Use simulator ATC without a flight plan for many VFR flights. Learn when IFR needs one, why ATC misses routes and what VFR altitude to file.
No. Across flight simulators and the real-world procedures covered in our Aviation & Real-World Flying section, you can normally use ATC for taxi, take-off, local VFR and landing without filing a plan. An ATC flight plan is generally needed for an IFR clearance, route-aware vectors and hand-offs to your destination.
When does ATC require a flight plan?
ATC normally expects a recognised flight plan for IFR, but not for basic local VFR operations.
- Circuits and local VFR: No plan is normally required. At a controlled aerodrome, you still need the appropriate taxi, take-off and landing clearances.
- VFR cross-country: Filing is often optional, although a destination entered through the simulator’s planner can help built-in ATC offer useful hand-offs and arrival choices.
- IFR: File or load an IFR plan, then request and read back the clearance. Filing a route is not itself an ATC clearance.
- VFR flight following: A VFR plan and flight following are different services. You can usually request flight following without filing, but many simulator ATC engines model it poorly or not at all.
A plan also does not grant permission to enter controlled airspace. VFR pilots must obtain any required airspace clearance and comply with local weather, visibility and radio rules. Built-in filing remains inside the simulator; online filing sends the plan only to that simulation network, never to a real aviation authority.
Does Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 ATC need a plan?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 does not need a plan for basic ground, tower and local VFR calls, but its built-in ATC needs a recognised IFR route to provide an IFR clearance and route-based services.
For IFR, create or import the route through the simulator’s pre-flight planning flow and confirm that the flight is set to IFR. In MSFS 2024, including Sim Update 5, the EFB, aircraft avionics and built-in ATC can hold related route information; a route visible in one place does not guarantee that every system has accepted the same version. Third-party aircraft vary particularly widely in how they exchange route data.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 follows the same broad principle. If the IFR clearance option is missing, consult our MSFS checklist for getting a plan recognised by built-in ATC.
In MSFS 2024 ATC, are airliners allowed to fly VFR?
Yes. Flight rules describe how the flight is conducted, not the size or type of aircraft, so MSFS 2024 does not force an airliner to use IFR merely because it is an airliner.
Select VFR in the planning system and use the VFR services that built-in ATC makes available. In real-world airline operations, scheduled passenger flights are overwhelmingly conducted under IFR, and operator rules, airspace, weather or national regulations may restrict VFR use. That practical reality does not make VFR inherently impossible for a transport-category aircraft.
Is a route in the GPS or FMS the same as an ATC plan?
No. The aircraft’s navigation route and the plan known to ATC are separate records unless the simulator or add-on explicitly synchronises them.
- Pre-flight planner: Defines the intended departure, destination, flight rules and route for the simulator.
- GPS or FMS: Supplies navigation guidance to the pilot, flight director and autopilot.
- ATC flight plan: Gives the active ATC system the route, level and destination it will use for clearances and hand-offs.
This separation causes a mistake we see constantly: the magenta route appears correctly, but ATC offers only local VFR options or issues instructions for an older route. Load or submit the plan using a method the chosen ATC system recognises. Our flight-plan setup procedure explains how to keep the planner, avionics and ATC route aligned.
How do I use ATC without a flight plan?
Use the airport and VFR radio requests rather than asking for an IFR clearance.
- Start from parking if you want the full ground sequence. Starting on a runway may remove taxi and departure options.
- Power the radios and select the correct active radio. Tune ground, tower or the appropriate advisory frequency; some built-in ATC panels can tune it automatically.
- Request taxi and departure at a controlled airport. Select the intended departure direction when the simulator provides that choice.
- Request an onward service if available. This may be departure control or flight following, but the available options depend on the ATC implementation.
- Contact the destination before arrival for circuit or landing instructions. At an uncontrolled airfield, use the applicable advisory or traffic frequency instead of expecting a clearance.
No flight plan does not mean no radio discipline. Remain clear of controlled airspace until cleared to enter, and do not assume a flight-following service authorises entry into every class of airspace.
What VFR altitude should I put in an ATC plan?
Enter a safe cruising altitude that complies with terrain, cloud clearance, controlled-airspace limits and the cruising-level rules for the country being simulated.
For a cross-country plan, altitude is normally entered above mean sea level unless the field specifically asks for AGL or a flight level. Circuit height is a separate local figure, usually expressed above the aerodrome. Do not copy the circuit height into a cross-country cruising-altitude field.
For example, US VFR cruising rules above 3,000 ft AGL generally use odd thousands plus 500 ft for magnetic courses from 000° to 179°, and even thousands plus 500 ft from 180° to 359°. Other countries may use different semicircular rules, different transition altitudes or no equivalent rule in the same circumstances.
What do A040, F040 and “FA40” mean in an ATC plan?
A040 is the standard ICAO-style entry for an altitude of 4,000 ft, while F040 means flight level 40 using the standard pressure setting. FA40 is not a standard ICAO cruising-level format.
Use three digits after either A or F. Do not treat altitude 4,000 ft and flight level 40 as interchangeable: the local transition altitude determines when flight levels should be used. If a particular ATC game or add-on displays FA40 as a proprietary label, follow that product’s field definition rather than treating it as an ICAO flight-plan code.
Do built-in, add-on and online ATC use the same flight plan?
No. Each ATC system reads its own plan source, so loading a route into one system may tell the others nothing.
| ATC type | Use without a plan | How it obtains the route |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in ATC | Usually supports taxi, circuits, local VFR and landing | Reads the simulator’s active pre-flight plan |
| ATC add-on | Depends on the add-on and selected mode | May import a route or require one to be entered inside the add-on |
| Human online ATC | VFR availability depends on network and event rules | Uses the plan filed with the online network; IFR normally requires one |
Our comparison of what built-in, add-on and human-controlled ATC can actually see explains the service differences. For VATSIM, do not assume that loading the aircraft or simulator plan files it online; use the network workflow described in our practical guide to filing a matching VATSIM plan.
Why does ATC not recognise my flight plan?
ATC usually misses a route because it was loaded into the wrong system, filed under the wrong flight rules or edited without being resubmitted.
- The route exists only in the avionics: Submit it through the simulator, add-on or online service providing ATC.
- The flight is marked VFR: Change or refile it as IFR before requesting an IFR clearance.
- The route changed after filing: Refile or synchronise the amended route. Some ATC engines retain the original version.
- Two ATC systems are active: Built-in ATC and an add-on can maintain separate plans and issue conflicting instructions. Use one controlling service.
- The online details do not match: Check the callsign, departure, destination, flight rules, aircraft type and cruising level.
- No radio options appear: Check electrical power, the selected radio, active frequency, reception range and any assistance setting that handles communications automatically.
Not every route difference is an error: ATC may assign another runway, departure, arrival or vector. The dependable rule is to fly without a plan for circuits, sightseeing and basic VFR practice, but file a plan in the system controlling the flight when you expect an IFR clearance and route management.