I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ADD AIRCRAFT AFTER DOWNLOADING !

Follow this.
https://flyawaysimulation.com/knowledge/page/34/installing-addon-flight-simulator-downloads/

Now you have to go to "simobjects" and the aircraft folder is in there.

The detailed instructions will be helpful, but I'm unclear on one thing yet...Does the FS2004 program have some kind of import utility for the planes? I've put a few in places where I think they go within the FS9 folder, but the select aircraft page in FS doesn't "find" the aircraft. Does this mean I've done something wrong, or am I missing a step?

Thank you very much.

petergunn wrote:

The detailed instructions will be helpful, but I'm unclear on one thing yet...Does the FS2004 program have some kind of import utility for the planes? I've put a few in places where I think they go within the FS9 folder, but the select aircraft page in FS doesn't "find" the aircraft. Does this mean I've done something wrong, or am I missing a step?

Thank you very much.

If you put them in the right places as you say and they are 2004 aircraft not 2002, CFS or just textures they should show up in the aircraft menu.
Look under the manufacturers name sometimes they're hiding in there.
You are asking this question in the FSX forum attached to a post about FSX, I hope we are speaking about the same version.

I have tried https://flyawaysimulation.com/knowledge/page/34/installing-addon-flight-simulator-downloads/ many times to download add ons with no success bar 1 aircraft....

I seem to recall that I first used a different set of instructions,, very close to the above but different. Does anyone know of any other similar instructions.

I promise I will stop asking the same question soon. 😞 I think this forum is great.

The simplest solution would be if you concentrated on one aircraft and one version of flightsim first. Once you've got your head around it, you'll be able to install the others.

Each file you download has a unique filename. To reveal the filename and where you downloaded it from would be a good start and you'd have the satisfaction of being able to say that you'r pulling your weight.

The reason I am trying to download another aircraft is because I installed a larger Hard Drive and lost the aircraft I had.

I tried to add on an F-16 and a FSX installation programme did the job for me but still it doesn't work! I give up.

eyton402 wrote:

I tried to add on an F-16 and a FSX installation programme did the job for me but still it doesn't work! I give up.

The sad truth is that the self-installer is probably what causes the problems.

I'll run it by you if you have the time to read this. Not all, but most freeware add-on aircraft that claim to have been "upgraded" for FSX are duds at this stage. Again, not all, but many of those who upload "upgraded" packages to the file libraries either don't have a clue what they're doing or they haven't "upgraded" anything. There are many reasons for this kind of behaviour... let's leave it at that.

How to know what is what and how to avoid problems in the future?

If you learn how to install freeware aircraft manually, i.e. without the aid of an installer you'll save yourself a lot of headache in the future.
Experience has shown me that EVERY simmer who was reluctant at first to "bother with" learning how to do it the manual way has finally seen the light and learned how to do it. Let's remember, this little speech concerns freeware only.

If the F-16 you downloaded is a half decent one, it'll be most likely much more complex than your ordinary Boeing or Airbus. To trust a self-installer to sort out the mess that some amateur has thrown together in this new, "upgraded for FSX" upload is a dangerous practice.

First, I'll offer you a little exercise, take it or leave it - your decision.

These guidelines were written using Windows XP. You won’t need anything else. Do not use WinZip for this procedure, it will only confuse you.

I have chosen the iFDG Airbus because it’s a small download, it’s complete, has been modified for FSX and is easy to install.

Download ifdg_a320-214_airone_v1.4.zip from avsim and save it to your desktop. Click here.

Once the download has finished, put your cursor over the .zip file, right-click and select ‘Extract All…’ from the Menu.
Click Next – click Next again – and now click Finish.

Find the folder named ‘iFDG A320-214 AirOne V1.4’ – this is the folder which contains your aircraft and which we will move into FSX.

Right-click on this folder and select ‘Copy’
Press the Windows logo key + E

You are now in Windows Explorer. There is a large field on the right and a narrow pane on the left. We will be working in the pane on the left to begin with.

Click on the <+> Sign in front of Local Disk
Click on the <+> Sign in front of Program Files
Click on the <+> Sign in front of Microsoft Games
Click on the <+> Sign in front of Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Click on the <+> Sign in front of SimObjects

Click on the word Airplanes.

The contents of your right-hand field have now changed and show you the various aircraft that are already installed.

Right-click on an empty space in that right-hand field and select ‘Paste’.

Your ‘iFDG A320-214 AirOne V1.4’ aircraft folder is now in its correct location.

We’ll go back to the left-hand pane in Windows Explorer and click on “iFDG A320-214 AirOne V1.4”.
In the right-hand field you can now see all the files and folders contained in your Airbus aircraft folder. Open the ‘effects’ folder and inside you’ll find 12 effects. Copy and paste those effects into the main Effects folder: You find it in the ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator X’ main directory.

If you read the INFO Text Document inside the iFDG airbus aircraft folder you’ll find the same instructions I just outlined in condensed form and something I deliberately omitted – so you better read it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conclusion:

As mentioned, this was an easy aircraft to install. More difficult ones include installation of gauges and other goodies, sometimes .cfg files have to be edited. The first thing to do is always to read all the documentation that comes with the download and find the Installation instructions.
Having said that, the basic procedure is always the same – the way we’ve just done it.

So what about aircraft that have a self-installer? Simple:

Create a Temporary Folder and give it a name of your choice. When the installer gives you the Destination Path where it intends to install to, browse to the Temporary Folder you've just created instead and have the installer extract all the files into that folder. Once the procedure is finished, you can open your Temporary Folder and after having read all the documentation that should be included, you can then manually place the files and folders where they belong.

I want to stress that the Copy and Paste method should be used. If you use another method such as 'Send File To...', bits and pieces can be lost.

Have fun 😂

Thanks for your advice. I do tend to expect too much from the technology and I am after all, a novice at this.

Your instructions are exactly the ones I was looking for and the one I used last time successfully. So, I will take your advice and then try again.

Thanks again for your help

tailhook, as many times as i have seen you patiently answer this question both for me and for others, they should put you on the staff here.
😀

Tailhook, I took your advice and have now mastered the manual process. However , sill no luck. I guess by process of elimination it must the aircraft. If this is so, does it mean that aircraft for download on Fly Away are not always suitable for download? Further, is there a way of verifying the quality of an aircraft available for download?

I've taken a deep breath and will slowly come to terms with this newfound hobby of mine. 🙂

cheezyflier wrote:

tailhook, as many times as i have seen you patiently answer this question both for me and for others, they should put you on the staff here.
😀

I retired from any kind of commitment at age 11. Unreliable, gluttonous and not too bright... no, no, I'm a terrible influence on anyone who comes in contact with me.

Regarding forums I'm told that since the start of the 21st century some sites don't use staff at all; it has to do with automated reply bla bla... I don't understand that tech talk - and flightsim forums in accordance with the subject matter they're dealing with run on "Auto Pilot".

Now that's what I call kewl 😎 😎

😁

eyton402 wrote:

However , sill no luck. I guess by process of elimination it must the aircraft. If this is so, does it mean that aircraft for download on Fly Away are not always suitable for download? Further, is there a way of verifying the quality of an aircraft available for download?

I've taken a deep breath and will slowly come to terms with this newfound hobby of mine. 🙂

It's refreshing to see that as a relative newbie you're actually trying.

I'm not too sure whether the aircraft in question is a dud or not and frankly, I'm right now not prepared to find out as I try to avoid certain libraries.
You can't really verify the quality of any download prior to having it either installed and working nicely or having experienced disappointment once again. I don't think this can be avoided completely, however, it is possible to find your way through the jungle and emerge at the other end unscathed if you keep basic safeguards in mind.

We should start by looking at file libraries. As you embark on your search for aircraft (downloads/files) you'll be amazed just how many libraries there are. With the exception of a few specialised sites the files are basically the same wherever you go. With 'basically' I mean both, the selection and the quality.
Obviously, the larger the library, the more you can choose from. As a rule of thumb I'd suggest you stick to those at the beginning. One of the advantages of the large libraries over the smaller ones is that they have to keep their selection up to date in order to protect their good reputation. This means that uploaded 'Updates' for individual files will be correctly catalogued so that we have it easier to find them when we check back occasionally to see how a project might be developing.

I will list my three favorite libraries in order of my preference:

http://avsim.com/
http://www.simviation.com/menu.html

Avsim and Flightsim have a nifty feature that lets you peek inside the .zip file and THIS is exactly what you want to do before you start downloading.
At Avsim it's called ZipDive, Flightsim simply calls it View.
I'll give you an example: You've put the search engine of the library to good use and have found the aircraft you're looking for. The File description sings the file's praise and you can't wait for the download to finish. Ok, now you've just extracted its contents and to your dismay you find that all you have are textures... yet in the File description it clearly stated '..tilting bogies, new FDE bla, bla...'. What went wrong?
The Repainter copied the text out of the original Readme file and used it as the File description. There's nothing wrong with that, however, some developers stipulate that repainters MUST upload the complete aircraft with their repaints and needless to say, include the developers' original Readme files. Two examples are the Posky and the iFDG developers.

Back to: What went wrong? Because the repainter used the text out of the original Readme file as his File description, we naturally assume that the .zip will, according to the rules contain a complete aircraft, yet we've ended up with Textures only.
So, how to avoid this? One would think that to read the File description would always be step number one. It is most of the time, but once you know the Posky and iFDG descriptions by heart, you'll skip that and you look for the name(s) of the author(s). This is a very good practice to adapt, because you will remember their names after a while and to some you will be drawn - others you'll avoid like the plague.
The other important clue is often the size of the .zip file. It's usually a pretty good indicator but can be deceptive too. I mention this because we tend to think that a small file can't be all that good. Yes and No , you'll find out.

This brings us to the ability to peek inside the .zip before we decide to download the file, as is possible at Avsim and Flightsim. Let's say the file size looks awfully small considering it's supposed to contain a complete aircraft. We've already learned that the File description can't always be trusted so we take a peek. Having satisfied ourselves that everything is included in the .zip, we download.
It is not often clearly stated what exactly an aircraft folder must contain in order for it to make it complete, so I will mention it here:

model (folder)

panel (folder)

sound (folder)

texture (folder)

.air file

aircraft.cfg (text file / can be accessed with notepad)

So we have six items. If one of those is missing, the a/c is not complete. Obviously, some a/c will contain more than one livery, accordingly there'll be more than one texture folder. Sometimes more than one of the other items reside in the a/c folder - that's not a problem and I won't digress any further.

I think we've covered the basics. You'll pick up many tricks as you go along but we have to start somewhere. Any questions on this subject, don't hesitate to ask or contact me via PM.

😀 😀

I am trying pin down and eliminate. The aircraft and all of its components are sitting in SimObjects=airplanes, effects, . Gauges, sound, panels etc are all there. Thus it would appear that the entire package has been installed.

What else could it be? The only answer that comes to me is FSX is not compatable and not the other way around. I will continue my search. 😞

eyton402 wrote:

The aircraft and all of its components are sitting in SimObjects=airplanes, effects, . Gauges, sound, panels etc are all there. Thus it would appear that the entire package has been installed.

I'm afraid the way you put it is a bit confusing. In my previous post I've alredy explained what NEEDS to be inside the aircraft's folder, we should be clear on that.

If the uploader of your .zip file placed additional Effects and Gauges folders into the Aircraft folder, the contents of those folders have to be placed into the 'Microsoft Flight Simulator X / Effects' ... and ... 'Microsoft Flight Simulator X / Gauges' folders respectively unless the Readme file instructions state otherwise.

The only answer that comes to me is FSX is not compatable and not the other way around.

In a way this is quite amusing. If a relationship breaks down due to incompatibility - who is the one that is incompatible? It depends from which angle you look at it.

In your case we're dealing with fsx, this is your platform. If the file description claims that the aircraft is compatible with fsx but it turns out it is not, who are you going to point the finger at?

A few fundamental changes have been made to fsx if you compare it to its predecessor fs9. The one that affects us perhaps most are the Gauges.
fs9 could handle a variety of gauges which gave the developers the freedom to improvise and be prolific. fsx has changed all that and now the freeware developers are struggling to get the Gauges right. The serious ones who have a reputation to protect, won't upload their own work until it's finished and compatible.

The problem, I think I've mentioned it often enough, is that many 'Uploaders' aren't developers/authors/repainters at all. They simply make a compilation of files they find in the libraries, through it all together in one lump and upload it claiming it has been updated. This sad truth cannot be stressed enough.

In total honesty I say this to you and anyone who's interested: After having experienced the two previous versions of FS thoroughly and enjoyed the vast amount and variety of add-ons available, I am missing the freedom and variety in FSX. If I didn't already own it, I would even now purchase a copy of fs9 to carry me over.
Even now, my day to day flying is done in fs9. The only times I boot up fsx is when I want to try something out. When I want to have fun, I use fs9. 😀

PS: The fact that most topics in the fsx forums deal with hardware and fps and how to best tweak the sim speaks for itself.

If you haven't done so yet, take a stroll over to the fs9 forums - you might be in for a surprise.. and may I recommend you look at the screenshots forum over there to get a glimpse of the abundance of files available for fs9.

You must be reading my mind! I have been thinking that the technology in FSX is a bit too advanced for me and maybe I should buy FS2004 where I gather there are a lot more available downloads. I just want to try Military Jets as well as the civilian choices. On this subject, I wonder why original FS dont contain one or more military jets?

Anyway, I am going to again take your advice and buy FS9 and see how I go there.

Thanks for your continued patience.

If indeed you're going to get fs9 - Welcome to the club!! 🍻

I can assure you that you're not the first simmer to "downgrade" from fsx to fs9. I have so many military jets in my fs9 hangar that I've lost track.

A great F-16 package (for fs9) is based on Kirk Olsson's original U.S.Viper. This is not simply a 're-packaged' upload, it's a proper update. It doesn't require any other download - it is complete, everything works 😀

Just take a look at it: http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?DLID=&Name=&FileName=f-16c_haf_v3.zip&Author=&CatID=root

You'll get dizzy flying this baby 🙂)

I bought and downloaded FS9. Of course I went straight to the F16 site you mentioned. When I tried to download it I get "Alert 425 Unable to build data connection: Software caused connection abort:

I'm not asking for a computer lesson, but does that message mean anything to you?

Congratulations on your fs9 purchase!!

Oh, oh... I don't know what's going on. Maybe we're getting the terminology a bit mixed up - I'll take this to PMs now as we're straying too far into fs9 territory.

See you shortly-

FS9? .....I LOVE IT!!!

Check your PM.

Thanks for that. I'm sorry I sort of hit and run. ie, I leave a message and then go.

I went to the site, tried to download but got the same software message. Maybe I will just re install and see what happens.

I have left you a Private Message (PM) - check your INBOX here at your Flyaway account

Thats the link I used but it just gives me the software message

I think I am destined not to downoad Jets 😞

eyton402 wrote:

Thats the link I used but it just gives me the software message

What link?

Scroll to the top of this very page where you are reading this -- there is a line that looks similar to this: Forum FAQ Search Profile You have no new messages Logout [ eyton402 ] -- click on 'You have a new message'

The link youu sent in the PM

Ok now, so you've received and read my PM?

Please reply via PM and not in this thread - we're just annoying others.
You send me a PM -- savvy?