How do I install add-on aircraft in Prepar3D?

To install add-on aircraft in Prepar3D, extract the archive, read its instructions and identify its format. Use the supplied installer, keep an add-on.xml package intact, or copy the folder containing aircraft.cfg into SimObjects\Airplanes. Add gauges and effects only when the package specifically requires them.

Which Prepar3D aircraft installation method should I use?

Use the format supplied by the aircraft developer rather than converting the package or mixing installation methods.

Compatibility is tied to the simulator generation, not just the folder layout. If a package was made for an earlier release, check what changes between Prepar3D v5 and v6 add-on compatibility before installing it into v6.

Onde baixar: where can I download Prepar3D aircraft?

Our Prepar3D aircraft and add-on downloads are the starting point for anyone searching for onde baixar Prepar3D add-ons. Read the file description and included documentation before installing: a download may be a complete flyable aircraft, an AI model, a repaint requiring another product, or a package intended for a different Prepar3D version.

Keep the original archive until the aircraft works. It gives you a clean copy of the documentation and makes it easier to identify which effects, gauges or other shared files were added.

What does B38M mean in a Prepar3D download?

B38M is the ICAO aircraft type designator for the Boeing 737-8, commonly called the 737 MAX 8. It is not an installation format and does not tell you whether a download is a complete aircraft.

A B38M package might contain a flyable model, an AI-only model or just a livery. Check for aircraft.cfg, the required base model and the stated Prepar3D compatibility. Do not install a B38M repaint into a B738 aircraft merely because both are 737 variants; they represent different aircraft.

Prepar3D add-on aircraft install instructions

1. Confirm the simulator version and package type. The description or readme should name the supported Prepar3D generation. If an installer offers only FSX or another P3D version, cancel it rather than forcing a different path.
2. Extract the complete archive. Unzip it to a temporary folder instead of dragging files directly from the compressed-file window. Preserve every subfolder and read any included installation notes before moving files.
3. Find the real aircraft folder. For a conventional package, this is the folder containing aircraft.cfg, usually beside folders such as model, panel, sound and texture. An outer download or version folder is only a wrapper.
4. Install it using its supplied method. Run a supported executable installer as directed. For a legacy manual installation, copy the complete aircraft folder into SimObjects\Airplanes. For an automatic-discovery package, keep its structure intact under Documents\Prepar3D vX Add-ons\PackageName, replacing vX with your installed version. The package’s add-on.xml must remain at its intended root.
5. Copy supporting files only when instructed. If a manual package has top-level Effects, Gauges or SimObjects folders, merge their contents with the matching folders in Prepar3D. Do not create doubled paths such as Effects\Effects or SimObjects\Airplanes\SimObjects\Airplanes. Back up an existing file before allowing it to be replaced.
6. Handle repaints differently. A download containing mainly a texture folder is not a full aircraft. It needs the named base model and normally includes a configuration block to add to that model’s aircraft.cfg. Follow our separate instructions for installing Prepar3D liveries rather than copying the repaint as a standalone aircraft.
7. Start Prepar3D and verify the installation. Accept an add-on discovery or module trust prompt only when it matches the package you installed and you trust its source. Open the vehicle selection screen, clear active filters and search by the aircraft’s displayed manufacturer, type or variation; these names may differ from the archive and folder names.

Where is the Prepar3D aircraft folder?

The conventional aircraft folder is SimObjects\Airplanes inside the directory containing Prepar3D.exe. The useful path test is Prepar3D\SimObjects\Airplanes\AircraftName\aircraft.cfg.

Prepar3D may be installed in a custom location, so another user’s full Windows path may not match yours. Locate Prepar3D.exe first and work from there. If Windows restricts changes to that directory, use the package’s supported add-on.xml method rather than moving files into unrelated folders or changing broad security permissions.

The mistake we see constantly is an extra wrapper folder. Prepar3D cannot find a legacy aircraft when its configuration ends up at a path such as SimObjects\Airplanes\DownloadName\P3D\AircraftName\aircraft.cfg; move the actual AircraftName folder directly beneath Airplanes.

Why does my installed aircraft not appear in Prepar3D?

A missing aircraft is usually nested at the wrong depth, disabled as an add-on, hidden by selection filters or dependent on a base aircraft that is not installed.

• Wrong folder depth: make sure the folder directly beneath SimObjects\Airplanes contains aircraft.cfg. Remove any unnecessary archive, version or SimObjects wrapper folders.
• Archive not extracted: Prepar3D cannot load an aircraft that remains inside a ZIP or similar archive.
• Add-on package not active: check that add-on.xml remains at the package root and that the package was accepted and enabled in Prepar3D.
• Selection filters: clear manufacturer, category and search filters. The displayed name comes from entries in aircraft.cfg, not necessarily the download filename.
• Repaint without its base model: install the exact aircraft named by the repaint author. A similar-looking model is not an interchangeable substitute.
• Broken configuration: duplicate title= values, malformed [fltsim.x] sections or incorrect model= and panel= references can stop a variation from loading correctly.
• AI aircraft mistaken for a flyable model: some B38M and other traffic packages are designed for AI use and may have no usable virtual cockpit or player-aircraft systems.
• Blank or failed instruments: required gauges or modules may be missing, blocked or incompatible. Prepar3D v4 and later are 64-bit applications, so old 32-bit gauge and module DLLs will not work simply because the aircraft itself appears.
• Missing lights, smoke or other effects: verify that the supplied effect files reached Prepar3D’s main Effects folder, unless the add-on.xml package references its own internal effects directory.

Packages with several components or external library paths need more than an aircraft-folder check. Our guide to Prepar3D package activation, management and troubleshooting covers installers, discovery packages and legacy add-ons in more detail.

Can FSX aircraft be installed in Prepar3D?

Some FSX-native aircraft work in Prepar3D, but an FSX label alone does not establish compatibility.

Simple models using compatible gauges have the best chance. Older model formats, compiled gauges, DLL-based systems and installers that cannot identify Prepar3D are common failure points. An aircraft may appear in the selection screen while its cockpit, animations or systems remain unusable.

Do not point an FSX-only installer at the Prepar3D directory unless the package documentation explicitly supports that method. Running the installer with administrator rights does not make incompatible code work.

How do I remove a Prepar3D aircraft safely?

Use the package’s uninstaller when one was supplied. For an add-on.xml installation, disable the package in Prepar3D and remove its complete package folder. For a legacy installation, delete only that aircraft’s folder from SimObjects\Airplanes.

Do not remove shared gauges, effects or modules unless you know that no other aircraft uses them. A simple record of manually copied files prevents an aircraft removal from breaking another add-on later.