How do I use the built-in flight planner in MSFS?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, use the built-in flight planner from the World Map: set a departure and destination, choose VFR or IFR routing, add suitable runways and procedures, and set cruise altitude. Before taxi, confirm that the complete route has loaded into the aircraft’s GPS, FMS or MCDU.

Where is the Microsoft flight planner in MSFS 2020 and 2024?

The main preflight planner is on the World Map or Free Flight screen, before the cockpit loads.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 centres planning on the World Map. MSFS 2024 uses a similar preflight map and also provides Electronic Flight Bag planning functions in supported aircraft and activities. The exact buttons differ, but the essential process remains departure, destination, route, altitude, procedures and cockpit verification.

Do not assume the World Map, EFB and aircraft avionics remain synchronised after every edit. Some aircraft import the full plan, some import only part of it, and more complex airliners may expect the route to be checked or entered through their own FMS.

How do I create a flight plan on the MSFS World Map?

The reliable method is to build a simple route first, add procedures afterwards, and inspect the imported plan before moving the aircraft.

1. Open the World Map or Free Flight screen. Choose the aircraft before finalising the route, because its speed, ceiling and navigation equipment affect sensible routing and altitude choices.
2. Set the departure airport and starting position. Select a gate or parking stand for a cold-and-dark or apron start. Select a runway if you want to begin lined up with the engine normally running.
3. Set the destination airport. Make sure each airport is explicitly assigned as the departure or arrival; merely highlighting an airport does not add it to the plan.
4. Consider the weather and expected runways. Wind direction matters when choosing departure and arrival procedures. A later runway change can invalidate a SID, STAR or approach.
5. Choose VFR or IFR routing. Use a direct or VOR-based VFR route for visual flying, or low- or high-altitude airways for an instrument flight.
6. Edit the en-route section. Add fixes, VORs or other waypoints only when they serve a purpose. Watch for sharp zigzags, duplicated fixes and legs that double back.
7. Select procedures where appropriate. For IFR, choose a compatible SID, STAR and approach, including the correct transitions. Not every airport or runway has all three.
8. Set a realistic cruise altitude. Check aircraft performance, terrain and published airway or procedure constraints. The planner can accept an altitude that is impractical or unsafe.
9. Review the route and nav log. Check the total distance, altitude profile, first and last legs, procedure joins and any unexpected detours.
10. Re-check the parking position. Editing a runway or departure procedure can sometimes leave the aircraft set to start on the runway instead of at the stand you intended.
11. Load the flight and inspect the avionics. Power the electrical and avionics systems, open the flight-plan page, and check that the route, procedures and active leg match the World Map plan.

Which route type should I choose in the MSFS flight planner?

Choose the route type according to the aircraft, planned altitude and kind of navigation you intend to practise.

The labels and placement vary between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, but the decision is the same. Keep VFR plans simple; for IFR, choose an airway structure the aircraft can actually fly. Filing a high-altitude jet route for a light piston aircraft is one of the planning mistakes we see most often.

Should I add SIDs, STARs and approaches on the World Map?

Add procedures on the World Map when the expected runways are known, but treat them as provisional until they have been checked in the cockpit.

• Use a SID when the departure airport publishes one suitable for the runway and route.
• Use a STAR when it connects the en-route section sensibly to the arrival area.
• Select an approach that matches the expected landing runway and the aircraft’s equipment.
• Check every transition if the route develops a loop, duplicate waypoint or abrupt turn.

A missing procedure is not necessarily a planner fault. Smaller airports may have no SID or STAR, and a procedure may be published only for particular runways. The selected runway, procedure and transition must be compatible.

Runway changes are the usual source of trouble. Built-in ATC or changing weather may produce a different runway after loading, leaving duplicated fixes, a route gap or a procedure that no longer leads to the assigned approach. A discontinuity can also represent an expected vector segment, so do not remove every gap without understanding what should connect it.

The World Map creates the route, but it does not complete an airliner’s performance pages, take-off data or landing calculations. Our practical explanation of flying an IFR plan covers clearances, route capture, approaches and minima without duplicating the planning steps here.

Why is my route not visible or “niet te zien”?

If the route is not visible — sometimes searched as niet te zien — first establish whether it is missing from the World Map or only from the cockpit display.

The route line is missing on the World Map

A missing World Map line usually means an endpoint was not assigned correctly or a selected procedure has broken the route.

• Confirm that one airport is set as the departure and the other as the arrival.
• Remove the SID, STAR and approach, then test a basic direct route.
• Add each procedure back separately until the faulty runway or transition becomes apparent.
• Delete duplicated waypoints and check any leg that doubles back towards the previous fix.
• If the planner remains in an invalid state, clear the route and rebuild the two endpoints before adding anything else.

The plan exists but is not visible in the cockpit

A cockpit route may be hidden because the avionics are unpowered, the wrong display page is open, the route has not been activated, or the aircraft does not fully import World Map plans.

• Power the avionics. A cold-and-dark aircraft will not display its route until the required electrical buses, avionics switches and navigation units are operating.
• Open the flight-plan page. A navigation display set to an unsuitable range or mode can make a valid route appear absent.
• Activate or execute the route. Some FMS-equipped aircraft hold imported changes as a temporary plan until they are confirmed.
• Check the active leg. A route can be loaded while the aircraft remains pointed at an old, completed or disconnected leg.
• Check EFB synchronisation in MSFS 2024. Editing a route on the tablet does not guarantee that every supported GPS or FMS has received the same revision.
• Allow for aircraft-specific imports. Some advanced aircraft accept only part of a World Map route or require procedures to be selected again through their own FMS.

If the display is powered but its controls, cursor or navigation fields are not responding, follow our G1000 and FMS input checks for MSFS 2024. A navigation-data mismatch can also make a procedure available in one planner but absent from the aircraft database.

Will ATC and the autopilot follow the planned route?

Built-in ATC generally follows the plan filed before loading, while the autopilot follows it only when the aircraft has the correct active leg, navigation source and lateral mode.

Loading a route does not engage navigation guidance automatically. In a typical GPS-equipped aircraft, the CDI or navigation source must be set to GPS or FMS rather than VLOC, and the autopilot must be armed in the appropriate NAV mode. The aircraft may also need to intercept the active leg before it can capture the route.

If the aircraft flies straight ahead, turns towards the wrong fix or refuses NAV mode, work through our autopilot engagement and navigation-source checks.

Built-in ATC may continue using the original filed route after you edit the GPS or FMS in flight. That can produce clearances, vectors or altitude instructions that no longer agree with the cockpit plan.

Can I change the flight plan after take-off?

Yes, but airborne changes should normally be made through the aircraft’s GPS, FMS or supported EFB rather than the preflight World Map.

Common changes include going direct to a fix, removing a waypoint, selecting another arrival or loading a different approach. Check the new active leg before engaging NAV mode, and remember that built-in ATC may not recognise the revised route.

Selecting an RNAV approach is only the planning stage; it still has to be activated, intercepted and flown correctly. Our step-by-step RNAV approach guidance for MSFS explains the cockpit work that follows.

Is the built-in MSFS flight planner good enough?

The built-in planner is sufficient for most VFR flights and many straightforward IFR sectors, provided the route is verified before departure.

Its main weakness is the hand-off between the World Map, built-in ATC, weather-driven runway assignments and aircraft-specific avionics. Keep the initial plan simple, match the route and altitude to the aircraft, re-check procedures after any runway change, and never taxi until the cockpit route is complete and sensible.