What is flight dispatch, and how do you use it in a sim?

In flight simulation, flight dispatch is the pre-flight process of choosing a practical route, checking weather and airport constraints, assigning payload, calculating fuel and producing an operational flight plan. You use that plan to configure the aircraft, load its navigation system, brief the flight and monitor fuel en route.

What does flight dispatch include?

Dispatch combines route planning, weather analysis, aircraft loading, fuel calculation and operational checks into one coherent plan. Across Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, Prepar3D and FSX, the term usually describes an airline-style planning process rather than a single simulator feature.

In real airline operations, a dispatcher may share responsibility for planning and monitoring a flight, although the exact legal duties differ by country and operator. Our explanation of what a real aircraft dispatcher does covers that distinction. Simulator dispatch tools reproduce parts of the job, but their output is not a real operational release.

How do you use flight dispatch in a simulator?

Use dispatch by creating the plan before departure, transferring the relevant data to the aircraft and then comparing the actual flight against the planned figures.

1. Set the flight conditions. Select the departure, destination, planned time and the weather source you will use in the simulator. If the dispatcher uses live winds while the simulator uses a preset, the runway choice, flight time and fuel estimate may not agree. Learn the essential weather groups in our guide to reading a METAR for flight simulation.
2. Choose the exact aircraft profile. Match the aircraft type, engine variant and, where available, the specific add-on. Similar variants can have different empty weights, fuel capacities and cruise burn. A generic profile is acceptable for casual flying, but it weakens every weight and fuel calculation that follows.
3. Generate and inspect the route. Check that the route joins correctly, suits the aircraft and does not pass through unavailable airways or restricted airspace. Review the departure and arrival instead of accepting the first automatically generated option. Choose an alternate for its weather, runway and approach suitability, not simply because it is the closest airport.
4. Review payload, limits and fuel. Check zero-fuel weight, estimated take-off weight and landing weight against the aircraft limits. Fuel terminology varies with the dispatch ruleset, but block fuel normally contains more than trip fuel. When loading the aircraft, confirm whether each field expects mass or volume and whether the displayed units are kilograms, pounds, litres or gallons.
5. Load the plan by one method. Import or enter the route through the simulator, aircraft electronic flight bag or flight management system as supported. A route import does not necessarily transfer payload, fuel, performance figures or radio settings. For a platform-specific example, see how to transfer and start a SimBrief plan through the MSFS 2024 EFB.
6. Verify the cockpit route. Compare the origin, destination, runway, first and last en-route fixes, cruise level and approach with the dispatch plan. Resolve genuine route discontinuities, but do not automatically delete every VECTOR or manual leg; some procedures expect radar vectors or pilot intervention.
7. Brief and monitor the flight. Record the expected fuel at useful waypoints and compare it with the aircraft indication en route. Small differences are normal because winds, aircraft modelling and routing vary. A sustained shortfall calls for a new fuel assessment and possibly a diversion, rather than continuing solely because the original plan said the flight was possible.

Which flight dispatch method should you choose?

Choose the simplest planning method that produces the information your flight actually needs.

A visual planner is often the better choice for VFR and general-aviation flying; our Little Navmap setup and usage guide explains how to create, verify, export and monitor those routes. For an airline sector, a full dispatch generator is more useful because it accounts for payload, reserves, winds and waypoint fuel predictions.

Is dispatch the same as flight planning or ATC?

No. Flight planning supplies the route, while dispatch adds weather, payload, fuel, alternates, aircraft limitations and monitoring; ATC then issues the clearance and controls the flight.

These systems do not always share data. Loading a route into the aircraft’s flight management system may not file it with the simulator’s built-in ATC, while a plan created on the simulator’s planning screen may not fully populate an advanced add-on’s avionics. ATC can also assign a different runway or procedure, requiring the cockpit route and fuel assumptions to be checked again.

Why does a dispatched route fail to load?

Most dispatch import failures come from mismatched navigation data, an incorrect export format or duplicated procedures.

• Navigation-data mismatch: the planner contains a fix, airway or procedure that the aircraft database does not recognise. Use matching data cycles where possible, or rebuild the affected segment using fixes available in the aircraft.
• Wrong aircraft format: route files and import methods differ between simulators and avionics packages. Select the target for the aircraft actually being flown, not merely the simulator name.
• Duplicated SID or STAR: the imported route already contains a procedure and the pilot selects it again in the flight management system. Remove the duplicate legs or import only the en-route portion.
• Intentional discontinuity: some arrivals contain vectors or manual transitions. Check the procedure before clearing the gap; joining the wrong fixes can create a sharp turn or bypass an altitude constraint.
• Conflicting loading systems: the simulator payload screen, aircraft EFB and dispatch connection may overwrite one another. Use one loading method and verify the actual fuel quantity, gross weight and centre of gravity afterwards.

What should you check before pushback?

Before pushback, the dispatch plan, aircraft configuration and simulator conditions should agree on the points that affect whether the flight is flyable.

• The correct aircraft and engine profile was used.
• Departure, destination and alternate airports are correct.
• The active runway and procedures suit the weather being simulated.
• The cockpit route contains no unexplained discontinuities or duplicated legs.
• Payload, block fuel and centre of gravity match the intended loading and remain within limits.
• Take-off performance has been calculated separately; a dispatch fuel plan does not prove that the aircraft can safely depart from the selected runway.
• The flight management system’s reserve entry matches the alert threshold intended by the plan. Entering a reserve figure does not add that fuel to the tanks.
• The route has been filed separately with built-in or online ATC if that system does not read the aircraft’s active route.

A successful dispatch is not merely a route that imports without an error. The route, weather, payload, fuel and aircraft limits must tell the same story, and any material change before departure should trigger another check of the plan.