Learn why FSX taxi guidance arrows are missing, how to enable Progressive Taxi, and how to isolate ATC, scenery and graphics faults.
FSX taxi guidance arrows appear only when Progressive Taxi is requested through the ATC window after Ground issues a taxi clearance. If the option is absent, FSX has no valid ATC taxi route; if it works at default airports but not one add-on airport, that airport’s taxi network or ground layer is the likely fault.
How do I turn on taxi guidance arrows in FSX?
Enable them from the ATC menu after receiving taxi instructions; there is no permanent display setting that leaves the arrows switched on.
- Open the ATC window and use its menu to contact the airport’s Ground frequency. After landing, clear the runway before contacting Ground.
- Request taxi clearance for departure or to a parking position, then acknowledge the route issued by the controller.
- Select Turn on Progressive Taxi from the ATC menu. FSX should draw magenta arrows along the assigned taxi route.
- Follow the assigned route until the arrows end at the runway or parking position. The same ATC menu can switch Progressive Taxi off.
A mistake we see constantly is expecting the arrows to appear after merely opening ATC or starting the aircraft. FSX must first calculate a taxi route from a valid Ground clearance. At an uncontrolled airport without a Ground service, that normal clearance—and therefore native Progressive Taxi—may be unavailable.
What does each Progressive Taxi symptom mean?
The point at which the feature fails usually identifies the cause.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Turn on Progressive Taxi option | No Ground clearance, wrong radio context, uncontrolled airport or an ATC problem | Contact Ground and obtain a taxi route; if ATC options or radio calls are also missing, use our FSX ATC and radio troubleshooting checks. |
| The menu changes to Turn off Progressive Taxi, but no arrows are visible anywhere | Rendering problem, altered configuration or damaged core files | Test at a stock airport, disable DX10 Preview temporarily and restart FSX. |
| Arrows work at stock airports but not one add-on airport | Disconnected taxi links, duplicate airport data, an elevation mismatch or a custom ground polygon covering the arrows | Disable the airport add-on and retest its default version. |
| Arrows appear but stop part-way | Broken taxi-network connection, cancelled clearance or an incomplete route to the selected parking position | Request a new clearance; if the failure repeats in the same place, inspect the airport data. |
Why are the arrows missing only at one add-on airport?
A one-airport failure almost always points to that airport’s scenery data rather than the aircraft or the main FSX installation.
Progressive Taxi reads the active airport definition—the taxiway paths, junction nodes, runway links and parking connections stored in airport scenery files. One disconnected segment can prevent FSX from calculating a complete route. Duplicate airport-definition files from another scenery or AI package can also make FSX use conflicting layouts.
- Temporarily disable the add-on airport and test the stock airport.
- Check for another package supplying an airport-definition file for the same ICAO code.
- Review Scenery Library priority if two legitimate packages cover the same airport.
- Suspect a custom ground polygon or elevation layer if the route is accepted but the arrows appear to be buried beneath the surface.
Airport creators can use our Airport Design Editor tutorial covering airport layout work to understand how taxi links and nodes are constructed. Back up the scenery before editing it, and do not modify a commercial airport when reinstalling or updating its supplied files is the safer fix.
What should I check if the arrows are missing at every airport?
If Progressive Taxi fails at every stock airport despite a valid clearance, isolate FSX’s display configuration and installation files.
- Test a default controlled airport with its stock scenery. Choose one that has a Ground frequency and request a short taxi route.
- Confirm the ATC menu state. If it now offers Turn off Progressive Taxi, FSX accepted the request and the remaining problem is visual rather than ATC-related.
- Turn off DX10 Preview in the display settings and restart the simulator. FSX’s preview renderer can produce visual faults involving legacy airport surfaces and overlays.
- Remove graphics modifications temporarily, including replacement shaders or other rendering changes, then repeat the stock-airport test.
- Rebuild the active FSX configuration only after backing it up. Renaming the active
fsx.cfglets FSX create a clean one, but it also resets display and control preferences. - Repair the installation if the feature still fails: verify FSX: Steam Edition’s files through its client, or use the repair option for the boxed edition. Back up modified stock files first.
Raising Scenery Complexity or airport vehicle density is not the normal fix; those settings do not act as the Progressive Taxi switch. Changing aircraft is also unlikely to help once ATC has accepted the route, because the arrows are generated by the simulator rather than the aircraft panel.
Do the arrows follow my flight plan or add-on ATC?
FSX Progressive Taxi follows the ground route created by its own ATC from the active airport taxi network, not the route in the GPS or flight plan.
An add-on or human controller does not necessarily trigger FSX’s native arrows. If no FSX Ground clearance has been generated, use the guidance supplied by that ATC system or taxi from the airport chart instead.