How do you fly the Pilatus PC-24 in MSFS 2024?

To fly the Pilatus PC-24 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, load and verify an IFR route, set the aircraft’s calculated V-speeds, use the required take-off flap and trim, then rotate at VR. Use flight-director and autopilot modes for climb and cruise, and fly a stabilised final at the displayed VREF.

Set up the PC-24 before take-off

The PC-24 should be configured and flown as a twin-engine light jet, not as a faster version of the turboprop PC-12. Energy management, flap limits and correct autopilot modes matter far more than aggressive control inputs.

In MSFS 2024, the PC-24 is supplied with Deluxe and higher editions. If it is absent from the aircraft selector, confirm that the account launching the simulator owns an eligible edition and that its additional aircraft content is available.

1. Choose a forgiving first flight. Use clear weather, a modest payload and two airports with long runways. A short IFR sector gives enough time to practise the FMS and autopilot without creating a long descent.
2. Check the control bindings. Assign throttle, rudder, brakes, elevator trim, flaps, landing gear, spoiler or speed brake and autopilot disconnect. Clear duplicate throttle, brake and trim bindings before troubleshooting the aircraft itself.
3. Power and start the aircraft. From a parking stand, apply electrical power, configure the fuel and engine controls according to the cockpit checklist, and start one engine at a time. Watch N2, temperature and oil-pressure indications rather than assuming that engine sound means a successful start. Our cold-and-dark cockpit setup procedure explains the general electrical and jet-start logic.
4. Programme and inspect the route. Enter the origin, destination, departure runway, arrival and approach, then check every leg for discontinuities or implausible turns. The PC-24 uses an integrated flight-management system rather than a simple direct-to GPS; our guide to building and checking an IFR route in an FMS covers the underlying workflow.
5. Set take-off data. Enter or confirm the payload, fuel, runway and flap configuration wherever the simulated performance system exposes them. Transfer the resulting V-speeds to the PFD, set take-off trim in the indicated range and complete the take-off configuration check.

What V-speeds should you use in the PC-24?

There is no safe fixed set of PC-24 speeds for every flight because weight, flap setting, runway, elevation and temperature change the result. Use the values generated or displayed by the aircraft’s performance page, EFB or checklist for the loaded flight.

If no speed bugs appear, check that weight and runway data have been entered and that the calculated speeds were accepted or activated, not merely viewed. Do not borrow numbers from a different payload or flap setting.

How do you take off and climb in the PC-24?

A normal PC-24 take-off uses computed flap and trim settings, symmetrical thrust and a smooth rotation at VR.

1. Run the final checks. Confirm the runway, heading, flight-director guidance, selected altitude, active route, flaps, trim, spoilers, lights and transponder. Release the parking brake only when ready to move.
2. Apply take-off thrust smoothly. Confirm that both engines stabilise with matching indications and no warning before accelerating. Hold the centreline with small rudder inputs rather than abrupt steering corrections.
3. Call the displayed speeds. Monitor airspeed through V1 and rotate at VR. Raise the nose smoothly towards the flight-director command bars; pulling sharply wastes energy and risks over-rotation.
4. Clean up in sequence. With a positive climb established, retract the landing gear. Accelerate before retracting the flaps, respecting the flap speed limits and any retraction cue shown on the PFD.
5. Set the climb mode and power. Engage the autopilot only after the aircraft is stable and correctly trimmed. In flight-level-change or speed mode, pitch controls the selected speed, so thrust must still be managed unless an active autothrottle mode is clearly annunciated.

A common mistake is selecting a high vertical speed and then watching the aircraft decelerate towards a stall. Reduce the commanded rate, add thrust or use the speed-based climb mode instead.

How do you use the PC-24 autopilot?

The PC-24 autopilot follows the active mode shown on the flight-mode annunciator, not the button that was last pressed.

1. Verify the navigation source. Select the FMS or GPS source shown by the PFD and make sure the intended route leg is active.
2. Set the targets first. Select the cleared altitude, heading and speed before engaging the relevant lateral or vertical mode.
3. Intercept the route sensibly. Use heading mode to point towards the active leg, then arm NAV. The system may not capture a route that is behind the aircraft or approached at an extreme angle.
4. Engage the autopilot. Confirm that the desired lateral and vertical modes change from armed to active. Keep monitoring airspeed and thrust.
5. Prepare each level change. Set the new altitude, choose a suitable climb or descent mode and confirm altitude capture as the aircraft approaches the target.

For a fuller explanation of armed modes, captures and altitude preselection, see our mode-by-mode autopilot guidance for MSFS jets.

How do you descend and land the PC-24?

The PC-24 lands reliably when the descent starts early, the aircraft is slowed before final approach and the threshold is crossed at the computed VREF rather than an improvised speed.

For initial planning, allow roughly three nautical miles for every 1,000 feet of altitude to lose, then add distance for deceleration and ATC restrictions. This is only a planning rule; wind and configuration will change the actual descent.

1. Review the arrival. Check the runway, approach, minimum altitude, missed-approach procedure and active FMS legs before beginning the descent.
2. Control the energy early. Reduce thrust and use an appropriate vertical mode. If the aircraft is still fast, level briefly or use the approved in-flight speed-brake function within its limits rather than forcing an excessively steep descent.
3. Configure before final. Extend the landing gear and flaps in stages, observing every extension-speed limit. Set the displayed VREF and complete the landing checklist.
4. Capture the approach correctly. For an ILS, verify the frequency, course and navigation source, intercept the localiser at a modest angle and approach the glideslope from below. Our complete MSFS 2024 ILS procedure covers localiser and glideslope capture.
5. Stabilise the final. By about 1,000 feet above the runway in instrument conditions, or 500 feet in visual conditions, be on the correct path, fully configured, at approach speed and using only small corrections.
6. Flare and stop. Reduce thrust approaching the threshold, make a small flare and allow the main wheels to touch without holding the aircraft off. Lower the nose, verify ground-spoiler or lift-dump deployment and apply progressive wheel braking.

The PC-24 does not rely on conventional thrust reversers. Its stopping performance comes from accurate touchdown, spoiler or lift-dump deployment, anti-skid wheel braking and correct runway-performance planning. A reverse-thrust binding is therefore not a substitute for proper braking.

How do you land the PC-24 on a short runway?

Use a short runway only when the loaded aircraft’s performance calculation permits it. Select the calculated landing flap, cross the threshold at VREF with the prescribed correction, touch down inside the touchdown zone and apply spoilers and braking promptly.

Do not add extra speed for comfort: even a small excess produces a long float and consumes the runway rapidly. If the approach is fast, high, unstable or likely to land long, execute a go-around rather than forcing the aircraft down.

Why will the PC-24 not start or follow the route?

Most PC-24 problems in MSFS 2024 come from incomplete cockpit configuration, an inactive FMS leg or a control binding that conflicts with the virtual cockpit.