How do I fly the Space Shuttle in FlightGear?

To fly the Space Shuttle in FlightGear, install a compatible Shuttle aircraft package, select one of its supplied launch, orbit or approach starting states, and follow that package’s own control bindings. Start with an approach scenario: the orbiter lands as a steep, unpowered glider, so energy management matters more than normal throttle handling.

How do I install the Space Shuttle in FlightGear?

Install the Shuttle through FlightGear’s aircraft catalogue when it is offered there, or add a compatible aircraft package to a separate aircraft directory. If you still need the simulator, first install the base FlightGear package from our download page.

1. Search the aircraft catalogue: Open the FlightGear launcher and search its available aircraft for a Shuttle or orbiter package. Availability and naming can differ between package collections.
2. Install a manual package carefully: Extract it once into a dedicated aircraft directory. The individual aircraft folder should contain its *-set.xml file; add the parent directory to FlightGear’s aircraft search path rather than selecting the XML file itself.
3. Reload the aircraft list: Restart or refresh the launcher, then select the exact Shuttle entry provided by the package.
4. Read the aircraft-specific help: Open the package documentation and FlightGear’s aircraft help after loading. Shuttle ignition, staging, speedbrake, reaction-control and autopilot commands are not standardised across add-ons.

A mistake we see constantly is merging an add-on into the program’s core files. Keeping downloaded aircraft in their own directory makes broken packages easier to remove and prevents a FlightGear update from overwriting them.

Which Space Shuttle starting mode should I choose?

Choose an approach start for your first flight; launch and re-entry states require far more aircraft-specific systems knowledge.

Use a state or scenario supplied with the aircraft whenever possible. Starting a realistic orbiter on an ordinary runway leaves it without launch thrust, while manually placing it at high altitude does not provide the horizontal velocity required for orbit.

Which FlightGear controls does the Shuttle use?

Pitch and roll normally use your configured flight-control axes, but the speedbrake, body flap, landing gear, reaction-control system and launch sequence may use custom commands.

• Calibrate the joystick and remove duplicate pitch, roll or yaw assignments before loading the scenario.
• Check the aircraft help for the exact speedbrake and gear commands rather than assuming another FlightGear aircraft’s bindings apply.
• Use aerodynamic controls in the atmosphere and the reaction-control system in space, where the wings and rudder have little or no effect.
• Do not expect the throttle to save a poor landing approach. A realistic Shuttle orbiter has no usable propulsion for a runway go-around.

How do I land the Space Shuttle in FlightGear?

Fly a steep, stable approach, manage excess energy before the runway, pre-flare into a shallow final segment and deploy the landing gear only after the runway is assured.

1. Load an approach state: Use the aircraft package’s prepared landing scenario so that altitude, speed and configuration are sensible. Confirm the intended runway and use FlightGear’s map to check your position and ground track.
2. Establish the outer glide: A Shuttle-style approach is much steeper than an airliner’s three-degree path. Typical profiles use roughly 18–20 degrees during the outer approach.
3. Control energy: Hold the package’s recommended airspeed or angle of attack with pitch. Use the heading-alignment turn, bank and speedbrake to remove excess energy; avoid diving at the runway and then pulling up sharply.
4. Pre-flare progressively: Begin reducing the steep descent at roughly 2,000 feet above ground in a realistic profile. Raise the nose smoothly towards the shallow final glide rather than attempting an airliner-style flare at the threshold.
5. Lower the gear late: Deploy it in the final few hundred feet once landing is certain. Early extension adds drag that cannot be recovered with throttle.
6. Touch down on the main gear: Typical Shuttle-style touchdown speeds are around 190–210 knots, though the correct figure depends on the package’s flight model. Lower the nose gently, then use the modelled speedbrake, drag chute and wheel brakes as documented.

Those figures are useful cross-checks, not replacements for the add-on’s instructions. Simplified FlightGear Shuttle models may use different speeds or provide only an approximation of the real orbiter’s aerodynamics.

How do launch, orbit and re-entry work?

A complete Shuttle flight depends on scripted systems and guidance that are implemented differently by each aircraft package.

Launch

Load the full-stack launch configuration and run its supplied checklist or sequencer. Detailed models ignite the main engines before the solid rocket boosters, then handle booster and external-tank separation through package-specific controls; simply advancing FlightGear’s normal throttle is usually insufficient.

Keep automatic guidance engaged unless the package explicitly supports manual ascent. Once realistic solid boosters ignite, they cannot be throttled or shut down.

Orbit

Orbit requires high horizontal velocity, not just altitude. Use the modelled orbital manoeuvring and reaction-control systems for burns and attitude changes; ordinary elevator and rudder inputs become ineffective outside meaningful atmosphere.

Re-entry

Begin with the aircraft’s prepared re-entry state unless its documentation provides a complete deorbit procedure. A Shuttle-style entry holds a high nose-up angle of attack and uses bank reversals to manage heat, range and energy before transitioning to the heading-alignment turn and runway approach.

Why will the Shuttle not launch or respond?

The usual causes are the wrong starting configuration, missing custom bindings, an incomplete installation or an attempted aerodynamic input outside the atmosphere.

• It sits motionless on the runway: A realistic orbiter cannot perform a conventional runway take-off. Select a launch-stack state or an airborne approach state.
• Generic throttle does nothing: Use the package’s engine-start or launch-sequence procedure. Shuttle ignition is often scripted.
• The controls work near the ground but not in orbit: Enable and use the modelled reaction-control system.
• The aircraft does not appear in the launcher: Check for an extra nested folder and confirm that the aircraft search directory contains the folder holding the *-set.xml file.
• FlightGear reports missing models, systems or textures: Reinstall the complete package and check that it is compatible with your FlightGear build. Do not combine files from different releases of the aircraft.
• The orbiter overshoots the runway: Start the heading-alignment turn earlier and use the speedbrake before final approach. Lowering the gear early is not a substitute for proper energy management.

Can the Space Shuttle take off from a runway?

No realistic Space Shuttle orbiter takes off from a runway under its own power. It launches vertically with the external tank and solid rocket boosters, then returns as an unpowered glider; any runway take-off capability in a simplified FlightGear model is a convenience rather than authentic Shuttle operation.