How do I skip walkaround and start a prop in MSFS 2024?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, choose a runway departure to bypass the walkaround and load in the cockpit with the engine running. From a parking spot, board the aircraft, then use the Auto Start command—Ctrl+E on the default PC keyboard profile—or complete the aircraft’s piston-engine checklist manually.

How do I bypass the walkaround completely?

The quickest method is to select a specific runway as your departure position rather than the airport, gate, ramp or parking stand.

1. Open the flight planner and choose your departure airport.
2. Select the runway itself as the starting position. Selecting only the airport can leave the simulator to choose a parking location.
3. Start the flight. A runway start normally places you in the cockpit with the engine running and the aircraft prepared for departure.

Parking and gate starts deliberately place you outside for the pre-flight inspection. You do not normally need to complete every inspection item before boarding; our explanation of how spawn position controls the on-foot gate start covers that behaviour in more detail.

Career activities and structured missions may instead show a Skip to prompt for the next flight phase. Use the input displayed on screen because the assignment varies by platform and control profile. If no skip prompt appears, that phase may be required by the activity.

How do I board and auto-start a propeller aircraft?

At a parking position, you can ignore the optional inspection and board as soon as the aircraft’s entry point is recognised.

1. Walk to the entry door and use the displayed Enter/Exit Aircraft action. On the default PC keyboard profile, this is normally Shift+C.
2. Apply the parking brake, place the throttle at idle and ensure the propeller area is clear.
3. Run Auto Start with Ctrl+E on the default PC keyboard profile. With a controller or customised profile, search the Controls options for auto start and assign an input if necessary.
4. Let the sequence finish without moving the mixture, magneto, fuel or electrical controls.
5. Check the result: the engine should settle at a stable idle, oil pressure should register and the electrical system should be charging before taxi.

If no boarding prompt appears, camera position, the wrong door or a missing Enter/Exit binding is usually responsible. Follow our cockpit-entry troubleshooting steps before trying to start the engine.

Ctrl+E does not itself skip the walkaround; it starts the aircraft after you are seated. Some high-fidelity third-party aircraft also override the standard automatic sequence and require their own panel-state or checklist procedure.

How do I manually start a piston prop?

A manual piston-engine start requires fuel, the correct mixture, electrical power and ignition, but the aircraft’s own checklist always takes priority over a generic sequence.

1. Secure the aircraft. Set the parking brake, confirm the throttle is nearly closed and move the propeller control fully forward if the aircraft has one.
2. Configure the fuel system. Select a fuelled tank or BOTH, open any fuel shut-off valve and use the boost pump or primer only as directed by the checklist.
3. Set the mixture. Full rich is usual for a normal low-altitude start. High-elevation starts and some fuel-injected engines may need a different technique.
4. Switch on electrical power. Turn on the battery or master and the required ignition or beacon switches.
5. Engage the starter. Use the key, magneto or starter control and release it as soon as the engine fires.
6. Stabilise the engine. Set the checklist idle speed, confirm oil pressure and turn off the boost pump if the aircraft’s procedure requires it.

Priming is where many starts go wrong. Too little fuel produces cranking without ignition; too much can flood the engine. For an aircraft-specific example, use our complete Cessna 172 starting sequence.

Why does the propeller engine start and then stop?

An engine that fires and immediately dies usually has a fuel, mixture or conflicting controller-binding problem.

• Mixture at idle cut-off: a physical mixture axis can overwrite the cockpit position immediately after Auto Start.
• Fuel unavailable: check the selector, shut-off valve and quantity in the selected tank.
• Ignition switched off: verify the magnetos remain on rather than returning to OFF when the starter is released.
• Duplicate assignments: another throttle quadrant, controller or switch panel may be sending an unwanted mixture, fuel or magneto command.
• Incorrect priming: follow the aircraft checklist rather than repeatedly operating the primer or boost pump.

Our broader guide to engines that will not start or keep running covers control conflicts, assistance settings and take-off power failures.

Does the same startup work for turboprops?

The walkaround bypass is the same, but a turboprop’s manual start is not a piston-engine procedure.

Turboprops normally require starter and ignition activation, a check that the gas generator is accelerating correctly, and fuel introduction through the condition lever at the prescribed point. Watch the temperature limits and follow the aircraft checklist; do not substitute the piston sequence above. Auto Start may operate a standard turboprop, but complex aircraft can require their own startup logic.