Learn how to use the GPS in FS2004: enter direct-to waypoints, load routes, select approaches and couple it to the autopilot.
Open the FS2004 GPS with Shift+3 in most default aircraft, or choose it from Views > Instrument Panel. Load a route through Flight Planner or use the D→ button for a direct-to waypoint. To let the autopilot follow the magenta course, select GPS on the panel's NAV/GPS switch and engage NAV mode.
How do I open the GPS in FS2004?
In most stock aircraft, Shift+3 opens the GPS as a movable pop-up window.
- Load an aircraft and enter the cockpit.
- Press
Shift+3to display the GPS. Press the same shortcut again to close it. - Use the menu if necessary: reveal the menu bar with
Alt, then select Views > Instrument Panel > GPS.
Panel-window assignments are controlled by each aircraft's panel configuration. In a downloaded or heavily modified aircraft, Shift+3 may open something else, while some panels omit the GPS window entirely.
What do the FS2004 GPS controls do?
Most default panels use FS2004's Garmin-style GPS 500, operated by clicking its buttons and the hot spots around the right-hand knobs.
| Control | Purpose |
|---|---|
D→ | Creates a direct course to an airport, VOR, NDB or named waypoint. |
FPL | Displays the active flight plan and its waypoint sequence. |
PROC | Loads or activates an available departure, arrival or approach procedure. |
NRST | Shows nearby airports and navigation facilities. |
RNG | Changes the map scale. |
ENT / CLR | Confirms a selection or moves back and clears an entry. |
| Right-hand knobs | The large outer knob moves between fields or character positions; the small inner knob changes the selected value. Pressing the centre activates the cursor. |
How do I enter a direct-to waypoint?
The D→ function is the quickest way to make the GPS guide you to a single airport or navigation fix.
- Press
D→. The waypoint identifier field should become available for editing; activate the cursor if it does not. - Enter the identifier. Use the small right knob to choose each character and the large knob to move to the next position.
- Check the facility. Duplicate or similar identifiers can select the wrong airport or navaid, so verify the displayed name and location.
- Press
ENTto confirm, then pressENTagain to activate the direct course.
The GPS draws a magenta line and displays information such as distance, desired track and estimated time. It does not automatically turn the aircraft unless the autopilot is correctly coupled to GPS guidance.
How do I load and follow an FS2004 flight plan?
A route created through FS2004's Flight Planner is loaded automatically into the GPS.
- Open Flights > Flight Planner and choose the departure and destination airports.
- Select VFR or IFR routing, generate or edit the route, and accept the flight plan.
- Open the GPS and press
FPLto inspect the waypoint sequence. - Follow the active leg, shown in magenta on the map and flight-plan page.
Using D→ while a flight plan is active temporarily replaces normal leg sequencing. To resume the route, open FPL, highlight the appropriate leg and use the menu's Activate Leg command. Choose a waypoint ahead of the aircraft rather than reactivating a leg that ends behind you.
How do I load an approach?
Press PROC, select an approach and transition for the destination, then choose whether to load or activate it.
Load adds the procedure without immediately changing the active leg; Activate begins guidance towards the approach. Activating too early can send the aircraft back towards an initial approach fix, so loading first is normally safer.
FS2004 uses navigation and procedure data from its own era. Runway numbers, waypoints and available approaches may therefore disagree with newer charts or add-on airport scenery. Our FS2004 navigation and troubleshooting answers cover related navaid, flight-planning and ILS issues.
Can the FS2004 autopilot follow the GPS?
The autopilot can follow the GPS laterally when the aircraft's navigation source is set to GPS and NAV mode is engaged.
- Confirm that a GPS leg is active and shown in magenta.
- Set the panel's NAV/GPS selector to GPS. This switch is separate from the GPS window and may be labelled differently in add-on aircraft.
- Intercept the route sensibly. Use manual control or HDG mode to approach the magenta course rather than asking NAV mode to recover from a large angle.
- Engage the autopilot and NAV mode. Monitor the turn and confirm that cross-track error is decreasing.
GPS coupling controls lateral steering only. Altitude, descent profile, airspeed and throttle still require separate autopilot modes or manual control.
For an ILS, tune and identify the localiser, return the NAV/GPS selector to NAV, and use APP mode when established for capture. Loading an ILS in the GPS can help with positioning, but the stock GPS does not provide modern WAAS or LPV-style vertical guidance.
Why is the GPS not following the route?
Most FS2004 GPS problems come from the wrong navigation source, an inactive leg or a panel that is not wired to the stock GPS commands.
- The autopilot follows a VOR instead: move the NAV/GPS selector from NAV to GPS.
- The route is visible but not magenta: activate the required leg or use
D→. - Waypoints stop sequencing: check that OBS mode has not been selected; return the unit to normal leg sequencing.
- The aircraft turns towards an old waypoint: cancel the previous direct-to course or activate the correct flight-plan leg.
- An airport or procedure is missing: the stock navigation database may not contain it, or add-on scenery may use newer runway and facility data.
Shift+3does nothing: try the Instrument Panel menu and check whether that particular aircraft defines a GPS pop-up.
FSUIPC is not required for the default GPS. It becomes relevant only when specialised hardware, custom button assignments or an add-on explicitly depends on it; our guide to using FSUIPC with FS2004 explains that distinction and the installation process.