I’m Paul, a passionate MSFS 2024 player and aviation enthusiast. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the Career Mode, and I’d like to offer my help to any new players looking to get started or improve their experience in this mode. Whether you have questions about choosing your first aircraft, managing insurance, or progressing efficiently, feel free to ask—I’d be happy to help!
A Little About Me
Career Mode Experience:
I’ve progressed through Career Mode step by step, starting with the Cessna 172 G1000 for light courier and cargo missions, then moving on to the Cirrus Vision Jet for VIP transport, the Cessna Caravan for cargo, and the Pilatus PC24 for more advanced cargo missions. Now, I’m flying the 737 Max for passenger flights.
Flying Style:
I enjoy a mix of VFR and IFR flights, including local routes, medium-haul flights, and even ultra-long-haul missions.
Fleet Size:
I currently own 241 aircraft and plan to cap my fleet at 330.
Hours Played:
As of today, I’ve logged 600 hours in MSFS 2024.
Preparation Before Buying Aircraft:
Before purchasing a new aircraft, I always test it in Free Flight Mode to learn its handling and ensure I’m ready to fly it with the minimum insurance level, reducing operational costs.
Next Steps:
My next step is to test the Draco X as a replacement for the Cessna 172 G1000 for early Career Mode cargo missions. The Draco X offers several advantages:
It has a more advanced Garmin system.
It is faster and more efficient at takeoff and landing.
It can carry more cargo than the Beaver, making it a strong contender for those considering either aircraft.
Given its versatility, I think the Draco X could be an excellent option for early Career Mode, potentially even replacing the Beaver for some players.
I’d be happy to discuss the best options with you and answer any questions you have. I’m also available to fly with you in Free Flight Mode if you want to relax and have fun together. Feel free to reach out to me anytime:
Discord Username: LYONDU2b#5435
Steam ID: 252776912
Let’s build a strong community and enjoy the skies together!
Hey Paul, I’m currently doing light cargo missions in a Cessna 172. I have a total of 3 172s. Two with crew on and one with crew off (which I fly). I’m trying to make more money to buy a caravan that I’ll fly and another 172 with crew on. What’s your advice on maximizing profits?
Right now I have the lowest tiered insurance for the two 172s that have crew on and I have the mid tier for the one I fly. As of now I have $1.7 million.
Great to hear about your progress with the Cessna 172s! If you’re looking to maximize profits and add some variety to your missions, I highly recommend considering charter VIP flights with the Cirrus Vision Jet. It’s incredibly simple to fly—practically flies itself once you’re in the air—and it will be a refreshing change from the Cessna grind you’ve been doing so far.
A few tips to keep in mind:
Try it in Free Flight first: If you decide to go for the Cirrus Vision Jet, definitely take it for a spin in Free Flight Mode to familiarize yourself with its systems. It’s quite different from the 172 but very intuitive once you get used to it.
Save extra cash before buying the Caravan: When you’re ready to buy the Caravan (starting with the lowest-priced used option, not new), make sure you have at least $1 million left after purchasing it. The Caravan can require frequent and costly repairs, especially early on, and you’ll need financial wiggle room to avoid setbacks.
Start with a good insurance plan: Initially, I suggest using a higher-tier insurance plan for the Caravan to cover any early mistakes. Once you’re comfortable flying it and more stable financially, you can lower the insurance tier to save costs.
The Vision Jet is a great step forward for improving profits and expanding your Career Mode experience, and it pairs well with your goal of eventually piloting a Caravan. Let me know if you need any help with this transition—I’d be happy to fly with you in Free Flight Mode or share more tips!
I completely understand your concern about maintenance costs—they can definitely add up! Here’s how I manage my fleet effectively:
Take the minimum insurance for every aircraft you purchase for passive income purposes. This drastically reduces your initial investment and operating costs.
Personally, my passive income is around 3.5 million per hour of flight time. This means I can generate about 35 million per day, with an average wear of about 10% per aircraft.
Every 5-6 days, I schedule maintenance for my fleet. I only service aircraft that are above 50% wear, and this typically costs me around 25 to 35 million in total.
This cycle allows me to maintain profitability while keeping my fleet in good condition without overpaying for unnecessary repairs. The key is balancing wear and revenue to ensure maximum efficiency.
So currently all I do is Career Mode. But I’m starting to build up some questions given the report you have given with your experience of Career Mode with over 600 Hours. So I’m noticing I’m leveling up fairly quickly, I already have met all the necessary requirements for some specializations like the, Cargo Transport - Light, SkyDive Aviation, Flightseeing, Ferry Flight and of course First Flight. I believe I’m level 17, So I have the Cargo Transport unlocked but I’m nowhere near being able to buy an aircraft and I’m not even sure how seeing as the Marketplace isn’t out yet!
So how am I supposed to do Cargo missions and things of that nature without a plane to do it and how did you have Millions already. I’m level 17 like I said, and I have 17100 cr. This is how I do missions I find the highest paying one so usually a Ferry Flight and do it and fly the whole course without skipping anything. I do everything from startup all the way to shut down. Is this wrong? Should I be skipping as much as I can during missions so I can do as many as possible without it taking an hour and a half to complete one mission?
When you earn ~20 TCr you can open your own business with a discounted C172. Fly Cargo and earn roughly 40 TCr. per Flight. Than save your earnings an buy a plane for other activities, like passenger transport. I often heard, people buy a Vision Jet G2 and start flying VIP’s around. You’ll need a new company for this, if you started with cargo.
That’s exactly right! Here’s the progression I followed to grow my career quickly:
First aircraft - Cessna 172 (Discounted):
Start with the Cessna 172 Open Flight version at the reduced price to get your first aircraft.
Upgrade to Cessna 172 Cargo:
Once you’ve earned enough, buy the Cargo version of the Cessna 172 to start making more money.
Move to the Vision Jet G2:
After building up some credits, invest in the Vision Jet G2 to fly VIP charters. This aircraft is great for efficient and higher-paying missions.
Invest in the Caravan for Cargo:
To scale up quickly, I bought the Caravan, which is excellent for cargo missions and brings in steady income.
Upgrade to the Pilatus PC-24:
Once I saved enough, I upgraded to the PC-24 for more advanced cargo missions. It’s a great step before moving into larger aircraft.
Goal: The Boeing 737:
Finally, I worked my way up to the 737, as I wanted to focus on airline-style operations and passenger transport.
This progression worked well for me, but you can always adjust based on what you enjoy doing most in Career Mode.
If you’re looking to save time, you can skip parts of the missions (like cruise sections) to fit more flights into your schedule. It’s all about balancing your strategy and play style.
PS: Of course, I didn’t follow this exact path myself. I experimented with Air Ambulance missions, bought and sold a few planes that weren’t really optimal, and took a less structured approach. However, this is the most optimized progression path I’ve observed through experience.
You need to own at least two aircraft. Set the one(s) you are NOT flying yourself to “crew on” (but you can also just switch them all to on, I do it that way as I sometimes use different aircraft). Then just do some jobs with your company plane (employee jobs do not count!), make sure all aircraft are always serviced, and close your sim before reaching midnight UTC (not local time), and the money will come flowing in
In my opinion, it’s best not to invest in anything other than Flightseeing companies for passive income. Other types of companies demand too much investment to be truly worth it. Instead, focus on saving for a larger aircraft for your personal use—it will generate much higher returns in the long run.
Hyper-diversification for passive income is something to consider only after reaching your ultimate goals. Until then, prioritize growing your active income through your own flights.
But I don’t see a reason not to use a plane for passive income that you already own (because you once bought it to use it yourself), as long as the maintenance is lower than the income (which seems to be the case in all aircraft I own). I don’t take the path of buying planes just for the sake of passive income, I used all my planes myself before I went on to bigger ones.
I completely agree—you should definitely keep the planes you’ve used and put them to work for passive income rather than selling them. However, if you want to invest specifically in passive income, I recommend focusing only on small aircraft.
For larger planes, it’s much more profitable to concentrate on your own objectives, as the time it takes to recoup the investment is longer than the time it would take to save up for your next desired aircraft (even the 737). Smaller planes, on the other hand, have a much faster return on investment, making them a better choice for passive income.
On insurance, the only airplanes you pay insurance for are the ones you fly yourself. Any aiirplane you don’t fly does not pay insurance in any given day. Your other airplanes pay you passive income without an insurance deduction. Maintenance degrades on the passive aircraft but I’ve never seen them have an accident.
I buy maximum insurance on every airplane just in case there is an accident. It gives me flexibility to fly any airplane without worrying about checking and changing the insurance level. I’ve only had a couple of accidents but the insurance did pay a lot of the repairs.
Right now I have 3 companies.
Cargo:
2 x Cessna 172
1 x Caravan
1 x SkyCourier
2 x PC12
VIP:
1 x Vision Jet
1 x Corvalis
1 x Cessna Citation
Flight Seeing:
1 x Zlin Norden
My usual day is a Cargo flight about 2.5 hr in a PC12. I don’t skip and I don’t use acceleration. That earns usually around 700K to 1M after insurance. That gives me 2.5 hrs of passive income on everything else which is usually around 800K. Those flights are not paying insurance.
Check the runway lengths and weather before you start and don’t start missions your airplane cannot complete.
I check maintenance about every two days to be sure everything is able to fly and earn passive income.
