How do you read the main flight instruments in MSFS?
Learn how to read aeroplane gauges in MSFS: six-pack locations, meanings, scan technique, glass displays and fixes for misleading readings.
To read the main flight instruments in Microsoft Flight Simulator, start with attitude, then cross-check airspeed, altitude, heading, turn coordination and vertical speed. The attitude indicator shows the aircraft’s orientation; the other gauges show its performance. Read the group repeatedly, because no single instrument tells the whole story.
This method applies in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024. Exact layouts, units and system behaviour vary by aircraft, especially between basic default models and more deeply simulated add-ons.
Where is it located in the cockpit?
The traditional six-pack is normally located on the main instrument panel directly in front of the pilot, where it can be scanned without a large head movement.
- Top row, left to right: airspeed indicator, attitude indicator and altimeter.
- Bottom row, left to right: turn coordinator, heading indicator and vertical speed indicator.
This arrangement is common in training aircraft, but it is not universal. Older aeroplanes may use a turn-and-slip indicator instead of a turn coordinator, some panels move individual gauges, and modern aircraft combine the information on a screen. The magnetic compass, engine gauges and navigation equipment are not part of the conventional six-pack.
For a practical example of where each instrument is located, see our labelled explanation of the Cessna 172 cockpit.
How do you read the six main aeroplane gauges?
Each gauge answers a different question, so identify its units and reference point before interpreting the needle, tape or symbol.
| Instrument | How to read it | Common trap |
|---|---|---|
| Airspeed indicator | Read the needle or the fixed pointer beside a speed tape. Check whether the scale uses knots or miles per hour. When fitted, the white arc is the flap operating range, green is the normal range, yellow is for caution in smooth air, and the red line marks the never-exceed speed. Always use the limitations for that aircraft. | It shows indicated airspeed through the air, not GPS ground speed. A headwind or tailwind can make the two figures differ considerably. |
| Attitude indicator | Compare the fixed aeroplane symbol with the artificial horizon. Pitch lines show nose-up or nose-down attitude; the bank pointer and upper scale show left or right bank. | Nose-up attitude does not prove that the aircraft is climbing. Near a stall, it may be pitched up while losing altitude. |
| Altimeter | Read tens of thousands, thousands and then hundreds of feet. On a common three-pointer dial, the shortest or triangle-marked pointer counts 10,000 feet, the shorter pointer thousands and the long pointer hundreds. Other designs use fewer hands or number drums. Set the local pressure in the hPa or inHg window. | With local QNH set, it normally shows altitude above mean sea level, not height above the ground. On the runway it should usually show the airport elevation, not zero. |
| Turn coordinator | The miniature aeroplane shows the direction of roll and the approximate rate of an established turn. Alignment with a standard-rate mark indicates the marked turn rate. Keep the slip/skid ball centred; the usual reminder is to apply rudder towards the ball. | The miniature wings are not a precise bank-angle indicator. Use the attitude indicator to measure bank. |
| Heading indicator | Read the rotating compass card beneath the fixed index at the top. Numbers often omit the final zero: 3 means 030°, 9 means 090° and 27 means 270°. A conventional unslaved gyro must be aligned periodically with the magnetic compass. | The heading bug is only a selected target. Heading also differs from ground track when the aircraft is crabbing into a crosswind. |
| Vertical speed indicator | Above zero means a climb and below zero means a descent. Check the scale legend: a needle at 5 commonly means 500 feet per minute when the instrument is marked in hundreds. | Traditional mechanical VSIs lag. Chasing every movement produces an unstable climb or descent. |
Gauge colour bands, operating speeds and normal indications differ by aircraft. Do not transfer the Cessna’s limits to an airliner, warbird or turboprop merely because its instruments look similar.
How should you scan the instruments while flying?
Use the attitude indicator as the hub of a repeating scan, then check whether the performance instruments confirm the expected result.
- Set the references. Enter the local barometric pressure and align an unslaved heading indicator with the magnetic compass while straight and unaccelerated. Confirm the airspeed and vertical-speed units.
- Establish attitude and power. Choose a sensible pitch, bank and power setting for level flight, a climb, descent or turn. Trim the aircraft once it is stable.
- Use a hub-and-spoke scan. A useful pattern is
attitude → airspeed → attitude → altitude/VSI → attitude → heading/turn, then repeat. It is a pattern, not a rigid timing exercise. - Read trends before exact numbers. First establish whether airspeed and altitude are rising, falling or steady. Then refine the desired value.
- Make one small correction. Change pitch, bank or power, allow the aircraft to respond, and scan the whole group again. Avoid making a large control input from one needle.
- Keep an outside scan in visual conditions. When flying VFR, the real or simulated horizon and traffic remain primary. Instruments confirm performance; they should not consume the entire visual scan.
The mistake we see most often is fixation: a pilot stares at the VSI, chases its lagging needle and overlooks falling airspeed or a changing heading. Returning frequently to attitude breaks that cycle.
What should the gauges show in steady level flight?
In steady level flight, airspeed, altitude and heading should remain broadly stable, the wings should be level, and the VSI should sit near zero.
- The attitude indicator may show a slight nose-up attitude rather than sitting exactly on the horizon.
- The altimeter should stop moving once the aircraft is level.
- The VSI may wander slightly in turbulence; do not chase every small deflection.
- The heading should remain steady unless wind, trim or an uncoordinated condition is turning the aircraft.
- The slip/skid ball should be centred during coordinated flight.
If you want a suitable cockpit for practising this scan, our guide to MSFS aircraft equipped with traditional steam gauges explains what to choose.
Do glass cockpits show the same information?
Yes. A primary flight display presents the same core information electronically, although it may not resemble six separate round gauges.
A typical PFD places attitude in the centre, an airspeed tape on the left, an altitude tape and vertical-speed scale on the right, and heading or an HSI along the bottom. Slip/skid and turn information usually appears near the attitude symbol or heading display. The precise arrangement depends on the avionics suite.
Which number shows what the aircraft is actually doing?
The actual value is read at the fixed index on a tape or scale; coloured bugs and markers normally show selected targets.
- An airspeed bug is a target, while the fixed tape pointer shows indicated airspeed.
- A selected-altitude marker is not the aircraft’s present altitude.
- A heading bug shows a commanded or selected heading, not necessarily the present heading.
- Flight-director bars command pitch and bank; they do not depict the aircraft’s actual attitude.
Our PFD reading guide covers these tape, bug, flight-director and HSI indications in greater detail.
Why do the instrument readings not agree?
Apparently conflicting readings usually measure different quantities, use different references or respond at different speeds.
| Readings | Why they differ | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Indicated airspeed and ground speed | IAS measures the pitot-static indication through the air; ground speed measures movement over the surface. Wind separates them. | Use IAS to fly the aircraft and ground speed for progress over the ground. |
| Heading and track | Heading is where the nose points; track is the path across the ground. | Expect a difference when correcting for crosswind. |
| Barometric altitude and AGL height | The altimeter normally references mean sea level. AGL references the terrain directly below the aircraft. | Check the display label and barometric setting rather than expecting both values to match. |
| VSI and altimeter | The VSI reports a rate and may lag; the altimeter shows the resulting altitude. | Confirm a climb or descent by watching both over several seconds. |
| Attitude and flight path | Attitude shows where the aircraft is pointed, not necessarily where it is moving. | Cross-check airspeed, altitude and VSI, especially near a stall. |
What should you check if a gauge is blank, frozen or wrong?
Start with simulator state, electrical power, lighting and instrument settings before assuming that the aircraft has suffered a system failure.
- Check that the simulation is running. If every indication is static, make sure the simulator is not paused. If only one instrument is affected, continue with the aircraft checks.
- Check power and brightness. In a cold-and-dark cockpit, verify the battery, generators or alternators, avionics master and relevant display switches. A working screen can look blank when its dimmer is fully down; use our cockpit instrument brightness checks if the panel is too dark to read.
- Verify the settings. Incorrect barometric pressure causes a consistent altitude error. A drifting conventional heading indicator may simply need realigning with the magnetic compass.
- Consider the instrument source. A zero or implausible airspeed can indicate a pitot problem or icing. Static-system problems can affect airspeed, altitude and vertical speed together. Use pitot heat when the aircraft procedure calls for it.
- Inspect configured failures. Check whether a failure was enabled intentionally or carried into the flight. Gyroscopic instruments may also require vacuum or electrical power, depending on the aircraft. MSFS aircraft differ in how deeply these systems are modelled.
- Cross-check before correcting. Compare the suspect indication with the remaining instruments, standby gauges and outside horizon when visual conditions permit. Do not make an abrupt control input because one display disagrees with five consistent references.