Convert an FSX PLN flight plan to RTE, choose the correct FMC format and folder, and fix missing waypoints or routes that refuse to load.
To convert an FSX .PLN flight plan to .RTE, import the PLN into Little Navmap, select the aircraft add-on’s RTE export format, and save it to that add-on’s route folder. RTE is not a universal format, so choose the exact FMC profile required by your aircraft rather than merely renaming the file.
The process is the same for boxed FSX and FSX: Steam Edition because conversion takes place outside the simulator. An FSX PLN is an XML flight-plan file, while an RTE file uses the structure expected by a particular add-on FMC.
How to convert an FSX PLN with Little Navmap
Little Navmap is usually the simplest option when it offers an export profile for your aircraft.
- Identify the target FMC. Check which route format the aircraft requires. Two products can both use the
.RTEextension without accepting the same internal format. - Create or locate the PLN. If the route starts inside FSX, save it first using the simulator’s Flight Planner. Our FSX planner workflow for creating and saving PLN files covers that part.
- Open the PLN in Little Navmap. Use its flight-plan opening command, then confirm the departure, destination and en-route fixes. You can obtain the Little Navmap utility for FSX from our library.
- Choose the aircraft-specific export format. Select the RTE profile named for, or documented as compatible with, your add-on. Do not choose a format solely because its extension is
.RTE. - Save into the FMC’s route folder. Use the location specified by the aircraft documentation, not the normal FSX flight-plan folder. Avoid adding the extension twice if the exporter supplies it automatically.
- Load and inspect the route. Enter or select the route name through the FMC’s company-route function, then check every leg for missing fixes, discontinuities and unexpected direct segments.
Which PLN converter should you use?
Choose the converter according to the format accepted by the destination FMC.
| Method | Use it when | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Little Navmap | Your aircraft has a compatible RTE export profile | You must select the correct product-specific format and route folder |
| Plan To Route Utility | The target explicitly accepts .RT2 | The older PLN-to-RT2 converter produces RT2 rather than RTE; changing its extension does not make it compatible |
| Manual FMC entry | No compatible exporter exists, or the route is short | Slower, but it avoids format ambiguity and lets the FMC validate each waypoint |
Can I rename a PLN file to RTE?
No. Renaming route.pln to route.rte changes only the filename, not the data inside it. The FMC will normally reject the file, ignore it or report an invalid route.
A text editor is not a reliable converter either. RTE files can require a particular header, waypoint syntax and route metadata that vary between aircraft products.
Why won’t the converted RTE load in the FMC?
An RTE normally fails to appear or load because its format, location, filename or navigation data does not match the aircraft.
- Wrong RTE dialect: re-export using the profile for the exact aircraft or FMC, not a generic-looking RTE option.
- Wrong folder: the add-on FMC usually scans its own route directory rather than the FSX PLN folder.
- Hidden extra extension: confirm that Windows has not created a name such as
ROUTE.rte.txt. - Invalid route name: some older FMCs accept only short alphanumeric names without spaces or punctuation.
- Navdata mismatch: a waypoint present in the PLN may be absent, renamed or positioned differently in the FMC’s navigation database.
- Unsupported custom points: latitude-and-longitude user waypoints from an FSX plan may not translate into identifiers the FMC understands.
If the file is visible but the aircraft still rejects it, work through our FMC route-import troubleshooting checks before rebuilding the plan.
Will SIDs, STARs and runways survive conversion?
Not reliably, so load terminal procedures in the FMC after importing the en-route portion. FSX PLN data and an add-on’s navdata can represent procedures differently, and the appropriate runway or arrival may also change with the weather.
After loading the RTE, select the departure and arrival in the FMC, resolve any route discontinuities, and compare the resulting legs with the original plan. Never assume that a successful file import means every waypoint and procedure was converted correctly.