Missions: Selecting
Choosing the right missions and planning effectively improves your income and progression. Use filters, evaluate risks and rewards, and match the mission to your aircraft and capabilities.
Using Mission Filters Effectively
- Specialisation filter: isolate missions matching unlocked specializations. Use text input to locate desired mission types.
- Aircraft model filter: find missions tailored to aircraft you own or prefer. Filters missions, not aircraft icons.
- Difficulty filter: can hide missions to make it easier to find your aircraft.
- Zoom into an airport and choose Mission list to see missions not showing on map view. Useful for Charter VIP and Passenger Airliner.
Checking Departure/Arrival Runway Lengths and Types
- Before accepting a mission, check the EFB.
- Verify runway length at both departure and destination, especially for jets and heavier turboprops.
- Check runway surface type (asphalt, concrete, dirt, grass, water). Avoid water runways unless equipped. Runways ending in W are water runways.
- Earlier on, use cam mode to visually inspect runways and obstructions (often massive trees).
Mission Difficulty Levels and Types
The star ratings are not always meaningful. Many 1-star missions can still have extremely short runways. Associations:
Star difficulty associations
- 5-star: Aerial Firefighting - Extended Attack, Agricultural Aviation
- 4-star: Aerial Construction, Medevac, Cargo - Medium, Passenger - Airline, Search & Rescue
- 3-star: Charter - VIP, Aerial Advertising, Medevac, Cargo - Medium, Passenger - Airline, Search & Rescue
- 2-star: Ferry Flight, Skydive, Charter - Private, Charter - VIP, Aerial Advertising, Medevac, Cargo - Light/Medium, Passenger - Rotorcraft/Airline, Search & Rescue
- 1-star: First Flight, Ferry Flight, Flightseeing, Skydive, Charter - Private, Cargo - Light, Passenger - Rotorcraft, Search & Rescue
In Freelancer Mode, always check aircraft transfer cost. It can eat millions of Credits.
Mission Preparation and Procedures
Pre-flight preparations
Finding your aircraft on the map
As you get more aircraft, finding them becomes harder.
- Companies menu → All companies → select the company.
- Aircraft list → click the aircraft → Manage Aircraft.
- Location and flight hours show upper left.
- On mission map, search the ICAO code (example: LIPM) and click the airport result to jump there.
Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) usage
- Set cruise altitude and choose VFR or IFR as appropriate (do not attempt VFR for Passenger Transport missions).
- Adjust departure and arrival procedures if needed.
- Choose approach type: ILS or RNAV when available, VOR/NDB/Visual as backup.
- Avoid editing enroute waypoints. Deviating too far can fail the mission.
- Always click Send to ATC to file your flight plan, prevents absurd assignments like FL450 in a C172.
Cruise altitude guidelines
- PC-12: use FL180 or below to avoid pressurisation bug and mission failure.
- Jets (CJ4, PC-24, 737): select FL290 or above for efficient cruise, depending on mission length.
Fuel management
- Employee Mode: fuel is assigned, you can add more for free. Add a buffer.
- Freelancer Mode: fuel persists across missions. Check fuel before each flight and top off.
- Consider SimBrief for planning. Add 10% to 15% buffer for tighter margins.
- PC-24 fuel burn bug: bring extra fuel or use “Add Fuel Quantity” workaround.
- Skipping phases: Sim Update 2 does not consume fuel during skips. Sim Update 3 changes this (requires sufficient fuel and consumes computed amount).
Binding “Add Fuel Quantity”
- Bind it to a key combo (example: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F).
- There are two similar bindings, verify yours works.
- Do not use “Refuel and Repair”, it ends missions with an error.
Fast Travel
- Zoom in to see circular icons for airports/heliports/seaports.
- Fast Travel moves your player icon, not your aircraft.
- Costs Credits by distance. Don’t spam it early.