How do I start a cold-and-dark aircraft in FSX?

In FSX and FSX: Steam Edition, begin at a gate or parking stand, set the parking brake, switch on battery or external power, establish fuel flow, then use the correct starter and ignition sequence for that engine. After a stable start, connect generators, avionics and other systems. The aircraft checklist overrides this generic order.

Cold and dark means the engines are stopped, fuel controls are shut and the main electrical systems are unpowered. Merely choosing a gate does not guarantee this state because FSX can carry switch positions over from its default or previously saved flight.

What is the correct FSX cold-and-dark startup order?

The dependable generic order is secure the aircraft, establish electrical power, configure fuel and ignition, start each engine, then complete the after-start flow.

1. Load at a parking position. Select a gate, ramp or parking spot in Free Flight rather than an active runway. Our guide to loading FSX at a gate instead of the runway explains the location selection. A parking start changes the location, but not necessarily the saved system state.
2. Secure the aircraft. Apply the parking brake, set the throttles to idle or the checklist position, and check mixture, propeller, condition and fuel-control levers. Remove any control-axis input that is forcing a lever away from its cockpit position.
3. Establish electrical power. Switch on the battery or connect external power. An airliner may need its APU running before electrical and pneumatic power are available for engine start.
4. Configure the fuel system. Confirm that fuel is aboard, open the appropriate selectors or shut-off valves, and set boost pumps, mixture or fuel-control levers as required. Fuel quantity alone is not enough if the selected tank is closed.
5. Prepare ignition and starting air. Select magnetos or ignition as appropriate. Jets normally require APU or ground-supplied pneumatic air; a battery by itself does not turn most turbine engines.
6. Start and monitor the engine. Engage the starter and introduce fuel at the point specified for that engine. Watch RPM, oil pressure and temperature. In a detailed turbine model, introducing fuel too early can produce a hot start.
7. Complete the after-start flow. Bring the alternator or generator online, switch on avionics, and configure bleed air, packs, hydraulic pumps, anti-ice and lights as required. Do not shut down the APU until the engine generators are carrying the electrical load.

For a fuller cockpit flow, including engine shutdown, use our step-by-step FSX startup and shutdown procedures.

How does the startup sequence differ by engine type?

Piston, turboprop and jet engines introduce fuel and ignition at different stages, so one procedure cannot safely be copied to every aircraft.

Default FSX aircraft simplify many electrical, pneumatic and ignition functions. Complex add-ons may use custom gauges, ground equipment or a panel-state loader that bypasses normal FSX commands. In those aircraft, the supplied checklist takes precedence.

How do I start an A320 cold and dark in FSX?

FSX includes a default Airbus A321 rather than an A320, so an FSX A320 is an add-on whose custom systems determine the exact procedure.

1. Load the correct panel state. If the add-on includes a cold-and-dark option in its MCDU, configuration panel or flight-management utility, use that instead of transferring a state from another aircraft.
2. Switch on both batteries. Connect external power when it is available; otherwise select the APU master and start the APU.
3. Establish APU power and bleed air. Wait for the model's APU-available indication, then connect its generator and bleed supply as required.
4. Prepare the engines. Turn on the required fuel pumps and beacon, set the engine mode selector to the start position, then move the selected engine master to ON. Engine 2 followed by engine 1 is the customary A320-family order, but the add-on checklist remains authoritative.
5. Reconfigure after start. Once both engines and their generators are stable, return the mode selector to normal and restore the normal bleed and pack configuration. Shut down the APU only after any modelled cooling period.

A simplified A320 may not model these systems at all. If there are no functional battery, APU or bleed controls, the developer may have intended FSX automatic start rather than a complete Airbus procedure.

What should I do if there is no battery switch?

If no battery switch is visible, check the overhead or engineer's panel, open any available 2D instrument panel, and inspect the aircraft's documentation before assuming that the battery is missing.

With the standard FSX control assignments, Shift+M toggles the master battery. Confirm the assignment in the simulator's Controls settings because custom profiles and add-ons can change or intercept it.

A dark cockpit after switching on the battery does not always indicate a fault. The aircraft may also require external power, an avionics master, a bus-tie switch or an add-on panel state to be initialised. Faithful Concorde models are a special case: they rely on ground support rather than an onboard APU.

Can I use Ctrl+E for a cold-and-dark startup?

Yes, Ctrl+E runs FSX's automatic engine-start command under the default control assignment, but it is a shortcut rather than a complete cold-and-dark procedure.

Automatic start can operate the basic starter, ignition and fuel controls supported by FSX. It will not necessarily initialise an airliner's APU, bleed-air system, inertial references, flight computer or custom electrical logic. Detailed add-ons may override or ignore it entirely.

It didn't work: why will my FSX aircraft not start?

A failed cold-and-dark startup is usually caused by missing electrical or pneumatic power, interrupted fuel flow, incorrect ignition, or a controller axis overriding the cockpit controls.

• The starter does nothing: check the battery, electrical bus and starter selection. For a jet, confirm that the APU or ground-air source is running and its bleed valve is open.
• The propeller or turbine turns but the engine does not fire: check the fuel selector, shut-off valve, mixture or condition lever, boost pumps, magnetos and ignition.
• The engine starts and immediately stops: the mixture may be lean, the fuel control may have returned to cutoff, or a throttle, mixture or condition-lever axis may be sending an unwanted command.
• There is no N2 rotation in a jet: electrical power alone is insufficient. Supply pneumatic starting air and verify that the correct engine is selected.
• The engine runs but the panel remains dark: connect the alternator or generator and switch on the avionics master. In a complex aircraft, check the bus ties and generator switches.
• Only one engine starts: select the next engine and repeat its complete sequence. Multi-engine add-ons often have separate starter, ignition, generator and fuel controls.
• Ctrl+E does nothing: the add-on may block automatic start, the shortcut may have been reassigned, or a hardware mixture axis may be holding the fuel at cutoff.
• The aircraft loads with engines running: a gate start alone is not cold and dark. Load the aircraft's cold-and-dark panel state or create and save one manually.

If the engine still refuses to run, follow our focused checks for FSX engines that will not start or stay running.

How do I start Concorde cold and dark in FSX?

FSX has no default Concorde, and each Concorde add-on implements a different amount of its four-engine electrical, fuel and pneumatic systems.

The real aircraft had no onboard APU, so a systems-heavy Concorde normally needs simulated ground electrical power and ground starting air. Do not waste time searching for an A320-style APU switch if the model is reproducing that arrangement.

1. Connect ground services. Use the add-on's ground-services or engineer's panel to supply electrical power and pneumatic starting air.
2. Configure electrical and fuel systems. Set batteries, buses, fuel feed and pumps according to the aircraft checklist. Detailed models may require work at the flight engineer's panel.
3. Start one engine at a time. Select the starter and ignition, confirm rotation, then open the appropriate high-pressure fuel control when instructed.
4. Monitor and connect the generator. Check RPM, temperature and oil pressure before bringing that engine's generator online and proceeding to the next engine.

The engine order and exact switch positions depend on the Concorde package. Some simplified conversions expose only standard FSX starter commands; for those, Ctrl+E may be the intended startup method.

How do I make FSX start cold and dark every time?

Save a flight with the chosen aircraft parked, its engines stopped and its electrical and fuel controls correctly shut down, then make that flight the default if the save dialogue offers the option.

Set up and save the same aircraft you intend to fly. A mistake we see constantly is creating a cold-and-dark state in one aeroplane and then switching to a very different add-on. FSX transfers some switch positions, while custom gauges may ignore the saved state or initialise incorrectly.

When an add-on provides its own panel-state manager, use that instead of relying solely on an FSX saved flight. For default and simpler aircraft, our reusable FSX cold-and-dark cockpit configuration offers another starting point. Back up any files it replaces and do not expect it to override custom add-on systems.