FSX repaint/texture add-on not showing after editing aircraft.cfg (Windows 7 vs XP?)

Hi Derrick,

Windows 7 vs XP usually isn’t the real issue here — the problem is almost always one of these: the repaint folder name doesn’t match what you typed in aircraft.cfg, the fltsim.X numbering/format is off, or the edit got saved to the “wrong” aircraft.cfg due to Windows 7 permissions.

Let’s go through it step-by-step:

1) Confirm you edited the correct aircraft.cfg
In FSX, many add-on aircraft exist in more than one folder/variant. Make sure you edited the aircraft.cfg inside the exact aircraft folder you installed the repaint into.

Typical path is something like:
...\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes\<Aircraft Folder>\aircraft.cfg

On Windows 7, if FSX is installed under Program Files, Windows can “virtualize” writes and your saved file may not actually change the real config FSX is reading.

Quick test: after you save aircraft.cfg, re-open it and see if your new [fltsim.X] entry is still there. If it “disappears” or looks unchanged later, it’s a permissions/virtual store issue.

2) Make sure the repaint folder name matches exactly
If your repaint folder is named:
texture.ABC
Then in the fltsim.X entry you must have:
texture=ABC

Common gotchas:

• Typing texture=texture.ABC (wrong)
• Extra spaces like texture= ABC
• Folder is texture.abc but you typed texture=ABC (usually OK, but some repaints/package setups can be picky — best to match case exactly)

3) Check the [fltsim.X] numbering
Your new repaint must be the next number in sequence and each one must be unique.

Example:
[fltsim.0]
...
[fltsim.1]
...
[fltsim.2]
...

If you accidentally duplicated a number (two fltsim.2 entries, etc.), FSX can ignore one.

4) Verify required lines are present and not broken
At minimum, most aircraft need these lines in the new section:

• title= (must be unique across all installed aircraft)
• sim= (must match the aircraft’s model .air / sim name used by the other entries)
• model=
• panel=
• sound=
• texture=
• ui_manufacturer=
• ui_type=
• ui_variation=

Best practice: copy an existing working fltsim entry from the same aircraft, paste it at the bottom, then only change the title, texture, and ui_variation. That avoids missing/incorrect lines.

5) Check the actual texture files are complete
Some repaints require you to keep certain base textures from the original texture folder, and only replace the painted ones. If the repaint’s folder is missing required texture files, the aircraft may show up white/black, but it should still usually appear in the list—so this is less likely than a config/numbering issue, but worth checking.

A couple quick questions so I can narrow it down:

• Which exact aircraft/add-on are you repainting (default FSX aircraft, or a specific add-on)?
• Where is your FSX installed (especially: is it under Program Files)?
• Can you paste your newly-added [fltsim.X] section here (just that section), and also tell us the repaint folder name (e.g. texture.xxx)?

Once I see the fltsim entry and the folder name, I can usually spot the issue immediately.

Ian Stephens