Basic navigation questions from a newbie

The SevenFlyer pretty much answered your questions, but I urge you to learn to fly the airplane first without autopilot. You can use either GPS or ground-based Navaids such as VOR for navigation but the best way to start is to learn pilotage. I prefer Skyvector but many prefer apps like LittleNavMap, but the point is to have a VFR chart (sectional) open and you use that and your eyeballs looking out the window to find your way from point to point. Use the terrain, hills, rivers, towns (most towns have unique shapes) and highways as reference points. MSFS is actually the best simulator available to fly using pilotage and it is the best way to learn basic piloting techniques. You can start worrying about advanced navigation and use of autopilot after you have 100 hrs.

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