How do I install and fly Horizon 787-9 in MSFS 2020?

To install and fly the Horizon Boeing 787-9 in MSFS 2020, use the PC version, ensure the Premium Deluxe Boeing 787-10 is installed and updated, then place the extracted Horizon aircraft package in the active Community folder. Restart the simulator, select the 787-9, and complete its CDU route, performance and take-off setup before departure.

What does the Horizon 787-9 require in MSFS 2020?

The Horizon 787-9 is not a completely independent aircraft: it relies on systems and assets from Microsoft's Boeing 787-10. You therefore need the Premium Deluxe content entitlement and must have the default 787-10 installed through Content Manager.

• Platform: MSFS 2020 on PC. The community package cannot be manually installed on Xbox because that platform does not provide an accessible Community folder.
• Required aircraft: The Microsoft Boeing 787-10 supplied with Premium Deluxe.
• Simulator content: Install all available updates for the simulator and the default 787-10 before adding Horizon.
• Free storage: Allow room for the aircraft, liveries and extraction of the downloaded archive.

Owning the 787-10 is not enough if its package is absent from Content Manager. Confirm that the default 787-10 appears in aircraft selection and loads successfully before troubleshooting the Horizon model. Standard Edition alone does not provide the required dependency.

How do I install the Horizon 787-9 correctly?

1. Verify the dependency. Open Content Manager and confirm that the Microsoft Boeing 787-10 is installed and updated.
2. Close MSFS 2020. Do not install or replace aircraft files while the simulator is running.
3. Remove an older Horizon installation. Delete or move the previous package rather than merging new files over it. Merged versions can leave obsolete model, panel or configuration files behind.
4. Find the active Community folder. A custom Packages location overrides the usual Microsoft Store or Steam path, so use our guide to finding the active MSFS Community folder if there is any doubt.
5. Install the package. If the release uses a supported installer, verify that it targets MSFS 2020 and the correct Packages location. For a downloaded archive, extract it first and copy the actual aircraft package folder into Community.
6. Check the package level. Files such as manifest.json and layout.json should sit directly inside the aircraft package folder, as in Community/Horizon-package/manifest.json. If they are buried inside a second identically named folder, the aircraft will not be detected.
7. Restart and search for the aircraft. Open aircraft selection and search for 787-9 or Horizon. Test it first at a stock airport with an included livery before adding third-party liveries or other 787 modifications.

If the archive contains several required package folders, preserve them as separate folders rather than combining their contents. Our general MSFS aircraft installation checklist explains the same package-root rule for other add-on formats.

Never copy the Horizon package into the simulator's protected Official folder. That area is reserved for Microsoft and Marketplace content, including the 787-10 dependency.

How do I fly the Horizon 787-9?

The Horizon 787-9 follows the core MSFS 2020 Boeing 787 operating logic, but its weights and performance differ from the 787-10. Use the 787-9's own take-off calculations rather than copying speeds, trim or landing data from the longer aircraft.

1. Make the first test simple. Spawn on a runway with clear weather to verify the flight controls, throttles, displays and engines. Once the aircraft works, use a gate start for a normal flight.
2. Power the aircraft at the gate. Turn on the battery, connect external power when available, or start the APU and bring its generators online. Follow the electronic checklist before starting the engines.
3. Set fuel and payload. Load the aircraft before completing performance calculations. Avoid changing the same load through both the simulator menu and an aircraft tablet, because the resulting weight can differ from the value used by the CDU.
4. Build and verify the route. Enter or import the origin, destination, runway, departure and arrival. A route created on the World Map may transfer, but check every CDU leg and remove only those discontinuities that should genuinely be joined.
5. Complete performance pages. Enter the cruise altitude, cost index, reserves and required weight data. On the take-off page, select the planned flap setting and enter or accept the calculated V1, VR and V2 speeds.
6. Configure the mode control panel. Set the cleared altitude, turn on both flight directors, arm the autothrottle and use LNAV/VNAV only after the route has been activated and executed. Heading select and flight-level change are useful recovery modes if the aircraft is not following the programmed route.
7. Take off and climb. Apply take-off thrust using the correct TO/GA command, rotate at VR, establish a positive climb, retract the gear and then retract the flaps according to the speed indications. Engage the autopilot only after the aircraft is stable and following the intended flight director mode.
8. Prepare the descent early. Load and inspect the arrival and approach, enter landing data, set minimums and select a lower altitude before the top of descent. VNAV will not begin a normal descent while the selected altitude still blocks it.
9. Configure for landing. For an ILS, verify the frequency and course even when they appear to have tuned automatically, then arm approach mode from a suitable intercept. Set autobrake, arm the speedbrake, lower the gear and extend flaps according to the calculated approach speed.

For detailed CDU, autopilot, descent and landing procedures, use our complete MSFS 2020 Boeing 787 operating walkthrough. The cockpit workflow transfers to the Horizon 787-9, while performance figures must still come from the 787-9 itself.

Why is the Horizon 787-9 missing or not working?