Flying career missions in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 adds a whole new level of purpose to the sim experience. Whether you’re transporting cargo, completing charter flights, or rescuing adventurers in the wilderness, every flight feels meaningful. But long stretches of cruising can test even the most dedicated pilot’s patience, especially for those who already find it hard to squeeze some virtual flying time into their busy real-life schedules.
Today, we’re featuring a very handy freeware mod that tackles this issue directly. Sim Rate Selector provides a solution by allowing you to control the speed of your flight. It works in both Free Flight and Career mode, without affecting mission performance, earnings, or scores!
Time management in MSFS
Spending hours cruising over the Atlantic or crossing a vast desert might be immersive, but it’s not always practical when you’re juggling other responsibilities—or just want to complete one more mission before calling it a day.
Microsoft Flight Simulator does allow you to adjust the simulation rate, but the default implementation with ALT + R and the + and – keys is rather clunky. You’re left guessing the current speed and relying on keyboard shortcuts that feel imprecise. Worse, a misstep can throw your mission off course, making the whole process more frustrating than it needs to be.
How Sim Rate Selector solves this problem
Sim Rate Selector addresses these frustrations directly. Once installed, it adds a simple toolbar button to the in-game interface. With just a click, you can see your current simulation rate and adjust it to your liking, whether you want to speed up a long cruise or slow down for a scenic approach. No more guesswork, no more accidental time distortions.
This feature is especially handy for pilots focused on climbing the ranks of their virtual aviation careers, as Career mode allows sim rate adjustments. The adjusted sim rate does not interfere with mission tracking, meaning your scores, earnings, and reputation remain intact. This gives you the flexibility to streamline long-haul flights or repetitive routes, enabling you to take on more missions in less time.
That said, it’s worth noting that high sim rates can occasionally cause issues with complex aircraft systems. Autopilots might behave unpredictably, and navigation systems can experience minor hiccups. While this isn’t a fault of the mod itself, it’s a reminder to use the tool thoughtfully, especially with high-performance or study-level aircraft.
Some may see changing the sim rate in MSFS as a form of cheating. And, well, it kinda is—but for non-competitive single-player modes, what’s the harm?
Sim Rate Selector is available for free on flightsim.to. Installation is straightforward: simply download the file, extract it, and place the folder in your Community folder. The mod integrates seamlessly into the MSFS toolbar, requiring no additional setup or configuration.
