Install FlightGear liveries, use the livery selector, match the right aircraft package and fix missing paint, bad paths and XML errors.
To install a livery in FlightGear, close the simulator, extract the archive into the exact aircraft package it was made for, and preserve its supplied folder structure—commonly Models/Liveries. Load that aircraft, then choose the paint scheme with its livery selector. Incompatible models, duplicate aircraft folders and extra nesting cause most failures.
Does the FlightGear livery match your aircraft package?
A FlightGear livery must match the exact aircraft package and model variant, not merely the real-world aircraft type. Different packages can use different model geometry, texture names, UV mapping and livery definitions even when they represent the same aeroplane.
Check the archive’s description and included instructions for the intended package, variant and revision. The folder containing the relevant file ending in -set.xml is usually the aircraft package into which the livery belongs. If the required base aircraft is missing, install the correct FlightGear aircraft and configure its search path before adding the paint scheme.
Will a 777-300ER livery work with any FlightGear 777?
No. A 777-300ER livery may be incompatible with another 777 variant, a different FlightGear 777 package or a substantially different package revision.
The aircraft’s folder name alone does not prove compatibility. If a paint appears stretched, misplaced or partly missing, the usual cause is incompatible texture mapping; moving files or renaming the livery cannot correct that.
Is the download a livery package or a complete aircraft?
A livery package adds a paint scheme to an aircraft already installed, while a complete aircraft package includes its own launchable aircraft definition.
- Selectable livery: Usually contains an XML definition and one or more texture images, often arranged beneath
Models/Liveries. It should add an entry to the aircraft’s livery selector. - Replacement texture set: May contain only images intended to replace the default paint. It will not necessarily appear in a selector, and the original textures must be backed up first.
- Complete aircraft or variant: Contains an aircraft directory and one or more files ending in
-set.xml. Follow the process for placing a complete add-on aircraft in FlightGear’s aircraft path instead of merging it as a repaint.
A repaint made for FSX, Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane or Prepar3D is not interchangeable with a FlightGear livery. If an archive is poorly labelled, our explanation of how repaint formats and installation methods differ between simulators can help identify what it contains.
How do I add a downloaded FlightGear livery package?
Add a downloaded livery by merging its supplied files into the active aircraft folder without changing their relative paths.
- Close FlightGear. A loaded aircraft may retain its existing texture and livery list until it is reloaded.
- Find the active aircraft package. Locate the folder containing the target aircraft or variant’s
-set.xmlfile. Check every configured aircraft path if you have more than one copy installed. - Extract the archive to a temporary folder. Inspect its contents before copying anything. Read any included installation notes because aircraft with custom livery systems may use a location other than
Models/Liveries. - Align the folder levels. If the archive starts with
Models/Liveries, mergeModelsinto the aircraft folder. If it starts with the aircraft’s folder name, merge that folder’s contents into the existing matching package. - Avoid doubled directories. The result should resemble
<aircraft-folder>/Models/Liveries/..., not<aircraft-folder>/<aircraft-folder>/Models/Liveries/.... - Back up anything that will be replaced. A normal selectable livery generally adds files. Treat an overwrite prompt as a warning and confirm that the package genuinely requires replacement textures.
- Preserve names and capitalisation. Do not rename the XML, texture images or their directories unless the aircraft’s instructions explicitly require it.
- Start the exact matching aircraft. Loading another variant or another copy of the same package means FlightGear will not see the livery you just installed.
Do not put aircraft liveries in a scenery folder, the simulator’s general texture directory or a standalone livery directory. FlightGear normally expects the files inside the aircraft package that implements the livery system.
How do I use the FlightGear livery selector?
For an aircraft using FlightGear’s conventional livery system, load the aircraft and look for Select Livery, commonly under the Aircraft menu.
Choose the desired paint scheme and allow the model to refresh. Menu wording and placement can vary by FlightGear interface and aircraft package: some aircraft expose the choice before launch, while others provide an aircraft-specific control after loading. If the selected textures do not appear, reload the aircraft or restart FlightGear.
The livery selector is not a universal scanner for every texture placed on the computer. It can display only the liveries recognised by the aircraft package that FlightGear has loaded.
Why does my aircraft have no livery selector?
An aircraft without a livery selector may use fixed textures, a custom paint-selection system or a package definition that does not support selectable liveries.
Merely creating Models/Liveries will not add the required aircraft logic. Follow that package’s instructions; if none describe livery support, assume a downloaded selectable paint may not be compatible.
Why is my FlightGear livery not showing?
A missing FlightGear livery is most often caused by installation into the wrong aircraft copy, an extra folder level or a package mismatch.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Livery is absent from the list | Wrong aircraft copy, doubled directory or missing livery XML | Confirm which package FlightGear loaded and trace the archive’s original structure from the aircraft folder downwards. |
| Aircraft is white, dark or partly unpainted | Missing texture images or incorrect paths in the livery definition | Re-extract the complete archive and preserve the supplied filenames and relative directories. |
| Paint is stretched or appears on the wrong surfaces | Livery was made for another model, variant or revision | Use a livery designed for the exact FlightGear aircraft package. Folder changes cannot repair incompatible texture mapping. |
| Livery works on one operating system but not another | Filename capitalisation differs between the XML and texture | On case-sensitive file systems, including many Linux installations, Tail.png and tail.png are different files. |
| Selection changes nothing or the default paint returns | The aircraft was already loaded, uses custom livery logic or rejected the definition | Restart FlightGear, then check the aircraft’s own controls and the simulator log for texture or XML errors. |
| FlightGear reports an XML error or the aircraft fails to load | Malformed, incomplete or incompatible livery definition | Remove the new files, restore any backups and verify that the livery targets the installed package revision. |
| Files cannot be copied into the destination | The bundled aircraft directory is protected or managed by the installation | Use a writable add-on aircraft location configured in FlightGear, then keep the aircraft and compatible liveries together there. |
Will a FlightGear update remove installed liveries?
An update or reinstall can replace liveries stored inside a bundled or managed aircraft package. Keep the original livery archive and a note of its destination so compatible paints can be restored if the package is refreshed.
Separately downloaded aircraft are easier to maintain in a writable add-on aircraft directory, with their liveries stored inside the same package. A mistake we see constantly is leaving duplicate aircraft packages on different search paths, installing the livery into one and unknowingly loading the other. Remove or disable stale duplicates once you have identified the copy FlightGear actually uses.