Learn how to add a livery to an FSX add-on aircraft: place the texture folder, edit aircraft.cfg, and fix missing or white repaints.
To add a livery to an FSX add-on aircraft, copy the repaint’s texture.name folder into the installed aircraft’s folder, then add its supplied [fltsim.x] section to aircraft.cfg. Renumber that section uniquely, check the texture and model values, save the file, and restart FSX or FSX: Steam Edition.
How do I install an FSX livery manually?
Install a manual repaint inside the folder of the exact aircraft model for which it was made. A livery is normally just a texture folder and a configuration entry; it does not include the model, flight dynamics, cockpit or sounds.
These are the common default aircraft locations, although a custom FSX or Steam library may be elsewhere:
| FSX edition | Common aircraft folder |
|---|---|
| Boxed FSX | C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes |
| FSX: Steam Edition | C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\FSX\SimObjects\Airplanes |
Do not create one of these paths if it does not exist. Find the actual FSX installation and the existing aircraft folder containing its aircraft.cfg file.
- Close FSX completely. FSX reads aircraft configuration data when it starts, so editing an aircraft that is already loaded can leave the old entry cached.
- Check what the download contains. A repaint normally has a folder such as
texture.BAWand a text block beginning with[fltsim.x]. If it includes its ownmodel,panel,sound,aircraft.cfgand an.airfile, it may be a complete aircraft; use the instructions for installing a complete FSX add-on aircraft instead. - Use the add-on’s livery manager if one is supplied. Some complex aircraft generate their own configuration entries, and later use of that manager may overwrite manual edits.
- Back up
aircraft.cfg. Make a copy in the same folder or elsewhere before changing it. - Copy the complete texture folder. Place
texture.BAW, for example, beside the aircraft’s existingtexture,model,panelandsoundfolders. Do not copy the repaint files into the basetexturefolder or install the repaint as a separate aircraft. - Add the supplied configuration block. Open
aircraft.cfgin a plain-text editor and append the supplied[fltsim.x]section. Do not replace the complete file with a configuration fragment from the repaint. - Renumber and verify the entry. If the final existing section is
[fltsim.6], make the new one[fltsim.7]. Every section number andtitle=value must be unique. - Save and restart FSX. If Windows blocks changes under
Program Files, edit a copied file and move it back with administrator approval. Confirm that it remains namedaircraft.cfg, notaircraft.cfg.txt.
A representative FSX repaint package shows the usual texture-folder and configuration-entry arrangement, although its files only belong with the aircraft named in that package.
What should the FSX aircraft.cfg livery entry contain?
The [fltsim.x] section must identify the correct base aircraft, model variation and texture-folder suffix. Use the block supplied with the repaint whenever possible rather than constructing one from an unrelated aircraft.
| Entry | What to check |
|---|---|
[fltsim.x] | Replace x with the next unused number in an unbroken sequence. |
title= | Must be unique among the installed aircraft entries. |
sim= | Must match the base name of the aircraft’s .air file, without the extension. |
model= | Must select the model variant expected by the repaint. A blank value normally refers to the plain model folder. |
texture= | Must match the texture suffix: texture.BAW requires texture=BAW. |
ui_variation= | Controls the livery name displayed in the FSX aircraft selection screen. |
Keep the supplied panel=, sound=, manufacturer, type and other aircraft-specific values. If no block is provided, duplicate an existing entry for the same model variant, then change its section number, title, texture, ui_variation and any relevant registration details.
Why does the FSX livery not appear or show white textures?
A missing livery usually means FSX cannot read its configuration entry, while an aircraft that appears completely or partly white usually has a texture path, fallback or model-compatibility problem.
- Wrong folder level: open the installed
texture.namefolder and check that the texture files are directly inside it, not hidden in another identically named subfolder. - Texture mismatch: the text after
texture.in the folder name must match thetexture=value. - Broken section numbering: correct duplicate numbers and gaps in the
[fltsim.x]sequence. - Duplicate title: give the new entry a unique
title=value. - Wrong configuration file: make sure the entry was added to the
aircraft.cfgbelonging to the required base aircraft. - Hidden variation: enable the option to show all variations in FSX’s aircraft selection screen.
- Missing base model: many repaint downloads require a separately installed aircraft and will not work alone.
- Missing thumbnail: a missing
thumbnail.jpgaffects the preview image but does not stop the livery loading.
Preserve any included texture.cfg file because it may direct FSX to shared cockpit, propeller and common texture files. For an aircraft that loads but remains untextured, work through our fixes for white FSX add-on aircraft textures.
Can I use a livery made for a similar aircraft model?
No—an FSX repaint normally works only with the exact developer’s aircraft and model variant named by its author. Texture sheets are mapped to a particular 3D model, so a livery for another version of the same aircraft type may load with blank areas, misplaced markings or badly aligned windows and doors.
Match the simulator, aircraft developer, product version and variant before installing it. Similar folder names or the same real-world aircraft designation do not establish compatibility.