Use these MSFS 2020 tips for beginners to set controls, choose an aircraft, manage assists, fly stable circuits and correct common mistakes.
For beginners, the best Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 strategy is to learn one simple aircraft, configure only the essential controls, use clear weather and practise short traffic circuits. Keep useful visual aids on, remove them gradually, trim instead of fighting the controls, and turn every unstable approach into a go-around.
The 10 best MSFS 2020 beginner tips
The quickest progress comes from repeating a small, controlled flight rather than attempting an airliner route on day one.
- Configure the essential controls first. Bind pitch, roll, yaw, throttle, brakes, elevator trim, flaps and cockpit view reset. Search by input and remove duplicate axis bindings if a control moves unexpectedly. PC pilots can use our essential MSFS control setup checklist, while gamepad users should start with sensible controller sensitivity and dead-zone settings.
- Complete Flight Training before free flight. Repeat lessons that expose weak areas instead of merely finishing each one once. Our guided Flight Training walkthrough also covers lessons that appear stuck or fail to register an objective.
- Learn one simple aeroplane. The Cessna 152 teaches basic hand-flying without an autopilot or complex glass cockpit. Changing aircraft constantly makes it harder to recognise normal pitch, power and trim behaviour.
- Use calm weather and daylight. Remove gusts, turbulence, icing and poor visibility while learning. Add crosswinds and reduced visibility only after take-offs and landings are repeatable.
- Start on the runway initially. A runway start removes engine-start and taxi workload. Move to a parking stand once you can fly the circuit confidently and want to learn checklists and ground operations.
- Trim continuously. Hold the desired attitude, let the speed settle, then trim away control pressure. Trim is not an autopilot; it simply stops you having to fight the yoke or stick.
- Look outside. Use the horizon to judge pitch and bank, then cross-check the instruments. Staring at one gauge usually produces overcorrection and increasingly large oscillations.
- Fly aircraft-specific targets. Use the speeds and flap limits shown by the in-sim checklist and cockpit markings. A speed that works in the Cessna 152 may be wrong for another aircraft.
- Use checklists without rushing them. Check fuel, trim, flaps, controls and runway before departure. Before landing, confirm speed, configuration and that the runway is clear rather than trying to salvage a hurried approach.
- Go around early. If the aircraft is high, fast, badly aligned or still oscillating near the runway, add power and climb away. Our step-by-step landing method explains stable approaches, flaring and safe go-arounds.
Which aircraft and airport should a beginner choose?
The Cessna 152 at a quiet, flat airport with a long runway is the easiest MSFS 2020 starting combination.
| Choice | Best use | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Cessna 152 | First take-offs, circuits and landings | Simple instruments and handling, but no autopilot |
| Cessna 172 G1000 | Navigation and longer VFR flights | GPS and autopilot add useful features but increase workload |
| Airliner | Later instrument and procedure practice | High speed, automation and configuration changes hide weak basic flying skills |
Avoid a major international hub for early practice. Complex taxiways, traffic and long taxi distances add work without teaching basic aircraft control. Choose an airport with open terrain, then reuse the same runway so that changes in your performance are easy to spot.
Which assistance settings should beginners use?
Keep visual guidance and safety aids enabled at first, but disable assistance that physically flies the aircraft for you.
| Assistance option | Suggested starting point | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi ribbon | On | Prevents confusion at unfamiliar airports; remove it when you begin reading signs and charts |
| Landing path or visual approach guidance | On temporarily | Helps reveal the correct descent picture, but should not become the only way you judge an approach |
| Assisted yoke, take-off or landing | Off | These can mask control errors and make the aeroplane feel inconsistent |
| Auto-rudder | On only without a yaw control | Useful when no pedals or twist axis is available; otherwise it can conflict with manual rudder input |
| AI piloting | Off during practice | You need direct control to develop the link between attitude, power, trim and speed |
| Crash damage and failures | Off initially | Allows repeated practice without restarting after every error |
Change individual options rather than selecting the easiest preset and leaving everything automated. Reduce one aid at a time; if performance collapses, restore that aid and practise the underlying skill again.
How should I practise my first flight?
A short traffic circuit gives a beginner more useful practice per minute than a long cross-country flight.
- Set simple conditions. Choose daylight, good visibility, calm wind and a familiar runway. Load the Cessna 152 directly onto the runway.
- Take off smoothly. Apply power progressively, keep straight with small rudder inputs and use the aircraft's recommended climb speed.
- Level and trim. Lower the nose, set an appropriate power level, allow the speed to stabilise and trim away pressure.
- Fly a rectangular circuit. Climb to the published circuit altitude; around 1,000 feet above ground level is common, but not universal. Make coordinated turns and keep the runway in sight.
- Stabilise before final. Reduce power early, configure within the flap limits and establish the correct speed and descent path before reaching the runway.
- Repeat without changing variables. Use the same aircraft, airport and weather for several circuits. Once the results are consistent, introduce wind, a different runway or a parking-stand start.
Why is the aircraft so hard to control?
Most apparent handling problems come from excessive inputs, poor trim, excess speed or conflicting control bindings rather than a fault with the flight model.
| Problem | Likely cause | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft veers during take-off | Insufficient rudder, crosswind, duplicate yaw bindings or auto-rudder conflict | Use small rudder inputs and check every device assigned to the yaw axis |
| Nose repeatedly rises and falls | Overcontrol or badly set trim | Make smaller pitch changes, wait for the response and retrim after speed or power changes |
| Aircraft will not slow for landing | Descent started too late or with too much power | Reduce power earlier and extend flaps only within their permitted speed range |
| Autopilot turns or climbs unexpectedly | Wrong heading, altitude, navigation source or selected mode | Disconnect the autopilot, regain stable manual flight, then verify every selected mode before reconnecting it |
| Aircraft behaves strangely after pausing | Active Pause or an altered simulation rate left power, trim or airspeed in an awkward state | Return to normal simulation rate and stabilise power, attitude and trim before continuing |
A mistake we see constantly is trying to correct several problems at once. Stabilise pitch first, set power, trim the aircraft, then correct heading. Once circuits are reliable, progress to startup and taxi procedures, visual navigation, a complete cross-country flight and finally autopilot or airliner operations.