Hi @RV14a5004
Have you tried the in-game tutorials? On the Home page, click on “Activities”:
Then Flight Training:
Then run through the Basic Handling training lessons:
Once you have completed the Basic Handling lessons, you can go Free Flight from the home page:
If the Cessna 172 is not the aircraft shown:
Click on it to open the aircraft selection page and choose it:
then return to the free flight world map, select any airport in the world, choose your flight conditions & go fly!
Hope this helps!