In FSX/P3D I've always used the taxi ribbon if I'm in an unfamiliar airport as I don't use charts, and I often set flights up for dawn or dusk, when it's nigh to impossible to find the runway apron w/o a taxi ribbon.  Sometimes in P3D I could use the top-down view to see where I am at in the airport and to see which taxiways will work to get me there.  I was so hoping the taxi ribbon in MSFS was going to be if anything, MORE discreet, more subtle, but  instead it's a heinous, huge, bright blue color.   If you use the ribbon, would you prefer a more discreet option?  If you don't use the ribbon, what method do you use to get to the runway esp at dawn/dusk/night in unfamiliar airports?

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by Noel

I give the co-pilot a change to shine. He/she has been happy to have something to do. 🙂

But after landing he/she is doing terrible job, crashed my plane twice.

22 minutes ago, Noel said:

I was so hoping the taxi ribbon in MSFS was going to be if anything, MORE discreet, more subtle, but  instead it's a heinous, huge, bright blue color.  

This was done for the folks who sit 30 feet away looking 123 inch 8k tvs, playing MSFS on their xbox. 

I was wondering the same. I would like to start off at gates, parking or fuel points, then be able to find my way to the designated runway, without relying on navigational aids such as the big blue line of arrows.

I started off at a gate or parking somewhere, it was runway 23, I think, for take-off, and I seemed to be taxiing for more than 5 minutes, following the blue line. And I wondered, if I didn't have this intrusive guide, how would I possibly know which is runway 23 or which direction to go.

I do not have MSFS yet. You can use airport diagrams which can be found very easily online, or use a moving map (like the excellent free Little Nav Map)  to orient yourself. Also I think (?) the airliners in the sim show airport layout on one of the displays - just like in real life.

Here for example on the left is the airport diagram for LAX.

https://skyvector.com/airport/LAX/Los-Angeles-International-Airport

Personally I dont like those cartoony guide lines ive seen in the YT vids on MSFS. 

Little Navmap using the scenery database created in P3D. Works well enough until LNM gets updated and then it'll work even better.

The way we do it out here at the Home is just use the V key to call up the built-in VFR map and then zoom in to see the airport details.   It should become more or less apparent what taxiways will route you to the assigned runway.  At the larger more complex airports you will also get instructions as to what other runways to cross and you can map that out in your mind's eye as you look at the airport layout to confirm you have the right idea what taxiways to take and what runways you will cross.  The lil' taxiway signs should confirm this as you go from intersection to intersection. 

Well when you want to use a game cheat, then it will look just like a game cheat completely unrealistic because by its very nature it's there to be a "dummy" guide to where to go.

I better cheat would be to use the drone camera and look at the airport from high and remember.

Best if all is to use a chart. Just how it should be done. Navigraph also do am app to show you where you are at an airport but then you would have charts so that pointless.

You last option is to use an aircraft with a G1000 and zoom the map right in.

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by Nyxx

I would really like to have a toggle key for the taxi ribbon, so I can have it turned off when I don't need it, and switch it on if "Do I go straight here or turn right...?" Pretty much like the progressive taxi in FSX/P3D.

I launch the drone camera, hit R key to lift it above me, and survey the layout of the airport. It's not really cheating, because even if this was your first visit to the airport, you would have seen and learned something of its layout.

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by dobee51
To add a thought

1 hour ago, Noel said:

I was so hoping the taxi ribbon in MSFS was going to be if anything, MORE discreet, more subtle, but  instead it's a heinous, huge, bright blue color.   If you use the ribbon, would you prefer a more discreet option?  If you don't use the ribbon, what method do you use to get to the runway esp at dawn/dusk/night in unfamiliar airports?

I'm hoping that there is some unlisted setting one can add to a .cfg file to turn this ribbon down dramatically. I'd settle for a opacity setting, which I'd probably set to 10%.

Another option I'd be happy with is a quick toggle key so I can turn it on, say to myself, "Ahh, that's where they want me to go!" and then quickly turn it off again.

1 hour ago, Noel said:

If you don't use the ribbon, what method do you use to get to the runway

Easy. If you look around, you'll spot it. It's that big grey thing with lights all over it that is approximately two miles long and about 250 feet wide. 🤣

Seriously though, I just use the ribbon. It's not the best looking visual aid ever, but it does the job.

KInd of hard to find the right taxi way after you've knocked back a few cold ones during the flight. I just pull up to the next free gate and call it a night. 

Oh, and has anyone noticed the big blue sqaure on the ground where you're supposed to park your ride? 

Edited September 5, 20205 yr by Ricardo41

10 hours ago, ThrottleUp said:

I do not have MSFS yet. You can use airport diagrams which can be found very easily online, or use a moving map (like the excellent free Little Nav Map)  to orient yourself. Also I think (?) the airliners in the sim show airport layout on one of the displays - just like in real life.

Here for example on the left is the airport diagram for LAX.

https://skyvector.com/airport/LAX/Los-Angeles-International-Airport

Personally I dont like those cartoony guide lines ive seen in the YT vids on MSFS. 

Unfortunately, the sim seems to procedurally assign taxi-way designations for most airports and thus render inaccurate from online airport diagrams.

I normally use the big ol' ugly taxi ribbon. Almost as ridiculous as how needlessly garish it is, is the fact it actually reflects off your windscreen and fuselage!

Toning it down, allowing opacity adjustment and a toggle keystroke are all needed.