How do I fly a SID in a flight simulator?

To fly a SID in a flight simulator, load the departure for the correct runway and transition, compare every leg with the chart, set the altitude cleared by ATC, and fly all heading, track, altitude and speed instructions. Monitor LNAV/VNAV rather than assuming the automation will obey the procedure.

In our Aviation & Real-World Flying guidance, SID means Standard Instrument Departure. It is a published IFR procedure connecting an airport runway or departure area to the en-route structure while providing an orderly route, obstacle clearance and, where published, noise-abatement or airspace containment.

What does SID mean in aviation?

A SID is an airport departure procedure, not simply the first few waypoints of a flight plan. It may contain runway-specific branches, headings, tracks, altitude limits, speed restrictions, minimum climb gradients and one or more transitions leading towards the filed route.

Three broad types appear in flight simulators:

• RNAV or RNP SID: flown using GPS/FMS position and managed lateral guidance, subject to the navigation capability printed on the chart.
• Conventional SID: built from headings, VOR radials, DME distances and named fixes. An FMS overlay may help, but the required radio-navigation source still matters.
• Vector SID: begins with a published heading or short route, after which ATC supplies headings or a direct-to clearance.

A continuous magenta line does not prove that an airport SID has been loaded correctly. Across generations of simulators, a mistake we see constantly is following that line without checking whether it represents the right runway branch, transition or first turn.

How do I choose the correct airport SID?

Choose a SID that matches the departure runway, joins the planned route sensibly and can be flown by the aircraft at its expected mass and navigation capability.

• Runway: select a procedure explicitly authorised for the runway in use. A runway change normally requires reloading and rebriefing the departure.
• Transition: use the en-route transition that connects to the first useful airway or route fix without doubling back.
• Aircraft capability: do not select an RNAV or RNP procedure unless the simulated avionics and navigation data can represent it correctly.
• Performance: check minimum climb gradients, altitude restrictions and any turn limitations before committing to the procedure.
• Navigation data: the chart, simulator planner and aircraft FMS should depict the same procedure. A mismatched data cycle can change waypoint names, restrictions or complete route branches.

For the route-planning decision itself, our guide to matching a SID to the runway, transition and filed route covers the selection process without duplicating it here.

How to fly a SID from the chart to the climb

A reliable SID departure follows a fixed sequence: brief the chart, load the procedure, verify the legs, configure the guidance and then monitor every mode after take-off.

1. Read the complete chart. Confirm the procedure name and revision, applicable runway, first heading or fix, turn conditions, navigation requirements, transition, altitude and speed restrictions, minimum climb gradient and any notes affecting your aircraft.
2. Load the full departure. Select the runway, runway transition, SID and en-route transition in the aircraft GPS, FMS or MCDU. If manual programming is needed, follow our explanation of entering procedures and resolving route discontinuities in a GPS or FMS.
3. Compare every leg with the chart. Check waypoint order, tracks, distances and restrictions. Pay particular attention to VECTOR, MANUAL and DISCONTINUITY entries. A vector discontinuity is often intentional and must not be closed by joining the next fix without clearance.
4. Set the clearance limit. Put the altitude assigned by ATC in the altitude selector. Do not set the SID's highest printed altitude automatically; whether that altitude is authorised depends on the clearance phraseology.
5. Prepare the lateral mode. Select the correct GPS, FMS or radio-navigation source and arm the appropriate mode if the aircraft allows it. Confirm the actual annunciation on the flight mode display rather than relying on an illuminated button.
6. Brief the first minute. State the runway, initial heading or track, first turn condition, first restriction, cleared altitude and expected automation mode. Set the correct local pressure before departure and change to standard pressure at the applicable transition altitude.
7. Fly the first instruction exactly. After lift-off, maintain the published heading, track or runway segment until its altitude, distance or fix condition has been met. Do not turn towards the first visible waypoint merely because it appears on the navigation display.
8. Monitor the climb. Watch active-leg sequencing, cross-track error, speed, altitude trend and flight mode annunciations. Engage the autopilot only when permitted by the aircraft, but monitor it just as closely as hand-flown flight-director guidance.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the World Map may load a departure into stock avionics, but a complex aircraft can use a separate FMS and navigation database. Always verify the route inside the cockpit; importing a plan does not guarantee that every SID constraint or leg type transferred correctly.

What does climb via SID mean?

In United States phraseology, CLIMB VIA SID normally authorises the published lateral and vertical profile, including altitude and speed restrictions, up to the SID's published top altitude unless ATC modifies the clearance.

Phraseology is not identical worldwide. Many regions issue the SID and climb instruction separately or use charted initial climb altitudes under local rules. Do not apply the US meaning of CLIMB VIA to an unfamiliar region; read the chart and use the phraseology modelled for that airspace.

Simulator ATC can also issue instructions that do not account for every charted restriction. For a realistic offline session, decide whether you are following the simulator's ATC engine or practising the charted procedure with a planned altitude limit. Silently combining conflicting instructions produces a route that represents neither system correctly.

Which lateral guidance should I use to fly a SID?

Use managed FMS guidance for an RNAV departure, the specified radio-navigation source for a conventional departure and selected heading mode for a radar-vector segment.

When flying a conventional procedure, our guide to selecting the correct HSI source and intercepting a course explains the instrument setup that commonly causes confusion.

Without ATC, a vector SID cannot be reproduced exactly beyond the vector point. Use simulated ATC, choose a fully pilot-navigated departure, or plan a specific substitute vector and recognise that it is not the complete published procedure.

Does this work in MSFS 2024, and how do I select heading or track in the Fenix A320?

The chart-reading and clearance logic is the same in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, as well as in MSFS 2020, X-Plane and Prepar3D. Aircraft-specific avionics determine which buttons and modes you use.

In the Fenix A320, use the FCU's TRK/FPA pushbutton to choose between the HDG-V/S and TRK-FPA display pairs. For a selected instruction, rotate the HDG/TRK selector to the cleared value first, then pull it to engage selected heading or track. Push the selector to return to managed NAV when cleared and when the programmed leg can be captured sensibly.

Use HDG when the chart or controller assigns a heading; use TRK when a ground track is explicitly required. If the first leg is an RNAV path, do not pull the heading selector merely to make a number appear. Arm or engage managed NAV as appropriate and verify the active flight mode annunciation.

How do SID altitude, speed and climb restrictions work?

Altitude restrictions are gates within the authorised climb, while the selected altitude is the limit imposed by the clearance.

• At: cross the fix at the stated altitude.
• At or above: do not cross below the stated altitude.
• At or below: do not cross above the stated altitude.
• Window: cross between the printed lower and upper limits.
• Speed restriction: meet the published maximum, minimum or exact speed at the point or segment shown.

VNAV or managed climb can honour these restrictions only if they were loaded correctly, the mode is active and the selected altitude permits the climb. Selected vertical-speed, flight-level-change or open-climb modes may ignore an intermediate constraint depending on the aircraft. The flight mode annunciator and altitude prediction are the evidence; the presence of a constraint in the FMS is not.

A published climb gradient is measured against ground distance, not time. Convert feet per nautical mile to an approximate vertical speed with required VS ≈ groundspeed × gradient ÷ 60. At 120 knots groundspeed, a gradient of 300 feet per nautical mile requires about 600 feet per minute.

Recalculate as groundspeed changes and leave a practical margin. Accelerating early raises groundspeed and therefore increases the vertical speed needed to maintain the same climb gradient. If the aircraft cannot meet the requirement at its planned mass and conditions, use a suitable runway or departure rather than relying on maximum thrust to hide the problem.

Why is LNAV or VNAV not following the SID?

Most SID automation failures come from the wrong active leg, an incorrect navigation source, mode confusion or a disagreement between the chart and the installed navigation data.

If the aircraft departs the expected path, control it first. Use a known safe heading and altitude, disconnect unsuitable automation if necessary, and troubleshoot only after the flight path is stable. Activating a random direct-to fix while close to the airport can produce an unsafe turn or bypass a required restriction.

When is the SID complete?

A SID is complete at its final fix or transition, or when ATC cancels the procedure by issuing vectors, a direct-to clearance or another route amendment.

At that point, confirm that the correct en-route leg is active and retain the assigned altitude. Reaching the last SID waypoint does not itself authorise a further climb. For what follows, our complete simulator IFR workflow from clearance through arrival shows how the departure fits into the rest of the flight.