DRIFTLINE

Driftline help

How to Use Driftline

Driftline helps you discover curated places, build a route for Microsoft Flight Simulator, and follow each waypoint with richer context while you fly.

How Driftline Works

Explore → Add to My Flight → Build Flight → Export PLN → Fly with Driftline

  1. Explore curated POIs and airports.
  2. Add the places you want to My Flight.
  3. Choose an origin and destination, then arrange the route.
  4. Generate and download the final PLN.
  5. Save the plan to your Microsoft Flight Simulator account and load it in the simulator.
  6. Keep Driftline open as a waypoint-by-waypoint companion while you fly.

Explore

Open Explore to browse curated POIs and airports. Open a place to see its description and in-sim reference image, then use Add to My Flight to collect it for a route.

Selection order is meaningful, and you can change it later in Build Flight.

Verified in MSFS

Driftline checks every featured public POI and airport directly in Microsoft Flight Simulator before it is published. We verify that the location is visible in-sim, confirm its position is accurate enough for practical flight use, and capture an in-sim screenshot as a reference. This helps ensure the places you discover in Driftline are actually useful when you fly them.

Build Your Flight

Open Build Flight to review your selected places, choose or confirm the origin and destination, reorder or remove waypoints, and see the route distance. Generate the PLN only when the final route is ready.

If the first or last selected item is an airport, Driftline may infer it as the origin or destination. You can adjust either endpoint before exporting.

MSFS Bridge

What is the MSFS Bridge?

The optional Driftline MSFS Bridge connects Driftline with Microsoft Flight Simulator’s Flight Planner, letting you send supported routes directly instead of manually importing a PLN. Download PLN remains available as a fallback.

What you need

Use desktop Microsoft Edge with the Bridge enabled and Microsoft Flight Simulator’s web Planner open in the same browser. The current version is 0.1.2, installed manually as an unpacked extension. There is no extension-store installation yet; mobile browsers and other browsers are not covered by these setup instructions.

The extension requests tab and scripting permissions and access to planner.flightsimulator.com. It uses your signed-in Microsoft session within the Planner tab; it does not read or store passwords, cookies, or API tokens, or send Microsoft authentication data to Driftline.

Install in Edge

  1. Locate the current Driftline source package and its tools/msfs-bridge folder. If you received a ZIP, extract it first. If you do not have the package, request it from the Driftline maintainer; Download PLN works without it.
  2. Open edge://extensions in Edge and enable Developer mode.
  3. Choose Load unpacked and select the msfs-bridge directory containing manifest.json, not the whole source package.
  4. Confirm Driftline MSFS Bridge is enabled and its version is 0.1.2.
  5. Refresh your Driftline tab after loading the extension.

Allow Driftline access

In the extension’s Details, check Site access and allow it to run on the supported Driftline site and Microsoft Flight Simulator Planner. Open the Driftline website.

Access is limited to named sites, not every website. An approved development preview and local development addresses are also supported, but are not needed for normal setup. Other preview addresses are not automatically supported. If Driftline’s domain changes, the installed package must also be updated to allow the new address.

Prepare MSFS Flight Planner

Open Microsoft Flight Simulator Flight Planner in Edge and sign in to the Microsoft account you use in the simulator. Keep that tab open while sending.

Confirm connection

Driftline should show MSFS Bridge detected · 0.1.2. Detection is separate from Planner availability: the Bridge can be detected even when Planner is closed. If you see MSFS Bridge not detected, follow troubleshooting below.

Send a flight

  1. Select a Guided Flight or assemble a route in Explore and open Build Flight.
  2. In Build Flight, choose Generate Flight Plan. Its ready-to-fly actions appear after successful generation.
  3. Click Send to MSFS.
  4. Wait for the success confirmation.
  5. Open the saved plan from your Microsoft Flight Simulator flight plans in the in-sim EFB. Keep Driftline Fly open alongside the simulator if you want the waypoint guide.

Editing an Explore-built route requires generating it again before sending the updated plan.

Manual fallback

If direct send is unavailable, choose Download PLN, import the file into the web Planner, and save it to your simulator account. You can still use Driftline’s Fly link and QR code.

Troubleshooting

Bridge not detected
Confirm the extension is enabled, check site access, reload it in Edge’s extensions page, then refresh Driftline. Check the displayed version. If old UI remains cached, hard-refresh Driftline. Private browsing requires separate extension permission; use a regular window first.
Planner tab missing
Open planner.flightsimulator.com in the same Edge browser and sign in. A detected Bridge does not mean the Planner tab is open.
Messaging failure
Reload the current Bridge package and refresh Driftline so the page reconnects. Check that the displayed version matches the installed package before retrying.
Planner action or injection failed
Refresh the Planner tab, confirm its site permission, and check that you are still signed in. Reload the extension if the problem persists.
Timeout
Check your Planner flight library before retrying: the save may have completed even if the reply timed out. If the Bridge never acknowledged the request, reload it and refresh Driftline. If Planner timed out, check the connection and sign-in first.
Successful send
The confirmation means the plan was accepted. Look in your Microsoft Flight Simulator flight plans and open it from the in-sim EFB; refresh the web Planner library if necessary.

Updating the Bridge

Replace the files in the unpacked extension folder with the current package, then choose Reload for Driftline MSFS Bridge in edge://extensions. Refresh Driftline and confirm the new displayed version. A website update does not update an installed unpacked extension. Direct send is experimental and can be affected by changes to Microsoft’s Planner; Download PLN remains the fallback.

Export to Microsoft Flight Simulator

  1. Generate the PLN in Driftline.
  2. Open or import the PLN in the Microsoft Flight Simulator web Planner or account.
  3. Save the flight plan to your Microsoft Flight Simulator account.
  4. Load that saved flight plan in the simulator.
  5. Use Driftline /fly on a phone, tablet, or second screen while flying.

Airports Not Available in MSFS Planner

Some airports visible and usable in Microsoft Flight Simulator are not recognized as airports by the MSFS web Planner. Driftline preserves the route by exporting that airport position as a latitude/longitude waypoint.

  1. Leave the coordinate waypoint unchanged in the web Planner.
  2. Save the PLN to your MSFS account as-is.
  3. Load the flight plan in the simulator.
  4. Select the actual airport using its ICAO code in-sim.

A coordinate endpoint is expected behavior, not an error.

Fly with Driftline

Open the generated flight in Driftline and use the waypoint sequence during the flight. Each waypoint may include an in-sim reference image, a narrative, and optional deeper context. Use Previous and Next to move through the route.

After generating your flight, scan the Driftline QR code to open the same route on your phone or tablet. You can then keep the Fly guide beside you while Microsoft Flight Simulator runs on your PC or Xbox.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my departure or destination show as coordinates?

That airport is not recognized by the MSFS web Planner. Keep the coordinate waypoint, save the plan as-is, then select the ICAO airport in the simulator.

Should I replace the coordinate waypoint in the web Planner?

No. Preserve it so the Driftline route remains intact.

Does Driftline work with Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox?

Yes. Driftline is a browser-based companion, so you can use it alongside Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox. Build and save your flight plan through your Microsoft Flight Simulator account, load it in the simulator, and use Driftline on your phone, tablet, or computer as you fly.

Do I need Driftline open while flying?

No for the simulator itself, but keeping /fly open on a phone, tablet, or second screen provides the waypoint guide and narratives.

Can I change the route before exporting?

Yes. Reorder or remove waypoints and adjust endpoints in Build Flight before generating the PLN.

Why do some places have more information than others?

Some locations have deeper context modules where useful; all public content is curated for the flight experience.

Are all airports available in the MSFS Planner?

No. Driftline may include airports that exist in the simulator but are not recognized by the web Planner.