Compare the best long-haul flight simulator routes, with airport codes, flight times, suitable aircraft and picks for beginners and ultra-long-haul.
The best long-haul flight simulator routes are London–New York for a manageable first crossing, Frankfurt–Singapore for full wide-body operations, Dubai–Sydney for changing weather and terrain, and Singapore–New York or Perth–London for an ultra-long-haul challenge. Pick by available time, aircraft range and the departure or arrival experience you want.
These airport pairs work well in Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and FSX. Exact schedules and permitted airspace change, so treat them as strong simulator pairings rather than a claim that every listed aircraft operates each route commercially.
Best long-haul routes by experience
| Route | Typical simulated time | Best for | Suitable aircraft class |
|---|---|---|---|
London Heathrow–New York JFKEGLL–KJFK | 6–9 hours | First transatlantic flight, oceanic procedures and busy arrivals | A330, A350, 777, 787 or 747 |
Tokyo Haneda–San FranciscoRJTT–KSFO | 9–11 hours | A manageable Pacific crossing with demanding airports at both ends | 787, A350 or 777 |
London Heathrow–Cape TownEGLL–FACT | 11–13 hours | North–south weather changes, daylight variation and a scenic arrival | A330, A350, 777 or 787 |
Santiago–AucklandSCEL–NZAA | 11–13 hours | Andes scenery, remote South Pacific flying and limited diversion choices | 787-9, A350 or long-range 777 |
Frankfurt–SingaporeEDDF–WSSS | 12–14 hours | Complex departures, overnight cruise and a humid tropical arrival | A350, 777, 787 or A380 |
Dubai–SydneyOMDB–YSSY | 13–15 hours | Heavy-aircraft performance, large hubs and substantial weather changes | A380 or long-range 777, A350 or 787 |
Perth–London HeathrowYPPH–EGLL | 16–18 hours | Ultra-long-haul fuel management and endurance | 787-9 or comparable ultra-long-range aircraft |
Singapore–New York JFKWSSS–KJFK | 17–19 hours | Maximum-range planning, step climbs and fuel monitoring | A350-900ULR-class aircraft |
Times are broad gate-to-gate planning bands. Winds, direction, oceanic routing, taxi time and runway configuration can move the result well outside a timetable-derived estimate.
Which long-haul route is best for beginners?
EGLL–KJFK is the best first long-haul route for most simmers because it provides a complete wide-body flight without requiring an entire day at the controls. The crossing is long enough to practise fuel checks, oceanic navigation, descent preparation and an instrument arrival.
The trade-off is airport complexity. Heathrow and JFK can produce long taxi routes, procedure changes and heavy performance demands with detailed scenery. Dublin–Boston, EIDW–KBOS, offers a similar North Atlantic structure with slightly less ground workload.
Our practical transatlantic planning and flying walkthrough covers oceanic routing, alternates, fuel and arrival preparation without duplicating the entire process here.
How should you choose a long-haul route and aircraft?
Choose the route only after checking how much uninterrupted time you have and whether the simulated aircraft can carry the planned payload with legal reserves.
- Set a realistic time limit. Allow for pre-flight programming, taxi, holds and a possible go-around as well as the published flight time. A seven-hour sector can occupy nine hours from cold-and-dark start to shutdown.
- Prioritise the interesting phases. Long oceanic sectors offer little visual variety in cruise, so select departure and arrival airports whose terrain, procedures or weather you want to experience.
- Match the exact aircraft variant. Range figures differ between variants, and advertised maximum range assumes specific payload and conditions. A base model is not automatically interchangeable with its extended-range or ULR counterpart.
- Inspect the route before loading it. Check for implausible turns, airway gaps, restricted areas and discontinuities. A map-based planner that can inspect and export simulator routes is especially useful for spotting these problems.
- Plan fuel and alternates properly. Include taxi, trip, contingency, alternate and final-reserve fuel rather than adding an arbitrary percentage. Our complete long-haul fuel, FMS and cruise-monitoring workflow explains the full calculation and verification process.
Does the direction of flight matter?
Direction can change both the experience and fuel requirement substantially. North Atlantic westbound flights generally face prevailing headwinds and take longer, while eastbound crossings often receive a tailwind and arrive earlier.
Do not reuse the same fuel load in both directions. Upper winds and the route selected by the planner can alter consumption by several tonnes in a wide-body aircraft.
Which long-haul routes have the best scenery?
Santiago–Auckland and London–Cape Town provide the strongest scenery at the ends of the flight. Santiago offers an immediate Andes backdrop, while Cape Town combines coastal terrain and prominent mountains close to the airport.
Dubai–Sydney provides marked changes in light, weather and terrain, although much of the middle sector remains oceanic. For any long-haul route, schedule the departure or arrival in daylight if scenery is the main reason for choosing it.
Common long-haul flight simulator mistakes
Most failed long-haul flights result from planning or simulator limitations rather than difficult hand-flying.
- Fuel based on straight-line distance: the actual route, winds, taxi and reserves must all be included.
- The wrong aircraft variant: similar-looking variants can have different fuel capacity, weights and range.
- Mismatched navigation data: imported routes can produce
NOT IN DATABASEmessages, missing airways or broken procedures when the planner and aircraft use different data. - An unchecked arrival: weather and runway assignments may change during a 12-hour cruise. Review the arrival, approach, landing distance and alternate before descent.
- Excessive simulation rate: complex autopilots, fuel systems and weather engines may misbehave at high acceleration. Test the aircraft on a shorter flight first.
- Relying on a mid-flight save: some sophisticated aircraft do not restore every FMS, electrical or custom system state. Confirm save-and-resume behaviour before committing to an ultra-long sector.
How can you make an ultra-long-haul flight manageable?
Use real time only when the cruise itself is part of the experience; otherwise choose moderate acceleration, pause near top of descent or fly a shorter long-haul sector.
An eight- to twelve-hour route still includes heavy departure performance, cruise fuel management, step climbs and a full wide-body arrival. It is usually a better choice than Singapore–New York if the simulator, aircraft add-on or computer cannot remain stable for nearly a full day.