How do I use the map in FlightGear?
Open FlightGear’s in-simulator map from the menu bar, normally under Equipment, or invoke the map command assigned in your keyboard bindings. Select the aircraft-centre or follow control, use the mouse wheel or zoom buttons to change scale, drag to pan, and switch on airport, navaid, traffic or route layers as required.
How do I open and control the built-in map?
Use Equipment > Map in the standard desktop interface. Menu wording can differ between FlightGear builds, while custom aircraft and user bindings may override the usual map shortcut; our reference for FlightGear’s standard key assignments covers the default controls.
- Centre the aircraft. Select the centre, own-aircraft or follow control so the map tracks your position.
- Set the scale. Use the mouse wheel or the map’s zoom buttons. Zoom in if airport names, fixes or navaids have been hidden by decluttering.
- Pan when needed. Drag the map, or use its directional controls where provided. Panning normally suspends automatic tracking, so select centre or follow again afterwards.
- Choose the orientation. North-up is easier for planning and comparing the display with a chart. Track-up or heading-up, where offered, is often clearer during local manoeuvring.
- Select only useful layers. Too many labels make the display difficult to read, particularly around major airports.
FlightGear map symbols and layers
The map combines your aircraft’s live position with data from FlightGear’s airport, navigation, route and traffic systems. Exact layer names and symbol designs vary by map implementation.
| Layer | What it shows | Common reason it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | Your position and direction of travel | The map has been panned away or follow mode is off |
| Airports | Airport symbols and identifiers, with more detail at closer scales | Airport display is disabled or the scale is too wide |
| Navaids and fixes | VORs, NDBs, intersections and associated labels where supported | Decluttering has hidden them or their layer is off |
| Route | Legs held in FlightGear’s active Route Manager flight plan | No route is active, or the route layer is disabled |
| Traffic | AI or multiplayer aircraft supplied to the map | Traffic is disabled, disconnected or filtered out |
Selecting an airport or navaid may reveal its identifier and other information, depending on the map version. Treat the display as a situational-awareness aid: it may not contain airspace, procedure or obstacle detail needed for realistic instrument planning.
How do I show a flight plan on the FlightGear map?
The built-in map displays a flight plan only when its waypoints are present in FlightGear’s Route Manager and the route layer is enabled.
- Create or load the route. Enter the departure, destination and intermediate waypoints in Route Manager, or load a compatible saved flight plan.
- Check the active legs. Merely positioning at an airport, entering a destination in the launcher or tuning a radio does not create a mapped route.
- Enable the route layer. Re-centre the map and adjust its scale until the whole route or the next few legs are visible.
Some detailed add-on aircraft maintain a separate route inside their own FMS or GPS. In that case, the cockpit navigation display can show a route that the global FlightGear map cannot see; the aircraft must support transferring or sharing that route with Route Manager.
Why is the FlightGear map blank or not following me?
A blank or apparently frozen FlightGear map is usually caused by its scale, disabled layers or follow mode rather than missing navigation data.
- Your aircraft has disappeared: select centre or follow; you may simply have panned to another area.
- Airports and navaids are absent: enable their layers and zoom in far enough for decluttered symbols to appear.
- The route is missing: confirm that Route Manager contains active legs, then enable the route display.
- Traffic is absent: verify that AI or multiplayer traffic is running and that the traffic layer is selected.
- The map shows an airport but the outside world does not: map data and rendered scenery are separate. Follow our FlightGear scenery installation steps if the required terrain or airport scenery is unavailable.
A cockpit GPS, navigation display or moving map is also separate from the global map under Equipment. If the global map works but a panel display does not, check that aircraft’s avionics power, display mode, range and FMS rather than changing the global map layers.
Can I use a larger or second-screen FlightGear map?
FlightGear can supply a browser-based map for a second screen, while separate moving-map tools offer larger displays and different base maps.
For builds that include the web interface, start FlightGear with its local HTTP service enabled, commonly through the startup option --httpd=8080. Open on the same computer and select the available map view. If that port is already occupied, choose another port and use the matching address; never expose the service directly to the internet.
The built-in map is best for quick checks during flight, the browser view suits a second monitor, and a separate moving-map application is preferable when you want a large planning display or alternative map data. Our overview of FlightGear’s moving-map alternatives explains the main options and the extra setup they require.