How do I start the Boeing 747 cold and dark in MSFS?

To start the default Boeing 747-8 from cold and dark in Microsoft Flight Simulator, power the aircraft from the battery and APU, align the inertial systems, configure fuel and bleed air, then start each engine with its start switch and fuel-control switch. Finish by transferring electrical and pneumatic loads to the engines.

Select a gate or parking stand rather than a runway, because runway departures normally load with the engines running. Assistance settings and some activities can also supply a partly prepared cockpit. Our panel-by-panel cold-and-dark walkthrough for the default 747-8 provides additional cockpit context.

Boeing 747 cold-and-dark start sequence

The reliable order is electrical power, APU, inertial alignment, fuel and pneumatics, followed by one engine at a time.

1. Secure the aircraft. Set the parking brake, place all four thrust levers at idle and confirm the four fuel-control switches are at CUTOFF. Check that the main tanks contain fuel.
2. Establish electrical power. Turn the battery on and place standby power in its normal automatic position. If external power shows available, it can power the cockpit; otherwise, continue on battery power until the APU generators are available.
3. Start the APU. Move the APU selector to ON, select START momentarily and wait for the APU-running indication. Connect the APU generators and turn on APU bleed air. Electrical external power alone cannot operate the pneumatic engine starters.
4. Align the inertial systems. Set the three IRS selectors to NAV. Enter or confirm the aircraft position on the FMC position-initialisation page if requested. Engine start does not depend on completed alignment, but the navigation displays and route guidance do.
5. Configure fuel and pneumatics. Turn on the main-tank fuel pumps for tanks containing fuel. Use centre-tank pumps only when that tank contains usable fuel. Leave the pneumatic manifold in its normal connected configuration and switch the air-conditioning packs off so the APU has enough bleed-air pressure for starting.
6. Turn on the beacon. The red anti-collision beacon should be operating before an engine is started or the aircraft is pushed back.
7. Start each engine. A practical sequence is engines 4, 1, 2 and 3, although the stock simulator does not demand a particular order. Engine 1 is the far-left engine from the pilots' viewpoint and engine 4 is the far-right. Pull or select the chosen engine's start switch, verify that N2 begins increasing, then move that engine's fuel-control switch from CUTOFF to RUN. Watch for EGT rise, oil pressure and stable N1/N2. Wait until the engine reaches idle and its start switch returns to normal before starting the next one.
8. Complete the post-start configuration. Verify that all four engine generators are supplying their buses. Restore the packs, confirm engine bleed air and hydraulic demand pumps are in their normal positions, then remove APU bleed and shut down the APU after its load has been removed. Leave the beacon on while the engines are running.

Do not advance the throttles during start. The electronic engine controls schedule fuel automatically once the fuel-control switch is at RUN.

Why won't the 747 engines start?

Most failed 747 starts are caused by missing pneumatic pressure or fuel rather than an electrical fault.

• No N2 rotation: confirm that the APU is running, APU bleed is on, the packs are off and the selected engine start switch is engaged. External electrical power does not provide starter air.
• N2 rotates but EGT does not rise: check the selected engine's fuel-control switch, its tank quantity and the appropriate fuel pumps. Make sure you moved the control for the same engine whose starter is operating.
• The engine lights but stops: look for an empty source tank, an incorrect fuel-valve configuration or a hardware binding forcing the fuel control back to cutoff.
• Fuel-pump pressure warnings remain: pumps selected on for an empty centre tank will show low pressure. Switch those pumps off rather than treating the warning as an engine-start failure.
• The displays remain dark: connect the APU generators or available external power and check display brightness. IRS alignment affects navigation information, but it does not normally make every display completely black.
• Switches move back by themselves: duplicated controller assignments can continuously send starter, mixture or fuel-cutoff commands. Search the control settings by input and remove the conflicting assignment.

If EGT climbs abnormally without the engine accelerating, return that engine's fuel control to CUTOFF and allow it to stop before trying again. More deeply modelled add-ons may simulate hot starts and starter limits more strictly than the default aircraft.

Can the Boeing 747 start without the APU?

The 747 can start without its APU only when ground equipment supplies both electrical power and pneumatic starter air.

Ground electrical power can illuminate the cockpit and run aircraft systems, but it cannot spin an engine by itself. If the aircraft or parking stand does not provide a working ground-air connection, using the APU is the dependable method in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Does Ctrl+E start the 747 automatically?

Ctrl+E triggers engine auto-start with the standard PC keyboard profile, but it may not prepare every aircraft system correctly.

Auto-start can leave the FMC, IRS, lights, packs or fuel system outside a realistic operating configuration, especially in third-party aircraft. Custom control profiles and console installations may use another binding, so search the controls menu for the engine auto-start command if the shortcut does nothing.

Does a 747-400 checklist work for the MSFS 747-8?

A Boeing 747-400 checklist is useful for learning the overall flow, but it should not be copied switch for switch in the default MSFS 747-8.

The 747-8 has different engines, avionics and system logic. Our phase-by-phase FSX 747-400 procedural checklist is a useful reference for the order of cockpit preparation, start and after-start checks, but the labels and indications in the 747-8 take precedence. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 follow the same broad start flow, while updates, assistance settings and third-party aircraft can change how deeply individual steps are simulated.