Connect the AI First Officer
to Microsoft Flight Simulator

What is the bridge? A web page can't talk to MSFS directly, so a tiny program on your sim PC acts as the translator: it reads SimConnect data from the sim and relays it to the AI First Officer website over a local connection. It also lets you talk to the copilot with a Push‑To‑Talk key without leaving the sim. You install it once; after that it's two double‑clicks before each flight.

1. Sign in to your account at copilot.atlantic-iot.com/aicopilot and make sure you have an active plan or trial.
2. Open PowerShell (press Start, type powershell, Enter) and paste the Quick‑install command from the top of this page — it downloads everything and starts the installer.
3. The installer does everything by itself — finds your MSFS Community folder, installs, and creates the Desktop shortcut. It only asks one thing at the end: start the bridge now? Press Y. If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning, click More info → Run anyway.
   Prefer buttons? Download the 1‑click installer instead and double‑click it — same thing. Or take the full .zip and run INSTALL.bat after extracting.
4. Start Microsoft Flight Simulator and load a flight — wait until you're in the cockpit — then double‑click "AI First Officer Bridge" on your Desktop. Your browser opens the copilot automatically — sign in.
5. Check the SimConnect light is green, and keep the black bridge window open while you fly.
6. Hold Right Alt to talk to your copilot. To stop, close the browser and press a key in the bridge window.

• Windows 10 or 11 — the bridge runs on the same PC as MSFS.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024.
• A signed‑in AI First Officer account with an active plan or trial.

• Download the package using the button at the top of this page (or from the app under Settings → SimConnect Bridge).
• Extract the ZIP — right‑click → Extract All…. Don't run it from inside the .zip.

You'll get the one‑click installer next to the package folder:

INSTALL.bat               ← ⭐ double-click this ONCE — one-click installer
ai-first-officer/
├─ bridge/
│   ├─ AIFOBridge.exe     ← bundled Node runtime (no install!)
│   ├─ start-bridge.bat   ← starts the bridge (the installer makes a shortcut)
│   ├─ node_modules/      ← bundled dependencies
│   ├─ bridge.js
│   ├─ package.json
│   └─ INSTALL.md         ← printable manual
├─ manifest.json
└─ README.txt

Double‑click INSTALL.bat (it sits next to the ai-first-officer folder). It does everything for you:

• Finds your MSFS Community folder automatically — Microsoft Store / Game Pass and Steam, MSFS 2020 and 2024, custom install drives included (it reads the sim's own UserCfg.opt).
• Copies the bridge into the Community folder.
• Creates a Desktop shortcut — "AI First Officer Bridge" — so each flight is one double‑click.
• Offers to start the bridge right away.

• Launch MSFS and load a flight — get all the way into the cockpit.
• Double‑click "AI First Officer Bridge" on your Desktop (the shortcut INSTALL.bat created — same as bridge/start-bridge.bat). It starts the bridge and opens the AI First Officer website automatically.
• Leave the bridge window open for the whole flight — minimize it if you like, but don't close it.

The window will show:

   AI First Officer - SimConnect Bridge
WebSocket Server starting on port 8080...
[SimConnect] Connected to MSFS successfully!
  Bridge is RUNNING. Keep this window open.

Check the SimConnect status indicator at the top of the website:

Green	Bridge running and MSFS connected — live data is flowing.
Connecting	The app is trying to reach the bridge.
Red	The bridge isn't running, or MSFS isn't in the cockpit yet.

When it's green, your live speed, altitude, heading and flight phase appear on the dashboard and the copilot starts using real telemetry.

• Default key: Right Alt. Hold to talk, release to send — no need to alt‑tab out of the sim.
• Rebind it in the website under Settings → Push To Talk Key (click the field, then press the key you want).
• Because it reads the keyboard system‑wide, your antivirus may ask for permission the first time — allow it.

By default everything runs on one PC. To open the website on a different computer than MSFS (e.g. a tablet):

• Find the sim PC's LAN IP (run ipconfig → IPv4 Address, e.g. 192.168.1.50).
• In the website, open Settings → SimConnect Bridge IP and enter that IP.
• Allow port 8080 through Windows Firewall on the sim PC (choose Allow access when prompted).
• Make sure both devices are on the same local network.

Symptom	Fix
Website shows a red SimConnect dot	The bridge window isn't open, or MSFS isn't loaded into the cockpit yet. Run start-bridge.bat and make sure you're flying.
Bridge won't connect to MSFS	Confirm you're on Windows and MSFS is running past the main menu. Restart MSFS, then the bridge.
Windows SmartScreen / antivirus warning on first run	The bundled AIFOBridge.exe is just the official Node runtime. Choose More info → Run anyway, and allow it through your antivirus/firewall.
"Port 8080 is already in use" / EADDRINUSE	Another bridge copy is already running (or another app uses 8080). Close extra bridge windows and start it once; reboot if unsure. The website always connects on port 8080.
Push‑To‑Talk does nothing	Allow the bridge through your antivirus, and confirm the key in Settings → Push To Talk Key (default Right Alt).
Voice / AI doesn't respond	That's a separate system (OpenAI), not the bridge — the bridge only provides telemetry.