What is the best free flight planner for flight simulation?

For general flight simulation, Little Navmap is the best free flight planner for most simmers. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, supports Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and FSX, and combines IFR/VFR route editing, simulator-ready exports, moving-map tracking, terrain, fuel and aircraft-performance planning without a subscription.

Why is Little Navmap the best free flight planner?

Little Navmap is our first choice because it combines a route planner, free flight editor, scenery database and live map in one open-source desktop application. It handles a quick direct flight, a low- or high-altitude airway route and detailed VFR planning without locking the useful features behind a paid tier.

• IFR route planning: Build routes with airways, waypoints, SIDs, STARs, approaches and transitions, then inspect restrictions before flying them.
• VFR planning: Check terrain, controlled airspace, airport facilities, nearby navaids, range rings and the elevation profile.
• Installed scenery awareness: Read supported simulator scenery libraries, including many add-on airports where their data is exposed to the planner.
• Simulator integration: Track the aircraft on a moving map using the appropriate Microsoft, X-Plane or Prepar3D connection.
• Route export: Create plans for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, X-Plane, FSX, Prepar3D and various supported aircraft systems.
• Performance estimates: Calculate approximate fuel use, endurance, climb, cruise and descent from an aircraft profile.

The last point needs care. Fuel figures are only as accurate as the selected profile, payload, cruise level, reserves and weather assumptions. Little Navmap is also a simulation tool, not an approved source for real-world navigation.

Which type of free flight planner should you choose?

Choose Little Navmap for the broadest mix of IFR planning, VFR mapping, route editing and simulator support; choose a native planner for speed or console use, and a dispatch planner when airline paperwork is the priority.

SimBrief is the stronger free option when the desired result is an airline dispatch package rather than an interactive map. Our SimBrief route and fuel-planning walkthrough explains that workflow, while our comparison of simulator flight-planning tools covers paid charting and native alternatives.

Which free Microsoft Flight Simulator planner should you use?

For anyone seeking a free MSFS 2020 flight planner or a free flight planner for MSFS 2024, Little Navmap is the best desktop option, while the simulator's native planning tools are the practical choice on consoles.

On PC, Little Navmap can inspect simulator scenery, export Microsoft-compatible flight plans and connect to the running simulator for live aircraft tracking. Keep in mind that an advanced add-on aircraft may ignore part of a World Map route, require its own import format or expect the route to be entered through its flight-management system.

Little Navmap does not run natively on Xbox or PlayStation. MSFS 2020 is available on PC and Xbox but was never released for PlayStation; MSFS 2024 is also available on PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro. On any console, a plan prepared on a separate computer can be used as a reference, but file transfer should not be assumed unless the simulator and aircraft provide a supported import method.

Is the built-in flight planner good enough?

The built-in planner is good enough for casual flying, simple GPS routes and situations where minimal setup matters more than detailed validation. It also avoids the route-transfer restrictions that make external planners less convenient on consoles.

Use Little Navmap when terrain clearance, airway selection, installed add-on airports, repeatable exports or aircraft performance matter. FSX simmers who prefer the native option can follow our step-by-step guide to creating and loading an FSX flight plan.

How do you set up Little Navmap correctly?

Reliable setup requires the correct scenery database, compatible navigation data and the right export format for the destination simulator or aircraft. Our practical Little Navmap setup, connection and export guide covers the application controls in detail.

1. Select the simulator database. Load the scenery library for MSFS, X-Plane, Prepar3D or FSX. Rescan it after installing, updating or removing major airport scenery.
2. Check the airport data. Confirm that the displayed runways, parking positions and procedures belong to the intended simulator database rather than another installed simulator.
3. Align the navigation data. Use the same AIRAC cycle in the planner and aircraft whenever possible. Different cycles are the most common reason an airway, waypoint or procedure exists in one system but not the other.
4. Choose an aircraft profile. Verify cruise speed, fuel flow, climb, descent and reserve assumptions. A generic profile produces generic estimates.
5. Generate and inspect the route. Set the departure, destination, cruise altitude and routing type, then check the result for unsuitable airways, terrain conflicts and unnecessary detours.
6. Add procedures once. Select the expected runway, SID, STAR and approach, but be prepared to change them for weather or air traffic control. Avoid adding the same procedure again in the aircraft after importing it.
7. Save a master copy. Retain the editable Little Navmap .lnmpln file, then export a separate plan in the format required by the simulator or aircraft.
8. Configure live tracking separately. Loading a scenery database does not connect the moving map. Microsoft simulators use their simulator connection, while X-Plane requires the supplied connector; networked setups also need the remote connection component and suitable firewall permission.

Can Little Navmap be used as a simple free flight editor?

Little Navmap can open, revise and re-export many standard simulator flight plans, making it a capable free flight editor as well as a route generator. You can change airports, intermediate waypoints, cruise altitude and procedures without rebuilding the entire route.

Keep the native .lnmpln version as the master because imported formats may not preserve every procedure detail, performance setting or aircraft-specific field. Proprietary formats are not always editable, and saving the master plan does not automatically update a previously exported file; export it again after making changes.

For a simple point-to-point flight, the simulator's planner is usually faster. Little Navmap earns its place when the route needs checking, repeated editing or conversion for another supported simulator.

Why does an exported flight plan not match the aircraft?

An exported plan usually differs because the planner, simulator and aircraft are interpreting route data or procedures differently. Exporting transfers route information; it does not guarantee identical flight-management-system programming.

• A waypoint, airway or procedure is missing: Compare AIRAC cycles and confirm that Little Navmap is using the intended scenery and navigation database.
• The SID or STAR loops back on itself: The procedure has probably been imported and then selected a second time in the aircraft. Let either the exported route or the FMS add those legs, not both.
• The route loads but procedures disappear: The receiving aircraft may import only en-route waypoints. Select the departure, arrival and approach in its FMS instead.
• The plan cannot be found: Confirm the export format and browse to the saved file through the simulator's load control. In MSFS, an ordinary .pln file does not belong in the Community folder, which is intended for add-on packages.
• The airport layout is outdated: Rescan the scenery library after changing airport add-ons. Protected or otherwise inaccessible scenery packages may expose less detail than the airport displays inside the simulator.
• The aircraft is absent from the moving map: Check the live simulator connection, connector or plugin and firewall rules. Selecting the correct scenery database alone does not establish tracking.
• The fuel prediction is implausible: Correct the aircraft profile, loading, reserves, cruise altitude and expected winds before treating the estimate as useful.

Does a simulator flight planner replace charts or FMS checks?

A simulator flight planner does not replace checking the route in the aircraft or verifying the procedures you intend to fly. Runway assignments can change, databases can use different cycles, and an imported route may omit altitude constraints or procedure legs.

Before departure, compare the planner route with the aircraft's active flight plan, remove discontinuities deliberately and confirm the first fix, final approach course and missed-approach routing. Use all such data for simulation only, never for real-world flight operations.