How do I connect Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS2020, FS-X or FS 2004) to ForeFlight?

ForeFlight can be connected to older versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator (FS-X or FS 2004) by using MindStar GpsVR or FlightSimGPS (FSXflight also works, but is no longer available for sale). See below for details.

MSFS2020

UPDATE (17 August 2020) :  Flight Events supports sending simulated position data from MSFS2020  to ForeFlight Mobile: Flight Events. (Thanks to xSnhnry & Pieter1982NL).

UPDATE 2 (26 August 2020) : XMapsy also supports sending data from MSFS2020 to ForeFlight Mobile (see below). 

UPDATE 3 (21 September 2020) : If you are using Flight Events, please update to version 2.2.0. And another developer has introduced the "fs2ff (Flight Simulator to ForeFlight)" tool to send data from MSFS2020 to ForeFlight Mobile (see below).

For ALL solutions listed below, make sure that your computer firewall and Wi-Fi router are not blocking UDP traffic on port 49002.

Flight Events / Flighttracker.tech. IMPORTANT: Use version 2.2.0 or later

  1. Download Flight Events from the site https://events.flighttracker.tech by clicking on the "Join" button at the top right and following the instructions.
  2. In the Flight Events Settings menu, enable broadcasting to the local network (eg, choose ‘Broadcast data to local network’).
    Flighttracker.PNG
  3. With MFSF2020 open and while in the air, on the Simulator tab enter a random callsign and press "Start Flight Tracking". You should see a message in-game that says "Flight Events connected"
  4. In ForeFlight Mobile, tap More > Devices, then tap the "Flight Events" tab, and slide the "Enabled" switch ON.
    FlightEvents.PNG  Flight_Sim_enabled.png

NOTE: Version 2.2.0 of Flight Events was released on September 20 to addresses connectivity issues, where the Flight Events showed "Connected" but no position data was received.

fs2ff

fs2ff is hosted at https://github.com/astenlund/fs2ff.

  1. Open the latest FS2FF release (https://github.com/astenlund/fs2ff/releases/latest)
  2. Download FS2FF.exe to a suitable location (e.g. My Documents or Desktop)
  3. Open FS2FF.exe
  4. If Windows Defender suggests "Windows protected your PC", click "More Info" and click "Run anyway"
  5. Connect to the same wireless network as your mobile device
  6. Open Microsoft Flight Simulator
  7. Once you get to the MSFS home screen, in fs2ff click Connect
  8. Open ForeFlight Mobile > More > Devices, and confirm that MSFS shows as Connected. If not, tap the tile and slide the "Enabled" switch to ON.
    ff_more_devices.jpg
    NOTE: If no connection is shown in ForeFlight Mobile under More > Devices while fs2ff says "CONNECTED", then that means that there is likely a network/firewall problem, or the iPad is not connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the computer.

XMapsy

Visit https://xmapsy.com see also: https://xmapsy.com/?page_id=2 and https://xmapsy.com/downloads/XMapsyV3demoversion.pdf 

 

Older version: FS-X or FS2004 

Requirements in addition to FSXFlight or FlightSimGPS

  1. Flight Simulator X or Flight Simulator 2004
  2. FSUIPC: www.schiratti.com/dowson.html (MindStar GpsVR does not require FSUIPC)
  3. Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (download here)
  4. WiFi network for your iOS device

Setup

Once you have the FSXFlight or FlightSimGPS downloaded, here is how to connect Microsoft Flight Simulator to ForeFlight. 

MindStar GpsVR

1. Purchase here, then download the installer to your Windows PC.

2. Install MindStar GpsVR.

3. Open the Flight Simulator.

4. Start ForeFlight on your iOS Device.  Ensure your iPhone or iPad is connected to the same network as your Flight simulator PC and launch ForeFlight.

5. Enable MindStar GpsVR in ForeFlight. Tap More > Devices. MindStar GpsVR should appear in the list. Tap on the MindStar GpsVR "square" and slide the Enabled switch to ON.

FSXFlight

1. Download FSXFlight. Using the link provided in your receipt, download FSXFlight.zip on your Flight Simulator PC. Open the zip file and extract FSXFlight.exe to anywhere on your PC.

2. Start Flight Simulator.  Start your flight simulator of choice. Start a flight either on the ramp or in the air. Ensure that FSUIPC is installed by checking in the Add-ons menu.

3. Start FSXFlight.  Double click on the FSXFlight application icon.  Since flight simulator is already running FSXFlight should read “Connected to FSX.”

4. Start ForeFlight on your iOS Device.  Ensure your iPhone or iPad is connected to the same network as your Flight simulator PC and launch ForeFlight.

5. Enable FSXFlight in ForeFlight: Tap More > Devices. FSXFlight should appear in the list. Tap on the FSXFlight "square" and slide the Enabled switch to ON.

FlightSimGPS

1. Download FlightSimGPS.

2. Double-click to install the program on your PC.

3. Once installed, start FlightSimGPS, and then start Flight Simulator. FlightSimGPS will automatically detect MSFS (if FSUIPC is installed) and connect and start sending information to ForeFlight.

4. Start ForeFlight on your iOS Device.  Ensure your iPhone or iPad is connected to the same network as your Flight simulator PC and launch ForeFlight.

5. Enable FlightSimGPS in ForeFlight: Tap More > Devices. MSFS should appear in the list. Tap on the MSFS "square" and slide the Enabled switch to ON.