How to Plan Your First IFR Flight in Microsoft Flight Simulator

If you have been flying VFR in Microsoft Flight Simulator and want to try a proper airline-style IFR leg, the process can feel intimidating at first. You need a route that follows real airways, a cruise altitude that makes sense, weather that matches the real world, and a file format the simulator actually understands. NG ROUTE was built to handle exactly that workflow in a few minutes.

Start with two airports you know

For your first IFR plan, pick airports you have landed at before. Familiar scenery helps you focus on the route and cockpit workflow instead of navigation surprises. Enter the four-letter ICAO codes in the departure and destination fields — for example EGLL (London Heathrow) and EHAM (Amsterdam Schiphol).

If you are unsure of a code, click airports on the map and choose Set as departure or Set as destination. That is often faster than looking codes up in a chart.

Choose HIGH airways for jet traffic

NG ROUTE offers two airway levels. For an Airbus or Boeing narrow-body on a route over roughly 200 nautical miles, select HIGH (J/Q/M/N/T/U). These jet routes are used at FL245 and above, which is where airline traffic normally cruises.

Smaller turboprops and general-aviation aircraft that stay below 24,500 feet should use LOW (V/B/L) Victor airways instead. Using the wrong level can produce a route that climbs through airspace where your aircraft would not normally fly.

Match the aircraft type

The aircraft dropdown is not cosmetic. It drives fuel estimates, cruise level suggestions, and takeoff performance figures. Select the airframe you will actually fly — an A320neo burns fuel differently from a 737-800, and NG ROUTE adjusts calculations accordingly.

Read the summary before you export

After clicking CREATE FLIGHT PLAN, review the summary card:

• DIST — route distance along airways, not a straight line
• ETA — estimated block time based on cruise speed and winds aloft
• CRUISE — suggested flight level respecting semi-circular cruising rules
• FIXES / AIRWAYS — how complex the nav log will be in the cockpit

Check the terrain profile below the map if your route crosses mountains. A comfortable cruise altitude on paper can look tight when plotted against ridge lines.

Use live METAR data for runway selection

NG ROUTE pulls real METAR reports for departure and arrival. The suggested runways reflect current wind components. In MSFS with live weather enabled, those winds should be close to what you see on final approach.

Before descent, set the destination QNH on your FCU or barometric altimeter. Incorrect pressure settings are one of the most common reasons an otherwise good approach ends up high or low on the glideslope.

Export and load the .PLN file

1. Click ↓ Microsoft Flight Simulator to download DEP-ARR.pln.
2. Save it anywhere convenient — Documents works fine.
3. In MSFS, open the World Map / flight planning screen.
4. Use the folder icon → Load → select your file.

The departure runway is usually preset. You may still need to confirm the arrival runway on the World Map or accept what ATC assigns. PLN files do not always store every arrival detail the way an FMS does in X-Plane.

What NG ROUTE does not include

Exported plans contain the en-route airway structure. Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) and Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs) are not embedded. That is normal for many online planners. After loading the route, add your SID and STAR in the aircraft FMS if your aircraft add-on supports them.

A simple practice routine

Try this three-flight progression:

1. Under 300 NM, daytime, clear weather — learn the export workflow.
2. Same route at night with live weather — practice QNH and runway changes.
3. A longer sector above 500 NM — study the nav log and wind chart impact on ETA.

IFR in the simulator is mostly about repeatable procedures. Once loading a plan from NG ROUTE becomes muscle memory, you can spend your session time on cockpit technique instead of drawing routes by hand on the World Map.

NG ROUTE is for flight simulation only. Never use it for real-world operational planning.