✈️ AeroTuneMFS — Intelligent Performance Optimisation & System Health Platform for MSFS 2020 & 2024

AeroTuneMFS is an intelligent real-time performance optimisation and system health companion for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024.

Designed around a smoothness-first philosophy, AeroTune continuously monitors your simulator and system performance, dynamically adjusting key graphics settings such as Terrain LOD (TLOD), Object LOD (OLOD), Cloud Quality, and Shadow Quality in real time.

Unlike traditional FPS-focused tuning tools, AeroTune makes decisions based on actual system conditions including CPU load, GPU load, VRAM pressure, frametime stability, altitude, AGL (Above Ground Level), and flight-phase awareness.

The goal is simple:

→ Smoothness first → Stability second → Visual quality third

AeroTune is designed to deliver more consistent performance where it matters most — busy airports, departures, arrivals, demanding scenery, and long-haul flights.

⭐ Key Features

Core Engine — Free

• Intelligent real-time tuning of TLOD, OLOD, Clouds, and Shadows
• Flight-phase aware optimisation across ground, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and approach
• Airport profile for smoother taxi, departures and arrivals at busy airports
• High-Altitude Boost with controlled quality recovery
• Automatic OLOD optimisation with airport awareness
• PresentMon-based frametime and frame-pacing analysis
• CPU/MainThread-aware optimisation
• Optional ML-assisted stutter detection
• Emergency protection for VRAM pressure, frametime instability, and telemetry loss
• Calibration Wizard (Balanced mode) to set safe limits for your PC
• Restores your own MSFS graphics settings when AeroTune closes
• Dynamic memory address detection, validation, and recovery
• Multi-backend GPU and VRAM telemetry (NVML, DXGI, ADLX, PowerShell and more)
• Lightweight overlay with live optimisation feedback
• Automatic startup with Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Automatic updates with Stable and Beta channels
• Save and load presets

⭐ Pro Platform

• Live Insights — see what AeroTune is doing during your flight, and why
• System Health Reports with detailed performance breakdowns
• What's Holding Your PC Back — find which part limits MSFS, and whether an upgrade would really help
• Compare With Similar Systems — see how your flights compare with pilots using the same graphics card (v2.0.2+)
• Aircraft Performance — see which aircraft are heaviest on your PC
• Quality & Stability calibration modes, calibration history and preset share codes
• Saved Presets on your account, ready to load on any PC
• Advanced Log Analyser with automated diagnostics
• Graph-based analytics for CPU, GPU, VRAM, and stability trends
• Early access builds and the private Pro lounge on Discord

Pro remains completely optional.

Core real-time optimisation is fully available without Pro.

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🧠 How AeroTune Works

AeroTune continuously evaluates the conditions affecting simulator performance rather than simply chasing a target FPS.

It:

• Monitors CPU, GPU, RAM, and VRAM pressure
• Tracks real frametime stability and frame-pacing consistency
• Detects instability, stutters, bottlenecks, and memory pressure
• Uses frametime confirmation to help distinguish meaningful stutter signals from temporary telemetry anomalies
• Applies small, reversible tuning adjustments
• Adapts to your system's observed performance and stable operating conditions
• Uses flight-phase awareness to avoid unnecessary or risky changes
• Protects against increases when CPU, GPU, VRAM, or frametime conditions indicate insufficient headroom
• Can rediscover supported graphics settings if their internal locations change during a session
• Gradually restores visual quality when stable performance returns
• Prioritises long-term smoothness over short-term FPS gains

This conservative approach helps reduce oscillation, unnecessary setting changes, and visual popping while maintaining stable simulator performance.

AeroTune may intentionally hold a setting rather than change it when the available telemetry does not provide enough confidence that an adjustment would improve smoothness.

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📦 Installation

1. Download and run the AeroTune installer
2. Follow the setup wizard — the default installation location is recommended
3. Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator
4. AeroTune can be launched manually or automatically when MSFS is detected
5. Right-click the AeroTune tray icon to access settings and controls

AeroTune's memory-based tuning features require Administrator access. When required, AeroTune will request elevation through Windows.

For automatic startup, AeroTune uses a lightweight watcher which starts with Windows and waits for Microsoft Flight Simulator to be detected before launching AeroTune.

Tip: run the Calibration Wizard once after installing. It takes a few minutes of normal flying and sets safe limits for your PC.

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🔑 First Run & Activation

AeroTune includes a free core experience.

On first launch, activate AeroTune using the API key associated with your AeroTune account.

Your AeroTune account provides access to AeroTune's core services, updates, compatibility features, and optional Pro services.

Optional — Upgrade to Pro

Pro unlocks additional diagnostic and analysis features including:

• Live Insights
• System Health Reports
• Upgrade advice and system comparisons in your Dashboard
• Quality & Stability calibration and share codes
• Saved Presets
• Advanced Log Analysis
• Early access builds

A free 5-day Pro trial is available from within the app.

Pro is not required for AeroTune's core real-time optimisation.

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🛠 Troubleshooting

"Waiting for Microsoft Flight Simulator..."

→ This is normal while AeroTune is waiting for MSFS to launch or become available.

"Waiting for Ready-to-Fly"

→ AeroTune has detected MSFS but is waiting until the simulator has fully loaded into a valid flight session.

Memory scanning and optimisation are deliberately held during this period to avoid making changes while the simulator is still loading.

GPU or VRAM Shows 0%

→ Try switching the GPU telemetry backend within AeroTune settings.

Different GPU and driver configurations may work better with different telemetry backends, particularly on some AMD systems.

High VRAM Warning

→ AeroTune has detected elevated VRAM pressure.

It may temporarily pause quality increases or reduce selected settings to preserve headroom and protect smoothness.

Frametime Guard Reducing TLOD

→ AeroTune has detected unstable frame pacing or rendering pressure.

This can occur even when overall GPU or VRAM utilisation appears relatively low because frametime behaviour can reveal performance pressure that utilisation percentages alone do not show.

CPU Limit / CPU-Bound Warning

→ AeroTune has detected evidence that the simulator's CPU/MainThread or render thread is limiting performance.

In this situation, AeroTune may hold quality increases or reduce CPU-sensitive settings such as TLOD when doing so is likely to improve frame pacing.

High-Altitude Boost Not Activating

→ AeroTune may be waiting for suitable altitude, stable cruise conditions, sufficient CPU/GPU/VRAM headroom, or an active safety/cooldown period to finish.

High-Altitude Boost will only increase quality when AeroTune considers it safe to do so.

TLOD/OLOD Not Increasing

→ AeroTune may intentionally hold settings because of VRAM pressure, CPU/MainThread limitations, recent instability, frametime conditions, flight phase, cooldowns, or insufficient performance headroom.

A hold does not necessarily indicate a problem — sometimes no change is the safest optimisation decision.

TLOD, OLOD, Clouds or Shadows Not Available

→ These settings are located dynamically within Microsoft Flight Simulator and their internal locations can change between simulator versions, sessions, and system configurations.

AeroTune attempts to locate, validate, and recover supported settings automatically.

If a setting cannot be safely validated, AeroTune will leave it unchanged and continue optimising with the controls it has successfully validated.

A Setting Becomes Temporarily Unavailable

→ AeroTune continuously protects its memory operations.

If an address can no longer be safely verified, AeroTune may intentionally stop using it and attempt to rediscover it rather than continuing to write to an uncertain location.

This is a safety mechanism and does not necessarily indicate a fault.

PresentMon Telemetry Unavailable

→ AeroTune uses PresentMon for advanced frametime analysis. Make sure AeroTune is running as Administrator.

Some monitoring or benchmarking applications, such as CapFrameX, RTSS or MSI Afterburner capture, can interfere with frametime capture. If you need to keep using one of them, you can turn off PresentMon frame timing on AeroTune's Controls tab; AeroTune will then tune from CPU, GPU and VRAM load instead.

AeroTune will avoid making frametime-based decisions when the required telemetry is considered unreliable.

SimConnect / Telemetry Interrupted

→ AeroTune will pause optimisation if simulator telemetry becomes unavailable, stale, or unreliable and will resume once valid simulator data returns.

If AeroTune does not recover after MSFS is fully loaded and operating normally, restart AeroTune.

If the issue continues, use the Log Analyser or the Support section of your AeroTune dashboard for further diagnosis.

MSFS Dynamic Settings

→ Generally recommended OFF while using AeroTune.

This prevents MSFS Dynamic Settings and AeroTune from independently adjusting performance-related settings at the same time.

Auto-Start Not Behaving As Expected

→ AeroTune uses a lightweight watcher that starts with Windows and waits for Microsoft Flight Simulator to be detected.

If AeroTune does not automatically launch with MSFS, check that AeroTuneWatcher is enabled within Windows Startup Apps.

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🛡️ Memory Safety & Compatibility

Microsoft Flight Simulator can relocate internal graphics settings between simulator builds, sessions, and system configurations.

AeroTune therefore does not assume that a previously discovered memory location will remain valid indefinitely.

Its memory system is designed to:

• Dynamically locate supported settings
• Validate addresses before relying on them
• Verify memory writes using readback where supported
• Reject addresses that fail safety checks
• Pause memory operations while the simulator is not ready
• Rediscover settings when an existing location becomes invalid
• Continue safely when an optional setting is unavailable
• Restore your own MSFS graphics settings when AeroTune closes

If AeroTune cannot safely validate a particular setting, it will leave that setting unchanged rather than continue using an uncertain memory location.

Because Microsoft Flight Simulator itself changes over time, simulator updates may occasionally require AeroTune's memory detection to rediscover or adapt to changed internal settings.

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📁 Files & Folders

Configuration %APPDATA%\AeroTune\aerotune_config.json

Logs %APPDATA%\AeroTune\logs\

Presets %APPDATA%\AeroTune\presets\

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🌐 Links

Website AeroTuneMFS Website

Documentation AeroTuneMFS Documentation

Support Development Support AeroTuneMFS on Ko-fi

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📜 Credits & Disclaimer

AeroTuneMFS is a solo-developed project created by Darren Edwards.

Special thanks to all Alpha, Beta, Pro, Patron, and community testers whose feedback continues to shape AeroTune's development.

System Variations: AeroTune adapts dynamically to your simulator, hardware, and current workload. Optimisation behaviour and results may therefore vary between systems, aircraft, add-ons, simulator configurations, and simulator versions.

PresentMon telemetry technology is used for advanced frametime analysis. PresentMon is © Intel Corporation and licensed separately.

AeroTuneMFS is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft Corporation or Asobo Studio.