Can’t hear ATC in MSFS 2020 Bush Trips? Learn when silence is normal, how to spot an audio fault, and which radio and sound checks to make.
Bush Trips in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 are self-contained VFR activities and do not provide continuous spoken ATC guidance. Many legs use uncontrolled airfields, so radio silence is normal. If controller text appears without speech, or ATC is silent in normal flights too, the cause is an audio, radio or text-to-speech setting instead.
Why are MSFS 2020 Bush Trips often silent?
Bush Trips are navigation activities, not ATC-led missions. Their route instructions appear in the Navlog; they are not controller messages and are not read aloud.
Many legs cross remote areas and use non-towered airfields. At those locations there may be no controller to contact, although the ATC panel can offer self-announcement calls on the local traffic frequency. Even at a controlled destination, ATC will not necessarily contact you automatically—you need a powered radio, the appropriate frequency and an available simulator ATC service.
ATC contact is separate from following the Navlog and completing the activity. Our Bush Trip navigation and leg-completion guide explains how the activity expects you to use headings, landmarks and destination triggers.
How can I tell normal Bush Trip silence from an audio fault?
A normal World Map flight is the quickest control test. Use the same aircraft at a controlled airport, start in a ready-to-fly state and attempt an ordinary ATC exchange.
| What happens | Likely explanation | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No controller calls or useful ATC options on a remote leg | The route is outside controlled coverage or uses a non-towered airfield | Continue with the Navlog and use traffic-frequency announcements if offered |
| ATC text appears, but there is no speech | ATC voice volume, output routing or text-to-speech is misconfigured | Check the communications audio settings and selected output device |
| ATC works in a normal flight but not in the Bush Trip | The activity, location or available frequencies are limiting ATC | Treat the silence as activity-specific rather than a global sound failure |
| There are no ATC responses in any flight | The radio, aircraft electrical system, frequency or ATC configuration needs attention | Test the radios and simulator settings outside the Bush Trip |
Which checks should I make?
- Open the ATC panel. If it shows no controller or only traffic announcements, the leg probably has no conventional ATC service.
- Check aircraft power. The battery, avionics bus and radio stack must be on. A running engine does not guarantee that every avionics circuit is powered.
- Check the active COM frequency. Entering a frequency in the standby window is not enough; swap it into the active side and make sure the intended COM radio is selected.
- Watch for ATC text. Text with no voice identifies an audio problem. Check communications volume, the communications output device and whether ATC text-to-speech is disabled. Our silent ATC voice troubleshooting steps cover these settings without repeating them here.
- Test outside the activity. If ATC messages and menu choices are also missing in a standard flight, use our checks for ATC radio, tuning and response failures. If all simulator audio is absent, start with the system-wide MSFS sound checks instead.
Can I turn on full ATC during a Bush Trip?
You can use whatever built-in ATC service is available to the aircraft, but no setting creates controllers or spoken route guidance for every Bush Trip leg. Assistance features can automate available radio calls; they cannot add ATC coverage to an uncontrolled strip.
If continuous ATC matters more than retaining Bush Trip progress, recreate the departure, destination and route as a normal World Map flight. That provides the usual flight-planning and ATC options, but flying it there will not mark the corresponding Bush Trip leg complete.
Does missing ATC stop a Bush Trip from completing?
No; an ATC clearance or radio call is not required to complete an MSFS 2020 Bush Trip leg. Progress depends on flying the activity and reaching the correct destination trigger, not on receiving landing clearance.
If the leg does not register after landing, confirm that you used the intended airport and runway area, then bring the aircraft to a complete stop. That is a completion problem, not evidence that the missing ATC audio caused the failure.