Introduction to MSFS 2024 Career Mode
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s Career Mode introduces a structured experience beyond Free Flight. It simulates your journey from beginner to professional pilot, blending realistic flight simulation with RPG-style progression. You’ll manage finances, certifications, maintenance, aircraft ownership, and reputation as you climb the ranks.
But be warned: Career Mode is still frustratingly buggy.
- You’ll fail missions through no fault of your own.
- You’ll lose points due to common glitches.
- You’ll find missions that can’t be completed because they get stuck.
- Sometimes, the game will crash your plane before you even get in.
- Other times, your aircraft will explode while you taxi gently to the runway.
This is the current state of Career Mode. It’s improving, slowly. And once you reach the Acceptance stage of grief, it’s actually pretty fun.
Overview of Career Mode
You begin as an employee pilot, flying company-owned aircraft and earning experience and a small amount of Credits (the game currency) through various missions. As you progress, you unlock Freelancer Mode, allowing you to buy your own aircraft and manage costs like fuel, maintenance, and insurance. Your aircraft persist across missions, carrying forward fuel levels, wear, and damage.
Employee vs. Freelancer Modes
Employee Mode
You start here, and you can return to it at any time. It carries no financial risk. You fly company-provided aircraft, and expenses like fuel, maintenance, and insurance are covered. Payouts are much lower, but it’s a good way to test unfamiliar missions and aircraft later on.
Freelancer Mode
Once you’ve gained enough experience and credits, you can enter Freelancer Mode. You’ll buy companies and aircraft, taking full financial responsibility for fuel, maintenance, and insurance. In return, you earn higher payouts but also face greater risk.
Progression
The different dimensions for progression are:
Specialisations
Missions fall into categories such as Cargo Transport - Light, Charter Service - Private, Passenger - Airliner, Medevac, Search & Rescue, Firefighting, Agricultural Aviation, and more. Each has prerequisites like level, certifications, and prior jobs completed.
Companies
Buying a company grants access to specific aircraft and mission types. You must meet specialisation requirements and have enough funds for both the company and at least one aircraft. However, you can buy the company first and purchase an aircraft later.
Aircraft Ownership
Owning aircraft is essential in Freelancer Mode. You’ll typically start with a Cessna 172 (or similar GA aircraft) and gradually move up to turboprops, business jets and airliners like the PC-12, PC-24, CJ4, and Boeing 737. Ownership includes costs for purchase, fuel, maintenance, and insurance.
Rule of thumb: Always keep a backup aircraft and enough credits on hand for maintenance. Don’t sell your only plane to afford the next one. Bugs, errors, or bad luck could leave you stranded.
Getting Started in MSFS 2024 Career Mode
You begin in Employee Mode, flying aircraft owned by various companies. This mode allows you to build experience and funds without financial risk, as the owning companies cover all costs such as fuel, insurance, and maintenance. You start with 5000 Credits of in-game money.
- Choose a Home airport on the map, then complete a short introductory flight to get started (take off and fly a few minutes).
- The mode assumes you already know basics. It will quickly throw difficult weather, visibility, and turbulence at you.
- Home airport choice matters a bit: tiny or mountainous areas are tougher early. If you don’t care, pick a medium sized airport in north central Europe.
Starter path (recommended order)
- Jump into Certifications and do the Private Pilot License - Airplane training or attempt the exam.
- PPL costs 2000 Credits to unlock the exam. It’s a simple pattern and landing. Retakes are fine.
- Fly your first “Golden Mission” (First Flight) out of your Home airport. Golden Missions unlock new specialisations.
- For Cargo Transport - Light: aim for 7 missions with score C or better and 5 landings with smoothness over 50%.
- Fly at least one regular First Flight mission nearby after the Golden Mission.
- Get Commercial Pilot License (CPL) once eligible: 2500 Credits, requires 2 First Flight missions completed.
- Level 3 unlocks Ferry Flight. Complete the Ferry Flight Golden Mission in Germany to unlock Ferry missions.
- Level 5 unlocks Flightseeing. Golden Mission: Venice, Italy (but don’t buy the Flightseeing company, it’s a trap).
- Level 8 unlocks Skydive Aviation. Golden Mission: Spain (LEAP). Large payouts are often bugs.
- Work towards Cargo Transport - Light and save for company + first discounted used C172.
Freelancer Recommendations
The following approach can accelerate your career and avoid common pitfalls. Avoid extra certifications not tied to the specialisations or planes you want until you’re into your first Cargo Transport aircraft, because those missions make money much faster.
Choose your first company wisely
- To buy a company you must have enough Credits for the company and the first aircraft within that company.
- After buying the company, you can skip buying an aircraft, but you still must meet the “aircraft available for purchase” requirement to buy the company in the first place.
- Avoid starting with Flightseeing despite the low initial cost.
- Recommended start: Cargo Transport company + Cargo Transport - Light specialisation.
- You’ll need at least 10,000 Credits for the Cargo company and 25,950 Credits for your first discounted C172 (plus buffer).
Core progression ideas
- Cargo Transport - Light: Cessna 172
- Charter Service - Private: Vision Jet G2
- Cargo Transport - Medium: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan or save for PC-12
- Charter Service - VIP: PC-12 or PC-24 (Premium-only) or CJ4 or Longitude
Golden Missions: how to unlock a new specialisation (process)
- Unlock the specialisation by meeting prerequisites.
- Find the Golden Mission in Employee Mode and complete it.
- If the icon disappears (crash/failure), zoom into the originating airport, open “Mission List”, and locate it there.
- If it’s missing, you may need to create a support ticket: flightsimulator.zendesk.com
- To see the mission type in Freelancer Mode, own the appropriate company and a valid aircraft for that mission type.
Golden Missions have the company icon. “Special Missions” have a star and look more yellow.
Essential Early Tips
- Consider disabling Photogrammetry (Settings > General > Online) if terrain looks broken. It can crash your plane during ground ops.
- Keep your starter plane. Don’t sell it early.
- Use Visual Assistances (General > Assistances) early. Auto-Rudder and helicopter assistances are fair game if needed.
- Maintain a financial buffer for unexpected repairs and game-breaking bugs.
- Buy top-tier insurance early. You pay only for hours you personally fly. Discounts: 25% at S-tier, 20% at A-tier reputation.
- Use Fast Travel wisely: it moves you, not your aircraft, and costs Credits based on distance.
Should You Reset Career Mode?
Resetting is rarely worth it. You’d have to retake certifications and rebuild progress. Instead, target higher-paying specialisations like Cargo Transport - Medium (Level 25) or Charter Service - VIP (Level 45) to recover faster.
Starting Process Quick Reference
- Choose your Home airport
- Fly the introductory flight
- Get your Private Pilot License (PPL)
- Fly First Flight Golden Mission from your Home airport
- Fly a couple of First Flights
- Get your Commercial Pilot License (CPL), fly missions for pay and levelling
- Level 3 unlocks Ferry Flight, fly the Golden Mission out of Germany
- Level 5 unlocks Flightseeing, fly Golden Mission out of Venice, Italy, avoid buying Flightseeing company
- Level 8 unlocks Skydive Aviation, fly Golden Mission out of Spain (LEAP)
- Level 10 unlocks Cargo Transport - Light, fly Golden Mission out of Madagascar
- At 35,950 Credits: buy Cargo Company for 10,000 and first plane for 25,950 (or save for Charter if preferred)