How do I install add-on aircraft in FSX?

To install add-on aircraft in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, run the supplied installer or extract the archive and place the folder containing aircraft.cfg in SimObjects\Airplanes (or Rotorcraft). Copy any supplied gauges and effects to their matching FSX folders; repaints also need the base aircraft.

Installer or manual copy: which method should you use?

Use the package's documented installer when one is supplied; use manual copying for aircraft distributed as ZIP, RAR or similar archives.

If an older installer asks for the FSX directory, select the simulator root containing fsx.exe, not SimObjects\Airplanes. Choose the aircraft directory only when the installer specifically requests it. Some boxed-FSX installers cannot detect Steam Edition automatically even though their aircraft files are usable; our explanation of which boxed-FSX add-ons usually work in Steam Edition covers the common exceptions.

Find the correct FSX installation folder

The correct FSX root contains fsx.exe and folders including SimObjects, Gauges and Effects.

These are default examples, not guaranteed locations. A custom Steam library or non-standard boxed installation will use a different drive or parent folder. Our Steam-specific walkthrough explains how to identify and use the Steam Edition aircraft folders.

Close FSX before installing anything. If it is under Program Files, Windows may request administrator approval when files are copied or edited. After an edit, confirm that the file reached the real FSX directory and was not saved as something such as aircraft.cfg.txt.

How to install an FSX aircraft manually

A manual aircraft installation works when the complete aircraft folder and every required support file are copied without changing their internal structure.

1. Extract the entire archive. Unpack it to a temporary folder rather than opening files directly inside the ZIP or RAR. This makes nested folders and documentation easier to inspect.
2. Read the included instructions. The README takes precedence over generic folder rules, particularly when the aircraft uses custom gauges, effects, modules or prerequisites.
3. Locate the actual aircraft folder. It normally contains aircraft.cfg, an AIR file and folders such as model, panel, sound and texture. Do not assume the archive's outermost folder is the aircraft folder.
4. Copy the aircraft folder. Put a fixed-wing aircraft in FSX\SimObjects\Airplanes and a helicopter in FSX\SimObjects\Rotorcraft. The finished path should resemble FSX\SimObjects\Airplanes\AircraftName\aircraft.cfg.
5. Merge the support files. If the extracted package contains top-level Gauges, Effects or SimObjects folders, merge their contents with the matching folders under the FSX root. Preserve all subfolders.
6. Check before overwriting files. Do not automatically replace an existing gauge, effect or configuration file merely because the archive contains one. Follow the package instructions and back up any file that must be changed.
7. Start FSX and inspect the aircraft list. Open the Free Flight aircraft selection window, clear any manufacturer or aircraft-type filters, and enable Show all variations when looking for a new livery.

A mistake we see constantly is copying one folder level too many. FSX cannot find an aircraft at Airplanes\AircraftName\AircraftName\aircraft.cfg, and it will not use gauges placed at Gauges\Gauges. Our more detailed boxed-FSX manual installation walkthrough expands on these directory checks.

Where do aircraft gauges, effects and sounds go?

Top-level support folders normally merge into folders with the same name under the FSX root, while files packaged inside the aircraft folder should remain there.

Is the download a full aircraft or only a repaint?

A repaint is not a complete aircraft and will not work without the precise base model named by its author. A repaint archive usually contains a folder such as texture.blue and a block of text beginning with [fltsim.x], but no complete model, panel or AIR file.

1. Confirm the base aircraft. Similar-looking versions from different developers are not interchangeable.
2. Back up aircraft.cfg. Keep an untouched copy before editing it with a plain-text editor.
3. Copy the texture folder. Place it beside the existing aircraft's other texture folders.
4. Add the supplied variation entry. Paste the [fltsim.x] block into aircraft.cfg and replace x with the next number in sequence. Do not duplicate another section number or title= value.
5. Check the texture reference. A line reading texture=blue must correspond to a folder named texture.blue. Save the file with its original .cfg extension.

Why is the add-on aircraft not showing in FSX?

FSX usually omits an installed aircraft because its folder structure or configuration is wrong, it was installed into another simulator, or the download is not a complete FSX aircraft.

• The folder is one level too deep. Confirm that aircraft.cfg sits directly inside the aircraft's folder under Airplanes or Rotorcraft.
• The wrong FSX copy was used. This is common when boxed FSX, Steam Edition and Prepar3D are installed side by side.
• FSX was running during installation. Close and restart it so the simulator reads the new SimObject.
• The selection screen is filtered. Clear manufacturer, publisher and aircraft-type filters, then show all variations.
• It is only a repaint. Install the required base aircraft and add the supplied [fltsim.x] entry.
• The configuration file is missing or misnamed. Check for aircraft.cfg.txt, a damaged [fltsim.x] section or duplicate variation numbers and titles.
• The package is for another simulator. Aircraft built only for modern Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane or a 64-bit Prepar3D release cannot be installed in FSX by changing the folder path.
• It is an AI traffic model. Some AI packages omit the cockpit or user-interface information expected from a flyable Free Flight aircraft.

Missing gauges, sounds or effects do not normally prevent the aircraft from appearing in the list. If it is listed but loads with broken systems, the main aircraft folder has been recognised and the remaining problem is usually a dependency or support file.

Why are the cockpit gauges blank or the effects missing?

Blank instruments and absent lights, smoke or sounds usually mean that support files were skipped, placed in a nested folder or rejected by FSX.

• Recheck the package's top-level Gauges and Effects folders and preserve their internal structure.
• Keep panel-local gauges inside the supplied panel folder; not every gauge belongs in the global Gauges directory.
• Check sound and panel aliases for a required default aircraft, expansion pack or separate add-on.
• If FSX displays a software trust prompt for a DLL gauge, approve it only when you trust the package. Refusing permission can leave that instrument blank.
• A gauge compiled solely for a 64-bit simulator cannot load in 32-bit FSX, even if the exterior aircraft appears normally.

What if the aircraft textures are white or parts are missing?

White aircraft usually indicate missing texture files, an incorrect texture= reference, a broken fallback path or an incomplete repaint installation. Check that the texture folder name exactly matches its [fltsim.x] entry; our guide to diagnosing white FSX aircraft textures covers the remaining causes.

Missing exterior parts point more often to an absent model folder, a wrong model= value or an aircraft model that is not compatible with FSX. Older port-over aircraft may also render incorrectly with DirectX 10 Preview enabled; copying gauges or effects will not repair missing geometry.