How do I plan a multi-leg flight in a simulator?

In a general flight simulator, plan a multi-stop trip as a series of separate flights: create one flight plan per leg, calculate fuel and alternates for each, then reload or re-enter the next route after landing. Keep a master itinerary, but do not assume an en-route airport will behave as a proper destination.

The best way to plan each flight leg

Every leg should work as a complete flight with its own origin, destination, route, altitude, fuel and arrival planning.

1. List the stops in order. Record each airport identifier and whether the visit is a full stop, fuel stop, touch-and-go or simple overflight.
2. Create one route per leg. Build Airport A to Airport B, Airport B to Airport C and so on. If route creation is unfamiliar, start with our core flight-planning workflow.
3. Choose a suitable route and altitude. Check terrain, airspace and aircraft performance. A short sector rarely justifies the cruise altitude used on a long flight because much of the leg would be spent climbing and descending.
4. Add procedures carefully. Select a departure and expected arrival when useful, but review both against the actual runway and weather before flying. Do not join one airport's arrival directly to the next airport's departure.
5. Calculate fuel for that sector. Include taxi, trip, contingency, diversion and reserve fuel according to the realism level and operating rules you are simulating.
6. Save each plan clearly. Names such as 01-A-B, 02-B-C and 03-C-D prevent the wrong route being loaded during a turnaround.
7. Validate it in the cockpit. Confirm the origin, destination, first active leg, discontinuities, navigation source and expected procedures before departure.

For a longer itinerary, building and exporting the route through Little Navmap can keep all the sectors, airports and performance estimates organised while still giving the aircraft a separate plan for each leg.

Can one flight plan contain multiple airport stops?

A single plan can contain several airports, but most avionics and built-in planners recognise only one active destination at a time.

Adding Airport B as an ordinary waypoint between A and C usually tells the aircraft to overfly B. It does not necessarily create an arrival, terminate the active plan or prepare the avionics for departure from B. Some aircraft offer a secondary flight plan, but that is an aircraft-specific convenience rather than a complete multi-stop system.

How much fuel should be loaded for each leg?

Plan fuel separately for every sector and refuel at the stops instead of automatically carrying fuel for the entire trip.

A useful planning structure is block fuel = taxi + trip + contingency + alternate + reserve. The precise reserves depend on the aircraft, weather and operating rules being simulated. At a stop, subtract the usable fuel remaining from the next leg's required block fuel to find the planned uplift.

Carrying all the trip's fuel from the first airport adds weight, increases take-off distance and may put the aircraft above a structural or performance limit. Our guide to calculating fuel and choosing refuelling stops covers that part of the itinerary in more detail.

How do I continue to the next leg without restarting?

You can continue in the same simulator session if the aircraft lets you replace or reprogram its route without returning to the main flight setup screen.

1. Park and complete the first leg. Record the landing time and fuel remaining before changing the aircraft state.
2. Remove the old arrival correctly. Clear the completed approach or route, but do not delete waypoints blindly; some discontinuities and manual-vector legs are intentional.
3. Enter or import the next route. Confirm that the previous destination has become the new origin and that the new destination is correct.
4. Update fuel, payload and weather. Recalculate the departure runway and procedures rather than reusing the previous assumptions.
5. Check the active leg and navigation source. The first outbound waypoint must be active, with GPS or FMS guidance selected if the autopilot will follow it.
6. Update ATC where possible. Built-in ATC may continue using the original destination unless a new plan can be filed or loaded.

Opening a simulator's world-map planner may reset the aircraft or begin a new flight. If so, either program the next route through the cockpit avionics or start a fresh session at the same parking position. Saved flights are useful, but complex add-on aircraft do not always restore every FMS, electrical or engine state perfectly.

Why does the aircraft skip a stop or turn back?

Unexpected route behaviour usually comes from treating a stop as a waypoint, activating the wrong leg or leaving part of the previous route active.

• The aircraft overflies the airport: it was inserted as an en-route waypoint rather than set as the destination. Use a separate sector or activate the airport's arrival and approach where appropriate.
• The autopilot turns towards the previous airport: the old route or a completed leg is still active. Activate the first outbound leg of the new plan and verify it on the map display before engaging navigation mode.
• The route contains gaps or strange turns: imported airways and procedures may not match the aircraft's navigation data. Rebuild the affected segment and inspect each connection rather than deleting every discontinuity.
• ATC still clears the old route: changing the FMS does not always change the simulator's ATC flight plan. Refile or reload the sector if supported; otherwise begin the next leg as a new flight.
• Fuel changes unexpectedly: an assistance option, automatic refuelling function or aircraft tablet may have overwritten the value. Set the final fuel load after importing the route and check it again before departure.