How to recover deleted default aircraft

Pro Member Captain
Dave Copeland (davec) Captain

If you have made an absolute mess of or accidently deleted any FS9 default aircraft and omitted to make backups, as most of us are liable to do, and don't want to do a re-install of the whole system there is a way of recovering these aircraft from the FS9 CD1.

Instructions:-
1. Suggest you make a new folder in My Documents and name it FS9 CD Files and then make a sub-folder in that FS9 CD Files Folder and name it Configs.
2. Insert the FS9 CD1 in the CD ROM, if the CD autostarts close the Install screen (X in the top right corner).
3. Browse in My Computer and right click on the appropriate CD ROM and select OPEN from the drop down menu.
4. Select View/Details from the top menu bar (It's easier that way)
5. Open the MSGAMES1.cab folder.
6. Scroll down until a batch of aircraft.cfg files are visible
7. Highlight all these files (Left click on the first cfg file then shift/left lick on the last cfg file.)
8. Right click on the last highlited cfg file - in the drop down menu select EXTRACT (not COPY - it won't work).
9. In the 'Select a Destination' Dialogue Box, browse to the Configs folder you made( or whatever you named it).
10. Select EXTRACT.
11. Close the CD1.
12. Browse to My Documents/FS9 CD Files/Configs (or whatever you called it) - you will note that the config files are numbered 1 up (Windows convention when files are of the same name). If you doube click on a file you will see (in Notepad)which aircraft that file is for - a bit hit or miss but if you really want your default a/c back that's what you have to do.

To give you a start I have defined which are the aircraft for the first 10 cfg files below -

1. Boe747400
2. Boe777300
3. Beech Baron 58
4. Beech king Air 350
5. Bell206 Jet Ranger
6. Cessna Sky Hawk 172SP
7. Cessna Sky Lane 182S
8. Cessna Sky Lane 182S IFR/Diff Paints
9. Cessna Caravan Amphibian
10. Cessna Grand Caravan.

That's probably the easiest part of it because you now have to recover air files, sound wav files,texture bmp files, mdl files,panel bmp files - all are in that same cabinet folder, unlike the cfg files they are all named which makes selection easier but placing these files in the correct folders could be an intricate job but you will still have a working FS9at the end of it. I shall leave that instruction for another time. Depends how much you want the default aircraft but by this time you might be saying - to hell with it, I'll do a re-install -although this forum has many instances of things that go wrong with that.
Even if you don't want to recover an a/c - it's a good exercise to browse the CD1 - gives a small inkling on how FS9 manages all the detail.

OK - I might be trying to teach my Granny to suck eggs but it might be useful to some one.

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Pro Member Captain
David (The-GPS-Kid) Captain

That IS useful to me..... I messed up the default 777 a few weeks ago while trying to give it a better panel.... totally messed it up, even the liveries disappeared and the plane turned into a silhouette !

But I couldn't be ****'d to re-install FS, for a plane that I rarely (but occasionally) use.... will be trying your idea tonight !

Pro Member Captain
Dave Copeland (davec) Captain

Don't know what was happening in te forum last night - but I made 3 attempts to get this posted last night without success here is repeat.
The cfg file for the 777 is the 2nd one down in the Cab file.
All the texture, sound ,panel,air, mdl, etc file names have the a/c name included in the file name so they are easier to find. Suggest you make folder in My Documents and extract them all there. You will have a lot of copy/paste processes to carry out as well as making new folders for texture, sound, etc, etc. Let me know if you run up against any snags.
All the best

Pro Member Captain
Dave Copeland (davec) Captain

for the GPS Kid -
Thought I might just include this very first tentative effort on your a/c to let you know that I haven't forgotten about it - OK I know I have the name wrong - read Rider for Rover - the a/c body must have a dent to give that kinky effect - had to brighten up the image so you could see it a bit better. It'll all be sorted (I hope) in the next effort.



Last edited by Dave Copeland (davec) on Thu Nov 04, 2004 10:22 pm, edited 1 time in total
Pro Member Captain
David (The-GPS-Kid) Captain

Dave - That is great! Wow, you haven't hung around at all - it's exactly what I had in mind, quite subtle, with a 'small commercial' feel.

I'll soon be launching my new Airline with flights around the Scottish Highlands and Islands, from North East England... (North East Air Rider will also have services to Isle of Mann and Northern Ireland). 😂 😉

I think once you correct the "Air Rider" bit, I'd be as happy as the proverbial Larry with that - I'll drop you an email later in the week - great job my friend !

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