How do I use Flight Training in Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Yes. Microsoft Flight Simulator includes guided flight training rather than a separate always-on tutorial mode. In MSFS 2020, open Flight Training from the main menu. In MSFS 2024, the structured lessons sit mainly inside Career mode, where training leads into licence and certification exams. Each lesson supplies an aircraft, instructor prompts and objectives.
These are scripted training activities, not an instructor that can be switched on during any Free Flight. Assistance settings such as taxi ribbons, tooltips and assisted controls are separate from the lessons.
Where is Flight Training in MSFS 2020 and 2024?
The location and purpose of Flight Training differ between the two versions.
| Simulator | Where to find training | What it provides |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 | Select Flight Training from the Welcome or main-menu screen. Depending on the interface state, it may appear among the activity tiles. | Standalone lessons covering aircraft control, take-off, landing, circuit work and navigation. The basic syllabus uses a fixed training aircraft, commonly the Cessna 152. |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 | Enter Career, complete the initial setup and open the available training or certification panel in the Career interface. | Familiarisation lessons followed by practical checks for licences and aircraft qualifications. Our guide to licences and progression in Career mode explains how that wider system fits together. |
Microsoft may reorganise menu tiles between simulator updates, but the distinction remains: MSFS 2020 treats Flight Training as a standalone activity, while MSFS 2024 connects its most structured syllabus to Career progression.
How do you start and complete a flight lesson?
Configure the essential controls before opening the first lesson, then follow the instructor's objectives in the order presented.
- Check the control profile. Bind pitch, roll, yaw, throttle, brakes and camera movement. A gamepad works, but a joystick or yoke gives finer control. Remove duplicate axis assignments if two devices are moving the same control.
- Begin with basic handling. Do not jump straight to landing practice if pitch, trim and airspeed control are still unfamiliar. Lessons assign the aircraft and conditions, so these often cannot be changed.
- Wait for each instruction. Tutorial scripts usually expect an exact heading, altitude, speed, runway position or checkpoint. Acting before the prompt can prevent the next objective from triggering.
- Make small, stable corrections. Trim the aircraft instead of holding continuous pressure. Grades normally reward heading, altitude, airspeed, centreline control and touchdown quality rather than speed of completion.
- Repeat weak exercises. Passing a lesson does not necessarily mean the technique is consistent. Practise until you can maintain the requested targets without chasing the instruments.
If control setup itself is the problem, our beginner setup and first-practice sequence covers sensible aircraft, controller and exercise choices.
Why will a Flight Training lesson not progress?
Most stalled tutorials are waiting for a scripted condition that has not been met, even when the aircraft appears to be in roughly the correct place.
- Hold the target precisely: maintain the displayed altitude, heading or airspeed for several seconds instead of passing briefly through it.
- Follow the highlighted route: taxi and airborne checkpoints may require the aircraft to cross a specific trigger area.
- Stop anticipating prompts: wait until the instructor finishes speaking and the new objective appears before performing the action.
- Check competing inputs: a throttle, gamepad and joystick can have duplicate bindings that continuously override one another.
- Disable intrusive assistance: AI piloting or assisted take-off and landing can fight the inputs a lesson expects. Visual aids such as taxi ribbons can remain enabled.
- Restore objectives and instructor audio: if prompts have disappeared, check the simulator's interface, accessibility and audio options.
If the objective still does not register, restart the lesson after correcting the settings. Reloading is often more reliable than trying to recover a tutorial script that has already missed a trigger.
Can you skip the tutorials?
Yes, although the consequences depend on the version and mode.
MSFS 2020 lets you use Free Flight without completing Flight Training, though some lessons may be presented in a recommended sequence. In MSFS 2024 Career, practice lessons can often be skipped when the interface offers direct access to an exam, but the required licence, certification and prerequisite checks still have to be passed.
Is the built-in flight school enough to learn properly?
No. The built-in lessons teach essential handling and procedures, but they are not a complete ground-school course and provide limited depth on aircraft systems, flight planning, weather, radio work and instrument flying.
After completing the basic syllabus, use our structured Microsoft Flight Simulator training guides to develop those subjects in a sensible order. A useful next step is learning a full cold-and-dark cockpit start, because it introduces switches, checklists and systems that scripted introductory lessons often configure automatically.