This concerns GA (for me, but I guess feel free to explain for airliners as well) - When should pushback occur? Should I do it before engine startup? It seems in real life, with a prop plane that would be dangerous. But it also seems that sitting on the apron blocks traffic while I'm going thru my checklist. 

Usually in GA unless you're talking big GA, "pushback" is when you hook the towbar to the plane and pull it out of the hangar. You point it in whatever direction you need it to be going when you start taxiing.

If you park outside, oftentimes you're in a "pull through" spot and don't need a push because you just go forward when you're ready.

MSFS acts like every plane is an airliner at the gate, and even does silly things like parking you facing the grass when any competent rampie would have stuck your plane there tail-first.

Here's a good image of what GA parking should generally look like:

which it would be cool if the MSFS devs got hold of it and stopped having your GA planes spawn in an orientation that requires a push.

 

 

Good analysis. Since I'm not a pilot, I never considered how GA craft were parked. Maybe I'll just turn on yaw and rotate the plane in it's spot before I do anything else. 

1 hour ago, bahnzo said:

Good analysis. Since I'm not a pilot, I never considered how GA craft were parked. Maybe I'll just turn on yaw and rotate the plane in it's spot before I do anything else. 

To be honest it's pretty rare not to be able to turn using differential braking, never had to actually push anything other than an airliner.

 

G

3 hours ago, Gazzareth said:

To be honest it's pretty rare not to be able to turn using differential braking, never had to actually push anything other than an airliner.

 

G

Depending on the plane, that's gotten more and more possible with updates. For awhile most planes, especially GA, steered like Zambonis.

Of course, you have to pretend the dork with the minitug isn't standing inside your propeller and the baggage truck isn't parked directly in front of the right wing (because everyone always needs at least one baggage van when departing in a Cessna 150) but honestly, I completely ignore ground vehicles and people at this point. Can't get 'em to move, can't taxi out of the spot without running them over.  Oh well. The important bit is not to let that translate to real life. I hear that's frowned upon. 😉