Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review: The Best Home Training Companion for Student Pilots

Ground Effects Sim Staff 4 min read simulators

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 — The Best Home Training Companion for Student Pilots

Important: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is not FAA-approved for logging any flight training time. This review covers MSFS 2024 strictly as a home proficiency and familiarization tool for student pilots.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, developed by Asobo Studio in partnership with Microsoft, is the most visually realistic flight simulator ever made. While it cannot replace time in an FAA-approved training device, it is the single best home training companion available for student pilots who want to chair-fly procedures, learn avionics, build familiarity with airports, and develop general aviation awareness outside of scheduled lessons.

Price: ~$60 to $130 depending on edition

Why Student Pilots Should Use MSFS 2024

Flight training is expensive. Every minute in a running airplane costs money, and the most efficient students are the ones who arrive at each lesson already prepared. MSFS 2024 enables a level of preparation that was simply not possible a decade ago:

  • Airport familiarization — MSFS 2024 renders airports using photorealistic satellite imagery and 3D building data. Students can fly the traffic pattern at their home airport, identify landmarks for VFR navigation, and preview unfamiliar airports before cross-country flights. The airports look like the real thing.

  • Procedure practice — Loading and flying instrument approaches, practicing holding patterns, running through departure and arrival procedures — all of this can be rehearsed at home. The procedures will not log toward any certificate, but the mental repetition builds proficiency that carries into the airplane.

  • Avionics familiarization — Third-party aircraft developers have built remarkably accurate G1000, GNS 530W, and steam gauge panels for MSFS 2024. Students can practice button flows and menu navigation at home, reducing the time spent learning the panel in a running aircraft.

  • Weather awareness — MSFS 2024 includes real-world weather injection, meaning students can fly in actual current conditions. This builds weather awareness and helps students understand how different conditions affect flight planning and execution.

Hardware Compatibility

MSFS 2024 works with virtually all popular flight simulation hardware:

Hardware CategoryCompatible Brands
YokesHoneycomb Alpha, Logitech Flight Yoke
Throttle QuadrantsHoneycomb Bravo, Logitech Throttle Quadrant
Rudder PedalsThrustmaster TPR, Logitech Pro Pedals
JoysticksThrustmaster, Logitech, VKB
Head TrackingTrackIR, Tobii Eye Tracker
VR HeadsetsMeta Quest, HP Reverb, Valve Index

The broad hardware ecosystem means students can build a home setup that closely mirrors the control inputs of their training aircraft.

Pros

  • Photorealistic global scenery — airports, terrain, and landmarks look like the real world
  • Accurate weather simulation including real-world weather injection for current conditions
  • Huge aircraft library including highly accurate third-party models with realistic avionics
  • Works with Honeycomb, Logitech, Thrustmaster, and most sim hardware on the market
  • Most immersive home sim experience available — nothing else comes close visually
  • Continuous updates with new content, aircraft, and improvements from Asobo Studio

Cons

  • Not FAA-approved — cannot log any flight training time under any regulation
  • High PC hardware requirements for full visual detail — budget builds will need to compromise on settings
  • Can develop bad habits if used without instructor guidance — especially around power management, trim usage, and scan patterns

Feature Ratings

CategoryRating
Visual Realism5/5
Flight Modeling4/5
Training Value (non-logged)5/5
Hardware Compatibility5/5
Value5/5

Using MSFS 2024 Effectively for Training

To get the most training value from MSFS 2024, treat it like a chair-flying tool with visuals rather than a replacement for actual flight time:

  1. Fly the same approaches you will fly with your CFI — load the plate, brief it, then fly it in the sim
  2. Practice at your home airport — fly the pattern, learn the landmarks, know the taxiway layout
  3. Preview cross-country airports before you fly to them for real
  4. Use real-world weather to build awareness of how conditions change
  5. Debrief with your CFI — share what you practiced at home so your instructor can refine your technique in the airplane

Verdict

Every student pilot should use Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 alongside their real training. Chair-flying approaches, learning airport layouts, practicing avionics flows — none of this requires a real aircraft or an FAA-approved device. Just be clear about what MSFS 2024 is and what it is not: it is a training supplement, not a replacement for actual flight time or approved ATD hours. Used correctly, it will make you a better-prepared, more efficient student.

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