Install ChasePlane for MSFS 2020 or 2024, connect it through SimConnect, bind camera views and fix common detection problems.
Install ChasePlane as a Windows companion application, not by copying it into the Microsoft Flight Simulator Community folder. Use a ChasePlane build that explicitly supports MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024, let its installer detect the correct simulator, load a flight, then create aircraft-specific views and bind non-conflicting controls.
Which ChasePlane version do I need?
You need the MSFS-compatible ChasePlane release for the simulator you intend to use. An older ChasePlane installation made for FSX or Prepar3D cannot simply be pointed at Microsoft Flight Simulator.
| Platform | What to use |
|---|---|
| MSFS 2020 on Windows | A ChasePlane build whose installer or product description explicitly includes MSFS 2020. |
| MSFS 2024 on Windows | A build that explicitly supports MSFS 2024 and installs or detects the correct 2024 integration. |
| Both PC simulators installed | Select the correct simulator target when prompted. Do not point a 2024 connector at the 2020 package location, or vice versa. |
| Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5 | ChasePlane cannot be installed because it is an external Windows application. Console editions do not run PC companion utilities. |
The Steam and Microsoft Store editions of MSFS use different package locations, so manual path guessing often causes trouble. Let the supported installer perform detection wherever possible.
How do I install and connect ChasePlane?
- Close Microsoft Flight Simulator. This prevents locked files and gives the installer a clean opportunity to detect the simulator packages.
- Run the installer supplied with your ChasePlane licence. Confirm that it names MSFS 2020, MSFS 2024 or both. Do not reuse a legacy FSX or Prepar3D installer.
- Select the correct simulator target. If both versions are installed, check the detected choice carefully rather than accepting the first path shown.
- Allow the installer to deploy any required integration component. If it offers a connector or simulator package, leave that component under installer control rather than moving it manually.
- Start Microsoft Flight Simulator and load an aircraft into a flight. Sitting at a parking stand is sufficient; detection may not complete while the simulator is only at its main menu.
- Launch ChasePlane and check its connection status. If it was already running, restart it after the flight has loaded. The application should recognise the active aircraft through SimConnect.
- Create or select an aircraft profile. Add a cockpit or external camera, position it, name it and save the preset before changing transition and motion effects.
Does ChasePlane go in the Community folder?
ChasePlane’s main application does not belong in the Community folder. It runs separately in Windows and communicates with Microsoft Flight Simulator through its integration layer.
The installer may place a small supporting package in a simulator-managed location, but that does not make the whole application a conventional mod. Our explanation of installer-based add-ons versus Community-folder mods covers this distinction and the nested-folder mistake that commonly prevents packages from loading.
Do not copy the ChasePlane programme directory into Community, and do not move an automatically installed connector between the 2020 and 2024 Community folders. Re-run the ChasePlane installer if the integration path needs changing.
How do I create and bind my first camera view?
Select the profile associated with the loaded aircraft, create a view, position the camera and assign a control that is not already performing a camera action inside MSFS.
- Start with one cockpit preset. Place it at the normal pilot eye position and set a comfortable zoom or field of view.
- Save and name the view clearly. Names such as captain, overhead, pedestal and left wing remain easier to manage than numbered presets.
- Add external views separately. Aircraft geometry varies, so copying coordinates from another model can leave the camera inside the fuselage or far from the aircraft.
- Assign view-selection controls in ChasePlane. Use keyboard, joystick or controller inputs that are not bound to competing native camera commands.
- Test switching in both directions. If one press moves the camera twice or changes MSFS camera mode, remove only the conflicting simulator binding.
- Tune motion last. Confirm that view selection and positioning work before adding head movement, turbulence response, smoothing or cinematic transitions.
For the newer simulator, our focused walkthrough covers aircraft presets, saved viewpoints and control bindings in MSFS 2024. If you only need a few fixed pilot-seat positions, the simulator’s native custom cockpit camera shortcuts may be simpler than running a separate application.
Why won’t ChasePlane connect to MSFS?
Most connection failures come from using the wrong ChasePlane build, launching it before a flight exists, installing the integration into the wrong simulator or having a damaged SimConnect configuration.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Simulator not detected | Confirm that an actual flight is loaded, then restart ChasePlane. Check that its selected target matches MSFS 2020 or 2024. |
| ChasePlane remains disconnected | Update or repair the MSFS-compatible installation. If other companion utilities also fail, follow our steps to diagnose and repair SimConnect. |
| Connected, but the view does not move | Select a ChasePlane preset and leave the simulator’s drone or showcase camera. Check that the active profile belongs to the loaded aircraft. |
| One button causes two camera actions | The same input is bound in ChasePlane and MSFS. Remove the competing native camera assignment without erasing unrelated controls. |
| Views disappeared after changing aircraft | Profiles are normally associated with an aircraft or variant. Select the matching profile or clone an existing one and reposition its cameras. |
| Hotkeys work only when ChasePlane has focus | Check the application’s global input option and run both programmes at the same privilege level. Avoid running one as administrator while the other uses normal privileges. |
| Camera movement stutters | Disable optional motion and transition effects temporarily. If the basic fixed view also stutters, investigate simulator frame pacing before rebuilding every preset. |
For a local installation, opening router ports is not a sensible first fix. Concentrate on the simulator target, integration package, application permissions and SimConnect status.
Can I reuse ChasePlane profiles between aircraft or simulators?
Reuse profiles only when the aircraft model and simulator integration are close enough for the saved camera coordinates to remain valid. Even two variants of the same aircraft can use different geometry or package identities.
Clone a working profile rather than overwriting it, then check every cockpit and external position. A profile brought from MSFS 2020 into MSFS 2024 may also need to be reassigned to the aircraft and adjusted, even when the aircraft name appears unchanged.