Using In-Game Menus

Getting access to important features while flying


Although you can select Flight Simulator options from the game shell (the screen that you see when you start Flight Simulator), most of the same options are available on the menu bar in the simulator.

Flight Simulator can run in either full-screen mode or a sizeable window (a portion of which is shown below). To toggle between the two modes, press ALT+ENTER. The menu bar is visible by default when running the simulator in windowed mode, but you can choose to hide it by right-clicking the main window and clicking Hide Menu Bar. The menu bar is hidden when running in full-screen mode.

 

To display the menu bar in Full Screen mode

  • Press the ALT key.

Flight Simulator has six in-game menus: Flights, Aircraft, World, Options, Views, and Help. Keyboard shortcuts are displayed next to some commands on each menu. Some simple menu items are explained completely below; more complex features are explained fully in linked articles.

 

Note: Many dialog boxes accessed from the menus include Help buttons. Clicking the Help button will open a Learning Center article about the feature you're accessing.


Flight Simulator's Menu Bar

The Flights Menu


Menu item Use this to...
Select a Flight Select a pre-created flight. For more information, see All About Flights.
Reset Flight Reset the current flight to its starting location.
Save Flight Save the current flight at its current location with current conditions. For more information, see All About Flights.
Flight Planner Opens the Flight Planner. For more information, see Using the Flight Planner.
Navigation Log View the Navigation Log (when you've created a flight plan). For more information, see Using the Flight Planner. The Nav Log is also displayed on the kneeboard.
Multiplayer Open the Multiplayer Connect or Multiplayer Settings dialog boxes. For more information about flying with other pilots on the Internet or a LAN, see Multiplayer.
End Flight End the flight without exiting Flight Simulator.
Exit Exit Flight Simulator.

The Aircraft Menu

Menu item Use this to...
Select Aircraft Select a different aircraft. For more information about selecting an aircraft, see Selecting an Aircraft.
Kneeboard Display the kneeboard. For more information, see Using the Kneeboard.
Navigation Turn on the EFIS. For more information, see Using EFIS.
Fuel View or change the fuel levels in the currently-selected airplane. For more information, see Fueling an Aircraft.
Smoke System Enable or disable the colored smoke (for the Extra 300S airplane).
Realism Settings View or change realism settings. For more information, see Setting Realism.
System Failures Set up instrument and system failures. For more information, see Setting Up Failures.
Slew Mode Enable or disable Slew Mode. For more information, see Positioning the Aircraft.

The World Menu

Menu item Use this to...
Time & Season Change the time and season. For more information, see Time and Season.
Go to Airport Select one of 24,000 airports. For more information, see Positioning the Aircraft.
Map View Open the Map. For more information, see Using the Map.
Weather Make changes to the weather. For more information, see Introduction to Flight Simulator Weather.
Scenery Library Open the Scenery Library dialog box. For more information, see Using the Scenery Library.

The Options Menu

Menu item Use this to...
Pause Pause Flight Simulator.
Simulation Rate Choose a simulation rate. For more information, see Positioning the Aircraft.
Logbook Open the pilot Logbook. For more information, see Creating and Using a Logbook.
Sound Turn all sounds on or off. For more information, see Sound.
Controls Opens the Control Options submenu. Assign controls or change control sensitivities.
Settings Choose options on the Settings submenu. Set traffic, display, sound, international, and general options.

The Views Menu

Menu item Use this to...
Full Screen Switch between full-screen and windowed mode.
View Options Select a different view. For more information, see Using Views.
Air Traffic Control Open or close the ATC window. For more information, see Air Traffic Control.
Instrument Panel Display various cockpit panels. For more information, see Using Views.
New View Open another view window. For more information, see Using Views.
View Mode Choose which view is displayed in the currently selected window. You can also change views by right-clicking a window and selecting from the shortcut menu. For more information, see Using Views.
Maximize View Fill the window with the currently selected view. For more information, see Using Views.
Undock View Undock a panel or window in order to drag it anywhere on your desktop or to another monitor. For more information, see Using Views.
Close View Close the currently selected view.
Window list The bottom of the Views menu lists currently open windows and panels. Click an item in the list to select that window as the primary view.

The Help Menu

 
Menu item Use this to...
Learning Center Display the Learning Center in a window.
Flight Simulator on the Web Display an overview of the Flight Simulator Web site, with a link.
Flight Simulator Partners Display page of our partners' information, along with links to their Web sites.
Troubleshooting Read articles to help find solutions to problems.
About Microsoft Flight Simulator Display your product registration and version number. You can also view the credits and the end-user license agreement.