When we troubleshoot an add-on aircraft that does not appear after installation, the usual cause is a mismatch between the aircraft and your simulator, the wrong install folder, an extra folder layer after extracting the ZIP, a missing base package or dependency, or a menu filter that is hiding it.
Why installed aircraft do not show up
An aircraft can install perfectly and still never appear in the selection menu if the simulator cannot recognise its structure. That happens most often when the package is meant for a different sim, when the main aircraft folder is in the wrong place, or when only part of the package was copied across.
We also regularly see add-ons that are not full aircraft at all. A repaint, AI traffic model, or expansion pack may depend on a separate base aircraft. If that base package is missing, the repaint or add-on will not show as a standalone aircraft.
Check that the aircraft matches your simulator
Start here. An aircraft made for one simulator family will often not work as-is in another, even if the folder names look familiar. MSFS packages differ from FSX and Prepar3D aircraft, and X-Plane uses a completely different aircraft structure.
If you have more than one simulator installed, we would also check whether the installer targeted the wrong one. This is very common on systems with multiple editions, separate library drives, or old sim folders left behind after an upgrade.
- MSFS aircraft need an MSFS-style package structure.
- FSX and Prepar3D aircraft usually rely on a classic
SimObjectslayout. - X-Plane aircraft need their own aircraft folder and a valid aircraft definition file.
- Older aircraft may load poorly or not at all in newer simulators without conversion work.
Where should the aircraft be installed?
| Simulator family | What we expect to see | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| MSFS | A single package folder inside the Community folder, with package files near the top level | The package is nested inside another folder with the same name, or placed in the wrong Community path |
| FSX / Prepar3D | An aircraft folder under SimObjects/Airplanes containing aircraft.cfg, plus model, panel, sound and texture folders | The folder was copied into the wrong root, or only textures were installed without the base aircraft |
| X-Plane | An aircraft folder inside the Aircraft directory containing the aircraft definition file and supporting folders | The package was placed in a scenery or plugin folder, or one folder too deep |
How do we make the aircraft appear?
Confirm compatibility. Check the add-on description and readme first. Make sure the aircraft was built for your simulator, not just for “Flight Simulator” in a general sense.
Extract the archive properly. Do not drag files straight out of a ZIP and scatter them manually unless the instructions say to. We would fully extract the package first, then inspect the folder structure before moving anything.
Look for an extra folder layer. This is one of the biggest causes of missing aircraft. The correct files often sit one level deeper than they should, such as
Community/AircraftName/AircraftName/...instead ofCommunity/AircraftName/....Check for the key aircraft files. In FSX or Prepar3D, we expect to see
aircraft.cfgin the aircraft's main folder. In MSFS, we expect the package files at the top of the aircraft package. In X-Plane, we expect the aircraft definition file in the aircraft folder. If those files are missing, the install is incomplete.Install the base aircraft if needed. If what you downloaded is a repaint, texture pack or livery, it will not appear on its own. It needs the original aircraft package first, and the repaint usually appears as a variant of that aircraft rather than as a separate entry.
Restart the simulator fully. Many sims only scan add-ons during startup. Closing to the main menu is not always enough; we would shut the sim down completely and launch it again.
Check aircraft menu filters. Search filters, favourites-only filters, installed-content filters and manufacturer filters can hide an aircraft that is actually present. Reset any filters and search by part of the aircraft name, not just the real-world type.
Review security and permissions. Antivirus software, Windows permissions or a protected install folder can block files from being written correctly. If the folder exists but is suspiciously empty or missing key files, this is worth checking.
Read the included instructions. Some aircraft need extra steps such as copying gauges, effects, sound files or configuration entries. If those steps were skipped, the aircraft may fail to load or be excluded from the menu.
Did you install a repaint instead of a full aircraft?
This catches a lot of simmers out. A repaint or livery often contains only texture files and maybe a small configuration addition. By itself, that is not a complete aircraft.
If the download description mentions repaint, texture, livery, paint scheme or requires a “base model”, you need that original aircraft first. Once it is installed correctly, the repaint normally appears as a variation within the aircraft's existing menu entry.
Could it be an AI-only aircraft?
Yes. Some aircraft packages are intended only for AI traffic, multiplayer traffic or static scenery use. Those models may never appear in the flyable aircraft list.
We would check the package description for terms such as AI, traffic, model set, static or non-flyable. If it is an AI package, the installation may be correct even though nothing new appears in the aircraft selection menu.
Common installer problems
If the add-on used an automatic installer and reported success, that does not always mean it went to the right place. Installers can detect an old sim path, the wrong library drive, or a different edition of the simulator.
We would verify the final destination folder manually. If you have multiple sim installations, this check matters more than the installer message.
What a correct folder structure usually looks like
You do not need to memorise every file, but the top level should make sense. We expect one main aircraft folder, and inside it the files and subfolders that belong directly to that aircraft. If you open the folder and see just another identically named folder, it is probably installed one level too deep.
On older sim platforms, we also expect the usual supporting folders such as model, panel, sound and texture. Missing one of these does not always stop the aircraft from appearing, but missing the main configuration file often will.
If the aircraft still does not show up
At that point, we would remove the package, download a fresh copy, and reinstall it carefully from scratch. Corrupt ZIP extraction, partial overwrites and duplicate folders can leave a package in a state that is harder to diagnose than a clean reinstall.
If you downloaded the aircraft from our downloads library, read the included install notes closely and compare the extracted folder structure against the instructions before launching the sim again.
Quick checklist
- The aircraft is made for your exact simulator family.
- You installed it into the correct add-on folder.
- The package is not nested one folder too deep.
- The main aircraft files are present.
- You did not install only a repaint or texture set.
- The simulator was fully restarted after installation.
- No menu filters are hiding the aircraft.
- The installer did not target the wrong sim path.
If we had to pick the single most likely cause, it would be folder structure. The aircraft is often there, but the simulator cannot see it because the real package sits one level too deep or in the wrong simulator folder.