In addition to the aircraft you're flying, other aircraft—flown by artificial intelligence (AI)—cruise the Flight Simulator world. You can choose how much AI traffic you want flying around the skies with you using the Traffic dialog box.
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When you installed Flight Simulator, the setup program automatically chose the best overall settings for your computer's hardware. The Traffic tab lets you customize Flight Simulator traffic to make the world as busy as you want it to be.
Depending on your computer, traffic settings may affect the performance of Flight Simulator. Experiment with the settings to find the combination of performance and realism that you like.
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To open the traffic tab
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Aviation Traffic
Flight Simulator air traffic consists of both airline traffic and general aviation traffic. Airline traffic includes regularly scheduled air carriers such as Landmark Airlines and Orbit Airlines, while general aviation traffic refers to all other non-military aircraft.
The Density sliders determine how busy the traffic is. You can turn off all traffic by setting the sliders to zero (moving the sliders all the way to the left), or you can make traffic very busy by moving the sliders all the way to the right.
Be aware that if you're flying from a small airport in the middle of nowhere, even with a high air traffic density setting you'll encounter less traffic than you would using a medium setting at a busy international airport. On some computer systems, a high density setting may affect simulator performance.
You can choose to have airline, general aviation, or both kinds of traffic flying during your flights. You'll see the aircraft on the ground and in the air, and you'll hear them communicate with the tower if you're using air traffic control on the same frequency. To learn more, see Air Traffic Control.
To add more realism, there is also airport vehicle traffic, including baggage handlers and fuel trucks.
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To adjust the aviation traffic density
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Aircraft Labels
All aircraft, including the one you are flying, have labels in the air above the aircraft that provide useful information that you can see from a distance. When you're using air traffic control and the controller gives you a traffic warning, these labels prove particularly useful. You can choose the type of information you want displayed in labels, or you can choose to turn the labels off.
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To display aircraft labels
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User Aircraft
When you select User aircraft, your own aircraft will be labeled; this is a useful feature if you're flying in dense traffic conditions and viewing your aircraft from Tower or Spot plane view (for more on views, see Using Views and Windows).
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To label your aircraft
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Manufacturer
The aircraft manufacturer's name can be useful to identify traffic when using air traffic control. Traffic advisories from ATC are often given as "...traffic is a Boeing 737." In this case, "Boeing:" is the manufacturer's name.
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To see the manufacturer's name in labels
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Model
The aircraft model can be useful to identify aircraft mentioned in ATC traffic reports. Traffic advisories from ATC are often given as "...traffic is a Cessna 172." In this case, "172" is the model name. If you're looking for the traffic, the model name in the label can help differentiate the Cessna 172 from a Cessna Caravan that may also be nearby.
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To see the model name in labels
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Tail Number
The tail number is useful when listening to air traffic control. The controller may be issuing instructions to an aircraft near you that is not currently close enough to warrant giving you an advisory. Seeing the tail number allows you to identify who ATC is talking to. Tail numbers are usually the aircraft registration number.
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To see the tail number in labels
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Distance
Whether or not you're listening to air traffic control, aircraft labels can show you the distance between your aircraft and another. Depending on your current International settings, the distance is displayed in miles or kilometers (for more information, see Changing International Settings).
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To see the distance between you and other aircraft
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Altitude
It's often difficult to determine by sight whether another aircraft is flying at the same altitude as your aircraft. Flight Simulator air traffic advisories always include the altitude of the other aircraft, so seeing the altitude in the label can help identify the traffic. Depending on your current International settings, the altitude is displayed in feet or meters (for more information, see Changing International Settings).
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To see altitude in labels
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Label Color
Experiment with setting different colors for aircraft labels to determine which color is easiest for you to see. Different weather conditions may dictate using a different label color.
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To change the label color
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Cycle Rate
If you select all of the Aircraft labels options, the labels will contain a lot of information. The information cycles, or changes, by displaying one piece of information at a time. Experiment with different cycle rates to determine which rate works best for you. You can select an interval, ranging from one to five seconds, which determines how long each piece of information remains on screen before cycling to the next piece of information.
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To set the label cycle rate
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Land and Sea Traffic
Flight Simulator land and sea traffic includes highway and freeway traffic, large ships, ferries, yachts, and small pleasure boats.
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To adjust land and sea traffic density
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Resetting Default Values
You can easily return to the default display settings at any time.
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To reset the display settings on any tab
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