Change FS2004 ATC callsigns and airline names through the menu or aircraft.cfg, and fix airlines that appear but are not spoken by ATC.
In FS2004, select the aircraft, open its ATC Name settings, and enter the tail number, airline callsign and flight number. To make the change permanent for one livery, edit that variation’s [fltsim.x] section in aircraft.cfg. FS2004 can only speak airline callsigns included in its ATC voice data.
How do I change the callsign from the FS2004 menu?
The aircraft-selection controls provide the quickest way to set the identity used by FS2004’s built-in ATC for a flight.
- From Create a Flight, choose the option to change the current aircraft.
- Select the exact aircraft variation or repaint you intend to fly.
- Open the ATC Name control in the aircraft-selection area.
- Enter the aircraft’s registration or tail number, choose a recognised airline callsign, and enter the flight number.
- Enable Heavy only when it is appropriate for that aircraft, then confirm the settings and start the flight.
Do not put the complete phrase, such as an airline followed by a flight number, into the tail-number box. FS2004 assembles the spoken call from separate fields. Our explanation of airline telephony callsigns and flight numbers covers why the radio name may differ from the company’s public name or ICAO code.
What each FS2004 ATC field controls
FS2004 keeps the registration, airline callsign and flight number separate because ATC uses them in different types of operation.
| Menu setting | aircraft.cfg key | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Tail number | atc_id | The registration used for general-aviation calls and as the aircraft’s basic ATC identity. |
| Airline callsign | atc_airline | The spoken telephony name, which may not match the airline’s brand name. |
| Flight number | atc_flight_number | The number spoken after the airline callsign. |
| Heavy | atc_heavy | Adds “Heavy” to the radio call when set to 1. See when ATC uses the Heavy suffix before enabling it. |
How do I make the callsign permanent for one repaint?
Edit the repaint’s own [fltsim.x] entry when you want its callsign to return whenever that variation is selected.
- Close FS2004 and open the installed aircraft’s folder inside the simulator’s
Aircraftdirectory. - Back up
aircraft.cfgbefore changing it. - Find the correct variation by checking the
titleandui_variationvalues in each[fltsim.x]block. A mistake we see constantly is editing the first block even though the chosen repaint uses another one. - Add or update the ATC entries inside that same block. A valid example is listed below.
- Save the file as plain text, reopen FS2004 and reselect the aircraft variation. Start a fresh flight if a saved flight continues to use the old identity.
atc_id=N123ABatc_airline=World Travelatc_flight_number=452atc_heavy=0
Each repaint can have different values because every [fltsim.x] block is independent. Changing title, ui_variation or the texture folder does not change what ATC says.
Why will FS2004 not say my airline name?
FS2004 cannot pronounce an arbitrary airline name merely because it has been typed into aircraft.cfg.
- The wrong name was entered:
atc_airlineexpects the airline’s spoken radio callsign, not necessarily its legal name, livery name, IATA code or ICAO code. - The callsign is not selectable: an FS2004-compatible list of airline and radio callsigns can add more entries for use in the aircraft’s ATC settings.
- The voice phrase is missing: adding a name to the selectable airline list does not by itself guarantee that the ATC voice system can speak it. EditVoicepack 3.1 can add missing spoken callsigns; close the simulator and back up affected files before modifying its voice data.
- The wrong repaint block was edited: verify the selected variation against its
titleandui_variationentries. - A saved flight is overriding the edit: reselect the aircraft and create a new flight after changing the configuration.
- The file did not save: check that it is still named
aircraft.cfg, notaircraft.cfg.txt. Installations under a protected Windows folder may require the file to be saved elsewhere and then copied back with the necessary permission.
Does this change AI or multiplayer callsigns?
These settings primarily define how FS2004’s built-in ATC identifies the selected aircraft variation; they do not rename every instance of that aircraft.
AI traffic can take its airline and flight number from its own aircraft configuration and traffic flight plan, so changing the player-aircraft menu setting will not rewrite AI schedules. Multiplayer or online ATC software normally uses the callsign entered when connecting, which must be changed separately from FS2004’s aircraft.cfg.