Microsoft Flight Simulator FAQ

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  1. Microsoft Flight Simulator Support
  2. Microsoft Flight Simulator
  3. Troubleshooting & Support - Windows 10 PC

KNOWN ISSUES (Last update: November 17th, 2022)

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Below you will find the list of known issues as well as potential workarounds or solutions. For a more comprehensive list of bugs and feedback already tracked or under investigation, visit the forums.

  • Tag: "Bug-logged" - The issue reported by the community is logged as a bug in our database. Note: Once logged, the team will be working on a fix for a future update
  • Tag: "Investigating"  - The team is aware of an issue and currently investigating
  • Tag "Feedback-logged" - A Community Feedback is logged in our database to verify the bug. Note: If the feedback is verified as a bug, the thread’s tag will be changed to “Bug logged”
  • Tag: "Need-your-help" - Unable to reproduce, need further information
  • Tag "Workaround" - A workaround is available
  • Tag: "Fixed-on-live" - The issue previously reported is now fixed on the current version of the SIM

XBOX LOD 

  • Xbox Level of Detail is reduced for some players. The team has found the root cause and are working to implement a fix.

AIRCRAFT

Airbus A310

  • Settings on the Flight Control Unit (FCU) cannot be changed using key bindings. Users must interact with the panel to change them.
  • Text is missing in the Weight and Balance menu for the aircraft.
  • The Flight Director switch on the First Officer side also toggle’s the Captain’s.

 

Curtiss Jenny

  • The camera will be inside the airframe when VR mode is started.

 

Douglas DC-3

  • The Heading Bug for the autopilot cannot be set in the Retrofit variant.
  • The Flaps indicator in the External View HUD is off by one notch.
  • The right fuel selector cannot be switched to the off position.
  • The radio altimeter does not provide accurate indications above 400’.

 

De Havilland Beaver

  • Exiting Slew mode on the ground will kill the aircraft’s engine.

 

Grumman Goose

  • Exiting Slew mode on the ground will result in the aircraft crashing.

 

Spruce Goose

  • Text is missing in the Weight and Balance menu for the aircraft.
  • The Prop RPM controls in the cockpit cannot be interacted with.
  • Changes to the fuel load in the Weight & Balance screen is not reflected on the clipboard.
  • The clipboard does not check-off an event when selected.
  • The Oil Radiator Flap switches at the flight engineer station cannot be interacted with despite what the tooltip says.

 

Wright Flyer

  • The catapult may reappear after the aircraft lands.

GLIDERS

General

  • The tow plane of other gliders are not visible in multiplayer.

DG1001

  • If the engine (sustainer) in the DG1001 does not turn on, ensure the FCU Power switch is in the On position, and toggle the Master Power switch, which is located behind the red guard cover.
  • Male pilot avatars will clip the aircraft’s canopy when they are seated in the glider’s front seat.

 

HELICOPTERS

Flight Model

  • Uncontrollable helicopters because of Legacy Flight Model Gyroscopic Precession not at 100%
    • Workaround:
      • Set to the "Gyro" to 100%
      • Open Microsoft Flight Simulator
      • Go to Options > General Options > Flight Model.
      • Change to Legacy.
      • Set Gyro to 100%. Hit Apply and Save.
      • Change back to Modern. Hit Apply and Save.
      • Start a new flight.
  • Loss of pitch control in helicopters because Anti Stall Assistance is enabled and helicopter pitch assigned via elevator control.
    • Workaround 1:
              • Set Anti Stall Assistance to Disabled
          • Open Microsoft Flight Simulator
          • Go to Options > Assistance Options > Piloting
          • Set Anti Stall Assistance to Disabled.
          • Hit Apply and Save.
          • Start a new flight.
          • Ensure proper nose-down trim on take-off in the Cabri G2
 
    • Workaround 2:
      • Assign helicopter pitch control via the dedicated longitudinal cyclic control rather than the elevator control.
      • Ensure proper nose-down trim on take-off in the Cabri G2

Bell 407

  • VR controllers are not fully supported by the aircraft.
  • The rotor brake does not slow the rotor blades down.

Cabri G2

  • Cyclic (pitch) trim is inverted on cyclic of the Cabi G2. Key bindings work fine.
  • The Flight Plan page of the GPS does not show course and distance information for the legs of the flight plan.
  • The first leg of a flight plan may not activate in the GPS.
  • The bearing to a waypoint in the GPS is true bearing instead of magnetic bearing.
  • The Direct-To flight plan cannot be consistently cleared from the GPS.
  • Occluder is missing rain/snow/CFD and can go through the cockpit.

SIM 

  • All aircraft audio may cease to play when a headset is disconnected.
    • Workaround:
      • To recover, users will need to restart the sim.

ACTIVITIES

  • Issues with the default VR position in the following 40th Anniversary activities.
    • First Flight at Kitty Hawk
      • Workaround:
        • To work around this issue, a user has to select the Pilot camera in the flight panel.
    • Spruce Goose
    • First United States Airmail Route
    • The Hell Stretch
    • The default view can sometimes spawn a user in the fuselage, or the VR view can sometimes fail to initiate.
  • Crash Mode is not enabled in the Spruce Goose 40th Anniversary discovery flight by default.
    • Workaround:
      • Crash mode can be manually enabled in Settings.
  • The image shown on the “Leg Completed" page of Monsoon landing challenge in the 40th Anniversary is incorrect. Even though this image is incorrect, the sim recognizes that the user has completed the challenge, and the sim records this result.
  • In the Alaskan Floatplane Pilot mission of the 40th Anniversary, landing and coming to a full stop at PAAQ does not complete the first leg of the trip.
    • Workaround:
      • To complete this mission, the user must come to a full stop and turn off the engines or cut off the fuel supply to the engine.
  • In the 1950: Frontier Airlines (FS2004) 40th Anniversary mission, the ICAO code is incorrectly displayed for Buckley Air National Guard Base in the navlog. It is currently displayed as KFKF whereas it should be displayed as KBKF.
  • In the Sitka Approach (FSX), upon approach to the runway, the narrator tells users to turn around when they don't have to. The user can ignore this instruction.
  • The A310 in the Caribbean Landing (40th Anniversary) flight starts out underpowered and requires user to take immediate control to maintain flight.
  • The A310’s autopilot in the Caribbean Landing (40th Anniversary) flight cannot be engaged. Users must hand fly the aircraft.
  • The Voice Over narrator can begin narrating before the user selects "Ready to Fly“. This is currently happening in the following missions:
    • Rome-Naples Airline run
    • Sitka Approach (FSX)
    • Monsoon (FSX)
  • In the Rome to Naples (40th Anniversary) flight, the A310’s elevator trim may not be correctly set for take-off. Users should make sure to double-check this before starting their take-off roll.
  • When flying in helicopters, airflow particles (rain and snow) can appear inside the cockpit. Users should ignore this glitch.
  • Progress does not save in the San Juan Island Run (40th Anniversary) flight.
  • In the Caribbean Landing (FSX) mission of the 40th Anniversary, the game can crash when quitting this activity if the user is using or has used a VR headset during the activity.
  • In the Monsoon (FSX) mission of the 40th Anniversary, if the user fails the landing and restarts from ‘last completed waypoint’, they can be put at an altitude of 35,000 feet.
  • In the 1950: Frontier Airlines mission of the 40th Anniversary, the aircraft engines turn off immediately after starting bush trip.
    • Workaround:
      • The user can use the shortcut for restarting the engine or follow the aircraft engine start-up procedure.
  • In the Hell Stretch (FS2004) mission of the 40th Anniversary, the default amount of fuel in the aircraft is not enough to complete the first leg. The user will have to adjust the fuel level or settings in the flight menu in the sim to complete the first leg.
  • Users have to hold down the set key to enable rotor braking for Helicopters in the sim. It is not a binary brake on/off control
  • The External view HUD is not visible when the First Flight at Kitty Hawk (40th Anniversary) flight is restarted.
    • Workaround:
      • For it to reappear, users must return to the Main Menu and relaunch the flight.

LIVE TRAFFIC

  • Issue with SimConnect traffic not following assigned flight plan and having unpredictable behavior

PERIPHERALS/CONTROLS 

  • Sim Update 11 still doesn't support full functionality on the Honeycomb Bravo Throttle Quadrant yet which means that the light functionality on the Auto Pilot, Annunciator Panel and Gear Lever will not be fully operational until Sim Update 12.
  • The rudders work in steps instead of being linear and returning to their initial position when using a controller
    • Workaround:
      • Plug a keyboard and bind your rudder to the keyboard keys instead of using the controller
  • Mapping for the aileron axis is reverted
    • Workaround:
      • Go to the Options > Controls and check/uncheck the "reverse axis" box for your ailerons
  • Users can get stuck in the Freelook view and be unable to bring the cursor back up  
    • Workarounds:   
      • Restart the flight, this will set the Cockpit Camera Type back to Fixed Look.  
      • Use a mouse and press the scroll wheel in, this will change Camera Type back to Fixed Look.  
      • Go to Options > General > Camera > Cockpit Camera > Toggle Home cockpit mode "OFF". 
  • Mouse Stops Interacting with the Virtual Cockpit.
    • Workaround:
      • Open/Close windows such as Little NavMap
      • Right-Click to focus on the sim again

 

HDR

  • If you launch the sim with HDR enabled on a capable system with an HDR monitor, the sim will be stuck in SDR mode after updating to SU10.
    • Workaround: To get HDR working, you must follow the below steps:
      • Confirm HDR is enabled in both Windows and in MSFS.
      • From the options menu, switch from fullscreen mode to windowed mode.
      • Grab the title bar of the MSFS window with your mouse and drag the window around a bit.
      • Revert back to fullscreen mode.

DLSS

  • The DLSS option is not showing up for some users.

    • Workarounds:
      • Update or upgrade your Nvidia drivers to the latest version
    • or 
      • Switch from Windows 10 to Windows 11

 

CTD

  • Launching a free flight with an airliner from KDFW Dallas Intl airport triggers a Crash To Desktop when World Update X: USA isn't installed

 

VR 

  • No more engine sound when switching off VR when Main device Output selection is set to "System's default Device"
    • Workaround:
      • Go to Options > General Options > Sound > Main Device Output Selection and select another sound device 

 

XCLOUD

  • Issue with navigating menus when using an Xbox controller with the Xbox Cloud Gaming version. 
    • Workaround:
      • Plug a mouse into your system. Reset the controller profile to the "Default" profile
      • Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator from your original (non-cloud) install and reset the Controller profile to “Default.” After that, exit MSFS and re-launch the Xbox Cloud Gaming version and it should function properly.
      • If you do not have access to your original (non-cloud) install, you'll need to delete your cloud save. To do so, follow our guide "All versions - How to delete your cloud save."
      • We are aware that players using Xcloud Gaming may not have the option to plug a mouse into their system or delete their cloud save. We have contacted Platform regarding this problem but currently, we do not have a solution other than recommending installing the game on a PC or Console, launching the game from that system then deleting the cloud save across all platforms. 

 

XBOX

  • The sim freezes/crash when updating/downloading content via the Content Manager
    • Workaround:
      • Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
      • Highlight Microsoft Flight Simulator, press the Menu button on your controller, and select Quit.
      • Once you fully quit the game, press the Xbox button to open the guide and then select My games & apps > See all > Games.
      • Highlight Microsoft Flight Simulator, and then press the Menu button on your controller.
      • Select Manage game and add-ons > Saved data.
      • Highlight Reserved space
      • Press A then select Clear Reserved Space
      • Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator
      • Redownload the content of your choice via the Content Manager
  • Downloading ~25 GB of content and entering a flight durations of 2+ hours may cause a crash or service disconnection issue  
    • Workaround: 
      • On Xbox: press the Xbox (jewel) button on the console face once, which places the console into connected standby mode. Then, press it again to wake it back up.

 

INSTALLATION

  •  

MARKETPLACE/PREORDER

  • We have received reports that with Sim Update V, crashes may occur if you have FlyByWire's A32NX free mod installed from the Marketplace. While we work with FlyByWire to get this updated, we have de-listed this item.
    • Workaround:
      • If you currently own the mod and are experiencing CTDs, please do the following: Go to your Profile > Content Manager > Search for FlyByWire's A32NX in the search bar. Once found, click it and press 'Delete' to uninstall it. It will now show up as Uninstalled in your Content Manager.
    •  

AVIONICS 

  • Screens go black when flying: There are multiple root causes being investigated, but one issue is related to battery drain. The starter is always ON even after the engine having been started, continuously draining the battery. After some time, the systems shutdown. 
    • Workarounds: 
      • Flip the ENG switches off prior to starting a flight. This only applies to the piston aircraft (e.g. C172, DA40).
      • Unbind the "Set Starter" from the ENG 1 switch
      • Unplug the TCA Airbus Quadrant

 

MENU

  • Unable to navigate through some of the menus due to freezing or the cursor jumps around and does not interact with menu elements.
    • Workaround: 
      • Stop or pause any downloading content, restarting the game, connecting a USB mouse, and even opening the Xbox Guide and closing it again
  •  

 

SCENERY 

  • Textures in Free Flight do not properly render nearing both the North and South Poles  
    • Workaround:
      • Select another location for Free Flight  

 

FLIGHT PLANNING 

  • User will not be able to launch a saved flight plan using a deleted aircraft. The FLY button in the loading screen will be disabled with no messaging.   
    • Workaround:  
      • Re-install missing aircraft used in saved flight plan   
      • Create new flight plan with valid aircraft installed

 

FOKKER F.VII

  • The following bugs apply to the Retrofit Variant only:
    • The Radio Compass does not point to an NBD station when it has a bearing between 180-359 degrees.
    • The HSI does not behave correctly. The compass card does not rotate when the aircraft turns, and the course knob does not rotate the CDI needle.  For heading indications, please use the copilot’s Heading Indicator.
  • All variants: The Fokker fuel burn rate is being adjusted.  At present it has great range and endurance.
  • Fokker History Flights: Please be aware that the aircraft’s electrical system needs to be shut down to complete a leg. To turn off the electric system in the classic variants, use "SHIFT+M."

 

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