How do I set up a flight plan in a flight simulator?
To set up a flight plan in a flight simulator, choose the departure and destination, select VFR or IFR, add an appropriate route, cruise altitude and any procedures, then load it into the aircraft’s GPS or FMS. Before departure, verify every leg, the active navigation source and the expected runway.
This answer covers flight simulators generally, including Microsoft Flight Simulator, FSX, X-Plane and Prepar3D. Menu names differ, but the route can exist in three separate places: the pre-flight planner, the cockpit avionics and the simulator’s ATC system. Keeping those three aligned prevents most problems.
Where should you create the flight plan?
Create the route in the system best suited to the aircraft and the way you intend to fly.
| Planning method | Best used for | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in world map or flight planner | Quick setup, route previews, default aircraft and simulator ATC | Advanced add-on aircraft may not import the route fully |
| Cockpit GPS | General aviation aircraft, direct routes and in-flight edits | Simulator ATC may not recognise a route created only in the GPS |
| Airliner FMS or FMC | Airways, SIDs, STARs, approaches and managed navigation | The route often needs importing, confirming or entering manually |
For a basic training aeroplane, the built-in planner and cockpit GPS are normally sufficient. A complex airliner should be treated differently: even when the simulator injects a route, check every leg in the FMS and complete any required performance setup separately.
Platform-specific controls are covered in our World Map planning workflow for Microsoft Flight Simulator and our guide to building and loading an airport-to-airport route in FSX.
How do I build and load the flight plan?
The same basic sequence works across most simulators and aircraft.
- Select the correct airports. Search by airport name or the location identifier shown by the simulator. Do not assume that a familiar three-letter airline code is the identifier expected by the planner; smaller airfields may not have one at all.
- Choose VFR or IFR. Use VFR for a flight conducted mainly by visual reference. Choose IFR when you want airways, instrument procedures or an IFR clearance from supported simulator ATC. A VFR plan can still use GPS navigation, and an IFR route can still be direct.
- Choose the route type. A short flight may only need a direct leg or one intermediate waypoint. Longer routes can use navaids, named fixes and low- or high-altitude airways, depending on the aircraft’s equipment and intended altitude.
- Set a sensible cruise altitude. Consider terrain, weather, aircraft performance, route length and airway restrictions. The altitude entered in a planner is not a substitute for checking terrain clearance, and it does not automatically set the aircraft’s autopilot or pressurisation controls.
- Add runways and procedures only when appropriate. Select a departure runway and SID that suit the wind and route. At the destination, add a STAR and approach if the likely runway is known, or leave them until the weather or ATC assignment is clear. Not every IFR flight requires a SID or STAR.
- Choose the starting position. Select parking or a gate for a normal start-up and taxi. A runway start is useful for a quick navigation test, but it can leave little time to notice an incorrect first leg.
- Load or enter the route in the aircraft. Supported default avionics may receive the plan automatically. Other GPS units and FMS-equipped aircraft require an import, an activation command or manual route entry. Save the plan first if the simulator offers that option.
- Inspect every leg. Check the waypoint order, runway, procedure transitions, sharp turns, duplicate fixes and any gaps. Confirm that the route begins from the correct end of the departure runway rather than sending the aircraft back towards an earlier waypoint.
- Set the navigation source. Where the aircraft provides a source selector, use
GPSor the FMS for route tracking rather thanVLOCor a raw NAV receiver. Airliners generally use an FMS-controlled lateral mode such asLNAVor managed navigation; exact labels vary by aircraft.
A flight plan covers navigation, not the entire aircraft setup. Fuel, payload, take-off data, speeds, thrust settings and pressurisation may still need to be calculated or entered elsewhere.
Should I choose VFR or IFR?
Choose VFR for a simple visual flight and IFR when the flight depends on instrument routing, procedures or simulated ATC clearance.
| Choose VFR when | Choose IFR when |
|---|---|
| You intend to navigate visually or follow a simple GPS route | You intend to use instrument procedures or airway routing |
| The simulated weather permits visual flying | Cloud, visibility or the training objective requires instruments |
| You do not need SIDs, STARs or a formal approach sequence | You want to practise clearances, altitude restrictions and approaches |
A typical IFR route may contain a departure runway, SID, en-route fixes or airways, STAR and instrument approach. Those elements must connect in the correct order, but adding every available procedure does not make a route better. Our guide to flying the departure, en-route and approach phases after planning an IFR flight covers what happens once the route is loaded.
Does loading a flight plan make the autopilot follow it?
No. A loaded flight plan supplies route data; the aircraft still needs the correct navigation source and lateral autopilot mode.
In many general aviation aircraft, the cockpit display must show GPS rather than VLOC before NAV mode can follow the magenta route. In an airliner, the route must be active in the FMS and the appropriate managed navigation or LNAV mode must be engaged.
If the aircraft is a long way from the active leg, use heading mode to establish a reasonable intercept angle before arming route tracking. A magenta line on the map only proves that a route is displayed; it does not prove that the autopilot is coupled to it.
Why is the flight plan missing or not being followed?
Most flight-plan failures come from a mismatch between the simulator planner, the aircraft’s avionics and the selected navigation mode.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| The world map shows a route but the cockpit does not | The route exists only at simulator level. Import, activate or enter it in the aircraft’s GPS or FMS. |
| The route is visible but NAV mode does not turn towards it | Check the GPS/FMS navigation source, active lateral mode and active leg. Intercept the route with heading mode if necessary. |
| The aircraft turns back after take-off | An earlier waypoint or runway leg is active. Activate the correct next leg or use a carefully checked direct-to command. |
| The route contains loops or sharp zig-zags | Look for duplicated fixes, mismatched transitions or a procedure connected to the wrong runway. |
| A SID, STAR or approach is missing | The planner and aircraft may use different navigation data, or the avionics may not support that procedure. Rebuild the affected section using procedures available in the cockpit. |
| The FMS reports a discontinuity | Check the legs before deleting it. Some gaps are errors, while others deliberately represent radar vectors or a manual segment. |
| Simulator ATC gives a different route | The cockpit route was changed without updating the simulator-level plan, or ATC assigned another runway or procedure. Amend the avionics and review the active leg before continuing. |
After entering an airliner route, page through the legs rather than relying only on the map. Check altitude restrictions, duplicated fixes, route gaps and the destination runway. Our A320 MCDU route-entry and verification walkthrough demonstrates the checks required in a more complex FMS.
Can you change a flight plan after take-off?
Yes, but stabilise the aircraft before editing the active route.
Use heading mode if the autopilot is engaged, make the route or procedure change, inspect the resulting legs, then activate the intended leg and re-arm route tracking. Loading an approach is not always the same as activating it; activating one too early can make the aircraft turn towards an unexpected fix.
What is the easiest flight plan for practice?
The easiest practice plan is a short direct VFR flight between two nearby airports in a simple GPS-equipped aeroplane.
- Begin with a direct route and no SID, STAR or instrument approach.
- Confirm the route appears in the cockpit before starting the engine or entering the runway.
- Practise selecting the GPS source and intercepting the active leg with heading mode.
- Add one layer at a time: an intermediate waypoint, a radio navaid, an instrument approach, then a complete IFR route.
This progression isolates route-entry and navigation-mode mistakes before the workload of an airliner FMS or a multi-procedure IFR flight is added.