Refuel an aircraft in FSX by menu, fuel truck or airport pump, and fix Shift+F failures, missing services and fuel-manager conflicts.
To refuel an aircraft in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, use Aircraft > Fuel and Payload for an instant refill, press Shift+F at a suitable parking stand to request a fuel truck, or taxi beside an airport fuel pump. Keep paired tanks balanced and check the aircraft’s maximum gross weight.
| Refuelling method | Best used for | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel and Payload menu | Setting an exact fuel load quickly | Instant rather than realistically simulated |
| Fuel truck | Airliner turnarounds at supported airports | Depends on airport services and vehicle routing |
| Airport fuel pump | General aviation aircraft | The scenery must contain a working fuel trigger |
How do I refill fuel through the FSX menu?
The Fuel and Payload window is the most reliable method because it works without airport ground services.
- Open the menu bar. Press Alt if the menus are hidden in full-screen mode.
- Select Aircraft > Fuel and Payload. The window lists every fuel tank defined for the loaded aircraft.
- Enter the required fuel. Adjust the displayed quantities or percentages, keeping corresponding left and right tanks balanced.
- Check the weight. Make sure the resulting aircraft weight does not exceed the displayed maximum gross weight, then confirm the change.
You can make this change on the ground or in flight, although adding fuel while airborne is an instant simulation shortcut. Complex add-on aircraft may use their own fuel loader and can overwrite changes made through the standard FSX window; use the add-on’s loader when its documentation requires one.
How do I call the FSX fuel truck?
Pressing Shift+F requests a fuel truck when the airport and parking position support that service.
- Park at a suitable stand. Stop within the marked parking position rather than on a taxiway or runway.
- Secure the aircraft. Set the parking brake and, for a normal turnaround, shut down the engines.
- Request fuel. Press Shift+F once and wait for the vehicle to reach the aircraft. Our FSX keyboard-command reference lists this and other fuel-related controls.
- Verify the result. Watch the fuel gauges or reopen Fuel and Payload rather than relying only on the truck animation.
The truck is better suited to a full ground refuel than a precise dispatch quantity. Use Fuel and Payload when you need a specific number of gallons or pounds.
Why does Shift+F do nothing?
A missing truck usually indicates an airport-service or control-assignment problem, not an aircraft fault.
- The airport may lack a fuel service, compatible parking position or usable vehicle route. Try a default major airport to isolate scenery problems.
- The airport-vehicle density setting may be disabled. Raise it from its lowest setting and try again.
- You may not be positioned correctly at the stand, or the aircraft may be too large for that parking spot.
- The shortcut may have been reassigned or captured by another control. Use the Controls settings to check and reassign FSX keyboard commands.
- A complex add-on may require its own fuel-management panel even when the truck appears normally.
If the truck still fails, the Fuel and Payload menu remains the dependable fallback.
Can I refuel at an airport fuel pump?
Yes. Taxi slowly beside a working fuel station and stop inside its invisible fuel-trigger area; FSX should then replenish the aircraft’s tanks automatically.
This is common at smaller general aviation airports. A visible pump or fuel cabinet does not guarantee that an add-on airport has a functional trigger, so use the menu method if the gauges do not move.
How do I use unlimited fuel in FSX?
Enable Unlimited fuel in the simulator’s Realism settings if you do not want the aircraft’s fuel quantity to decrease.
This removes the need for normal refuelling, but it also hides fuel-planning mistakes. Some advanced aircraft run their own fuel calculations and may not follow the standard FSX realism option.
Does FSX support air-to-air refuelling?
FSX does not provide a universal functional aerial-refuelling system for every aircraft; working boom, probe and fuel-transfer behaviour normally comes from a specific mission, gauge or add-on aircraft.
For a compatible example, our library includes an FSX F/A-18 package with an in-flight refuelling gauge. Installing a tanker model by itself does not guarantee that fuel will transfer to the receiving aircraft.