How do I set up a FlyByWire SimBrief airframe in MSFS?
Set up the correct FlyByWire A32NX or A380X SimBrief airframe in MSFS, select it in Dispatch, and fix fuel, weight and OFP mismatches.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator, add the official FlyByWire A32NX or A380X profile to SimBrief My Fleet, save it as a distinct airframe, select it on the Dispatch form, then generate a fresh OFP. Do not use a generic A20N/A388 profile: matching ICAO codes do not guarantee matching weights, payload limits or fuel performance.
This setup takes place in the web-based SimBrief Dispatch system, not inside MSFS or the Community folder. The same principle applies to a supported FlyByWire installation in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024 on PC; creating a profile does not install the aircraft or make the desktop add-on available on console.
What does a SimBrief airframe control in MSFS?
A SimBrief airframe is a saved planning preset containing the aircraft data used to calculate an operational flight plan, or OFP.
- Airframe: defines the aircraft type, structural weights, payload limits, fuel capacity and performance assumptions.
- Dispatch flight: contains the route, weather, passengers, cargo, reserves, cost index and other choices for that particular sector.
- SimBrief account or Pilot ID: tells the FlyByWire EFB which account's latest generated OFP to retrieve.
These are separate. Entering the correct Pilot ID cannot repair an OFP calculated with the wrong airframe, and changing an airframe does not recalculate a plan that has already been generated.
How do I add the FlyByWire profile to SimBrief My Fleet?
Import the profile supplied for the exact FlyByWire aircraft, save it to My Fleet and select that saved copy before generating the flight.
- Identify the aircraft. Decide whether the flight will use the FlyByWire A32NX or A380X. Their profiles are not interchangeable.
- Sign in to the correct SimBrief account. Use the account that will later be configured in the aircraft's EFB. This avoids generating a plan under one account while the cockpit requests another.
- Open the official profile import. Use the SimBrief airframe link published in FlyByWire's documentation for that aircraft. Avoid recreating its figures from screenshots or an old list of values.
- Add it to My Fleet. Choose the option to save or add the imported profile to your fleet. SimBrief interface wording may change, but the result should be a reusable personal airframe.
- Verify and name the copy. The A32NX should show
A20Nand the A380X should showA388. Give it an unmistakable name such asFBW A32NXorFBW A380X; a registration can be added separately. - Keep the supplied performance data. Do not casually alter operating weight, maximum weights, maximum fuel, passenger capacity, cargo limits, fuel factor or flight-phase performance settings.
- Select it in Dispatch. On the new-flight form, confirm that your named FlyByWire airframe is selected before generating the OFP. If an OFP already exists, generate it again after changing the airframe.
A mistake we see constantly is checking only the ICAO code. A generic profile and a FlyByWire profile can both say A20N while producing different planned weights and fuel figures.
Which FlyByWire SimBrief profile should I use?
Use the dedicated profile for the aircraft actually loaded in MSFS, not a generic profile or one created for another developer's model.
| FlyByWire aircraft | ICAO type | Select in SimBrief | Do not substitute |
|---|---|---|---|
| A32NX | A20N | FlyByWire-supplied A32NX airframe | Generic A20N, an A320ceo profile or another developer's A320 |
| A380X | A388 | FlyByWire-supplied A380X airframe | Generic A388 or another A380 profile |
A livery does not normally require a different performance profile. You can change the registration and operator identity to match the paint scheme while retaining FlyByWire's performance and structural values.
Do imported SimBrief airframes update automatically?
Treat an imported My Fleet airframe as a saved copy, not a live subscription to every later FlyByWire revision. If FlyByWire publishes revised profile data, import the replacement, give it a clear name and use it for newly generated OFPs rather than assuming an older copy has changed.
What can I safely customise in the airframe?
Identity fields are generally safe to customise, while structural and performance fields should stay at the supplied values unless FlyByWire documents a different modelled configuration.
- Safe to change: personal airframe name, registration, operator identity and other descriptive information.
- Set per flight instead: actual passenger count, cargo, reserves, cost index and cruise choices belong on the Dispatch form. Do not reduce the airframe's maximum passenger capacity merely because today's flight is lightly loaded.
- Change only for a modelled configuration: cabin layout, operating weight or capacity data should be altered only when the aircraft build genuinely models that configuration.
- Normally leave unchanged: maximum take-off, landing and zero-fuel weights; fuel capacity; cargo limits; fuel factor; and climb, cruise or descent performance.
What does fuel factor X mean in SimBrief?
In references to SimBrief fuel factor X, X is a percentage performance bias applied to predicted fuel consumption; it is not a literal letter to enter and it is not the contingency or reserve percentage.
A positive or P factor raises predicted burn, while a negative or M factor lowers it. For example, P05 represents approximately five per cent more predicted consumption than the underlying model. Keep the factor supplied with the FlyByWire profile rather than changing it to force one flight's figures to match.
Fuel factor is not a cure for loading the wrong OFP, comparing pounds with kilograms or mistaking trip fuel for block fuel. Custom calibration only makes sense from a consistent trend across comparable flights, and an official profile revision may make that adjustment obsolete.
How do I use the saved airframe in the FlyByWire aircraft?
The aircraft retrieves the OFP generated from the selected airframe; it does not import the My Fleet profile itself.
After generating the plan, configure the EFB with the matching SimBrief account identity and request the latest flight. Our procedure for linking SimBrief with the A32NX or A380X and requesting the OFP covers the Pilot ID and cockpit import steps.
Route import and aircraft loading are separate operations. Depending on the aircraft build and settings, retrieving the OFP may not immediately load its passengers, cargo and fuel; A32NX users can follow our flyPad flight-data, payload and fuel-loading guidance for that stage.
Why do the imported fuel or weights not match?
Most FlyByWire and SimBrief mismatches come from the wrong saved airframe, an older OFP, separate EFB loading actions or comparisons between unlike figures.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft type is right but planned weights or fuel look wrong | A generic A20N or A388 was selected | Select the clearly named FlyByWire airframe and generate a new OFP |
| The EFB retrieves an old or unrelated flight | Wrong Pilot ID/account, or the revised flight was not generated | Verify the EFB account identity, then regenerate and request the latest OFP |
| The route appears but fuel or payload does not | Only the flight plan was imported | Use the EFB's separate payload and fuel-loading controls |
| Trip fuel is lower than the fuel loaded aboard | Trip fuel is being compared with block fuel | Compare block fuel with loaded fuel; block fuel also includes planned taxi, contingency, alternate and final-reserve components where applicable |
| Zero-fuel weight or passenger totals differ slightly | Different units, passenger-weight assumptions, cabin settings or rounding | Check kilograms versus pounds and compare the same named OFP and EFB fields |
| The aircraft reports an overweight condition | Wrong profile, excessive dispatch load or incompatible cabin assumptions | Correct the profile or reduce the load; do not raise certified weight limits merely to remove the warning |
Before editing any performance value, confirm the selected My Fleet name, ICAO type, OFP generation time, SimBrief account and measurement units. Those checks resolve the underlying error far more often than changing the fuel factor or maximum weights.