What is FS2004?
737 quick guide
Crosswind landing
FAQ (FS2004)
Aviation Terms
Callsign List
NATO Alphabet
What is AI Traffic ?
How to..?
Install addons
Install AI aircraft
Install AI fightplans
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Flight Simulator Guide / Guides / Installation of addons
Aircraft installation
The 24 standard aircrafts in Flight Simulator 2004 are nice, but the models are not very detailed and many modern aircrafts are missing. Good thing that there are many freeware aircrafts available to download. Please check out the links page for links to freeware developers and download websites. If you have questions about the installation of payware aircraft, please check the manual or readme files within the package.
When you download a file, it's usually packed in a .zip. Use a tool like Winzip, Winrar or Total Commander to unpack the file. Read the readme file if there is one, the developer may have additional info about the installation. Copy the folder that holds the model, sound, panel and texture folders to "/Flight Simulator 9/Aircraft/" . The new installed aircraft should show up in the aircraft selection menu when you start FS next time.
Although some aircrafts come with sound and/or panel, many just use the sound and/or panel of the default aircrafts. Check out the links page for links to freeware developers and download websites for sound and panel packages.
Repaint installation
If you download a certain type of aircraft, you usually get one airline livery with it. Wouldn't it be nice to have an aircraft in FS with your favorite livery? There are many repaints available on the known download websites, from various repainters and in various liveries. All repaint packages are designed for one uniqe aircraft, so you need to know exactly for what type of aircraft you want a new livery. Freeware developers like Project OpenSky and iFDG usually come with complete aircraft packages for each livery, so in that case you just have to install a new aircraft. But some of them come with the texture files only. If thats the case, you need to install the repaint into the folder of an aircraft you have allready installed. Be sure to download the right repaint package for the right aircraft. For the Project OpenSky Boeing 747 for example, there are a few different types: 747-200, 747-300 and the 747-400. So for a 747-300, you need to download a repaint for the 747-300 model only. Most aircraft also have different repaints for different engine versions, the most common are PW, GE and RR (Pratt and Whitney, General Electric and Rolls Royce).
Now lets say you download a repaint for the 747-400 in Qantas Livery with only the texture files. These packages are usually packed in a .zip file and should containt a folder "texture.(name of the livery)". Some don't have a texture folder, just the .bmp files. In that case, you need to create a texture folder yourself in the aircraft folder of the aircraft you've downloaded the repaint for. Most packages also contain a file with the aircraft lines you need to add to the aircraft.cfg of the aircraft you've downloaded the repaint for. It should be named something like "Add to aircraft.cfg", "[fltsim.x].txt", "Install.txt", "readme.txt", or something simular. In this file, you need to find a line that says "[fltsim.x]". If the package contains multible repaints, it may have lines like "[fltsim.x+1]", "[fltsim.x+2]", etc.
Now first unpack the .zip file that contains the repaint. Copy the folder "texture.(name of the livery)" (might be "texture.qantas" in this example) to the aircraft folder you've downloaded the repaint for (located in Flight Simulator 9/Aircraft/). In the unpacked .zip, open the file that contains the "[fltsim.x]" lines and copy those lines to the aircraft.cfg of the aircraft you've download the repaint for below the last "[fltsim.x]" that it is allready there.
Those lines may look like this:
[fltsim.x]
title=Project Opensky Qantas
sim=747-400-RR-RB-211-524HT
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=qantas
checklists=
atc_airline=Qantas
atc_flight_number=1234
ui_manufacturer=Project Opensky
ui_type=747-400
ui_variation=Qantas
visual_damage=1
atc_heavy=1
atc_id=VH-HFY
description=
Change "[fltsim.x]" to "[fltsim.1]". If there are allready multible repaints installed, you need to paste those lines below the last entry and increment the "x" of the new entry with one. So if the last entry is "[fltsim.3]", your new entry will start with "[fltsim.4]" and so on.
Make sure the
"texture=" points to the folder that contains the new repaint. It might be "texture=qantas" in this case.
Now the new repaint is installed and it should show up in the aircraft selection menu when you start FS the next time.
More detailed explanation of the [fltsim.x] lines:
| [fltsim.x] |
Starts with 0, the next [fltsim.x] section will be 1, etc. You need a [fltsim.x] section for every single repaint you have for this aircraft. |
| title= |
The name of this specific aircraft. It should be an uniqe name. |
| sim= |
Specifies the .air file, schould be located in the same folder of this aircraft.cfg file. |
| model= |
Specifies the model folder. Some aircraft have different models for various engine versions. |
| panel= |
Specifies the panel folder. If that folder is just called "panel", you can leave it blank. |
| sound= |
Specifies the sound folder. If that folder is just called "sound", you can leave it blank. |
| texture= |
Specifies the texture folder. For example, it could be just "texture" or "texture.aal" (american airlines). |
| atc_id= |
The registration number. |
| atc_airline= |
The callsign that ATC will use. NOTE: Not all callsigns of the real world are available in FS. Download EditVoicePack if you want more callsigns to be added. Check the callsign page if you don't know the callsign for an airline. |
| atc_flight_number= |
The flight number of the aircraft. The ATC in fs will add this number to the callsign in radio transmissions. |
| atc_id_color= |
- |
| ui_manufacturer= |
The aircraft manufacturer like airbus or boeing. Sometimes, this entry contains the name of the fs developer. Whatever the name is, it is the main category in your aircraft selection menu. |
| ui_type= |
Usually the type of aircraft, like 737-400 for example. It is a subcategory of the ui_manufacturer in your aircraft selection menu. |
| ui_variation= |
Used for livery information like "KLM" or "Lufthansa". It is a subcategory of the ui_type in your aircraft selection menu. (in fact, all the [flightsim.x] entries in an aircraft.cfg file are variations) |
| description= |
Description of the aircraft. It usually contains information about the real world aircraft or information about the fs aircraft developer. |
| visual_damage= |
If set to 0, there will no damage visible when you hit something, if set to 1, you will see damage. |
| atc_parking_types= |
Kind of parking spot this aircraft should use. (for AI aircraft) |
| atc_parking_codes= |
3-digit code that is assigned to each airline. (for AI aircraft) You can check the 3-digit code on the callsign page. |
Panel installation
First, it is very important to read the readme file within the .zip package. Second, if you replace a panel with a new one, make sure you backup the contents of the panel folder of the aircraft you work on before you proceed. Copy the contents of the panel folder within the .zip package to the panel folder of the aircraft you work on. If there is a gauges folder, copy the contents to the main gauges folder located in "/Flight Simulator 9", unless it has been specified otherwise in the readme file.
Sound package installation
All the soundfiles within the package should be copied to the sound folder of the aircraft you are working on, including the sound.cfg file. Read the installation instructions in the readme file of the developer, sound packages may not be compatible with all aircraft types.
Installation of add-on scenery
If you download a .zip file, it usually contains a folder with 2 sub-folders: scenery and texture. Copy the folder that contains the scenery and texture folder to "\Flight Simulator 9\Addon Scenery\". Some add-on scenery packages may only contain a scenery folder. If that's the case, don't create an empty texture folder yourself, because it will cost frame rate and you don't get anything with it. Now start FS, go to settings > scenery library and click on "add area". Browse to the Addon Scenery folder in your FS main folder, select the folder you just added and click "OK" and then "OK" again. Exit FS, you will be able to see the new scenery when you restart FS.
Scenery developers usually supply you with a readme file within the package. Be sure to read it, because the installation may be different and/or more complex.
Scenery for FS2002 may be compatible with FS2004, but not always.
If you have 2 different scenery packages of the same area or airport, landclass and airport scenery for example, it's best to give the airport scenery higher priority. The priority works like layers, the highest priority scenery is placed on top of the lower priority scenery. It is also possible to switch between 2 sceneries of the same airport if you enable the one you want to use and disable the other one, or visa versa.
If you don't like the addon scenery anymore, delete it from the scenery library menu, exit FS and delete the folder in your Addon Scenery that contains the scenery you just deleted from the scenery library menu. FS will load the default scenery next time you start FS.
AFCAD files
AFCAD files are .bgl files that start with "AF2", they contain airport data like runways, taxiways, etc. Author Lee Swordy created a small program called "AFCAD" that let you edit those files. That's why those files are called "AFCAD files", you can edit an airport like a CAD program.
Downloading new AFCAD files becomes handy when you need more parking space at an airport, or the layout of the taxiways is in inaccurate. Addon AFCAD files should be copied to "\Flight Simulator 9\Addon Scenery\scenery\" . For FS2004, we use AFCAD2 files. For example, a new AFCAD file for the Seattle Tacoma Airport could be named AF2_KSEA.bgl. When you've copied the new AFCAD file to the scenery folder in the Addon Scenery folder, the next time you start FS, the new airport data is loaded. Just remove the file if you want the default airport layout back.
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