feature implemented • A ‘No binding’ icon is displayed when no
• VOR/ADF – Airbus A320neo FMA control is assigned to a VR action
Adaptability • HOTAS are now specified in the VR
• Fixed General Aviation planes displaying bindings (VR Mode page)
FMS instead of GPS • VR is now functional when HDR is enabled
• G3000 – Fixed FlightPhase & NavSource
display not showing properly

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Release Build 1.14.6.0 Release Build 1.15.7.0
Release 1.14.6.0 was released on March 26th Release 1.15.7.0 was released on April 13th 2021.
2021.
This update saw the release of World Update

This update was a minor patch for the simulator IV: France and Benelux. Alongside the new
that enhanced performance at major airports. content, the simulator saw a number of fixes
and changes. Both Japanese and Dutch
localisations were also added.

Performance
• Performance optimizations when flying
close to large airports such as Dallas-Ft New Features
Worth (KDFW) • World Update IV: France and Benelux
• Performance optimizations of server made available via the in-sim Marketplace.
requests when in the menus and during
flight World
• Fixed reduction of tree display distance
Navdata that was caused by smaller tree sizes
• The Aeronautical Information Regulation • Water mask has been updated with latest
And Control (AIRAC) cycle is being updated locations
with new navdata.
UI
• Localization has been added for Japanese
and Dutch
• Incorrect fuel weight calculation when
switching planes in the “Weight and
Balance” screen has been fixed
Planes
• S7 Airbus A320neo livery has been added
• KLM Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner livery has
been added
• Fixed screens not turning on under rare
circumstances
• Fixed black screens for various Aviat Pitts
Special S2S liveries
• Updated Diamond DA40NG speed, ground
roll and fuel consumption
Input
• Honeycomb device 10 degrees heading
issue has been fixed

Activities Planes
• Fix sim rate speed change according to the • Added altitude interception for PITCH
various activity types HOLD mode
• Autopilot has been fixed in the second • Increased native induced drag amount
tutorial and improved induced drag precision
• Autopilot no longer flies toward a Waypoint
removed from the FlightPlan
Release Build 1.15.7.0
• Allow setting the empty CG position out of
limits
This update saw the release of Sim Update IV. • Fixed more audio not playing on large
We cover this update in detail later on in the aircraft
guide
• Fixed Autothrottle sometimes disabled by
AI
Others
Navigation • Weather radar now displays precipitation
• New AIRAC cycle 2105 has been instead of cloud coverage
implemented • Fixed contrail behavior on player’s aircraft
• FAA data has been implemented to our during windy conditions
navdata solution • Fixed water on windows and tail color on
• Departure gates are now saved in flight LOD5 for the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner
plan (.PLN) files • EICAS now displays “CLB” instead of “CL”
• Fixed a crash and other issues when when the thrust levers are set to CL in the
selecting a parking space as arrival and no A320
set departure • Fixed an issue which prevented copilot
• Fixed some Live Air Traffic aircraft using from autocompleting the Securing Aircraft
the wrong model page on the Diamond DA40 TDI
• Fixed an issue where some Live Air Traffic • Improved propeller drag and engine drag
aircraft had broken callsigns tuning for the Diamond DA62
• Increased the density of Live Air Traffic • Fixed VFRMap not updating approach
according to FlightPlan
• Aircraft that are not on the ground but that
have an altitude of zero will now appear at • Tactile glasscockpits scrollbars are bigger
a default altitude of 5000m and can be interacted with more easily
• Live traffic stability has been improved • Fixed FlightPlan guidance not re-engaging
properly when DirectTo is canceled or
• ATC phraseology improvements to FAA reached
standards (wording only)
• Fixed G3000 and G3X MFD TopBar
displaying True Bearing instead of
Weather Magnetic
• Reduced weather data bandwidth
• Improved precision of live snow coverage
Have Feedback for Microsoft?
• “Visual Effect Only” in assistance now does
properly deactivate other weather effects You can pass on feedback and vote
on what issues deserve the attention
• “Visual Icing” has been renamed “Icing” from developers to fix or change on
in the devmode because it impacts the the official forums.
whole icing system
• Fixed overspeed controller vibrations not
affected by pitot icing Click here to access the forums

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
This update saw the release of World Update

V. We cover this update in detail later on in the
guide
LOCALIZATION
• New localization languages have been
added (Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish)
WORLD
• Updated aerial imagery in parts of the
Nordic countries and French oversea
territories (La Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-
Barthelemy, Saint-Martin, Martinique,
Guadeloupe, Guyane and Saint-Pierre-et-
Miquelon)
• Updated elevation data for Norway,
Denmark, Finland and Sweden
• Watermasks have been updated at various
locations
NAVIGATION
• New AIRAC cycle 2106 has been
implemented
• Fixed an issue preventing users from
requesting fuel trucks on airports with fuel
pumps but without ground equipment
parking

This update saw the release of Sim Update

V which greatly improved performance,
updated the main menu UI and many other
improvements.
Below are the areas in which the sim was

improved:
Performance
• Improved multi-core support for CPU
• Better memory and GPU usage
• Faster loading times
• Stutters have been significantly reduced
DISCOVERY FLIGHTS
WORLD EXPLORATION IMPROVEMENTS
ACTIVITIES UPDATED
TRAINING FLIGHTS OVERHAULED
FLIGHT ASSISTANT / NEW ASSISTANCES
GAMEPAD NAVIGATION / CURSOR
COCKPIT INTERACTIONS
LAND ANYWHERE / VFX
ACCESSIBILITY / SCREEN READER
NEW LIVERIES

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
This update was a minor patch following Sim This update was a minor patch following Sim
Update 5. Update 5.
STABILITY/PERFORMANCE GENERAL
• Fixed various crashes in game and on the • Fixed ground level of detail (low resolution)
world map when flying at airliner altitudes
• Fixed crashes related to the offline AI traffic • Fixed “washed out / oil painted” clouds
• Fixed minor memory leaks and the overall luminosity under cloud
coverage
INPUT
• Fixed missing volumetric lights
• The title should no longer freeze for a very
long time when connecting / disconnecting • Fixed abnormal temperature spikes over
peripherals airports when the Metar data was not
updating often enough
NAVIGATION
• Aligned pressure altitude simvar and pitot
• Fixed broken flight plan for Garmin devices static altitude calculations to prevent
when adding an enroute waypoint that wrong altitude information for external
was inserted as a destination Live ATC services
• Fixed flightplanner not resetting when • GPU stats are now displayed in the debug
going from one activity to another window when the dev mode is activated
• Fixed freezes happening when using on PC
the flight assistant when setting a new • Disabled aggressive compilation
destination optimization for WASM (signed-zeroes,
UI NoInf and NoNaN but keep fast-math)
• VR options should no longer be duplicated
in the Option menu
• Marketplace “Get and download” and
“Download” buttons will now function as
expected on the Content Page
PLANES
• Improvements of pitot static system to
fix altimeter bugs, improve accuracy and
correctly simulate temperature impact
ACTIVITY / GAMEPLAY
• The correct runway is now taken into
account for the Landing challenge at Nice
• Pilots are now displayed in external view at
the Isafjordur Landing challenge
• Title will no longer become unresponsive
after using Fuel Supply and using a fuel
or payload as a numerical value via ATC
Ground Services
• Some achievements will no longer be
awarded in error for certain landing
scenarios
WEATHER
• Fixed big temperature spikes at high
altitudes

Release Build 1.19.8.0 • “Offscreen terrain pre caching” graphics
settings has been added (Low, Medium,
High and Ultra). If set to Ultra, all the
This update introduced World Update VI: offscreen terrain will be cached at full
GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND. quality which will reduce FPS drops and
LOD popping when panning the camera
but may impact overall performance
Stability
• Maximum photogrammetry draw distance
• Several crashes have been fixed across the has been further increased. As a result
title photogrammetry downtown building
• Applying the default profile for the Mouse areas will be visible from farther away
will no longer crash the title when an • Better management of low bandwidth
custom profile was loaded on PC Bing terrain data and photogrammetry
• Fixed crash in autosave in bushtrip missions streaming as the change to Offline data is
when the user has a non-ASCII name no longer persistent (changes applied only
affect the current flight)
• The title can now be launched in Safe mode
via a pop-up to deactivate all Community • Fixed an issue where the Bing terrain data
and Marketplace content on PC only. The would switch to offline in low bandwidth
option will be available after a crash as long scenarios without displaying a warning
as Devmode is not enabled. pop-up, when data consumption cap was
set (the warning pop up is now displayed
• Fixed some scenarios where mandatory properly)
content was not downloaded or installed
properly on PC if it had been deleted via • Cities at night are now more visible on the
the content manager (“You are missing World Map
packages that are essential to run • Various airport data fixes
Microsoft Flight Simulator. Please update
• LEMD: added Restriction for landings
the application and try again.”)
and take-offs on runways according to
Navigation charts
• Fixed ATC radar altitude so the ATC no • LEMI: fixed ICAO issue for Region de
longer asks you to change your altitude Murcia International Airport
when it is not applicable
• OPIS: Islamabad airport now has lights
• The VFR Map now displays information for
• 02NH: fixed Iroquois landing altitude
latitudes beyond 75 degrees
• EGGK: fixed issue with a building in the
• New AIRAC cycle 2108 is now available
middle of a taxiway
Planes
• EDDF: added Restriction for landings
• SR22 performance and fuel consumption and take-offs on runways according to
has been modified to better match POH charts
• Gyro Drift is now correctly set when Aircraft • KGTU: added missing buildings
Systems assistance preset is set to Easy /
• FNDB: fixed Terraforming and data
Medium / Hard
issues
Peripherals
• 89AK: fixed elevation issue
• Fixed the ENG 1 and the Crank/ Mode norm/
• KDVT: fixed parking 75 spawning point
IGN/Start buttons on the Thrustmaster TCA
Quadrant Airbus edition • ESKS: updated ICAO for Scandinavian
Mountains Airport
World
• SSGG: updated ICAO for Tancredo
• Updated elevation data for Germany,
Thomas de Faria Airport (Guarapuava
Austria & Switzerland
Airport)
• Updated aerial imagery for Germany,
• Improved Airport data on 100 airports
Austria & Switzerland

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
This release is a small hotfix following World Sim Update 6 focused primarily on fixing
Update 6. issues and bugs with the sim, whilst improving
stability and performance.
• Fixed broken night lighting when the

renderscale was not set to 100% Stability
• Added Offscreen pre caching option in the
VR menu • Several crashes have been fixed across the
• Fixed some general crashes title
• Fixed the Trim reset button on the • More optimization work has been
Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant performed including performance issue
• Safe mode will no longer trigger when a with Real-time AirTraffic after a long period
crash occured when closing the program of time
• Missing watermask at Lucerne has been • Improvements of the installation logic for
added outdated / missing packages
• Color correction for Photogrammetry in

Vienna has been tweaked Navigation
• Water crack has been fixed near Moritzburg
POI • New AIRAC cycle 2110 is now available
• Fixed terrain spike around LOWI • Improvements on offset localizer/LDA
• Fixed crash with Resync from Aircraft approaches for the Navdata
Editor without any aircraft selected • Updated the in-sim Magnetic Variation
model
• Fixed ATC announcing a DME Arc approach
with 10 times the radius
• Separated different airways with the same
name in the Navdata
• Fixed cases of corruption in Title and Descr
fields in flight plans
Weather
• Activated gust tweaking in custom weather

settings
• Ambient pressure is now smoothly
calculated across the entire air column
• Improved ATIS Cloud layer reporting
Virtual Reality
• Fixed aliased menus and ingame panels
• Fixed some lighting issues in VR
• Fixed wrong camera initial rotation in
some cockpit
• Fixed “dot” cursor when using the mouse
• Fixed mouse cursor depth when hovering
the toolbar
• Improved general stability in VR mode
Activity • Added system to precisely define lift center
motion across ranges of AOA
• Fixed Friends status as offline friends were • Fixed a bug with the spoiler/speedbrake
still marked as online lever animation not being in the correct
position when using an external device to
• Better handling of edge cases when control it
loading save files
• Fixed a bug with external devices AP keys
• Fixed Balkan bushtrip which could not be not doing exactly what they should on
completed due to missing airport some aircraft
• Fixed conversion error in POH takeoff • Fixed some camera issues with aerobatics:
speeds in the Flight assistant panel Inverted flight camera transition between
• Fixed issue where the altitude displayed on normal & inverted flight and fast rolls
the nameplates was incorrect behavior in 3rd person view
• Fixed VFRMap icons disappearing during • Fixed issue where Waypoint generated on
bushtrips WorldMap were not flown along by the
Autopilot
• Fixed bug causing the female voice to
be heard instead of MALE voice in the • Fixed existing flyback issue on KLCT KBVT
Deadstick Landing tutorial flight
• Fixed ICAOs on main path disappearing • Reference QNH can now be changed
from the VFR map after resizing it during flight
• Autopilot will no longer automatically
transition to altitude capture when in
Planes avionics managed mode
• Fixed corrupted VFR & PFD 2D Terrain in
• Fixed a bug that prevented Live/AI aircrafts some cases
lights from showing • Corrected an issue that would cause the
• Reduced the effect of clouds water density trim keys to behave incorrectly when used
on air density (source of drag when flying on a plane which has a trim switch but no
through clouds) by a factor of 10x trim wheel
• Altimeter reading should now properly • Fixed the altimeter not displaying the
coincide mathematically with atmosphere correct altitude at the start of a flight
ambient pressure (especially in some missions)
• Fixed physical altimeters so they can now • Made reverse flight transition smoother so
display different values that one can take 90° turns or a bit more
• Fixed UseTemplateValue put inside an than 90° without weird roll transitions
Action for custom checklists • Connected all the transponders from the
• Corrected issue that would cause trim base sim to the new transponder IDENT
keys to start repeating instantly when held simvar
down • Added a link an Ident and a type to the
• Fixed shared large cameras for hangar radio frequency. Ident is ICAO code. Type is
sequences so they no longer display the one of the following: ATIS,UNI, CTAF, GND,
ground only TWR, CLR, APPR, DEP, FSS, AWS, Blank
• Analogic external HUD now supports • Fixed custom airports are displayed twice
negative altitude values as the interior on navigation instruments
instruments
• Reworked gear advisory audio warning
system for floating planes
• Improved water rudder and water handling
at low speeds. Plane now turns into the
wind

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
World UI
• Terrain level of detail can now be increased • Minor quality of life improvement on
up to 400 (instead of 200) in Graphics Marketplace
options on PC • Fixed ATC Options will be cleared when
• Fixed jetways not spawning in some cases the User attempts to enter another in the
• Fixed bug during animation when the pilot Customization Menu
call the jetway in an airport • Gust speed input slider uses a logarithmic
• Fixed scenery not being reloaded when range for better precision
adding or removing a package from the • Fixed previously loaded airports aren’t
Content Manager / Marketplace displayed in the history of the airports list
• Fixed blurry lights on ultra-wide/4k • Fixed top menu ‘Arrow’ Graphic does not
resolutions Fades During Flight
• Optimized photogrammetry erase function • Fixed Photogrammetry low resolution in
by adding a quadratic approximation manual cache
of earth curvature -Improved clipping • Fixed missing Axis Y from the Select An
issue with close trees close to poles by Input list when mapping actions to the
dynamically extending the LOD 14 draw mouse or searching for an input
distance
• Fixed cursor snap to top left corner
• Optimized conversions for world whenever you change in cockpit camera
processing using quadratic lat long with keyboard controls
conversion approximations
• Fixed important changes to sliders on in-
• Fixed gaps between some ground surfaces flight menu don’t appear to have any effect
• Improved LOD display in game at LFPG (now increments accordingly)
• Reflection cubemap resolution and • User should no longer get stuck in the
reflected clouds details have been Freelook view and be unable to bring the
increased cursor back up on Xbox
• Fixed a bug provoking SSR to ghost when
rotating camera Perhiperals
• Fixed autogen buildings that were • Reduced the increments of the mouse
sometimes absent or of low quality in the wheel on the elevator trim
UK
• Added Thrustmaster TCA Boeing support
• KPFN is now closed as real life
• Added Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight
• Fixed missing light at KECP support
• Fixed approach light too long at ENBR • Fixed a wrong freelook assignment on the
• Fixed windsocks bad orientation on some Virtual Fly Yoko+
bespoke airports • Fixed mappings shown in Controls screen
• Fixed control tower archetype to match for T.Flight HOTAS One doesn’t align with
with real life at EDFH the actual buttons / axes on Xbox
• EDDI & EDDT are now closed as real life • Fixed Joystick events on Simconnect
• Fixed floating night lights in some locations • Fixed wrong biding on the Hotas One prior
in England World update 6
• Fixed tower building near Stuttgart • Fixed mapping of cockpit view Yaw Axis
• Fixed trees in front of the runway at EGGP for CH Pro Throttle USB as the axis was
& EGCC reversed
• Fixed terraforming at EDRS • Fixed warning appears when user tries to

map an axis to the Elevator Trim Axis (0 to
• Fixed jetways issue at RCYU 100%) command
• Fixed default mapping for Left / Right
Brake axes on CH Pro Pedals

• Fixed default mapping for Ailerons axis on Navigation
CH Fighterstick doesn’t work • New Arinc424 Cycle 2111 is now available
• Fixed default mapping of Propeller and • Flight plans that were externally loaded or
Throttle axes on CH Flight Sim Yoke are manually edited on the world map will no
incorrect longer be recomputed from scratch when
• Fixed default mapping for Elevator, changing the instrument procedures or
Ailerons, and Mixture axes on CH Flight the parking spots
Sim Yoke doesn’t work • AI controls ATC will no longer automatically
• Fixed default mapping of axes on CH send the updated flight plan from the
Throttle Quadrant are incorrect aircraft’s instrument whenever a change is
• Fixed unresponsive Joystick L-Axis Y on CH made
Throttle Quadrant
Fixed unable to exit Pause menu using Menu Weather
button on T.Flight HOTAS One • Improved METAR ingestion into live
weather
• You can now consult real airport METARs
during flight from the Weather panel (only
Release Build 1.21.13.0 when Live Weather is active)
• Updated .WPR file versioning for weather
This update is also known as the Game of the preset edition. Now handles both coverage
Year edition and added new aircraft, scenery and density for cloud layers (Formerly
and more. density became coverage). Backward
compatibility has been handled
• It is now possible to put clouds below sea
New Airports
level (-400m) for regions such the Dead
• Leipzig/Halle Airport (EDDP) Sea
• Allgäu Airport Memmingen (EDJA) • Fixed AGL / MSL UI display in weather panel
• Kassel Airport (EDVK) • Setting wind with weather panel is more
• Lugano Airport (LSZA) coherent with in-game wind near ground
• Zurich Airport (LSZH) • Fixed unit conversions in weather panel
• Luzern-Beromunster Airport (LSZO) • Minor UI improvements in weather panel
• Patrick Space Force Base (KCOF)

• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (KNKX) VR
• Main menu: Use the raycast mode to
navigate and interact with the menus
Stability
• Cockpit
• Several crashes have been fixed across the
title • Instruments: Switch between the proximity
mode (you interact with the instruments by
• Fixed sim being stuck while loading the grabbing them) and the raycast mode (you
world data in rare cases use a raycast to pinpoint the instrument
• Improved online multiplayer plane you want to interact with). Beware of the
trajectory accuracy and stability autopilot as it overrides your inputs.
• A first implementation of DX12 can now be • Yoke/stick: In the VR options, you can
activated via the Option menu (requires a choose between ‘Hold’ mode (hold the
reboot of the title) interaction button to grab the yoke) and
‘Toggle’ mode (press the interaction button
once to grab the yoke and press the button
again to release it) to interact with the yoke
at your convenience.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
• Toolbar: Use the raycast mode to interact Planes (General)
with the toolbar and the in-game panels. • Fixed a bug with water rudders at high
• Implementing support for VR controllers speeds and with water rudders incorrectly
has required a few updates in each plane. affecting aerodynamics in air
If a plane has not been updated, a pop- • Made ITT simulation engine specific on
up message informs you that it is not fully multi engine turboprop aircraft
compatible with VR controllers, in which
case: • Modular fuel system now supports CG
based triggers
• You cannot grab the yoke with the VR
controllers and control it with hand gesture. • The primed level of the piston engine does
not reset anymore when no combustion
• You can control the yoke with the stick of happens
the left VR controllers.
• Added a new parameter to use in the flt
• You can interact properly with the files for turbine engines : CorrectedFF
instruments using the VR controllers.
• Added TACAN related inputs
• Lighting issues are fixed.
• Added a SimVar that shows the effective
• VR is compatible with DX12. You flaps handle position when some logic
might encounter a few issues as the makes it different than the physical
implementation of Dx12 is still WIP. position
• Checklist’s highlights will now properly
Accessibility use the HIGHLIGHT_NODE_ID rather than
• Audio Customization: Option to convert to the NODE_ID if specified (Previously only
Mono for people deaf in a single ear affected the hover highlight)
• Option to Adjust Background Contrast in • Added a parameter to specify whether

HUD has been added or not a plane’s autothrottle attempts
to maintain the Vertical Speed when
controlling the airspeed
Activity • Title no longer crashes when trying to
• A new Spotlight Event landing challenge invert a one-waypoint flightplan
is available for you to fly, featuring the • Added SIMVARs for TACAN Navigation
F/A-18E Super Hornet landing at MCAS
Miramar. 4 hours of existing flight time in • Improved accuracy of FLC speed hold
a non-Discovery flight (free flight, landing system on aircraft with a calibration
challenges, bush trips, etc.) are required to difference between IAS and CAS
display the event on the homepage, which • Corrected an issue which would cause the
replaces the Discovery Flight shortcut. fuel capacity of planes using the modular
• G-Effect and G-Suit preference assistances fuel system to be displayed as 0gal
have been added in the option menu • AUDIO : added flaps drag sound effects
• New assistance has been added to disable • AUDIO : added passenger ambiences
the automatic logbook at the end of a flight cabin in airliners
• Fixed Bushtrip progression not saved when
completing a bushtrip leg World
• Fixed Germany bushtrip which could not • Fixed a crash that could occur when flying
be completed near cities with a lot of autogen buildings
• Fixed Take Off Airliner Flight tutorial that • Various watermasks have been added
cannot be completed with the keyboard around the world
only
• Improved night lighting by reducing the
• Completing a landing challenge will no intensity of the distant sepia layer
longer change Assistance settings
• Fixed an issue with wind turbines lights
sometimes no display at the right altitude
• Fixed terminal missing at KSFB

• VGHS airport has been renamed Weather
• Collision pass has been performed on most • Improved management of high proximity
of the bespoke airports METARs to avoid hard weather transitions
• Vegetation has been tweaked around • Fixed abnormal temperatures above FL450
Christ the Redeemer • Fixed custom weather preset save data
• Improved LODs on CYTZ Toronto • Live Weather clouds on ground should
now be displayed as fog
UI • Rain and fog now correctly receive shadows
• Fixed mouse click sometimes didn’t work from clouds above
on external windows • Fixed “10SM” metar visibility
• Added a Minimized HUD assistance under • Fixed live weather refering to AMSL instead
option of AGL
• Moved In-game news and Release notes at
the bottom of the main menu VR
• The Marketplace is now accessible directly • Fixed the issue that prevented interactions
from a dedicated widget in the main menu with the toolbar in VR
• Allow inputs to be mapped on key/button • Added some of the VR controller specific
release controls (e.g. switch between proxi and
• Community-made activities now have their raycast modes) that were not available in
own dedicated page. They are grouped by the binding menu
their mission type, which can now have • Fixed the rotate and drag buttons that did
any custom value not respond well with WMR VR controllers
• VR controllers are now working when using
Peripherals Legacy cockpit interaction system
• Tobii eye tracker is now supported (more
settings/configuration will come in a later Peripherals
update)
• TrackIR support has been fixed
• Added a new gamepad preset : Gamepad
(Fighter Jet) to complement the F/A 18 • Fixed unable to pan / drag WorldMap
release using a custom mouse profile. Add a slot in
Control Menu
• Added the Afterburner controls to the
commands list
• Added the G Limiter controls to the Planes
commands list • Fixed HUD shader support for for 3rd party
planes
Release Build 1.21.18.0 • Fixed Reverse Throttle

• Fixed livery overriding mechanism for
WASM modules
This build was released in January 2022 as a
• Fixed glass cockpit remains off when
hotfix to fix errors found in the previous build
starting from cold & dark for the Volocity
of the simulator.
• Fixed white rendering of the Copilot HUD
in the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner
Stability
World
title
• Fixed an issue where roads could blink
• Fixed color banding introduced in Sim
update 5

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Reno Air Races • Fixed planes with new prop system
• Performance optimization for Reno crawling backwards with brakes and full
multiplayer races throttle
• Reno stands are no longer misplaced • Minor bug fix and text updates in
during RTC Marketplace
• Fixed “Too high” notification when starting • The default binding for rudders with VR
a time trial controllers has been changed to avoid
input interferences with other devices
such as HOTAS and prevent control freeze
UI when hovering cockpit panels, menus and
glass cockpits
• Assistances preferences should no longer
be set to Easy without user’s input • Fixed position / location of in-flight menus
reset themselves when returning to
• Localization update across all supported Cockpit view from External view in VR
languages
• Fixed animation of Prop Beta on Prop with
ID value under 1
Release Build 1.22.2.0 • Higher stall speed have been tweaked for
the Pilatus PC6
This update introduced World Update VII: • Fixed cloud save operations for FLT files
Australia, along with adding airport data for
hundreds of airports. Stability
World title
• Updated elevation data for Australia • Ongoing performance optimization work
• Updated aerial imagery for Australia • Lower GPU consumption when installing
• Updated water mask across various packages while the sim is booting
locations • Lower GPU consumption when the main
window is minimized
• Fixed framerate drops on DirectX 11 when
Release Build 1.23.12.0 the player have multiple external windows
This update is also known as Sim Update 8 Navigation

and saw changes to the marketplace and
• VOR-DME and DME are now differentiated
introduced a new propeller simulation system.
on the world map
• Tacan channels are now shown on the
General Bug Fixes world map
• Fixed a crash on Xbox when connecting a
yoke
Weather
• Fixed a crash when signing out of the Xbox
• Improved Multi-Metar visibility ingestion
live account while loading a flight
• Fix issues where Live Weather could take
• Fixed a crash in the world map
up to 5 minutes to download
• Fixed a crash when using a filter
• A newly created preset on the worldmap
combination in the marketplace
now properly load in-game when clicking
• Fixed a rare crash for waypoints that could Ready To Fly
not be found
• Fixed an issue where gusts could actually
• Fixed a performance drop when the decrease wind intensity
Default audio device was used
• Improved thickness of clouds on overcast
• Fixed missing textures for the Boeing 787-
• Fixed QNH altimeter in live weather
10 Dreamliner and the Cessna Citation
Longitude on Xbox only • Fixed an issue that prevented live weather
from being available at 00h00 Zulu
VR Planes - General
• Several bug fixes and improvements on • Fixed weather radar not updating in flight
cockpit and panels interactions with VR • Better ground ice formula for ice shelves
controllers on water
• Multiple throttles are controlled • Added ground ice debug display in wheel
simultaneously with VR controllers debug screen
• The yoke is not frozen anymore when a • Baro Minimums are now settable through
panel is hovered a KEY
• Input from other peripherals are • Radio Minimums are now settable through
recognized while an in-flight menu is open a KEY
• The toolbar is easier to reach with VR • When selecting half bank mode on the
controllers autopilot, a green arc displays the max
• VR controllers are not detected as new bank on the atttitude indicator
device every game session • Corrected an issue preventing the
• Default pilot camera position updated in animation of Joysticks in default planes
several planes • Corrected an issue that would cause
• Volumetric Lighting effects are fixed Reference Altitude Increment/Decrement
• HUD is not in the middle of the field of view commands sent by peripherals to bypass
anymore in Reno air races the plane-specific logic. On the Airbus
A320neo this means that the plane will not
• Various fixes in the game flow in Reno air immediately climb/descend to the new
races reference altitude
• Made the ON & OFF Keys of the Nav & Taxi
Audio lights callable from Reverse Polish code
• On PC, main device output and • Fix scrolling mismatch between pitch scale
communication device output can now be and horizon on all Airliners’ PFD
managed from the options menu • Fix all airliners Flight Path Vector behavior
• Display backup on G1000 is now functional
Activity • Fix “Don’t Sink” aural warning on GPWS
• Fixed some issues related to assistances equipped aircraft triggered after a touch
that prevented unlocking some and go
achievements (including My way) • Add a Reset Tag in the panel.xml parsing
• Weather and flight plan save data are now • Fixed G1000 approach selection list not
part of the cloud save opening when one of the approaches
• Always save user data when closing the available have no runway number in its
game on PC, including closing the window name
or using Alt+F4 (local profile, logbook and • Duplicate waypoints list is now sorted by
data usage) distance on G3000
• Fixed the improper failure in the Takeoff • Fix G3X procedures popup not closed when
tutorial Flight Plan window is closed
• Fixed the aircraft jolting on the runway of • Active pause now effectively stopping
the First Solo Navigation tutorial heading indicator
• New FLT parameters “tailwheel_lock” and
“nosewheel_lock” implementation
• Master Caution/Warning are now handled
with Simvars and keys and can be exposed
in SimConnect
• Afterburner FX wasn’t displayed on
multiplayer aircraft

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
• Afterburner can now be enabled when • Fixed AP warning sounds playing in
using a peripheral which send increment unwanted situations
keys, by releasing that key at max and then • Fixed missing cockpit interaction foley
pressing it again sounds
• Corrected an issue that would cause the • Live traffic AI planes should now take off
Sonic Boom sound to trigger in unwanted when applicable
situations
• New “wing_engine_wash” parameter
• Fixed muted ai aircraft sounds in cockpit allows to scale the effect of engine wash
view by using legacy or WaveData pipeline on wings
-Corrected an issue which caused external
camera angles to be missing from the • Added COM ACTIVE FREQ NAME and COM
camera menu STANDBY FREQ NAME
• Corrected an issue that would cause the
cockpit camera to go outside the plane World
when using custom cameras
• Fixed windmills red lights intensity
• Corrected an animation issue on the inner
Altitude Knob of the AS1000 • Fixed sun light glowing above horizon at
midnight
• Adding cfg parameters to allow plane to
reset the state of the autobrake on full stop • Fixed hangar flickering in some occasions
for either RTO or Autobrakes landing • Fixed trees wind animation
• Fix AP annunciation that was not going
away on G1000 PFD after manual UI
disengagement
• Various minor UI fixes
• Corrected an issue that caused the airliners
to switch to a new selected altitude • Better handling of non unicode gamertag
directly when using keybinds rather than in Reno and free flight. Previously, the
interacting with the knob gamertag was usually left blank in
multiplayer
• Reduce delay when inserting Waypoint
into FlightPlan from instruments
• New FLT section [Hydraulic Parameters.x.0] Peripherals
and parameter HydraulicPressure (value in • A new Tobii setting menu has been added
psf) added
• Fixed unable to save custom sensitivity
• Transponder behavior fix AS21 instrument settings for axes of Thrustmaster HOTAS
• Reverse thrust animation fixed for all One on Xbox
affected aircraft • Fixed second hatswtich name for the
• Corrected an issue which caused the Velocity one yokes
camera to move incorrectly in the hangar • Fixed the Quickview assignments for the
• Fixed procedures page on G1000 & G3X Honeycomb Alpha yoke default profile
that could not be interacted with when
an approach had been selected and
automatically switches to next item in the
procedure page Release Build 1.24.5.0
• Added HOLD HUD VIEW & TOGGLE HUD
VIEW shortcuts to the controls list, allowing
to quickly access the dedicated HUD views This update was released alongside World
in relevant aircraft Update 8 on March 24th 2022.
• Garmin GPS : Prevent airport icons from

flickering General
• Fixed payload slider sometimes couldn’t • Added Portuguese localization
validate the change
• Fixed passengers sounds being heard in
cockpit view

Navigation Stability
• New AIRAC 2203 data has been added • Several crashes have been fixed across the
title
World • Ongoing performance optimization work
• Updated elevation data for Spain, Portugal, • Fixed parsing of XML gauges on Xbox that
Gibraltar and Andorra prevented the correct loading of some files
• Updated aerial imagery for Spain, Portugal,

Gibraltar and Andorra Navigation/Traffic
• Improved Airport data on 100 airports • AI aircraft will no longer get expedite
• Addition of more than 1000 missing requests
airports in game. • ILS can now be received when the aircraft
is slightly below the antenna
• Changed the way we handle several ILS
Release Build 1.25.7.0 LATEST on the same frequency (better handling
of opposite runways having the same ILS
frequency)
Sim Update 9 was released on April 26th 2022.
Weather
General Bugfix
• Fixed popcorn clouds are present over a
• Fixed a silent crash when launching the
clear sky in Live Weather
title directly from the shortcut without
having the Steam client open • Reduction of clouds banding that appear
at close range
• Fixed missing legs in the bush trip briefing
screen when the user had a save from a • Properly save and load cloud density from
previous update WPR files
• Fixed missing text for “Delete from Xbox • Corrected error in ISA pressure formula
Cloud storage” application to weather atmosphere that
was causing errors in the QNH to pressure
• Accessing the EXIT POS X/Y/Z simvars
altitude relationship, especially at high
should no longer crash the title
field elevations
• Fixed Short Stuff achievement unlocking
• Fixed issue where altitudes below sea level
• Improved compilation time for WASM could report incorrect ambient pressures
modules at first boot
• Fixed font issues in the in game panels
Audio
• Fixed mouse cursor that remained in resize
• Switched to Azure Neural Text-To-Speech
mode in specific states (pausing the game
technology
for example)
• Fixed attenuation distance in cockpit for
• Fixed extremity Dead Zone and Reactivity
AI SimObjects using legacy wavedata
Settings not saving on Xbox
pipeline
• Fixed cursor issues in cockpit and in
devmode
Activity
• Fixed VR controllers not working when
using Legacy interaction system • It’s now possible to delete flight files from
the cloud storage
• Fixed the RTC for the Robin DR400 and the
Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental • Fixed extra flight saved after landing at an
airport after ‘continue’
• Fixed the Autopilot behavior
• Fixed “Look Ma, no hands!” achievement
• Fixed Heading select

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Planes - General • Improved aircraft force debug visualization
• DoubleHorizontalGauge and DoubFixed to visualize soft body fuselage rigidity
values shown in the Fuel in-sim panel simulation
when setting one of the sliders to 0% • Added new simulation of fuselage rigidity
• leVerticalGauge can now receive impact on aerodynamics (soft body
valuePrecision tag from panel.xml simulation)
• Fixed ice continues to accumulate on • Improved information on Debug Aircraft

aircraft’s windshield after Icing Effect is set Engines debug window and fixed an issue
to Off with some data on fixed beta aircraft
• Fixed an issue that caused text to render • Change overspeed limit based on the
incorrectly with certain fonts reference speed above mach2.5 : max
speed is considered as EAS and not IAS
• Added an optional settings to camera. (only above M2.5)
cfg files allowing to change the distance
between the external camera and the • Corrected QNH formula application to
plane align with atmosphere ISA fixes
• Added capability to send multiple

arguments to JS views (with H events) Planes - F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET
from the xml • Course steering arrow has now the correct
• Added Subtract keyword support (typo) in shape
panel.xml parsing • Connect Auto Sequential Steering to
• Rename cameras NodeToHide parameter Autopilot
with better naming : VarToggle • Added Auto Sequential Steering feature
• On a turbine engine, you can now adjust • Added display Tacan information and
the maximum rate at which N2 progress bearing on external HUD
(below low_idle_n2)
• Changed external HUD Angle Of Attack
• Fixed empty CG Position does not reset to Indicator to support Navy Indicator
default when reset button is pressed in the
weight and balance menu • CRS and HDG/TRK switch will accelerate
when hold
• Corrected an issue that prevented a tooltip
from showing on the light controls of • Fixed clicks triggered when right click on
floaters plane mouse with pad plugged
• Corrected an issue that caused the • Fixed Waypoints and sequences
windshield icing to be unaffected by the management system
icing options • Added Course Selection
• Changed FuelSystem Tank level SimVars to • Display Nose Wheel Steering modes on
be settable HUD
• Corrected an issue which would sometimes • Lower max HUD brightness to avoid
cause the fuel & payload page to incorrectly blurred fonts
calculate the fuel load of some tanks
• Improved the Aural Warnings
• Added missing inputs for NAV3 & NAV4 to
match their NAV1 & NAV2 counterparts • Improved to allow you to insert a waypoint
in a sequence without entering its LatLong
• Added new parameters for better control
of the new propeller simulation • Improved external HUD by displaying the
airspeed in Mach
• Improved the debug information for the
new propeller simulation • Improved by ensuring that it does not have
access to the Radio Altitude at high bank
• New debug feature for easier debug & angles
adjustment of aircraft stall behaviors
• Adjusted Mach and drag coefficient to
• Improved debug information for debug & match real max speed at sea level
adjustment of aircraft moment of inertia
• Corrected an issue with the afterburner
• Fixed problem with FLCH and planes that not properly getting disabled when the
are using the new propeller system. throttle is set below it’s range through its
InputEvent
• Corrected the behavior of the flaps while Planes - Boeing 747-8i
on the ground • Corrected an issue that caused the aircraft
• Corrected an AP conflict when attempting to spawn with the AP disabled when
to hold an altitude with the autothrottle spawning in flight
active on some plane • Corrected an issue that prevented the
• Corrected an issue that would sometimes steering wheel from being moveable while
cause the plane to spawn with invalid the plane is not moving
throttle position • Fixed FMA initial state
• Added an Axis key to control the Nosewheel • Fixed TO/GA button effect on A/T
steering
• Fixed wrong flaps position animation
• Added the NAV3/NAV4 version of the keys
that were missing them
• Corrected an issue that would cause the Planes - Airbus A320NEO
Magneto’s Tooltip to always show the • Corrected an issue that caused the Alpha
values of Engine 1 Protection to be unable to trigger the
• Corrected an issue that inverted the bank TOGA
of the F18’s Standby Attitude Indicator • Corrected an issue that caused the AP
• Corrected an issue that caused the AOA maximum altitude to be too high
Indicator of the F18 to stay enabled with
gears raised
Planes - CESSNA 172 SKYHAWK G1000
• Prevented a fixed view to clip through the
• Ported to new propeller system
plane
• CFD simulation now used for this aircraft
• Fixed folded wings aerodynamics
• Adjusted engine wash on roll to have the
• Afterburner power ratio improved to match
left turn tendancy experienced in real flight
acceleration time at all altitudes
• Corrected flaps section on the ski version
• Corrected an issue that would cause the
F18’s Autothrottle to disable when pressing • Added assymetric trim tab values to match
the flaps up key while already at the up real aircraft trim deflection
position • Updated flight model to match real
• Fixed issue with HUD pitch ladder moving recorded data behavior
when rudder is applied • Added fuselage rigidity soft body
• Fixed the wheels contact points simulation
• Fixed decals on the left and right panel • Propeller windmilling stop and start
who had bad naming airspeed adjusted
• Fixed the HMD color glass • Max throttle propeller rpm on ground
adjusted
• Update seatbelt texture
• Max climb speed vertical speed adjusted
• Fixed a fuel system issue
• Reduced propeller MOI to adjust propeller
• Tweaked wingtip vortices
rpm change speed
• Vapor cone effect should now trigger when
• Adjusted aircraft MOI to adjust engine and
reaching mach 1, below 30°C and below
propeller effects
15000 ft
• Adjusted take off elevator trim to adjust
auto rotation speed
Planes - Boeing 787-10
• Adjusted soft body simulation body rigidity
• Corrected an issue with the STD button to adjust aircraft responsiveness
which has a behavior inconsistant with the
• Adjusted aircraft drag to adjust for engine
mins button
and propeller changes and match POH
• Fixed minor display issue with CDU speeds
Approach REF page highlight
• Adjusted engine orientation to adjust
• Fixed error in CDU FlightPlanning flow engine effects
which prevented user from choosing a
STAR
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
• Adjusted neutral rudder angle for Planes - CIRRUS SR22
compensation of P-Factor at cruise speed • Navigation lights has been added on the
which increases the effects of P-Factor at wings
climb
• Flickering on the screens of instruments
• New CFD parameters added to cfg file for when camera is far from the plane has
CFD tweaking and finetuning been fixed
• New wing_virtualdihedral parameter
allows to adjust the virtual dihedral
World
• Reduced virtual dihedral from 5° to 1° to
improve stall symmetry and reduce the • New vegetation debug tool for trees &
dihedral countering the p-factor • Adjusted vegetation with drawing distances
roll PID of the autopilot to better deal with • Added new Asobo office in Bordeaux,
turbulences France
• Improved some tiling / cut issues in existing
Planes - CESSNA 208 B GRAND CARAVAN EX manually edited watermasks
• Corrected the behavior of the 208B’s DeIce • Fixed the transistion for the water on the
system coastlines on specific edge cases
• Fixed various elevation data issues across
the world
Planes - BEECHCRAFT KING AIR 350I
• Corrected an issue that prevented the YD/
AP button from properly disconnecting UI
the Yaw Damper • Various minor UI fixes
• Ingame Panels will no longer be distorded
Planes - CESSNA CITATION CJ4 when changing screen ratio
• Plugged in Standby Attitude Display • Wishlist items are now sorted based on the
Switch date they were added in the marketplace
• Corrected a number of small bugs on the • The marketplace wasn’t showing generic
behavior of the switches purchase and download pipelines error
anymore
• Zoom button below the left MFD rotates
on the right axis upon interaction • See all rating filter added to the rating
filters
• On the marketplace, an item’s required
Planes - DAHER TBM 930 space is now displayed before downloading
• Improvement on TBM throttle feather it
animation
Perhiperals
Planes - VOLOCITY • Tobii Head Tracking Sensitivity: Pitch/
• Corrected an issue with the behavior of the Yaw, Head Tracking Sensitivity: Roll, Head
Volocity’s Attitude Hold button Tracking Sensitivity: Position not saved
properly
Planes - DIAMOND DA40NG • Eye tracking reset is remappable
• Navigation lights added • Extremity Dead zone and reactivity settings

are now properly saved
• Camera no longer crosses the seats in
cockpit view • Corrected an issue which prevented the
“Toggle Freelook” button from working
• No more textures or flickering when Frost while in freelook
is activated (inside and outside)
• Cursor inputs can now be remapped
• Holes in the cockpit around the doors and
windows have been fixed • Inverted Flaps & Spoiler axis for the
Thrustmaster TCA Boeing Throttle default
profile
• Added a new axis type input for nose wheel
A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 314 steering
Multiplayer
• Xbox Live invitations for private reno lobby
are now working
• Fixed a rare bug when player could be
stuck in a group without the possibility to
leave it

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE I: JAPAN
The first World Update released for the
simulator focused on the Land of the Rising
Sun. Japan’s natural beauty and urban setting
blends for a truly inspirational flight simulation
experience.
Whilst the update brought six new airports,

the update also included additional content
for pilots to test their skills and go on country-
wide tours.
TOUR OF JAPAN
The current featured event within the simulator
takes you on a grand tour from Nagasaki
Airport (RJFU) to Tokyo Haneda International
Airport (RJTT). The nearly 3-hour flight will
have you fly the Textron Aviation Beechcraft
King Air 350i nearly 600nm across a variety of
landscapes before you reach the popular city.
The tour itself is incredibly scenic covering a

huge amount of what Japan has to offer. If you
want to go off the beaten track, feel free to
slow down and fly low across the fields, forests
and smaller towns spread across your flight
path.
LANDING CHALLENGES
Take on new landing challenges in Japan.
Under the Strong Wind category, take the

Grand Caravan into Kerama Airport whilst
battling a truly gusty wind.
Under the Famous category, take the Cessna

172 into Suwanosejima Airport whilst taking in
the vibrant views.
Under the Famous category, take the A320Neo

into Hachijojima Airport whilst adoring the
sunset views.

DISCOVERABLE LANDMARKS
The final part of the update added numerous
points of interest, upgraded cities and
landmarks to discover throughout the country.
Here is a handful of what you can find on your
flight sim journey.
• Hakone
• Yokohama
• Tower of Wind
• Tokyo Bridge
• Tokyo Skytower
• Mount Fuji
• Kobe Port Tower
• Himeji Castle
• Great Seto Bridge
• Takamatsu
• Tokushima
• Itsukushima Shrine
• Mount Aso
• Ikitsuki Bridge
Quick Tip: You can find all the newly

added landmarks on the World
Map page. It is indicated with an
exclamation point (!).

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE II: USA
The second free world update introduced a
large improvement to the land class data for
the USA. This large improvement sees the
mesh detail increasing whilst also updating
the aerial imagery of specific parts of North
America.
In addition, 4 new airports and 50 new

discoverable landmarks have been added via
the newly released downloadable content.
HOW TO GET THE WORLD UPDATE

To take advantage of the new airports, tours
and discoverable landmarks, you will need
to download the World Update packs from
the simulator. To get the pack, head to the
Marketplace, search for the USA update
and click install. It is free for all owners of
Microsoft Flight Simulator. This will take a few
moments and you can monitor progress via
the notification bell.
NEW AIRPORTS
In total, four new airports have been added.
These are:
• KATL – Atlanta International

• KFHR – Friday Harbor
• KDFW – Dallas / Fort Worth International
Airport (DFW)
• KSWF – New York Stewart International
Airport
You can read more about the airports in our

airport overview section.
NEW EVENT AND BUSH TRIP

For a limited time only, there is a brand new
East Coast USA tour, taking you on a journey
from Stewart International Airport to Ronald
Reagan Washington National Airport.
Finally, a new Bush Trip has been added where

you will fly from Unalaska to Kulik Lake.

flight sim journey.
• Chimney Rock
• Crazy Horse Memorial
• Pilgrim Monument, Provincetown MA
• Fort Jefferson
• Washington Monument, Washington DC
• Capitol, Washington DC
• White House, Washington DC
• Wright Brothers National Memorial
• Las Vegas Strip (Night)
• Johnson Space Center Houston (visitor’s
center)
• U.S. Grant Bridge
• The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge
• Fort Knox
• Hoover Dam


V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE III: UK & IRELAND
The third world update provided for users
of the new simulator enables customers to
discover the UK and Ireland in even more
detail than before. The new update includes 5
hand-crafted airport, over 70 points of interest
and all-new photogrammetry cities.

the Marketplace. To get the pack, head to
the Marketplace, search for the UK and
Ireland update and click install. It is free for all
owners of the simulator. This will take a few
NEW AIRPORTS
In total, five new airports have been added.
These are:
• EGGP – John Lennon Airport

• EGPR – Barra Airport
• EGCB – Manchester Barton Airport
• OUK – Out Skerries Airport
• EGHC - Land's End Airport

NEW EVENT
For a limited time only, there is a brand new
challenge flight. This new event sees you take
on the world's shortest commercial flight.
Flying between the Orkney Islands of Westray
and Papa Westay in the north of Scotland, the
1.7 mile journey takes around 2 minutes to
complete. Jump into the Beechcraft Bonanza
G36 and have fun doing multiple hops of this
short flight.

flight sim journey.
• London Eye (Animated)

• Clifton Suspension Bridge
• Dublin Castle
• BA i360 (Brighton)
• Anfield
• All England Club
• Old Trafford
• Tower Bridge
• Edinburgh Castle
• Tower 42
• One Park Drive
• Buckingham Palace
• Windsor Castle
• ..and many more!


V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE IV: FRANCE & BENELUX
France, Belgium, The Netherlands and
Luxembourg saw a huge makeover with
World Update IV. The new update adds nearly
100 new points of interest, three new hand-
crafted airports and photogrammetry for Paris
and Amsterdam.

the Marketplace, search for the France and
Benelux update and click install. It is free for
all owners of the simulator. This will take a few
NEW AIRPORTS
In total, three new airports have been added.
These are:
• LFHM – Megève Airport

• LFMN – Nice Côte d’Azur Airport
• EHRD – Rotterdam The Hague Airport

NEW EVENT
Take the Diamond DA40NG across Western
Europe from the heart of wine country in
France across sandy coastlines as you head to
the Alps. The DA40NG is a trusty aircraft that
will help you get through this 895nm journey
in just under 7 hours.
Departing Leognan-Saucats in Bordeaux,

you'll take a trip across various sights in France
as you make your way to the treacherous
Megeve Airport.

flight sim journey.
• Amiens Cathedral (France)

• Notre-Dame de Paris (France)
• Reims Cathedral (France)
• Tournai Cathedral (Belguim)
• Erasmus Bridge (Netherlands)
• Belfry of Bruges (Belguim)
• Citadel of Namur (Belgium)
• Etretat Chalk Complex (France)
• Fort Boyard (France)
• Mudam (Luxembourg)
• Panorama of the Battle Waterloo (Belguim)
• Royal Palace (Amsterdam) (Netherlands)
• Adolphe Bridge (Luxembourg)
• Tour Carpe Diem (France)
• ..and many more!


V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE V: NORDICS
World Update V focused on the Nordic region,
which brings with it airports and points of
interest for the following locations:
• Sweden
• Denmark
• Norway
• Finland
• Iceland

the Marketplace, search for the France and
Benelux update and click install. It is free for
all owners of the simulator. This will take a few
NEW AIRPORTS
In total five new airports have been added
through World Update V.
• Bornholm Airport, Denmark (EKRN)

• Ísafjörður Airport, Iceland (BIIS)
• Svalbard Airport, Norway (ENSB)
• Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Sweden (ESSA)
• Vaasa Airport, Finland (EFVA)

NEW LIVE EVENT

A brand new spotlight event has also been
added which sees an exciting landing
challenge take place at Ísafjörður Airport. You
can find this on the main menu.

NEW LANDING CHALLENGES AND
BUSH TRIPS
The World Update has also added additional
Landing Challenges and Bush Trips to the
simulator. In total 5 new landing challenges
for each of the released airports has been
included. Similarly, 5 new bush trips covering
each of the new locations across the Nordics
have been added giving you plenty of
opportunities to discover each of these newly
updated regions.
POINTS OF INTEREST
As with other World Updates, several points
of interest have been added to the flight
simulator world. In total 77 new points of
interest across Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Sweden and Norway have been added. Here's
just a sample of those added:
• Roskilde Cathedral (Denmark)

• Blue Water Arena, Esbjerg (Denmark)
• Lego House (Denmark)
• Helsinki Cathedral (Finland)
• Vylisto Bridge (Finland)
• Turku Castle (Finland)
• Arctic Cathedral (Norway)
• Tromsø Bridge (Norway)
• Frederik Church (Sweden)
• Tjörn Bridge (Sweden)
• Hvitserkur (Iceland)
• Perlan (Iceland)

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SIM UPDATE IV
On May 25th 2021, a new update for the
simulator was released. Version 1.16.2.0
featured some impressive new changes to
the simulator, many of which were highly
requested by the community.
These sim updates usually differ from the

World Updates as they include improvements
to the core of the simulator.
Below is a selection of some of the key changes

and where you can expect to find them.
Improved ATC Phraseology

One of the biggest changes with the new
sim update was the inclusion of updated ATC
phraseology. This wording-only update can
be found any time you use the built-in ATC
software. In particular, this update now better
conforms the AI to behave closer to the FAA
standards.
Aircraft Weather Radar

Before the update, the weather radar in
certain aircraft would return information
based on cloud coverage. This was unrealistic
but did provide a nice visual appeal to those
not familiar with the technology. However,
Sim Update IV now returns precipitation on
the weather radar display, which is far more
accurate to how it works in the real world. You
can take advantage of this in aircraft such as
the A320 which features a working weather
radar.
Turboprop Improvements
If you love flying turboprop aircraft, then
you'll be pleased to learn that the new sim
update has vastly improved how these aircraft
function within the simulator. Improvements
have been made to how the engines react to
the environment, along with improved tools
to tune the prop drag. All of the included
turboprop aircraft have also seen changes to
elements such as the engine RPM and flight
dynamics. Their overall improved performance
gives the result of a much more realistic
aircraft.

Notable From the Changelog
The full changelog for Sim Update IV is
extensive, but we've summarised some of the
key points for you below.
• New AIRAC cycle 2105 has been

implemented
• FAA data has been implemented to the
navdata solution
• Increased the density of Live Air Traffic
• Reduced weather data bandwidth
• Ice constant decay is no longer ignored
outside of frost conditions
• Accelerated pitot icing model while
making it slower to defrost
• Added altitude interception for PITCH
HOLD mode
• Flaps, stall, wing and fuselage updates to
flight model
• Improved tools to tune prop drag on
constant speed & turbo propellers
• Contrails are now displayed for applicable
AI traffic planes
• Weather radar now displays precipitation
instead of cloud coverage
• Fixed FlightPlan guidance not re-engaging
properly when DirectTo is canceled or
reached
• Community Folder Addons will now show
up as Installed in the Content manager

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SIM UPDATE V
On July 27th 2021, Sim Update V was released
for the simulator. This was a hugely significant
update for the sim as it brought with it a wealth
of new features, performance enhancements
and other functionality.
As with other updates, Sim Update V can

be downloaded as soon as you open up the
simulator. It does weigh in at over 40GB so it
may take a little while to fully download and
install.
Sim Update V is also notable for the fact that

the update coincided with the release of the
Xbox version of the simulator.
Let's dig a little deeper into the specifics of this

update.
Improved Performance
One of the biggest enhancements with Sim
Update V was the boost in performance. The
simulator has improved multi-core support
and better memory and GPU usage, which
has resulted in faster loading times, improved
frame rates and a huge reduction in stutters.
New Aircraft Variants

With the new 'Land Anywhere' feature, skis
and floats were added to several aircraft. This
means that regardless of where you are in
the world, you can land anywhere. New visual
effects were also added.
Discovery Flights
The new Discovery Flight section was added
to help newcomers see parts of the world
found in trailers and screenshots. There are
several discovery flights where you can find
interesting landmarks and airports to land at.
Lock Interaction and Cursor

A new way to interact with the cockpit was
added called 'Lock' interaction. A new cursor
was also added for those using a game
controller.

Notable From the Changelog
The full changelog for Sim Update V is
extensive, but we've summarised some of the
key points for you below.
• PERFORMANCE
Improved multi-core support for CPU
Better memory and GPU usage
Faster loading times
Stutters have been significantly reduced
• DISCOVERY FLIGHTS
• WORLD EXPLORATION IMPROVEMENTS
• ACTIVITIES UPDATED
• TRAINING FLIGHTS OVERHAULED
• FLIGHT ASSISTANT / NEW ASSISTANCES
• GAMEPAD NAVIGATION / CURSOR
• COCKPIT INTERACTIONS
• LAND ANYWHERE / VFX
• ACCESSIBILITY / SCREEN READER
• NEW LIVERIES

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE VI: AT, DE, CH
World Update VI was released on Tuesday 7th
September and included a focus on Germany,
Austria and Switzerland.
New Airports
Four new airports were added with World
Update VI.
• Klagenfurt Airport (LOWK) - Austria

• Lubeck Airport (EDHL) - Germany
• Stuttgart Airport (EDDS) - Germany
• St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport (LSZR) -
Switzerland
New Photogrammetry Cities

The following photogrammetry cities were
added with World Update VI.
• Bielefeld
• Braunschweig
• Frankfurt am Main
• Konstanz
• Wuppertal
• Graz
• Vienna
• Basel
New Landing Challenges

Five new Landing Challenges were added to
World Update VI. These are:
• Dusseldorf Airport (EDDL)

• Duene Airport (EDXH)
• Lugano Airport (LSZA)
• St. Gallen (LSZR)
• Klagenfurt (LOWK)

New Discovery Flights
Two new discovery flights were added with
the latest World Update.
• Pennine
• Berlin
New Bush Trips

The following Bush Trips were added to the
simulator with World Update VI:
• Bush Trip Swiss

• Bush Trip Grand Alpine Challenge (Cross
Country)
• Bush Trip Germany
• Bush Trip Austria
New Hand-Crafted Points of Interest

Over 100 brand new points of interest/
landmarks were included as part of World
Update VI. Here are a selection of those:
• Helgioland
• Elbphilarmonie (Hamburg)
• St. Nicholas Church (Wismar)
• Freilichtmuseum Gross Raden
• Saar Polygon (Ensdorf)
• Freiburg Minster (Freiburg)
• Mercedes-Benz Arena (Stuttgart)
• Walhalla
• Schönbrunn Palace & Gloriette (Vienna)
• Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Vienna)
• Eggenberg Palace (Graz)
• Castello di Sasso Corbaro
• Abbey of Saint Gall (St. Gallen)
• Kybunpark (St. Gallen)
• Einsiedeln Abbey (Einsiedeln)
• Grossmünster (Zurich)
• Swiss National Museum (Zurich)
• Letzigrund (Zurich)
• Gornergrat South Observatory
• Sphinx Observatory

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SIM UPDATE 6
Sim Update 6 was released on October 19th
2021. The release notes list hundreds of fixes,
changes and improvements to the core
simulator. Many of these improvements result
in a more stable simulator experience, whilst
adding a few new features.
Improved Aircraft
One of the biggest changes with Sim Update 6
is the improvements to the aircraft. There have
been numerous changes to the aerodynamic
behaviour of many aircraft, including things
like improved aerobatic max rotation speeds
and improved auto rudder assistance.
The pFactor for taildraggers has also been
improved with the new update.
Perhaps most importantly, the new update

allows third-party developers to take
advantage of some of the new changes and
easily identify areas with new debugging
screens.
New AIRAC Cycle and Improvements

AIRAC cycle 2110 is now included by default
with the simulator. Sim Update 6 also saw
improvements on offset localizer / LDA
approaches for the Navdata, along with the in-
sim Magnetic Variation model updated.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SIM UPDATE 7
Sim Update 7 was first released on November
20th 2021 and itnroduced a wealth of new
features, aircraft, hand-crafted airports and
much more. This update is more commonly
reffered to as the Game of the Year (GOTY)
update.
New Aircraft New Photogrammetry Cities

With this new update, 5 brand new aircraft To improve the world itself, a range of new cities
were added to the core simulator totally free were given the photogrammetry treatment.
of charge. Those aircraft were: These cities were:
• Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet • Helsinki (Finland)
• VoloCity • Freiburg (Germany)
• Pilatus PC-6 Porter • Brighton (UK)
• CubCrafters NX Cub • Derby (UK)
• Aviat Pitts Special S1S • Eastbourne (UK)

• Newcastle (UK)
These new aircraft came with a range of liveries • Nottingham (UK)

and options. All players on Xbox and PC have • Vers-Pont-Du-Gard (France)
instant access to the new aircraft, regardless • Chambord (France)
of the simulator (standard/premium/deluxe)
type they purchased. • Port-Vendres (France)
• Utrecht (Netherlands)
New Airports
In addition to the new aircraft, eight new New Missions and Tutorials
hand-crafted airports were also added. These To help new and experienced simmers, a
include: range of missions and tutorials were added
to the simulator. New DIscovery Flights
included Singapore, Helsinki, Freiburg, Mecca,
• Leipzig/Halle Airport (EDDP) Monument Valley, and Mount Cook.
• Allgäu Airport Memmingen (EDJA)
• Kassel Airport (EDVK) Additional tutorials were also added to help
• Lugano Airport (LSZA) people get to grips with Bush flying (in an Icon
• Zurich Airport (LSZH) A5) and also with IFR (in a Cessna 172).
• Luzern-Beromunster Airport (LSZO)

• Patrick Space Force Base (KCOF) New Features
• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (KNKX) Several community requested features were
also part of Sim Update 7:
• Optional DX12 Implementation
This sim update also added 545 previously
missing airport data in the US. • Dev Mode Replay System
• Updated weather system

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE VII: AUSTRALIA
World Update VII was released on January
31st 2022, which included a completely
redone rendition of Australia. The new update
included a range of airports, points of interest,
challenges and more. World Update VII also
included the next Local Legend aircraft which
was developed by Orbx.
New Airports
Update VII.
• Longreach Airport (YLRE)

• Mount Beauty Airport (YMBT)
• Paraburdoo (YPBO)
• Shellharbour Airport (YSHL)

• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Brisbane
• Hobart
• Adelaide
• Perth
• Cairns
• Darwin
• Townsville
• Mackay
• Bunbury

• Brisbane
• Shellharbour
• Mt Hotham
• Katoomba
• Mabuiag
A range of new discovery flights were added
with the latest World Update.
• Gold Coast
• Sydney
• Perth
• Darwin
• Melbourne
• Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
New Bush Trips

simulator with World Update VII:
• Tasmania
• Southeastern Australia
• Sea to Desert
• Great Barrier Reef
• Northwestern Kimberly Coast

over 90 brand new points of interest/landmarks
were included as part of World Update VII.
Here are a selection of those:
• Anzac Bridge
• Aurora Melbourne Central
• Australia 108
• Cape Wickham Lighthouse
• Cascade Dam
• Central Park
• Marvel Stadium
• Melbourne Cricket Ground
• Ocean, 88 The Esplanade
• One Barangaroo
• Optus Stadium
• Parkes Observatory
• Paul Wild Ob
• Brisbane Skytower
• Broadcast Australia
• Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
• Telstra Tower

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SIM UPDATE 8 - MARCH 2022
On February 28th, Microsoft updated the General Fixes
simulator with Sim Update 8. This has made • Fixed a crash on Xbox when connecting a
the simulator now version 1.23.12.0. yoke
• Fixed a crash when signing out of the Xbox
Marketplace Changes live account while loading a flight
Sim Update 8 made a significant number of • Fixed a crash in the world map
changes to the in-sim Marketplace. We have • Fixed a crash when using a filter
covered these in detail later on in the guide. combination in the marketplace
Ultimately, you can now search for airports on
• Fixed a rare crash for waypoints that could
a world map, filter certain types of products
not be found
and more.
• Fixed a performance drop when the
Default audio device was used
Improvements to Reno Air Racing • Fixed missing textures for the Boeing 787-
If you own the Reno Air Racing DLC, you will 10 Dreamliner and the Cessna Citation
now have the ability to host private matches. Longitude on Xbox only
You can update the Reno Air Racing pack
• Fixed planes with new prop system
through the content Manager.
crawling backwards with brakes and full
throttle
New Propeller Simulation • Minor bug fix and text updates in
Marketplace
The new system comes with hundreds of
moving surfaces covering the propeller to • The default binding for rudders with VR
realistic simulate various effects such as controllers has been changed to avoid
p-factor and feathering. The Cessna 152, Cessna input interferences with other devices
208 B Grand Caravan EX and Beechcraft King such as HOTAS and prevent control freeze
Air 350i have this new system implemented when hovering cockpit panels, menus and
with this new sim update. glass cockpits
• Fixed position / location of in-flight menus
reset themselves when returning to
New Spotlight Event Cockpit view from External view in VR
A new spotlight event has been added • Fixed animation of Prop Beta on Prop with
allowing you to compete with others in the ID value under 1
world. You can now attempt to land at Reno
Stead Airport in snowy conditions. • Higher stall speed have been tweaked for
the Pilatus PC6
• Fixed cloud save operations for FLT files

Known Issues
If you are using a VR headset, please make
sure that the V-sync option is not set lower
than 60FPS to avoid negative performance
impacts.
Full Changelog
You can find the full Sim Update VIII patch
notes by clicking here.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE VIII: IBERIA
World Update VIII was released on March 24th
2022, and saw Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar &
Andorra within the simulator get new optional
DLC. The new update included a range of
airports, points of interest, challenges and
more.
New Airports
Update VII.
• La Seu d’Urgell Airport (LESU)

• Pico Airport (LPPI)
• Faro Airport (LPFR)
• A Coruna Airport (LECO)

• Lisbon
• Barreiro
• Malaga
• Bilbao
• Cascais
• Coimbra

• Girona (Famous)
• Bilbao (Famous)
• Pico Airport (Strong Wind)
• Leon (Epic)
• Portimao (Epic)

• Madrid
• Barcelona
• Coimbra
• Gibraltar
• Lisbon
New Bush Trips

simulator with World Update VIII:
• Portugal
• Pyrenees
• Mediterranean Cost
• Iberia Connection

Nearly 100 brand new points of interest/
landmarks were included as part of World
Update VIII. Here are a selection of those:
• Santa Caterina Market

• Serra Da Estrela (Radar Station)
• Tenerife International Center For Fairs And
Congresses
• Montjuic Castle
• Monumento A Alfonso Xii
• Las Hurdes
• Las Médulas
• El Monasterio de El Escorial
• El Monumento Natural de los Mallos de
Riglos, Agüero y Peña Rueba
• Episcopal Palace Of Astorga
• Estádio Algarve
• Castelo Dos Mouros
• Castillo de Santa Bárbara
• Castle Of Almansa
• Catedral de Burgos
• Alamillo Bridge
• Alcázar De Segovia
• Alcázar Of Toledo
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SIM UPDATE 9 - APRIL 2022
On April 26th, Microsoft released Sim Update
9 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This update is
available for both PC and Xbox users.
This update focused primarily on bug-fixing,

but some new features and functionality was
also added.
Some of the key highlights from Sim Update

IX include a new spotlight event, general
stability improvements, improved popcorn
cloud appearance and much more.
The release notes are pretty extensive, but

there are some nice details to pick out from
them. For example, it’s great to see that Azure
Neural Text-to-Speech technology is now
included, for more authentic sounding voices.
Weather also saw improvements with ISA
pressure formulas now corrected, along with
a reduction in cloud banding when at close
range. Various aircraft have also seen plenty
of improvements, with the F/A-18 seemingly
getting a lot of love from the development
team. Finally, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk G1000
also saw the new CFD simulation added, which
will give users the ability to take advantage of
the new propeller system in the simulator.
The UI also saw some improvements. Notable

changes include the ability to see the
download size from the in-sim Marketplace
product page, all-new filters and also panels
will no longer be distorted when changing
screen ratio.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE IX: ITALY AND MALTA
World Update IX was released on May 17th
2022, and saw Italy and Malta within the
simulator get new optional DLC. The new
update included a range of airports, points of
interest, challenges and more.
New Airports
Update IX.
• Sondrio Airport (LILO)

• Marina di Campo Airport (LIRJ)
• Boizano Airport (LIPB)
• Palmero Airport (LICJ)

added with World Update IX.
• Turin
• Bari
• Napoli
• Venice
• Roma
• Milan
• Perugia
• Parma
• Ancona
• Pavia
• Cittadella
• Paestum
• Padua

World Update IX. These are:
• Reggio Calabria – Epic

• Palermo Falcone Borsellino – Strong Wind
• Genova Setri – Epic

• Venice
• Rome
• Florence
New Bush Trips

simulator with World Update IX:
• The Apennines
• Sardinia Tour
• Sicily Journey

New points of interest/landmarks were
included as part of World Update IX. Here are
a selection of those:
• Stadio Olimpico
• Stadio Renato Dall’Ara
• Statua Del Redentore (Maratea)
• Stele Della Madonna Della Lettera
• Tempio Voltiano
• Temple Of Concordia
• The Dingli Cliffs
• Timmelsjoch – Telescope Landmark
• Torre Astura
• Torre Degli Asinelli E Garisenda
• Vatican City
• Venice Railroad Bridge
• Viadotto Italia
• Mole Antonelliana
• Monte Santo Di Lussari
• Monument To
• Fort St Angelo
• Forte Di Bard
• Gorizia Castle
• Grotta Di Nettuno
• Il-Forti Tigné
• Isola Bella
• Bastioni Di Siracusa
• Bigo
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
WORLD UPDATE X: USA
World Update X was released on June 14th and
saw North America see a fresh coat of paint.
New airports, points of interest and missions
were added as part of the new World Update.
New Airports
Update IX.
• KAVX – Catalina Airport

• PAVD – Valdez Airport
• KTVL – Lake Tahoe Airport
• KBID – Block Island Airport

added with World Update X.
• Albany
• Arlington
• Boise
• Charleston (West Virginia)
• Disney – Kissimmee – Windermere
• Eugene
• Key Largo
• Lansing
• Lynchburg
• Olympia
• San Diego
• Seattle

Three new Landing Challenges were added to
World Update X. These are:
• Inkom
• Atlanta
• Telluride

• Grand canyon
• Seattle
• St Louis
New Bush Trips

simulator with World Update X:
• Appalachians
• California
• Megapolis

New points of interest/landmarks were
included as part of World Update IX. Here are
a selection of those:
•
• Our Lady of the Rockies
• Pegasus and Dragon
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Point Reyes Lighthouse
• Point Udall
• Smithsonian Castle Information Center
• Smithsonian National Air and Space
• The Rotunda
• Theodore Roosevelt Dam
• Thomas Jefferson Memorial
• Tillamook Air Museum Blimp Hangar
• Wild Horse Renewable Energy Center
• Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
• World War II Memorial
• Wupatki National Monument
• Yerkes Observatory
• High Point Monument
• Hirshhorn Museum
• Hot Springs Mountain Tower
• Bishop Castle
• Blackbeard’s Castle
• Bok Tower Gardens Tower

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
FUTURE FLIGHT SIM UPDATES
Since the release of the simulator, there have New Aircraft
been several patches addressing performance, Alongside World Updates and Sim Updates,
feature requests and all-new content. the simulator will also release brand-new
aircraft DLC for the simulator. Split into two
groups: Local Legends and Famous Flyers,
As of March 2022, the future of the simulator
these aircraft will give you a look into unique
looks even more bright with new aircraft,
and special aircraft. They are aiming to release
world updates and sim updates improving the
alongside World and Sim updates.
experience.
Check out the current schedule:

During the January Live QA session, the year
was broken down into numerous sections. We
have summed this information up below. Local Legend #3: Dornier Do J Wal
March 2022
World Updates
World Update VIII will focus on Iberia (Spain Famous Flyer #2: Granville Gee Bee Model Z
and Portugal). This will come with nearly 100 and model R
new points of interest, 4 new airports and all-
April 2022
new missions. There will also be new DEM
MESH for all of Spain.
Local Legend #4: Savoia-Marchetti S.55
The World Update schedule looks like this: June 2022
World Update VIII: Iberia Local Legend #5: Beechcraft Model 18

March 2022 - RELEASED on March 24th 2022. June 2022
World Update IX: Italy and Malta Famous Flyer #3: TBA
May 2022 August 2022
World Update X: USA Local Legend #6: TBA

June 2022 August 2022
World Update XI: TBA Local Legend #7: TBA

September 2022 September 2022
World Update XII: TBA

TBA

Sim Updates / Major Releases
Throughout the year, Microsoft intends on
adding major releases and sim updates.
These updates will focus on specific areas (e.g.
helicopters).
The release schedule is as follows:
Gliders
Fall 2022
Surprise #4
Fall 2022
Helicopters
Fall 2022

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
XBOX SERIES X|S EDITION INFO
During E3 2021, Microsoft confirmed that
the Xbox Series X|S edition of the simulator
released on Tuesday, July 27th 2021.
This is the first time that a major and open-

world flight simulator has released on a
console providing access to millions of players
around the world.
Here is everything we know about the Xbox

Series X|S edition so far.
The Whole World?

Yes - the whole world will be covered in the
simulator. In fact, it has been confirmed that
the console version of the simulator will be the
exact same experience as the PC version. This
means you can fly anywhere in the world with
any of the aircraft installed with the simulator.
Short-haul or long-haul, or a quick GA flight
around your local area - the choice is yours.
Performance
Despite the fact the simulator will be on
a console, it has been confirmed that the
simulator will run at a base frame rate of
30FPS. If you have a TV that has a variable
refresh rate, you may experience higher frame
rates in specific areas.
As for the visual quality, we know that the

simulator can run in 4K, but the scenery
quality has yet to be known. However, the
trailers shared indicate a high level of quality.
Online Multiplayer
Whether you fly on PC or the Xbox, flying
online will be with players from both editions
of the simulator. This means you can fly with
friends who may be on the console version
whilst you're in your home cockpit.

Cross-Save Functionality
Another key benefit of the Xbox and Microsoft
ecosystem is the fact you can save your
progress across both the PC and Xbox version
of the simulator. Log your hours on either
device and see them sync via the cloud. You
could take off on your PC and then load up the
rest of the flight and land from your sofa on
the Xbox.
Downloadable Content (Third Party)

You likely have a range of add-on content
from third-party developers. It has been
confirmed that developers can choose to offer
cross-compatible software at their discretion.
This means if you bought something through
the in-sim Marketplace, and the developers
allow it, you can transfer your DLC to the Xbox
version. Some developers may allow a cross-
transfer, but at a cost.
That said, if you own a first-party DLC (e.g.

World Update or the Top Solo Rudder 103),
then you will be able to use it on both platforms
from one purchase.
Getting the Xbox Edition

The great news is that if you already own
the simulator and purchased it through the
Microsoft store, you can use the simulator on
Xbox for free. If you bought it on Steam you
will need to buy the Xbox version separately.
Microsoft Flight Simulator for Xbox Series X|S

will also be made available on Xbox Game Pass
upon release.
A Guide to Flight Simulator for the

Console?
We'll be sharing more details soon about our
plans to support the console edition of the
simulator.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INSTALLING THE DEVELOPER SDK
Are you interested in developing for the new
simulator? Well, now is your opportunity as
the SDK has been included with each copy of
the simulator.
Whilst we are quite far away from giving a

guide and tutorial on how to create products
using the SDK, we at least want to guide you
on how to access the development tool kit
along with the documentation.
Turning On Developer Mode

To be able to download the developer SDK
and access the developer tools, you will need
to enable developer mode from the options
menu. To do this, head to the options page and
then to 'general'. You can then find 'developers'
listed in the tabs on the left-hand side. Within
this, you will need to toggle 'Developer Mode'
to 'on'.
Now with this on, you will see a new black bar
at the top of the screen. If it doesn't appear
automatically, drag your mouse to the top of
the screen and it should automatically un-
hide.
Within the new developer toolbar, you will see

numerous menu options including:
• [DevMode]
• Tools
• Camera
• Options
• Windows
• Help
Furthermore, on the right-hand side, you will

see a coloured section with new information.
If there's a new SDK available (or yours is
outdated), you will see a notification here.
Clicking this will bring up another pop-up that
showcases the SDK changelog. This is useful
for keeping track of any changes which may
help your project.

Downloading the Developer SDK
With developer mode now active, you are able
to easily download the SDK. Under the menu
'help' from the developer mode toolbar, click
on 'SDK Installer'.
This will open up your default web browser

and ask you where you want to download
the latest SDK installer. At the time of writing,
version 0.13.0.0 is the most up-to-date version
available. The SDK is just over 1.74GB so make
sure that you have enough space on your
selected hard drive so that you don't encounter
any issues.
Once it has been downloaded, you will need to

run the application and follow the on-screen
instructions.
Accessing the SDK Documentation

With the SDK now installed, you will want to
familiarise yourself with the documentation.
Understanding how the SDK works and
how to build your project will take time and
perseverance.
You can access the documentation either

through your local machine or by using the
online manual. Both are accessed through the
'help' menu under either 'local' or 'online' SDK
documentation.
There are also some samples freely available

to you to access so you can learn directly from
the developers. You can access these through
the 'help' menu under 'samples'.
If you end up making anything using the SDK,

be sure to reach out so we look at sharing your
work under our 'Spotlight' feature in this very
guide!

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
HOW-TO: CREATE A FLIGHT PLAN
WITH LIVE TRAFFIC
Sometimes it's hard to find a good route to fly
and you may be in need of some inspiration.
Luckily, the simulator makes it easy to find
a cool route to fly between two airports.
However, once you have planned where you
want to fly, you will need to create a flight plan
that accurately takes you from A to B.
Within the simulator, there are a few ways to

either create your own flight plan or generate
one automatically. However, for that added
level of realism, you can generate a flight plan
based on what an actual real-world flight is
currently doing.
In this quick how-to section, we'll show you

how you can quickly find a real flight plan for
you to simulate.
Searching for the Flight

If you know which airport you want to fly from,
you can first select it from the world map
page. Once selected, click on the 'live airport
activity' and a list of all flights to and from the
airport will appear.
Search through the list until you find a route

you want to fly and then simply click on it. A
pop-up box will then appear asking if you
want to create a flight plan based on this flight.
Clicking 'ok' will generate a route between the
two airports.
If you get a direct route instead of an accurate

flight plan, you will need to change the flight
type from the drop-down menu in the top-left.
Select high-altitude airways' to then generate
a route that will be using the correct airways
and routing.

Making a Route From a Live Flight
In addition to making a route from the current
activity, you can also find inspiration from the
flights that are currently flying.
Again, on the world map page, zoom in until

you find the green 'live' aircraft. Clicking on
the aircraft will show you the current flight
number, aircraft type and the airport pair it is
flying between.
You will then be able to 'create flight plan' by

clicking the appropriate button. This will then
generate the flight plan between those two
airports.
Flying the Route

With the route now planned, you can simply
jump into the simulator and fly that route by
clicking the yellow 'fly' button.
Safe flight!

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INSTALLING THIRD PARTY CONTENT
There are many sources of third-party content
available for Microsoft Flight Simulator
available to users which can be added to the
simulator in various ways. To start, we will have
a look through the easiest way of selecting,
downloading and installing third-party
software, from the Microsoft Flight Simulator
Marketplace.
Marketplace
To browse the third-party content on the
marketplace, simply start the simulator and
from the home page, select marketplace in the
middle of the top bar at the top of the screen.
From here, you will see some highlighted
pieces of content as well as a full catalogue
button.
To display all the content available through

the marketplace, click through to the full
catalogue. On the left-hand side, you will see
a range of filters such as ‘Airports’, Aircraft’
and ‘Free content’. You can use this to filter
the type of content you want to browse. This
is useful as the marketplace is growing every
day. ny changes which may help your project.
Most of the content available through the

marketplace has been created by third-party
developers but you will find items such as
world updates which have been created by
Asobo and Microsoft to enhance particular
areas of the world, as well as approved
aircraft modifications such as the FlyByWire
Simulations Airbus A32NX which is based
upon the default Airbus A320. Some of the
content is free to download and install, this
is sometimes known as ‘freeware’ and the
content that the developer is charging for is
called, ‘payware’.

Free Content
To install any of the free items into your
simulator, simply click the product you wish to
learn more about and navigate to the ‘Buy and
download button’ this will add the product
to your ‘third-party content library’ and will
also download the product and place it in the
relevant folder so the simulator will be able to
recognize and display the product when you
go flying.
Depending on the size of the download, you

may want to leave the download running in
the background. When you click download,
you will notice that a popup message will
appear under the notification bell in the top
right of the screen that will let you know that
the product has been ‘purchased’ successfully
and is downloading. If you wish to come back
and check on the progress of the download,
navigate to the notification and click on the
message, this will then take you back to the
product page.
Once the product is downloaded and installed,

you will receive another notification letting
you know that it is ready to use.
If you wanted to add the product to your

product library but not download and install
it, instead of using the ‘buy and download’
button, select just the ‘buy’ button. This will
then add the product to your library ready to
download and install later.
Payware Content
Installing payware content is very similar to
installing a piece of free content. Browsing the
marketplace you will find products that the
developer is charging money for. This will be
displayed in your local currency by taking your
PC’s current region.
To buy and download the product, click the

‘buy and download’ button and you will see a
Microsoft store window popup. This will then
present you with your saved credit or debit
card details or ask you to input these if you
do not have a card saved already. Follow the
steps to pay and the window will disappear
when you have completed the purchase. Like
with the freeware content, the product will
download and install into the relevant folder.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Content Manager
Once purchased and installed, in the area
where the buy and download button is located,
you will see a new button which states, ‘go to
content manager’. This is where you will find
any of the pieces of content that you have
either purchased or added to your content
library through the marketplace. On the left-
hand side, you will see four boxes, Installed, Not
Installed, Update Available and Downloading.
These are quick filters to easily find the content

that you have added to your content library.
This is where you can update your current
products if an update is available. From the
content manager, you can uninstall previously
installed content by clicking the installed filter,
navigating to the product you would like to
uninstall and click the uninstall button.
This will then remove the product from your

sim but still be available in the uninstalled filter
if you later wish to re-download and install
that product again. You are also available to
see how much space your third-party content
is taking up on your PC by checking the space
used box in the lower left-hand side of the
content manager.
Orbx Central (Third Party Tool)

Another way to purchase and install third-
party content is via the Orbx Store and Orbx
Central. Orbx, like the MSFS marketplace, has
lots of third-party content produced by various
developers, including Orbx themselves,
available for purchase and download using
their user interface, Orbx Central. You can
browse and purchase the products available on
the Orbx website but if you wish to download
and install any products, you will need Orbx
Central.
During the setup of Orbx Central, the

installation process will scan your hard
drive for the MSFS installation, and this will
automatically locate any of the file locations
needed to install third-party content. During
the setup process, Orbx will ask you where you
would like to set up your Orbx Library. This is a
separate space where Orbx Central will store
your downloaded files and input them into the
simulator. This can be on a different hard drive
to the drive you have installed your simulator
onto.

When you start Orbx Central for the first
time, you may need to select Microsoft Flight
Simulator if you have more than one simulator
installed and recognized by Orbx Central
when you start the program. You can easily
switch between different simulator products
and libraries using the drop-down menu on
the top navigation bar.
Along the top of the screen, you can navigate

to the type of product you want to view such as
scenery based upon location and you'll be able
to view aircraft, utilities, and missions here too.
You will also see that you can browse Orbx’s
own catalogue as well as the other developers
or ‘partners’ that Orbx works with.
To browse a category, simply click the type of

content you are looking for and you will see a
list of products appear on the left-hand side.
These products will be listed by developer in
alphabetical order to keep it simple. Click on
the product you would like to know more
about, and you will see you have access to lots
of screenshots of the product as well as written
information underneath.
The Orbx Central Store is based in Australia;

hence the large prices are in Australian Dollars.
It is important to note that these prices are
excluding tax so you may experience a higher
price at checkout. Estimated prices for Euro,
US Dollar and GB Pound are noted underneath
the AUD price.
There are two ways of purchasing content.

If you have a card available to use on your
Orbx account already, you will see the ‘Buy &
Install’ button in green. This is a quick way to
purchase, download and install your chosen
product. Alternatively, if you do not have a card
associated with your account, or if you wish to
purchase the product but not install it just yet,
you can use the ‘Add to Cart’ button.
If you add the product to your cart, you can

view your cart by either clicking the ‘View Cart’
button or locate the shopping cart icon which
will now have a number in a blue bubble to
show how many items you have in your cart.
Click the continue button when you have
added the items you want to purchase.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Select the payment method you wish to use
and press the ‘pay’ button to purchase. Now
the product will download and install in the
background. You will see that the download
will appear through the download icon, to the
right of the cart icon.
Once you have installed your product, you can

access the range of purchased products by
clicking the ‘My Products’ tab at the top of the
page. You will see all the products that you own
on the left-hand side marked with a green tick
icon. You can access each product by clicking
on it. Here you can change which library you
have the product installed to, remove the
product from the sim by clicking the ‘uninstall’
button as well as verify files. Verifying files is a
tool used to check that the product is installed
correctly and is useful if a product doesn’t
appear as it should within the simulator. If the
product comes with a user guide, you will also
be able to find that within this product page.
A benefit of using Orbx Central is that it

automatically keeps your third-party content
up to date without intervention from you. You
can turn this function off for all or individual
products from the settings menu under the
auto-updates tab. If you would like to move
files from one hard drive to another to free
up space, you can create a new library via the
settings menu on different drives and move
individual products between libraries via the
products pages.

External Download and Manual Install
There are many products from websites all
over the internet that people use to enhance
their simming experience whether it be in the
form of new aircraft, liveries, missions, scenery,
or modifications. Downloading and installing
these products is easy but knowing where to
install them is rather tricky. First, we need to
start within Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Head to the options menu and select the

General settings pane. From here on the left-
hand side, click on developers and switch
‘developer mode’ on. You will now see a multi-
coloured graph on the right-hand side and a
black toolbar on the top. On the toolbar, click
on the Tools tab and scroll down to ‘virtual
file system’. Click the virtual file system and
a blue and black box will appear with some
subcategories. Navigate to and click on the
‘watched bases’ heading to reveal some file
locations.
You are looking for the file location of the

‘community’ folder within Microsoft Flight
Simulator. Hover your mouse over each of the
locations and look to the end of the string of
file names to find the one that ends with ‘/
community’. This is the location of the folder
you will install your third-party content to.
Make a note of the file structure where you
will find the community folder. To take the
simulator out of developer mode, simply turn
the function off using the same toggle you
used to display the information beforehand.
Away from Microsoft Flight Simulator, open

file explorer to show your folder system. At the
top of the window, you will see a ‘View’ tab.
Click the View tab and locate the show/hide
settings. You will see a check box for ‘hidden
items’, make sure this is checked as you will
need to access some hidden files.
Follow the string of folders you made a note

of to find your community folder. Each folder
level is separated with a backslash which
means that the folder after the backslash
will be located within the folder before the
backslash on your string. To check you are
moving in the correct direction, the bar at the
top of the window, just below the settings, will
start to resemble the string of folders you have
taken note of.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Once you have located your community folder,
it may be a good idea to pin this folder to your
quick access bar to allow you to find it easier
next time. Right-click on the community
folder, scroll down and click on ‘Pin to quick
access’.
When you have downloaded the product you

would like to use within the simulator, ensure
that the product is not in a zip or compressed
folder. If you need to extract the contents
of a zipped or compressed file, extract the
contents before simply copying and pasting
the file into the community folder that you
have just located.
To remove the third-party content from

Microsoft Flight Simulator, select the product
you want to uninstall and either delete the file
or move it to an alternative location on your
PC. Other vital files within the community
folder will cause issues with your simulator if
you remove them so be careful which files you
remove.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
NEW MARKETPLACE LAYOUT
With Sim Update 8 (released March 2022),
the in-sim Marketplace took on a new look.
This new look provides simmers with better
visibility of items within the marketplace and
also improved ways to find them in the system.
You can still access the in-sim Marketplace

from the main menu of the simulator.
Featured Products
Within the 'Featured Products' section, you will
see a range of products that are highlighted
by the Microsoft team, new releases, are on
sale or generally trending right now.
You will be able to scroll left/right to view more

products in their respective category.
Wishlist
A new 'Wishlist' menu option is also available
in the top-right side of the Marketplace. You
will be able to click on this and see which items
you have saved for later. This is useful for those
products you want to buy at a later stage.
Aircraft
Under this new section, you will be able to see
the range of aircraft available to buy through
the in-sim Marketplace. Aircraft are broken
down into various types such as Piston,
Turboprops, Jets and more. If you're looking for
new liveries, you can find those in this section,
too.
World
The new World section will showcase
landmarks and World Updates available to
buy. There are also environmental add-ons
(including our very own Weather Preset Pro),
along with scenery and traffic enhancement
tools.

Activities
Within Activities, you will be able to discover
new training tools (including this guide),
challenges and new discovery flights.
See All Category

Within each of these categories, you will also
be able to see all products. Click on the button
in the top-right called 'See All Category' and
you will see a list of all products in that section.
Here, you will be able to apply a range of filters,

such as type, creator, rating, those that are on
sale and more. You will also be able to sort
based on product price, rating and those that
are recommended.
Product Page
The product page itself remains unchanged
from before, meaning buying and
downloading is the same as it was before.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Airports
Whilst the changes with the other sections
are still somewhat similar, the new 'Airports'
section has seen a major overhaul in how you
can discover new airports.
The new section now has a world map that

lists all airports. From that world map, you can
see airports isntalled, those that are on sale
and more.
Airports On Sale
Airports Owned
Airport Available to Buy
On the world map, you can then click on the

icon to see what the airport is and the current
price and platform availability.

Searching the Map
You can also use the search bar on the map to
find airports that interest you.
Multiple Developers / Airport Options

Sometimes, more than one developer creates
the same airport. In this scenario, both
available options will be presented to you.
Filters
You can filter out airports that fit certain
criteria. For example, you can find airports
created by specific developers or those that
are on sale.
Seeing All Airports in List View

If the map view isn't for you, then you can use
the list view to see all airports.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
IN-SIM REPLAY SYSTEM
Since the release of the simulator, a much-
requested feature for many is a replay system.
The idea is to be able to fly and then rewind
time to watch what happened again, and
again and again. With Sim Update 7 (Game of
the Year Edition), the first steps to introduce
this were taken.
Although it's still very much in a 'beta'

type of phase, there is now a replay system
within the sim. It's not perfect, which has
been acknowledged by the developers, but
feedback will only help improve the tool over
time.
That said, there are many of you that will likely

want to know how to enable and use the tool
in its current state.
Enabling the Replay System

You will first need to enable 'Developer Mode'
through the GENERAL OPTIONS page. When
you turn this on, a new black-bar will appear at
the top of your screen. If it doesn't hover your
mouse towards the top of the screen to switch
see the developer mode bar.
From there click on 'Options' and look down

the list for 'Experimental'. Under that header
will be an option to toggle on/off "Enable
replay panel". By enabling this, you will now
have a new toolbar icon appear when in-flight.
Clicking this will then open up the 'Replay'
toolbar where you can now take advantage of
the reply functionality.
Using the Replay System

After you have opened up the replay system,
you will be presented with an all-too familiar
looking UI. It has been designed to look similar
to other in-sim applications such as the ATC
menu or the navlog.
Let's start with a brief overview of each section.
Sequence Recording
This section will allow you to start recording
every movement, button press and camera
change you make in the simulator.
When you press the 'record' button, you will
want to then set the sequence location. This
will start recording every movement or change
you make in the simulator. Once done, you can
name the sequence in the space provided (e.g.
take off) and then click the save icon.
Timeline Controls
After you have selected the sequence you
wish to use, the timeline will populate with
that specific sequence. This will include all
movements with your aircraft and the camera
movements. You will be able to pause, stop or
play the timeline from here. You can also drag
the cursor to a specific point on the timeline.
There are also two PLUS (+) icons in the

timeline controls. The LEFT PLUS is to save
the camera key change, the RIGHT PLUS is to
save a weather key change. What this means
is you can set a point in the timeline where
you want to adjust either the camera angle
or the weather. Providing it works, you should
then be able to watch the timeline back and
the camera or weather changes will happen at
those keyframes.
Camera Track Recording

After you have recorded your sequence, you
can then replay back the same flight, but you
may not want the camera angles you originally
had with that initial recording. To record the
replay with different cameras, you can add
new 'Camera Track' recordings. To do this,
replay the flight from the timeline controls,
and then click the record button under the
'Camera Track Recording' header to then
record with a new camera. This will give you
greater flexibility on how your replay is then
played back.
Load and Save

You can load and save recording files (as
JSONs) here.
Show/Hide UI
You can hide any HUD or user-interface
elements with this toggle. IMPORTANT: The replay mode is very much
in an 'experimental' phase. You will likely
Note: If you hide the UI and then close the experience issues or bugs. It is also not the
replay screen, you will need to restart the flight easiest tool to use. Once the replay tool gets
in order to fly again as you won't be able to see updated, we'll include more information on
any of the UI elements. how to use the tool.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
ENABLING DIRECT X 12 (OPTIONAL)
If you're using the simulator on PC, you may
be interested in using DirectX 12.
What is DirectX 12?

DirectX is a Microsoft-created graphics API
that gives developers tools to create lifelike
graphics, physics and more. The idea is that
instead of developers needing to create things
from scratch, they can use DirectX to hit the
ground running by using the in-built tools.
This is particularly important for PBR texturing
effects, lighting effects and particle effects.
Over the years, Microsoft has continuously

improved the capabilities of DirectX to include
more features and improve performance.
With the Xbox release of the simulator,

Microsoft opted to use DirectX 12 to have a
smooth running simulation with high-fidelity
graphics. The PC version of the simulator has
since been using DirectX 11.
Is DirectX 12 now in the PC version?

Yes.
DirectX 12 is now in the PC version of the

simulator since Sim Update 7 (Game of the
Year Edition).
That said, DirectX 12 is still in a 'Beta' phase

on PC and is not yet fully supported by the
development team.
Should I use DirectX 12?

In our opinion, the answer is "not yet". Right
now, DirectX 12 may cause some stability
issues or render graphics incorrectly.
Whilst some argue that DirectX 12 brings

enhanced-looking graphics and smoother
performance, it has been confirmed on
numerous occasions that at present, DirectX
12 has no real benefit for PC uses.

I'm prepared. How Can I enable it?
You can enable DirectX 12 through the
'Graphics' option in the GENERAL OPTIONS.
Head to the Graphics page and under the first

set of options is a new item called 'DirectX
Version'. You can toggle this between DX11 or
DX12 (Beta). Once you have made the switch,
be sure to 'Apply and Save'.
If you experience issues with DirectX 12, you

can head back to this page and change it back
to DX11.
If this is a beta, why is it included?

It has been added as many users were
requesting it. Furthermore, the developers
want to use this opportunity to gather
feedback as they continue to develop DX12 for
the simulator.
Will we see improved performance

and features in the future?
Yes. It has been said on many occasions that
the simulator will take full advantage of DX12
and its new capabilities in the future. Right
now, the team is focusing on ensuring it runs
stable on people's machines before adding
new features.
Will we update the guide to reflect

DX12 in the future?
Yes. Once DX12 is out of the 'Beta' phase, we will
update our performance guide accordingly to
ensure you maximise performance with your
simulator. Until that time, we, again, suggest
you stick to DX11.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
MS PAID DLC AIRCRAFT
In this new section, you will find everything Local Legend I: Junkers JU-52
there is to need to know about new Paid
The Junkers JU-52 was first released on
Downloadable aircraft being made specifically
September 28th 2021 following the World
for the new simulator. Note that this is not
Update that focused on Germany, Austria and
DLC developed by third-party developers in
Swizterland.
the usual way, but those that are released by
Microsoft as part of their own DLC coverage.
The Junker JU-52 was flown by 12 airlines and
was to carry both passengers and freight.
Aircraft Banners As time went on, the aircraft saw a large role
At the time of writing, it has been confirmed in the military, deploying troops and cargo
there are various aircraft releasing under during the Second World War. It was also
different banners. For example, when the briefly used as a medium bomber. However, it
Junkers JU-52 was released in 2021, it was is today maintained for aviation displays and
dubbed the first 'Local Legend'. Since then, aerial sightseeing.
additional banners have been given for other
aircraft. Here's what they mean below:
Local Legend
A Local Legend aircraft plans to release

alongside the World Updates that are taking
place once every two months. These aircraft
are known locally to the region that the
The Junkers JU-52 can be purchased through
World Update focuses on. For example, when
the in-sim Marketplace for $14.99.
World Update VIII was released with a focus
on Australia, the Fokker F.VII was released
alongside. The Fokker V.II has a significant
Local Legend II: Fokker F.VII
meaning in Australia with Sir Charles Kingsford
Smith flying the Southern Cross across the The Fokker F.VII was first manufactured in
Pacific from Australia to North America. the Netherlands and helped to advance the
world of aviation during the 1920 and 1930s.
Adventurers around the world took advantage
Famous Flyers of the versatile aircraft to discover unexplored
areas of the world.
The Famous Flyers are aircraft that will release

alongside Sim Updates. These are aircraft that The Fokker V.II has a range of 750 miles and a
are famous for a number of reasons and don't cruise speed of 111mph. The plane can carry 8
necessarily tie into a specific region of the passengers or up to 5,000lbs of cargo, thus it
world. quickly became famous for airmail and cargo
operations.
The Fokker F.VII can be purchased through

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Famous Flyer I: Beechcraft Model 17 Coming Soon -
Staggerwing Famous Flyer II: Granville Gee Bee
The Beechcraft Model 17 was first released on Model Z and model R
March 1st 2022 following the release of Sim
These blazing fast race aircraft were first built
Update VIII.
in the 1920s and quickly spurred competitive
flying. They are super fast, nimble and a truly
This biplane boasts a cruise speed of 202 mph capable aircraft.
(341 km/h, 184 kts), has a range of over 580nm
and can carry up to nearly 2,000kg on its legs.
All of this makes it one of the most comfortable
and exciting planes that were developed in
the 1930s.
The aircraft comes with a wide range of liveries

and has been built specifically for the new
simulator. You can watch the trailer above to
see just how versatile this historic plane is.
The Gee Bee Model Z and Model R can be
purchased through the in-sim Marketplace for
$14.99.
The Beechcraft Model 17 can be purchased

through the in-sim Marketplace for $14.99.
Local Legend III: Dornier D J Wal

The Dornier Do J Wal was first released on
March 29th 2022 following the release of World
Update VIII: Iberia.
The DO J Wal was pivotal to many explorers

thanks to its ability to land almost anywhere in
the world. It managed to help those seeking
adventure take on trips that were previously
through to be unimaginable such as crossing
the Atlantic or flying to Antarctica.
The Fokker F.VII can be purchased through


V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INSTALLING
WALKTHROUGH THE DEVELOPER SDK
AIRLINER TRAINING FLIGHTS

HELPING YOU GET STARTED WITH THE AIRLINERS
Now included with the default simulator is an

all-new airliner training module to help you
get to grips with an airliner aircraft. In the two
tutorial missions, you will learn how to take off
an Airbus A320NEO and also how to land the
aircraft.
The pair of missions take place at Nice Cote

d'Azur Airport (LFMN) and will take you around
20 minutes to complete.
Both missions can be completed using

any controller and will also teach some key
phrases and words that are common across
jetliner aircraft. There are also some tips and
tricks for you to learn about Airbus-specific
phraseology.
Accessing the Missions

To get access to these new Airliner Training
packs, you will need to head to the training
section from the main menu. From there,
select 'Airliner Training' and you will see two
options:
1. A320 Take-Off
2. A320 Landing

1 - A320 TAKE-OFF
Key Learnings:
• Read take-off speeds on the MCDU
• Identify the different detents on the thrust
levers
• Monitor the Primary Flight Display to
identify speeds
• Refine pitch attitude using the Flight
Director during initial climb.
Overview:
Airliners are more complex to learn, but the
fundamentals are the same. This course will
teach you how to get in the air with a few steps.
Introduction
Welcome to your first lesson in the Airbus
A320NEO. Your goal with this mission is to get
airborne safely.
Upon loading the mission, your instructor will

give you a brief introduction to fly-by-wire and
what is required of you to take off.
One element your instructor mentions is

the use of autothrust. Once you have set the
placement of the throttle detent (more on
that in a second), your aircraft will maintain
the speed selected by the autopilot. This will
help you to focus on flying whilst keeping your
aircraft at a safe speed.
Verifying Speeds
Your first job is to verify the take-off speeds for
this aircraft. This aircraft is bigger, heavier and
needs more power to get into the air. Press
CTRL+5 to shift your viewpoint to the Multi-
Function Control and Display Unit (MCDU)
and you will see the various speeds you should
note.
V1 - 125
VR - 131
V2 - 137

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
The Need for Speed!
You may have noticed that the FMC says three different speeds. These all mean different things and all
need to be known to the pilot.
V1 - "DECISION SPEED"
If your aircraft is below this speed, and you develop a fault (e.g. engine failure), then you should abort
the take-off by using your brakes and bringing the throttles to idle/reverse thrust. If you develop a fault
at or above this speed, then you should proceed with the take-off and deal with the issue in the air.
The reason for this is the V1 speed is calculated so you know at which point you will no longer have any
stopping distance on the runway to safely stop.
VR - "ROTATE"
At this speed, you should gently pull the nose up to start adding lift to your aircraft to begin taking off.
Don't pull back too forceful or else you could scrape the tail on the floor, causing a lot of damage.
V2 - "TAKE OFF SAFETY SPEED"

This is the speed at which you can climb your aircraft even in the event of an engine failure. At this point,
all of your wheels should now be in the air.
Are there other V Speeds?

Yes, there are plenty of V Speeds out there and they all mean different things. We will cover more
throughout this guide and in future tutorials and missions.
Now that you have checked the MCDU for

your take-off speeds, you will want to make
sure they are listed correctly on your Primary
Flight Display (PFD). Press CTRL + 1 to pan your
view to the PFD.
On the PFD, you will see your V-SPEEDS

applied. Your V1 speed (125) is displayed in
blue, whilst your V2 speed (137) is in magenta.
Understanding the Thrust Levers

Press CTRL + 6 to change your view to the
throttle quadrant on the center panel. Your
instructor will take you through each of the
detents on the quadrant. You can find more
details on each detent on the next page of this
guide.
Once you are aware, change your view to the

engine display to be told that the parking
brake is currently applied.

Get Ready to Take Off
Before you can take off, you will need to release
the parking brake. Press the key assigned to
the parking brake to release it.
Performing a Flex Take Off

With the parking brake released, you are ready
to apply power to your aircraft. Gently move the
thrust levers forward about halfway and keep
your eyes on the engine display. Apply power
until both engines show 50% on the N1 display.
Once they are stable, move your thrust levers
to the FLX detent to apply take-off power.
FLX will now appear in blue on the PFD to

indicate which thrust mode you're in.
What Is a Detent?
A detent is commonly found on Airbus aircraft, but
can appear on others too. It's like a 'gate' system for
each stage for the thrust levers. Each detent has a
different function.
1 - 0 - Idle Thrust
This is idle thrust, which means no additional
power is being sent to your aircraft's engines. The
engines will continue to run at a low rate to ensure
power is applied to the aircraft
2 - CL - Climb Thrust
After take-off, pilots will use CL alongside the
autothrottle to keep a constant speed. This is
different from Maximum Continuous Thrust
(MCT) as your aircraft will automatically apply or
reduce power depending on the speed selected.
This setting is usually applied a few minutes after
take-off and will be left in this position until you are
about to touch down.
3 - FLX/MCT - Flex / Maximum Continuous Thrust

This setting is most common during take-off. If
pilots used TOGA for each take-off, it would cause
excessive wear and fuel usage. So to mitigate this,
pilots will use FLX/MCT to use less thrust during
take-off, thus saving fuel and wear on the engines.
4 - TOGA - Take Off / Go Around

Pilots will use this detent when they require full
power from the aircraft. This is typically on short
runways or where there may be some obstacles
ahead and the pilots need maximum power to
clear the path below. Likewise, pilots will use this
detent setting when performing a go-around
during the landing procedure.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Watch Your Speed
With take-off power now applied, you will
want to keep your eyes on your speed. You will
see a yellow line appear on your speed tape
and this will indicate whether you're speeding
up, or slowing down. The length of the line
also indicates the velocity at which you are
gaining/losing speed.
On the PFD, your speed will start to increase

quickly. As you reach 80 knots, your instructor
will call this figure out to you. You won't need
to do anything, but it's usually called out in
real life to ensure both pilots are aware of what
is going on.
As you gain speed, you will need to use your

rudder to keep yourself on the centerline.
Your aircraft is relatively light so you will gain

speed very quickly. You will soon reach your
V-SPEEDS. Your speeds will appear on the PFD.
As you pass through them, your instructor will
call out "ROTATE", giving you the instruction to
slowly pull back on your stick to pull the nose
up. As you pull up, your aircraft will start to lift
off of the ground and into the air. You should
aim to be fully airborne by the time you reach
your V2 speed (137).
Positive Rate...
...gear up! Now that you're in the air, you should
be bringing your landing gear up to stow them
into their bays.
Once you have put the gear up, it's time to

engage the autopilot. Press AP1 to engage
the autopilot and the plane will stay on the
runway's heading and continue to climb.

Climb Speed and Clean Up
Now that you're safely in the air and climbing,
there are a few things left for you to complete.
First, check your PFD. You will likely see that

your airspeed is climbing still quite rapidly.
This is because your thrust levers are in the
FLX/MCT detent. Your aircraft is supplying
your maximum continuous thrust without
respecting the speed restriction on your
autopilot.
On your PFD, you will see LVR CLB blinking in

white text. This means you will need to change
your thrust setting to the CL detent. Pull your
thrust lever back ever so slightly so that your
levers sit in the CL gate. Your autothrust will
now kick in and you will see your engine power
decrease as your aircraft either accelerates or
slows to your selected airspeed.
With the thrust setting now correct, you will

need to clean up the aircraft. First, check on
your PFD to ensure that your speed is above
the 'S' on the speed tape. If so, you can now
retract the flaps to 0. The 'S' stands for 'Slat
retraction speed' and is the minimum speed
at which you can safely retract them to 0.
Now that the flaps are put away, your last job is
to disarm the ground spoilers. To do this, click
on the spoiler arm (highlighted blue) and you
will see it animate into a lower posistion. This
indicates your spoilers are now disarmed.
Once you have done that, you have completed

a successful take-off in the Airbus A320NEO.
Time to learn how to land!

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
2 - A320 LANDING
Key Learnings:
• Conduct pre-landing checks
• Practice fly-by-wire controls
• Read PAPI lights to maintain optimal
approach angle
• Set idle thrust and flare for a smooth
landing
Overview:
With your take-off in an airliner complete, it's
now time to learn to land the jet. You are a
few miles out from the runway at Nice's Cote
d'Azur Airport and you will need to pilot the
aircraft to a safe landing.
Introduction
The sun is setting over France and you're on
final approach into the airport.
When you load up the mission, your instructor

will confirm you are on a visual approach to
the airport.
As you learned in the take-off tutorial,

autothrust will control your speed until you
disengage the throttle using the detents. If
you take a look, you will notice that you're in
the CL position. This will make your landing
easier as you will need to focus only on having
a stable path down to the runway.
Fly-By-Wire In Action
Before you take control of the aircraft, your
instructor will give you a quick overview of
how the onboard fly-by-wire system works.
As the pilot, you will only need to make small
and minor adjustments to stay lined up. This
is important so that you don't stray too far off
course when approaching the airport.

Lining Up and PAPI Lights
Since you will be focusing primarily on flying What Are PAPI Lights?
the aircraft, there are two elements you will Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)
have to consider: your lateral navigation and lights are used by pilots to help determine
your vertical navigation. the altitude of the aircraft in relation to
the runway. It’s a visual guide to help
pilots maintain the correct approach
Your lateral navigation is your ability to stay path to the runway. PAPIs are usually
aligned to the runway ahead of you. As your made up of 4 lights (red and white) and
instructor will point out, you can use the screw change depending on the altitude of the
above the PFD to keep your aircraft aligned approaching aircraft.
with the centre of the runway. By keeping the
screw in the middle of the runway, you will be
on track to land in the middle of the runway. What do the lights mean?
Each combination has a meaning. You
Your vertical navigation is all about keeping may need to adjust your approach.
your aircraft on the glide path with the runway.
You don't want to approach the runway too Too High
low, nor do you want to be too high. To help,
runways have something called PAPI lights
Slightly High
to guide you and keep your vertical profile
aligned with the runway. The overview of PAPI
lights on your left will help you understand On Glide Slope
what each of the lights represents.
Slightly Low
Following this explanation from your instructor,
you will have full control of your aircraft.
Too Low
Testing the Controls

Once you have control, you should test the
controls yourself and see how the plane
handles. Gently push, pull and tilt the stick
to get a feel for how little input is required
to move the aircraft. You will also notice that
once you release the stick, the aircraft will
continue flying in the direction you've moved
it to. This is the fly-by-wire technology kicking
in. Aircraft without the fly-by-wire technology
will roll back, whereas this Airbus will continue
to fly based on the input you gave it.
Once you are happy with the handling of

the aircraft, it's time to align yourself with
runway 04R. Remember to use the screw as a
reference point to keep your lateral navigation
as central as possible to the runway.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Approaching the Runway
In this tutorial, everything has already been set
for you. Your gear is already lowered and your
flaps are out in full. This means your only focus
is to approach the runway and land.
Continue to approach the runway, ensuring

you maintain a nice centre line and that you
keep on the glideslope by following the PAPI
lights.
Providing you haven't turned off the autothrust

and the thrust levers are still in the CL detent,
you won't need to worry about your speed
either.
As you start to approach the runway, you

will need to start considering your flare and
reducing your throttles to idle.
Above the Threshold

With you now above the threshold of the
runway, you will start to hear audible callouts
informing you of how high you are relative to
the ground. For example, you will hear:
"100"
"50"
"40"
..and so forth.
You will also hear another callout: "retard." This

callout is an instruction to you to now gently
reduce the throttles from the CL detent to the
idle detent. If you don't, then your aircraft will
continue to provide power to your plane when
you touch down making it impossible to stop.
Once you have reduced the engine power

to idle, you will also need to start flaring your
aircraft. Gently pull back on the stick to raise
the nose, but not too much. At this point, your
aircraft should continue to descend, but also
provide a smoother landing experience for
you (and your passengers).

Slowing Down to a Complete Stop
Once you touch down, your autobrake (which
was already set for you) will kick in and
start slowing you down. Whilst your in-sim
instructor won't advise you to, you are also
able to engage reverse thrust to your aircraft
to help slow you down even faster.
To engage reverse thrust, you will need to use

a key command (F2) or the assigned button
on your hardware to bring the throttle detent
to the REV zone. Depending on how far down
into the zone you go will depend on how
much reverse thrust power you send to the
engines. Full reverse thrust is usually reserved
for very short runways or when the runway
is contaminated and the pilots deem it a
requirement to add full reverse thrust. Using
it regularly will damage the engines and
deteriorate the life cycle of the engines.
Once your airspeed reaches 60 knots, you

can disengage reverse thrust and return your
throttle levers back to the idle position. Having
your reversers engaged below this speed will
damage the engine and possibly the runway/
nearby areas.
Also, once you reach this speed, you can now

engage manual braking to complete your
slow down until you reach a full and complete
stop. Manual braking will give you much more
control over how quickly you slow down so
that you can safely turn off the runway and
specific turn off points. In this tutorial, you
won't need to turn off, you simply need to stop
on the runway.
After you do come to a complete stop, you

will have finished both of the airliner tutorials
included with the simulator.
Advanced Tutorial
If learning the basics of take-off and landing in
the Airbus was rewarding for you, you should
try your hand at completing our in-depth
flight from San Francisco to Seattle. Click the
button to jump straight to that tutorial.
In future updates to this guide, we'll have even

more advanced tutorials to help you become Fly Our Tutorial
an even greater pilot with the Airbus aircraft.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
NEW FLIGHT TRAINING
New with Sim Update 7
Sim Update 7, better known as the Game of the
Year update, added a range of new tutorials
for everyone to get to grips with. These new
training sessions were created in order to help
newcomers and experienced simmers enjoy
different ways of flying.
We still recommend that you complete the

'Basic Handling', 'Take-Off and Landing', and
the 'VFR Navigation' courses first.
Bush Pilot
In this series of flight training, you will be able
to get to grips with flying in different locations
that have gravel runways, mountain flying or
water operations. Using the Icon A5, you will
experience a range of different missions to
get used to diffrent scenarios. These scenarios
include:
• Short-Field Takeoff
• Short0Field Landing
• Updrafts
• Downdrafts
• Water Takeoff
• Water Landing
• Bush Flying Test
Once you have completed these courses,

you will be better equipped to land almost
anywhere in the world.

IFR Navigation
Learn how to fly in IFR (Instrument Flying
Rules) conditions with this series of lessons.
You will learn how to climb and fly inside cloud,
control your speed and navigate using VOR
and NDBs. Plus, there's a test at the end to see
how well you've picked all this information up.
In the IVFR Navigation training, you will take
part in the following scenarios:
• Climb and Descent

• Turning
• Speed Controls
• VOR Basics
• NDB Basics
• ILS Approach
• IFR Test

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INSTALLING
TUTORIAL FLIGHT THE DEVELOPER SDK
TOP RUDDER SOLO 103

SEE NIAGARA FALLS IN THIS SLOW AIRCRAFT
As the first downloadable aircraft for the

simulator developed by Asobo Studio, we
wanted to provide you with a short tutorial on
how to make the most of this unique ultralight
aircraft.
The aircraft itself is nicely detailed, but there

are a few things to be aware of with the plane.
Whilst you do get some panoramic views, it
also travels very slowly and is quick to change
course once the wind picks up. As such, you
do need to treat the plane with care and be
prepared to handle it gently.
Your Flight for Today

As this aircraft is all about uniquely seeing
landmarks, your flight today will be short
and sweet over Niagara Falls. You will start at
Niagara Falls International Airport (KIAG) and
fly west towards the iconic landmark.
In your simulator, select the aircraft from the

aircraft selector and position yourself at gate
1 at Niagara Falls International Airport (KIAG).
Set the time of day to any point during the
day and select a preset of your choice. For this
tutorial, we chose to depart at 5 pm local and
used the 'Scattered Cloud' preset.

How to Get the Aircraft
The Top Rudder Solo 103 is paid downloadable
content from the in-sim Marketplace.
To get the aircraft, you will first need to navigate

to the Marketplace from the main menu.
You can use the search functionality within

the 'full catalogue' section to locate the Top PAID DLC
Rudder Solo 103.
Top Rudder Solo 103
Designed in 2017, the Top

Rudder Solo 103 is an ultralight
aircraft weighing less than
250 pounds. It typically travels
at just over 50mph with a stall
speed of 28mph. Interestingly,
the aircraft doesn't require a
pilot certificate or even FAA
registration.
Facts and Figures

Click on the thumbnail and open up the Max Take-Off Weight
product page. Here you can read more about 250kg

the aircraft, what the product includes and
Maximum Passengers
also pricing information. At the time of writing, 1
the Top Rudder 103 Solo by Asobo Studios cost
$9.99. Max Altitude
10,000ft
Range
80nm
Cruise Speed
50 KTAS
First Flew
2018
To buy and install, click on the 'Buy and

Download' button. After you have paid for it,
the product will automatically install into your
simulator. You will be able to access the Top
Rudder Solo 103 directly from your aircraft
selection page, including a range of liveries.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Navigating the Aircraft
Once you're in the aircraft, you will notice how
little you have in the cockpit. It's hardly even a
cockpit and you have very limited information
to help you with your flying.
Avionics
Speed Exhaust
Temp
Indicator
Rudder Pedals (L) Rudder Pedals (R)
Control Stick
Throttle Controls
(not pictured)
YOUR AIRCRAFT
As you can see, the aircraft has very few
controls and information for you as the pilot.
With that in mind, you will have to rely heavily
on your visual flying skills, whilst keeping a
close eye on the weather. This aircraft should
not be flown through clouds (risk of icing), nor
is it advisable to fly in windy conditions.
Now that you have a good understanding

of the layout, it is time for you to start the
checklist to get your aircraft off the ground
and start your tour of Niagara Falls.

Starting the Aircraft
As this is a new aircraft, you should use the
integrated checklists to help you get started.
Using the menu icon, click on the checklist and
bring up the 'Before Starting Engine' checklist.
This will be useful for you to familiarise yourself
with parts of the aircraft. Use the 'eye' view to
highlight specific parts and complete each of
the items in the checklist. As you started this
flight at the gate, you will find the aircraft in a
cold and dark state and these checklist items
are already completed. If they are, 'tick item'
for them and move onto the 'Starting Engine'
checklist.
Within the checklist, you will need to check

that the standby flight instruments are set,
followed by turning on the Master switch.
Turning this on will show a green light appear
on the avionics panel, indicating you have
battery power to your aircraft. Make sure that
your throttle is in the idle position and pull
back on the control stick to prevent the aircraft
from falling forward when you start the plane.
Apply the brakes, ensure the aircraft is clear
of (virtual) people and finally press the 'Start'
button to engage the engine.
Almost immediately you will see the propellers

ahead spin and the RPM will be displayed on
your aircraft's main panel. Now that you have
your engine running, complete the 'After
Starting Engine' checklist. As you run through
the checklist, you will want to make sure that
your radiator temperature is nice and warm to
ensure that you get good climb performance
when leaving the ground shortly. However, be
sure to keep it below 90 degrees centigrade.
Once you have finished the 'After Starting

Engine' checklist, you are ready to start taxiing
to the runway.
For today's flight, you are going to depart from

runway 06. You will need very little runway to
get up in the air, plus from your current stand,
the taxi is quite short.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Why Is My Engine Off?
After following the procedures to get your engine
switched on, you may notice that after a few
moments the propeller stops spinning. This is
actually a feature of the aircraft and not an issue.
The aircraft uses a clutch-like system, which causes

the propeller to stop spinning when the throttle is
idle.
Apply a little bit of power to your aircraft and you

will immediately see the engine fire back up and
start spinning. Your RPM will also dramatically go
up indicating to you that everything is working as
it should.
Taxiing and Take-Off

Now that you're ready to go, taxi to the holding
point for runway 06. Once there, hold short of
the runway as you will need to complete your
pre-departure checks.
Pull up the 'Before Take Off' checklist and now

go through each of them.
First, your nose should be facing against the

wind, whilst the tail wheel should be straight.
As you are departing on runway 06, you may
need to slightly spin the aircraft around to
ensure you can do this. Now, apply full manual
brakes whilst you test the flight controls
are free and can travel fully. With your flight
controls checked, pull back on the stick and
start the engine run-up tests.
Push the throttle slightly forward to have an

RPM of around 5000, keeping your brakes
firmly on. When you have achieved that RPM,
press and hold 'TEST 1' for 2 seconds. Your
RPM will drop slightly, but your engine should
continue to run. Do the same again for 'TEST 2'.
Your next check is to ensure that your engine
cutoff works. With the engines still producing
an RPM of 5000, press 'TEST 1' and 'TEST 2'
immediately after one another. Your engine
and master switch will instantly turn off. This
is the correct result. Now turn the MASTER
switch back on and press the 'START' button
to bring your engine back to life. Return your
throttle to idle.
With the checks complete, line up on the

runway.

Getting Airborne
Line up, wait on the runway and familiarise
yourself with the 'Normal Take Off' checklist.
The most important thing to note is the
rotation speed of the aircraft is just 28mph.
You will be airborne before you know it.
Once you're ready, apply full power on the

throttle and keep an eye on your speed. Once
you reach 28mph, pull back at a 10-degree
angle and you'll quickly float off of the runway.
Navigation
By now, you will have realised there are no
instruments on board to tell you your heading
or your altitude and you'll notice there's also no
map. This means you will be flying this aircraft
visually the entire journey.
Once you have reached the end of the runway,

you will want to perform a roughly 180-degree
turn. Ensure you have climbed enough to clear
any obstructions down below.
After you pass above the threshold of runway

06, continue flying straight at a cruising speed
of around 50mph until you reach the Niagara
River.
As you reach the river, make a right-hand turn

and continue following it until you reach the
famous falls. You will eventually fly over North
Grand Island Bridge and soon have Niagara
Falls and Goat Island all in plain view.
Remember to be conscious of any shift in the

wind as it's very easy to enter a stall scenario.
If you do, release the stick, increase power to
full and gradually reclaim the aircraft from
the stall. The Top Rudder Solo 103 is versatile,
you'll need to operate the aircraft with some
precision to ensure you fly safely.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Explore the Falls
After a slow but scenic flight, you will eventually
reach Niagara Falls. The iconic and visually
pleasing natural beauty spot is well represented
in the simulator and has plenty of places
to check out. See the falls, fly over Robinson
Island or overfly Rainbow International Bridge.
The design of the ultralight aircraft means you
can see everything from almost any angle. If
you own a VR headset, we highly recommend
you repeat this tutorial using it for one of the
most immersive experiences you'll have in a
flight simulator.
Time to Head Back

Whilst you may be having plenty of fun, you
will eventually have to return to the airport.
You don't have the equipment on board for
night flying and certainly not if the weather
gets bad. Once you've finished with your
exploration of Niagara Falls, climb to a sensible
altitude and get ready to follow the river bank.
How you return to the airport is up to you, but

if you need help, our advice would be to follow
the river until you overfly North Grand Bridge
again. Once you're overhead the busy bridge,
change your direction 45 degrees to the left
(you will need to guess as you don't have any
onboard instruments) and eventually you will
see the airport.
Today, you will be landing on runway 06.
Approach, Landing and Shutdown

Continue heading towards the airport and
position yourself for an approach on runway
06. As you get closer, open up the checklist and
run through any checklist items that you need
to. Your approach speed should be around 26
KIAS or 30mph.
As you approach the threshold, reduce power

to idle and let the plane land on the runway. As
you slow down, pull back on the control stick
to ensure that your aircraft doesn't fall forward
onto the nose. You won't need to apply any
braking force as the aircraft will slow down
quickly by itself.

Taxi to parking stand 1 and hold the brakes
down as you complete the 'Shutdown'
checklist.
It's worth noting that before you can turn off

the master switch, you will need to let your
engine cool down for 5 minutes first to prevent
damage in the future.
Once you have turned off the master switch,

you have completed your first tour in the Top
Rudder Solo 103.
Here are some other locations where this

aircraft is perfectly suited:
• African plains looking for wildlife

• Egyptian pyramids
• Grand Canyon
• St Barts in the Carribean

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INSTALLING
ICON A5 Standard
DISCOVER NEW ZEALAND ACROSS LAND, AIR AND SEA

ICON A5
A lightweight, amphibious
aircraft. You will be able to
land on both land and water
In this tutorial flight, you will be learning what with this versatile aircraft.
it takes to operate an amphibious aircraft from This plane is purely designed
both dry land and water. You will also be taking for fun and with the fantastic
a look at the Icon A5, its systems, capabilities water dynamics already
and how to operate the aircraft on the ground, demonstrated by Microsoft,
on the water and in the air. this plane should be a hit.
This Tutorial Will Cover: Facts and Figures

Max Take-Off Weight
686kg
• Setting up the aircraft from cold and dark
Maximum Passengers
• Take off from dry land 1
• Handling and operations of the ICON A5 in Max Altitude

the air 15,000ft
• Water landing Range
• Water take-off 427nm
• Step taxi Cruise Speed

85 KTAS / 158 km/h
• Landing on dry land
• Shutdown and securing the aircraft First Flew
15 July 2008
As a prerequisite, you should have general

skills in aircraft handling and some experience Did you know?
using the Garmin flight computer.
The A5 features a unique
Angle of Attack indicator that
simplifies flying and instantly
informs the pilot how much
more is possible to ask of the
aircraft.

About the Aircraft
The Icon A5 is a two-seater light-sport propeller
aircraft that has amphibious capabilities which
means you can utilise dry land and waterways
should you need to land on your route. The
light-sport aircraft certification classification
allows pilots to operate the aircraft with the
considerably cheaper Sport Pilot Licence.
Although cheap to fly, the ICON A5 is priced

upwards of $289,000 making it one of the
most expensive Light-Sport aircraft on the
market. The ICON A5 is equipped with a
‘full airframe parachute system’ that can be
deployed should the aircraft and pilot get
into an unrecoverable situation, although, you
shouldn’t be needing that today.
Your Flight Today

Your flight today will take you to the land of
Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and
the South Island of New Zealand. You start at
Gorge River Field, located on the mouth of the
River Gorge where it meets the Tasman Sea on
the South West coast. Gorge Field is home to
a single family and is located in such a remote
area, it is only accessible on foot, by air or by
sea.
You will head through the valleys, following

three rivers towards Queenstown. Your
destination is Glenorchy, a small lakeside town
that became the set of many films such as The
Chronicles of Narnia and X-Men Originals: The
Wolverine.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Taking a look at your routing
After take-off from Gorge River Field, you will
head over Jackson Bay and into the valley that
the Gorge River has created over the past few
thousand years, working your way inland to
Lake Wilmot. You will try your hand at a water
landing here.
Following the Pyke River, you will then work

your way to Lake Alabaster, a slightly larger
lake, perfect for one or two water landings
and take-offs. From there, it’s a steady climb,
following the mountain valley and the
Hollyford River to find yourself climbing over
the mountain ridge to Lake McKellar where
you might want to try your new-found skills at
a very challenging water landing with limited
space, at altitude.
You then make your way through to Lake

Wakatipu where you find Pigeon and Pig
island and the final destination of your tour,
the town and airfield of Glenorchy, just north
of Queenstown.
Setting Up Your Flight

Head to the aircraft selection page and select
the ICON A5. The aircraft should already have
50% fuel and a loadout for your trip. Next, set
your departure point to Gorge River Field,
NZQE and the arrival airport to Glenorchy,
NZGY. This should set a direct GPS line
between your departure and destination. For
time and weather, select the scattered cloud
preset and the local time of 1400. Now, head
out flying!
Welcome to New Zealand

You will find yourself at the foot of runway 32
at Gorge River Field. You will need to do a few
checks before firing up the engine so take a
look around the aircraft and the cockpit. Go
ahead and turn the main battery by pressing
the master battery button to the right of the
key located in the bottom left corner of the
cockpit panel.
This will bring the gauges and the Garmin

to life using the battery power. You should
see some illuminated messages on the
annunciator panel too.

Your Cockpit
If you have a keen eye for detail, you will notice
the cockpit of the ICON A5 doesn’t have many
of the typical flight instruments you would find
in other aircraft. The main flight instrument
that is missing on the ICON A5 is a heading
indicator.
The Garmin system does include a 3D Vision

feature which includes heading information.
In map view, you can guestimate your current
heading as the map view will appear in the
same orientation, ‘north up. This means that
the top of the screen is north so if your aircraft
icon is facing to the right of the map, you will
be heading east.
AOA
Indicator
Garmin
Display
Airspeed
Indicator
Pressures, temps, magnetos.
Flaps and Gear

and radio
YOUR AIRCRAFT
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Cockpit Preparation
Check that the landing gear lever is in
the down position and notated by the red
illuminated aircraft light and the flap lever is in
the 15 degree, take-off position. As you will be
taking off from land, you will need to ensure
the water rudder is also in the up position. To
check that all of the annunciator lamps are
working, hold down the test button, to the
right of the illuminated messages and all of
the warning messages should light up.
The final checklist item before you get the

engine started is to switch all the relevant
external lights on. You will require all external
lights on for the duration of this flight, so go
ahead and switch them all to the on position.
Starting Engines
To get the engine started, start by switching
the fuel selector to the on position. You will
find this just behind the pilot’s head, on the
roof of the A5. Advance the throttle until it is
around 50% open. Check that the area around
the aircraft is clear and slowly turn the ignition
switch clockwise to the ‘start’ position. Hold
the switch in this position for 1-2 seconds, until
the engine catches and starts. Release the
ignition switch to the ‘both’ position.
Now the engine is running, reduce the

throttle to around 2000RPM. Check that the
engine is running well by making sure that
the Oil Pressure, Oil Temperature and Water
Temperature gauges are indicating in the
green – it may take some time for the engine
to warm up to these parameters.
You won’t be dealing with Air Traffic Control

today so you won’t need to set the radio but
you will need to set the transponder to 1200,
VFR for New Zealand, and turn it to the ‘on’
position.

Preparing to Depart
Before you take off, you need to ensure the
engine is working correctly at a higher RPM.
This process is called an ‘engine run up’. With
the parking brake engaged, advance the
throttle to 4000RPM.
When the engine is stable at a higher speed,

switch the ignition to the ‘B’ position for 6
seconds. You will see that the RPM will reduce
slightly as you turn the ignition from two to
one magneto. Turn the ignition switch back to
‘both’ to see the RPM return to 4000. Repeat
this but select the ‘A’ position and then back
to both. Return the throttle to idle and check
the engine instruments are within the green
boundaries.
Set the trim for take-off and roll the control

stick in a 360-degree motion to check the flight
controls are free and correct. You may want to
visually check that you can see the ailerons on
the wing moving as they should too.
Taking Off
Release the parking brake with your foot
brakes engaged. Advance the throttle to full
power and gently release the brakes. You will
feel the aircraft pulling to the right. This is due
to the force, or ‘torque’, on the aircraft created
by the rotating propeller. Traditionally, single
propeller driven aircraft will pull to the left
on take-off, but as the ICON A5’s propeller is
facing rearwards, the force pulls the aircraft in
the opposite direction.
Keep the aircraft in the centre of the runway as

the speed begins to build. At 50 knots, slowly
pull the stick back until you are airborne. Climb
away from the airport and try to maintain
between 50 and 60 knots by increasing or
decreasing your pitch attitude. Select the
landing gear and flaps to the up position and
roll the aircraft downwind to the strip.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Flying an Icon
Keep the right-hand turn until you can visually
see the opening to the canyon immediately to
the left of the runway threshold. Fly through
the opening and bear left to follow the Gorge
river and valley. As the valley floor opens up to
a vast forest area, keep your eyes on the river
or the map view in the Garmin. The river flows
into a fork, take the right-hand fork and follow
it southwards. Continue the climb to around
2000ft and reduce the power to around
5000RPM.
Use your trim to stable the aircraft in the

cruise. On the Garmin, the river continues in
a south-easterly direction but the dark green
valley contour on the Garmin map follows a
southerly direction. At the point where the
river and the valley diverge, follow the valley
further south to pick up with the Pyke River.
The Pyke River will come into view on the
nose, at the foot of a large mountain at your 12
o'clock, noticeable by the chalk-like clearings
on the riverbank.
Once atop the river, you should be able to

see ‘Big Bay’ off your right wing. Follow the
Pyke River as it slowly bends left around the
mountainside. Your first water landing spot
will appear through the valley a couple of
miles away.
Visual With Lake Wilmot

Once you are visual with Lake Wilmot, it is
a good time to think about preparing the
aircraft for a water landing. Reduce your
power to around 3500RPM and lower the nose
to around 5 degrees below the horizon to start
descending.
When the A5 is at around 70knots, move the

flap lever into the fully down position, check
that the water rudder and landing gear are in
the up position, these are likely to be damaged
or torn off should they be extended.
Verify that you are configured for a water

landing by the blue backlit indicator. Position
the aircraft to the right of the river as it flows
into the lake. Look at the Angle of Attack
indicator as you descend.

You will notice that the white needle will rest
lower than the green marker on the gauge in
normal flight, meaning that the angle of the
wing to the airflow is producing lots of lift. As
you slow the aircraft, the white needle will
start to move towards the white marker. Try
to manage the power and angle of descent to
ensure the AOA indicator maintains the white
indicator line. The ICON A5 will slow to around
50 knots as you approach the lake, if you
maintain the white indicator line, the aircraft
should descend at the appropriate rate and
pitch to settle onto the water without much
need for additional handling.
Water Landing
By maintaining the white indicator on the
AOA gauge, the aircraft will flare and touch the
water without you having to give the process
much thought. When you touch down on the
water, the aircraft will rapidly slow down due
to the resistance between the aircraft and the
water, this is called hydrodynamic braking. To
ensure the nose doesn’t pitch down into the
water and to maximise the hydrodynamic
braking effect, keep full back pressure on the
flight controls the whole time you are on the
water.
Congratulations on your first water landing!
Splash Down
You will notice that as you slow the aircraft
down, it becomes quite hard to control in
terms of direction and will likely be pushed
by the prevailing wind and wave direction to
point into the wind.
Water-based crafts become more responsive at

higher speeds than at low speeds, particularly
without any water rudders. Take a look on
the Garmin for situational awareness, check
that you have at least 50% of the lake in front
of you for take-off. If you have less than 50%,
extend the water rudder for better authority
on the water and slowly increase power to
manoeuvre the aircraft into position using the
rudder, facing due south along Lake Wilmot.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Water Take-Off
Once you are in position for take-off, check that
your flaps are in the fully down position with
the landing gear and water rudder is in the
up position and verify you are configured for
water-based operations with the blue backlit
indicator. Maintain back pressure on the stick
and push the throttle all the way forward to
6000RPM.
When the aircraft is at around 20-25 knots,

slightly release back pressure on the flight
controls but don’t centre them. You will feel
the aircraft lift ever so slightly, this will also give
you more control over the aircraft in terms of
direction using the rudder.
If you were to maintain this speed, you will

be executing a procedure called a ‘step
taxi’. This reduces the contact of the aircraft
and the water which reduces the effect of
hydrodynamic drag to allow more governance
over the aircraft. Continue maintaining the
aircraft direction as the speed builds.
At 50 knots, slowly pull the flight controls back

as the ICON A5 lifts from the water. Continue
the climb and try to maintain a speed of
around 60 knots. Select flaps up and continue
the climb to around 1500ft, reduce your RPM
to around 5000 and trim for stable flight.
Follow the River

As you follow the river southbound, a larger
lake, Lake Alabaster will come into view. At
around the halfway point between the two
lakes, reduce your throttle to 40% and position
the AOA needle between the green and white
indicators.
Again, as the airspeed decreases to 70 knots,

lower the flap to 30 degrees, check the
landing gear and water rudder is stowed and
verify water operations. Reduce your power to
3000RPM and maintain the white indicator
on the AOA as you descend towards the lake.
If you feel that you are going to land short,
increase your power whilst maintaining the
white indicator to determine how far down the
lake you want to land. As the aircraft settles,
don’t forget to keep the nose of the ICON out
of the water by keeping the flight controls as
far back as they can go.

Step Taxi Practice
You will notice that you have plenty of room
on this lake to practice the ‘step taxi’. In the
same configuration as landing and the flight
controls fully aft, increase the RPM to around
3000. When you reach around 20-25 knots,
relax the stick slightly and adjust your throttle
to maintain 30 knots. The aircraft will come
up onto the step, and become much more
manoeuvrable.
Be careful when using the rudder to turn the

aircraft as this may result in the wing dropping
on the side you are turning. Balance out the
aircraft with opposite aileron movement to
keep the wings level.
When you have mastered the step taxi,

position the A5 with enough space for take-off
in the southerly direction.
Visiting Middle Earth

Review the water take-off procedure, get the
aircraft airborne and follow the Hollyford River
further south. Once airborne, retract the flaps
and climb to 3500ft following the river. Now is
a good chance to look out of the aircraft and
experience some of the raw, natural beauty
New Zealand has to offer.
The area surrounding the route was a location

for the Lord of the Rings movies. Continue
following the Hollyford river until you reach
another divergence with two visible bodies of
water. Head towards the stretch of water on
the left-hand side, position yourself to enter
the valley from the right, to give yourself more
room to manoeuvre.
Another Water Landing
As you get closer to the valley you will notice an

uncovered rockface to your left. Use this point
as a guide to start configuring the aircraft for
a short, challenging water landing on bendy,
Lake Mckellar. Reduce your RPM and select
full flaps checking that you are configured for
a water landing.

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As the speed drops, maintain the white
indicator on the AOA gauge. Positioning
the aircraft to enable you to get the longest
landing run is very important at this lake so
if it doesn’t look safe, abort the landing and
come around for another try. You will need to
be aware of the relatively close valleys, either
side of the lake too.
You may want to try a water-based touch and

go here. Continue the landing procedure as
normal, when you have landed onto the water,
reduce the speed to around 30 knots where
you still have good control over the aircraft
before pushing the throttle fully forward to
increase the speed to 50 knots. Take-off as you
have done on the previous water take-offs and
climb out over the bow in the lake to follow
the river further south. Trim for a stable cruise
at around 2000ft.
The river that flows out of Lake McKellar is

called the Greenstone River and runs through
to the south island’s second largest lake; Lake
Wakatipu. Follow the river south and then to
the east as the river flows into the lake at Effin
Bay. On the nose, you will see two small islands,
to the left is Pigeon island and, on the right, Pig
island. Both islands get their name from their
overall shape. Lake Wakatipu is a good place
to practice all the water-based techniques you
have learned throughout this tutorial.
Challenge Yourself
To make things more interesting, try adding
a greater wind strength which will, in turn,
increase wave height and frequency. Waves
can tell you a lot about the current weather
conditions.
Waves will start one side of the body of water

and grow larger as they travel across the lake
in the same direction as the wind. The energy
from the wind blowing across the top of the
water is how waves are created. The larger
the body of water, the larger the waves can
become, as they grow from one side of the lake
to the other. White-tipped waves will form at
around 10-12 knots of wind and present tricky
conditions to operate in.
Each aircraft will have its operating limitations

when it comes to water-based operations.

Final Stop: Glenorchy Airport
On the northeast side of Lake Wakatipu sits
the small town of Glenorchy, the destination
of this tutorial. Glenorchy airport is situated on
Blanket Bay, just south of the township. When
flying due north, the airport and town will
appear on the right wing.
Fly at around 1500ft to the northern tip of the

lake where the river flows into a wide tributary.
On your right wing, you will see a small green
island in the mouth of the river.
Turn right onto the base leg and reduce your

speed to around 65 knots, select flap 30 and
lower the landing gear. Check that your water
rudder is stowed and that you are configured
for a conventional landing with the red
indicator light illuminated, showing the A5 in
landing configuration.
Continue the turn through to finals as you

overfly Glenorchy. You should position the
aircraft to the left of the town and fly just over
the golf course. Use the magenta line on the
garmin to help you position for finals. Lower
the nose and reduce your power to maintain
55 knots on the descent. The AOA should show
somewhere between the green and white
indicator lines.
Final Approach
You should be visual with the airport now
and in a stabilised approach. As you approach
the airport, aim the aircraft at the base of the
runway and when you pass the road and river
at the end of the runway, slowly bring the nose
up as you reduce power over the threshold.
Hold the aircraft on the white line of the AOA
gauge and the ICON A5 will settle on the
runway, as it has done on the water. Slowly
and evenly, apply the toe brakes.
Although the runway at Glenorchy is short,

the aircraft will slow to a stop with plenty of
room to spare. When you have slowed to taxi
speed, turn left off the runway and backtrack
to the top of the airfield where you will find the
airport buildings, and set the parking brake.

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Securing the Aircraft
To secure the aircraft, raise the flap fully and
verify the water rudder and flap are stowed.
Turn the magnetos to the off position, locate
the fuel selector switch above your head and
move it to the cut-off position. Select the
transponder to off and turn all the external
lights off. Finally, turn the master battery off
and have a cup of tea.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INSTALLING
PMDG DC-6 THIRD PARTY
A classic airliner by a reknowned developer.

DC-6
Since its introduction, it has

seen over 700 built and used
by airliners around the world
The DC-6 first flew in 1946 for the American operating short and long-
military as a utilitarian cargo aircraft. Later, haul operations. It typically
Douglas prepared the aircraft for the civilian requires a crew of 3 and can fly
market and produced over 700 aircraft. The around 4,000nm at a speed of
DC-6 is powered by 4 double wasp, piston 315mph.
radial engines that give it a cruising speed
of over 500kmh and a range of around 4,000
miles. There are very few flying in the world
today but one famously visits air shows around Facts and Figures
the world and is part of the Red Bull Flying Max Take-Off Weight
107,00lbs
Bulls Heritage Collection.
Maximum Passengers
68
Tutorial Details
Max Altitude
• Los Angeles (KLAX) to San Francisco (KSFO) 21,900ft (A) / 25,000ft (B)
• Pan American Flight number: PAN1955
Range
• Local Time 10:30am 4,000nm
• VOR to VOR route: KLAX 7L SMO 112.50 FIM Cruise Speed

117.50 FLW 117.30 SNS 113.90 OSI 10L KSFO 270 KTAS / 501 km/h
299nm around 1.5 hours flight time
First Flew
• Parking 156 at KLAX 15 February 1946
• Weather WPP High Level Clouds V2
Where to buy?
As a prerequisite, you should have general
skills in aircraft handling and understand
terminology found in the G1000 tutorial. You can buy the third-party
PMDG DC-6 from the PMDG
store for $59.99 USD.
You should note we'll be using some of the
included automatic tools to assist with learning
the aircraft type. More on that in the guide.

Your Route
Your historic Pan American route in the famous
DC-6 will take you out of the city of angels
with an immediate left turn over the city. You’ll
head north west towards Santa Monica and
the local airport as you navigate towards the
Californian hills.
You’ll be flying at around 17,000ft which is

below the service ceiling of 25,000ft for this
aircraft but as you are operating the aircraft on
a short hop, 17,000ft is optimal.
The second waypoint is FIM or Fillmore, just

north of Thousand Oaks. You’ll remain on
relatively the same heading throughout
the flight all the way up to Santa Cruz and
then to San Francisco. You will be taking a
visual approach into runway 10L with some
impressive views of the harbour and of course,
the Golden Gate Bridge.
Flight Setup
First, select the DC-6B in Pan American Livery
from the aircraft selection, you won’t need
to worry about weight and balance here as
you will be able to set this up once you get
to the aircraft. Head to the flight setup page
and select KLAX parking at gate 156 as your
departure point and KSFO runway 10L for your
arrival.
Ensure you have the routing VFR and VOR to

VOR set. This should give you the following
route: KLAX SMO FIM FLW SNS OSI KSFO. Click
on the NAV LOG button to the right of the
routing to show the detailed routing. In the
top right of this page you will see your cruising
altitude. This will default to 14,500ft but the
optimum operational altitude for your flight is
higher, at 17,000ft. Delete the current altitude
and enter 17,000 in this box.
Under the table below, you will notice that

one of the columns is titled ‘Frequency’. This
is the VOR frequency that you will enter into
the Garmin GNS 430 system in the aircraft.
It is advisable to note these down for your
reference during the flight.

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Finally, head to the flight conditions page to
set up the weather and time of day. You will be
taking off at around 11am so set the local time
to 1030. For the flight today, you should use the
SoFly Weather Preset Pro’s WPP - High Level
Clouds V2. If you don’t have that installed, any
default cloud preset will do. That’s all for the
flight setup at this stage, so go ahead and
launch the flight.
Onboard
In the flight deck, the DC-6 seems rather
daunting with lots of old style ‘steam gauges’
and no LCD displays. These round gauges,
although might be overwhelming to start
with, are laid out in a logical fashion and are
clustered together into functional panels that
make it easier to navigate than you might
think.
Luckily, the DC-6 is relatively easy to fly with

the help of the automated flight engineer. You
will be using the assistance of the AFE on this
flight to take care of the procedures but you
will be operating and getting to grips with this
75-year-old aircraft.
The AFE is controlled using the iPad, located to

the left of the pilot, which also controls aircraft
loads and fuel weights, external ground
support vehicles as well as maintenance and
other options.
For now, ensure the ground power unit is

connected, and the Garmin GNS 430 is selected
under the options menu. Under the fuel/load
manager, set the fuel to around 10,000lbs
on the nose of the aircraft pictured. Increase
the number of passengers to the full 68 and
baggage to around 6,000lbs. This should give
you a gross weight of around 89,900lbs.
The weight is very important as the DC-6 has

two take-off configurations which you will
look at later.

Main Panel
Taking a look around the cockpit, directly
in front of you, you have your primary flight
gauges set into a panel. From the top left you
have the airspeed indicator, the horizontal
indicator to show the aircraft's position relating
to the horizon, altimeter, heading indicator,
and turn coordinator.
On the next line, the course deviation indicator,

or CDI for short, is used for navigation and ILS
approaches. The climb coordinator, and the
marker beacon lights are also used when on
an ILS approach to indicate the position of the
aircraft in relation to the distance from the
runway.
On the lower line of gauges, you can see the

VOR indicator, the ADF indicator as well as the
gyroscopic compass. The gauges on the lower
line are typically found in all aircraft from the
early 1940s up until the present day either as a
backup instrument or combined into an LCD
display.
To the right of this panel are the main engine

temperature and pressure gauges. The engine
instruments appear in duplicates with two
needles on each which indicate two of the four
engines. The ones you will need to keep an
eye on are located just below the top line and
are labelled ‘manifold pressure’. The manifold
pressure gauges monitor the pressure inside
the engine that draws fuel into the combustion
chamber. To the right of those you have two
fuel flow indicators showing how much fuel
is being introduced to the engines. Below the
manifold pressure gauges, are two gauges
that show engine RPM or the rotation of the
propellers, this is independently controlled by
a system that you will visit later.
Next to the RPM you will see the flap position

indicator as well as an external air temperature
gauge. On the final row, you will see two gauges
for cylinder head temperature, which indicate
the temperature of the largest moving part of
the engine, and two water pressure indicators,
which you will look at later.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
On the right side of the blue ticker tape you
will see fuel pressure, oil temperatures and
the gauges that measure carburettor air
temperature. These are all found in modern
day aircraft and typically referred to as
temperatures and pressures or T’s and P’s
for short. These gauges are separated from
the others to be able to find them easily at a
glance. Even the most trained pilot can get
easily confused by many similar looking dials
and gauges. To the right of these are a carbon
copy of the left-hand side, used by the first
officer.
Pedestal
Below the main panel sits the engine pedestal.
This houses eight, black-handled throttle levers
for the four engines which are duplicated for
both left and right seat. On the left-hand side
sits four red fuel tank control levers to control
which tank is feeding the engines. On the
right-hand side sits two cross-feed control
levers which will distribute fuel between
the left and right tanks. In the middle of the
pedestal, are the propeller synchronisation
controls which you will be using to complete
your before take-off checks and run up.
Below the throttle controls in the centre sits

the Gyropilot control which is a very early
version of the autopilot we know today. This
system is able to control the aircraft in flight by
maintaining a turn rate or keeping wings level,
following a course from the Garmin navigation
system as well as holding a climb or descent or
current altitude. You will be using this later.
On the front panel of the pedestal, you will

find the landing gear lever, flap lever, engine
mixture and carburettor heat controls. On the
left-hand side of the pedestal you’ll find the
parking brake switch, trim wheel and the gust
lock lever which prevents the control surfaces
from moving in high winds when the aircraft
is on the ground.

Overhead Panel
On the far left of the overhead panel you
will find the cabin fire protection controls as
well as the cockpit lighting and temperature
knobs. Just to the right of that in a triangular
panel you will find the de-icing panel for the
aircraft’s systems and control surfaces. In the
centre front panel of the overhead you will
find various gauges that indicate the current
levels of fluids in the aircraft including fuel,
water and hydraulic fluid. You will also find the
landing lights and cowl flap position knobs.
Below these you will see the after-market

additions of an ADF radio, Garmin GNS430 and
navigation radio. On the right-hand triangular
panel sits various backup gauges alongside
an electrical panel. On the final panel at the
top of the overhead, you will find the ignition
switches, engine feather switches, fuel booster
pumps as well as battery and generator
control switches. Something to note is the
take-off and landing placard at the very top of
the overhead panel which denotes the various
‘v speeds’ of the DC-6 at given weights.
V Speeds in the DC-6

V-Speeds dictate operational speeds of an aircraft
in relation to different loads, configurations and
flight profiles. Common V-Speeds you might
encounter are:
V1 – Critical speed where take-off cannot be

aborted
V2 – Safe take-off and climb speed with an

inoperative engine
Vr – Rotational speed of an aircraft that leaves the

runway
Vref – Runway threshold speed when landing
Vs – Stall speed when the wing no longer creates

lift
Vne – Speed the aircraft should never exceed
Vmo – Maximum operational speed which may

trigger overspeed alarm

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Artificial Flight Engineer (AFE)
Now you are familiar with the cockpit layout
and you have set the aircraft load through the
iPad, turn your attention to setting the aircraft
up for the flight. Head over to the iPad and
navigate to the AFE page.
There are five stages of flight on this page and

each stage has an option to tell the Artificial
Flight Engineer to operate different procedures
to get the aircraft ready for whichever stage
you want. Go ahead and select the before start
checklist from the AFE menu. You will be able
to see and hear the AFE running through the
relevant checks and procedures to get the
aircraft ready for start.
It is a good idea to listen closely to the

AFE running through these checklists and
procedures as this will give you a good idea of
what it takes to get the aircraft prepared and
ready for the different stages of flight.
Before Engine Start

Once the before engine start checks have
been made, it is a good idea to check the
GNS to make sure you have your flight plan all
ready to go. You will be using the GNS system
to keep track of your location, but you will be
operating the aircraft using the VOR radio
systems to navigate up to San Francisco.
Click the FPL button on the lower panel to

bring up your flight plan. If your flight plan
does not appear automatically, bring up the
navigation log by pressing ‘n’ and this should
port through to the GNS. To get rid of the Nav
Log, press ‘n’ again.
Now that you have verified the flight plan,

you need to set the frequency of your first
waypoint in the VLOC radio section of the GNS
which is 110.8. To set the frequency, move the
large and small wheels on the left of the GNS
panel to scroll through until you reach the
correct frequency. When you have this set,
simply activate the frequency by pushing the
key next to the frequencies display that has a
V on top of two arrows pointing up and down.

Finally, locate the transponder panel just to the
lower left of the primary flight gauges. Turn
the independent knobs to set a squawk code
of 1200 for VFR flight. Turn the transponder to
the standby mode with the knob on the far
left.
Engine Start
To start the radial engines, locate the overhead
panel and you will notice that the AFE has
turned the number three engine ignition to
on, the engine selector to three and also the
booster fuel pump on low for the same engine.
Verify that the fuel pressure for engine three is
around the 20 mark.
Now the engine will be receiving fuel when

you start the ignition process. Head back to
the overhead and press the middle of the
three rocker switches labelled start. You will
notice that the two switches operate together
and the AFE will count in multiples of three,
upto twelve. The AFE is counting the number
of times the prop turns during the ignition.
When this gets to twelve, press the boost
switch to the right of the start switch and then
press the prime switch to the left. This will
bring the engine to life as the cockpit vibrates
and shudders.
Check that the oil pressure has increased on

the number three engine as this will prevent
any wear. Reduce the throttle of the engine
and ensure that the RPM is less than 1000.
Head to the engine mixture levers and bring
the number four engine mixture lever to the
auto rich position.
Now, on the overhead, switch the ignition

for the outboard engine to ‘both’, the engine
selector to the number four position, and the
booster for engine four to the low position.
Don’t forget to verify you have fuel pressure
on the number four engine before hitting the
start switch to initiate the ignition. The AFE will
repeat the count to twelve when you should
turn the boost and the prime switches to on.
Check that the RPM is below 1000 and that
the oil pressure gauge is rising on this engine
before repeating the processes for engine two
and finally engine one.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
After Start
Once the engines are started, ask the AFE to
complete the after-start checklist. This will
prepare the aircraft for taxi. On the left-hand
side of the pedestal is the gust lock, in order
for you to test the flight controls, this needs
to be taken off. To do so, simply click the long
horizontal red handle, nearest the pilot’s
seat, this should release the vertical red lever
and allow the flight controls to move freely.
Complete a flight control check by pushing
the controls all the way forward, all the way
back, all the way left and finally all the way
right, checking that they are free and correct.
You may want to visually inspect that the

ailerons on the wings and the elevators on the
tail move when you do this.
Pushback Under Your Own Steam

Release the park brake on the left of the
pedestal but keep your toe brakes engaged to
prevent the aircraft from creeping forward. As
you will notice, the aircraft is parked facing the
terminal and although the DC-6 can turn on a
dime, a safer manoeuvre is to back the aircraft
under its own power.
On the pedestal, between the captain and

first officer’s throttle controls is a horizontal
bar, click the bar to engage reverse mode on
the engines and slowly advance the throttles
as you release the brake. The aircraft will slowly
reverse from the stand. Back the aircraft as
straight as you can until you see the stand
number on the ground. Slowly reduce the
throttles to idle and apply the brakes. Do this
gently to ensure you don’t tip the aircraft onto
its tail.
You may want to complete this from an

external view. Disengage the reverse by
clicking on the red bar once again.

Taxi
Advance the throttles slightly and release the
brake. As the aircraft starts to move, apply
pressure on the right rudder to steer onto the
taxiway. Cross the immediate taxiway in front
of you and turn right onto taxiway Bravo. Follow
the taxiway until you reach taxiway Uniform.
Bring the aircraft to a stop and engage the
parking brake.
On the right-hand triangular panel, locate

the cabin pressure gauge and set the ‘flight’
altitude to 20. As you scroll the small wheel
to this mark, the cabin needle will start to
rise automatically to select the optimal cabin
pressurisation. Ask the AFE to complete
the before take-off checklist. When this is
complete, release the park brake and advance
the throttles to move the aircraft into position
on runway 7L and set the park brake.
Wet Take-Off
Due to the weight, you will need to complete a
wet take off. This refers to whether or not you
are injecting water into the engines to help cool
them at the higher manifold pressures needed
for the heavy take off. When the aircraft's gross
take-off weight is over 87,600lbs, the engines
will need water to produce more power for
take-off.
On the manifold pressure gauges, you will

notice there is a red mark at the 53 inches of
pressure point. This denotes the maximum
operating pressure for a dry take off. There
is also another marker at the 59.5 inches of
pressure point. This is the maximum operating
manifold pressure for a wet take-off. As the
aircraft weighs around 90,000lbs rounded up,
locate the V-Speeds placard on the overhead
panel and down the left-hand side, you will
see a column of weights.
Locate 90,000lbs and read along the row to

find the rotation speed of the aircraft, which
should be 107 knots with 20 degrees of flaps.
Use the AFE to configure the aircraft for a wet
take-off.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
When you hear the AFE select full power,
you will see four green lights illuminate on
the main panel as the engines are taking
in water and the water pumps are working
correctly. Monitor the engine temperatures
and pressures as they begin to spool up to 59.5
inches of manifold pressure. If all the engines
react together and the temperatures and
pressures are within the red limits, release
the parking brake and maintain centreline
with the rudder. When the aircraft reaches
107 knots, slowly raise the nose off the ground
between 2-3 degrees. The aircraft will slowly
rise and lift from the runway.
Hold this attitude as the aircraft climbs away

and accelerates. As the aircraft reaches a
positive rate of climb, the AFE will take care of
retracting the landing gear and flaps but be
sure to maintain your current heading and
pitch as the aircraft reaches 165 knots, which
is the best climb speed regardless of weight
or power setting. Slowly bring the nose up
further, to around the 10 mark, to maintain 165
knots. At this point, the AFE will call out METO
power. This is the maximum power available
that is not during a take-off to save the engine
wear and tear.
When you hear the call for METO power, start a

left turn until downtown Los Angeles appears
over the nose. Level the wings to fly to the left
of the tall buildings. Over the nose, you should
begin to see Santa Monica Regional Airport at
a heading of around 290 degrees. If you are
unable to see the airport, locate the CDI gauge
and scroll the OBS dial until the white vertical
line moves towards the centre of the dial. This
will put the aircraft on a direct path for the
airport’s VOR.

Climb
As you approach Santa Monica Regional, head
to the GNS 430 system and enter the next VOR
frequency, which is 117.50, and scroll the OBS
bug to around 300 degrees. To ensure you are
travelling towards the VOR, the white arrow
must be pointing upward. As the aircraft
climbs towards Fillmore over the Californian
hills, try to keep the white vertical line in the
middle of the CDI. Alternatively, you could
engage the Gyropilot.
Managing the Gyropilot

The Gyropilot is a very early version of an
autopilot system that is capable of holding the
wings level or in a turn, it can follow a radio
path such as a VOR or ILS and it’s also capable
of holding pitch and altitude. Unfortunately,
it is not able to capture an altitude or follow
multiple courses like a flight plan.
To engage the Gyropilot, ensure the switch on

the top of the Gyropilot panel is switched to
Gyropilot and then on the front of the panel,
move the Gyropilot switch to the on position.
Finally, move the autopilot lever into the
engaged position. Now the Gyropilot will hold
the wings level and keep the pitch attitude
the same as when you engaged the system. To
increase or decrease the pitch of the nose with
the Gyropilot engaged, you simply scroll the
black wheels located either side of the panel,
forwards or backwards to pitch up or down,
just like a trim wheel.
To follow a VOR course, simply turn the switch

on the top of the panel to the localiser position
and the aircraft will follow the course set in the
CDI and the GNS system.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Follow the course and update the frequencies
in the GNS system to keep the CDI updated.
The majority of the route takes on a heading
of around 300-330 degrees so you may have
to scroll the OBS on the CDI to achieve the
inbound radial to the VOR. You may want to
use the map on the GNS for additional special
awareness. The Gyropilot system will maintain
a steady climb until around 16,000ft where you
should ask the AFE to engage cruise power.
The AFE will reduce the RPM of the engines

to reduce the noise created in the cabin and
to provide a more pleasant experience for the
passengers. The aircraft will still continue the
climb at the set pitch. As you approach the
cruising altitude of 17,000ft, reduce the pitch
of the Gyropilot to near zero and engage the
altitude control switch. This will now hold the
altitude that you were at when you engaged
the system.
When passing SNS or Salinas, ask the AFE

to select a descent power of 26 inches of
manifold pressure. After the descent checklist
is complete, disengage the altitude control
switch and push the attitude wheel forward to
lower the nose.
Aim for a descent rate of around 1000ft/min

and monitor the descent rate down to the
final waypoint, OSI. When passing the final
waypoint, turn the switch on the Gyropilot
panel from localiser back to Gyropilot and turn
left to a heading of 280 degrees using the turn
coordinator dial on the panel as you fly over
the hills and past the airport on your right.
Continue the descent until around 3,000ft
over shoreline and level out by engaging the
altitude control switch.

Approach and Landing
You will be landing at around 85,000lbs in
gross weight so check the V-Speeds placard
to find the approach and landing speed with
full flaps. You can see that 85,000lbs will give
you an approach speed of 134 knots and a Vref
speed of 105 knots. This is the speed you will
be aiming to get to when you are over the
runway threshold to give you the best possible
landing.
Select the in-range checklist from the AFE

and maintain 280 degrees until the Golden
Gate Bridge is visible through the first officer
side window, from the captain’s position. Use
the turn coordinator to turn right to a heading
of 050 as KSFO and runways 10L, (your landing
runway), and 10R come into view to the right
of the nose.
Disconnect the Gyropilot and manually fly the

aircraft towards the runway whilst paying close
attention to the PAPI lights on the left-hand
side to give you perspective on your glidepath.
Ask the AFE to engage the before landing

checklist. The AFE will take care of getting the
aircraft ready with landing lights, preparing
the landing gear, reducing the power and
setting the flaps to 20 degrees. The AFE won't
lower the landing gear, so make sure you
remember to do this.
As you start to get closer to the airport, you

will be required to lower the gear and extend
the flaps as and when they are required, this
will help to reduce your speed as you descend
towards the runway.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Finals and Taxi to Stand
As the runway gets closer bring the nose of
the aircraft up to shallow the descent as you
cross the runway threshold at around 105
knots. Gently reduce the throttles to idle as
the DC-6 settles onto the runway. With the
throttles at idle, click the red horizontal bar to
engage reverse power. Once engaged, bring
the throttles to the full power position until
the aircraft slows under 50 knots. Bring the
throttles back to idle and you will hear the red
reverse lever snap back to the off position.
Roll the aircraft down the runway using the toe

brakes to slow to around 15 knots. Ensure you
are past the intersecting runways and turn off
to the left onto taxiway Lima. Once you have
vacated the runway, ask the AFE to initiate the
after landing checklist. The AFE will start to
clean up the aircraft so you only have to focus
on taxiing to the gate.
Take the immediate left onto taxiway Charlie

and cross runways 01R and 01L, follow taxiway
Charlie down past the large hangar on the right
and the three large silos with the SFO logo to
take the next taxiway to the parking stands on
the right. Taxi into a parking stand and apply
the park brake. When secure, request the AFE
to complete the parking checklist to switch the
engines and systems to the pre-flight phase.
And there you have it – a short pan America

hop in a 75-year-old DC-6!

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INSTALLING
JUNKERS JU-52 PAID DLC
The first "Local Legend" for the simulator!

JUNKERS JU-52
Nicknamed 'Aunt Ju', the

Junkers JU-52 is a transport
aircraft designed by German
Welcome to the first of many "Local Legend" company Junkers. The aircraft
aircraft coming to the simulator. The historic first flew in 1930 and over time,
and well-loved Junkers JU-52 is a tri-engine nearly 5,000 of the type were
aircraft that served all types of flying since its built. The aircraft was used
introduction in October 1930. for civilian, cargo and military
purposes.
The Junkers JU-52 is great for short takeoff

and landing and is able to land in all sorts of Facts and Figures
situations thanks to its giant bush wheels and Max Take-Off Weight
ability to be retrofitted with skis and floats. 10,499 kg
Maximum Passengers
16
In this tutorial, we'll show you how to get to
grips with the aircraft. Whilst it is a commercial Max Altitude
passenger plane, there are a lot of similarities 19,350ft
with smaller GA prop aircraft. This fun tutorial
will take you through the basics and get you Range
1,301km
ready for more complex routes in the future.
Cruise Speed
182 KM/H
Tutorial Details
First Flew
• Stuttgart (EDDS) to Zurich (LSZH). Oct 1930
• Approximately 2-hour tutorial.
• You should be familiar with VOR navigation.
Where to buy?
• You will need to own and download the
Junkers JU-52 from the in-sim marketplace.
You can buy the Junkers JU-
• Weather can be any of the default presets, 52 directly from the in-sim
but we would recommend the use of 'Few Marketplace for $14.99 USD.
Clouds'.
• You will need to use SkyVector.

Setting Up Your Flight
Your flight today will take you from Stuttgart
(EDDS) down to Zurich, using VORs to help
you navigate on your journey. The flight should
take you around 1 hour and 10 minutes.
During this tutorial, you will be using the

Junkers JU-52 - Retrofit to take you on the
140km trip.
From the main menu, select the Junkers JU-

52 (ensuring you select the Retrofit model)
and ensure that you load 80% fuel. You
won't be using this much, but it's better to
take too much than not enough. After that,
select Stuttgart Airport (EDDS) at stand 102,
with Zurich (LSZH) as your arrival. From the
navigation type menu, select VOR to VOR
navigation. It should give you the following
route:
EDDS -> SUL -> TRA -> KLO -> LSZH
In the navigation log, you can also opt to

change the altitude to 12,000ft.
NOTE: If the simulator provides you with a

different route, then no worries. Just follow our
instructions on the next page to ensure you
follow the same path. Using the in-sim route
builder just helps us identify some of the VORs
we can use.
Your estimated flight time will be about 1

hour and 5 minutes. Choose the time of day
you want to fly, along with the 'Few Clouds'
weather preset.
With the preparation done, click 'FLY NOW'

and jump into the sim.
You will be greeted by a cold and dark cockpit. If

this is your first time in the Junkers JU-52, then
be sure to take this chance to pan the camera
around the cockpit and begin familiarising
yourself with specific dials, switches, etc. Then
take a look outside and admire the beautiful
modelling and texture work of this aircraft.
When you're ready, head back into the cockpit

and we'll start the procedure to get her started.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Cockpit Prep
Now that you have taken some time to have
a visual look at the plane, it's time to start
turning her on.
You should make use of the included integrated

checklist in order to help you. Throughout this
tutorial, we will use it to assist, but also point
out things that will also help you or as missing
from the checklist itself.
Open the interactive checklist system and

begin with the cockpit checklist. Starting at
the top with 'Compartment Blower Switch',
progress through each of the items and
complete each requirement. After you have
done an item, be sure to click 'Tick Item' in
order to remember which ones you have
completed.
As the Junkers JU-52 is complicated and full of

switches and dials, it's worth taking advantage
of the 'eye' icon in order to highlight what it is
you need to interact with.
Once you have finished the 'Cockpit Checklist',

you will now want to start preparing for the
flight itself. To do this, you will want to gather
some information for your flight - namely the
VOR frequencies required to help navigate
you down to Zurich.
Either using Navigraph Charts or

SkyVector, start plotting your route.
Using SkyVector, simply enter the departure

and destination ICAO codes and then the VOR
waypoints should be added to the route box.
Those points are SUL, TRA, and KLO.
After you have added them, click on 'nav log'

to bring up a detailed plan of your routing.
This will then present you with waypoint
information to help with your VOR navigation.
You will see here the VOR frequencies for the
radio stack during the course of your flight.
We have listed the VOR and their frequencies
on the next page to help you.

Before Engine Start
Head back into the simulator and open up the
checklist system again. Select 'Before Starting
Engines' to view the next set of items you will
need to do in order to get in the air.
Start with the 'Carburetors Heat' item and

progress until you get to 'Radios'.
Once you are at the radio stack, you can now

input those VOR frequencies. Doing this
now means we can be prepared once we
are airborne. On the 'NAV' stack, you want
to ensure the captain's side reads the SUL
frequency (116.10). Now, optionally, you can
either set the co-pilot's side to SUL or you
can set it to the TRA frequency (114.30). It's
likely you should set it to be the same as the
captain's side, but having the information to
hand may be helpful to newcomers.
Once the frequencies are set, you will want to

then select 'NAV' on the nav source. If you're
flying online, you can also now tune your
radios for clearance or the local ATIS here.
After the radios and navigation information

has been set, continue with the checklist
following each item step carefully.
When you get to the RMI 1 and 2 item on the

checklist, ensure that you keep the button
selected to VOR1. This will mean you will track
the VOR after take off.
Complete the checklist and take a breather

before proceeding to the 'Starting Engines'
checklist.
VOR Frequencies
SUL - 116.10
TRA - 114.30
KLO - 114.85

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Starting Engines
The Junkers JU-52 is a three-engine aircraft,
which provides plenty of power to the relatively
small plane. You will start the engines in the
following order:
• Engine 3 (aircraft right)

• Engine 1 (aircraft left)
• Engine 2 (central)
Ensure you continue to use the built-in checklist

and begin by opening the 'Saftey Start Guard'.
When you are on the 'Fuel Wobble Pump'
you first need to open the cover, otherwise,
the wobble pump won't move. Removing the
cover isn't a checklist item, so be aware of that.
With the fuel wobble pump removed, you are
now ready to start Engine 3.
A quick word of advice: read through the

checklist and this portion of the guide before
starting the engines. There are a few 'gotchas'
that caught us out when we first flew the
plane.
First, begin by moving the oil/fuel supply to

START and then ensuring the prop RPM lever
(yellow) is at 0%. Next, push the mixture level
for engine 3 to the top to ensure it's on IDLE
CUT OFF. Now, twist the engine magneto for
engine 3 to the BOTH position.
CAUTION: When you do the few steps, you will

need to act promptly or else the engine will
fail to fire and you'll have to repeat the engine
start checklist again.
1 - Twist engine 3's magneto to the START

position and wait for it to click back to BOTH.
2 - Apply RICH mixture to engine 3 by dragging
the lever all the way down
With those steps complete, you can now

continue with the checklist for starting engine
3. You will need to raise the RPM by increasing
the throttle. To get to 1100 RPM, you may find
yourself increasing the throttle to at least 40%.
It sounds high but this is normal.
Continue with the checklist through starting

engine 1.

Engine Number 2
You should now have both engines 1 and 3
operational.
The final engine, engine 2, has a few extra

steps to complete before you can get it going.
Firstly, you need to close the fuel wobble

pump. Don't forget to reapply the cover.
Following the checklist for starting engine 2,

ensure that the oil/fuel supply lever is in the
START position and then check that electrical
power is being supplied to the DC BUS 2. You
can see this by the fact there are no orange
lights on the battery panel and that the D.C.
AMP indicator is drawing power.
The next step is to turn on the fuel pump. Be

careful to not close the start safety switch. We
did that ourselves a few times and thought
there was a bug!
Now from there, starting engine 2 is the

same as the previous engines. Continue with
the checklist until you have completed the
STARTING ENGINE checklist.
You may then notice that the 'ANNOUNCIATOR

PANEL' isn't clear and that the PITOT light is
still active. That's because there's no checklist
item that tells you to turn it back on following
the cockpit preparation checklist. Go ahead
and turn on the PITOT heat again to then
eliminate this indicator.
You have now started the engines and you're

ready to start the next step.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
After Engine Start and Taxi
Continue using the checklist system and tick
off each item as you complete them.
Before you go through the taxi checklist, take

a brief look at your taxi route.
After pushback, you will want to head along

taxiway Z and then turn right onto Y. Once you
reach the runway entry point, you will need to
stop to complete the run-up checklist.
Now you know your taxi route, run through

the taxi checklist.
When you're ready, start your taxi towards

runway 07 at Stuttgart. Again, once you reach
the entry point, stop and apply the parking
brake as you'll need to run through the RUN-
UP checklist.

The Run-Up
With the parking brake applied, you can
now start the run-up process. If you're used
to flying large jetliners, you likely won't have
done a run-up before, but if you regularly
do general aviation flights, then this will be
similar. Essentially, at this point, you're making
sure that the engines are ready for takeoff and
things are stable in case of an emergency.
For the Junkers JU-52, you will need to

complete a run-up for each of the three
engines. It will take you a few minutes to
complete this step, so be sure to let ATC know
if you're flying online.
Open up the interactive checklist and start

with engine 1. You will begin with increasing
the throttle to achieve an RPM for 1600 on
engine 1. You will need to apply about 70%
throttle in order to get there. For the next item
PROP RPM LEVER ENGINE 1, you will need to
move the lever from max to minimum three
times. Your prop RPM should drop and then
climb back to 1600.
The next step is to adjust the magnetos. Switch

engine 1's from BOTH to LEFT and you will see
a slight drop in the RPM. Adjust it to RIGHT
and you should see no more than a 40RPM
change. If that all worked out, change it back
to BOTH.
Moving on, you will need to check the

MANIFOLD AIR PRESSURE for the engine.
This should be between 22-23 inHg. Next is the
oil pressure and temperatures. Continue with
the checklist following the instructions and
the tips. Eventually, you will need to return
the engine to an RPM of 1100. You will need
to repeat this process for the remaining two
engines.
After you have completed the three engine

run-up checks, you will need to make sure
things are working with the CARBURETORS.
With each of the carburettor heat levers, you

will need to adjust them so that the temperate
raises by 15 degrees. This is about 40% of the
way around on the lever. You should see a
small decrease in the RPM from 1100 on each
engine. After that, return the carburettor heat
back to cold.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Before Takeoff
The engines are ready to go, but there are a
few other items we need to complete before
we can move onto the runway for takeoff.
Firstly, ensure that your flight controls are free

and correct. Next, we need to adjust the flaps
and elevator trim.
The Junkers JU-52 has a unique flap control

setting, which is under the pilot's chair. With
the interactive checklist, use the 'eye' icon to
see the 'Flap/Trim Selector'.
To set the flaps, you first need to click on the

CLUTCH HANDLE and adjust it to flaps. Now,
click on the wheel and adjust it so you have
50% flaps. As we are fairly light and have a long
runway, 50% flaps. If you need a really short
takeoff, then apply 100% flaps.
Now, you need to adjust the elevator trim. Set

this to 1.8 UP.
Finally, complete the remaining items on the

checklist. Once complete, release the parking
brake and taxi out onto the runway.
Takeoff
It's taken you a few minutes since arriving at
the runway, but at last, you're ready to take to
the skies.
Once you are lined up, apply the parking brake

and bring up the checklist again.
Bring the throttles to the MID POSITION (50%)

and ensure that the RPM reads 1500 as a
minimum. That said, on the several attempts
to fly this plane, we had to have power around
60% in order to achieve 1500 RPM.
Once you're happy your engines are stable,

release the parking brake. Keep yourself
centre on the runway as you keep an eye on
your speed. Confirm that your speed indicator
is working.
As you reach 130 knots, pull gentle back and

watch the Junkers softly take to the sky.

Climbing and Navigation
Climb on the runway heading at a verticle
speed of 500-700ft per minute. This will give
you a nice balance of altitude and speed. Keep
your speed at or below 140 knots.
As you climb, you may notice that the

navigation equipment comes alive. Remember
when you set the VOR frequency for SUL on
the ground? The dials are now tuned in for
that VOR meaning you can start navigating to
your first waypoint.
Once you're comfortable, retract the flaps to 0,

using the same method you did before.
NOTE: Don't forget to pull the flap/trim selector

stick or else you may adjust the elevator pitch
and fly out of control!
Continue climbing on the runway heading

until 3,000. At this point, you will want to start
to turn right towards the first VOR. Using the
indicator on the panel in front of you, make
the right-hand turn until the green and yellow
lines line up with the red arrow at the top of
the indicator.
Continue climbing, maintaining a speed

of around 150 knots. Maintain the current
heading, and eventually, you will reach your
cruise altitude of 12,000. Remember to use the
elevator to help you reach these altitudes.
Once you reach your cruise altitude, adjust the

mix and throttle to lower the RPM. Maintain a
cruise speed of 160-180 knots.
When you reach SUL, you will see that the

indicators you were following before revert
back to the default position. At this point, you
will now want to input the new VOR frequency
into the radio stack. Your next waypoint is TRA.
Set the new frequency to be 114.30
However, you are too far away from TRA at this

point in order to capture the VOR information
on your display. To help aid your navigation, you
will need to use the Course deviation indicator
(CDI). Remember your SkyVector nav plan? It
gave you a course of 191 degrees from the SUL
vector. Input that on the CDI and follow that
heading as you fly over the SUL VOR.
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
The TRA DME
You may find the navigation equipment you
used for the SUL VOR doesn't function in the
simulator. That's because the TRA is primarily
a DME. In order to track your distance to go,
you will need to turn on the Pilot DME tool in
the aircraft. Turn this on, and then press the
button with 'NM' above it to display the miles
to go. With the CDI set and now this, you can
track your progress to TRA.
Preparing for Landing

As you continue towards the TRA VOR/DME,
you will need to start preparing for your arrival.
The Junkers JU-52 has a descent rate of 500ft
per minute. At a speed of 150 knots, you will
need around 50 miles in order to reach the
final approach altitude for your arrival on
runway 16 into Zurich. This is assuming you are
at 12,000ft.
Around 20 miles before the TRA arrival, you

should start the descent checklist. You will
need to ensure the mixture levers are in the rich
position, reduce power as required and then
start a smooth descent down. Remember to
use the elevator trim to help maintain a good
rate of descent and a speed of 150 knots.
You will soon reach the TRA VOR/DME and

now you will want to start considering the
next waypoint, which is the KLO VOR - this
also happens to be at Zurich Airport itself.
To help aid you, set a course on the CDI to
162 degrees, and then set the navigation
frequency to 114.85. You will see the VOR
needles move accordingly. As you pass over
the TRA waypoint, turn left onto the course
heading - all whilst continuing your descent.
Once you reach the TRA waypoint, you have

approximately 15 miles to go until your arrival
in Zurich. At this point, you will want to start to
consider the approach checklist.
As you continue to approach Zurich, you want

to aim to be at 3000ft approximately 5 miles
from the runway. Eventually, you should see
the runway straight ahead of you.
If you're too high, or going too fast, feel free

to do a right-hand turn and do a hold style
descent to ensure you have a smooth and
stable approach.
Finals and Touchdown
Apply flaps accordingly and slow down to a
speed of 100 knots. The Junkers JU-52 is a great
plane for low and slow approaches, meaning
you have plenty of wiggle room should you
need more or less speed during the flare.
One thing to note for the flare is that you don't

really need to pull back too much. Since you
will be needing to land on the main gear,
and not the tail gear, it's important to not
add too much back-pull when you're about
to touchdown. Too much and you'll float all
the way down the runway, or smash in the
tailwheel. It wasn't designed to take the weight
of your plane upon landing!
As you approach the ground, ease off of the

power, and simply let the Junkers glide itself
down. Remember, this aircraft will slow down
quickly so if you go a little long, it's okay. This is
your first flight and this is a simulator, so you
can just practice again afterwards.
Once you are on the ground, keep a slight pull

back on the stick and watch your airspeed start
to slowly come down. Ease off the pressure on
your pull and allow the back tailwheel to softly
touch the ground. A word of warning: whilst
it may feel natural to want to slam on the
brakes, doing so will fling you (and your virtual
passengers) forward and you'll head nose-first
into the concrete. The plane will slow itself
down. Once you're below 30 knots, you can
gently apply a little braking if a runway turnoff
point is coming up. If you slam on the brakes
too quickly, well, be prepared to get a close up
of the floor.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Taxi to Parking
You'll quickly slow down and you will have
full control over the steering of the aircraft
on the ground. For this flight, you will park in
the fuelling area, not far from the business jet
hangars.
You should be able to safely turn off at the

E4 intersection, which will then put you on
taxiway E. Continuing taxiing along E, until
LINK 5 onto D. You won't have to taxi on D
for too long, before then turning left into the
parking bays. The overview below should help
you.
During the taxi, you will need to complete

the AFTER LANDING checklist. This involves
retracting the flaps, adjusting the elevator
trim and various lights. Follow the interactive
checklist.
Once you are at the parking stand, apply the

parking brake.

Shutting Down
After you have set the parking brake, you're
going to want to shut down the engines.
Again, use the interactive checklist to assist
you through this.
Once you set the 'Prop RMP Levers' to

minimum, you will then need to shut down
engines 2 and 3 first. You will do engines 2
and 3 at the same time and once you have
completed the shutdown cycle for those, you
can progress to shutting engine 1 down.
One thing to note: there is a bug with the

checklist whereby it says to turn off the strobe
light. This is actually the beacon, as you will
have switched off the strobe once you vacated
the runway.
After you have completed the PARKING

checklist, you will want to wrap things up by
completing the LEAVING AIRPLANE checklist.
With the LEAVING AIRPLANE checklist

completed, you have successfully done your
first Junkers JU-52 flight.
The question is, where to next?

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Even More Junkers
After you have done your first Junkers JU-52
flight, there's still plenty of ways to fly with
the aircraft. You could do any number of
historic routes, or travel across the birthplace
of the Junkers (Germany) thanks to the World
Update.
If you want even more of a challenge, swap

out the Junkers JU-52 Retrofit and fly with the
original cockpit. This is quite the challenge
and will require you to be fairly knowledgeable
of the aircraft first.
After that, go crazy and land in the water with

the Junkers using the Floats edition. Following
that, why not try the Ski version. Find a snowy
peak and attempt to land bush-style. It's quite
thrilling to give all of this a go!

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
RENO AIR RACING
If you are looking for an exhilarating thrill ride
in the sky, then the Reno Air Racing DLC is
for you. This high-octane experience will put
you in the cockpit of realistic aircraft as you fly
around the famous Reno Air Racing tracks to
compete to be the best racer.
This new DLC from Microsoft is packed with

a range of planes, along with the ability to
fly around in time trials or race with friends
online.
The Two Packs

There are two packs available to purchase in
order to experience Reno Air Racing.
Reno Air Races: Expansion Pack

The 'Expansion Pack' offers the minimum
required in order to get started with Reno
Air Racing. It includes a hand-crafted version
of Reno Stead Airport (KRTS) with Air Race
dressing, along with four different aircraft.
These aircraft are:
• Pitts S-1S
• P-52 Mustang
• T-6 Texan
• L-39
You will also unlock four classes of air racing

(Unlimited, T-6, Biplanes and Jets) along with
the different circuits attached to each class. It's
worth noting that these aircraft are available
for Reno Air Racing and in free-flight.
The Reno Air Races: Expansion Pack is $19.99

USD from the in-sim Marketplace.
Reno Air Races: Full Collection

The 'Full Collection' pack features everything
currently available for Reno Air Racing. As with
the Expansion Pack listed above, it includes
the ability to race online over a custom-built
Reno Stead Airport, a variety of race classes
and single player time trials.

The biggest difference between the two packs
is the number of aircraft included. Whilst
the base models are the same (Pitts S-1S,
P-52 Mustang, T-6 Texan, L-39) each of them
are different in that they have been custom
made to their real-world counterpart. In total,
there are 10 of each aircraft, bringing the total
number of flyable aircraft up to 40. Each of
the variations have been signed off by the
pilots who fly them, meaning you will have an
authentic flying experience.
The Reno Air Races: Full Collection is $59.99

USD from the in-sim Marketplace.
Below is an infographic (courtesy of Microsoft)

detailing each of the planes.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
USING - RENO AIR RACING
After you have purchased and downloaded
Reno Air Racing, you can access it directly
from within your simulator.
First, head to the 'Activities' page and scroll

through the selections until you see 'Reno Air
Races'. Click this and you will be shown the
initial page and info about Reno Air Racing.
Rules
Learn about Reno Air Races guidelines and
history. Here are 7 pages of information to
help you get to grips with the new racing and
the rules to follow when flying.
Race
Jump in with a race and choose from a
number of classes and aircraft. Compete with
others online or in a time trial scenario.
Leaderboard
See where you stand on the world stage.
Compare yourself to others from around the
world.
Reno Air Racing Principles

Pilots are invited to test their flying skills at the
Reno Stead Airport in the USA and race with
others online or through time trials.
Regardless of the class you race in, your aim

is to complete laps around the racecourse
(indicated by pylons) in the quickest time
possible. You'll have to be careful as you could
be penalised for flying too high or cutting on
the inside of a pylon.
We'll go over the various classes, the penalties

and how you can compete with others.
A total of 8 racers will be flying at any one time

in the online multiplayer matches.
Classes
There are four classes in Reno Air Racing:
Unlimited, Jet, T-6 and Biplanes.

Unlimited
Race aircraft such as the P-51D Mustang along
a 7.91 mile course at speeds over 500mph.
Jet
This is an ultra high-speed race that uses
the L-39 to compete with other racers. Enjoy
speeds of over 500mph on this 7.91 mile course.
T-6
Using the Texan T-6, you will race on this 4.83
mile course at 220mph.
Biplanes
Race in aerobatic aircraft such as the Pitts
Special S-1S along this 3.12 mile course.
It's worth noting that in biplane races, you will
start on the runway and will be required to
take off in order (in 4-second intervals).
Race Modes
There are two race modes included with Reno
Air Races.
Quick Match
In quick match race mode, you will face off
against 7 other players in head-to-head racing.
Each match is composed of two-phase. First is
the qualification phase where pilots will fly the
course alone and the system will take the best
valid lap time.
Following the qualification, you will fly together

for 6-8 laps using starting grid positions
that were determined by the lap time in the
qualification phase.
At the end of the match, you will gain or lose

points depending on any penalties given
during the race. The winner is the person with
the quickest overall finish time (including any
penalties)
Time Trial
In this offline mode, you will complete 6-8 laps
of the course. You will then receive a final lap
time and any valid results will appear on the
Xbox Live leaderboards.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Penalties and General Rules
All racing pilots must remain within the course
boundaries at all times. In order to successfully
complete a lap, you must pass the pylons in
the correct order, without cutting inside of the
pylon.
If you were to turn inside a pylon during a lap,

this is called a 'Pyon Cut'. Any pilot cutting
pylons during a race will be penalised (16
seconds per cut on the Unlimited class, 12
seconds on the others). This time will be added
at the end of the race for each breach of the
rules. If you pylon cut 5 times in a single race,
you will be disqualified.
Pilots must also remain below the maximum

altitude of 250ft above ground level at all
times. If you exceed this limit, a notification
will appear telling you to return to the correct
altitude. If this continues for too long, then
you will 'respawn' back at the last pylon legally
crossed.
Likewise, if you leave the race area or fly over

any public areas (including the middle of the
course), you will be respawned at the last
pylon crossed.
Getting Started
With the general information out of the way,
it's time to try out your first flight. Start by
clicking 'Race' on Reno Air Racing home page.
You will be presented with more options for
you to choose from.
Multiplayer Quick Match

Clicking this option will enable you to pick the
class you want to fly to. If you have the Full
Collection pack installed, you will be able to
pick from any of the aircraft included in the
package, plus a range of liveries.
Once selected, your sim will find a 'lobby' to

place you in so you can be matched with other
players in a similar skill level as you.
Note: You must have Xbox Live Gold in order to

take part in online multiplayer flights.

Time Trial
You will be able to select any class and then
any aircraft within that class. Once in, you will
be spawned into the race to compete for the
best lap time.
You will see the local time, weather and your

position on the leaderboard with that class
and aircraft.
You can also adjust some settings such as

pylons, nameplates and the HUD.
Leaderboards
Here you can see who has taken part in the
races and compare your results to them.
Competing in the Races

When you start the race, you will see a few
new hub items on the screen.
Lap Counter Racer Positions

Here you will see the lap number, the number This will show you the name and position of
of laps you'll fly in total, the current lap time each pilot in the current race.
and any penalty time that will be applied at
the end of the race.
Pylon Number
Above each pylon, you will see a number above
Map
it. This corresponds to the order in which you
A small map will show your posititon (and need to fly through them.
other races) and an outline of the route.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INSTALLING
Boeing F/A-18 Standard
Take the fight to the skies!

Boeing F/A-18
The F/A-18 is the first official

fighter jet for the new
simulator. Designed as a
With the release of the Game of the Year twin-engine, supersonic
Edition of the simulator, several new aircraft and carrier-capable combat
were added to the mix. One of those was the jet, the F/A-18 give you the
much-requested Boeing F/A-18 fighter jet. chance to fly at high speeds
This is a twin-engine supersonic aircraft that whilst performing interesting
gives you the chance to fly at high speeds. Its manoeuvres.
ability to be nimble in the skies can be quite
intimidating at first, but after some practice, it
offers a fun and compelling experience in the Facts and Figures
simulator. Max Take-Off Weight
29,937kg
Maximum Passengers
We'll be approaching this tutorial in a different 1
fashion to others due to how unique the
aircraft is. Max Altitude
45,000ft
We Will Cover:
Range
2,160nm
• Cockpit overview
Cruise Speed
• Taking off 1,030 Knt / Mach 1.6
• Afterburners / Supersonic Flight First Flew
• Autopilot Modes and Options November 1995
• Following Waypoints and Navigation

• Engine shutdown

Your Flight Today
Unlike other tutorials where we have guided
you from A to B, this time, we will be allowing
you to be freer in your flying experience.
The goal of this tutorial will be to teach you the

basics to get to grips with the F/A-18 and you
can then fly at your own discretion. Once you
have the basics down, you will be able to fly
almost anywhere with the fighter jet and get
the same experience.
That said, we will be setting a few conditions in

this example flight, which you're welcome to
use for your own learning purposes.
Location and Overview

For this flight, you should start at Miramar
Airport (KNKX). From the in-sim menu, ensure
you have selected the F/A-18 Super Hornet. Our
example flight will assume you have followed
the checklist to get the aircraft started and
then taxied out to the runway.
In this tutorial, we will show you how to safely

takeoff, climb to 40,000ft using the autopilot,
enter supersonic flight and then come back to
the airport for a landing.
We will not be covering navigation or setting

up routes in this tutorial as other tutorials are
more effective in that regard.
When you're ready, load up the simulator and

start familiarising yourself with the fighter jet
cockpit.
Side Note: This tutorial was written based on

the F/A-18 included with the simulator. Third-
party aircraft that are the same/similar may
benefit from this tutorial, but the information
is specific to the included aircraft. Also, if you
have used other platforms, such as DCS, some
of the information may be different due to
how the aircraft has been developed.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Cockpit Overview
Head Up Display
UFCD
(Up-Front Control
Dispaly)
Left DDI
(Digital Display
Indicator)
AMPCD
(Advanced Multi-
Purpose Color
Display)
Flap & Gear Controls
Parking Brake
Throttle

Right DDI
(Digital Display
Indicator)
Standby Instrument
Wingfold Controls
Generators

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Cockpit Overview
Welcome to the cockpit of a F/A-18 Super
Hornet. At first glance, it may appear
complicated, overwhelming and totally unlike
anything you've ever flown before. Whilst this
is true for many, you will only be interacting
with a limited number of functions with this
particular aircraft.
Other third-party developers may opt to cover

every aspect of this aircraft, the included F/A-
18 with the simulator focuses on the day-to-
day operations and includes enough to get
you flying at incredible speeds.
There are some important elements and

displays in the cockpit which you should be
familiar with.
HUD (Heads Up Display)

The HUD acts as your second set of eyes. It can
display pivotal information at a single glance
through the display.
You will be able to see heading information,

pitch, airspeed, bank angle, altitude and
vertical speed.
DDI (Digital Display Indicator)

These displays will show you specific
information about your flight. There are a
limited number of features on both the DDIs in
the aircraft. The left display will show airspeed,
altitude, and bank angle. The right display can
show a less-detailed map and a Horizontal
Situation Indicator (HSI).
AMPCD (Advanced Multi-Purpose Color

Display)
This display will show you a detailed map with
topography colour schemes to highlight the
ground below you.
Standby Instruments
Useful should your onboard computers fail.
Here you have an altimeter, airspeed indicator,
vertical speed indicator and a bank angle
display.

UFCD (Up-Front Control Display)
The up-front control display serves primarily
as the autopilot interaction in the F/A-18. There
are also controls for setting the squawk code
and other functions.
Throttle
The throttle is on the left-hand side. It can
be operated as a pair or individually. The
maximum amount of thrust that can be
applied without afterburners engaged is 80%.
Flaps & Gear Controls

On the left-hand side, towards the top, are the
flap and gear controls. The optimal flap setting
is 'auto' and this will add or retract the flaps in
accordance with your configuration. You can
manually override this by adjusting the toggle.
For takeoff, you will want this set to 'half'.
Parking Brake
There are two modes for the parking brake:
normal or emergency. You can engage the
parking brake by using this yellow lever.
Wingfold Controls
When parking the aircraft in tight spaces,
you can adjust the wing fold. By toggling this
control, the wings will fold inwards. You will
need to ensure that the wings are 'spread' for
safe flight.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Taking Off
Now that you are familiar with the cockpit, it's
time to take the fight to the skies.
Set flaps to 'half'.
Before you apply any take-off power, you will

want to press 'A/P' on the UFCD. This will make
life easier shortly after takeoff.
Disengage the parking brake and when

you are lined up on the runway, engage the
throttles to full (80% since you don't need the
afterburners).
At 160 knots, pull back and climb as per your

desired attitude, whilst aiming to climb at
around 250 knots.
Shortly after taking off, and providing you have

a positive rate of climb, bring the gear up and
set the flaps to 'auto'.
Now press the 'FPAH' button on the UFCD

to engage the autopilot function that acts as
an attitude hold. This will help free you up to
focus on flying.
With this now all set, you can now climb up to

40,000ft with ease. You can fly in a straight line
or make some small turns.
Use the throttle to maintain the correct speeds

as desired.
Once you reach 40,000ft, press 'BALT' on the

UFCD. This will then instruct your plane to
hold that specific altitude (e.g. 40,000ft).

Afterburners and Supersonic
The most exciting aspect of the F/A-18 is the
ability to fly at supersonic speeds.
As mentioned earlier in this tutorial, the

throttles currently go to a maximum of 80%
under normal circumstances. This can be
advanced to 100% with the use of afterburners.
To engage the afterburners, you will need to

engage them either through a shortcut key or
by interacting with them in the cockpit.
If you're using the F/A-18 on PC, you will first

need to 'lock' onto the throttle by left-clicking
with the mouse. Then, you will want to activate
the afterburner by right-clicking the mouse.
With the mouse, now push it forward to push
the throttles to 100%. This will engage the
afterburner. You will need to repeat this action
for both engines 1 and 2.
If you're using the F/A-18 on Xbox, then you

can direct your cursor over the throttle, press
the 'A' button and then the 'X' button. You can
then advance the throttle accordingly.
You are also able to assign a hotkey to the

afterburners. Head to the CONTROL OPTIONS
page from the menu and search for the
'TOGGLE AFTERBURNER' function (filed under
instruments and systems).
With the throttle now advanced to 100%,

the speed of your aircraft will now start to
accelerate quite quickly.
You will achieve supersonic flight once your

speed is above Mach 1 (the speed of sound).
This is approximately 760mph. You can see
your Mach speed on the HUD and is indicated
by the 'M'.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
More Autopilot Functions
Despite being a fighter jet, the F/A-18 comes
equipped with a number of autopilot functions.
Let's first dig a little deeper into the functions

we've spoken about during the take-off
process.
Flight Path Angle Hold (FPAH)

As mentioned before, this is an attitude hold.
During the initial climb, you pressed this button
and it set the attitude to maintain the vertical
speed when you set it. When you release the
flight controls, the plane should maintain this.
In order to change the pitch, you can simply
use the flight controls and move it up or down
to your desired pitch. Once there, let go and
the FPAH will hold that path angle. This works
both for ascending and descending.
Barometric Altitude Hold Mode (BALT)

As you saw earlier, pressing the BALT mode
will have the aircraft hold the altitude to the
nearest 100ft to where you currently are. There
isn't a way to specify which altitude you want,
you will need to do this manually.
Heading Select (HSEL)

When using HSI mode (on either the right
DDI or the AMPCD), you can see the current
heading selected when in the autopilot mode.
You can adjust this by using the HDG/TK toggle
on the left of the AMPCD. This will adjust the
heading select and you can also see a heading
bug on the HSI. To then have the aircraft then
automatically follow that heading, you will
need to press HDG on the UFCD, which then
changes it to heading select mode (HSEL). The
aircraft will now turn to that specified heading.
Ground Track (GTRK)

If you have a little bit of wind hitting the
aircraft when in HSEL, then you may want to
use GTRK instead. By using GTRK, your aircraft
will instead hold the ground track. This will
make the aircraft much smoother when in
some windy conditions. You can adjust the
ground select heading the same way in which
you adjusted the HSEL. You will need to adjust
the heading and then press GTRK to set the
GSEL mode.

Waypoints and Navigation
In addition to using the autopilot in free-flight,
you can also use waypoints to navigate in the
simulator. To make things a little easier, start
by setting up a route within the 'World Map'
screen of the simulator. In this example, we
have set up to fly from KNKX to KVGT, using
the IFR (High-Altitude airways) option. We
have selected the LAKEE3 departure from
KNKX.
Head back into the simulator and get ready for
takeoff.
Before you take off, you will want to add the

route to the right DDI. Start by changing the
view to the HSI view on the right DDI. Now, you
will want to see the waypoints and the 'route-
line'. Start by clicking the top-right button
which says 'WYPT' on the screen. Then the
bottom-right button which says 'SEQ1'. You will
now see your route drawn out with a dashed
line.
If you wish to see the waypoint information,

click on the button for 'DATA' and you will be
able to cycle through each waypoint on your
route.
Follow the takeoff procedure we brought you

earlier in this tutorial. Once you have raised
the gear and set the flaps to auto, press FPAH
to set the flight path angle.
Tuning the Plane to Follow the Autopilot

After takeoff, it's likely you will have flown
past the first waypoint. Luckily, it's easy to
tell the plane which waypoint to head to
next. On the right DDI, click the button to
increase the waypoint. This is represented by
a small green dot on the HSI. Your HSI will also
show information about the distance to the
waypoint and the time to reach it.
When you have selected the waypoint you

want to head to, you will need to click CPL
WYPT. This will now put the plane into NAV
mode and follow the heading. You will also see
the navigation information on the HUD.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
When You Reach the Waypoint
When you reach that particular waypoint,
your aircraft will automatically enter heading
mode. It will not automatically track the next
waypoint.
In order to then track the next waypoint, you

will need to select the next waypoint (in an
incremental manner) and click CPL WYPT
again. The aircraft will then track the next
waypoint.
You will need to do this for each waypoint

along your route.
Other Tips and Tricks

• When you are ready to descend, and you
are in BALT mode, you can simply push the
stick forward and you will automatically
when FPAH mode. Remember to reduce
your throttle to slow down.
• There are speedbrakes located on the
throttle to help you slow down quickly.
• You will need to disengage the autopilot
prior to landing. Use the hotkey to
disengage it.
• Landing speed for the F/A-18 is around 140
knots.
• Use the HUD Velocity indicator (small
dot) to help you with your landings. This
is particularly important in low-visibility
conditions.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
USING XBOX CLOUD GAMING
In January 2022, Microsoft Flight Simulator
became compatible with Xbox Cloud Gaming.
This means that those of you who are
subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate can
stream Microsoft Flight Simulator (amongst
other games) to a number of compatible
devices, including mobile, tablets, and older
gaming consoles and desktops.
End Result
Before we show you how to set up your device
to be able to stream Microsoft Flight Simulator
to your device, you should be aware of what
the end result is.
You will be able to stream the simulator on your

device at a maximum resolution of 1080p at 30
frames per second. All of the settings, controls
and visuals will look the same as though you
were using the simulator on a console.
This technology is based on Xbox console

hardware, thus meaning you will be able to use
the third-party purchases you own - providing
that they are compatible with Xbox and the
developer has enabled it.
The smoothness of the sim, visual fidelity and

latency will ultimately depend on your set-up
and your WiFi strength and speed.
Prerequisites
In order to take full advantage of Xbox Cloud
Gaming, and to have your simulator on your
device, there are some prerequisites you must
be familiar with.
Xbox Game Pass 'Ultimate'.

You must have a Microsoft Xbox account that
is subscribed to the 'Ultimate' tier of Xbox
Game Pass. There are multiple Xbox Game
Pass plans, but in order to use the Xbox Cloud
Gaming tech, you must be subscribed to the
'Ultimate' plan. For reference, the ultimate
plan is £10.99 / $14.99 per month.

Region Limited
As of April 2022, there are only a select number
of regions where Xbox Cloud Gaming can be
used.
Regions that will allow Xbox Cloud Gaming

include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United
Kingdom and the United States.
A full list of regions can be found here:

https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/regions
You will then need to click 'Xbox Game Pass'
from the table and then use the right-hand
column called 'Cloud Gaming (Ultimate Only)
to determine if your region is supported.
Compatible Hardware
In order to take advantage of Xbox Cloud
Gaming, you will need to have compatible
hardware. There is a wide range of compatible
devices.
Note: The list of devices that follows is not

exhaustive. Other devices may or may not work
for cloud gaming. This list will be updated as
more types of devices are tested and verified
by the Xbox team.
iPhones
iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 11
Pro, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro,
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPads
iPad Air (3rd Gen), iPad Air (4th Gen), iPad Pro
11 2nd Gen, iPad Mini 5th Gen, iPad 8th Gen
Windows Devices
Surface Go, Surface Go 2, Surface Pro 6, Surface
Pro X, Surface Pro 7+, Surface Laptop, Surface
Laptop 3, Surface Book 2
Source: Xbox Reddit Xbox One

The Xbox One series of consoles is also
compatible with Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Android
Many Android devices are also compatible.
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Internet Connection First Step: Connect Your Controller
In order to take advantage of Xbox Cloud
Gaming, you will need a strong and stable
Actually loading up the simulator on your
internet connection.
device will vary depending on the type of
device you use. Apple devices differ from
In short, 5Ghz Wi-Fi or mobile data connection Android devices, as do consoles and PCs.
20Mbps down is the minimum required data
connection.
To make things as streamlined as possible in
this guide, we'll start with connecting your
More specific information can be found on the controller to your device.
Xbox support page here:
https://support.xbox.com/en-GB/help/games- This guide will assume that you have a
apps/cloud-gaming/about-cloud-gaming compatible controller and compatible devices.
Compatible Controller PC or Mac Hardware

The last item on the prerequisite list is ensuring If you're using PC or Mac hardware, connecting
you have a compatible controller. Xbox Cloud your controller is relatively simple. You will
Gaming requires you to have a device to simply need to connect the device using a
control the game on your mobile device. Most USB cable. Typically the one supplied with
Bluetooth controllers from popular gaming your controller will work.
consoles will be able to sync to your device
and work.
Most modern hardware and devices will
automatically detect your hardware. If this
Game controllers include Xbox controllers (Xbox is now the case, you will need to follow the
One and above with Bluetooth connectivity), device's instructions on downloading the
Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 controllers. latest firmware.
A number of 'tested' controllers are also Once your device is connected, you are ready
compatible. You can see the full range of to proceed to the Second Step.
information on the Xbox support page:
Mobile Device (phone or tablet)

https://support.xbox.com/en-GB/help/games-
To connect your controller to your mobile
apps/cloud-gaming/cloud-gaming-tested-
device, you will need to use your Bluetooth
controllers
connectivity to pair them.
1. The first step on your mobile device is to

enable Bluetooth services.
2. Next, press the 'connect' button on your
controller. For example, on an Xbox
controller, this is the small circular button
next to the USB socket.
3. Your mobile device should then see the
'controller' for possible new connections.
Click the controller and the pairing will
start.
4. After a few moments, your device should
be paired and ready to use.

Second Step: Getting Your Device
Ready for Xbox Cloud Gaming
Your next step should be to ensure your

device is ready to use Xbox Cloud Gaming. The
instructions you will need will depend on your
device.
This guide will assume you meet the

prerequisites described earlier on and that
you have connected your controller.
Xbox Console
If you're on an Xbox console, you will need to
navigate to your games library. Press the Xbox
button, select My games & apps and then See
All. From there, choose Full library and then
Xbox Game Pass.
Any game that supports Xbox Cloud Gaming

will be indicated by the cloud icon.
Select Microsoft Flight Simulator and the

simulator will load up via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Apple Device (e.g. iPhone or iPad)

In order to use your Apple device to stream
Microsoft Flight Simulator via Xbox Cloud
Gaming, you will need to head to the following
link on your device:
>>> https://xbox.com/play <<<
In the Safari web browser, you will need to click

the 'share' button and 'Add to Home Screen'.
This will then add a direct web app to your

home screen.
Head to your home screen and select 'Cloud

Gaming'.
You will need to then log into your Xbox

account.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Android Devices (mobile or tablet)
In order to use Xbox Cloud Gaming on an
Android device, you will need to download the
Xbox Game Pass app from the Google Play
Store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/
details?id=com.gamepass&hl=en_GB&gl=US
Once it is installed, navigate to the new app on

your device.

account.
PC or Mac Hardware
In order to use your PC or Mac hardware to
stream Microsoft Flight Simulator via Xbox
Cloud Gaming, you will need to head to the
following link on your device:
>>> https://xbox.com/play <<<

account.

Third Step: Launch Microsoft Flight
Simulator
Now that you have Xbox Cloud Gaming set

up on your device, you're now ready to launch
Microsoft Flight Simulator. Find the game
in the library (search or otherwise), and click
'Play'.
This will then launch Microsoft Flight Simulator

on your device, using the power of Xbox Cloud
Gaming.
Considerations
Third-Party Content
If you have purchased third-party content via
the in-sim Marketplace, and it's compatible
with Xbox consoles, then you will be able to
access this content via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
You will need to 'download' it again through
the in-sim Marketplace.
World Updates
At the time of writing, World Updates I - VI are
automatically included with Microsoft Flight
Simulator running on Xbox Cloud Gaming.
This includes all the photogrammetry cities,
points of interest and missions.
Multiplayer
You will be able to access the same multiplayer
options as you are able to do so on Xbox
consoles when using the simulator through
Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Questions or Need Help?
You can get all the support you need through

the official Xbox support channel and websites.
https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/xbox-game-pass/
cloud-gaming

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTRODUCING 'SPOTLIGHT'
Since the release of the simulator in August
2020, developers, publishers and community
members have ramped up production on
quality add-ons. In this guide, we have shown
you how to install first-party add-ons through
the in-sim Marketplace and also how to add
third-party content. With that information in
mind, we want to regularly update you with
more content we think you will enjoy and find
useful when using your simulator.
With each update coming to the guide, we'll

also provide you with information on our
top picks of the add-ons we think will be a
great addition to your simulator. We know
that with so much choice out there it can be
overwhelming and sometimes confusing. To
that end, our 'Spotlight' series will provide a
variety of options to try (freeware and payware),
along with other relevant information to
support your new simming hobby.
What To Expect?
Our primary goal with 'Spotlight' is to provide
you with information that will enhance your
simulation experience. From new aircraft
and modifications to interesting airports
and utilities that will make your simming
experience even easier.
We will cover a broad range of freeware

options along with those you will need to pay
for. There should be something for everyone in
our 'Spotlight' series, but we are also keen to
hear your feedback. If you have any feedback,
you can reach out to us directly through our
Support Portal or via our Chatbot online.

SOFLY PRODUCTS
This guide would be amiss if we didn't mention
our other product offerings readily available
for the simulator. So far, we have two offerings
available to the community; Weather Preset
Pro and Landing Challenge Pro.
Our goal for SoFly products is to provide fun,

educational and engaging products that will
enhance your simulator experience. Here's a
little more information on them both.
Weather Preset Pro

Our first product following A Guide to Flight
Simulator was Weather Preset Pro. This add-
on includes 60 weather presets for your
simulator that truly enhance the weather
scenarios available to you. These presets
include conditions such as storms, blizzards,
low visibility, strong winds and a variety of STORM for MSFS
cloud sets.
Released in May 2022, STORM will test your
skills in historic and fictional hurricanes.
Our team managed to develop several weather
conditions such as sand storms, hurricanes
and zero visibility conditions that went beyond Buckle up for the most exhilarating, thrilling
the limits of the simulators default presets to and dangerous flight simulation product
provide truly unique conditions to test your created by SoFly.
piloting ability.
With STORM for Microsoft Flight Simulator,
Buy Now From SoFly you will be able to find hurricanes in their real-
world locations, take on numerous challenges
and become the ultimate storm chaser.
Landing Challenge Pro
Released in May 2021, Landing Challenge Pro Buy Now From SoFly
will take you on a journey around the world
whilst you take on scenic, challenging and fun
approaches as you perfect your landing skills. Mataveri International Airport (SCIP)
Released in July 2022, Mataveri International
Designed for any skill level, Landing Challenge Airport is one of the world's most remote
Pro is broken down into three difficulty levels airports.
allowing you to progress from easy to pro over
nearly 30 challenges. Over the course of time,
Developed with love and passion from
we'll be updating Landing Challenge Pro to
WTFlightSim, you can explore Easter Island in
include even more scenarios where you can
rich and exciting detail.
then compare your scores with friends.
Buy Now From SoFly

Buy Now From SoFly

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SPOTLIGHT: TOP 5 FREEWARE
Flight simulation as we know it today was built
on talented developers who had a burning
passion to create meaningful and helpful
expansions to bring more to the core product.
We have been blessed to have such an array
of people who go out of their way to create
add-on after add-on and who then don't
charge a single penny for their time or efforts.
With the release of the new simulator, people

immediately saw the potential in it and began
creating new software and modifications to
enhance the simulator beyond its already
excellent capabilities. Since the new simulator
was released, thousands of freeware products
have been released, with many of them
now having dedicated teams solely there
to continue working on the add-on to make
it better. With so many freeware products
out there, we felt it was a good idea to start
sharing some of those we feel, truly build on
the simulator, to give you a better experience.
In this 'Spotlight' feature, we wanted to

share our top 5 freeware add-ons for the
simulator and tell you why they will improve
your experience. These aren't listed in a best
to worst layout, but rather just 5 picks (from
the thousands) that may appeal to you. We'll
be sure to update this section over time
highlighting even more of these incredible
free add-ons for your simulator.

FlyByWire - A32NX
Flybywires's A32NX is by far the most
popular and talked about freeware add-on
for the simulator. Originally developed as a
modification to the default A320, it has since
been blessed by Microsoft to be released as
a standalone add-on. It was so well-liked by
Microsoft that they have included it in the
in-sim Marketplace as the first community
freeware add-on downloadable directly from
the sim.
This freeware aircraft will give you access to a Download the A32NX
much more advanced and realistic rendition
of the A320Neo. Developed by a huge team
of fans, pilots and engineers, the A32NX adds
a large number of features, performance
improvements and realistic dynamics that will
take your learning of the aircraft to a whole
new level. Not only that, but the team has
improved the sound effects, added integration
with other add-ons, as well as included new
lighting and modelling to the look of the
plane. In essence, it's an entirely new aircraft
that rivals even payware products.
Without a doubt, the FlyByWire A32NX is a

must-have in anyone's simulator. If you love
flying the default Airbus, you will be blown
away by what the team has achieved here.
Toolbar Pushback
This is an essential add-on for anyone using the
new simulator. Simply put, this modification
allows you to have much more control over the
pushback functionality within the simulator.
You'll no longer have to second guess the
outcome of your pushback, and instead, you'll
have full control over it using the integrated
add-on; toolbar pushback.
Once downloaded, you can choose the

tug direction and speed. You can also take
complete manual control of the tug using your Download Toolbar Pushback
controllers. The in-sim toolbar can be used
to call up the application so you can interact
with it from within the sim, making the whole
experience seamless.
Not only does Toolbar Pushback allow you

to interact with the tug, but you can also
call ground services to your aircraft and load
catering and baggage to your aircraft.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Airbus A330-300 Mega Pack
It's still very early in development (version 0.2),
but members of the SoFly team have had
a great experience with the aircraft. It looks
fantastic and flies nicely for such an early
version of the aircraft. Whilst this is not a true
representation of the aircraft type, it certainly
is a lot of fun to fly.
The team at Project Mega Pack have also

included a huge list of liveries to accommodate
the aircraft download, so you can be sure to
find all of your favourites. Download the A330-300
MSFS Community Downloader

This is the most recently released product on
our list, but it certainly earns its place thanks
to how accessible it makes a range of other
community mods that all improve default
aircraft.
The MSFS Community Downloader enables

anyone to easily download a wide variety of
modifications for numerous aircraft types. For
example, the 'Salty 747' is available to download
directly through the application, along with
the 'Working Title CJ4'. These modifications
vastly improve the default aircraft (in a similar
way to how FlyByWire initially did, with the
A320Neo/A32NX).
What this tool does though is consolidate

several add-ons and modifications into one
single place. Instead of combing your way
through various websites or searching for the Download MSFS Community
latest update, the MSFS Community Download
keeps it all in a single place and automatically
notifies you of any updates.
This tool will save you time and effort, whilst

ensuring you have a more realistic experience
using aircraft in the simulator.

XCub Performance Tool
A lot of this list has so far focused on the jets,
but we are aware that many of you will enjoy
flying low and slow to admire the scenery
within the simulator. Luckily, there's one
modification that springs to mind that does
an excellent job at enhancing the default cub
within the simulator.
The cub itself is a great aircraft for bush flying

thanks to its large wheels and short take-off
and landing capabilities. However, it does lack
some of the details and performance many Download XCub Performance Tool
require for longer trips. This is where the XCub
Performance Tool comes in.
Developed by the team at Bush League

Legends, the XCub Performance Tool was
designed to better replicate the performance
of the CubCrafters XCub, whilst improving
the flight model and the autopilot systems
onboard.
Furthermore, the tool enables you to pair

the Working Title GX Mod to the XCub to
enable you to have an even better navigation
experience.
If exploring the world is why you fly in the

simulator, then this mod is a must-have and
will enhanceyour experience with the Cub.
Bonus: Airbus H135 Helicopter
Not another Airbus!
Download Airbus H135 Helicopter

Well, this one is different. Instead of being a
jet, this one is a helicopter. Developed by Hype
Performance Group, the H135 Helicopter is a
free product that has been designed in line
with the iconic aircraft. Despite no official
support for the type in the simulator, the
What Would You Pick?
team has found a way to bring rotary aircraft
to the sim. For inexperienced simmers new to As we said earlier, there are hundreds of
helicopters, this is a great way to start learning modifications for the simulator and there's
how to handle these machines. a good chance your favourite was missed
from this list. Be sure to send us your picks
for future guide updates so we can continue
to inform simmers (new and experienced)
which freeware will allow them to get the
most out of their simulator.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SPOTLIGHT: TOP 5 PAYWARE
Whilst the freeware community has had a
huge impact on people's simming experience
in the new simulator, there are still plenty
of payware options out there that greatly
enhance the sim.
Despite the simulator being still in its early

days, there are already a large number of
products out there that provide simmers
enhancements or different experiences with
the simulator. We have seen a range of aircraft,
scenery and utilities that take simmers further
into the experience. There is such a range of
options out there already that we have put
together our picks for the top five payware
releases currently available.
Our list will give you a brief insight into some of

our favourites. Of course, yours may not make
the list, but we hope that newcomers will look
at this list and see a product that may interest
them. This list is in no particular order.
Whilst we could be bias and list all of our

products in this list, we decided to stick to
those made by others.
It's worth noting that we are excluding any

scenery products in this list as they will come
next time.

The Skypark - Parallel 42
Available exclusively for the latest simulator,
The Skypark is your ultimate adventure across
the virtual skies. The Skypark aims to give
you a sense of purpose in the world as you
get contracted to fly different routes, carry
a variety of cargo and do your best to be a
financial success.
The Skypark will give you access to your very

own in-flight tablet designed to be your all-in-
one device as you adventure across the world.
Dubbed The Skypad, the tablet device enables
you to access several apps at your fingertips.
See the latest contracts, track your progress
and even see how much money each job has
made.
You will need to pick your jobs carefully and

fulfil them or else you will get penalised and
lose reputation. Lose enough rep and you'll
start picking up contracts that seem a little
shady. That said, the reward could be worth
the risk.
Buy The Skypark

The Skypark opens up a world of possibilities
and its great-looking user interface and online
role-playing mechanics mean you will always
have something new to do.
Flight Crew A320 - FS2Crew

For as realistic as the new simulator is, there will
always be the missing co-pilot sat alongside
you. This is where Flight Crew A320 steps in
and provides you with a virtual companion.
FS2Crew is known for their virtual crew

operations from other platforms and this brand
new Flight Crew A320 product builds on their
knowledge. Upon adding to your simulator,
you will make your Airbus experience come
alive with real-world checklists and procedures
from a virtual companion. Buy Flight Crew A320
This product features real flight crew callouts

and interactions from a variety of crew
members. You can choose from three voice
sets: the US, UK and EU.
Whilst some limitations exist, it's a great start

and a great tool to help you manage the
workload of operating a real Airbus A320.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
DC6 for MSFS - PMDG
PMDG is a household name when it comes to
aircraft development in any simulator. So it's
not surprising then that when they confirmed
that they would develop for the newest sim,
fans got excited. Whilst it was expected that
the 737 would be their first aircraft release, we
instead got the Douglas DC-6.
Don't be fooled into thinking that this isn't a

sophisticated aircraft. In fact, it's possibly more
complex than your typical jetliner these days.
With many systems to monitor, you will spend
as much time flying as you will keeping an eye
on things. Fortunately, the built-in optional AI
will help you get from ground to air easily.
Not only is it rich with detail, but the modelling,

sound and texture work are undeniably
excellent.
This is a truly incredible aircraft with a rich

background and one that will give you a
chance to truly admire the world of the new
simulator. Buy DC-6 for MSFS
Don't be put off by its dated look because this

is one aircraft you won't want to miss out on.
CRJ 550/700 for MSFS - Aerosoft

If you're looking to fly some regional hops
between smaller airports, then you should look
no further than the CRJ 550/700 by Aerosoft.
When it was released, it was one of the first

truly custom aircraft for the simulator. It is
a great mid-way point for those looking to
explore the world in a jet, whilst not being
overly complicated for newcomers. There's a
range of tutorials and accessibility options for
all kinds of simmers.
Visually, it looks stunning and it also performs

extremely well. Flying the aircraft feels silky
smooth and the level of system depth is more
than enough to do some adventurous A to B
flying.
This is a great, fun and fast aircraft and it won't

break the bank either.
Buy CRJ 550/700 for MSFS

Airport Regional Environment X: North
America - LatinVFR
Airports in the new simulator already look fairly
accurate. One area that lacks any authenticity
is the airport vehicles. Whilst they function
fine, LatinVFR saw an opportunity to improve
the realism of the simulator. Airport Regional
Environment X: North America, adds several
realistic paints for many trucks, catering units,
fueling tanks and much more.
Moving away from the standard, non-region

specific paints AREX: NA adds well-known
logos and colour schemes to these trucks to
make them feel much more suited for the
airport you're in.
As the name implies, AREX: NA covers the

whole of North America. This means adding
this product will instantly transform thousands
of airports in the US.
Whilst the NA pack is our favourite, there

are also packs for Europe and also Asia, all of
which cost around the same. Either way, this Buy AREX: NA
is a great tool for those wanting a bit more
realism in and around their airports.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SPOTLIGHT: HONEYCOMB HARDWARE
To most simmers, a simple joystick and throttle
are all you need to get the most out of the
simulator and discover the world. For others,
having a more advanced control setup is key
to having the most immersive experience
possible. We are lucky to have a number of
hardware choices to choose from that meet
the needs of a variety of types of simmers.
One of the best hardware manufactures also
happens to produce hardware that balances
quality and cost. That company is Honeycomb
Aeronautical.
If you haven't heard of Honeycomb

Aeronautical by now, then allow us to give
them the spotlight this month as they produce
truly great hardware for a descent price.
Honeycomb Aeronautical is based in San

Diego and was founded with the goal of
creating affordable flight simulation hardware.
Founded by Nicki Repenning in 2015, the
company has since grown to a globally
recognised brand. Currently, Honeycomb
has two products available to buy, but are
continuing to push the limits of what they
can do and provide even more control options
for those looking to get the most out of their
simulators.
In this month's Spotlight, we'll take a look at

what makes their hardware so special, what is
currently available and what the future holds
for the team at Honeycomb Aeronautical.

Alpha Flight Controls
The first product released from Honeycomb
was the Alpha Flight Controls. Described as
the "most advanced flight simulation control
system available," the yoke-style control set-
up includes numerous features and functions
which make it indispensable for many.
The yoke unit features a full 180-degree

rotation with smooth motion throughout the
movement. There's no centre detent or dead
zone that other control units have, which
heavily impacts the immersion. On the yoke
itself, there are 13 programmable buttons
and hat switches. All of these enable you to
customise your experience when using the
simulator.
In addition, the unit also features light switches

for your aircraft, a 5-position ignition switch
and a swanky backlight panel.
The unit is plugged into your PC via the USB-C

cable and once installed, it's simple to use.
The simulator will instantly recognise the Find Out More
hardware and the default key commands and
axis will automatically be set up.
You can buy the Alpha Flight Controls from

several retailers for approximately $279.99.
Bravo Throttle Quadrant

The Bravo Throttle Quadrant is Honeycomb's
answer to a modular throttle product that
is adaptable to suit a range of aircraft types.
Each throttle axis can be changed to suit the
aircraft you're flying. There is also a GA and a
Boeing style set of controls included.
Alongside the throttle handles, there's a

fantastic trim wheel (essential for those
needing to precisely trim), a landing gear lever
and also a flap handle.
Find Out More
If that wasn't enough, the unit also features

a full autopilot control panel. Adjust a range
of settings all from your hardware without
having to adjust it in the simulator. All in all, an
impressive piece of equipment.
You can buy the Bravo Throttle Quadrant from

several retailers for approximately $279.99.
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Charlie Rudder Pedals
Available Soon
The Charlie Rudder Pedals are Honeycomb

Aeronautical's solution to rudder pedals.
The Charlie Rudder Pedals are due to release in

2021 and feature a horizontal pedal movement
similar to commercial pedals and driven by a
heavy-duty belt to replicate the pulley system
found in GA planes.
The pedals are made out of aluminium and slide

on steel rails whilst the toe brakes are equipped
with load cells to provide an authentic brake
force. Honeycomb Aeronautical will support
multiple-sized carpet spikes and inserts for
optional weight to prevent slippage.
Upon release, the Charlie Rudder Pedals will

cost $299.99 USD. with the optional weight
units retailing for $39.99.
Tango Foxtrot Flight Stick and Throttle

Available Soon
This dual controller will feature programmable

buttons, toggles, switches and rotary switches
for maximum customisation for customers. The
stick and throttle sections will be completely
detachable and can be swapped depending
on which dominant hand you have.
The throttle unit features twin throttle levers

with thrust reverser and can be configured for
both GA and commercial airliners depending
on which aircraft you are flying.
The throttle features a TOGA switch, A/T

disconnect buttons, speedbrakes and flap
levers which also include the “pull to unlock”
function found in certain aircraft. Furthermore,
the throttle features rudder trim, autobrake,
parking brake and also a fire suppression
system for both the APU and engines. The
planned release date for the Tango Foxtrot
controller will be in the second or third quarter
of 2021 and will retail for $249.99. It will be
compatible with box PC and Xbox Series X|S.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SPOTLIGHT: COMMUNITIES
Whether you're new to flight simulation
or an experienced simmer, having a great
community around you is great in enabling
you to discover new ways to fly, events and
more.
In this Spotlight series, we're going to share

a number of communities and the impact it
may have on your simulation experience.
Media Outlets
There are numerous media outlets available
to discover the latest in flight simulation news,
reviews and editorial content.
FSElite - The largest and most up-to-date

resource available for flight simulation news.
Founded in 2016, FSElite has been a reputable
and trusted resource for all things flight
simulation. A team of passionate simmers who
dedicate time to providing the community
fast-paced content, reviews and editorials.
Find Out More

Threshold - Although founded to originally
focus on X-Plane content, Threshold saw the
potential of Microsoft Flight Simulator and
decided to dedicate time and resources to
covering the new platform. Threshold also has
an interactive forum and store to buy specific
products.
Find Out More

MSFS Addons - MSFSAddons originally was
designed to be a great resource for downloads,
but quickly turned into a media site providing
MSFS-specific news and content. The site is
updated regularly with news on both freeware
and payware creations.
Find Out More
Forums/Discord Communities
If you're looking for a way to engage with
active members of the community, forums
and Discord channels exist in order for you to
engage with people in real-time.
Official Microsoft Discord - The official

Microsoft Flight Simulator Discord channel
was initially just a fan-made page, but soon
grew so much that the MS team wanted
to make it official. Now one of the largest
communities on the web, you can discuss all
things related to the simulator.
Find Out More

Official Microsoft Flight Simulator Forum -
Accessible to all, the Microsoft Flight Simulator
forum is a great place to engage with the
developers, community managers and like-
minded people about the latest sim. Learn
about new products, discover tricks and tips
and much more.
Find Out More
AVSIM - One of the first flight simulation

dedicated forums, AVSIM, is still extremely
busy and popular even today. The forum
hosts a number of developers, including their
support, along with having thousands of
active members for all flight simulators. This is
a great place to start if you're looking for some
help.
Find Out More

FlightSim.com - FlightSim.com falls into
numerous categories, but its forum has a
busy presence in the flight sim space. Visit
numerous forum threads, download plenty of
freeware and learn about the latest products
in their marketplace.
Find Out More

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Stores / Marketplaces
If you're looking to expand your current library
of add-on content, then you will want to learn
about some of the best stores and locations to
get downloads.
FlightSim.to - FlightSim.to made a name

for itself when it become the go-to place to
download freeware products for the simulator.
Since then, they have also expanded into
offering payware products.
Find Out More

simMarket - One of the longest-running
stores, simMarket, also boasts one of the
largest libraries for flight simulator content.
Easily download products from their store and
use a variety of payment methods to obtain
your add-ons.
Find Out More

Orbx - Although Orbx sold only in-house
developments through its award-winning
Orbx Central application, the store has been
expanded to include a number of partner
products. You can download products using
the great application that automatically
downloads, installs and updates products in a
single click.
Find Out More
Streamers / Content Creators

A great way to find out new products and
engage with community members is through
live streamers and content creators. Often you
will find these people on Twitch or YouTube,
but there are some on Facebook Gaming.
Chewwy94 - One of the most popular

streamers on Twitch is Chewwy94. Having
spent many years streaming in a relaxed
and informative way, Chewwy94 has built a
reputation for having interactive and engaging
streams.
Find Out More

LondonController - Another popular Twitch
streamer is LondonController. He streams
regularly for MSFS and can be found
showcasing new aircraft or controlling on
VATSIM.

TheFlightSimDeck - TheFlightSimDeck
provides informative, cinematic and creative
videos to help you better understand aircraft
and scenery products. He has also started
developing for the simulator and provides
tutorial videos to help get you started.
Find Out More

KatiePilot - Real-world Airbus pilot, KatiePilot,
often spends her time on Twitch streaming
A320 flights and educating simmers on various
techniques and how-tos.
Find Out More

320 Sim Pilot - Another real-world pilot for the
Airbus series of aircraft is known as 320 Sim
Pilot. You can find him over on YouTube and
often completes challenging approaches and
teaches emergency procedures.
Find Out More

Aus Flight Simmer - AusFlightSimmer is a
fantastic Australian flight simmer that regularly
shares the latest news and information on the
sim via his YouTube channel. Not only that, but
he also has numerous group flights where you
can join in.
Find Out More
TheSkyLounge - Twitch streamer OMGEDSON

allows you to escape the norm and chill to
music as he discovers the world of flight
simulator. Accompanied by TheSkypark,
Edson engages with his audience to provide
stunning views in the simulator.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
INTRODUCING 'DISCOVERY'
The world of the new flight simulator is
stunning, rich and full of life. Thanks to the
use of modern technology, every part of the
world is covered. Some areas also include the
detailed photogrammetry that brings cities
to life in full 3D, whilst the use of Bing Maps
enables true to life aerial imagery to be used
across the world to accurately represent the
ground below.
As the world is so vast and full of life, we wanted

to help newcomers and experienced simmers
alike find inspiring new places. Our wonderful
planet is full of unique landscapes that provide
unique vistas and viewpoints, which are made
even more exciting when soaring right above
them.
We'll be continuing to update this series in

line with our guide updates to help you feel
inspired about where to fly next. Whether that
be a unique city, a tropical paradise or a natural
wonder of the world, our 'Discovery' series will
appeal to the inner adventurer within you.
So whether you fly with friends online or

venture out on your own, we hope you discover
something new and exciting that inspires you.

DISCOVERY: PHOTOGRAMMETRY CITIES
Our first section in the 'Discovery' series will
give you a full list of all of the cities that are
covered by the amazing technology called
'Photogrammetry'.
Photogrammetry is the technology used to

replicate cities in a 3D environment within the
simulator. Scans of cities are conducted by
sophisticated cameras which capture high-
resolution images of objects and buildings,
along with 3D information such as height,
width and length. This data is then processed
to recreate a 2D image into a 3D object, which
is then injected into the simulator at the exact
coordinates of the actual building. This is
how the new simulator is able to accurately
replicate entire cities with accurate buildings,
structures and vegetation.
Within the simulator, there are over 360 cities

that use this technology. Whilst they do use a
large amount of bandwidth from your data,
the results are truly astonishing and you could
be soaring over iconic cities within minutes.
However, finding these cities within the

simulator isn't easy, so we have compiled a list
of all the locations in the world where you can
discover photogrammetry cities. The majority
of them are in the US, but more and more are
being added all of the time. We have listed
each city under their respective country name,
or if it's in the US, under their State name.
List Updated: 22nd July 2022
Australia
Canberra Sydney*** Melbourne***
Darwin City Brisbane*** Hobart***
Gold Coast Adelaide*** Perth***
Hobart Cairns*** Darwin***
Newcastle Townsville*** Mackay***
Wollongong Banbury***
Austria
Graz**
Vienna**

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Belgium Braunschweig**
Brussels Bremen
Brunswick
Canada Dresden
Calgary Duisburg
Edmonton Freiburg
Hamilton Frankfurt am Main**
London Halle (Saale)
Montreal Hamburg
Ottawa Karlsruhe
Quebec City Kiel
Toronto Konstanz*
Vancouver Leipzig
Victoria Magdeburg
Winnipeg Mannheim
Mönchengladbach
Denmark Munich
Copenhagen Münster
Nuremberg
Oberhausen
France
Wuppertal**
Aix-en-Provence
Bordeaux
Chambord Italy Ancona^* Portugal^
Lille Bologna Bari^* Lisbon
Marseille Catania Cittadella^* Barreiro
Montpellier Florence Padua^* Cascais
Paris (Requires World Update IV: France and Milan Paestum^* Coimbra
Benelux) Naples Parma^*
Port-Vendres Palermo Pavia^*
Rennes Rome Perugia^*
Rouen Venice Turin^*
Strasbourg Verona
Vers-Pont-Du-Gard
Netherlands
Finland Amsterdam Utrecht
Helsinki
Spain
Germany Alicante Bilbao ^
Aachen Barcelona Pamplona
Augsburg Córdoba Seville
Berlin Madrid Valencia
Bielefeld** Marbella Vigo
Malaga^ Murcia
Switzerland
Basel**
Zurich
United Kingdom
Brighton
Bristol*
Cambridge*
Derby
Eastbourne
London*
Newcastle
Nottingham
Oxford*
Portsmouth
Southampton
*Requires World Update III
United States
Alabama (USA)
World Update X New Cities
Anniston
Albany
Auburn
Arlington
Birmingham
Boise
Decatur
Charleston (West Virginia)
Dothan
Disney – Kissimmee – Windermere
Huntsville
Eugene
Mobile
Key Largo
Montgomery
Lansing
Spanish Fort
Lynchburg
Olympia
Arizona (USA)
San Diego
Anthem
Seattle
Carefree
Catalina Foothills
Drexel Heights
Flagstaff
Lake Havasu City
Mesa **Requires World Update VI
Oro Valley San Tan Valley ***Requires World Update VII
Peoria Tempe
^Requires World Update VIII
Phoenix Tucson
^* Requires World Update IX
Prescott Yuma

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Arkansas (USA) Sacramento
Little Rock Salinas
San Bernardino
California (USA) San Diego
Agua Caliente San Francisco
Anaheim San Jose
Antioch Santa Ana
Bakersfield Santa Barbara
Castro Valley Santa Clarita
Chico Santa Cruz
Concord Santa Monica
Davis Selma
Desert Hot Springs Simi Valley
Downey Stockton
Elk Grove Temecula
Fairfield Ukiah
Foster City Visalia
Fremont Yuba City
Fresno Yucaipa
Glendale
Hanford Colorado (USA)
Hollister Boulder
Hollywood Colorado Springs
Inglewood Denver
La Habra
Lodi Connecticut (USA)
Long Beach Bridgeport
Los Angeles New Haven
Los Gatos Stamford
Madera
Manteca Delaware (USA)
Modesto Dover
Moreno Valley Wilmington
Oceanside
Oxnard Florida (USA)
Palm Springs Brandon
Palmdale Clermont
Perris Daytona Beach
Porterville Deltona
Redding Flagler Beach
Reedley Fort Lauderdale
Richmond Fort Myers

Gainesville Georgia (USA)
Gulf Breeze Atlanta
Immokalee Brunswick
Jacksonville Columbus
Key West Gainesville
Lake City Griffin
Lakeland LaGrange
Leesburg Macon
Marco Island Marietta
Miami Peachtree City
New Smyrna Beach Riverdale
Ocala Roswell
Okeechobee Savannah
Orange Park Sea Island
Orlando St. Marys
Pace Statesboro
Palatka Valdosta
Palm Bay
Palm Beach Illinois (USA)
Palmetto Bay Carbondale
Panama City Champaign
Pensacola Chicago
Poinciana Kankakee
Port Charlotte Marion
Port St. Lucie Rock Island
Sarasota Springfield
Sebring
Spring Hill Indiana (USA)
St. Petersburg Fort Wayne
Tallahassee Indianapolis
Tampa Kokomo
Tarpon Springs Michigan City
Titusville South Bend
Universal Studios Florida
Venice
Walt Disney World Resort
Winter Haven
Winter Park
Zephyrhills

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Iowa (USA) Mississippi (USA)
Des Moines Gulfport
Jackson
Kansas (USA) Laurel
Topeka
Wichita Missouri (USA)
Columbia
Kentucky (USA) Jefferson City
Louisville Kansas City
Springfield
Louisiana (USA) St. Louis
Baton Rouge
Monroe Nebraska (USA)
New Orleans Lincoln
Shreveport Omaha
Maine (USA) Nevada (USA)

Augusta Carson City
Portland Las Vegas
Reno
Maryland (USA)
Baltimore New Hampshire (USA)
Concord
Massachusetts (USA)
Boston New Jersey (USA)
Brockton Edison
Lowell Middletown
Springfield Newark
Worcester Toms River
Trenton
Michigan (USA) Willingboro
Ann Arbor
Detroit
Minnesota (USA)
Farmington
Minneapolis

New Mexico (USA) Pennsylvania (USA)
Albuquerque Abington
Bernalillo Harrisburg
Las Cruces McCandless
Los Lunas Norristown
Santa Fe Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
New York (USA)
New York Rhode Island (USA)
Niagara Falls Providence
Syracuse
South Carolina (USA)
North Carolina (USA) Charleston
Durham Columbia
Greensboro Goose Creek
Raleigh Greenville
Winston-Salem Summerville
North Dakota (USA) South Dakota (USA)

Bismarck Pierre
Fargo
Tennessee (USA)
Ohio (USA) Memphis
Cincinnati Nashville
Cleveland
Columbus
Dayton
Toledo
Oklahoma (USA)
Oklahoma City
Tulsa
Oregon (USA)
Beaverton
Portland

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Texas (USA) Japan
Amarillo (All require World Update I)
Austin Sendai
Brownsville Takamatsu
Corpus Christi Tokushima
El Paso Tokyo
Fort Worth Utsunomiya
Galveston Yokohama
Houston
Kingwood
Laredo
Longview
Lubbock
Midland
San Antonio
The Woodlands
Utah (USA)
Salt Lake City
Virginia (USA)
Norfolk
Richmond
Washington (USA)
Everett
Seattle
Tacoma
Wisconsin (USA)
Appleton
Fond du Lac
Green Bay
Janesville
Madison
Milwaukee
Oshkosh
Sheboygan
Wyoming (USA)
Cheyenne

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
DISCOVERY: SHORT SCENIC FLIGHTS
With the whole world covered by the new
simulator, it only makes sense for our Discovery
section to include short scenic flights. These
flights have been designed to give you the
chance to take off and land within an hour,
but get a truly amazing experience flying over
some tremendous views.
Our Discover section will continue to be

updated over time as more and more locations
are recommended.
See the Potash Ponds

Departure: Canyonlands Fields Airport (KCNY)
Arrival: Sky Ranch Airport (3L2)
Trip: Depart KCNY airport to the south in

a small GA aircraft and fly on a heading
of approximately 160-degrees. After 10-15
minutes, you will come across the fantastic and
glorious Potash Ponds. These breathtaking
ponds are full of colour and make for excellent
screenshots.
After you're done taking aerial photography

of these beautiful scenes, take an easterly
routing and follow Highway 191 towards Sky
Range Airport.
Total Time: 40 minutes.

Visit Piedra del Penol
Departure: José María Córdova (SKRG)
Arrival: Olaya Herrera Airport (SKMD)
Trip: Take off from José María Córdova and

fly in an easterly direction for 10-15 minutes.
Eventually, you will find the stunning rock
and lakes. Once done, fly west past José María
Córdova into the city of Medellin. You will
find Olaya Herrera Airport tucked amongst
the towering buildings and city landscape.
This is an exciting flight as it combines great

looking scenery with a challenging airport
approach.
Total Time: 45 minutes.
Aircraft's Final Resting Place

Departure: Davis Monthan AFB (KDMA)
Arrival: Davis Monthan AFB (KDMA)
Trip: A sad fact of life is that all things must

come to an end. This is the same for aircraft.
When it's time for an aircraft to be retired, its
last flight is often a quick trip to the Aircraft
Boneyard.
This quick flight from Davis Monthan AFB will

show you just how many aircraft are currently
sat waiting to be scrapped in this graveyard
for aircraft. Simply do some circuits and tour
around this historic area. A sad flight, but a
scenic one all the same.
Total Time: 10 - 30 minutes.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SIM SUPPORT - INSTALLATION & UPDATES
Our Sim Support section has been designed
to help users troubleshoot common errors or
issues within the simulator.
Whilst many users will find installing the

simulator a straightforward process, there are
a limited number of issues reported that can
easily be overcome.
Installation and Updates

One of the most common issues is seeing
the installation process 'loop' on certain
files and thus the installation or update fails.
There are multiple reasons for this to happen;
slow internet speeds, hard drive space full or
security software preventing the installation.
Solution #1 - Allocate More Resources to

Your PC
You could be encountering this issue due to
the lack of resources available on your PC. This
could slow down or prevent the decompression
engine during the installation process causing
it to stop or crash.
In an attempt to prevent this, close any

unnecessary background applications such as
web pages, Steam, Discord or other software
you have running on your PC.
When installing or updating the simulator,

you should give your PC maximum resources
to complete it successfully.
Solution #2 - Disabling Windows Auto-

tuning
If you find you're having issues downloading
'large' files, then you could resolve this issue by
disabling Windows Auto-tuning.
We have found this can speed up the

download and installation of these larger files
and prevent the installation process from
crashing.

To disable the Windows Auto-tuning function,
you will need to follow these instructions:
1. From your Windows start menu, search for

'Command Prompt'.
2. Run this software as an administrator.
3. A new window will pop up, which will
enable you to start typing a command.
Enter the following text:
netsh int tcp set global
autotuninglevel=disabled
4. Press the enter key to run this command.
5. You will need to now reboot your PC.
Try now running your installation for

the simulator again. You should see an
improvement in performance when trying to
install larger files for the simulator.
Solution #3 - Temporarily Moving the

Community Folder Contents
One common issue is smaller files not being
able to download and install correctly.
The cause of this issue is the contents of your

Community Folder. However, the solution is
relatively simple.
Create a new temporary folder anywhere

on your PC. Now move all contents of your
'Community' folder to this new temporary
folder, ensuring that the 'Community' folder
for your simulator installation is completely
empty. Likewise, if you added non-official
content to the official simulator folder, remove
this too.
Reboot your computer.
Run the installation process again and now

it should work fine. Once the new update
has been installed, move your community
content from the temporary folder back to the
'Community' folder in your simulator directory.

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
SIM SUPPORT - KNOWN ISSUES
It should be known that no software is perfect
and that there will always be issues and bugs.
However, it's how a company deals with them
which makes or breaks trust. We have seen
the team update the new simulator many
times since its initial release, always trying to
fix issues and problems.
It is also important that a company is

transparent about the problems within the
software, which is why the developers have
put together a known issues list.
The below list is of known issues for Microsoft

Flight Simulator.
Last Updated: May 28th 2021.
Virtual Reality
• Crashing issues when switching to VR.
Solution: Close ATC windows and other
pop-up windows before switching to VR
• You may crash when exiting VR mode. This
issue is being investigated but we suspect
OpenXR preview runtime (v106) may be
involved. So if you experience this problem,
we recommend you revert to the official
public runtime (v105).
Seagate Toolkit Application

• Seagate Toolkit application caused the
game to crash at start-up. Solution: Disable
Seagate Toolkit or stop the process in Task
Manager before launching Microsoft Flight
Simulator.
Peripherals
• On rare occasions during a flight, the
position of axes will reset to 50% after
exiting the Pause Menu. Workaround:
In the World Map menu, head to Flight
Conditions then in click the Sensitivity
button above the Search & Filters panel to
display the device sensitivity options and
adjust the position of your device's axes.
We are currently investigating this issue
and it will be fixed in an upcoming patch.

Performance
• We are aware that some players are
experiencing performance issues such as
FPS drops, stuttering, or crashes. Please
be assured that we are monitoring the
situation and investigating the cause of
each of these problems. Performance
is one of our top priorities, and we have
numerous optimization updates planned
for the near future. We'll make sure to share
more information in our development
updates.
Conflicts Between 3rd Party and

Official World Updates
• Orbx's London and Paris Landmarks
Scenery (3rd party content) are currently
conflicting with the World updates. This
is actively being worked on, but in the
meantime, we recommend disabling 3rd
party scenery.
Aircraft
• [B787] Aircraft nosewheel bounces
• The Cessna Citation Longitude can be
slightly below the glideslope as you get
close to the airport
• Once activated, the Switch to Mach units
knob won’t return to knots on the Airbus
A320neo.
• VNAV can overshoot the climb speed.
Disconnecting the AP after take-off and re-
engaging it will limit the overshoot impact.
• Beechcraft King Air 350i does not change
pitch with VS wheel when Autopilot is
enabled. The plane continually loses
altitude causing it to crash after loading
into the Attitudes & Instruments Training
Flight.
Miscellaneous
• Throttle mapping reversed for the
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog.
From the Official Support Page

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
THIS IS JUST THE START
Your flight simulation journey has only just
started. We hope you have felt that this guide Resources
has provided you with the support, guidance
and tips you need to get off to a flying start. Fortunately, there is a wide range of resources
out there already to help you better understand
flight simulation, and how to get involved with
From understanding the complexities of the various communities in this hobby.
airliners and emergency procedures to Community Forums / Websites
interacting with live air traffic control and
reading charts, we know there is still so much Avsim
out there to learn. Whilst flight simulation may Flightsim.com
still seem somewhat daunting, we hope this
guide has given you an insight into the world Official Microsoft Flight Simulator Discord
of simming and been able to provide you with The Sky Lounge.tv Discord
some helpful tips to get you on your way.
Media Outlets (News, Reviews & Previews)

Our Guide to Flight Simulation just scratches FSElite
the surface of everything there is to learn out
there. At SoFly, we want to continue providing HeliSimmer.com
you with quality guides, tutorials & training, Threshold
and lots more services to help you have the
best virtual flight simulation experience.
Online Flight Simulation Networks (ATC)
The Future
IVAO
POSCON
VATSIM
Since we released the guide in August, we have
issued numerous key updates and multiple
minor releases fixing issues discovered by our Content Producers (Twitch / YouTube)
customers. We are committed to continuing
that trend over the coming months. Be on the 320 Sim Pilot
lookout for future updates to continue your Aus Flight Simmer
learning experience.
Chewwy94
JonFly
A Pro Edition will also be released where we
The Flight Sim Deck
will go into detail about how to fly airliners,
plan more advanced navigation and how to NovaWing24
handle various emergency situations.

Credits
It is only with the support of following people Family and Friends of SoFly
that the Guide to Flight Simulation is made Your support, guidance and feedback has
possible. helped keep us motivated through this
challenging and tough time. We value that
Calum Martin now and always as we help others to discover
the wonderful world of flight sim, just as you
CEO of SoFly, Lead Design, Content Manager helped us to learn for ourselves.
Adam Errington
Content Producer
Molly Willcox
Marketing Manager
Lisa Carpenter
Editor, Content Producer Acknowledgements and Copyright
Jordan Williams A Guide to Flight Simulation: Extended Edition is produced
by SoFly Ltd (Company Number: 12352152) and is a registered
Content Producer (Extended Edition) product in England. This guide is not endorsed by Microsoft
in anyway and should not be seen as official. No parts of the
guide or its entirety may be reproduced in any way including
screenshots, sharing or re-uploading to any site identically
We would also like to thank the following or modified. Each copy of the guide is downloaded with a
people for their contributions to the guide. unique watermark featuring your name and email address
for security purposes.
Patrick Moore (The Flight Sim Deck) Microsoft Flight Simulator is developed by Asobo Studios,
Artwork and Screenshot Production Xbox Game Studios and is owned by Microsoft Corporation.
Microsoft Flight Simulator, Flight Simulator and other
Brian Benscoter trademarks / intellectual property associated belong to
Microsoft Corporation.
Additional Feedback
Benson Wong All aircraft, airport, developer, manufacturer and
data provider names, information, logos and assets
Simplifed Chinese Edition Translator remain the property of their respective owners.
JM Meissonnier
This guide is independently made and SoFly accepts no
French Edition Translator liability for any misinformation, misunderstanding or
damage caused for following this guide.
Maximu$
In-Sim Tool Bar Development

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
A GUIDE TO FLIGHT SIMULATOR CHANGELOG
Based on your feedback, we have
implemented a changelog to our guide to
help you understand what changes have been
made to the guide over the past versions. We
feel this will help you determine what new
information has been added or ammended.
This information can also be found online via
our website or through your original point of
purchase. We will continue to update this
section when we release a new update.
VERSION 1.00
Release Date: August 18th 2020
Initial Release
This was the initial release for A Guide to Flight
Simulator.
Total Page Count: 121
VERSION 1.10
Changelog
NEW – Boosting Performance for your
Simulator
NEW – How to Find Animals
NEW – How to Unlock All Achievements in the
Simulator
NEW – Information on how to print and move
to a different device
ADDED – Remaining Airports
ADDED – New Tips for Multiplayer
ADDED – Link to Blog Post for Improving
Download Speed on Installation
FIX – Corrected Logitech Error on Page 15
FIX – Corrected Gibraltar ICAO code on page
80
FIX – Changed details about server availability
on page 120

VERSION 1.20
Release Date: September 9th2020
Changelog
NEW - G1000 Tutorial
NEW - Airport Manoeuvring
NEW - Primary Key Controls
FIX - Corrected airport elevation for Sydney
International Airport (YSSY)

*v1.21 released the following day fixing an issue
with the G1000 tutorial.
VERSION 1.30
Release Date: September 16th 2020
Changelog
NEW - TBM 930 Tutorial [Part of TBM Tutorial]
NEW - Information on SkyVector Flight
Planning [Part of TBM Tutorial]
NEW - Information on using VOR navigation
[Part of TBM Tutorial]
ADDED - Page numbers now link directly to
pages within the guide
FIX - Minor spelling error on In-Sim Menu
Options on page 48
FIX - Minor spelling error on ATC communication
options on page 49
FIX - Minor spelling errors on Airliner section
on pages 68 and 69
FIX - Some page numbers were incorrect after
guide updates; now fixed

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
VERSION 1.40
Release Date: September 23rd 2020
Changelog
NEW - Snow and Weather Manipulation
NEW - Handling Icing In Your Aircraft
NEW - Accessibility Options
NEW - Updating Your Simulator
ADDED - Key features of simulator build 1.8.3.0
ADDED - Information on in-sim menu after
build update 1.8.3.0
ADDED - Updated back cover
FIX - Acronym error on Page 134
VERSION 1.50
Release Date: October 1st 2020
Changelog
NEW - A320Neo Tutorial Flight
ADDED - Information on Microsoft Flight
Simulator Build 1.9.3.0 [Japan Update]
CHANGED - Updated credits list in relation to
upcoming language translations and other
contributors.
FIX - Various minor spelling errors throughout
the guide [Thanks to Brian B]
FIX - Corrected link to SkyVector

VERSION 1.60
Release Date: October 21st 2020
Changelog
NEW - World Update I: Japan section
ADDED - Six new airports based on the free
World Update (Japan) for the simulator
ADDED - New information in the performance
section for 'Render Scaling'
CHANGED - Colour for the footer to have better
visibility for printing
FIX - Nearly 100 minor changes / fixes to text,
spelling and font throughout
FIX - Corrected page number links where they
were wrong/linking to the wrong page
VERSION 1.70
Release Date: December 11th 2020
Changelog
NEW – World Update II: US Section
NEW – Future of Flight Simulator
NEW – Future of A Guide to Flight Simulator
ADDED – Four new airports based on the free
World Update (US) for the simulator
FIXED – All pages now correctly display the
version number
FIXED – Images missing from Airbus tutorial
VERSION 1.80
Release Date: January 12th 2021
Changelog
NEW – Virtual Reality recommended hardware
NEW – Virtual Reality performance settings
NEW – Virtual set-up tutorial and guide
ADDED – Changelog information
ADDED – Latest sim update information

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
VERSION 1.90 VERSION 1.90
Release Date: February 26th 2021 Release Date: February 26th 2021
Changelog Changelog
NEW - UK and Ireland Airports NEW - UK and Ireland Airports
NEW - UK and Ireland World Update Info NEW - UK and Ireland World Update Info
ADDED - Availability icons on each airport ADDED - Availability icons on each airport
FIX - Various fixes to pages / tutorials based on FIX - Various fixes to pages / tutorials based on
customer feedback. customer feedback.
Total Page Count: 272 Total Page Count: 272
VERSION 1.95 VERSION 1.95

Release Date: April 30th 2021 Release Date: April 30th 2021
Changelog Changelog
NEW - France and Benelux Airport NEW - France and Benelux Airport
NEW - France and Benelux Update Info NEW - France and Benelux Update Info
NEW - Adding/Changing Liveries NEW - Adding/Changing Liveries
NEW - Customising Flight Model NEW - Customising Flight Model
ADDED - New details for sim updates ADDED - New details for sim updates
ADDED - New details on A Guide to Flight ADDED - New details on A Guide to Flight
Simulator Extended Edition (Coming Soon!) Simulator Extended Edition (Coming Soon!)
FIX - Changes to some airport descriptions FIX - Changes to some airport descriptions
Total Page Count: 282 Total Page Count: 282
EXTENDED EDITION v1.00 EXTENDED EDITION v1.05

Release Date: June 15th 2021 Release Date: June 22nd 2021
Changelog Changelog
NEW - Tutorials for various aircraft NEW - World Update V: Nordic Info
NEW - World and Sim Update Info NEW - Airport Info for World Update V
NEW - Airliner Tutorial Mission NEW - World Update VI Info
NEW - All new sections for Spotlight NEW - Xbox Series X|S Info
NEW - All new sections for Discovery UPDATED - Sim Version 1.17.3.0 Info
NEW - All new sections for Sim Support FIX - Minor adjustments to various layout
NEW - Installing Third Party Products sections.
NEW - Extended Edition Contents Page

UPDATE - Various images and changes to Total Page Count: 360
refelect the new Extended Edition

Release Date: July 29th 2021 Release Date: October 21st 2021
Changelog Changelog
NEW - World Map Functionality Changes NEW - In-Sim Guide Reader
NEW - Flight Model and Accessibility Info NEW - Junkers JU-52 Tutorial
Added NEW - Sim Update 6 Information
NEW - 'Lock' interaction and cursor info (plus UPDATE - G1000 Tutorial
how to remove on PC)
FIXES - Numerous spelling errors and other
NEW - Sim Update V - Update Info* suggestions [Thanks to Paul for this]
NEW - Spotlight - Top 5 Payware CHANGE - Maximum Performance Info
NEW - Spotlight - Honeycomb Hardware
NEW - Discovery - Scenic Locations Total Page Count: 432
NEW - Flight Assistant and New Assiatances
UPDATE - Info on aircraft with ski and float
varients added
EXTENDED EDITION v1.40
Release Date: December 8th 2021
CHANGE - Changed some imagery to reflect
the new UI
FIX - Contents page error fixed Changelog
FIX - Minor spelling mistakes fixed NEW - Reno Air Racing
NEW - Sim Update 7 Info
Total Page Count: 381 NEW - New Airport Info (GOTY Edition)
NEW - New Aircraft Info (GOTY Edition)
EXTENDED EDITION v1.15 NEW - Additional Flight Training Info (GOTY
Edition)
UPDATE - Photogrammetry City list updated
FIXES - Numerous spelling errors and other
Changelog suggestions
NEW - PMDG DC-6 Tutorial


Release Date: December 22nd 2021
Release Date: September 15th 2021 Changelog
NEW - DX12 Info and Best Settings
Changelog NEW - Dev Mode Replay Mode
NEW - World Update VI Info NEW - F/A-18 Tutorial Flight
NEW - Spotlight - Flight Sim Communities
UPDATED - Added information on Safe Mode Total Page Count: 464
UPDATED - 'Offscreen terrain pre caching'
added to performance guide

V1.85EE | JULY-2022
Release Date: February 2nd 2022 Release Date: 3rd May 2022
Changelog Changelog
NEW - World Update VII: Australia Info NEW - Sim Update XI Info
NEW - Local Legend II: Fokker FVII Info
NEW - World Update VII - Airport Info Total Page Count: 502
FIXES - Spelling and grammar errors

EXTENDED EDITION v1.80 CURRENT
Release Date: 9th June 2022
Release Date: March 2nd 2022
Changelog
NEW - World Update IX Info
Changelog
UPDATED - Photogrammetry Cities List
NEW - Marketplace Dedicated Section
UPDATED - SoFly Products to include STORM
NEW - Sim Update 8 Info
NEW - Future of the Simulator with World and
Sim Update Release Info
UPDATE - New Autopilot Key Combination
Controls EXTENDED EDITION v1.85
UPDATE - Added ICAO/IATA to all airports Release Date: July 2022
Fixes - Numerous spelling errors
Fixes - Duplicate paragraphs Changelog
NEW - World Update X Info
Total Page Count: 484 UPDATED - Photogrammetry Cities List
UPDATED - SoFly Products
Release Date: April 5th 2022 Total Page Count: 510
Changelog EXTENDED EDITION v1.90

NEW - World Update VIII: Iberia Info Release Date: August 2022
NEW - New Airport Info (WU8)
NEW - Local Legend #3 Dornier Do J Wal Info Changelog
NEW - How to Use MSFS on Mobile with Xbox TBA
Cloud Gaming
UPDATE - Photogrammetry List (WU7 & WU8)
Total Page Count: TBA

Release Date: December 2022
Changelog
TBA
V1.85EE | JULY-2022
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Welcome to A Guide to Flight WELCOME TO THE WORLD

Whether you’re a cadet putting on the uniform

A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 3

How to access the in-sim

Once you are in flight, hover

Get Your Guide Directly in the Simulator Features

The guide will automatically install to your

Microsoft Flight Simulator In-Sim

3. Drop the ' sofly-pdfmanual' folder into your

A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 5

Interactive Contents Pages

Introduction In-Sim Menu

Our next version of the guide will include a

Thank you in advance.

The markings and indicators show you differences

108 Iberia (WU VIII) 198 TBM Tutorial Flight

116 United Kingdom & Ireland 240 Airport Manoeuvring

122 North America UPDATED v1.85EE 244 Multiplayer Set-Up

142 Asia / Oceania / Australia (WU VII) 246 Finding Animals

152 Africa 248 Maximise Performance

164 Japan 268 Assistance Options

First Flight Training 274 Earn The Achievements

New Sim Updates

368 Enabling Replay Mode 468 Top-Five Freeware

Sim Help & Support

What began as a project between two

Around 1981-82 Microsoft began to express an Flight Simulator 2.0 (1984)

Before we go into great detail about how to

Released in 1984 for IBM computers. The

A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 10

Flight Simulator 3.0 (1988)

This was the first version to use textured

Flight Simulator 4.0 (1989)

With the release of this version of Flight

A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 11

Flight Simulator 2002 (2001)

Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight

This release is significant in the sense that

A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 12

Flight Simulator X (2006)

Abbreviated as FSX, this release featured less

Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)

The latest Flight Simulator is also the most

A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 13

The World Full of Data

As a result, flight simulation has never looked so

A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 14

Lifelike Cities environment. Lighting, weather and sound all

A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 15

You may already have the simulator

The new simulator has a minimum,

Quite often you will hear the term “FPS”

CPU? GPU? What does it all mean?

MINIMUM RECOMMENDED IDEAL

A Guide to Flight Simulator Guide: Extended Edition | 16

A Guide to Flight Simulator: Extended Edition | 17

Logitech What’s great is that anything you see in these

This ergonomically designed yoke and panel

Logitech - Extreme 3D Pro Joystick

A popular choice for those starting out with flight

Logitech - Flight Yoke

Logitech - X52 HOTAS / X52 Pro HOTAS