Learn
IFR fundamentals
Charts, minima, weather, paperwork and the radio — short articles that build on each other. Follow the Pilot Path, or jump straight to what you need.
1.Foundations
What the documents are and which one you need when.
- What are aviation charts?
What a chart actually is — and where they come from. - Chart types at a glance
Ground, SID STAR
2.Read the plate
Every box, symbol and number on an approach plate.
- Anatomy of an approach plate
Briefing strip plan view - Symbols and abbreviations
The glyphs: fixes, navaids, courses and altitude boxes.
3.Fly the procedure
From reading to flying — categories, procedures, a real plate.
- Categories, minimums and performance
CAT A–E, ILS categories, RNP ANP - Approach procedures
Precision, APV - Chart Explorer: Frankfurt ILS 07C
Guided tour on a real AIP - From STAR to touchdown
STAR to touchdown — briefing and flying the whole chain. - Mental math for the cockpit
The rules of thumb you use while flying — descent, wind, turns, altimeter.
4.Weather
METARs and cloud types — decode the weather you fly in.
- Reading a METAR
Decode the airport weather in seconds.
5.The full flight
Paperwork, datalink and the radio — gate to gate.
- Reading an OFP
The SimBrief dispatch release - Datalink, ACARS and CPDLC
Clearances as text messages — how the systems fit together. - Phraseology
What to say on the frequency, in which order. - MSFS Guide
Putting it all together in the simulator.
What are aviation charts?
Why charts exist, who publishes them, and why every serious sim pilot should learn to read them.
Chart types at a glance
Airport diagram, SID, STAR, approach plate, enroute — which chart answers which question.
Anatomy of an approach plate
Header, briefing strip, plan view, profile view, minima — learn the five building blocks of every approach chart.
Symbols and abbreviations
Navaid symbols, fixes, course lines and the abbreviations that appear on every plate.
Altitudes and minima
MSL vs AGL, QNH, transition altitude, DA vs MDA — the numbers that keep you alive.
Navaids and frequencies
How to read nav boxes — frequency, identifier, morse code and course — and how to tune them in the sim.
From STAR to touchdown
How STAR, approach and missed approach connect — and how to brief and fly the whole chain in the sim.
Categories, minimums and performance
Aircraft categories A–E, ILS CAT levels, ILS variant letters, and RNP vs ANP — the fine print that decides whether you may fly an approach.
Datalink, ACARS and CPDLC
Modern airliners get clearances as text messages. How ACARS, PDC, CPDLC and ADS-C fit together, what a session looks like — and which networks provide it in MSFS.
Reading a METAR
The coded weather report every sim flight starts with — decoded token by token, plus the weather codes worth memorizing.
Clouds, from Stratus to Cumulonimbus
The ten official cloud genera, what each one means for your flight — and the METAR codes (CB, TCU, BKN, OVC…) that tell you where they are.
Reading an OFP
The SimBrief dispatch release, section by section: fuel table, flight log, ICAO flight plan and V-speeds — on a real Munich to Bergen flight.
Mental math for the cockpit
The rules of thumb pilots actually use — descent planning, wind components, rate-one turns and altitude corrections, no calculator needed.