Where can I download free aircraft for flight simulators?
For general flight simulation, you can download free aircraft for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and 2020, FSX, Prepar3D and X-Plane from Fly Away Simulation’s freeware library. Choose your exact simulator, then confirm that the package is a complete aircraft—not only a repaint—and that its supported version matches your installation.
Where are the free aircraft downloads?
Our main freeware aircraft and add-ons library is the starting point for downloads covering modern and legacy flight simulators. Select the simulator first; an aircraft made for one platform will not normally work in another.
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and 2020: Use our MSFS 2024 freeware-aircraft guide to find aircraft and understand the compatibility checks needed for MSFS 2020 packages.
- FSX and FSX: Steam Edition: The dedicated FSX civil-aircraft catalogue contains airliners, general-aviation aircraft, historic types and complete packages.
- X-Plane: Browse the X-Plane freeware section and choose files made for your installed major version.
- Prepar3D and older simulators: Start from the main library and follow the category for the exact platform or release named by the download.
Which aircraft download matches my simulator?
The correct download must match both the simulator family and, where specified, its major version.
| Simulator | What to choose | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| MSFS 2024 or 2020 on PC | A package explicitly listed for your release, or for both releases | Assuming every MSFS 2020 aircraft works unchanged in MSFS 2024 |
| FSX | An FSX or FSX: Steam Edition aircraft with all required components | Downloading an FS2004 port or a repaint without checking its limitations |
| Prepar3D | A package naming the relevant Prepar3D generation | Assuming all FSX aircraft and gauges remain compatible; older 32-bit gauge modules do not work in 64-bit Prepar3D releases |
| X-Plane | An aircraft built for the installed major X-Plane version | Trying to use an FSX or MSFS package, whose formats are incompatible |
| MSFS on console | Aircraft offered through the simulator’s own in-sim channels | Trying to install a PC archive on Xbox, or on the PlayStation edition of MSFS 2024 |
Shared ancestry does not guarantee compatibility. FSX and Prepar3D use related structures, but model formats, gauges, effects and compiled modules can still prevent an aircraft from loading correctly. MSFS 2020 and 2024 are closer to each other, yet compatibility should be confirmed rather than assumed.
Is it a complete aircraft or only a repaint?
A complete freeware aircraft includes the flyable model and the configuration files required to appear in the simulator; a repaint supplies textures for an aircraft you must already own or install separately.
- Complete package: Look for wording such as “complete aircraft”, “full package” or “base model included”. The description should mention the model, cockpit or panel, textures and any required sounds or systems.
- Repaint or livery: Wording such as “texture only”, “requires the base aircraft” or “repaint for” means it cannot work alone.
- Conversion: A converted aircraft may retain visual or systems limitations from an older simulator. Read the stated restrictions before installing it.
- AI aircraft: Traffic models may have no usable cockpit and are not necessarily intended to be flown by the user.
A mistake we see constantly is choosing a livery because its screenshots show the whole aircraft. Screenshots illustrate the result; the file description determines whether the underlying model is included.
How do I install freeware aircraft without breaking the sim?
Install one aircraft at a time, preserve the archive’s folder structure and follow its included instructions rather than copying every file into the simulator’s root directory.
- Confirm the platform. Check the simulator name, supported release and any required base aircraft, library or plugin.
- Inspect the archive. Watch for an extra wrapper folder created during extraction. Files placed one folder too deep are a common reason aircraft fail to appear.
- Read the documentation. Some packages contain effects, gauges or other supporting files that need separate placement.
- Use the proper add-on location. An MSFS PC package normally has
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonat its package root inside the Community folder. An FSX aircraft normally belongs underSimObjects\Airplanes. X-Plane aircraft belong underAircraftwith the relevant.acffile inside. For Prepar3D, use the add-on package method when the download supplies one. - Test before adding another package. Load the aircraft at a default airport and check the exterior model, cockpit, instruments, sounds and controls.
If the aircraft does not appear, check for a nested folder, the wrong simulator version, a missing base model or an uninstalled dependency. A visible aircraft with a blank panel usually points to missing or incompatible gauges, while missing textures commonly indicate an incomplete repaint installation or an incorrect texture reference.