Bored in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A few ideas and tips to keep the cruise portion of your flight a bit more interesting.

[@ulysses_757]

My suggestion for anyone flying up to a hour or more to listen to the radio. I fly on Xbox Series X and Xbox now has a feature that allows you to listen to background music in your headset while playing games. The app i use is Pandora. What im about to say may sound goofy, but i buy airports that resemble a home, to pretend i have a home in the sim. For example i just purchased 5B6 Falmouth Airpark on sale yesterday for only $2.99 and it exceeded my expectations. The Airpark has homes on each side of the runway with a garage size hanger for smaller planes. And the homes does have interiors but no furniture. I used Campout Utility to add life to my backyard, but setting down the campfire and put the grill over it, which cooks food by the way. Then i set the tent thingy with 4 legs over it, added chairs, a animated dog and, gave the dog a tent for a dog house, lol gotta be creative. Then i save everything in the Campout menu, and each time i fly home it looks like i have a family lives with me in the sim. In my garage while in my Vision Jet G2, i play the background music, fly while listening, and when i return home, im immersed because of my additional addon i added to the backyard. I know you're like, i just wanted a recommendation! Not everything you ever did in fck'n life bro! Lol😂

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

Man I really like that idea, I just picked up the campsite utility and have been playing with creating some setups and saving them. You've definitely given me some good inspiration! As far as music goes, I've been meaning to try Jumpseat radio to listen to local radio stations in my vicinity in game.

[@hrbeta]

I fly only helicopters, IFR (I-Follow-Roads), low and slow. I can land anywhere and go exploring all over the world. I flew the real things when I was young so I try to follow the procedures and tinker with the FM and the controls to get as realistic felling as possible. MSFS is sure a lot of fun. Cheers.

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

I really need to take the time and try more helicopter flying, that’s exactly the type of experiences I enjoy too. Thanks for the comment!

[@andyw248]

Great video! Here's one more thing to do: Go back in time and configure your plane with no GPS (e.g. old school radio stack for GA planes, something like the Boeing 727 for airliners). Then navigate entirely visual or based on radio navigation aids, such as VORs and NDBs. That'll keep you busy, at least until you get the hang of it.

[@skygamer_br]

I like doing this. Unfortunately, I don't see many VORs and NDBs stations in my area anymore as they are being deactivated. It would be nice to have a database with AM radio frequencies too so we could tune in for navigation.

[@pmf822]

I do jobs in NeoFly. Give me goals and missions. Its great. And listen to audiobooks. I enjoy the views and challenges of the game and like to visit places I may or may not visit in the future, along with place I have been.

[@hansyvindlunde7742]

Interesting topic! I also fly with Neofly and when possible I join Vatsim. Very interesting to listen to controllers in different countries with different english accents. I am a real hobbypilot also so I considder to enable failures so I can exercise my emergency checklists - quickly trim for best glide do the cockpit-check and find a place to put the plane down - but Im also concerned to loose my plane in Neoflight 😂

[@StekuVideo]

Disable GPS, navigate with map with no airplane position shown. Disable autopilot, fly manually. Fly on VATSIM.

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

Good suggestions. Still feel intimidated by Vatsim but then I watch an airforceproud95 video and realize what all the fun I’m missing out on 🤣

[@TrevUk]

I like to sim race too. So i might spend a weekend, fly from uk in 737, to Frankfurt. Jump in a cessna or commanche and get to Norchcliffe (nurbergring) do a few practice laps or race. I will then learn a bit about the area, do they have any interesting castles or nature reserves or anything, whats the town like? watch some you tube vids of said attractions, maybe they have a plane museum, watch a tour of it on you tube, be prepared with a couple bottles of the local beer 😂 Then fly home. It feels like a weekend away lol. Also real vr fishing, i will sometimes fly between fishing spots, then fish for a bit.

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

Kind of amazing the breadth of experiences we have today with little more than a mouse click and some decent computer hardware! Sounds like a fun weekend, and you’ve given me some good inspiration for some of my own future excursions!

[@mrdevin941]

I’ve recently picked up neofly and I gives the sim a whole new meaning and a purpose

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

Neofly is pretty great, I started a career awhile back and have been meaning to put more time in to it. Also have been holding out hope for a long time that Skypark might get more features, things to spend money on etc…

[@mrdevin941]

@@GhostPlaneRadio it’s pretty great. I went ahead and bought the pilot expansion pack and just gained money from that when I can’t fly my own missions

[@hyperion2502]

Same. I've begun a few days ago. Neofly make the game greater. With real meteo, those Bush mission can be dangerous. Lastly on france we had some 50kt wind.

[@thardyryll]

This video raises interesting issues. When I watch simmers fly heavy jets on longer flights it is apparent that the only possibly interesting parts are as in reality: with all the switch throwing and button pushing and checklist checking associated with preflight, takeoff and landing. Each to his own, but for me, as mentioned here, flying lower and slower, with shorter legs and little if any autopilot is the only way to avoid boredom. Add steam gauges to that and you will have plenty to do.

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

Agreed, I don't spend much time in airliners in the game. Mostly because I have no idea what I'm doing but it also doesn't seem very appealing to me for the reasons you mentioned. I guess may be I should give it a chance before making that conclusion but I feel similarly to you here.

[@imacmill]

Airplanes in MSFS have autopilot? 😊

[@pi.actual]

Something I do, which is completely unrealistic, is go into showcase mode and using the vertical controls of the drone just drop down to tree-top level and do terrain following. If you increase the drone speed setting to maximum you can zoom over the tops of mountain peaks and dive down into the valleys. No need to touch the lateral controls, just follow the planes flight path.

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

I like it!

[@andysvehiclehistorychannel]

I'v got the Orbx UK Scenery so like flying VFR in GA around the coast but I don't like the lack of ATC as I'm up there in real life ( Preston training area ) ATC is full of life I wish it wasn't so lacking in MF 2020

[@renatopiereck8549]

I do like many real world pilots and I just read a book.

[@billsmotrilla6215]

Fly a figher around Manhattan with the option to see other players and chase airliners and fly formation with them. Not boring then.

[@RobisonRacing68]

Couldn't agree more...

[@jamesmanky7314]

I always prefer to fly listening to LiveATC Approach or Center frequencies in whatever part of the country I'm flying over, just to give it a touch of simulation realism (??) 🤔, I just cannot listen to the default ATC 🤮. At times I just open another tab and play music from YT, especially with a long song like Dogs - Pink Floyd or Soundscapes while flying at cruise altitude. Lastly, I like to track VOR's to my destination. 🙂

[@rymdskrotet]

I really, really do feel a lack of "being in same world" as others when I fly.

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

Same it can feel quite lonely

[@dash8dave476]

Yes ,i get bored just sitting there with my vr gas mask on .But i think as soon as beyond ATC is released it will get better Thanks for the vid take care.

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

LOL it does feel like a gas mask! Super looking forward to beyond ATC as well. Thanks!

[@jakobite_ta2152]

Nah AP or not, id still end up face planting mount everest...i also find that when i do leave it, i come back to looking at the desktop screen 🙄

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

Crash to desktop is far too common.

[@applejacks971]

I'd be flying everywhere at 100agl. I mean seriously, its a sim, have some fun ffs. Who sets their autopilot at 3500'? Buzz the buildings, trees and traffic.

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

lol I like the way you think!

[@antonioiozzi9171]

I am a real life glider pilot, almost retired due to health. I have been a simmer since 1999 and did my SPL later. Group flight would be nice but ... most people doing it have no idea what real flying is and break every possible rule when flying. The group fligh I see are all terrible. 90% of simmers making video in reality are not able to fly a landing pattern and upon final tgey are slways too low and at a too high speed. Flare is an unknow word, so, you should find friends at the same skill level or otherwise group flying is not interesting at all. Would be interesting but ...

[@GhostPlaneRadio]

Man I’m sorry to hear you're being forced in to retirement and hope you’re doing well. I understand where you're coming from regarding inexperienced users affecting your enjoyment of the experience. I'm not a pilot myself, I do have some limited experience with airplanes and have been into flight simming for quite some time now. I try to play as realistically as my limited knowledge allows me to, that’s for my own sense of enjoyment. but I do find it fun to break from that sometimes too and just try things out in the SIM… Well that and a bit of laziness to follow a proper procedure sometimes :) As long as people in a group aren't causing chaos like doing donuts on the runway or anything, I usually find online sessions to be pretty enjoyable. And I guess I wouldn’t want people who are new to flight sims and aviation feeling too intimidated to hop online, because I’ve definitely felt that before personally. But everyone has their own idea of fun, right? Thanks again for the comment and sharing!

[@cammy9r]

Group flights are mostly messing about and having some fun with people who share the hobby with most of us having a chinwag through discord. If we want to pretend to be pilots and by the book then we can do that too. But remember that those 90% you mention have no formal training, me included and its just a pastime. GotFriends have a decent glider group flight once a week by an experienced real life glider pilot who helps show the ropes. If you set up your own I'm sure serious simmers would join.