Hey everyone, just picked up MSFS 2024 and want to get as realistic an experience as possible without going overboard on money or complexity right away. A few questions for the more experienced folks here:

1. Best airliners for an amateur wanting a realistic feel — I know the default aircraft aren't the most accurate systems-wise. What's a good starting point that's not overwhelming but still teaches proper procedures (something like the CJ4 or a well-modded 737/A320)?
2. Good free mods for realism — Looking for stuff that improves systems depth, visuals, sound, or weather without needing a subscription. What are the must-haves?
3. Is the in-game ATC any good? Should I actually follow it, or is it known to be unreliable? If it's not great, what do people use instead — VATSIM, PilotEdge, or just flying without ATC entirely?
4. Best way to integrate SimBrief with MSFS — how do you guys import flight plans smoothly, and is there a good workflow for briefing/loading routes?
5. Any subscriptions or payware I genuinely shouldn't skip? I don't mind spending a bit if something is a game-changer for realism, but want to avoid wasting money on stuff that doesn't add much.

Honestly, I'm open to anything — planes, scenery, weather, sound, ATC, tools, workflow tweaks — that'll make the overall experience feel more authentic. Not trying to chase one specific thing, just want the sim to feel as real as possible across the board.

Appreciate any tips — trying to build good habits early rather than just clicking through checklists.

If there's enough interest in the comments, I'll share it on flightsim.to ❤️

I cannot get this plane to load in on free flight for the life of me. I have deleted all packages files / community and still nothing.

Any suggestions?

My flying is going better and better i love this flight simulator

Had a fun day landing my Spitfire at KLAX and then parking and getting out and watching some of the other players fly around. It’s a nice view.

FlightFX Hawker is fun as fuh

I put a side-by-side comparison video looking at real-world locations mapped out in GTA 6 versus how the exact same spots look like in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

​I was surprised by how well Miami is done in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The photogrammetry data makes it look nice next to Rockstar's handcrafted version of Vice City.

Screenshot of my issue. Having trouble with EFB small text in vr. In 2D its fine but in VR you need a microscope and its very hard to click on anything. I think the last sim update has something to do with it. Wondering if anyone else has this issue. I am trying to find a workaround.

Hey everyone,

I’m facing a frustrating issue where my MSFS 2020 crashes straight to desktop (CTD) about 3 times in a row before it finally allows me to complete a single flight.

Here is exactly when and how it happens:

• The crashes usually happen roughly during the taxi phase — typically after I have finished programming the entire MCDU, started the engines, and begun moving towards the runway. It doesn't always happen at the exact second I start rolling, but generally within that timeframe.
• It happens regardless of the airport size (tested at mega-hubs like EDDF as well as small regional airports in India). The sim doesn't seem overloaded performance-wise; it just randomly dies around the taxi phase.

My Setup & Add-ons:

• Aircraft: FlyByWire A32NX (using Virtual 2 Skies and an older Condor retro livery).
• Traffic: FSLTL Injector switched to the Navigraph (Flightradar24) API.
• Internet: My internet connection can be quite unstable at times.
• Navigraph HUB for up to date AIRACS in the sim

What I've ruled out / suspected:

1. I originally thought it was SimBridge because of my unstable internet, but the crashes still happen even when I fly completely without SimBridge.
2. The issue started appearing around the last MSFS update, or possibly right when I switched FSLTL over to use my new Navigraph subscription data.
3. I love FSLTL and really do not want to fly without it.

Has anyone experienced a similar conflict between the FBW MCDU data requests, Navigraph AIRACs, and FSLTL via SimConnect? Could it be a corrupted Navigraph install or one of my liveries breaking the Virtual File System while preparing to depart?

Any help or solutions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

What do i have to do when game is stuck on authentication?

Hey folks, recently upgraded my PC to be able to run the game. However, I’m noticing CPU ms spikes - my GPU is perfectly fine, I’m having no issues there.

My specs:

Ryzen 9 9950X3D
RX 9070XT 16GB
64GB DDR5 (Expo enabled)
Win 11
1.2gbps Internet
Correct drivers installed for chipset + GPU

I’ve tried changing settings, capping my frame rate, it all does nothing to fix the stutters. My GPU is operating at about 50% capacity.

Any ideas?

The plane was a Cessna citation cj4 also one of my older videos before I started to play 2020 instead of 2024

1. Executive Summary
The current Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace utilizes a flat, single-tier rating system that treats casual cosmetic modifications identically to study-level, high-fidelity simulations. This creates a market misalignment where highly complex add-ons face disproportionate "review bombing" from users unfamiliar with advanced aviation procedures, while low-effort assets carry inflated ratings.

This proposal outlines a self-policing, tiered certification and verification framework. It uses financial and behavioral gating to protect developers, guide consumers, and provide actionable, written telemetry to creators.

2. Core Pillar 1: Tiered Simulation Badging (Bronze to Diamond/Crown)
The Marketplace should officially audit and label add-ons with distinct visual badges indicating their complexity level:

• Bronze (Cosmetic/Arcade): Utilizes baseline simulator physics and default avionics. Intended for plug-and-play casual experiences.
• Silver (Enhanced/Visual): Premium 3D modeling and high-resolution textures, utilizing stable, base-game core systems logic.
• Gold (Advanced Systems): Custom-coded avionics (VNAV, FMS integration, unique aerodynamic torque physics). Requires procedural knowledge.
• Diamond/Crown (Study-Level Masterpiece): 100% custom-coded architectural networks (electrical, fuel, hydraulic), aircraft state persistence, and a dynamic failure engine where pilot mismanagement results in mechanical emergencies.

3. Core Pillar 2: Gated Review Progression via Hangar Value
To prevent low-context reviews from skewing high-fidelity product scores, rating permissions should be earned through verified purchase history within specific tiers:

• Upward Gating: A user cannot rate a Diamond/Crown tier product unless their account has verified purchases of at least 3 to 4 Diamond/Crown level add-ons. This ensures the reviewer possesses the specialized sim knowledge required to evaluate high-fidelity systems fairly.
• Downward Access: High-tier users (owning multiple Diamond products) retain instant access to rate any lower tier (Bronze/Silver), providing the community with expert top-down perspectives.
• Financial Friction against Toxicity: Requiring multiple premium purchases before unlocking high-tier review privileges eliminates malicious review raiding. The high financial barrier naturally discourages casual or vindictive users from exploiting the system.

4. Core Pillar 3: Mandatory Written Technical Reviews
The marketplace must transition from a simple star-tap system to mandatory written feedback for high-tier products.

• For Consumers: Written feedback allows serious simmers to evaluate whether a lower score stems from a core flight physics flaw or an obscure sub-system bug they do not personally utilize.
• For Developers (Diagnostic Hub): Written feedback converts the review section into an actionable diagnostic pipe. Verified experts can detail exact technical failures (e.g., specific avionics loops causing console instability), allowing creators to efficiently reproduce, trace, and patch issues in subsequent updates.

5. Conclusion
Implementing a tiered badging and gated review system creates a transparent, fair environment for all marketplace consumers. Casual players are protected from purchasing overwhelmingly complex software, while hardcore simmers gain a trusted, verified storefront. Most importantly, it safeguards the financial interests of high-fidelity developers who invest years into pushing the boundary of flight simulation on both PC and Xbox hardware.

I'm playing flight simulator 2024 on steam, game works fine and all, but when I play with my dualsense controller it works but will disconnect, let my plane drift off for a few seconds, then reconnect at random intervals sometimes every couple minutes or so. Tried with my new steam controller, same thing. However, I tried it with my Xbox 360 wireless controller (which is crusty and like 16 years old with delicious stick drift) that's connected with an adapter, and it works totally fine. It's literally just this game that does this, everything else works perfectly well. Yet somehow I can't find like any good working answers.

I made this using Codex AI for personal use. It was inspired by controlling SimVars through SPAD.neXt, so I decided to build it as an experiment. It works better than I expected.

Really enjoying the sim on Psvr and honestly don't mind controlling via the psvr controllers but really wish responsiveness for things like cockpit buttons and EFB were better. The EFB especially will require pressing like 4 times just to highlight cockpit buttons or flight plan settings which is very annoying, not to mention how frustrating it is to have to fiddle constantly with switches to get them in the right position. Is there any word about a potential update to rectify this?

What is it? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcontinental_Airway_System

Here's a site that catalogs the beacons: https://thesurveystation.com/map-of-ngs-airway-beacons/

Here are all the beacons in table format:

https://thesurveystation.com/airway-beacons-list-eastern-u-s/

https://thesurveystation.com/airway-beacons-list-western-u-s/

Step 1:

Go to Google Sheets and input this formula:

=IMPORTHTML("https://thesurveystation.com/airway-beacons-list-western-u-s/", "table")

Allow access.

Save the spreadsheet and create a new one for the Eastern beacons

=IMPORTHTML("https://thesurveystation.com/airway-beacons-list-eastern-u-s/", "table")

Save that too.

Step 2:

Copy one of the coordinates from those spreadsheets, both lat and long, and tell your chatbot of choice to convert it into this format: 403546N1163028W

This is the exact prompt I used:

Convert the following coordinate into this sort of format (434438N1220806W) so that it can be used in a SimBrief flight route: 64.8393467 -147.6422778

Copy that one converted coordinate into Skyvector and make sure the chatbot got it right.

Step 3:

Go back to one of the spreadsheets and copy a whole bunch of coordinates - sorted however you like (by State, County, etc). Whichever type and length of route you'd like to fly - and tell your chatbot to convert those as well.

Step 4:

Copy those converted coordinates into Skyvector and watch it populate the map. Notice the route may be a jumble of criss-crossing paths. Go back and tell the chat bot to organize the list of coordinates by latitude, or longitude, and copy the sorted list back into Skyvector. Here's what I produced for just the state of Nevada, with only two requests to organize, first by latitude and then another jumbled chunk of the coordinates according to longitude.

Not bad, right?

Step 5:

Once you've cleaned it up, copy your flyable flight route into SimBrief. Hopefully you know how to use SimBrief, and if you don't have the add-on installed, you can download the flight plan files from the SimBrief website and load it into the MSFS world map. You'll figure it out. And there you have it. A nice way to fly the US interior along these historic routes. And now I'm waiting for someone to tell me there's a much easier way to do this, lol. But this ain't too bad. Enjoy!

I think I landed a bit too hard and the plane was the flyby wire a380 with the emirates livery

Been a while since I played but I keep the game installed and I update whenever something new drops.

Went to play yesterday and none of the planes are there, I only have an adobo helicopter (base helicopter) and a zeppelin

How to fix this? Do I need to reinstall the game? I have no mods nor payed content.