Long Loading Times Masterclass

Estimated Lesson Time: 40–50 Minutes

Lesson Overview

Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the largest and most complex consumer applications available today.

Unlike most games, it doesn’t simply load a level and begin rendering.

Instead, it must initialise the simulator, scan installed content, verify packages, load aircraft systems, prepare scenery, stream online world data and build the flight environment before you’re ready to fly.

Because of this, loading times vary dramatically between systems.

Some users reach the main menu in under a minute, while others may wait several minutes before even selecting a flight.

Long loading times are often accepted as “normal,” but many delays are caused by identifiable factors that can be reduced or eliminated.

This lesson will teach you how Microsoft Flight Simulator loads, what influences loading time and how to optimise the process without compromising stability.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will understand:

Why Microsoft Flight Simulator takes time to load.

How the Community Folder affects startup.

SSD vs HDD vs NVMe performance.

Rolling Cache and loading behaviour.

Internet speed and online services.

World Updates.

Add-on scanning.

Photogrammetry loading.

Memory usage.

Storage performance.

Startup optimisation.

How to reduce loading times systematically.

Why Does Microsoft Flight Simulator Take So Long to Load?

When you launch Microsoft Flight Simulator, much more happens than simply displaying graphics.

The simulator performs several stages before you begin flying.

These include:

Initialising the simulator engine.
Verifying installed packages.
Scanning the Community Folder.
Loading installed aircraft.
Loading scenery databases.
Initialising online services.
Loading terrain data.
Preparing weather.
Building airport scenery.
Initialising aircraft systems.

Each stage contributes to the total loading time.

Understanding these stages helps identify where delays occur.

Stage 1 – Simulator Initialisation

Immediately after launch, Microsoft Flight Simulator loads its core engine.

This includes:

Graphics engine.
Physics engine.
Input devices.
Audio systems.
User configuration.
Installed content database.

This stage is largely dependent on your storage device and CPU.

Stage 2 – Community Folder Scanning

Every time the simulator starts, it scans the Community Folder.

It checks:

Installed packages.
Manifest files.
Layout files.
Dependencies.
Compatibility.

The more add-ons installed, the longer this process may take.

Large Community Folders containing hundreds of packages can significantly increase startup time.

Community Folder Size

A well-organised Community Folder loads more efficiently than one containing:

Duplicate airports.
Old libraries.
Obsolete add-ons.
Unused liveries.
Empty folders.

While organisation alone won’t dramatically improve FPS, it can simplify startup and reduce the amount of unnecessary content the simulator must process.

Using tools such as MSFS Addons Linker to activate only the content required for your flight can noticeably reduce loading times.

SSD vs HDD

Storage performance has a direct influence on loading speed.

HDD

Mechanical hard drives:

Slower seek times.
Lower read speeds.
Longer loading.

Suitable for archive storage but not ideal for the simulator itself.

SATA SSD

Solid State Drives provide:

Faster reads.
Lower latency.
Improved responsiveness.

Most users notice a substantial improvement compared with HDDs.

NVMe SSD

NVMe drives connect directly via PCIe and offer:

Extremely high read speeds.
Lower latency.
Faster scenery loading.
Faster startup.

Installing Microsoft Flight Simulator and the Community Folder on an NVMe SSD provides the best loading performance available on most modern PCs.

Rolling Cache

Rolling Cache stores recently downloaded scenery.

Although primarily designed to reduce repeated scenery downloads rather than startup time, corrupted or outdated cache data can occasionally contribute to inconsistent loading behaviour.

If troubleshooting unexplained loading issues:

Test with Rolling Cache enabled.
Test with Rolling Cache disabled.
Compare results using the same benchmark.

Internet Speed

Microsoft Flight Simulator streams:

Terrain.
Satellite imagery.
Photogrammetry.
Live Weather.
Live Traffic.

A slow or unstable internet connection may increase the time required to prepare online scenery and services.

Remember:

Fast internet cannot compensate for slow storage, and fast storage cannot compensate for poor network conditions.

Both contribute to the overall experience.

World Updates

Every World Update increases the amount of scenery available.

New:

Airports.
Cities.
Terrain.
Photogrammetry.

After installing a major World Update, the simulator may require additional time to build caches and initialise newly installed content.

The first few launches after an update may therefore take longer than usual.

Add-on Scanning

Every installed add-on must be scanned during startup.

Examples include:

Aircraft.
Airports.
Liveries.
Utilities.
Navigation databases.
Libraries.

The simulator verifies these packages before making them available.

Unused or outdated add-ons increase scanning time without adding value to every flight.

Photogrammetry Loading

Photogrammetry is streamed dynamically during flight.

However, when loading into airports surrounded by large photogrammetry cities, additional data may be prepared during loading.

Examples include:

London.
New York.
Paris.

These airports often require more time than rural airfields.

Memory Usage

During startup, the simulator allocates system memory for:

Aircraft.
Scenery.
Textures.
Weather.
Navigation data.

Systems with limited RAM may experience:

Increased disk activity.
Longer loading.
Additional paging to storage.

Although loading time is not determined solely by RAM capacity, insufficient memory can contribute to delays.

Storage Performance

Storage performance depends on more than just drive type.

Also consider:

Available free space.
Drive health.
Background disk activity.
Other applications using the drive.

A heavily utilised storage device may load more slowly than expected.

Maintaining adequate free space and monitoring drive health helps ensure consistent performance.

Startup Optimisation

Several simple practices can reduce startup time.

Examples include:

Disable unused add-ons.
Use Add-ons Linker profiles.
Keep the Community Folder organised.
Install the simulator on an SSD or NVMe SSD.
Close unnecessary background applications.
Ensure sufficient free storage space.
Keep storage devices healthy.

Avoid making unnecessary changes unless benchmarking confirms a measurable improvement.

Diagnosing Long Loading Times

When analysing startup performance, ask the following questions.

Does the delay occur:

Before the main menu?

Loading a flight?

Loading one airport?

Loading one aircraft?

Only after updates?

Only with a large Community Folder?

The answers help identify the correct troubleshooting direction.

Professional Loading Time Diagnosis Workflow

Step 1

Measure startup time.

From clicking Play until the main menu appears.

Step 2

Measure flight loading time.

From clicking Fly until the aircraft is ready.

Step 3

Record:

Storage type.
Community Folder size.
Number of active add-ons.
Rolling Cache configuration.
RAM usage.

Step 4

Form a hypothesis.

Example:

“The simulator only loads slowly when the Airline profile containing 250 add-ons is active.”

Step 5

Change one variable.

Example:

Disable unnecessary airport scenery.

Step 6

Repeat the loading test.

Step 7

Compare results.

Did loading time improve?

Worked Example

Problem

Simulator now takes six minutes to load.

Investigation

Storage:

NVMe SSD.

Community Folder:

420 packages.

RAM:

32 GB.

Rolling Cache:

Enabled.

Test

Create a lightweight Add-ons Linker profile containing only:

Aircraft.
Required airport.
Essential utilities.

Result

Loading time reduces to three minutes.

Conclusion

The storage device was not the bottleneck.

The large number of active add-ons significantly increased startup scanning time.

Common Mistakes

Installing Microsoft Flight Simulator on an HDD.

Keeping every add-on permanently active.

Ignoring Community Folder organisation.

Assuming internet speed is the only cause.

Running unnecessary background applications.

Filling SSDs almost completely.

Measuring loading times without using consistent test conditions.

Student Exercise

Today you’re going to optimise Microsoft Flight Simulator startup performance.

Step 1

Measure your current loading times.

Record:

Time from launch to main menu.
Time from Fly to cockpit ready.

Step 2

Record your current system:

Storage device.
Community Folder size.
Number of active add-ons.
Rolling Cache setting.
Available free storage.

Step 3

Choose one optimisation.

Examples:

Disable unused add-ons.
Use an Add-ons Linker profile.
Close background applications.
Clear unnecessary storage.
Temporarily test Rolling Cache.

Step 4

Repeat the loading test.

Compare:

Startup time.
Flight loading time.
Overall responsiveness.

Step 5

Document the results in your Performance Profile.

Record:

Original loading time.
Optimisation performed.
New loading time.
Final conclusion.

Loading Time Analysis Report

System Configuration

Storage Type:

Community Folder Size:

Active Add-ons:

Rolling Cache:

Free Storage:

Loading Measurements

Main Menu Loading Time:

Flight Loading Time:

Optimisation Performed

Single Change:

Results

Main Menu Loading Time After Change:

Flight Loading Time After Change:

Improvement:

Final Conclusion

Most Likely Cause of Delay:

Student Checklist

Startup time measured.

Flight loading time measured.

Storage analysed.

Community Folder reviewed.

One optimisation tested.

Results compared.

Performance Profile updated.

Lesson Summary

Congratulations.

You now understand that long loading times are the result of multiple interacting factors rather than a single setting.

Remember:

Microsoft Flight Simulator performs many complex tasks during startup, including package verification, scenery preparation and aircraft initialisation.
The Community Folder, storage device, active add-ons and online services all contribute to total loading time.
Fast NVMe storage provides the best foundation, but a well-managed add-on library and organised simulator installation are equally important.
Measuring startup and flight loading times before and after each change allows you to identify meaningful improvements rather than relying on assumptions.
Professional optimisation focuses on removing unnecessary delays while maintaining the features and add-ons that matter most to your flying.

Knowledge Check

What stages does Microsoft Flight Simulator complete during startup?
Why can a large Community Folder significantly increase loading time?
How do HDDs, SATA SSDs and NVMe SSDs differ in loading performance?
Why might World Updates temporarily increase loading times?
How can internet speed influence the loading experience?
Why is it beneficial to use Add-ons Linker profiles?
What information should you record before attempting to optimise loading times?
Based on your benchmark, which optimisation produced the greatest improvement, and what evidence supports your conclusion?

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