How do I use Plane Maker in X-Plane?

Plane Maker is X-Plane's bundled aircraft editor. Open the Plane Maker application from the same X-Plane installation, load an aircraft's .acf file, change its geometry, mass, engines, controls or systems, save a copied aircraft, then load that copy in X-Plane and flight-test each change.

What Plane Maker edits

Plane Maker controls an aircraft's X-Plane configuration and flight-model geometry, but it is not a complete 3-D modelling or texture tool. The .acf file defines the aircraft X-Plane simulates, while other files may supply its detailed appearance, sounds and custom systems.

The visible model and the aerodynamic model can therefore be different. An attached exterior object may hide Plane Maker's basic shapes, but the underlying wings and control surfaces can still determine how the aircraft flies. A largely Plane Maker-built Sopwith Camel illustrates the sort of lightweight complete aircraft the editor can produce.

How do I edit an existing aircraft safely?

The safe method is to duplicate the aircraft's entire folder and edit the copy with the Plane Maker supplied alongside that X-Plane installation. Copying only the .acf file leaves behind objects, airfoils, sounds, liveries and plugins on which it may depend.

1. Match Plane Maker to X-Plane. Run the editor found in the installation directory for the simulator version that will load the aircraft. Do not use an X-Plane 12 Plane Maker executable to maintain an aircraft that must remain editable in X-Plane 11.
2. Back up the complete aircraft folder. Place a working copy in a clearly named subfolder under X-Plane 12/Aircraft or the equivalent folder for your release. Avoid editing Laminar Research's default aircraft directly because an update or repair can replace those files.
3. Open the correct file. In Plane Maker, use File > Open and select the copied aircraft's .acf file. Some packages contain separate files for different simulator versions, so check the filename and documentation rather than opening the first one listed.
4. Give the test copy a distinct identity. The author or identification screen can give it a recognisable name, helping prevent two otherwise identical entries being confused in X-Plane's aircraft selector.
5. Change one area at a time. The Standard menu contains screens for items such as wings, fuselage, weight and balance, engines, landing gear, control geometry, systems and viewpoints. Labels can differ slightly between major X-Plane releases.
6. Check every field's units. A value entered as feet when the field expects metres, or pounds when it expects kilograms, can produce an aircraft that is enormous, uncontrollable or unable to load. Also check positive and negative directions for positions, incidence and control movement.
7. Save the copied aircraft. Use the normal save command once the correct copy is open. Keep revision copies before major changes rather than relying on a single overwritten file.
8. Load and test it in X-Plane. Reselect the aircraft or use X-Plane's aircraft-reload command. For engine, system or plugin changes, a full aircraft reload is safer than reloading artwork alone.

Test under repeatable conditions: use the same weight, centre of gravity, weather and runway, then compare one modification at a time. X-Plane's Data Output display can reveal actual control deflections, speeds and forces when the cockpit indication does not explain the behaviour.

For a disposable practice project, our guide to finding version-labelled freeware aircraft for X-Plane 12 explains the compatibility markings to check. Respect the original author's licence and do not redistribute a modified aircraft without permission.

How do I create a new aircraft in Plane Maker?

Start a new .acf file, save it in its own aircraft folder and build from verified dimensions rather than trying to tune a blank design by feel.

1. Create and identify the aircraft. Use Plane Maker's new-aircraft command, enter its basic identity and save it into a dedicated folder immediately.
2. Enter the main geometry. Define the fuselage, wing, horizontal and vertical tail, including their positions, spans, chords, sweep, dihedral and incidence where applicable.
3. Set weight and balance. Enter empty and maximum weights, fuel capacity, tank positions, centre-of-gravity range and the default loading condition. An incorrect centre of gravity can make a sound design appear aerodynamically broken.
4. Configure propulsion and landing gear. Set the appropriate engine type, power or thrust characteristics, propeller details when used, engine location and gear geometry.
5. Add controls and systems. Define control-surface extents and travel, trim, flaps, speedbrakes, electrical systems and cockpit controls required by the design.
6. Assign airfoils and visual assets. Choose suitable airfoil files, then attach any detailed exterior or cockpit objects. Plane Maker cannot generate a high-detail object from drawings automatically.
7. Validate in stages. Check ground attitude and steering first, followed by control direction, take-off, trim, stall behaviour, climb, cruise and landing. Correct geometry and source data before adding artificial performance adjustments.

X-Plane calculates forces from the aerodynamic surfaces described in Plane Maker. Changing wing area or tail size merely to force a target speed often damages handling elsewhere; accurate dimensions, airfoils, drag and propulsion data produce a better result.

Why are my Plane Maker changes not showing in X-Plane?

Most missing changes come from editing the wrong .acf, loading another copy, failing to reload the aircraft or expecting Plane Maker geometry to alter an external 3-D object.

• Wrong aircraft copy: Give the test aircraft a unique displayed name and confirm which folder contains the active .acf.
• Aircraft not fully reloaded: Reselect it after saving. Restart X-Plane if a plugin or complex system retains old state.
• Exterior shape unchanged: The visible shape may be an attached .obj. Edit that source object separately; Plane Maker may still be changing the invisible aerodynamic geometry beneath it.
• Unexpected handling: Recheck centre of gravity, units, surface locations, airfoil assignments and control direction. One misplaced decimal can have a larger effect than every other setting combined.
• Missing parts or load errors: Restore the full folder backup and check that referenced airfoils, objects and plugins remain in their original relative locations. Filename capitalisation also matters on case-sensitive systems.
• Values appear to revert: A custom plugin or script may be overriding systems or datarefs after the aircraft loads. Test a clean copy without optional extensions if the add-on's licence and instructions permit it.
• Save does not persist: Confirm that the copied aircraft folder is writable. Do not assume Plane Maker saved successfully into an operating-system-protected installation directory.

Can Plane Maker convert X-Plane 11 aircraft to X-Plane 12?

Plane Maker can open many older aircraft and save them in a newer format, but saving is not a complete compatibility conversion and may be one-way. Preserve an untouched copy before opening an X-Plane 11 aircraft in X-Plane 12 Plane Maker.

The newer save can update the .acf, but it does not automatically repair plugins, cockpit instruments, sounds, external objects or flight-model assumptions. Review our explanation of the practical differences between X-Plane 11 and 12 before treating a successful save as proof that the aircraft is converted.

Keep separate folders and .acf files for each supported major release. If the aircraft must still work in X-Plane 11, make all X-Plane 11 edits with its matching Plane Maker and treat the X-Plane 12 version as a separate development branch.