Learn how to land on an aircraft carrier in Microsoft Flight Simulator, what equipment you need and why arresting cables sometimes fail.
Yes, you can land on an aircraft carrier in Microsoft Flight Simulator, but only a suitable carrier and naval aircraft provide a convincing arrested landing. Some carrier decks are merely scenery, while supported activities or add-ons supply arresting cables, catapults and usable deck collision. Compatibility differs between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.
Do all aircraft carriers work in MSFS?
No. A visible carrier model does not necessarily have a solid flight deck, working arresting wires or a usable catapult.
| Carrier type | What you can expect |
|---|---|
| Visual scenery | The ship is decorative; the aircraft may pass through it or encounter crude collision. |
| Landable hard deck | You can touch down, but the cables and catapult may be visual details only. |
| Functional carrier | The package models arresting gear, and sometimes catapult launches, for compatible aircraft. |
Carriers may be static, follow a scheduled route or appear only through a particular activity. Our guide to finding usable carrier locations in Microsoft Flight Simulator explains where to look and why a ship may not appear.
Can you land on a carrier without add-ons?
Only supported aircraft and activities provide dependable carrier operations without a separate carrier package. The MSFS 2020 Top Gun: Maverick expansion included a scripted F/A-18 carrier-landing activity, but that did not turn every carrier in free flight into a functional one.
For repeatable free-flight operations, users generally need a carrier package with a solid deck and arresting system. The aircraft must support that package's method of detecting the hook and applying arresting force; two individually functional add-ons will not always work together.
Which aircraft should you use?
Use a naval aircraft with an operational tailhook, suitable approach handling and confirmed compatibility with the carrier. The F/A-18E Super Hornet is the natural starting point where it is present in your installation.
A conventional airliner or general-aviation aircraft might touch down on a solid deck, but it cannot perform a proper arrested landing. PC users can also try a carrier-oriented aircraft such as this naval Dassault Rafale M add-on, following its package-specific instructions for the hook and launch systems.
How do you make an arrested carrier landing?
A successful trap requires a stabilised, on-speed approach followed by a firm touchdown in the cable area without a runway-style flare.
- Confirm compatibility. Check that the carrier has working arresting wires and explicitly supports your aircraft or its carrier system.
- Configure early. Lower the landing gear, set the required flaps and deploy the tailhook before the final approach.
- Fly the correct angle of attack. Use the aircraft's angle-of-attack indication and any modelled optical landing aid. One fixed approach speed is unreliable because weight changes the required speed.
- Aim for the cable area. Hold the approach attitude and avoid floating over the wires with a large flare.
- Prepare for a bolter. Apply or maintain the power specified by the aircraft's procedure until the cable stops you. If the hook misses, climb away rather than trying to brake on the remaining deck.
For aircraft-specific technique, including hook deployment, approach control and missed-wire recovery, use our detailed F/A-18 carrier-landing procedure.
Why does the tailhook fail to catch the cable?
A missed arrest is usually caused by incompatible add-ons, decorative cables or a touchdown outside the working arresting zone.
- The aircraft falls through the deck: the carrier lacks a proper collision surface, has not loaded correctly or conflicts with another scenery package.
- The hook passes over the wires: confirm that it is actually deployed, then reduce any excessive flare or bounce.
- The aircraft touches down correctly but never stops: the carrier and aircraft probably use different arresting implementations, or the cables are decorative.
- The catapult does nothing: many packages require precise positioning and a custom command or cockpit action. A visible shuttle does not prove that a working launch system is present.
- A moving deck behaves erratically: start with a static carrier. Moving-platform physics and synchronisation can expose limitations that do not affect stationary decks.
Do carrier add-ons work on PC and consoles?
PC offers the broadest choice because it can use packages installed through the Community folder. Xbox and PlayStation users cannot install ordinary PC freeware this way, so they need carrier and aircraft content distributed for their console through the simulator.
PlayStation support applies to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024; MSFS 2020 was never released on PlayStation. A package made for MSFS 2020 may also need an updated version for MSFS 2024, even if its ship or aircraft model appears to load.