Flight Services (Apps and Websites)

Flight Services is your launch pad for all the external tools and websites you use alongside Microsoft Flight Simulator. Configure your favorite apps and URLs once, then launch them with a single click from a clean grid view.

Written By Jim Thompson

Last updated About 2 hours ago

Getting Started

Flight Services lives on the INIT page (Initialization) -- the first page you see when PERFLIGHT opens. It occupies the right column, next to Pilot Profiles.

If you have not added any services yet, you will see a dropdown labeled "Select a service or installer you would like to activate". Click it to browse the list of predefined services, or scroll down to add a custom one.

Predefined Services

PERFLIGHT includes auto-detection for 17 popular flight sim tools. Select one from the dropdown and PERFLIGHT will search your system for it automatically. If found, it saves the path and adds the service immediately -- you will see a confirmation message like "Orbx Central (Automatically detected)".

If auto-detection fails, you can click Browse to locate the executable yourself.

As of v1.0.0 the predefined services include:

  • Aerosoft One

  • CabinSim Airline Announcements

  • Contrail

  • Flight1 Agent

  • Flightsim.to Installer

  • FlyByWire Installer

  • iFly Manager

  • iniManager

  • MobiFlight Connector

  • Navigraph Charts

  • Navigraph Hub

  • Navigraph Simlink

  • Octavi IFR1

  • Orbx Central

  • PMDG Operations Center

  • SimBrief Downloader

  • TrackIR

Each predefined service has its own logo that displays on the grid button.

Adding Custom Services

Click the "Add a custom service (app or website)" dropdown to open the custom service form. You can add two types:

Executable (App)

  1. Select Executable in the type toggle (this is the default).

  2. Enter a service name (e.g., "FSUIPC7").

  3. Either type the path to the .exe file or click Browse to pick it.

  4. Optionally choose a button color and button label (see below).

  5. Click Add Custom Service.

Web URL (Website)

  1. Select Web URL in the type toggle.

  2. Enter a service name (e.g., "SkyVector").

  3. Enter the full URL starting with http:// or https://.

  4. Optionally choose a button color and button label.

  5. Click Add Custom Service.

When launched, URL services open in your default browser. They display a globe icon in the services list so you can tell them apart from apps at a glance.

Button Customization

Custom services have two optional appearance settings:

Button Color

Click the color swatch to open your system's color picker and choose an accent color for the grid button. If you skip this, PERFLIGHT auto-assigns a color based on the service name. Click Auto to reset back to the automatic color.

Button Label

Enter a short label (up to 20 characters) to display on the grid button instead of the full service name. Useful when names are long -- for example, label "CabinSim Airline Announcements" as just "CabinSim".

If you leave it blank, the full service name displays with auto-sizing text that shrinks to fit the button.

Edit Mode vs. Grid Mode

Once you have at least one service configured, a mode toggle appears in the Flight Services header -- two small icons next to the title.

Edit Mode (Pencil Icon)

This is the default view and where you manage your services:

  • Add predefined services from the dropdown at the top.

  • Add custom services from the form below it.

  • Edit custom services by clicking the pencil icon on any custom service row. This reopens the form with the current values so you can change the name, path, type, color, or label.

  • Delete any service by clicking the X button. A confirmation prompt appears before removal.

  • Test launch by clicking a service row. The hint text "Click to test your service buttons" reminds you of this.

Services are grouped with custom services listed first, then predefined services, both sorted alphabetically within their group.

Grid Mode (Grid Icon)

This is the quick-launch view -- a clean grid of buttons sorted alphabetically:

  • Predefined services show their partner logo.

  • Custom services show a colored button with your label or full name.

  • Click any button to launch the service.

  • Buttons scale up slightly on hover and press down on click for satisfying feedback.

Your mode preference is saved automatically and persists across sessions.

Editing and Removing Services

Editing a Custom Service

In Edit mode, click the pencil icon on any custom service. The form reopens pre-filled with the current values. Make your changes and click Save Changes, or click Cancel to discard.

You can change everything about a custom service: its name, type (switch between Executable and Web URL), path/URL, button color, and button label.

Removing a Service

Click the X button on any service (predefined or custom). A confirmation prompt asks "Are you sure you want to remove [Service Name]?" before deleting.

Removing a predefined service just removes your configuration -- you can always re-add it from the dropdown later.

Integration with the Pre-Flight Checklist

Services you configure here can be used as checklist steps. In the Pre-Flight Checklist builder, the "Launch Service" and "Open URL" step types pull from your configured services list. This lets you include app launches and website opens as part of your pre-flight workflow.

Tips

  • Start with auto-detection. Select predefined services first -- PERFLIGHT finds most of them automatically unless you selected a custom location.

  • Use Grid mode day-to-day. Switch to the grid for a clean, fast launch experience. Save Edit mode for when you need to add or change services.

  • Add your favorite flight planning websites as URL services -- SimBrief web, LittleNavMap online, weather briefing sites, VATSIM tools, and so on.

  • Short labels help. If a grid button is hard to read, add a short button label in the edit form.

  • Colors help too. Assign similar colors to related services (e.g., all Navigraph tools in blue, all weather tools in amber) so you can find them at a glance.