You’ve climbed into the cockpit of your first aircraft in MSFS 2024, and you’re staring at a wall of dials, gauges, and screens. It’s overwhelming — but here’s the good news: you only need to understand six core MSFS 2024 cockpit instruments to fly confidently. The rest can wait.
This guide breaks down the essential MSFS 2024 cockpit instruments in plain English, explaining what each one tells you and why it matters. No jargon, no complexity — just the instruments you need as a beginner.
The “Six Pack” — Core MSFS 2024 Cockpit Instruments
In traditional aircraft, six primary instruments are arranged in a standard layout called the “six pack”. Even modern glass MSFS 2024 cockpit instruments display the same information — just in a digital format. These six instruments tell you everything you need to know about what your aircraft is doing.
1. Airspeed Indicator (ASI)
The airspeed indicator shows how fast your aircraft is moving through the air, measured in knots (nautical miles per hour). It’s located in the top-left of the six pack.
The coloured arcs on the dial are important:
- White arc: The flap operating range — safe speeds for flying with flaps extended.
- Green arc: Normal operating range — where you’ll spend most of your flight.
- Yellow arc: Caution range — fly here only in smooth air.
- Red line: Never exceed speed — going beyond this risks structural damage.
Beginner tip: Keep your speed in the green arc during normal flight. During landing approach, aim for the top of the white arc.
2. Attitude Indicator (AI)
The attitude indicator (also called the artificial horizon) is the most important instrument in the cockpit. It sits in the centre of the six pack and shows your aircraft’s orientation relative to the horizon.
The blue half represents sky, the brown half represents ground. A small aircraft symbol in the centre shows whether you’re pitched up, pitched down, or banking left or right. If the miniature aircraft is above the horizon line, you’re climbing. Below it, you’re descending. Tilted, you’re banking.
Beginner tip: When in doubt, look at the attitude indicator. If you ever feel disoriented — especially in clouds or at night — this instrument tells you exactly what your aircraft is doing.
3. Altimeter
The altimeter tells you your altitude — how high you are above sea level, measured in feet. It’s in the top-right of the six pack and looks like a clock with two or three hands.
The long hand indicates hundreds of feet, the short hand indicates thousands. Some altimeters have a third hand for tens of thousands. There’s also a small window showing the barometric pressure setting (QNH) — this needs to be set correctly for accurate altitude readings.
Beginner tip: For your first flights, don’t worry about the pressure setting. MSFS 2024 usually sets it correctly by default. Just focus on reading your altitude.
4. Turn Coordinator
The turn coordinator sits in the bottom-left and shows your rate of turn and whether your turn is coordinated (balanced). It features a miniature aircraft that tilts to show turn direction and a ball in a tube (the slip/skid indicator).
The ball should stay centred during a turn. If it slides to one side, you need more or less rudder. Pilots call this “stepping on the ball” — apply rudder on the side the ball has moved to.
Beginner tip: If you have auto-rudder enabled in your MSFS 2024 settings, the ball will mostly stay centred automatically.
5. Heading Indicator (HI)
The heading indicator (or directional gyro) shows which compass direction your aircraft’s nose is pointing. It sits in the bottom-centre and displays a compass rose with your current heading at the top.
Headings are measured in degrees from 0 to 360, where 0/360 is North, 090 is East, 180 is South, and 270 is West. When ATC or a flight plan tells you to “turn to heading 270”, this is the instrument you look at.
Beginner tip: Before takeoff, note the runway heading (it’s the number painted on the runway — e.g., Runway 27 means heading 270). This helps you stay oriented during and after takeoff.
6. Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI)
The vertical speed indicator sits in the bottom-right and tells you how quickly you’re climbing or descending, measured in feet per minute (fpm). The needle points up when climbing and down when descending.
A typical climb rate for a small aircraft is 500-700 fpm. A comfortable descent rate is 300-500 fpm. If the needle is centred at zero, you’re flying level.
Beginner tip: During landing approach, aim for about 500 fpm descent. If the needle shows more than 1,000 fpm down, you’re descending too fast — add throttle and pitch up gently.
Glass Cockpits vs Analogue
Many modern aircraft in MSFS 2024 (like the Cessna 172 G1000 variant) use glass cockpits — digital screens that display the same information as the traditional “six pack” but in a modern layout. The left screen (PFD — Primary Flight Display) combines the attitude indicator, airspeed, altitude, heading, and vertical speed into one integrated view.
The information is the same; only the presentation is different. Once you understand the six core instruments, you can read any cockpit — analogue or glass.
Practice Exercise: Instrument Scan
Pilots use a technique called an “instrument scan” — systematically glancing at each instrument in turn. Try this exercise:
- Start a Free Flight in the Cessna 172 (classic) to see the analogue six pack.
- Take off and climb to 3,000 feet.
- Practice scanning: Attitude → Airspeed → Attitude → Altitude → Attitude → Heading → Attitude → Vertical Speed.
- Notice how the attitude indicator is always in the middle of your scan — it’s the hub everything revolves around.
- Try flying for 5 minutes using only your instruments (don’t look outside). This builds your instrument reading confidence.
What’s Next?
You now know how to read the essential MSFS 2024 cockpit instruments. Here’s where to continue your learning:
- Pitch, Roll, and Yaw — Understand the three axes of flight.
- Throttle, Flaps, and Trim — Master the power and lift controls.
- How to Take Off — Put it all together with a step-by-step takeoff guide.
- How to Land — The ultimate test of your instrument reading skills.
The MSFS 2024 cockpit instruments might look intimidating at first, but you now know the six that matter most. Everything else is bonus detail. Focus on these, and you’ll always know what your aircraft is doing. Happy flying! ✈️
