Learn how to save and reload a flight in FSX or Steam Edition, what gets restored, where save files live, and how to prevent lost progress.
In FSX and FSX: Steam Edition, press the semicolon key or press Alt and choose Flights > Save, then give the flight a unique title. To resume it, use Load from the Free Flight screen or the in-simulator Flights menu. FSX restores the aircraft, position, time, weather and much of its cockpit state.
How do I save a flight in FSX?
- Prepare the aircraft: level off or park somewhere safe. Pausing with
Pis optional, but remember that the paused state may return when you reload. - Open Save Flight: press
;, or press Alt to reveal the menu bar and choose Flights > Save. If the shortcut does nothing, its control assignment may have been changed; the menu command still works. - Enter a recognisable title: use separate names for departure, cruise and approach checkpoints rather than repeatedly overwriting your only save.
- Leave the default-flight option clear: ordinary recovery saves should not become the flight FSX loads at startup. A stock aircraft is generally a safer default than a complex add-on aircraft.
- Save the flight: wait for the dialog to close before exiting FSX or changing aircraft.
Saving while parked with the parking brake set is the safest choice. In the air, use a stable attitude and avoid saving in the middle of an aircraft configuration change.
How do I reload a saved FSX flight?
- From the opening screen: open Free Flight, select Load, and choose the saved flight by its title.
- From a running flight: press Alt, open the Flights menu and choose Load. Save the present flight first because loading another one replaces it.
- Check the resumed state: confirm altitude, fuel, autopilot modes, trim and weather before continuing.
- Unpause if necessary: press
Pif the aircraft and instruments appear frozen after loading.
Match physical throttle, propeller and mixture levers to the saved cockpit positions before moving them. Hardware controls can immediately overwrite the loaded values and cause an unexpected power or trim change.
What does an FSX saved flight restore?
An FSX flight save is a snapshot of the simulator session, but it is not a guaranteed snapshot of every external add-on.
| Item | What it retains | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Saved flight | Aircraft, position, attitude, fuel, time, weather and many standard cockpit settings | Complex add-on systems may not reload exactly |
| Flight plan | Route, waypoints and related planning data | Does not save the aircraft's complete in-progress state |
| Add-on panel state | Custom electrical, hydraulic or navigation configuration | Only available when the aircraft developer provides its own state-saving feature |
A flight plan and a saved flight serve different purposes. Use a .PLN file when you want to retain or reuse the route; our explanation of building and saving routes with the FSX Flight Planner covers that process.
ATC conversations, regenerated AI traffic, external weather and network sessions may not continue from precisely the same point. For a complex add-on aircraft, save both the FSX flight and the aircraft's own panel or situation state when that facility is provided.
Where are FSX saved flights stored?
FSX and FSX: Steam Edition normally keep saved flights in Documents\Flight Simulator X Files, using the active Windows account's Documents location.
A saved flight can consist of several files sharing the same base name, including the main flight file and companion weather or state data. Copy the complete matching group rather than taking only one file. If Documents is redirected through Windows or cloud storage, FSX will normally follow that redirected location; our folder-by-folder FSX backup instructions explain what to preserve.
Why does a reloaded flight look different?
- The aircraft or livery was removed: reinstall the exact aircraft used by the save or load a checkpoint made with an installed aircraft.
- The cockpit is not configured correctly: use the add-on aircraft's own panel-state loader after loading the FSX save.
- Weather or traffic changed: external weather programs and AI traffic can rebuild their data after the flight opens.
- The saved flight is missing: check the Documents folder used by the same Windows account. Do not place saved-flight files in the FSX installation directory.
- FSX cannot create the save: confirm that the active Documents folder exists and is writable, then try a short, simple title to rule out a naming problem.
Can FSX save flights automatically?
FSX does not provide a dependable built-in system of rotating recovery checkpoints, so manual saves remain essential on long flights. Classic FSX/SP2 users can consider the optional FSXSave autosave utility for periodic recovery points; FSX: Steam Edition users should confirm compatibility before relying on an older utility.
Keep several checkpoints rather than one continually overwritten file. A departure save, a cruise save and a pre-descent save give you useful fallback points if the latest file is damaged or captures the aircraft in an awkward state.