Complete a full VATSIM flight in MSFS 2020: set up vPilot, file your route, handle ATC, fly each phase and disconnect correctly.
To complete a full VATSIM flight in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, plan and file the route, start at a parking stand, connect vPilot with the filed callsign, obtain clearance, follow ATC through taxi, departure, cruise and arrival, then park before disconnecting. If no controller is online, use the advisory procedure and make concise traffic calls.
What do you need before starting a VATSIM flight?
A full VATSIM flight in MSFS 2020 requires the PC edition, a VATSIM account, vPilot, a working microphone and an aircraft you can operate without relying on the simulator's built-in ATC. The Xbox edition cannot run vPilot or make the required desktop connection.
Configure your audio, push-to-talk button, callsign and network connection before attempting a flight. Our MSFS 2020 online-network setup walkthrough covers the vPilot connection process and the settings that commonly cause trouble.
- Know how to start, taxi, fly an instrument departure, use the autopilot, change the route and fly an approach in your chosen aircraft.
- Have the relevant airport, departure, arrival and approach charts available.
- Use headphones where possible so radio audio does not feed back into your microphone.
- Assign push-to-talk to a deliberate button rather than voice activation.
- Install suitable traffic models and VMR rules if you want other pilots to appear as the right aircraft and livery; our model-matching guide for MSFS 2020 explains that separate setup.
If radio phraseology or controlled-airport procedures are unfamiliar, complete some offline practice first. We recommend following our preparation plan for a first VATSIM flight rather than learning a complex airliner while talking to a controller.
How do you fly the complete route from gate to gate?
The correct order is plan, prepare, connect, obtain clearance, move only when authorised, fly the cleared route and remain connected until parked.
- Choose a manageable flight. For a first attempt, use an aircraft you already know and select two familiar airports about 45–90 minutes apart. Avoid major event airports, difficult terrain and complicated oceanic procedures until routine radio work feels comfortable.
- Create and file one consistent flight plan. Enter the callsign, aircraft type, departure, destination, route, cruising level and remarks accurately. You can use our SimBrief planning and MSFS import instructions to prepare a route, but the route filed with VATSIM must agree with the route in the aircraft.
- Load MSFS 2020 at a parking stand. Never spawn on a runway while connected. Turn off MSFS multiplayer, live AI traffic and built-in ATC assistance so they do not duplicate VATSIM traffic, retune the radio or issue conflicting instructions. Reducing static ground aircraft also prevents occupied gates. Live weather is normally the best choice because it keeps winds and runway selection broadly aligned with the network.
- Prepare the cockpit before connecting. Load the route into the aircraft's FMS or GPS, check for discontinuities and verify the first waypoint, cruising level and expected fuel. Keep the transponder on standby while parked unless local instructions say otherwise.
- Connect vPilot at the stand. Use exactly the same callsign as the filed flight plan. Confirm that the correct aircraft type is selected, your microphone level is usable and both transmit and receive indicators react as expected. Do not connect until the simulator has finished loading and the aircraft is stationary.
- Listen before transmitting. Obtain the airport information, note the active runway and identify the controller covering your position. If ground or delivery is offline, approach or centre may provide top-down service. Call with your callsign, stand, information code, destination and readiness for clearance, then read back the route changes, runway, departure, initial altitude, squawk code and any hold-short instructions.
- Request pushback and taxi separately. An IFR clearance is not permission to move. Obtain pushback or start approval where required, use the aircraft checklist, then request taxi. Follow the assigned route exactly and stop if uncertain; asking for progressive taxi or a repeat is better than entering a runway by mistake.
- Depart only with explicit clearance. Contact tower when instructed, report ready and do not enter or cross the runway without authorisation. Set the transponder to altitude-reporting mode when instructed or required, normally before entering the runway. After take-off, fly the cleared SID, heading and altitude rather than reverting to the route you originally planned.
- Manage hand-offs during the cruise. Change frequency only when instructed, listen before calling and check in with your callsign and altitude. The controller's clearance always takes precedence over the route imported into MSFS. If you cannot accept a shortcut, altitude or approach, say unable and briefly give the reason.
- Prepare the arrival early. Review the arrival and approach, obtain the destination information, calculate descent and brief missed-approach actions. Read back descent levels, headings, approach clearances and runway instructions. An approach clearance does not include permission to land; wait for a separate landing clearance when tower service is available.
- Vacate, taxi and park. Leave the runway at a safe exit, cross the hold line completely and contact ground only when instructed. Taxi to the assigned or chosen stand, set the parking brake, place the transponder on standby and shut down as appropriate. Disconnect vPilot only after the aircraft is safely parked.
What happens if no VATSIM controller is online?
You can continue the flight without ATC, but you remain responsible for separation, sensible runway use and clear position reports. Check first that a higher-level controller is not covering the airport from the top down.
Use the advisory frequency and procedure applicable to the region; VATSIM UNICOM commonly uses 122.800, while some areas use an airport-specific traffic frequency. Announce only useful information such as taxi intentions, runway entry, departure direction, arrival, final approach and runway vacation. Messages addressed to traffic should say where you are, what you are doing and where, not narrate every checklist item.
If a controller opens while you are in their airspace, listen for a call or contact request and establish communication promptly. Be ready to state your position, altitude and route, because the controller did not issue your earlier clearances.
Which mistakes most often spoil a full VATSIM flight?
Most failed first flights result from preparation or configuration errors rather than difficult flying.
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Route in the FMS differs from the filed plan | The World Map, planning tool and aircraft import produced different waypoints | Compare the filed route with the active FMS legs before requesting clearance, then apply every ATC amendment |
| Duplicate or conflicting traffic | MSFS multiplayer or live AI traffic is still enabled | Disable simulator-generated traffic and let vPilot inject network aircraft |
| No controller can hear you | The wrong microphone, radio, frequency or push-to-talk binding is selected | Check the active COM radio, volume, vPilot audio device and transmit indicator before moving |
| Aircraft disappears from radar | The transponder remains on standby or altitude reporting is disabled | Set the assigned code and use the instructed transponder mode |
| Runway incursion | A taxi clearance is mistaken for permission to cross or enter a runway | Read back hold-short instructions and obtain explicit runway clearance |
| Landing without clearance | The pilot treats approach clearance as landing clearance | Continue the approach, but do not land without tower clearance when the runway is controlled |
| Long unexplained silence | The pilot steps away, pauses MSFS or misses a hand-off | Remain at the controls; if you cannot continue safely, tell ATC and disconnect |
What counts as completing the flight?
A VATSIM flight is complete when you have landed, cleared the runway, followed ground instructions, parked at a stand and disconnected without obstructing other traffic. Touching down and disconnecting on the runway skips the final controlled phase and can leave other pilots facing a conflict.
MSFS 2020 does not need to display a flight-complete screen, and an IFR pilot does not normally need to cancel the plan after parking. Set the brake, return the transponder to standby, finish the aircraft shutdown and disconnect through vPilot.
What should you do if MSFS or vPilot disconnects?
If MSFS 2020 or vPilot drops offline, stabilise the aircraft before trying to reconnect. Do not reappear on an active runway or inside another aircraft; if airborne, verify your position and configuration, reconnect only when safe, and advise the controller that you have returned.
After a simulator crash, reload at a parking stand rather than forcing the flight to resume in a hazardous position. If continuing airborne would create uncertainty about traffic, route or clearance, remain disconnected and start again later.