Your 1st Flight

Step 1 - Determine an aircraft make/model

When you're first starting out in FSE, it is highly recommended that you start flying in something small, and something that you're familiar with.  A small aircraft provides much less opportunity to lose money if something goes wrong, and an aircraft you are familiar with (or that is not complicated to fly) provides much less opportunity for something to go wrong.

For this tutorial, we will be flying a Cessna 172.  

Step 2 - Find a suitable aircraft in the Game World

Now that we've decided which airplane we would like to fly, let's go looking for one in the FSE GameWorld.  If you have a specific airport, or an area of the world, that you are familiar with inside your simulator, you should use that area when completing this step.   For this tutorial, we will be looking for a Cessna 172 within the vicinity of Portland, Oregon (USA) -- KPDX.

Suitability Checklist

• Airworthiness Checks - You must check for airworthiness in two different places.  A non-airworthy aircraft cannot be flown with assignments on board.  

• Appropriate Assignments - Although you may find a plane with a very good rental and a very good bonus, these don't do you any good if there are no assignments that you can take.  In the more advanced tutorials, you will learn how to find assignments at other airports and work your way there by conducting multi-stop flights.  However, that is beyond the scope of this tutorial. If there are not appropriate assignments, go back to Step 2.

Rent the Aircraft

Once you have selected an appropriate aircraft at an airfield that has suitable assignments, click its "Rent Dry" or "Rent Wet" link to rent it.  You will not pay for rent until you land at your destination.

Step 3 - Claim an assignment

Having rented an aircraft, we now need to book an assignment and add it to your My Flight loading area. To do this you need to pick and choose one or more assignments from the "Assignments" list on the same Airport page as you rented your aircraft.  

You claim your assignments by clicking the "check box" in the first column. You can select multiple assignments at a time by clicking multiple checkboxes. For the purposes of this flight, do not select more assignments than can be loaded into your aircraft at one time. 

Once all of the assignments you want have been checked, scroll to the bottom of the Assignment Section and click on the "Add Selected Assignments To -->" button.   

By default, this will add the assignments to your "My Flight" page.  

Step 4 - Verify My Flight Details

Once you have selected an aircraft and an assignment, click “My Flight” in the top menu of the Game World page. This page lists the aircraft and the assignment(s) you have selected for your flight. 

Check the following details carefully:

• • Correct aircraft rented

• • Check Fuel Level - Be sure to verify the fuel level in your aircraft. Checking fuel levels and adding more if needed is handled on this page. Keep in mind that fuel quantity affects total Payload Capacity. For example, the Cessna 172 has four seats but it cannot carry four people with a full tank of fuel. To check the Capacity use the Payload Chart on this page. You can load as much fuel as the aircraft will handle but not so much that the assignment cannot be taken.

Step5 - Add fuel if required

If you decide the fuel level is too low, you will need to add more. The aircraft owner will be billed for any fuel you add at the pump. Use the Fuel Calculator at the bottom of the "My Flight" page to determine the maximum fuel load for your current aircraft at various levels of passenger and cargo weight, or distance needed. 

Step 6 - Load your simulator

If you haven't already, start your simulator and load the correct aircraft model at the correct airport that matches what you have selected in the FSE Game World.

Step 7 - Load Client

If you haven't already, start your FSE Client application

Step 8 - Start Flight

Use the FSE Client application to "Start Flight". At this point, the FSE Client will load fuel into the aircraft. Depending on your client of choice, your payload weight might be auto-loaded also. 

Step 9 - Final Aircraft Checks

Do your normal pre-flight checks. Walkaround, startup, warmup. Check your weight distribution - your FSE Client has possibly loaded your Passenger and Cargo weights automatically, but might have done a poor job.  As the Pilot in Command, you are responsible for accurate weight and balance of the aircraft. 

Step 11 - Fly to your destination

Enjoy the scenery

Step 12 - End Flight

Once you land at the destination airport, you need to "End Flight" using client. Generally, depending on your client and settings, you will need to apply Parking Brakes or shut down the engine. 

Tip on fuel levels: Unless you own the aircraft, try not to leave the aircraft with more than 50% fuel upon arrival. Doing so makes the aircraft less useful to the next pilot since it will have limited passenger/cargo capacity. 50% or less is considered an ideal amount to leave. 

On the flip side of that coin, do not leave an aircraft with almost no fuel at an airport with no refueling service!

Once your flight has ended and FSE has completed recording, your flight log can be viewed on the FSEconomy Game World (see ‘Logs’ in the menu). In addition to flight time, departure and destination, these logs will detail the financial elements of the flight. 

This concludes the basic introductory First Flight in FS Economy. Once you are comfortable with the basics of flight assignments, you are ready to start exploring other areas of FSE. If anything here is unclear, be sure to visit our forums. There are many pilots who will be able to help with just about any issue.