How do I set the A32NX to cold and dark or turnaround?
Set the FlyByWire A32NX to cold and dark or turnaround using flyPad presets, with fixes for missing Sim Options and MSFS 2024.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator, load the FlyByWire A32NX at a gate or parking stand, wait for the flyPad to initialise, then open flyPad → Presets → Aircraft Presets and select Cold & Dark or Turnaround. A parking spawn permits these ground states; a runway spawn normally forces a powered, take-off-ready aircraft.
Is there a preset for cold and dark or turnaround?
Yes. The stable A32NX build provides both states on the flyPad’s Presets page, under Aircraft Presets.
- Select the FlyByWire A32NX. In the aircraft selection menu, make sure the aircraft is identified as the FlyByWire A32NX rather than Microsoft Flight Simulator’s default Airbus A320neo.
- Choose a parking position. Select a gate, stand or ramp on the World Map. Do not select the runway or a runway departure point.
- Wait for initialisation. Let the cockpit systems and flyPad finish loading. Applying a preset too early can produce a partly powered, mixed state.
- Open the cockpit flyPad. If its screen is black, switch the tablet on and give it time to boot. Our guide to finding and using the A32NX flyPad explains its main controls.
- Open Presets. From the flyPad navigation, select Presets, then find the Aircraft Presets panel.
- Apply one state. Select
COLD & DARKorTURNAROUNDonce. Do not operate switches, press startup shortcuts or move bound hardware controls while the state is being applied. - Verify the cockpit. Check the overhead panel, displays, engines and electrical supply before beginning the relevant checklist.
Development and experimental builds can move an icon or alter the presentation before those changes reach stable. The dependable labels to look for are Presets and Aircraft Presets, not the older Sim Options wording.
Which A32NX preset should you choose?
Choose Cold & Dark for the full power-up procedure and Turnaround for a powered aircraft being prepared between sectors.
| Preset | Expected state | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Cold & Dark | Engines and most systems are off, cockpit displays are dark and no aircraft electrical source is established | Practising batteries, external power or APU use, alignment and the complete engine-start procedure |
| Turnaround | Engines are off, but the aircraft is in a powered ground state suitable for another sector | Beginning MCDU setup, boarding and departure preparation without repeating a complete shutdown recovery |
Turnaround does not mean that fuel, payload, doors, boarding and every airline-specific checklist item are complete. Check the overhead and active power source rather than assuming the preset has prepared the entire flight.
There is no Sim Options option / I can’t see it (No lo veo)
Sim Options is an older flyPad label used by retired or moved A32NX interfaces and legacy tutorials. In the stable build, use flyPad → Presets → Aircraft Presets to apply Cold & Dark or Turnaround.
If an old video tells you to open Settings, Sim Options or an ambiguously named Aircraft State page, do not try to reproduce that path in a newer interface. The tutorial may show a discontinued flyPad layout even though the preset itself still exists.
How do I confirm that the FlyByWire A32NX is loaded?
Return to the aircraft selection screen and verify that the aircraft name or developer identifies FlyByWire or A32NX. The default A320neo is a separate aircraft and does not gain FlyByWire’s Aircraft Presets page merely because it looks similar.
If the correct aircraft is selected but Presets is still absent, check the installation rather than searching every flyPad settings page:
- Update an old build. A package retained from an old tutorial may contain a substantially older flyPad interface. Install a build intended for your simulator through the FlyByWire Installer.
- Check the active Community folder. Custom package locations can leave users inspecting the wrong folder. Confirm which Community folder the simulator is actually loading.
- Remove duplicate A32NX packages. Keep one installation and one selected release channel. Old hand-copied, extracted or backup A32NX folders left inside Community can also be loaded; merely renaming a backup does not necessarily disable it.
- Repair the installation. For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, follow our clean A32NX installation and duplicate-removal procedure.
The preset does not work (“det fungerar inte”): what should you check?
If the preset does nothing, produces a mixed cockpit or will not stay applied, the cause is usually the spawn point, simulator automation or a control binding that immediately changes the selected state.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The aircraft loads powered and ready for departure | The flight started on a runway | Return to the main menu, choose a gate or stand, then apply the flyPad preset |
| Switches or displays change by themselves | AI assistance, an automated checklist or a controller binding is operating them | Disable startup-related assistance and check battery, avionics, fuel and engine assignments |
| Cold & Dark applies, then power returns | A latching hardware switch is continuously transmitting its physical position | Temporarily disconnect the controller; if the problem stops, correct the conflicting assignment using our A32NX control-binding guidance |
| The cockpit is partly on and partly off | The preset was applied during initialisation, interrupted or layered over a saved state | Start a fresh parking flight and leave all controls untouched until the preset finishes |
| Aircraft Presets is missing | The default A320neo is loaded, the A32NX build is outdated or duplicate packages conflict | Verify the aircraft, update it and leave only one active A32NX installation |
| Nothing has power after selecting Cold & Dark | This is the intended result | Switch on the batteries, then use available external power or start the APU according to the checklist |
A mistake we see constantly is treating the World Map spawn and the flyPad preset as the same control. The spawn determines whether Microsoft Flight Simulator begins at parking or on a runway; the flyPad determines the detailed A32NX system configuration after loading.
How do you recover from a mixed A32NX cockpit state?
A new parking-position flight is more reliable than repairing a badly mixed system state one switch at a time.
- Return to the main menu. Avoid an in-flight restart or instant reposition while diagnosing the problem.
- Create a fresh flight. Select the FlyByWire A32NX and a gate, stand or ramp.
- Do not load a saved flight. Generic simulator saves can restore simulator variables without reproducing every internal A32NX system state.
- Temporarily remove competing inputs. Disable startup automation and disconnect suspect switch panels or controllers.
- Wait for initialisation. Let the cockpit and flyPad settle before opening Presets.
- Apply the required preset once. Touch nothing until it has finished, then inspect the overhead and displays.
Does the preset workflow differ in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
On a compatible FlyByWire A32NX build, the MSFS 2024 workflow is the same: start at parking, use the aircraft’s cockpit-mounted flyPad, then open Presets → Aircraft Presets.
FlyByWire supports the A32NX in MSFS 2024 on PC through builds intended for that simulator. Use a build that the FlyByWire Installer explicitly offers as MSFS 2024 compatible; do not copy an old MSFS 2020 package across and assume its interface or behaviour is supported.
MSFS 2024 also has simulator-level planning and EFB features, but those do not replace the A32NX flyPad’s Aircraft Presets. The Community-folder package and FlyByWire Installer are PC installation methods, so these steps do not make the add-on installable on a console.
Build interfaces can differ, especially outside the stable channel. If a 2020-era video shows Sim Options, follow the compatible build’s Presets page instead. Our separate MSFS 2024 cold-and-dark start guidance covers simulator-side parking and startup behaviour.
What should you do after the preset loads?
After the preset is applied, establish or verify electrical power before programming the aircraft and starting the engines.
- After Cold & Dark: switch on the batteries, connect external power if it is available or start the APU using the normal checklist.
- After Turnaround: confirm which electrical source is active, inspect the overhead and verify the display indications before starting MCDU work.
- After either preset: configure fuel, payload, doors, boarding and ground services separately. Aircraft Presets do not programme the route or complete the operational checklist.