Firstly, as soon as you spawn in, before creating a Flight Plan and inputting it into your aircraft, you should first start up the aircraft while connecting all necessary ground equipment. 

1. To start up, you first attach the GPU, power up the Main Battery and fire up the APU, next while the APU is starting you should turn on the NAV lights, Seat belt and No Smoking signs.

2. Once the APU is fired up, you should fuel up, attach the rest of the ground equipment and create a flight plan including SIDs (Standard Instrument Departures) and STARs (Standard Instrument Arrivals). 

3. We recommend you use SIMBRIEF (Click here to visit website) for all your flight plans as it includes all required information for the entire flight including SIDs, STARs, Routing, Flight Levels with Step Climbs, Climb Profile, V speeds for some aircraft and much more.

4. Once you have created the FPL and have added the SID, Route and STAR into Infinite Flight, you should set up the autopilot for initial targets such as ALT and Target climb SPD (V2) which should then be visible on the HUD or PFD.

If ATC is present, you should tune in and check the ATIS for the latest airport information. It will normally include:

The latest METAR (The Meteorological Terminal Air Report) is the current weather at the airport and usually displays date/time recorded, wind direction and strength, visibility, weather and cloud, temperature and dew point, and finally pressure 

Runway(s) in use

REMARKS and/or NOTAMS to provide pilots with more information (e.g. "No Pattern Work Allowed") See more... 

And if there are multiple frequencies open, which one to contact

Before Start Checks: Check surroundings to make sure it is clear, use the Cameras and Mini Map to help you. If ground services have been used, these must be deselected before pushback.

Attack the Tug then Tune to the active frequency and request pushback, or if there is no active ATC, tune to the Unicom frequency – listen for traffic before starting your pushback.

Once you get clearance for pushback, you should turn on the Beacon lights and start your pushback (making sure to face the correct direction).

While during pushback, start Engine 2 and monitor. After you are pushed back and lined up on the taxiway, you should de-tatch the tug and set the parking brake, once Engine 2 is stable (N1), turn off the APU and start Engine 1 (monitor until stable).

ILS Critical Area Hold Short Line

Once approaching/at the hold short line tune to the active tower frequency and report ready for departure, or if there is no active ATC, tune to the Unicom frequency.

Once cleared, Turn on Strobe and Landing lights.

If you have been cleared to Line Up and Wait (LUAW) by ATC, taxi onto the runway centreline and come to a stop. If you have been cleared for take-off by ATC or if you're on Unicom, you can commence the take-off roll straight away provided the runway is completely clear.

Set 50% N1, once 50% N1 has stabilized, release brakes (if you haven't already) and progressively increase thrust to take-off power.

At VR (rotate speed), slowly pitch to 15 degrees nose up (Recommended 3 degrees per second), once stable at 15 degrees, adjust pitch to maintain V2+10 to V2+20kts (e.g. if V2 is 145kts, your target speed would be 155-165kts).

Positive climb? Gear up!

At 1000ft AAL (above aerodrome level), lower the nose to 10 degrees, reduce to climb power, and then allow the aircraft to accelerate, then Unarm the spoilers and autobrakes.

Retract the flaps as you approach the flap retraction speeds for your aircraft (Found in each aircraft guide)

When at a stable climb, activate LNAV to follow the SID and accelerate to 250kts (All climb profiles with speeds are located in the guides below for each aircraft).

If ATC is active, you will be told to either contact Departure or given "Frequency Change Approved". If contacting Departure, request climb to FLxxx depending on the FPL. At FL100, turn off landing lights.

Once handed off to center, just check in IFR.

When aircraft are flying IFR, they must maintain a minimum separation of 3nm laterally or 1000ft vertically with other aircraft at all times. 

Generally speaking, as aircraft get higher, they will be more fuel efficient (not taking into account environmental factors, weight or aircraft design specifications). The problem is that when you're heavy you might not be able to get up there straight away, so instead we need to fly as close as possible to the "Optimum Altitude" (the most efficient altitude to fly at, taking into account all of above factors) - and ultimately, this will increase aircraft range.

This is where step climbing comes in and is a technique used to assist an aircraft in flying as close as possible to the optimum altitude. Initially the altitude might be quite low; but as the flight progresses and fuel is subsequently used, the aircraft will eventually lose enough weight to be able to "step" to the next altitude. Dependent on the length of flight, multiple step climbs could be initiated over the course of the flight.

All Step Climb Altitudes and Waypoints are located on SimBrief when making a FPL

The cruising altitude can vary due to many different factors, the most important being the Direction of Flight (Heading)

If you are flying a heading of 360 - 179 degrees, Your flight level would be ODD (e.g: FL330, FL350, FL370 etc)

If you are flying a heading of 180 - 359 degrees, Your flight level would be EVEN (e.g: FL320, FL340, FL360 etc)

Once at cruise, Turn off seatbelt sign.

Manually calculating 3 Degree Rate of Descent (ROD):   

Groundspeed x 5 = ROD   ---   Usually for final approach

OR   

Altitude / time till dest.   ---   Usually for Top of Descent

Manually calculating Top of Descent (TOD):   

Altitude / 1000 x 3 = Distance

E.g: Say you're cruising at FL380, flying to LTFM (99ft elevation) with an ETD of 25 mins. If you want to be at 3000ft MSL at the beginning of the cone without using VNAV, how would you calculate the TOD and ROD?

1- TOD:    38000 / 1000 x 3 = 114nm

2- ROD:   (38000 - 3099) / 25 = 1400 fpm

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Luckily, with the VNAV feature it automatically calculates the TOD and ROD for us following the altitude restrictions (if any) of the STAR.

10 mins before TOD we turn on our seatbelt sign.

While 10nm / 1 min from TOD, we request to center, descent via STAR or request altitude change and arm the VNAV which with in turn automatically descend the aircraft at TOD. If you are being vectored, turn off VNAV and follow ATC instructions.

As you're approaching the airport, you adjust your speed and in turn lower your flaps to always maintain the 3-5 degree approach angle, use trim as needed.

Once at the edge of the cone, arm the spoilers and set the speed brakes, here you can either arm APPR or turn off LNAV and VNAV or fly in however you like to fly in.

Do not Exceed 180-200kts once approaching the edge of the cone.

Full flaps, final approach speed and gear down should all be done around 6-7nm from destination.

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If you're flying manually, Listen out for the callouts and slowly flare the aircraft at 20 ft (if at 3 degrees, flare to 5 degrees) while reducing the thrust to idle. 

Ryanair? or Butter? xD

Recenter the aircraft to the centreline and slowly bring the nose down. Reverse thrust until 60kts then store the reverse thrusters. Slow down to recommended ground speeds and exit the runway as instructed.

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Once clear of the runway, turn off landing and strobe lights, retract flaps, disengage the spoilers, speed brakes, and fire up the APU.

Contact ground at the hold short line and request taxi to parking. (If there's no active ATC at the airport, announce that you're clear of all runways and taxi to parking at your discretion).

Once taxiing, follow all steps indicated before in the "On the ground" section.

Taxi to parking and once you're parked up, Turn off engines, Turn off Beacon lights, Turn off seatbelts sign and attach all the necessary ground equipment.

METAR (The Meteorological Terminal Air Report) is the current weather at the airport and usually displays date/time recorded, wind direction and strength, visibility, weather and cloud, temperature and dew point, and finally pressure.

Let’s ‘chop’ the above METAR into its component parts and then take a look at each piece in turn. 

LTFM: Airport.

241020Z: Date and Time (24th, 10:20 ZULU).

06014KT: Wind (060 Direction, 14Kt winds) - May have "G" which is wind gusts.

9999: Visibility being >9999 metres (>10km/10sm).

FEW013 BKN025: Sky condition Few clouds at 1300ft with broken layer ceiling at 2500ft.

27/21: Temperature 27 and Dew point 21.

Q1015: Atmospheric pressure adjusted to MSL.

RMK etc: Remarks specifically about information at the airport e.g RW34L has wind in the 040 direction, 12 kts variable between 010 and 080 direction.