Install FlightGear on Linux with Flatpak, APT, DNF, Pacman or Zypper. Compare methods and fix missing packages, graphics errors and folder access.
On Linux, install FlightGear either as a Flatpak or from your distribution’s repository. For Flatpak, enable the Flathub remote and run flatpak install flathub org.flightgear.FlightGear. For a native package, install flightgear with APT, DNF, Pacman or Zypper. Launch FlightGear as your normal user, never with sudo.
Flatpak or package manager: which should I use?
Choose Flatpak for a distribution-independent build, or use your package manager for tighter integration with the rest of your Linux system.
| Method | Best choice when | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Flatpak | You want FlightGear updated separately from the operating system or your repository has an older release. | Sandbox permissions can restrict scenery and aircraft folders outside the normal home directory. |
| Distribution package | You prefer system updates, native library integration and standard Linux file access. | The FlightGear version depends on your distribution and may lag behind other builds. |
| AppImage | Neither Flatpak nor the distribution repository provides a suitable package. | You manage updates yourself, and architecture support matters. Our FlightGear download provides a Linux x86_64 AppImage included in the simulator package. |
Before downloading the simulator and its scenery, check FlightGear’s Linux hardware, storage and graphics requirements. A working hardware-accelerated graphics driver matters more than the installation format.
How do I install FlightGear with Flatpak?
To install FlightGear through Flatpak, confirm that Flatpak and the Flathub remote are configured, then install the application using its exact ID.
- Check Flatpak. Run
flatpak --version. If the command is missing, install the package namedflatpakthrough your distribution’s package manager. - Check the configured remotes. Run
flatpak remotes. Ifflathubis absent, enable that remote through your distribution’s Flatpak or software-source setup before continuing. - Install FlightGear. Run
flatpak install flathub org.flightgear.FlightGearand confirm the requested application and runtime packages. Run this as your normal user; Flatpak can request system authentication itself. - Start the simulator. Open FlightGear from the desktop application menu or run
flatpak run org.flightgear.FlightGear. - Install updates. Use
flatpak update org.flightgear.FlightGear. This is separate from APT, DNF and other operating-system updates.
The exact application ID avoids installing an unrelated package with a similar display name. A Flatpak installation does not normally add fgfs to the shell’s standard command path, so use the full flatpak run command when launching it from a terminal.
How do I install FlightGear with APT, DNF, Pacman or Zypper?
A native FlightGear installation uses the package command for your Linux distribution and automatically pulls in its required data and library packages.
| Distribution family | Installation command |
|---|---|
| Debian, Ubuntu and derivatives | sudo apt update && sudo apt install flightgear |
| Fedora | sudo dnf install FlightGear |
| Arch Linux and derivatives | sudo pacman -Syu flightgear |
| openSUSE | sudo zypper refresh && sudo zypper install FlightGear |
Package names and availability can differ between distribution releases. If the command reports that no package exists, search the enabled repositories for flightgear and check that the distribution’s standard optional or community repository is enabled.
Some distributions divide the simulator and its base data into separate packages. Let the package manager resolve those dependencies rather than downloading a data package from a different FlightGear release. Mixing an executable from one version with another version’s base package is a common cause of missing aircraft, resources and launcher errors.
Why won’t FlightGear start after installation?
Most Linux launch failures come from an unconfigured Flatpak remote, missing repository metadata, graphics-driver problems or two FlightGear installations being confused with each other.
- “No remote refs found”: run
flatpak remotesand confirm thatflathubis available in the same Flatpak setup you are using. Avoid running Flatpak throughsudo, which can introduce a different user scope. - Package not found: refresh the package metadata, check the spelling and search the enabled repositories. Do not paste an APT command into Fedora or a DNF command into Ubuntu.
- Blank window or graphics error: install the correct host graphics driver, reboot after a driver change and run
flatpak updateso Flatpak’s matching graphics components are refreshed. - Wrong build opens: Flatpak and native packages can coexist and may create similar menu entries. Use
flatpak info org.flightgear.FlightGearfor the Flatpak build andfgfs --versionfor the native build. - Base data cannot be found: remove the mismatched installation and reinstall one complete package set. Do not point a newer executable manually at an older base-data directory.
- External folders are invisible in Flatpak: grant access only to the required directory with
flatpak override --user --filesystem=/absolute/path/to/FlightGear org.flightgear.FlightGear, replacing the example path with the real one, then restart FlightGear.
After the first launch
Run the FlightGear launcher as your normal account and keep simulator data out of system-owned directories. A mistake we see often is launching the simulator with sudo; that creates root-owned settings and cache files which later prevent an ordinary launch from saving changes.
Automatic scenery downloading requires network access and enough free storage. If you use downloaded regional scenery instead, follow our instructions for selecting and installing FlightGear scenery folders rather than placing files inside the application package.
Flatpak keeps application-specific user data beneath ~/.var/app/org.flightgear.FlightGear/, while a native package uses the normal FlightGear user locations for that release. This is why settings and add-ons may appear to vanish when switching installation methods. For extra aircraft, use our aircraft-folder and launcher setup steps instead of modifying the packaged base-data directory.