Learn where to download and install FlightGear add-ons, including aircraft, scenery and liveries, plus folder setup and missing add-on fixes.
You can download FlightGear add-ons through the simulator’s launcher or from a trusted freeware library, then install them according to type. Aircraft use an additional aircraft folder, scenery uses a configured scenery path, and liveries usually go inside the matching aircraft package. Extract archives first; FlightGear does not use one universal add-on folder.
Where can I download FlightGear add-ons?
The safest choices are FlightGear’s built-in aircraft catalogue and established libraries that identify the supported simulator and package requirements.
- FlightGear launcher: Use its aircraft catalogue or add-ons area when available. The launcher downloads compatible packages into a managed location, so you normally do not need to move them manually.
- Fly Away Simulation: Our freeware aircraft, scenery and add-on library provides downloadable archives and package descriptions. Confirm that a file explicitly supports FlightGear before downloading it.
Check the package description and included readme for FlightGear release requirements, dependencies and installation exceptions. An aircraft or scenery package made for another simulator will not work merely because its archive contains familiar-looking folders.
How do I install FlightGear add-ons manually?
Manual installation means extracting the package into a writable personal directory and registering the correct parent folder in the FlightGear launcher.
- Create an add-on directory. Keep downloaded content outside FlightGear’s programme directory so an update or reinstall does not overwrite it. A user-created structure such as
FlightGear-Addons/AircraftandFlightGear-Addons/Sceneryis easy to maintain. - Extract the archive. FlightGear cannot normally load an aircraft or scenery package while it remains inside a ZIP or other compressed archive.
- Inspect the folder structure. Identify whether the extracted content is an aircraft, scenery package or livery. Do not assume the outermost folder is the path FlightGear needs.
- Add the correct path. Open the launcher’s add-ons or settings area and register the aircraft parent directory or scenery root. Labels differ slightly between launcher versions, but the distinction between aircraft folders and scenery paths remains the same.
- Restart or rescan the launcher. Select the aircraft or location and test the new package before installing several more. This makes path and compatibility faults much easier to isolate.
| Add-on type | What the correct folder contains | How FlightGear loads it |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | Individual aircraft folders containing a *-set.xml file | Add their shared parent as an additional aircraft folder |
| Scenery | Folders such as Terrain, Objects, Buildings or Airports | Add the directory containing those folders to the scenery path |
| Livery | Textures and configuration files intended for one named aircraft | Place them where that aircraft package expects its liveries |
Aircraft packages have the most consistent layout; our detailed aircraft-folder instructions cover launcher registration and nested-folder errors. Scenery requires path ordering as well as extraction, so use our custom scenery installation steps when adding terrain or airports.
Which add-on folder should I select?
Select the parent directory FlightGear needs, not the archive, the individual scenery tile or an unnecessarily high-level downloads folder.
For example, if the structure is FlightGear-Addons/Aircraft/Example/Example-set.xml, register FlightGear-Addons/Aircraft. If scenery is stored as FlightGear-Addons/Scenery/Terrain and FlightGear-Addons/Scenery/Objects, register FlightGear-Addons/Scenery.
Livery layouts are aircraft-specific. Some aircraft keep repaints in a Liveries directory, while others use their own configuration, so follow the archive’s instructions and our FlightGear livery placement guidance rather than creating a global livery folder.
Why is my FlightGear add-on not showing?
Most missing add-ons are caused by an incorrect folder level, an archive that was never extracted or a package that does not support the installed FlightGear release.
- Extra nested folder: Move or re-extract the package so the aircraft’s
*-set.xmlfile sits inside the aircraft’s immediate folder. - Wrong registered path: Point FlightGear to the directory containing all aircraft folders, or to the scenery root containing
TerrainandObjects. - Scenery path priority: Place custom scenery ahead of TerraSync or base scenery when the custom package is intended to replace the same area.
- Unsupported package: Check the description and readme for release-specific features or required dependencies. Older add-ons may need maintenance before they load in a newer build.
- Duplicate installation: Remove copies of the same aircraft from competing search paths; otherwise the launcher may display the wrong version.
- Permissions: Store add-ons in a user-writable directory instead of a protected programme folder.
If loading still fails, examine the FlightGear log for the first missing file or parsing error. Later warnings are often consequences of that initial fault rather than separate problems.
Can FlightGear use FSX, MSFS or X-Plane add-ons?
No, add-ons from FSX, Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane are not drop-in compatible with FlightGear.
The simulators use different aircraft definitions, flight models, scenery formats and scripting systems. Source assets can sometimes be converted by an experienced developer when the licence permits it, but copying another simulator’s package into a FlightGear folder will not install it.