How do I install WS3 orthophoto scenery in FlightGear?

To install WS3 orthophoto scenery in FlightGear, extract the regional package to its own scenery root, add that root to FlightGear’s scenery path with higher priority than TerraSync or default scenery, enable photo scenery only if the package requires it, then restart at an airport inside its coverage. Preserve the archive’s folder structure.

WS3 refers to World Scenery 3. Orthophoto packages add georeferenced aerial imagery for specific regions; they are not a global imagery stream, and some packages depend on matching WS3 terrain data.

What do you need before installing WS3 orthophotos?

You need a complete regional package, enough free storage for both the archive and extracted files, and a FlightGear release compatible with that package.

• Read the included documentation for any stated FlightGear or WS3 requirement. Do not assume every WS3 download works with every simulator build.
• Check whether the download is a complete scenery package or an imagery-only overlay requiring separate WS3 terrain.
• If the download has several archive parts, place all parts together and extract from the first one. Missing parts commonly produce blank tiles or missing-texture errors.
• Keep the package separate from FlightGear’s programme files and the TerraSync download directory. This makes upgrades, troubleshooting and removal much safer.

How do you install WS3 orthophoto scenery?

Install the package by extracting it intact and adding its actual scenery root—not the archive or an outer wrapper folder—to FlightGear’s scenery search path.

1. Close FlightGear. Changing an active scenery path may not reload tiles already held in memory.
2. Create a dedicated directory. A location such as D:\FlightGear-Scenery\WS3-Ortho-Region or /home/user/FlightGear-Scenery/WS3-Ortho-Region keeps it independent of the simulator installation.
3. Extract the whole archive. Retain directory names, capitalisation and subfolders. Do not move individual texture or terrain files after extraction.
4. Identify the scenery root. If the extracted package contains Terrain, Objects or a package-specific imagery directory, add the folder directly above those directories. A mistake we see constantly is selecting an outer folder that merely contains another identically named scenery folder.
5. Add that root to FlightGear. Use the launcher’s scenery-path configuration and retain the existing default and TerraSync paths. Our guide to FlightGear scenery roots and path ordering covers the general path controls in more detail.
6. Give the orthophoto package higher priority. It must be searched before another scenery source containing the same terrain tiles. Do not merge its files into TerraSync merely to force priority.
7. Apply any package-specific option. Packages that replace ordinary terrain usually load through path priority alone; packages using optional photo-scenery support may require a rendering setting or start-up option. Use the instruction supplied with that package rather than an option copied from an older release.
8. Restart inside the covered region. Select an airport well within the package boundary, preferably in daylight, and allow the first scenery load to finish.

FlightGear does not normally require a scenery database rebuild. Once the correct path has been saved in the active launcher profile, matching tiles should load automatically whenever you enter the covered area.

How do you know the orthophotos are working?

Working orthophotos replace the generic land-class textures with recognisable aerial features such as individual fields, roads, industrial areas and shoreline detail.

Check from a moderate altitude outside the airport boundary. Airport surfaces, runways and generated buildings can cover parts of the imagery by design, so the ground immediately around the parking position is not always a reliable test. At the package boundary, FlightGear will return to its lower-priority terrain source; that sharp transition usually indicates limited coverage rather than a failed installation.

Imagery and airport data may also come from different dates. A road, building site or runway visible in one layer but not another is generally a source-data mismatch, not evidence that the orthophotos are misplaced.

Can WS3 orthophotos and TerraSync run together?

Yes. Keep the WS3 orthophotos in a higher-priority custom scenery root and leave TerraSync below it to supply uncovered regions and any files absent from the custom package.

Never extract the orthophotos directly into the TerraSync cache. TerraSync updates can then overwrite files, while duplicate tiles become difficult to identify or remove. Our TerraSync configuration and priority guidance explains how to keep downloaded and custom scenery sources separate.

Why is WS3 orthophoto scenery not showing?

If the default ground textures remain visible, the cause is usually an incorrect root folder, scenery priority, incomplete archive, incompatible package or a starting location outside the downloaded coverage.

Inspect FlightGear’s start-up log for the scenery paths actually being searched and for missing tile or texture messages. Do not delete the TerraSync cache as a first response; path nesting and priority are more common causes. For wider terrain and object problems, follow our FlightGear missing-scenery checks.