YS-11 from flightsim.to is in Community folder but not showing in aircraft selection

YS-11 not showing in aircraft list – checklist

This is almost always one of two things.
Either MSFS is not reading that Community folder.
Or the package is not laid out as a valid MSFS package.

1) First confirm you are using the Community folder MSFS actually loads
Since you see more than one Community folder, start here.

Quick test
Put a tiny “marker” folder in each candidate Community folder.
Then launch MSFS and see which one triggers a change.

Example marker folder name:

• zzz_test_community_read

If you have Dev Mode available, you can also check what it’s loading.
But the marker folder test is the simplest.

2) Make sure you did not “double-nest” the aircraft folder
A very common Flightsim.to install issue is ending up with:

• Community\YS-11\YS-11\ (etc)

It must be one package folder deep.
Inside the aircraft’s top folder, you should see files like:

• manifest.json
• layout.json
• and then subfolders like SimObjects, etc

So it should look like:
...\Community\{YS-11-folder}\manifest.json
...\Community\{YS-11-folder}\layout.json
...\Community\{YS-11-folder}\SimObjects\Airplanes\...

If you only see those files inside a second inner folder, move that inner folder up.

3) Check you did not grab a non-MSFS version by mistake
You mentioned “two J files”.
If you mean .air / .cfg / older FSX-style bits, that’s a red flag.
MSFS aircraft still use config files, but the package must be MSFS-formatted.
If the download is for FSX/P3D, it will never appear in MSFS.

So confirm the download was specifically for MSFS 2020.
Also confirm it is not a livery-only package.

4) Clear the content index (forces MSFS to re-scan packages)
Sometimes the sim “sticks” and does not refresh new aircraft quickly.

Try this order:

1. Exit MSFS fully.
2. Move the YS-11 folder out of Community.
3. Start MSFS once and load to the main menu.
4. Exit MSFS.
5. Put the YS-11 folder back into Community.
6. Start MSFS again and check the aircraft list.

This often forces a clean re-read without you hunting for cache locations.

5) Watch for a broken package (bad layout.json / manifest.json)
If the folder structure is correct and you’re in the right Community folder, a malformed package can fail to load.
In that case, MSFS usually logs an error.

If you can, check the MSFS Content Manager too.
Sometimes a package shows there but is flagged or not loaded.

A few questions so we can narrow it down

• Which exact folder path are you using for Community right now? (full path, like E:\...\Community)
• Inside the YS-11 folder, do you see manifest.json and layout.json at the top level?
• What is the exact name of the folder you dropped into Community?
• Did the download page say MSFS 2020, and is it a full aircraft (not a livery)?

Answer those, and paste your YS-11 folder “top level” file list.
Just the first level is enough.