FSX: Ground power availability is inconsistent when loading a saved F-86 cold start

Hi Accelor,

Yep — what you’re seeing is pretty typical FSX behavior with saved flights. The aircraft state usually comes back fine, but the sim’s “airport services” (GPU/fuel/loader, etc.) can be inconsistent on reload because FSX re-evaluates service availability based on the parking spot it thinks you’re in at that moment.

What’s going on

• The “Ground Power Available/Not Available” message is tied to the parking spot’s service flags (and sometimes what FSX decides your spot is after a reload).
• The cart being physically there (already positioned next to the jet) is not something FSX reliably restores from a saved situation, even if it was connected when you saved.
• At smaller airports (and some add-on AFCADs) certain ramps/gates simply won’t have GPU service enabled, so you’ll get “not available” even though you’re parked.

A few practical things to try

1. Try a different start spot at the same airport (don’t load the saved flight at first). Go through Free Flight and pick a different “Gate” or “Ramp” spot. If GPU works at one spot and not another, you’ve basically confirmed it’s the parking definition/AFCAD, not the F-86.
2. Let the sim settle before saving. Load in, wait 15–30 seconds (FSX sometimes needs a moment to “wake up” services), set the parking brake, then save your cold & dark flight again.
3. Avoid non-parking starts. If your “small gate” is actually a scenery start that isn’t a proper Gate/Ramp/parking position, FSX will often deny services. Named Gate/Ramp spots tend to be more consistent than taxiway/runway/“random” starts.
4. Don’t count on the GPU already being there on load. In most cases FSX will only spawn service equipment when requested, and even then only if the spot supports it.

Is there a place where GPU is always available?
Not 100% “always,” but in general:

• Proper Gates/Ramps at larger/default airports are the most reliable.
• Very small fields (or edited/add-on airport files) may have no spots flagged for GPU at all.

Quick questions so I can narrow this down

• Which F-86 is it (default vs add-on), and are you calling GPU via the standard FSX ground services, or a custom switch/gauge in the aircraft?
• Which airport (ICAO) and what exact parking spot type are you saving at (Gate, Ramp, etc.)?
• When it says “not available,” are you fully stopped with the parking brake set (and not rolling even slightly)?

If you post the airport code and the spot you’re using, I can usually tell pretty quickly whether it’s a parking/service-definition issue and what to try instead.