Is there a way in the external view to zoom just the plane and not the scenery in 2024? I don't think this was possible but maybe I missed the change.

Can it be done?

I presume it works in drone view.

Hello,
they never did and every time someone asks, people come along and misunderstand
what is meant, insisting that zooming everything is what is being asked for.
I think what you (and I) would like is the ability to move the eyepoint in the external view
towards and away from the aircraft, as can be done in FSX, P3D all versions and X Plane
11 and 12, but not MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024.

Yes, it can be done. See what you have bound for "W" and "S" on the keyboard.

The command names will be something like:
MOVE FORWARD
MOVE BACKWARD
TRANSLATE DRONE FORWARD
TRANSLATE DRONE BACKWARD

These could also be mapped to joystick buttons.

 

TRANSLATE DRONE FORWARD
TRANSLATE DRONE BACKWARD
are both drone commands, which is not what is being asked for.

2 hours ago, mikegrr said:

I presume it works in drone view.

W and S do nothing in the external view, which is the only one in question here.
Not the drone, not the cockpit, the external view, of the outside of the aircraft.

The OP said "I presume" so I thought I'd include the other commands INCLUDING drone view - in case he hadn't got [even] that working. Not sure why you take issue with this - I was only trying to be helpful.

Can be done with ChasePlane besides other stuff like tower views, fly-by, etc. - highly recommend it over the default camera system. (2020 for now, 2024 still in development). Scrolling will change the FoV like default, but Alt+Key Down will translate the view, zooming out without distortion. Of course the binds can be changed.

Edited July 16, 2025Jul 16 by roesti

6 minutes ago, roesti said:

Can be done with ChasePlane besides other stuff like tower views, fly-by, etc. - highly recommend it over the default camera system. (2020 for now, 2024 still in development)

Chaseplane is a brilliant addon - I hope the 2024 version comes out soon! Are you sure it moves the camera forward & backwards in the so-called "external" view <?>. Confusing terminology, as Drone is an exterior view as well. Then you also have instances of the Drone view being called "Showcase". The whole of the MSFS GUI is an utter mess.

14 minutes ago, Adamski_NZ said:

Chaseplane is a brilliant addon - I hope the 2024 version comes out soon! Are you sure it moves the camera forward & backwards in the so-called "external" view <?>.

Yes 🙂 Here a quick and dirty example. Same aircraft position with "active pause". You need to press "Alt+Down Arrow" to achieve this in external view, but of course you could bind it to the scrollwheel as well. Scrollwheel alone works like default.

Default zooming (Scrollwheel), FoV changes / fish-eye effect:

Zooming while "moving out" (no distortion):

Edited July 16, 2025Jul 16 by roesti

These look suspiciously like Drone/Showcase view (!). Or is it External View but with the compass, throttle info etc. toggled off? Is this in 2020 or 2024?

41 minutes ago, Adamski_NZ said:

These look suspiciously like Drone/Showcase view (!). Or is it External View but with the compass, throttle info etc. toggled off? Is this in 2020 or 2024?

It is 2020 with Chaseplane. External View (Aircraft centered) 🙂 No drone view. And of course every text fields like compass etc. disabled, same with POIs etc. - I just want a "clear" camera view.

Maybe a more clear example with the iFly at altitude - when translating away from the centered aircraft, background almost doesn't change, there's no field of view manipulation like the default zoom.

Edited July 16, 2025Jul 16 by roesti

Use th drone view, and call it external camera 2 if you like. It’s not really a “drone”. It’s just a camera view that can be manipulated the way you want - just like it used to be. Move it around, zoom in or out, whatever you like. 

5 hours ago, JonathanC said:

Use th drone view, and call it external camera 2 if you like. It’s not really a “drone”. It’s just a camera view that can be manipulated the way you want - just like it used to be. Move it around, zoom in or out, whatever you like. 

If your aircraft is in flight will the drone view follow the plane?  I gather you better be on autopilot as well 😝

11 hours ago, roesti said:

It is 2020 with Chaseplane. External View (Aircraft centered) 🙂 No drone view. And of course every text fields like compass etc. disabled, same with POIs etc. - I just want a "clear" camera view.

Maybe a more clear example with the iFly at altitude - when translating away from the centered aircraft, background almost doesn't change, there's no field of view manipulation like the default zoom.

Thanks for the explanation and pics! I think the OP was asking specifically for 2024 - so no Chaseplane at the moment.

I deleted my old 2020 when I installed 2024, so can't test things out in 2020. With Chaseplane (2020), are you able to *pan* that external view up, down, & sideways - like you can the "drone/showcase" camera? I seem to remember the aircraft was fixed (as in 2024).

7 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

If your aircraft is in flight will the drone view follow the plane?  I gather you better be on autopilot as well 😝

Yes, it follows by default and will stay at whatever distance you put it at. 
 

or else, you can decouple it from the plane and let the plane fly away while you fly the camera. 
 

they really shouldn’t have called it a drone.. it’s just literally an external camera - it doesn’t get affected by turbulence, there’s no “battery” that runs out .. nothing like a real drone. It’s simply a movable camera view. 

So, after all this back & forth the answer to the OP's question is NO.