You can also get there from a similar Assistance menu on the Pause screen once you start flying.įor the taxi ribbon to appear - and actually guide you out to your assigned runway - you’ll need to communicate with air traffic control (ATC). Then select the Assistance menu, select the drop down caret to the left of Navigation Aids, and turn the Taxi Ribbon option on. From the Welcome screen, hit the Options tab at the top. That’s why I lean on the built-in Assistance features to help me out. You can access that option via the drop-down menus directly below the Departure and Arrival airports on the World Map.īeginning and ending a trip by taxiing on and off the runway can really add to the immersion of role-playing a pilot, but actually finding your way around the tarmac can be a pain. But, to get the full experience, think about starting at a gate or in a parking space. With a flight plan locked in, know that Flight Simulator defaults to placing you on a runway ready to take off. Taxi with Assistance and air traffic control Just make sure they’re relatively close together at first. So, now that you know how to take off and land, it’s time to pick a few airports and start doing laps.įrom the World Map, select both a Departure and an Arrival airport on the world map and get to work. Some of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s best features don’t work unless you’ve first created a flight plan. It’s a bit hinky and requires more precision than you’re probably capable of right now. Feel free to do the first five modules at your own pace, but stop short of lesson six - your first solo flight.

Once you get a handle for how your controls operate - including pitch, yaw, roll, and throttle - it’s time to dive into the Flight Training tutorial. To start midair, click anywhere on the World Map besides an airport and select click “set as departure.” That will begin your journey about 1,500 feet high, already at a safe cruising speed. So I recommend starting your first few flights already in the air.

But getting a plane into the air can be intimidating, especially if you don’t know how it handles. My initial instinct with Flight Simulator was to start my first play session already on the runway, staring down the centerline and ready for takeoff. Image: Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios via Polygon

Landing rate fsx