Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Tips: The best tricks
In our Flight Simulator 2020 tips and tricks guide, you'll learn:
- What you need to pay attention to with the controls
- Which tips are important for beginners
- How to use the drone mode correctly
Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) was released on August 18, 2020 for PC. In addition, a console version of the flight simulator for Xbox One and Xbox Series X was announced. In the latest spin-off of Microsoft's legendary flight simulation, you'll choose from 20 faithful aircraft. From the propeller plane to the jumbo jet, all important aircraft classes are included. To save you from unnecessary crash landings, we'll tell you the best Flight Simulator 2020 tips and tricks in our guide.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 control tips
Is it possible to play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 with the keyboard? Yes, in theory it is possible. In practice, however, we strongly advise you not to. Without the necessary sensitivity, you won't be able to control either a light aircraft or a passenger jet. The basic requirement for an authentic flight experience is a joystick with thrust control ().
It's also best to take the appropriate flight control system () with you. To feel like a real pilot, you can use a yoke with throttle quadrant and rudder pedals. If you don't want to spend money on new hardware and want to get a taste of the flight simulation, then at least use a gamepad like the Xbox Controller ().
Bonus tip: No matter which input method you choose. Always check the settings menu first and adjust the sensitivity and deadband of the controller to your liking before getting your first flying experience.
What tips and tricks should I keep in mind as a beginner?
When you sit in the cockpit for the first time, you will quickly be overwhelmed by the many displays and control options. But don't worry, because as we all know, no master has ever fallen from the sky. Even though you shouldn't take the saying about Microsoft's Flight Simulator literally, the essence remains the same. As a pilot, you are always learning.
Therefore, among the most important Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 tips for beginners is: start simple, take your time and don't try to understand everything at once. But most of all, have fun flying! You don't necessarily have to start with a propeller plane if that's too boring for you. Start with the airplane in whose cockpit you have the most fun. Only when you have mastered one model, switch to the next.
This will keep you motivated in the long run and you will learn best how the plane works. What happens when you hold altitude and reduce thrust? How does the response differ in climb or descent? How does the flight response change when you apply strong or weak rudder in turns? What is trim and how do you use it?
If you can't answer these questions yet, sit in the digital cockpit and find out. Because no tips and tricks guide gives you the feeling of flying an airplane yourself. If you get stuck at any point, you'll have specific questions at hand - thanks to your experience - and the large flight simulator community will surely help you out.
Flight Simulator 2020 tips: The most important instruments explained
So that you are not completely alone in your first flight attempts, we will explain the function of the most important instruments. The following flight data will be displayed in the cockpit as well as in the HUD when you switch to the outside perspective.
| Instrument | Function |
| Angle of Attack (AOA) | The AOA display tells you the angle of attack (or angle of attack) of your wings. Be sure to keep the display in the green or yellow area to avoid crashes. You regulate the angle using the elevator. |
| Flaps | The flaps indicator shows you the position of the flaps. If they are extended, the air resistance is increased and take-off and landing are much easier. |
| Airspeed (Airspeed) | The default value is your speed in knots relative to the surrounding air. Note that if you are flying into a headwind, your progress will be much slower than indicated. |
| Compass (Compass) | The compass tells you in which direction you are heading. Furthermore, the direction of your destination is indicated by an arrow. |
| Instrument | Function |
| Fuel (Fuel) | Shows you how much kerosene is left in the tank. You determine how much fuel you start with when you select your aircraft under the "Weight and Balance" tab. |
| Engine | The display informs you about the most important key figures of your engine, such as revolutions and power in percent. Analogous to the car, you should avoid the red speed range to prevent engine damage. |
| Trim | Trim keeps the aircraft horizontal without having to make constant manual corrections. This is an important tool that is underestimated by many. So feel free to try it out a bit to perfect your flying skills. |
| Altitude | Your flight altitude in feet. Find out the optimal altitude for the aircraft, as it varies from model to model. |
Helpful functions: Checklists, copilot and drone mode
In addition, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 includes many helpful features that will make your piloting life easier. For example, the checklist system will guide you through all the necessary steps and switches you need to press in order to start an airplane and get it in the air.
In addition, the co-pilot function helps you by simply outsourcing unpleasant tasks. Don't want to deal with the annoying communication with the Air Traffic Control (ATC)? No problem, your invisible co-pilot will take care of it. Let him take over all the aircraft control if you want to look out the window and enjoy the view without worrying.
Use the drone mode! To do this, press the pause button - this will keep your plane in the air while the rest of the world continues to be simulated. Then go to "Camera" in the top menu and click "Showcase" to land outside the plane. Set the "Drone Speed" to 100 percent to move through Flight Simulator's detailed landscapes at a reasonable speed.
Bonus Tip: Activates the drone mode at the airport and sets the speed to 0.8 percent to perform the aircraft tour listed in the checklist.
Why does Flight Simulator use a lot of data?
With Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, you'll travel the world in great detail. Over 37,000 airports, 2 million cities and 1.5 billion buildings as well as real mountains, roads, trees, rivers, animals, traffic and much more have been faithfully reproduced. Consequently, you can even fly over the house you live in in real life and get a bird's eye view.
However, the high attention to detail of the flight simulation has a disadvantage. That's because the flight simulator's total geodata is the size of 20,000 Blu-rays or 100,000 DVDs. Whenever you fly over new areas, the entire scenery is downloaded in real time. Consequently, you'll consume high amounts of data while playing. In addition, the detail quality is reduced if you don't have a fast connection.
If the latter is the case for you, or if you share your Internet connection with other people, we have a Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 tip for you to minimize data consumption while playing. You can download maps in advance, before you fly over a new area.
Here's how to avoid consuming large amounts of data in Flight Simulator 2020
- Open the OPTIONS in the main menu, click on GENERAL and navigate to the DATA tab.
- Scroll all the way down to the ROLLING CACHE SETTINGS section.
- There you can enable and disable the ROLLING CACHE (downloading data while flying) and set a ROLLING CACHE LIMIT (recommendation: about 10 to 15 GB).
- If you want to download the data before the flight, click on VIEW next to the MANUAL CACHE menu item.
- A world map opens on which you mark the areas of your planned route with the right mouse button.
- Then set the maximum size of the manual cache (depending on the space available on your hard drive) and select a location under "Cache location".
- Finally, click on SAVE NEW REGION to avoid consuming large amounts of data in Flight Simulator.
Bonus tip: You can choose between low, medium and high details when downloading maps. We recommend that you save the area around the takeoff airport and overflown cities with a high level of detail. Use the medium level of detail for the immediate surroundings and the low level of detail for the extended surroundings.
Use this trick to go on safari with the plane
The world map is not only large and detailed, but also a powerful tool in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Simply enter your departure and destination locations and the flight simulation will determine various options. Shortly after, you'll get the finished route, it couldn't be easier. Furthermore, you are not limited to countries, cities or airports.
Instead, you can enter all conceivable points of interest - such as landmarks - and marvel at them from the air a short time later. If you type fauna into the search field of the world map, you will be shown the destinations of various animals, whether elephant, giraffe or grizzly bear. Confirm the location and go on safari by plane. You can easily do the Big 5 in one day, even if you're traveling by propeller plane.
Bonus tip: Want to fly over a specific location that doesn't show up in the search suggestions? Then simply enter the coordinates in the search box and create a manual location that will henceforth appear on Microsoft Flight Simulator's world map.
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