Howto:Install aircraft: Difference between revisions

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{{installing}}
{{installing}}
Official [[aircraft]] can be downloaded at [http://www.flightgear.org/download/aircraft-v2-4/ FlightGear.org Aircraft], which then usually require unzipping software to extract from a compressed file format. Then these must be manually installed in a FlightGear software installation to use. The details depend on the method of download, operating system, and user setup.  
The latest official [[aircraft]] can be downloaded and installed with a single click through the aircraft tab in the [[FlightGear Qt launcher|built-in launcher]] see [[FlightGear Qt launcher]]. This article describes the manual process, only to be performed when not using the launcher.


An open source file archiver is [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-Zip], although be aware of user setup.
== Installation process ==
Aircraft packages are available on [http://www.flightgear.org/download/ FlightGear.org Aircraft]. These require unzipping software to extract from a compressed file format. Then these must be manually installed in a FlightGear software installation to use. The details depend on the method of download, operating system, and user setup.
 
Alternatively if you are using the [[FlightGear Build Server|nightly builds]] or a [[Building FlightGear|version controlled copy of FlightGear]], or you wish to manage your aircraft collection using version control tools, the aircraft can be obtained directly from the [[FGAddon|official FlightGear aircraft repository - FGAddon]].


=== Linux ===
=== Linux ===
(Ubuntu 7.10)  
(Ubuntu 12.04)  
# Download the aircraft
# Download the aircraft
# Open Terminal and log in as root
# Create a directory to store your aircraft if you have not already done so. Make sure this directory is outside <tt>/usr/share/games/flightgear/</tt>. For example, use <tt>/home/{YourUserName}/FlightGear/Aircraft</tt>.
# Navigate to /usr/share/Games/FlightGear/Aircraft
# Extract your aircraft file into the folder (the one you created above)
# Extract your aircraft file into the folder
#: unzip XXXXX.zip
# Start up flight gear. Your aircraft should show up in the launcher
# Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder (<tt>/home/{YourUserName}/FlightGear/Aircraft</tt> in our example) to the [[$FG_AIRCRAFT]] list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.


=== Macintosh OS X ===
=== Macintosh OS X ===
First, We need to make sure that the FG application is in the application folder which can be done by simply dragging it into the applications folder from wherever it is currently located.
Now let's get down to actually adding aircraft:


# Open GUI Launcher for FlightGear Mac
# Go to applications in folder
# Click on "Others" tab at middle right of launcher
# Control+Click FlightGear
# Click "Install Add-On Data" link at bottom of launcher
# Click the second option which reads "Show Package Contents"
# Select aircraft folder from menu, and click "Open"
# Then click on the following folders: "Contents >> Resources >> data >> Aircraft"
# Click OK on pop-up box.
# Now just click and drag the aircraft data downloaded from the FG website in the Aircraft folder
 
(Works on MacOS Sierra)


=== Windows ===
=== Windows ===
# Download an aircraft and save it on your desktop.
# Download an aircraft and save it on your desktop.
# Unzip the file, using a file archiver like 7-Zip.
# Unzip the file using a file archiver, for example the open source file archiver [http://www.7-zip.org/ 7-Zip].
# Move the unzipped folder (usually the aircraft's name) to your <tt>FlightGear/data/Aircraft</tt> directory.
# Create a directory to store your aircraft if you have not already done so. Make sure this directory is outside your <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]</tt> directory. For example, use <tt>C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Documents\FlightGear\Aircraft</tt>.
# Move the unzipped folder (usually the aircraft's name) to your that aircraft directory.
# Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder  (<tt>C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Documents\FlightGear\Aircraft</tt> in our example) to the <tt>[[$FG_AIRCRAFT]]</tt> list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.
 
== When installing an aircraft fails ==
=== Rename Aircraft Folder ===
If FlightGear fails to start with the new aircraft you have installed, or if it starts but the aircraft is invisible you might have to rename the folder where the aircraft files are.
This issue is most often encountered when downloading a .zip file from some online git repository. In those cases you will most likely end up with a folder name of the following form MyZippedRepo-[branch]. In this case you should rename the folder to be just '''MyZippedRepo'''.
 
If the above doesn't work, or for other cases, check for a readme file and have a look there for instructions.
Otherwise open the aircraft-set.xml file and search in it for paths containing '''Aircraft/AircraftFolderName'''. The name of the folder should match '''AircraftFolderName'''.
 
For instance if in the imaginary-set.xml you would find an instance like this:
<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<splash-texture>Aircraft/MyCreation/splash1.png</splash-texture>
</syntaxhighlight>
that means that you should rename the folder where imaginary-set.xml is to '''MyCreation'''.
 
=== XML files with wrong encoding ===
If you start FlightGear with the new plane you installed and there is no cockpit or exterior, this may be because the XML files are in the wrong encoding.


'''!!! IMPORTANT !!!'''
To fix this on Linux try this:


"Modern" Windows Versions (e.g. XP, Vista, Win7) tinkering a lot with user rights on access level. Therefore it's a bad idea to install and run FlightGear to and from "C:\Program Files" (German: C:\Programme). Find another drive / folder where you as logged in user have all neccesary right to read, write and execute the files you installed. Additionally there's a space / blank in folder's name which could cause weird behaviour. Use something like "C:\FlightGear".
$ cd path/to/aircraft/directory/
$ find . -name "*.xml" -print | xargs sed -i 's/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>/g'
 
If any of the methods above do not work, ask around on the [[Howto:Multiplayer#Multiplayer chat|multiplayer chat]], [[FlightGear IRC channel|IRC]] or on the {{forum link|f=11|text=forum}}.


== Choosing aircraft ==
== Choosing aircraft ==
If you are looking for information to decide what aircraft to download, try [[Table of models]] or [[Aircraft]]. External links to third=party aircraft can be found at [[FlightGear hangars]]. Remember that the latest aircraft may not load with previous versions, so look for older aircraft in the links section.
If you are looking for information to decide what aircraft to download, try:
 
* [[Aircraft]]
== For developers ==
* [[Helicopter]]
Help develop the [[FlightGear Package Manager]] which is intended to support automatic aircraft and scenery installation, currently in alpha development and in need of testing.
* [[Vehicle]]
* [[Table of models]]
External links to third party aircraft can be found at [[FlightGear hangars]]. Remember that the latest aircraft may not load with previous versions. If you happen to use an older version of FlightGear, look for older aircraft in the links section.


== Related content ==
== Related content ==
* [[Installing Scenery]]
* [[Installing Scenery]]
[[Category:Howto|Install aircraft]]
[[de:Howto:Flugzeuge Installieren]]
[[es:Cómo:Instalar_aviones]]
[[fr:Howto Installer un avion]]

Revision as of 07:28, 7 June 2019

The latest official aircraft can be downloaded and installed with a single click through the aircraft tab in the built-in launcher see FlightGear Qt launcher. This article describes the manual process, only to be performed when not using the launcher.

Installation process

Aircraft packages are available on FlightGear.org Aircraft. These require unzipping software to extract from a compressed file format. Then these must be manually installed in a FlightGear software installation to use. The details depend on the method of download, operating system, and user setup.

Alternatively if you are using the nightly builds or a version controlled copy of FlightGear, or you wish to manage your aircraft collection using version control tools, the aircraft can be obtained directly from the official FlightGear aircraft repository - FGAddon.

Linux

(Ubuntu 12.04)

  1. Download the aircraft
  2. Create a directory to store your aircraft if you have not already done so. Make sure this directory is outside /usr/share/games/flightgear/. For example, use /home/{YourUserName}/FlightGear/Aircraft.
  3. Extract your aircraft file into the folder (the one you created above)
    unzip XXXXX.zip
  4. Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder (/home/{YourUserName}/FlightGear/Aircraft in our example) to the $FG_AIRCRAFT list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.

Macintosh OS X

First, We need to make sure that the FG application is in the application folder which can be done by simply dragging it into the applications folder from wherever it is currently located. Now let's get down to actually adding aircraft:

  1. Go to applications in folder
  2. Control+Click FlightGear
  3. Click the second option which reads "Show Package Contents"
  4. Then click on the following folders: "Contents >> Resources >> data >> Aircraft"
  5. Now just click and drag the aircraft data downloaded from the FG website in the Aircraft folder

(Works on MacOS Sierra)

Windows

  1. Download an aircraft and save it on your desktop.
  2. Unzip the file using a file archiver, for example the open source file archiver 7-Zip.
  3. Create a directory to store your aircraft if you have not already done so. Make sure this directory is outside your $FG_ROOT directory. For example, use C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Documents\FlightGear\Aircraft.
  4. Move the unzipped folder (usually the aircraft's name) to your that aircraft directory.
  5. Start up FlightGear. Append the root aircraft folder (C:\Users\{YourUserName}\Documents\FlightGear\Aircraft in our example) to the $FG_AIRCRAFT list on the first page (previous to aircraft selection) of the launcher. Your aircraft should now show up in the list.

When installing an aircraft fails

Rename Aircraft Folder

If FlightGear fails to start with the new aircraft you have installed, or if it starts but the aircraft is invisible you might have to rename the folder where the aircraft files are. This issue is most often encountered when downloading a .zip file from some online git repository. In those cases you will most likely end up with a folder name of the following form MyZippedRepo-[branch]. In this case you should rename the folder to be just MyZippedRepo.

If the above doesn't work, or for other cases, check for a readme file and have a look there for instructions.

Otherwise open the aircraft-set.xml file and search in it for paths containing Aircraft/AircraftFolderName. The name of the folder should match AircraftFolderName.

For instance if in the imaginary-set.xml you would find an instance like this:

 <splash-texture>Aircraft/MyCreation/splash1.png</splash-texture>

that means that you should rename the folder where imaginary-set.xml is to MyCreation.

XML files with wrong encoding

If you start FlightGear with the new plane you installed and there is no cockpit or exterior, this may be because the XML files are in the wrong encoding.

To fix this on Linux try this:

$ cd path/to/aircraft/directory/
$ find . -name "*.xml" -print | xargs sed -i 's/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>/<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>/g'

If any of the methods above do not work, ask around on the multiplayer chat, IRC or on the forum This is a link to the FlightGear forum..

Choosing aircraft

If you are looking for information to decide what aircraft to download, try:

External links to third party aircraft can be found at FlightGear hangars. Remember that the latest aircraft may not load with previous versions. If you happen to use an older version of FlightGear, look for older aircraft in the links section.

Related content