Learn how to view AI traffic in FS2004, follow active flights, and diagnose missing aircraft, traffic BGLs, schedules, parking and model faults.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9), view active AI through the Views menu’s Air Traffic option, or use a traffic-view utility to list and follow flights. If traffic is missing, check the traffic-density slider, simulator date and time, active traffic BGL, exact aircraft-title references, compatible models and available airport parking—in that order.
How do I view and follow AI aircraft in FS2004?
The built-in Air Traffic view is the quickest way to watch an AI aircraft already loaded by FS2004.
- Load a flight near an active airport. Set the aircraft traffic density above zero and choose a time when departures or arrivals should be operating.
- Open the Views menu. Select View Mode, then Air Traffic, and choose an aircraft from the available list. The precise list changes as flights enter and leave the loaded area.
- Enable aircraft labels if needed. Labels can expose the callsign, distance and altitude, making it easier to match a visible aircraft to its scheduled flight.
- Use a dedicated traffic viewer for a clearer list. Our traffic-listing and follow-view utility for FS2004 can show active AI flights and select one to watch from simulator views.
An empty or unavailable Air Traffic list does not necessarily mean the installation is broken. A flight scheduled elsewhere, outside the loaded area or at another time will not appear in the built-in list.
Why is FS2004 AI traffic not showing?
Missing AI traffic usually comes from a disabled flight, an unread traffic file or an aircraft reference FS2004 cannot resolve.
- Check traffic density. Raise the aircraft traffic slider temporarily. Each compiled flight plan can carry a minimum percentage, so a flight with a higher threshold than the slider setting is suppressed.
- Verify the date and time. Weekly plans may operate only on particular days, and many FS2004 schedules are authored against UTC/GMT. Check the local-time conversion and begin several minutes before departure.
- Confirm the traffic BGL is active. The conventional location is
[FS2004]\Scenery\World\scenery, although a traffic BGL may reside in another active scenery layer. FS2004 reads the compiled.bgl, not the source flight-plan text files. - Use an FS2004-format file. Copying or renaming a traffic file compiled for a later simulator does not make it compatible with FS2004.
- Match the aircraft title exactly. The title referenced by the traffic plan must match a unique
title=entry in the aircraft’saircraft.cfg. The aircraft also needs a validsim=reference, model and texture. - Inspect airport parking. Full, undersized or incorrectly coded parking can prevent an aircraft appearing where expected or cause it to be removed after landing.
A mistake we see constantly is placing an AI aircraft in the wrong simulator folder. FS2004 aircraft normally belong under [FS2004]\Aircraft, not a later simulator’s SimObjects structure. For installation paths, compilation checks and duplicate schedules, follow our detailed checks for adding FS2004 AI traffic.
How can I tell whether the flight plan or aircraft is faulty?
The point at which the flight disappears usually identifies which part of the installation is failing.
| Symptom | Likely problem | First check |
|---|---|---|
| No flight in the Air Traffic list | Density, schedule or inactive BGL | Raise density, verify the day and time, then confirm the scenery layer is active |
| Flight is listed but the aircraft is invisible | Missing or incompatible model | Check model=, the model folder and the aircraft’s intended simulator version |
| Wrong aircraft or livery appears | Incorrect or duplicated title= | Compare the flight-plan aircraft reference with aircraft.cfg |
| Aircraft appears at one airport but not another | Parking or airport-facility problem | Check parking radius, parking codes and competing AFCAD files |
| FS2004 crashes when traffic loads | Faulty model, texture or configuration | Remove that aircraft assignment and test with a known working AI model |
For a controlled diagnosis, install a known sample aircraft, traffic BGL and test schedule. If that traffic appears under the stated conditions, FS2004’s AI system is working and the fault lies in the original schedule, aircraft reference or airport.
Change one element at a time and restart FS2004 after editing traffic files or aircraft configuration. Moving unrelated custom traffic BGLs temporarily outside every active scenery folder also prevents duplicate schedules and parking competition from confusing the test.
What if AI traffic appears but taxis or parks incorrectly?
AI aircraft that exist but behave badly usually point to airport layout data rather than the traffic schedule.
- Taxiing across grass or stopping unexpectedly: inspect the AFCAD taxi links, node connections and hold-short positions.
- Parking in the wrong area: compare the aircraft’s parking codes and radius with the available stands.
- Disappearing after landing: look for full or undersized parking and conflicting airport facility files.
- Repeated go-arounds: reduce traffic temporarily and check runway occupancy, runway links and the active runway selected for the wind.
- Invisible models or crashes: verify that the AI package is genuinely FS2004-compatible. Users of older AI Aardvark packages may need the available model and configuration corrections for those aircraft.
Keep only one active AFCAD or airport-facility file for the airport while testing. Duplicate versions can place parking and taxi networks at different coordinates, producing traffic that spawns correctly but then taxis, holds or parks incorrectly.