Use MSFS tower view with replay: record the flight, place the Drone Camera at the tower, disable follow, track the aircraft and fix common problems.
Microsoft Flight Simulator does not provide the old-style, one-button tower view many FSX users expect. Create it with the Showcase/Drone Camera: record the flight, position the drone beside the tower, disable Drone Follow Mode, enable Drone Lock Mode if you want tracking, then play the recording.
How do I create a tower view during replay?
The reliable method is to record first, load or pause the replay, and only then position the camera. Most replay tools do not continuously buffer every flight, so they cannot rewind action that was never recorded.
- Start the recorder before the manoeuvre. Begin far enough before take-off, landing or the fly-by to allow time for establishing the shot. Our step-by-step MSFS recording and playback instructions cover the recorder and timeline controls.
- Stop the recording and open playback. Move the replay timeline to a point shortly before the aircraft enters the shot, then pause it.
- Open the Showcase or Drone Camera. Some versions call this a free camera. If the assigned shortcut is unclear, search the Controls options for
Toggle Drone. - Move the drone to the control tower. Place it near cab height and outside the building so walls or tinted glass do not obstruct the view. Increase Drone Speed for a long move, then reduce it for precise framing.
- Turn Drone Follow Mode off. This leaves the camera at the tower instead of carrying it along with the aircraft.
- Choose whether to track the aircraft. Enable Drone Lock Mode for an automatically panning tower camera, or leave it disabled for a fixed view looking along the runway.
- Start playback. Adjust the replay speed or timeline rather than using Active Pause, which is a flight-state feature rather than a substitute for replay.
Set the camera after loading the recording if replay start-up resets its position. This avoids a mistake we see constantly: carefully placing the drone first, then losing the shot when the replay is loaded.
Which Drone Camera settings make a tower view?
A fixed tower position requires Drone Follow Mode off; Drone Lock Mode controls only where the camera points.
| Camera setup | Follow Mode | Lock Mode | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracking tower view | Off | On | Camera stays at the tower and pans towards the user aircraft. |
| Fixed runway shot | Off | Off | Camera position and direction remain fixed. |
| Aircraft-following cinematic view | On | Optional | Camera travels with the aircraft, so it is not a true tower view. |
Control bindings differ between keyboard, controller and custom profiles. Search by the command names instead of relying on a shortcut copied from another simmer; duplicate bindings can make the drone move the aircraft or respond unpredictably.
Where is replay mode in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024?
Replay access depends on the simulator version, platform and installed update. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on PC commonly exposes its supplied replay tool through Developer Mode, while other builds may present replay controls through their main interface.
The PC Developer Mode procedure does not apply to Xbox or PlayStation. If a console edition does not expose a replay or recording control, there is no hidden keyboard command that opens the PC development tool.
Replays are also not guaranteed to reconstruct the whole session. Live traffic, ATC, weather transitions and complex aircraft systems may differ during playback because the recorder primarily reproduces the user aircraft's recorded state.
Why is my tower replay not working properly?
Most tower-view problems come from the two drone modes being confused or from positioning the camera before the recording has loaded.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Camera flies away with the aircraft | Drone Follow Mode is enabled | Turn Follow Mode off after placing the camera. |
| Camera stays at the tower but does not pan | Drone Lock Mode is disabled | Enable Lock Mode, or manually aim at the runway for a fixed shot. |
| Tower position disappears when playback starts | Replay loading reset the camera | Load and pause the replay first, then position the drone. |
| Tracking is jerky at close range | The camera is too close or moving too quickly | Move farther from the flight path and reduce Drone Speed. |
| Aircraft or systems behave incorrectly | The recorder cannot fully reproduce that aircraft | Use the replay mainly for visual review and avoid judging system operation from playback alone. |
Can I save a tower camera position?
Standard custom cockpit camera slots are aircraft-relative, so they do not normally preserve a reusable world-fixed position beside an airport tower. They are better for repeatable cockpit, passenger-cabin and aircraft-mounted shots; our guide to storing custom cockpit viewpoints explains that separate workflow.
When the tower replay is finished, use the camera selector or the assigned cockpit-view command to leave the drone. MSFS 2024 users who become stuck in an external view can follow these steps for returning to the cockpit.