FSX US Marines Douglas A-1H Skyrider

This repaint offers a distinctive United States Marine Corps livery on Tim Conrad’s original Douglas A-1H "Skyrider" for Microsoft Flight Simulator X. Designed by Henry William, the texture set reflects the robust, prop-driven heritage of the A-1H and showcases the Marines insignia in a historically inspired scheme. The base model, created by Tim Conrad, is required separately and can be found in the Fly Away Simulation library.

Unique Exterior Texturing

This custom paint job captures the spirit of the A-1H’s service with the USMC. The iconic gray fuselage finish features squadron markings and appropriate stencils that mirror the aircraft’s presence in past naval and close support operations. The paint is optimized for visual detail, with carefully mapped panels and riveting to accent the overall realism. Enthusiasts of piston-powered military aircraft will appreciate how each texture layer highlights the A-1H’s rugged design attributes.

Historical Glimpse of the A-1H

The Douglas A-1H, often referred to by nicknames such as “Spad,” served as a single-seat, carrier-based attack aircraft. It was renowned for its effective close air support (CAS) missions. Over time, variants of the A-1 have been used by various branches, and the US Marines were no exception. Its radial engine configuration facilitated powerful thrust and substantial payload capacity, making it suitable for ground support duties and combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) operations.

Installation and Configuration Steps

Follow these instructions to integrate the Marines repaint into your existing A-1H folder.

1. Extract the ZIP file’s contents into a precise, easy-to-locate directory on your system.
2. Locate the “texture.marines” folder from the extracted files. Then place, copy, or drag this “texture.marines” folder into your A-1H directory, typically found here:
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes\A-1H
3. Open the aircraft.cfg file inside the A-1H folder. Under the final [fltsim.x] entry, paste the following code, substituting “XX” with the next sequential number:

[fltsim.xx]
title=A-1H_Marines
sim=A-1H
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=Marines
panel_alias=
sound_alias=
kb_checklists=
kb_reference=
atc_id=39768
atc_id_color=
atc_parking_types=
atc_parking_code=
atc_airline=
atc_flight_number=
ui_manufacturer=Douglas
ui_createdby="Piglet's Peculiar Planes"
ui_type=A-1H
ui_variation=U.S Marines VMA-121
description=Prop Driven naval CSAR and Close Support Aircraft
visual_damage=1

Save your changes and launch Microsoft Flight Simulator X. You will now have access to the newly added Marines livery.

Attribution and Model Requirements

This repaint set is courtesy of Henry William, applied to Tim Conrad’s freeware Douglas A-1H model. The original package by Tim Conrad (reference filename A-1HSYRAIDER_NAVY.ZIP) is necessary for complete functionality and is not included in this package. Ensure you have the base model from the Fly Away Simulation library before installing the livery.