FlightGear wiki - User contributions [en]

New to FlightGear

2026-06-17T15:06:20Z

AirplaneMode: /* Starting FlightGear */launcher

'''Welcome to [[FlightGear]]!''' Here we will try to get you up in the virtual air in the shortest time possible. We will also introduce you to some of the features of this flight simulator and also a few information on its community.

== Installation and setup ==
=== Hardware requirements ===
For FlightGear to run smoothly, it requires a video card with OpenGL drivers 4.0 or higher. This is usually not a problem, but take a look at the [[hardware recommendations]] to have a better idea.

=== Getting FlightGear ===
You may download the latest files from the [https://www.flightgear.org/download/ FlightGear download] page. Choose the source or binary files appropriate for your particular system. {{Wikipedia|AppImage|AppImage}} binary files for Linux are also available with 2020.3 LTS and later. Most Linux users will find that most distributions have a packaged version of FlightGear (the package name could be <code>fgfs</code> or <code>flightgear</code>.)

Depending on your technical expertise you may choose the [[Git]] development version of FlightGear, which typically has more features and can be required by some of the latest developmental aircraft, but can be unstable and is more complicated to get for non-Windows users. In general, the development version is not advised to the average user, but if you are willing to do some testing there is a nightly build available for [https://www.flightgear.org/download/nightly/ download]. If you are using a Git version controlled copy of FlightGear, you may choose to synchronise your aircraft using the version controlled [[FGAddon|FGAddon aircraft development repository]].

=== Installing on Windows ===
After you downloaded the installer, run it and follow its instructions to install FlightGear.

Defender SmartScreen on Windows may block the installation simply because the binary file is not signed with a key that Microsoft respects. Of course, the key is paid. In this case, we need to click on the inconspicuous "More info" link. Only then will the "Run anyway" button appear. You can safely trust that this is not a dangerous application, as long as you have actually downloaded it from official sources.

If you're using third-party antivirus software for some reason, it may be blocking FlightGear from installing. This isn't something we can control, so it's entirely up to you how you want to handle it.

With the Windows installer, you may choose where to install FlightGear. The [[$FG_ROOT]] directory would be <code><your chosen directory>/fgdata_20xx.x</code>.

=== Installing on macOS ===
Installing FlightGear on macOS is very simple. Just drag and drop the FlightGear icon to the <code>/Applications</code> folder. That is it.

The first time you launch FlightGear, its icon on the Dock bounces for several seconds while loading aircraft and airport info. When the GUI launcher appears, select the aircraft and airport, then click "Fly!" to launch the simulator. You can configure more options using the GUI launcher. See the [http://flightgear.sourceforge.net/manual/next/en/getstart-ench4.html#takeoff-how-to-start-the-program official manual] for more details.

If you would like to launch FlightGear using command-line, launch the Terminal app and type the following.

cd /Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/MacOS
./fgfs --options.....

The [[$FG_ROOT]] and [[$FG_SCENERY]] are not set on macOS. If you want to specify these variables yourself for command-line use, run the followings on the Terminal app:

FG_ROOT=/Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/Resources/data
FG_SCENERY=[[$FG_ROOT]]/Scenery

After launching the GUI launcher, you will have the alias to [[$FG_ROOT]] at <code>$HOME/Documents/FlightGear/<version></code> so you can browse the data folder using Finder.

Note: Once you have installed FlightGear, Mac users can locate their [[$FG_ROOT]] folder by opening their applications folder in Finder, right clicking on FlightGear, and clicking "Show Package Contents". This will take you inside the FlightGear folder. You are now able to access all files including Data/Aircraft to [[Howto: Install aircraft#Macintosh OS X|install new aircraft]].

=== Installing from source ===
Main article: [[Building FlightGear]]

=== Getting scenery ===
A limited set of [[scenery]] comes installed with FlightGear. For FlightGear 2024.1 this consists of
* The area surrounding the featured airport for the release which is [[Keflavik_Airport|Keflavik International Airport]] (BIKF)
* The tutorial airport for the [[Cessna_172P|Cessna 172P]] which is [[Hilo_International_Airport|Hilo International Airport]] (PHTO)

In FlightGear, scenery is generally stored in you [[$FG_ROOT]] directory, and is divided into three kinds of data:
* '''Airports''' holds airport data, like runway usage and parking spots.
* '''Objects''' and '''Models''' are the buildings, bridges and radio towers, etc. that represent three-dimensional structures.
* '''Terrain''' represents the contours, elevations and type of ground you fly/taxi over.

The current way of "installing" new scenery is enabling [[TerraSync]], which will automatically download and update any place you visit - even on the fly! If you have a slow Internet connection and/or computer you could instead use a scenery manager, for example [[TerraMaster]]. In addition you can also manually download and install new scenery parts, either the official [[World Scenery]] or custom scenery.

The scenery is also available on the [https://www.flightgear.org/download/mirrors/ mirrors page] of the FlightGear website, and can be installed following [[Howto: Install scenery]]. '''This is recommended for users with weak internet connections or weak computers!'''

Custom scenery is available in many places. For example, on the {{forum link|f=5|text=FlightGear forum}} or within repositories. An internet search should be able to find them. See [[Suggested_custom_scenery|suggested custom scenery]] page for a few recent releases.

FlightGear 2020.3.7 LTS and later added an experimental rollout of 3 dimensional buildings, roads, and objects based on OpenStreetMap data for the entire world to automatically downloaded TerraSync data - see [[OSM2City 1st Worldbuild|1st OSM2City world-build]] notes (March 2021). Some manual downloads of 3d structures for regions or entire countries is available on the [[Areas populated with osm2city scenery|osm2City downloads]] wiki page.

=== Getting aircraft ===
Additional [[aircraft]] can be downloaded and installed through the [[Qt-launcher|launcher]]. Alternatively, you can go to the FlightGear website and navigate to the [http://www.flightgear.org/download/ download page], then choose the aircraft download link that fits your FlightGear version. In addition there are many third party [[hangars]]. For the installation, see [[Howto: Install aircraft]].

== Running FlightGear ==
=== Starting FlightGear ===
The easiest way to start FlightGear is to use the desktop icon. This starts the graphical interface [[FlightGear Qt launcher|Qt launcher]] where you can choose aircraft, start position etc. Remember the launcher only has basic options to get you started. A lot of options for graphics, scenery, [[Weather|weather]], [https://www.flightgear.org/tours/simulating-the-ever-changing-scenery/ environment], [[Input_device|input devices]] etc. are available from the [[menu]] inside the simulator.

Many users choose however to start FlightGear directly from the command line. The executable name is <code>fgfs</code> and can be run without options. If it is "not found", it is likely not in your [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PATH_(variable) path]. The location depends on your particular system and choices you made during compile and installation. There is a list of [[Command Line Parameters]] which must be used to change many options, like the aircraft you want. The most important:

fgfs --launcher # opens the Qt launcher
fgfs --show-aircraft # displays a list of installed aircraft
fgfs --aircraft=c172p # start FG with the aircraft "c172p" (from the list)

The launcher also lets users add command line parameters for options that are normally changed from the menu inside the simulator, as well as quite advanced options that are only available from the command line.

=== Configuring rendering and UI ===
[[File:Rendering options 2024.1.png|thumb|View > Rendering Options dialog.]]
If your render quality or framerate is too low, click "View > Rendering Options" to adjust the graphic settings. For newer hardware, it's recommended to set "graphics quality" to high and check "use disk space for faster loading", "animated jetways" and "satellite photoscenery".

If the menu text appears too small on high DPI or large screens, you can manually [[Menubar#How to Change the Default Menubar Font Size|change the menubar font size]] by editing the data file, or simply click "Debug > Cycle GUI Style".

=== Using the keyboard and/or mouse ===
Users with limited access to a [[joystick]] or other controllers sometimes use the keyboard or mouse to control their aircraft. Using the keyboard to fly can be difficult and the mouse is recommended over the keyboard for flying, yet even a cheap joystick would improve the experience so much.

To get help with keyboard commands, with FlightGear running, go to the ''Help'' menu, look under ''Basic Keys'' (for simulator related commands) and ''Common Aircraft Keys'' (for commands universal to all aircraft) and ''Aircraft Help'' (for key commands specific to your aircraft). If the main menu is hidden, press {{key press|F10}}. If you come from other simulators, check [[key commands compared to other simulators]] for an overview of the difference between the key commands of that sim and FlightGear.

To use the mouse to fly the aircraft, press {{key press|Tab}} (the cursor should change to a cross) and move the mouse to direct the aircraft. Press {{key press|Tab}} again to look around (cursor should show a two sided arrow), and press {{key press|Tab}} again to return to normal mode, used to click stuff in the cockpit. You can click "File > Input Devices > Mouse Config" to adjust the mouse sensitivity.

For most users lacking a rudder axis control, it’s difficult to manually coordinate [[aileron]] and [[rudder]] movements during a turn. To enable auto-coordination and make flight easier, you may click "Settings", then click the "Show more" button on the right of "General", and finally click "Enable auto-coordination" in the launcher.

=== First time in the cockpit ===
Finding your way around the cockpit may be challenging the first time.

You can use {{key press|Ctrl|V}} to switch to the cockpit view. If the text on the panel are too small, you can use the view mode of the mouse (press Tab until you get a cursor shaped like a double arrow) to pan and the mouse wheel to zoom, or pan with the joystick hat and zoom with {{key press|X}} and {{key press|Shift|X}}.

One of the first steps that many take on entering an unfamiliar cockpit is to press {{key press|Ctrl|C}} to highlight all the "hotspots", that is instrument controls, buttons, knobs, etc. Many aircraft also offer a specific help menu.

Some functions, such as starter or magneto, may be difficult to use or simply lack clickable "hotspots", especially in aircraft models which are in development. In most cases you can use the keyboard. The keyboard always work according to the assignments listed on the "Help > Aircraft help" or "Help > Common aircraft keys" menu, but sometimes some keys are reassigned by an aircraft or configuration. Again, remember to check all the help dialogs.

=== Starting the engine ===
You are eager to fly, but the engine is off. Well, turning on the engines is not always easy. Most aircraft have an ''autostart'' entry in their custom menu, but here is a general procedure that should work in many cases:

In general to start the engine on a piston-engine type aircraft, you need (after making sure the game is not paused {{key press|p}}):
# Fuel: Some aircraft start the simulation with no fuel. You can add it in ''Equipment'' > ''Fuel and Payload''.
# Correct fuel mixture: This is generally ''rich'', so push the red knob all the way in, or use the key {{key press|m}} to enrich ({{key press|Shift|m}} leans.)
# Magnetos set on ''both'': Turn the key or press {{key press|}}} ''three times'' to move through ''R'', ''L'', ''Both''.
# Throttle: Some engines start better with a little gas.
# Run the starter: Click the ''Start'' position of the key on the panel, or press {{key press|s}}. Hold the starter for sufficient time, even 10 seconds.

Starting all engines in a multi-engine aircraft is similar to the single engine - except you must follow the same start sequence for each and every engine. FlightGear provides a convenient way to do this for all engines at once: Press {{key press|~}} and all the procedure above will work for all the engines. Note though that the default 2D panel is connected to ''only one engine'' and the {{key press|~}} trick might not work. Also, give some gas to be sure that all the engines are on.

These instructions may not work for jet aircraft, helicopters, or other types of aircraft with complex start procedures. Check the instructions in the aircraft help menu (press {{key press|?}}) and/or look at [[Aircraft|the aircraft's article on this wiki]]. In general to start the engine on a jet engine type aircraft, you need to:
# Set cutoff ''ON''
# Engage the starter
# Once the engines spools up to approximately 5% N1, set cutoff ''OFF''
# Disengage the starter once the engine has reached operational speed

== Learning to fly ==
=== FlightGear's Manual ===
FlightGear has an official [https://www.flightgear.org/support/manual/ manual] that covers the basics of flight. As a beginner, you may want to start with [https://flightgear.gitlab.io/getstart/release-{{current release|cr}}/en/HTML/getstart-ench8.html Chapter 8: A Basic Flight Simulator Tutorial].

=== Tutorials ===
Many aircraft have their own interactive [[tutorials|tutorial]]. With tutorials, you can learn to operate particular aircraft but also learn to fly. You can access tutorials by going to ''Help'' > ''Tutorial''. A great place to start is the tutorial for the [[Cessna 172P]] aircraft, commonly used in real life to learn to fly fixed-winged aircraft.

If the tutorial starts without a runway and surrounded by water, your setup of FlightGear is missing the scenery for the airport at which the tutorial was supposed to run. To get scenery see the [[#Getting scenery]] section above.

== Making your first flight ==
=== Realism ===
One of the most frequent questions novice pilots ask about any flight simulator, but more so to FlightGear, is "Why is my aircraft turning left all the time?" Although it could be due to wind gusts crossing the runway, it is more likely due to the [[Understanding Propeller Torque and P-Factor|propeller torque and p-factor]].

In certain other flight simulators, despite marketing slogans to the contrary, some settings are turned down to make the aircraft easier to fly. This reduces effects such as the above. The realism is always turned up in FlightGear.

Here are some of the FlightGear realism points, which may be confusing to first time pilots:
* "Left turning syndrome" for the previously mentioned reasons.
* Compass turning error: A compass, when subjected to the forces of flight, tends to turn in the opposite direction for a brief period before settling on the correct heading. This is not a malfunction (see also the Wikipedia article {{wikipedia|Aircraft compass turns}}).
* The Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI) is also subject to error.
* The [[Horizontal Situation Indicator]] (HSI) is driven by a gyroscope (that is why it is sometimes called a Directional Gyroscope), which is subject to ''gyro drift''. The indicator will drift from its current heading and must be periodically (every ~15 minutes) calibrated to agree with the magnetic compass heading.
* You cannot just cancel a turn or climb by centering the yoke or stick. You must turn or push the stick the other way to get to level and level flight. But even then, the plane will not maintain its altitude or heading by itself. A common mistake is trying to find a hands off yoke position. While with trimming one could leave the plane for a couple of seconds, one must use autopilot or constantly adjust the yoke.

Many forces act on an aircraft in flight as well as on the [[avionics and instruments]] used for control and navigation, and may be counter-intuitive. Pilots must learn to recognize these phenomena and compensate for their effects. ''FlightGear models instrument errors that exist in the real world''. If you don't want it, press {{key press|h}} to enable the HUD.

=== Airports and navigation aids ===
When you first start FlightGear, whether from the command line or the graphical interface of the launchers, you may wonder how to determine what airports are available. The launcher displays a list of airports, but you will not see details such as tower or [[ILS]] frequencies. You will not find a map showing [[VOR]]s and their frequencies. What can you do? See [[Getting aeronautical charts]].

In-sim, there is a map you can use in ''Main Menu'' > ''Equipment'' > ''Map'', which will allow you to see navigation data and the position of airports and aids. For more help with navigation see [[Understanding navigation]].

=== Flying using the autopilot ===
A generic [[autopilot]] is available from the ''Autopilot > Autopilot Settings'' menu, while many aircraft come with their own ''specific'' autopilot, frequently a model of the real life one.

For aircraft that provide their own autopilot, you should use the autopilot controls available in the virtual cockpit. This means clicking on the instrument panel in the virtual cockpit. The Autopilot menu may be grayed out and unavailable when the aircraft supplies its own autopilot in some aircraft, including the Airbuses and the [[Cessna 172P|C172P]].

The Cessna 172 comes with a [[Bendix/King KAP140 Autopilot]] in its virtual cockpit. You can use both the autopilot device in the cockpit and the [[Autopilot#Autopilot Settings|autopilot settings]] from the menu.

== Advanced ==
=== Flying ===
{{Main article|Aircraft}}

* If you continue to fly light civilian aircraft, [[Cessna 182S]] which is more complex than C172P and [[Piper PA28 Warrior II|PA28]] are good choices.
* If you are interested in flying airlines, [[Airbus A320 family]], Boeing [[Boeing 777|777]]/[[Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner|787]], [[MD-11]] and [[MD-80]] are suggested.
* If you are fascinated by fighter aircrafts, choose a highly rated military aircraft (such as [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]]/[[F-15]]) from [[Aircraft#Modern military aircraft|here]], and enable multiplayer damage or install [[Bombable]].
* If you switch to helicopters, it is recommended to fly [[Eurocopter EC130 B4]].

Besides common aircraft, there are also detailed [[Space Shuttle|space shuttles]] available.

=== Scenery ===
It is fascinating to explore the [[scenery]] (or just test the graphics/frame rate) with [[UFO]]. First of all, [[#Configuring rendering and UI|increase your graphics quality]]. If you don't see buildings initially, keep FG open and wait for a while for [[TerraSync]] to finish downloading and for the buildings to appear.
There are plenty of [[Suggested airports|well-developed airports]] and scenery areas. You can also explore the scenery objects on the [https://scenery.flightgear.org/map model map].

=== Multiplayer ===
FlightGear has some multiplayer servers that will let you fly in more lively skies, see [[Howto: Multiplayer]]. There are also [[OpenRadar]] and [[ATC-pie]], standalone programs that will let you be an [[Air traffic control|air traffic controller]].

There is also a [[MPMap|multiplayer map]] that lets you see who is online right now, and even what [[navaids]] are nearby.

=== Menu items ===
For a quick reference about the usage of each menu item in FlightGear, see [[menu]].

=== Addons ===
FlightGear has a lot of third-party [[Addon|addons]] containing enhancements. For beginners, [[Logbook Add-on|Logbook]] and [[Which Runway Add-on|Which Runway]] may be the most useful addons.

== The FlightGear community ==
=== Getting help ===
This page is designed to give the user the essential things they need to know about using FlightGear for the first time. Besides the [[Portal:User|User portal]] of this wiki, there are other pages you may want to read:
*[[Troubleshooting problems]] to help you with the most common issues;
*[[Frequently asked questions]];
...and communication channels that can be used to obtain information or request help:
*The [[FlightGear Manual]], a ''must read'' for beginners;
*{{forum link|text=FlightGear Forum}} and its subforums;
*[[Discord|FlightGear's Discord server]], the quickest way to get help;
*[[FlightGear IRC channel]];
*[[Mailing list|FlightGear users mailing list]], biggest chance to get in contact with core developers;
*Documents bundled with the release package.

=== Customizing FlightGear without compiling it ===
[https://www.flightgear.org/download/ Our website] offers precompiled binaries for download and install on Windows, macOS and Linux. In addition, most Linux distributions provide a packaged version in their repositories.

Although the install is binary, most of FlightGear's systems are open to configuration through [[XML]] files and [[NASAL scripting]]. You are free ''and encouraged'' to make changes to aircraft flight models, scenery, textures, OpenGL [[shader]]s and any other feature you wish to change for your personal satisfaction or to share with other FlightGear users. If this is what you intend to do, take a look at the [[Portal:Developer|Developer portal]].

=== How you can help ===
{{Main article|Volunteer}}
FlightGear is an open source, volunteer based project. That means that whatever you find here comes from passion, spare time and nothing else. This includes the simulator, the scenery, the aircraft, the wiki, the {{forum link|text=forum}} and everything else. Volunteers, in essence ''people that do things'', are fundamental to this project. Without them, it would not make a single step forward. So it is essential that contributors have fun in what they do.

If you plan to contribute to this project, you should take a look at some articles that will give you some hints:
*[[Howto:Understand the FlightGear development process]]
*[[Implementing new features for FlightGear]]
*[[How the FlightGear project works]]

The fields where their help would be appreciated are many:
;Testing:
*[[Building FlightGear|Build]] the latest Git code
*[https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/issues File bug reports]
*Running FlightGear via valgrind to track down memory leaks

;Support:
*Help new users with downloading, compiling, installing and running FlightGear ({{forum link|text=on the forum}} or on [[Discord]])
*Provide ideas & suggestions, see: [[Feature Requests / Proposals / Ideas]]
*Help [[Portal:Wiki|clean up this wiki]]
*Help provide new contents for missing wiki pages

;Development:
*Core codebase:
**Provide [[Howto:Start core development|source code / data / documentation contributions]]
**Provide [[Bugs|bug fixes]] or new features
*Aircraft development (3D modeling, textures, FDMs, scripting)
*Scenery development (terrain, model, weather)
*Get involved in any of the other FlightGear-affiliated projects

[[Category:FlightGear]]

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Professional and educational FlightGear users

2026-05-31T17:37:05Z

AirplaneMode: /* NASA */

[[FlightGear]] has been used by dozens of organizations, companies and universities all over the world.

== Companies and Organizations ==
* '''Aeronautical Development Agency''', Bangalore India. FlightGear is used as as the image generator for a flight simulation facility for piloted evaluation of ski-jump launch and arrested recovery of a fighter aircraft from an aircraft carrier.
* '''Veridian Engineering Division''', Buffalo, NY. FlightGear is used for the scenery and out-the-window view for the Genesis 3000 flight simulator.
* '''MathWorks''' provides the [http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/toolbox/aeroblks/ Aerospace Blockset] libraries for interfacing FlightGear to their Simulink software.
* '''NASA/Ames Human Centered System Lab''' - 737NG full scale cockpit simulator developed by [http://www.lfstech.com LFS Technologies]. FlightGear provides visuals for four large screen wrap around displays, improved turbo-fan math models, detailed fuel system models, and extendable network interface to cockpit displays and electronics. <ref>[http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/ihi/hcsl/publications.html Human Centered System Labs], NASA</ref>
* FlightGear was used by '''Pragolet s.r.o.''' in a motion platform based flight simulator of light and ultra-light sports aircraft. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pragolet.cz/clanky/flight_simulator_of_light_and_ultralight_aircraft.html |title=Simulator of a Light and Ultra-Light Sport Aircraft |last=Thöndel |first=Evžen |date=29 January 2009 |publisher=Pragolet }}</ref>
* '''ATC Flight Simulator Company''' builds FAA approved flight simulators, that use FlightGear for the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atcflightsim.com/ |title=ATC Flight Simulator }}</ref>
* '''ActiveFly''' has a worldwide unique paragliding simulator. FlightGear is used to provide the visuals. "In order to make practicing with the ActiveFly Simulator as realistic as possible, the harness as well as the risers and brakes are suspended below a frame in such a way that they can be operated"<ref>[http://www.activefly.com ActiveFly.com]</ref>
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFcHebPaiEs Video] (YouTube)
* FlightGear was used to give a 3D visualiziation of a simulation by '''Robert Heffley Engineering'''. The simulation was used to examine the use of a Task-Pilot-Vehicle (TPV) model as a tool for flight simulator math model development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pdf.aiaa.org/getfile.cfm?urlX=6%3A7I%276D%26X%5BRW%2CS%20CIP4S%5EQ%3AO%224ZT%27%5FP%20%20%0A&urla=%26%2AR%28%27%230%2AC%0A&urlb=%21%2A%20%20%20%0A&urlc=%21%2A0%20%20%0A&urld=%28%2A%22P%26%22%406CTA%20%20%0A&urle=%28%2A%22H%23%230%22DU1X%20%0A |title=Use of a Task-Pilot-Vehicle (TPV) Model as a Tool for Flight Simulator Math Model Development |date=2-5 August 2010 |author=Heffley R.K. |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |acessdate=16 August 2012 }}</ref>
* Dutch roadable autogyro manufacturer '''PAL-V Europe NV''' uses FlightGear to provide the visuals and terrain data for their simulator. The simulator is currently used to prepare the test pilot and evaluate design options, but may be used to train customers in the future.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pal-v.com/licenses/the-pal-v-simulator/ |title=The PAL-V simulator}}</ref>
* The '''Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics''' of Germany uses FlightGear in several simulation environments:
** HeliLab<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cyberneum.de/27133/helilab |title=HeliLab (Tiled Display)}}</ref>
** MPI CyberMotion Simulator <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberneum.de/de/labore-forschung/cmslab.html |title=Der MPI-CyberMotion-Simulator}}</ref>
* The West Virginia based '''Institute for Scientific Research''' used FlightGear to perform simulated flight testing of the avionics and control system of a small autonomous UAV.<ref>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.uni-duisburg.de/pub/FlightGear/Docs/AIAA-2005-7083.pdf |title=Simulated Flight Testing of an Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Using FlightGear |date=September 2005 |author=Eric F. Sorton, Sonny Hammaker }}</ref>
* '''Simuladores Guaraní''' in Argentina offers flight training devices running on FlightGear.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://simuladoresguarani.com.ar/|title=Simuladores Guaraní}}</ref>
* '''DARPA''' in USA announced in October 2019 that it had selected eight teams who would use the [[F-15]] FDM and FlightGear for visualization in a virtual competition to demonstrate AI algorithms for dogfights.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2019-10-21
| title = DARPA Picks Teams for Virtual Air Combat Competition
| date = October 21, 2019
| publisher = Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20191024134208/https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2019-10-21
| archivedate = October 24, 2019
| accessdate = Noveber 9, 2019
}}</ref>

=== ARINC ===
Todd Moyer of Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC) used FlightGear as part of an effort to test and evaluate Flight Management Computer avionics and the corresponding ground systems. Certain capabilities of the Flight Management Computer are only available when airborne, which is determined by the FMC according to data it receives from GPS and INS sensors.

They wrote additional software that translates the NMEA output of FlightGear (including latitude, longitude, and altitude) into the ARINC 429 data words used by GPS and INS sensors. These data words are fed to the Flight Management Computer. the position information from FlightGear is realistic enough to convince the FMC that it is actually airborne, and allows ARINC to test entire `flights' with the avionics.

=== RWTH Aachen research simulator ===
The '''Institute of Aerospace Engineering''' at the RWTH Aachen is using FlightGear to drive the cockpit and the visuals of a general aviation simulator for training and research purpose. Micro Air Vehicles are being implemented by MATLAB/Simulink flight dynamics models; all I/O-related tasks, be they required by FDM, controls or instruments, are connected over network, using FlightGear native interfaces. <ref>http://www.dynamik.rwth-aachen.de/English/Simulators</ref>

=== Endless Runway Project ===
The '''Endless Runway Project''' is a consortium of aerospace instutes from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. "The fundamental principle of The Endless Runway is that the aircraft take-off and land on a large circular structure. This will allow for the unique characteristic that the runway can be used in any wind direction, thus making the runway independent of the direction of the wind and therefore also the airport capacity independent of the wind direction."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://endlessrunway-project.eu/downloads/d3.2-aircraft-aspects.pdf |title=Aircraft aspects of the Endless Runway |date=30 September 2013 |accessdate=16 January 2014}}</ref>

FlightGear and JSBSim were extensively used to simulate the landing and take-off performance of large aircraft on a circular runway. By using FlightGear, the consortium was able to select the radius, width and curvature of the runway.

More information and documents can be found at [http://endlessrunway-project.eu endlessrunway-project.eu]

=== NASA ===
[[JSBSim]] was used in a 2015 NASA benchmark<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|date=2015|title=Further Development of Verification Check-casesforSix-Degree-of-Freedom Flight Vehicle Simulations|url=https://nescacademy.nasa.gov/src/flightsim/Reports/aiaa-15-1810-EOM_chkcases-II.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310134926/https://nescacademy.nasa.gov/src/flightsim/Reports/aiaa-15-1810-EOM_chkcases-II.pdf|archive-date=March 10, 2021|website=NASA Engineering and Safety Center Academy}}</ref> to judge new simulation code to the standards of the space industry. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_flight_simulation_game#Realistic_simulation</ref>

== Universities ==
=== Africa ===
* The '''Minia University''' in Egypt developed a virtual lab with MATLAB and FlightGear. "It can be used easily by students to study and visualize classical control principles using FlightGear and MATLAB GUI with an attractive case study of a flight control system."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236174210_automatic_control_education_using_flight_gear_and_matlab_based_virtual_lab/file/3deec5245860723ce4.pdf |title=Automatic control education using FlightGear and MATLAB based virtual lab |date=May 2012 }}</ref>

=== Asia ===
* The Department of Aircraft and Aeroengine from the Chinese '''Air Force Engineering University''' conducted a study on a new airworthiness compliance verification method based on pilot-aircraft-environment complex system simulation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1000936111604342/1-s2.0-S1000936111604342-main.pdf?_tid=d3518780-834d-11e2-ba1b-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1362238285_cf85b59c1b58215e2a1559b6f42867aa |title=Airworthiness Compliance Verification Method Based on Simulation of Complex System |date=12 January 2012 |author=XU Haojun, LIU Dongliang, XUE Yuan, ZHOU Li, MIN Guilong |publisher=Chinese Journal of Aeronautics}}</ref>
* The Malaysian '''Universiti Teknologi Malaysia''' uses FlightGear for several projects.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/user/isfarazi</ref>
* The '''Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics''' in China made a 3D surface movement simulation system for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Surface_Movement_Guidance_and_Control_System A-SMGCS] with FlightGear. The system displays ADS-B data in FlightGear through the multiplayer system and accurately predicts the aircraft's and/or vehicle's attitude (this is absent in ADS-B).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.joca.cn/EN/abstract/abstract16042.shtml|title=3D simulation of A-SMGCS surface movement based on FlightGear |date=16 May 2012 }}</ref>
* FlightGear was interfaced to MATLAB by the '''Indian Institute of Technology''' to develop a Vision-in-the-Loop Simulation facility for UAV landings.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ifac-papersonline.net/Detailed/64832.html |title=Vision Based Alignment to Runway During Approach for Landing of Fixed Wing UAVs |author=Marianandam, Peter Arun; Ghose, Debasish |date=2014}}</ref>
* The Chinese '''Shenyang Institute of Automation''' established a simulation system based on FlightGear and Matlab to validate a path planning method based on linear programming. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of this approach and the real flight test is under development.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ojs.unsysdigital.com/index.php/just/article/view/2 |title=LP Based Path Planning for Autonomous Landing of An Unmanned Helicopter on A Moving Platform |author=Chong Wu, Juntong Qi, Dalei Song, Jianda Han |date=24 May 2013 |publisher=Journal of Unmanned System Technology}}</ref>

=== Australia ===
* FlightGear was used by '''RMIT University''' in Melbourne, Australia to simulate the response to control inputs of a tethered kite system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/eserv/rmit:160101/Thorpe.pdf |title=Modelling and Control of Tethered Kite Systems for Wind Energy Extraction |last=Thorpe |first=Dylan |date=April 2007 }}</ref>

=== Europe ===
* The '''University of Naples''', Italy used FlightGear in a six degrees of freedom (6dof) motion simulator, serving as a research and training tool.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wpage.unina.it/agodemar/DSV-DQV/AIAA_MST_2007_DeMarco_Coiro_Nicolosi_paper.pdf |title=A 6DOF Flight Simulation Environment for General Aviation Aircraft with Control Loading Reproduction |last=Coiro |first=Domenico P. |coauthors=De Marco, Agostino; Nicolosi, Fabrizio |date=2007 }}</ref>
* The Intelligent Robotics Group at the '''University of Wales''', Aberystwyth, UK is using FlightGear as part of their aerobot research<ref>[http://users.aber.ac.uk/dpb/aerobots.html Aerobot Research], Dave Barne</ref> to design aerial vehicles that can operate in the atmosphere of other planets.
* '''Delft University of Technology''', the Netherlands
** FlightGear was used for the ICE project. The goal was to design, test, and evaluate computational techniques that can be used in the development of intelligent situation-aware crew assistance systems. Using methods from artificial intelligence, ICE focused primarily on the data fusion, data processing and reasoning part of these systems. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/Research/Projects/ICE/index.html |title=The Intelligent Cockpit Environment (ICE) Project |last=Ehlert |first=Patrick |date=18 January 2005 |publisher=TU Delft }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mmi.tudelft.nl/pub/patrick/Ehlert.P.A.M-GAMEON2002.pdf |title=Recognising situations in a flight simulator environment |date=November 2002 |author=Ehlert P.A.M., Mouthaan Q.M., Rothkrantz L.J.M. |accessdate=18 April 2012 |publisher=SCS Publishing House }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/People/Students/D.Dragos/back/ice/index.htm |title=The ICE Project |author=Datcu Dragos |date=January 2003 |accessdate=8 May 2012 }}</ref>
** FlightGear is often used to provide the visuals on [http://www.lr.tudelft.nl/en/cooperation/facilities/simona/the-simona-research-simulator/ SIMONA], a 6-DOF research flight simulator. For example:
*** Study on whether simulator-based training of pilot responses to unexpected or novel events can be improved by including unpredictability and variability in training scenarios.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0018720818779928 |title=Training Pilots for Unexpected Events: A Simulator Study on the Advantage of Unpredictable and Variable Scenarios |first=Annemarie |last=Landman |date=September 2018}}</ref>
** There is also a technical report ''FlightGear Multiplayer Engine : The development of a flightsimulator multiplayer engine for AI purposes'' at [http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/docs/report/DKS02-05.pdf here].
* The German based '''Hamburg University of Applied Sciences''' used JSBSim and FlightGear to evaluate the handling qualities of a box wing aircraft.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fzt.haw-hamburg.de/pers/Scholz/Airport2030/Airport2030_PUB_DLRK_12-09-10_Caja.pdf |title=Box Wing Flight Dynamics in the Stage of Conceptual Aircraft Design |author=Caja R., Scholz D. |date=23 November 2012}}</ref>
* For studentproject Daedalus, the Technical University of München uses FlightGear to optimize the flight characteristics of a zeppelin as well to simulate its performance. Another goal is to simulate prerecorded flights from a real model for further analysis. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.daedalus.ei.tum.de/index.php/de/mach-mit-mm |title=Mach mit ! - daedalus}}</ref>
* The '''Czech Technical University in Prague''' is working on a full motion simulator to do research on situation awareness. They're using FlightGear for the visuals. A video of the simulator can be seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8SQa9_el8k&feature=autoshare at YouTube]. More info at http://measure.feld.cvut.cz/en/cast
* '''French Aerospace Lab (ONERA)''' and '''University of Toulouse''', France (2004). A thesis student Frédéric Dehais has used FlightGear and developed a cognitive counter-measures experimental environment (p.119 and following) to show the pilot/ATC scheme could be formalized and enhanced to avoid cognitive perturbation. Use of Atlas and Onera Messenger. Over 22 real-life pilots have been testing this environment.<ref>{{fr}} {{cite web |url=http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/2137/1/Dehais_2137.pdf |title=Modélisation des conflits dans l’activité de pilotage |first=Frédéric |last=Dehais |publisher=University of Toulouse |date=21 June 2004}}</ref>
* '''Pázmány Péter Catholic University''' and the '''Hungarian Academy of Sciences''' developed a collision avoidance system for UAVs using visual detection. The system was simulated with FlightGear serving the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.analogic.sztaki.hu/publications/UAV_Collision_avoidance.pdf |title=Collision avoidance for UAV using visual detection }}</ref>
* The '''University of Sheffield''', England, modeled and simulated a small UAV in FlightGear and JSBSim. The report describes the whole process of creating an UAV for use in FlightGear.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/intranet/teaching/public/projects/archive/msc2006/pdf/acq05taa.pdf |title=Modelling and Autonomous Flight Simulation of a Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle |date=August 2006}}</ref>
* A MOOC on aerodynamics made by the French School '''Supaéro''' uses FlightGear.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.france-universite-numerique-mooc.fr/courses/isaesupaero/25001/Trimestre_4_2014/about | title=Aerodynamics MOOC using FlightGear|date=February 2015}}</ref>
* '''Durham University''' in England has been using FlightGear as a test bed for developing fault detection and self-healing systems in aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://dro.dur.ac.uk/17084/1/17084.pdf|title = FlightGear as a tool for real time fault-injection, detection and self-repair|author = Alan Purvis|coauthors = Ben Morris; Richard McWilliam|date = 2015|publisher = Durham Research Online|format = PDF}}</ref>
* '''Cranfield University''' in the United Kingdom
** Used FlightGear to visualize an airport environment which was then overlaid by a guidance system on a HUD. [[TerraGear]] and [[TerraGear GUI]] to generate the scenery.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/20338967.pdf |title=Aircraft head-up display surface guidance system |author=Jinxin Gu |date=November 2013}}</ref>
** Made a comparison between the usage of FlightGear 2018 or X-Plane 11/12 for the visuals in their Future Systems Simulator.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3476 |title=Analysis of Visualization Systems in Flight Simulators |author=Luis Del Barrio |coauthors=Wojciech Korek; Murat Millidere; Robert Harrison; James Whidborne |year=2023}}</ref>
* The '''Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Systems Department of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)''' have used FlightGear to visualize Simulink simulations of the CALLISTO vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL) rocket stage reusable demonstrator.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2021-0410 |title=Open-Source Visualization of Reusable Rockets Motion: Approaching Simulink - FlightGear Co-simulation |date=January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwzHuVJ34_g |title=Simulink-FlightGear Co-simulation for the Visualization of the CALLISTO Reusable Rocket Trajectory |date=January 2021}} 4 minute YouTube video.</ref>

=== North-America ===
* '''University of Illinois''' at Urbana Champaign. FlightGear is providing a platform for icing research for the Smart Icing Systems Project. <ref>http://www.aae.uiuc.edu/sis/mainpapers.html</ref>
* '''Simon Fraser University''', British Columbia Canada. Portions of FlightGear were used in simulation to develop the needed control algorithms for an autonomous aerial vehicle.
* '''Iowa State University'''. A senior project intended to retrofit some older sim hardware with FlightGear based software.
* '''University of Minnesota''' - Human Factors Research Lab. FlightGear brings new life to an old Agwagon single seat, single engine simulator.
* FlightGear is being used as the basic framework to provide the UTC Challenger Center (and hopefully other centers in the future) a low cost virtual reality computer simulation in the '''University of Tennessee''' at Chattanooga. Our simulation is using FlightGear and JSBSim, specifically the shuttle module, to develop a shuttle landing simulator. Currently, we are trying to get to the point of at least contributing instructions on how to interface our virtual reality hardware with Flightgear back to the OS community.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightgear.org/Projects/utc.html |title=University of Tennessee at Chattanooga |publisher=FlightGear |first=Dawn |last=Ellis |accessdate=18 April 2012}}</ref>
* '''Department of Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University''' used FlightGear primarily for its graphics engine, in advanced research programs in the areas of flight control design, advanced rotorcraft flight dynamics modeling, and near real-time acoustics simulation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fkm.utm.my/ftp/pub/OSS/Win32/FlightGear/paper_PSU_2004AHS.pdf |title=A Multi-Disciplinary Rotorcraft Simulation Facility Composed of Commodity Components and Open Source Software |publisher=Department of Aerospace Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University }}</ref>
* A team of '''Northeastern University''' (Boston, USA) engineering students has developed a system that allows a pilot to fly a simulated airplane in FlightGear, using nothing more than his or her brainwaves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2011/05/braincontrol.html |title=A brainy innovation takes flight |publisher=Northeastern University |date=31 May 2011 }}</ref>
* '''Arizona State University''' (USA) used a combination of engineering programmes (among which FlightGear) in its aerospace engineering program. The faculty shifted how they were teaching to put less focus on theory and more emphasis on simulation and visualization through the immediate use of engineering software. Students used those programs within [[MATLAB]].<ref>[http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2011/08/23/Arizona-State-Tries-Practice-over-Theory-in-Engineering-Education.aspx Arizona State Tries Practice over Theory in Engineering Education], Campus Technology</ref>
* A project by the '''University of Montreal''' and the '''University of Toulouse''' used FlightGear to visualize the effect of an active feedback system for pilot guidance assistance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2012-4941 |title=Preliminary Study of an Active Feedback System for Aircraft Guidance |date=13-16 August 2012 |author=Latorre-Costa P., Defay F., Saussie D. |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |accessdate=16 August 2012 }}</ref>
* The Center for Coastal & Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center at the '''University of New Hampshire''' set up a ship simulator using FlightGear for the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ccom.unh.edu/vislab/projects/simulator.html |title=Spatially Aware Hand-held Devices and the Boat Simulator |accessdate=20 October 2012 }}</ref>
* The '''University of Michigan''' used FlightGear to validate PID autopilot for unmanned aerial vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~duncanlm/Miller_Duncan_AIAA_RegionIII_2011_Autolab.pdf | title=Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory for Sense and Avoid Research and Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulations |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |author=Duncan Miller |date=2011 |format=pdf}}</ref>
* FlightGear was used by the '''University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies''' to simulate [[UTIAS Ornithopter No.1|their first ornithopter]] (engine powered).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ornithopter.net/MediaGallery/flightgear_e.html |title=Flying the Ornithopter in FlightGear Flight Simulator |author=Project Ornithopter |date=2006 |format=html }}</ref> In 2010 the team made aviation history when their second ornithopter became the first human-powered ornithopter to make a sustained flight.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://media.utoronto.ca/media-releases/new-media-technology/human-powered-ornithopter-becomes-first-ever-to-achieve-sustained-flight/ |title=Human-powered ornithopter becomes first ever to achieve sustained flight |publisher=University of Toronto |date=22 September 2010 }}</ref>
* '''Purdue University''', Indiana visualized scenarios involving cyber attacks in FlightGear to demonstrate the vulnerabilities of current UAV autopilot systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.syprisresearch.com/Images/secure-control-systems/AIAA-Infotech_Threats-and-Vulnerabilities-Analysis.pdf |title=Cyber Attack Vulnerabilities Analysis for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles}}</ref>
* A thesis at the '''University of Arizona''' involved using FlightGear to enhance the ArduPilot autopilot of an UAV to detect and capitalize upon rising air.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/297776 |title=Thermal Energy Extraction Methods for UAV Gliders |author=Umashankar, Rohit |date=30 April 2013 }}</ref>
* '''Old Dominion University''' coupled FlightGear and [https://pulse.kitware.com/ Pulse Physiology Engine] applications to recreate and understand hypoxic events, related to a combination of high FiO2 and high g-forces.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/117_Paper_INTEGRATIVE-PHYSIOLOGY-COUPLED-PILOT-CENTERED-FLIGHT-SIMULATION.pdf |title=Integrative Physiology-Coupled Pilot-Centered Flight Simulation |author=Shawn Harrison |coauthors=Anna Bulysheva; Brett Newman; Michelle Audette; Rachel Clipp; Jeff Webb |date=18-20 July 2022 |publisher=Society for Modeling & Simulation International |accessdate=19 July 2022}}</ref>
* '''Toronto Metropolitan University''' (Canada) used FlightGear in combination with Unity to drive a Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display (VR-HMD) for airships operating in beyond the line-of-sight (BLOS) conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0290.v1 |title=Development and Evaluation of an Enhanced Virtual-Reality Flight Simulation Tool for Airships |author=Mohsen Rostami, Jafer Kamoonpuri, Pratik Pradhan and Joon Chung |publisher=Aerospace |date=13 April 2024}}</ref>

=== South-America ===
* The '''Aeronautical Engineering University''' of Argentina uses FlightGear to display the outside view of their simulator. Pictures can be seen at http://gsdv.com.ar/fotos/20110528/index.html.
* Brazilian '''Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais''' compared Microsoft Flight Simulator X to FlightGear for use in an UAV simulation. The authors concluded that, although the two sims were considerably close to each other, FlightGear is the better option for research, due to its flexible and open character and the higher frequency at which the simulation could run (independent of the visual frame rate).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepages.dcc.ufmg.br/~chaimo/public/SBAI09-cantoni.pdf |title=Analise Comparativa Entre Microsoft Flight Simulator E Flightgear Flight Simulator Em Testes Hardware-In-The-Loop }}</ref>
*'''Universidad Nacional de Colombia''' Introducción del simulador de vuelo FlightGear en los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje de la cinemática, dinámica y fluidos <ref>{{cite web |url = http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/54020/1/Proyecto%20FlightGear.pdf|title = Introducción del simulador de vuelo FlightGear en los procesos de
enseñanza y aprendizaje de la cinemática, dinámica y fluidos. Spanish|author = John Mauricio Beltrán Dueñas|date = 2015|publisher = Facultad de Ciencias|format = PDF}}</ref>
*'''Universidad de San Buenaventura Bogotá''' Diseño detallado de un simulador de vuelo dinámico.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://bibliotecadigital.usb.edu.co/bitstream/10819/1698/1/diseno_detallado_simulador_aguirre_2008.pdf|title = Diseño detallado de un simulador de vuelo dinámico. |date = 2008 |author = Luz Adriana Aguirre Bonilla, Janneth Guarnizo Reyes |publisher = Facultad de Ingenieria. Programa de Aeronáutica|format = PDF }}</ref>

== Home built applications ==
* '''Team Viper''' built a 360 degrees roll and pitch simulator, that runs on FlightGear.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-viper.org/ |title=TheViper }}</ref>
* '''John Wojnaroski''''s 747 cockpit is a long time project.<ref>http://www.flightgear.org/Projects/747-JW/</ref>

{{Appendix|all|
* {{cite web |url=http://www.usenix.org/events/usenix04/tech/sigs/full_papers/perry/perry_html/Applications_Simulator.html |title=Applications for the Simulator |last=Perry |first=Alex }}
----
{{References||2}}
}}

[[Category:FlightGear]]

User:F-WTSS/Liste des pages

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AirplaneMode:

Liste des pages toutes langues, MAJ 28/02/16.

User:F-WTSS/Liste des pages

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Liste des pages toutes langues, MAJ 28/02/16

Technical Reports

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AirplaneMode:

{{out of date}}

The intention of this page to provide a place where people can publish their FlightGear-related technical reports. Such reports may include essays on technical issues within FlightGear, and reports on scientific experiments performed on/with FlightGear. Please note that technical reports are formal papers. They follow a proper structure and are not intended to be opened for editing.

For a more in-depth definition of technical reports, please follow [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_report this link].

= 2006 =
== September ==
=== Real-time UAV Visualization using a Flight Simulator ===

MECSE-9-2006:
E.R. Price and G.K. Egan
Department of Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering

'''Abstract'''—This paper describes a real-time visualization
tool for a UAV based on Microsoft Flight Simulator. The tool
display consists of a 3D simulation of the aircraft's position
and orientation as well as a an instrument panel which
displays flight parameters and alarms deemed most relevant
by the pilot in the UAV’s various flight modes. The tool is
intended bring some comfort to the pilot when the aircraft is
beyond visual range.
Index Terms—Flight simulator, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,
Visualization

'''Note: while this report is not directly related to FlightGear itself, it does provide insight into a decision process that ultimately involved NOT to use FlightGear for the presented project'''

[http://www.ds.eng.monash.edu.au/techrep/reports/2006/MECSE-9-2006.pdf Full Report]
== March ==
=== A New Architecture for FlightGear Flight Simulator ===

''AJ MacLeod, Ampere K. Hardraade, Michael Koehne, Steve Knoblock''

'''Keyword(s)''': MVC architecture; FDM Server; FDM Instance; Client

'''Abstract''': To continue improving existing features and add new ones, FlightGear must make better use of computing power. Preparing for the widespread adoption of multicore CPU architectures is an important step in FlightGear's development. Today, CPU clock rate has reached its peak. The old idea, that features can be added without regard to their effect on performance because computers will become ever faster, has ceased to hold. In addition, as more features are added, developers are inceasingly bumping up against existing limitations in the current FlightGear architecture. Now would be a good time to begin the process of restructuring FlightGear to address the above issues. This proposal decribes a new architecture for FlightGear, one which would greatly improve FlightGear's efficiency and flexibility by making extensive use of parallel processing. It is also hope that this new architecture will improve the quality of multiuser sessions, as well as providing a true support for the simulations of time-critical systems.

9 Pages

'''Full document''':
[[Media:New_FG_architecture.pdf]] (pdf)

= 2003 =
== January ==

=== Icing Scenarios with the Icing Encounter Flight Simulator ===

Glen A. Dimock,∗ Robert W. Deters,† and Michael S. Selig‡
Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

'''Abstract''':As part of the Smart Icing System (SIS) project at the University of Illinois at
Urbana–Champaign, the Icing Encounter Flight Simulator (IEFS) integrates various SIS
components in a simulated aircraft icing environment. The IEFS combines a customized
version of FlightGear, an open-source flight simulator, with a suite of SIS support software
using multiple desktop PCs connected through a local area network. The resulting
simulation integrates most SIS concepts for testing and demonstration purposes. To this
end, two fictional but historically-motivated icing scenarios are used to illustrate the various
SIS interventions capable of preventing icing events. Specifically, a tailplane stall
event during a steep descent and a roll upset event during an emergency approach are
considered. During each scenario, multiple SIS intervention points are examined.

[http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/apasim/pubs/AIAA_Paper_2003-0023.pdf Full Report]

= 2002 =

== November ==

=== FlightGear Multiplayer Engine : The development of a flightsimulator multiplayer engine for AI purposes ===

Boogaard, Jeroen
Otte

Technical Report DKS-02-05 / ICE 02
Keywords: ICE project, multiplayer, artificial intelligence, flightsimulator, flightgear, simgear

Mediamatics / Data and Knowledge Systems group
Department of Information Technology and Systems
Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/Research/Projects/ICE/

'''Preface'''
This thesis describes our research activities on the development of our Flight Simulator
Multiplayer Engine (MPE, for short) at the Knowledge Based Systems (KBS) group of the
Delft University of Technology. We developed the FlightGear Multiplayer Engine for one
of the projects of the KBS group, which is called the Intelligent Cockpit Environment (ICE)
project.

[http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/docs/report/DKS02-05.pdf Full Report]

=== Determination of Planetary Meteorology from Aerobot Flight Sensors ===
Phil Summers, Dave Barnes, Andy Shaw
Department of Computer Science

'''ABSTRACT''':Airborne robots, or aerobots, are fast becoming potential experiment delivery and planetary analysis vehicles. With the
current trend towards a faster, better, cheaper methodology, aerobots seem to offer significant advantages over rovers
and other methods of planetary exploration. This paper describes work performed in the Department of Computer
Science at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, as part of a PhD project, to examine potential methods that could be
used to make an aerobot mission a realistic prospect.[...]

== August ==

=== Icing Encounter Flight Simulator with an Integrated Smart Icing System ===

RobertW. Deters, Glen A. Dimock, and Michael S. Selig
Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical
Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

'''Abstract''':The Icing Encounter Flight Simulator is one part of the Smart Icing System project
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The goal of the Smart Icing System
project is to develop technology necessary to improve the safety of aircraft flying in icing
conditions. The icing simulator is used as a platform to integrate different components
of the Smart Icing System and to test the effectiveness of the components. To create an
Icing Encounter Flight Simulator, functionality and Smart Icing System components were
added to the FlightGear flight simulator, an open source flight simulator available on the
internet. A reconfigurable aircraft model, an autopilot, and an icing model were some
of the functionality added to FlightGear. Smart Icing System components integrated
into the simulator include the neural-network-based icing characterization, envelope protection
system, ice protection system, and an Ice Management System enhanced glass
cockpit. To ensure a real-time simulation, computationally extensive processes have been
distributed over several computers linked together by a local network. A tailplane stall
scenario and a roll upset scenario have been designed to demonstrate the effectiveness
of the Smart Icing System components on a nonlinear aerodynamics model of a DHC-6
Twin Otter aircraft in clean and iced conditions.

[http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/apasim/pubs/AIAA_Paper_2002-4599.pdf Full Report]

= 2001 =
== April ==
=== Aerobot airdata measurement for planetary exploration ===

Emmanuel Geneste and Dave Barnes
Department of Computer Science,
University of Wales, Aberystwyth

'''Abstract''':For those planets and moons that support an atmosphere (e.g. Mars, Venus, Titan and Jupiter),
flying robots, or aerobots, are likely to provide a practical solution to the problem of extended
planetary surface coverage for terrain mapping, and surface/sub-surface composition surveying. Not
only could such devices be used for sub-orbital mapping of terrain regions, but they could be used
also to transport and deploy science packages or even microrovers at different geographically separate
land sites[...]

[http://users.aber.ac.uk/dpb/timr_01.pdf Full Report]

[http://robotics.estec.esa.int/ASTRA/Astra2002/Papers/astra2002_2.5a-3.pdf Full Report]

[[Category:Development]]

Professional and educational FlightGear users

2026-05-29T04:18:28Z

AirplaneMode: /* NASA */

[[FlightGear]] has been used by dozens of organizations, companies and universities all over the world.

== Companies and Organizations ==
* '''Aeronautical Development Agency''', Bangalore India. FlightGear is used as as the image generator for a flight simulation facility for piloted evaluation of ski-jump launch and arrested recovery of a fighter aircraft from an aircraft carrier.
* '''Veridian Engineering Division''', Buffalo, NY. FlightGear is used for the scenery and out-the-window view for the Genesis 3000 flight simulator.
* '''MathWorks''' provides the [http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/toolbox/aeroblks/ Aerospace Blockset] libraries for interfacing FlightGear to their Simulink software.
* '''NASA/Ames Human Centered System Lab''' - 737NG full scale cockpit simulator developed by [http://www.lfstech.com LFS Technologies]. FlightGear provides visuals for four large screen wrap around displays, improved turbo-fan math models, detailed fuel system models, and extendable network interface to cockpit displays and electronics. <ref>[http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/ihi/hcsl/publications.html Human Centered System Labs], NASA</ref>
* FlightGear was used by '''Pragolet s.r.o.''' in a motion platform based flight simulator of light and ultra-light sports aircraft. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pragolet.cz/clanky/flight_simulator_of_light_and_ultralight_aircraft.html |title=Simulator of a Light and Ultra-Light Sport Aircraft |last=Thöndel |first=Evžen |date=29 January 2009 |publisher=Pragolet }}</ref>
* '''ATC Flight Simulator Company''' builds FAA approved flight simulators, that use FlightGear for the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atcflightsim.com/ |title=ATC Flight Simulator }}</ref>
* '''ActiveFly''' has a worldwide unique paragliding simulator. FlightGear is used to provide the visuals. "In order to make practicing with the ActiveFly Simulator as realistic as possible, the harness as well as the risers and brakes are suspended below a frame in such a way that they can be operated"<ref>[http://www.activefly.com ActiveFly.com]</ref>
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFcHebPaiEs Video] (YouTube)
* FlightGear was used to give a 3D visualiziation of a simulation by '''Robert Heffley Engineering'''. The simulation was used to examine the use of a Task-Pilot-Vehicle (TPV) model as a tool for flight simulator math model development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pdf.aiaa.org/getfile.cfm?urlX=6%3A7I%276D%26X%5BRW%2CS%20CIP4S%5EQ%3AO%224ZT%27%5FP%20%20%0A&urla=%26%2AR%28%27%230%2AC%0A&urlb=%21%2A%20%20%20%0A&urlc=%21%2A0%20%20%0A&urld=%28%2A%22P%26%22%406CTA%20%20%0A&urle=%28%2A%22H%23%230%22DU1X%20%0A |title=Use of a Task-Pilot-Vehicle (TPV) Model as a Tool for Flight Simulator Math Model Development |date=2-5 August 2010 |author=Heffley R.K. |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |acessdate=16 August 2012 }}</ref>
* Dutch roadable autogyro manufacturer '''PAL-V Europe NV''' uses FlightGear to provide the visuals and terrain data for their simulator. The simulator is currently used to prepare the test pilot and evaluate design options, but may be used to train customers in the future.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pal-v.com/licenses/the-pal-v-simulator/ |title=The PAL-V simulator}}</ref>
* The '''Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics''' of Germany uses FlightGear in several simulation environments:
** HeliLab<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cyberneum.de/27133/helilab |title=HeliLab (Tiled Display)}}</ref>
** MPI CyberMotion Simulator <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberneum.de/de/labore-forschung/cmslab.html |title=Der MPI-CyberMotion-Simulator}}</ref>
* The West Virginia based '''Institute for Scientific Research''' used FlightGear to perform simulated flight testing of the avionics and control system of a small autonomous UAV.<ref>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.uni-duisburg.de/pub/FlightGear/Docs/AIAA-2005-7083.pdf |title=Simulated Flight Testing of an Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Using FlightGear |date=September 2005 |author=Eric F. Sorton, Sonny Hammaker }}</ref>
* '''Simuladores Guaraní''' in Argentina offers flight training devices running on FlightGear.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://simuladoresguarani.com.ar/|title=Simuladores Guaraní}}</ref>
* '''DARPA''' in USA announced in October 2019 that it had selected eight teams who would use the [[F-15]] FDM and FlightGear for visualization in a virtual competition to demonstrate AI algorithms for dogfights.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2019-10-21
| title = DARPA Picks Teams for Virtual Air Combat Competition
| date = October 21, 2019
| publisher = Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20191024134208/https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2019-10-21
| archivedate = October 24, 2019
| accessdate = Noveber 9, 2019
}}</ref>

=== ARINC ===
Todd Moyer of Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC) used FlightGear as part of an effort to test and evaluate Flight Management Computer avionics and the corresponding ground systems. Certain capabilities of the Flight Management Computer are only available when airborne, which is determined by the FMC according to data it receives from GPS and INS sensors.

They wrote additional software that translates the NMEA output of FlightGear (including latitude, longitude, and altitude) into the ARINC 429 data words used by GPS and INS sensors. These data words are fed to the Flight Management Computer. the position information from FlightGear is realistic enough to convince the FMC that it is actually airborne, and allows ARINC to test entire `flights' with the avionics.

=== RWTH Aachen research simulator ===
The '''Institute of Aerospace Engineering''' at the RWTH Aachen is using FlightGear to drive the cockpit and the visuals of a general aviation simulator for training and research purpose. Micro Air Vehicles are being implemented by MATLAB/Simulink flight dynamics models; all I/O-related tasks, be they required by FDM, controls or instruments, are connected over network, using FlightGear native interfaces. <ref>http://www.dynamik.rwth-aachen.de/English/Simulators</ref>

=== Endless Runway Project ===
The '''Endless Runway Project''' is a consortium of aerospace instutes from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. "The fundamental principle of The Endless Runway is that the aircraft take-off and land on a large circular structure. This will allow for the unique characteristic that the runway can be used in any wind direction, thus making the runway independent of the direction of the wind and therefore also the airport capacity independent of the wind direction."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://endlessrunway-project.eu/downloads/d3.2-aircraft-aspects.pdf |title=Aircraft aspects of the Endless Runway |date=30 September 2013 |accessdate=16 January 2014}}</ref>

FlightGear and JSBSim were extensively used to simulate the landing and take-off performance of large aircraft on a circular runway. By using FlightGear, the consortium was able to select the radius, width and curvature of the runway.

More information and documents can be found at [http://endlessrunway-project.eu endlessrunway-project.eu]

=== NASA ===
[[FlightGear]] is used professionally in aerospace engineering and research, with a flight dynamics engine ([[JSBSim]]) that is used in a 2015 NASA benchmark<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|date=2015|title=Further Development of Verification Check-casesforSix-Degree-of-Freedom Flight Vehicle Simulations|url=https://nescacademy.nasa.gov/src/flightsim/Reports/aiaa-15-1810-EOM_chkcases-II.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310134926/https://nescacademy.nasa.gov/src/flightsim/Reports/aiaa-15-1810-EOM_chkcases-II.pdf|archive-date=March 10, 2021|website=NASA Engineering and Safety Center Academy}}</ref> to judge new simulation code to the standards of the space industry''.'' FlightGear simulates orbital and atmospheric flight, but as of 2021 does not cover flight between planets (although its flight dynamics engine supports Mars and has been used to model the NASA {{wikipedia|Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey|ARES}} glider<ref>https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2004-4923</ref>). Of particular note is FlightGear<nowiki/>'s [[Space Shuttle]] project,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Space Shuttle - FlightGear wiki|url=https://wiki.flightgear.org/Space_Shuttle|access-date=2021-03-10|website=wiki.flightgear.org}}</ref> whose simulation is backed by NASA windtunnel data and is one of the most detailed and accurate simulation outside of NASA's internal ones.<ref>{{Cite web|title=An experience like no other… – FlightGear Flight Simulator|date=18 December 2015 |url=https://www.flightgear.org/tours/an-experience-like-no-other/|access-date=2021-03-10|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=FlightSim.Com - FlightGear Space Shuttle Project|url= https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?16540-FlightGear-Space-Shuttle-Project|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220422025303/https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?16540-FlightGear-Space-Shuttle-Project|archive-date= 22 April 2022}} </ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=FlightSim.Com - FlightGear - Visiting the ISS|url=https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?19086-FlightGear-Visiting-the-ISS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422025304/https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?19086-FlightGear-Visiting-the-ISS |archive-date=22 April 2022 }}</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_flight_simulation_game#Realistic_simulation</ref>

== Universities ==
=== Africa ===
* The '''Minia University''' in Egypt developed a virtual lab with MATLAB and FlightGear. "It can be used easily by students to study and visualize classical control principles using FlightGear and MATLAB GUI with an attractive case study of a flight control system."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236174210_automatic_control_education_using_flight_gear_and_matlab_based_virtual_lab/file/3deec5245860723ce4.pdf |title=Automatic control education using FlightGear and MATLAB based virtual lab |date=May 2012 }}</ref>

=== Asia ===
* The Department of Aircraft and Aeroengine from the Chinese '''Air Force Engineering University''' conducted a study on a new airworthiness compliance verification method based on pilot-aircraft-environment complex system simulation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1000936111604342/1-s2.0-S1000936111604342-main.pdf?_tid=d3518780-834d-11e2-ba1b-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1362238285_cf85b59c1b58215e2a1559b6f42867aa |title=Airworthiness Compliance Verification Method Based on Simulation of Complex System |date=12 January 2012 |author=XU Haojun, LIU Dongliang, XUE Yuan, ZHOU Li, MIN Guilong |publisher=Chinese Journal of Aeronautics}}</ref>
* The Malaysian '''Universiti Teknologi Malaysia''' uses FlightGear for several projects.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/user/isfarazi</ref>
* The '''Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics''' in China made a 3D surface movement simulation system for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Surface_Movement_Guidance_and_Control_System A-SMGCS] with FlightGear. The system displays ADS-B data in FlightGear through the multiplayer system and accurately predicts the aircraft's and/or vehicle's attitude (this is absent in ADS-B).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.joca.cn/EN/abstract/abstract16042.shtml|title=3D simulation of A-SMGCS surface movement based on FlightGear |date=16 May 2012 }}</ref>
* FlightGear was interfaced to MATLAB by the '''Indian Institute of Technology''' to develop a Vision-in-the-Loop Simulation facility for UAV landings.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ifac-papersonline.net/Detailed/64832.html |title=Vision Based Alignment to Runway During Approach for Landing of Fixed Wing UAVs |author=Marianandam, Peter Arun; Ghose, Debasish |date=2014}}</ref>
* The Chinese '''Shenyang Institute of Automation''' established a simulation system based on FlightGear and Matlab to validate a path planning method based on linear programming. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of this approach and the real flight test is under development.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ojs.unsysdigital.com/index.php/just/article/view/2 |title=LP Based Path Planning for Autonomous Landing of An Unmanned Helicopter on A Moving Platform |author=Chong Wu, Juntong Qi, Dalei Song, Jianda Han |date=24 May 2013 |publisher=Journal of Unmanned System Technology}}</ref>

=== Australia ===
* FlightGear was used by '''RMIT University''' in Melbourne, Australia to simulate the response to control inputs of a tethered kite system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/eserv/rmit:160101/Thorpe.pdf |title=Modelling and Control of Tethered Kite Systems for Wind Energy Extraction |last=Thorpe |first=Dylan |date=April 2007 }}</ref>

=== Europe ===
* The '''University of Naples''', Italy used FlightGear in a six degrees of freedom (6dof) motion simulator, serving as a research and training tool.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wpage.unina.it/agodemar/DSV-DQV/AIAA_MST_2007_DeMarco_Coiro_Nicolosi_paper.pdf |title=A 6DOF Flight Simulation Environment for General Aviation Aircraft with Control Loading Reproduction |last=Coiro |first=Domenico P. |coauthors=De Marco, Agostino; Nicolosi, Fabrizio |date=2007 }}</ref>
* The Intelligent Robotics Group at the '''University of Wales''', Aberystwyth, UK is using FlightGear as part of their aerobot research<ref>[http://users.aber.ac.uk/dpb/aerobots.html Aerobot Research], Dave Barne</ref> to design aerial vehicles that can operate in the atmosphere of other planets.
* '''Delft University of Technology''', the Netherlands
** FlightGear was used for the ICE project. The goal was to design, test, and evaluate computational techniques that can be used in the development of intelligent situation-aware crew assistance systems. Using methods from artificial intelligence, ICE focused primarily on the data fusion, data processing and reasoning part of these systems. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/Research/Projects/ICE/index.html |title=The Intelligent Cockpit Environment (ICE) Project |last=Ehlert |first=Patrick |date=18 January 2005 |publisher=TU Delft }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mmi.tudelft.nl/pub/patrick/Ehlert.P.A.M-GAMEON2002.pdf |title=Recognising situations in a flight simulator environment |date=November 2002 |author=Ehlert P.A.M., Mouthaan Q.M., Rothkrantz L.J.M. |accessdate=18 April 2012 |publisher=SCS Publishing House }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/People/Students/D.Dragos/back/ice/index.htm |title=The ICE Project |author=Datcu Dragos |date=January 2003 |accessdate=8 May 2012 }}</ref>
** FlightGear is often used to provide the visuals on [http://www.lr.tudelft.nl/en/cooperation/facilities/simona/the-simona-research-simulator/ SIMONA], a 6-DOF research flight simulator. For example:
*** Study on whether simulator-based training of pilot responses to unexpected or novel events can be improved by including unpredictability and variability in training scenarios.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0018720818779928 |title=Training Pilots for Unexpected Events: A Simulator Study on the Advantage of Unpredictable and Variable Scenarios |first=Annemarie |last=Landman |date=September 2018}}</ref>
** There is also a technical report ''FlightGear Multiplayer Engine : The development of a flightsimulator multiplayer engine for AI purposes'' at [http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/docs/report/DKS02-05.pdf here].
* The German based '''Hamburg University of Applied Sciences''' used JSBSim and FlightGear to evaluate the handling qualities of a box wing aircraft.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fzt.haw-hamburg.de/pers/Scholz/Airport2030/Airport2030_PUB_DLRK_12-09-10_Caja.pdf |title=Box Wing Flight Dynamics in the Stage of Conceptual Aircraft Design |author=Caja R., Scholz D. |date=23 November 2012}}</ref>
* For studentproject Daedalus, the Technical University of München uses FlightGear to optimize the flight characteristics of a zeppelin as well to simulate its performance. Another goal is to simulate prerecorded flights from a real model for further analysis. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.daedalus.ei.tum.de/index.php/de/mach-mit-mm |title=Mach mit ! - daedalus}}</ref>
* The '''Czech Technical University in Prague''' is working on a full motion simulator to do research on situation awareness. They're using FlightGear for the visuals. A video of the simulator can be seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8SQa9_el8k&feature=autoshare at YouTube]. More info at http://measure.feld.cvut.cz/en/cast
* '''French Aerospace Lab (ONERA)''' and '''University of Toulouse''', France (2004). A thesis student Frédéric Dehais has used FlightGear and developed a cognitive counter-measures experimental environment (p.119 and following) to show the pilot/ATC scheme could be formalized and enhanced to avoid cognitive perturbation. Use of Atlas and Onera Messenger. Over 22 real-life pilots have been testing this environment.<ref>{{fr}} {{cite web |url=http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/2137/1/Dehais_2137.pdf |title=Modélisation des conflits dans l’activité de pilotage |first=Frédéric |last=Dehais |publisher=University of Toulouse |date=21 June 2004}}</ref>
* '''Pázmány Péter Catholic University''' and the '''Hungarian Academy of Sciences''' developed a collision avoidance system for UAVs using visual detection. The system was simulated with FlightGear serving the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.analogic.sztaki.hu/publications/UAV_Collision_avoidance.pdf |title=Collision avoidance for UAV using visual detection }}</ref>
* The '''University of Sheffield''', England, modeled and simulated a small UAV in FlightGear and JSBSim. The report describes the whole process of creating an UAV for use in FlightGear.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/intranet/teaching/public/projects/archive/msc2006/pdf/acq05taa.pdf |title=Modelling and Autonomous Flight Simulation of a Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle |date=August 2006}}</ref>
* A MOOC on aerodynamics made by the French School '''Supaéro''' uses FlightGear.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.france-universite-numerique-mooc.fr/courses/isaesupaero/25001/Trimestre_4_2014/about | title=Aerodynamics MOOC using FlightGear|date=February 2015}}</ref>
* '''Durham University''' in England has been using FlightGear as a test bed for developing fault detection and self-healing systems in aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://dro.dur.ac.uk/17084/1/17084.pdf|title = FlightGear as a tool for real time fault-injection, detection and self-repair|author = Alan Purvis|coauthors = Ben Morris; Richard McWilliam|date = 2015|publisher = Durham Research Online|format = PDF}}</ref>
* '''Cranfield University''' in the United Kingdom
** Used FlightGear to visualize an airport environment which was then overlaid by a guidance system on a HUD. [[TerraGear]] and [[TerraGear GUI]] to generate the scenery.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/20338967.pdf |title=Aircraft head-up display surface guidance system |author=Jinxin Gu |date=November 2013}}</ref>
** Made a comparison between the usage of FlightGear 2018 or X-Plane 11/12 for the visuals in their Future Systems Simulator.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3476 |title=Analysis of Visualization Systems in Flight Simulators |author=Luis Del Barrio |coauthors=Wojciech Korek; Murat Millidere; Robert Harrison; James Whidborne |year=2023}}</ref>
* The '''Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Systems Department of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)''' have used FlightGear to visualize Simulink simulations of the CALLISTO vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL) rocket stage reusable demonstrator.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2021-0410 |title=Open-Source Visualization of Reusable Rockets Motion: Approaching Simulink - FlightGear Co-simulation |date=January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwzHuVJ34_g |title=Simulink-FlightGear Co-simulation for the Visualization of the CALLISTO Reusable Rocket Trajectory |date=January 2021}} 4 minute YouTube video.</ref>

=== North-America ===
* '''University of Illinois''' at Urbana Champaign. FlightGear is providing a platform for icing research for the Smart Icing Systems Project. <ref>http://www.aae.uiuc.edu/sis/mainpapers.html</ref>
* '''Simon Fraser University''', British Columbia Canada. Portions of FlightGear were used in simulation to develop the needed control algorithms for an autonomous aerial vehicle.
* '''Iowa State University'''. A senior project intended to retrofit some older sim hardware with FlightGear based software.
* '''University of Minnesota''' - Human Factors Research Lab. FlightGear brings new life to an old Agwagon single seat, single engine simulator.
* FlightGear is being used as the basic framework to provide the UTC Challenger Center (and hopefully other centers in the future) a low cost virtual reality computer simulation in the '''University of Tennessee''' at Chattanooga. Our simulation is using FlightGear and JSBSim, specifically the shuttle module, to develop a shuttle landing simulator. Currently, we are trying to get to the point of at least contributing instructions on how to interface our virtual reality hardware with Flightgear back to the OS community.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightgear.org/Projects/utc.html |title=University of Tennessee at Chattanooga |publisher=FlightGear |first=Dawn |last=Ellis |accessdate=18 April 2012}}</ref>
* '''Department of Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University''' used FlightGear primarily for its graphics engine, in advanced research programs in the areas of flight control design, advanced rotorcraft flight dynamics modeling, and near real-time acoustics simulation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fkm.utm.my/ftp/pub/OSS/Win32/FlightGear/paper_PSU_2004AHS.pdf |title=A Multi-Disciplinary Rotorcraft Simulation Facility Composed of Commodity Components and Open Source Software |publisher=Department of Aerospace Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University }}</ref>
* A team of '''Northeastern University''' (Boston, USA) engineering students has developed a system that allows a pilot to fly a simulated airplane in FlightGear, using nothing more than his or her brainwaves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2011/05/braincontrol.html |title=A brainy innovation takes flight |publisher=Northeastern University |date=31 May 2011 }}</ref>
* '''Arizona State University''' (USA) used a combination of engineering programmes (among which FlightGear) in its aerospace engineering program. The faculty shifted how they were teaching to put less focus on theory and more emphasis on simulation and visualization through the immediate use of engineering software. Students used those programs within [[MATLAB]].<ref>[http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2011/08/23/Arizona-State-Tries-Practice-over-Theory-in-Engineering-Education.aspx Arizona State Tries Practice over Theory in Engineering Education], Campus Technology</ref>
* A project by the '''University of Montreal''' and the '''University of Toulouse''' used FlightGear to visualize the effect of an active feedback system for pilot guidance assistance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2012-4941 |title=Preliminary Study of an Active Feedback System for Aircraft Guidance |date=13-16 August 2012 |author=Latorre-Costa P., Defay F., Saussie D. |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |accessdate=16 August 2012 }}</ref>
* The Center for Coastal & Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center at the '''University of New Hampshire''' set up a ship simulator using FlightGear for the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ccom.unh.edu/vislab/projects/simulator.html |title=Spatially Aware Hand-held Devices and the Boat Simulator |accessdate=20 October 2012 }}</ref>
* The '''University of Michigan''' used FlightGear to validate PID autopilot for unmanned aerial vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~duncanlm/Miller_Duncan_AIAA_RegionIII_2011_Autolab.pdf | title=Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory for Sense and Avoid Research and Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulations |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |author=Duncan Miller |date=2011 |format=pdf}}</ref>
* FlightGear was used by the '''University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies''' to simulate [[UTIAS Ornithopter No.1|their first ornithopter]] (engine powered).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ornithopter.net/MediaGallery/flightgear_e.html |title=Flying the Ornithopter in FlightGear Flight Simulator |author=Project Ornithopter |date=2006 |format=html }}</ref> In 2010 the team made aviation history when their second ornithopter became the first human-powered ornithopter to make a sustained flight.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://media.utoronto.ca/media-releases/new-media-technology/human-powered-ornithopter-becomes-first-ever-to-achieve-sustained-flight/ |title=Human-powered ornithopter becomes first ever to achieve sustained flight |publisher=University of Toronto |date=22 September 2010 }}</ref>
* '''Purdue University''', Indiana visualized scenarios involving cyber attacks in FlightGear to demonstrate the vulnerabilities of current UAV autopilot systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.syprisresearch.com/Images/secure-control-systems/AIAA-Infotech_Threats-and-Vulnerabilities-Analysis.pdf |title=Cyber Attack Vulnerabilities Analysis for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles}}</ref>
* A thesis at the '''University of Arizona''' involved using FlightGear to enhance the ArduPilot autopilot of an UAV to detect and capitalize upon rising air.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/297776 |title=Thermal Energy Extraction Methods for UAV Gliders |author=Umashankar, Rohit |date=30 April 2013 }}</ref>
* '''Old Dominion University''' coupled FlightGear and [https://pulse.kitware.com/ Pulse Physiology Engine] applications to recreate and understand hypoxic events, related to a combination of high FiO2 and high g-forces.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/117_Paper_INTEGRATIVE-PHYSIOLOGY-COUPLED-PILOT-CENTERED-FLIGHT-SIMULATION.pdf |title=Integrative Physiology-Coupled Pilot-Centered Flight Simulation |author=Shawn Harrison |coauthors=Anna Bulysheva; Brett Newman; Michelle Audette; Rachel Clipp; Jeff Webb |date=18-20 July 2022 |publisher=Society for Modeling & Simulation International |accessdate=19 July 2022}}</ref>
* '''Toronto Metropolitan University''' (Canada) used FlightGear in combination with Unity to drive a Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display (VR-HMD) for airships operating in beyond the line-of-sight (BLOS) conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0290.v1 |title=Development and Evaluation of an Enhanced Virtual-Reality Flight Simulation Tool for Airships |author=Mohsen Rostami, Jafer Kamoonpuri, Pratik Pradhan and Joon Chung |publisher=Aerospace |date=13 April 2024}}</ref>

=== South-America ===
* The '''Aeronautical Engineering University''' of Argentina uses FlightGear to display the outside view of their simulator. Pictures can be seen at http://gsdv.com.ar/fotos/20110528/index.html.
* Brazilian '''Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais''' compared Microsoft Flight Simulator X to FlightGear for use in an UAV simulation. The authors concluded that, although the two sims were considerably close to each other, FlightGear is the better option for research, due to its flexible and open character and the higher frequency at which the simulation could run (independent of the visual frame rate).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepages.dcc.ufmg.br/~chaimo/public/SBAI09-cantoni.pdf |title=Analise Comparativa Entre Microsoft Flight Simulator E Flightgear Flight Simulator Em Testes Hardware-In-The-Loop }}</ref>
*'''Universidad Nacional de Colombia''' Introducción del simulador de vuelo FlightGear en los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje de la cinemática, dinámica y fluidos <ref>{{cite web |url = http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/54020/1/Proyecto%20FlightGear.pdf|title = Introducción del simulador de vuelo FlightGear en los procesos de
enseñanza y aprendizaje de la cinemática, dinámica y fluidos. Spanish|author = John Mauricio Beltrán Dueñas|date = 2015|publisher = Facultad de Ciencias|format = PDF}}</ref>
*'''Universidad de San Buenaventura Bogotá''' Diseño detallado de un simulador de vuelo dinámico.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://bibliotecadigital.usb.edu.co/bitstream/10819/1698/1/diseno_detallado_simulador_aguirre_2008.pdf|title = Diseño detallado de un simulador de vuelo dinámico. |date = 2008 |author = Luz Adriana Aguirre Bonilla, Janneth Guarnizo Reyes |publisher = Facultad de Ingenieria. Programa de Aeronáutica|format = PDF }}</ref>

== Home built applications ==
* '''Team Viper''' built a 360 degrees roll and pitch simulator, that runs on FlightGear.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-viper.org/ |title=TheViper }}</ref>
* '''John Wojnaroski''''s 747 cockpit is a long time project.<ref>http://www.flightgear.org/Projects/747-JW/</ref>

{{Appendix|all|
* {{cite web |url=http://www.usenix.org/events/usenix04/tech/sigs/full_papers/perry/perry_html/Applications_Simulator.html |title=Applications for the Simulator |last=Perry |first=Alex }}
----
{{References||2}}
}}

[[Category:FlightGear]]

Professional and educational FlightGear users

2026-05-29T04:15:49Z

AirplaneMode: added NASA from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_flight_simulation_game#Realistic_simulation and merged "Technical Report" into "universities" except dead links

[[FlightGear]] has been used by dozens of organizations, companies and universities all over the world.

== Companies and Organizations ==
* '''Aeronautical Development Agency''', Bangalore India. FlightGear is used as as the image generator for a flight simulation facility for piloted evaluation of ski-jump launch and arrested recovery of a fighter aircraft from an aircraft carrier.
* '''Veridian Engineering Division''', Buffalo, NY. FlightGear is used for the scenery and out-the-window view for the Genesis 3000 flight simulator.
* '''MathWorks''' provides the [http://www.mathworks.com/access/helpdesk/help/toolbox/aeroblks/ Aerospace Blockset] libraries for interfacing FlightGear to their Simulink software.
* '''NASA/Ames Human Centered System Lab''' - 737NG full scale cockpit simulator developed by [http://www.lfstech.com LFS Technologies]. FlightGear provides visuals for four large screen wrap around displays, improved turbo-fan math models, detailed fuel system models, and extendable network interface to cockpit displays and electronics. <ref>[http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/ihi/hcsl/publications.html Human Centered System Labs], NASA</ref>
* FlightGear was used by '''Pragolet s.r.o.''' in a motion platform based flight simulator of light and ultra-light sports aircraft. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pragolet.cz/clanky/flight_simulator_of_light_and_ultralight_aircraft.html |title=Simulator of a Light and Ultra-Light Sport Aircraft |last=Thöndel |first=Evžen |date=29 January 2009 |publisher=Pragolet }}</ref>
* '''ATC Flight Simulator Company''' builds FAA approved flight simulators, that use FlightGear for the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atcflightsim.com/ |title=ATC Flight Simulator }}</ref>
* '''ActiveFly''' has a worldwide unique paragliding simulator. FlightGear is used to provide the visuals. "In order to make practicing with the ActiveFly Simulator as realistic as possible, the harness as well as the risers and brakes are suspended below a frame in such a way that they can be operated"<ref>[http://www.activefly.com ActiveFly.com]</ref>
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFcHebPaiEs Video] (YouTube)
* FlightGear was used to give a 3D visualiziation of a simulation by '''Robert Heffley Engineering'''. The simulation was used to examine the use of a Task-Pilot-Vehicle (TPV) model as a tool for flight simulator math model development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pdf.aiaa.org/getfile.cfm?urlX=6%3A7I%276D%26X%5BRW%2CS%20CIP4S%5EQ%3AO%224ZT%27%5FP%20%20%0A&urla=%26%2AR%28%27%230%2AC%0A&urlb=%21%2A%20%20%20%0A&urlc=%21%2A0%20%20%0A&urld=%28%2A%22P%26%22%406CTA%20%20%0A&urle=%28%2A%22H%23%230%22DU1X%20%0A |title=Use of a Task-Pilot-Vehicle (TPV) Model as a Tool for Flight Simulator Math Model Development |date=2-5 August 2010 |author=Heffley R.K. |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |acessdate=16 August 2012 }}</ref>
* Dutch roadable autogyro manufacturer '''PAL-V Europe NV''' uses FlightGear to provide the visuals and terrain data for their simulator. The simulator is currently used to prepare the test pilot and evaluate design options, but may be used to train customers in the future.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pal-v.com/licenses/the-pal-v-simulator/ |title=The PAL-V simulator}}</ref>
* The '''Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics''' of Germany uses FlightGear in several simulation environments:
** HeliLab<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cyberneum.de/27133/helilab |title=HeliLab (Tiled Display)}}</ref>
** MPI CyberMotion Simulator <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberneum.de/de/labore-forschung/cmslab.html |title=Der MPI-CyberMotion-Simulator}}</ref>
* The West Virginia based '''Institute for Scientific Research''' used FlightGear to perform simulated flight testing of the avionics and control system of a small autonomous UAV.<ref>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.uni-duisburg.de/pub/FlightGear/Docs/AIAA-2005-7083.pdf |title=Simulated Flight Testing of an Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Using FlightGear |date=September 2005 |author=Eric F. Sorton, Sonny Hammaker }}</ref>
* '''Simuladores Guaraní''' in Argentina offers flight training devices running on FlightGear.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://simuladoresguarani.com.ar/|title=Simuladores Guaraní}}</ref>
* '''DARPA''' in USA announced in October 2019 that it had selected eight teams who would use the [[F-15]] FDM and FlightGear for visualization in a virtual competition to demonstrate AI algorithms for dogfights.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2019-10-21
| title = DARPA Picks Teams for Virtual Air Combat Competition
| date = October 21, 2019
| publisher = Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20191024134208/https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2019-10-21
| archivedate = October 24, 2019
| accessdate = Noveber 9, 2019
}}</ref>

=== ARINC ===
Todd Moyer of Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC) used FlightGear as part of an effort to test and evaluate Flight Management Computer avionics and the corresponding ground systems. Certain capabilities of the Flight Management Computer are only available when airborne, which is determined by the FMC according to data it receives from GPS and INS sensors.

They wrote additional software that translates the NMEA output of FlightGear (including latitude, longitude, and altitude) into the ARINC 429 data words used by GPS and INS sensors. These data words are fed to the Flight Management Computer. the position information from FlightGear is realistic enough to convince the FMC that it is actually airborne, and allows ARINC to test entire `flights' with the avionics.

=== RWTH Aachen research simulator ===
The '''Institute of Aerospace Engineering''' at the RWTH Aachen is using FlightGear to drive the cockpit and the visuals of a general aviation simulator for training and research purpose. Micro Air Vehicles are being implemented by MATLAB/Simulink flight dynamics models; all I/O-related tasks, be they required by FDM, controls or instruments, are connected over network, using FlightGear native interfaces. <ref>http://www.dynamik.rwth-aachen.de/English/Simulators</ref>

=== Endless Runway Project ===
The '''Endless Runway Project''' is a consortium of aerospace instutes from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. "The fundamental principle of The Endless Runway is that the aircraft take-off and land on a large circular structure. This will allow for the unique characteristic that the runway can be used in any wind direction, thus making the runway independent of the direction of the wind and therefore also the airport capacity independent of the wind direction."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://endlessrunway-project.eu/downloads/d3.2-aircraft-aspects.pdf |title=Aircraft aspects of the Endless Runway |date=30 September 2013 |accessdate=16 January 2014}}</ref>

FlightGear and JSBSim were extensively used to simulate the landing and take-off performance of large aircraft on a circular runway. By using FlightGear, the consortium was able to select the radius, width and curvature of the runway.

More information and documents can be found at [http://endlessrunway-project.eu endlessrunway-project.eu]

=== NASA ===
[[FlightGear]] is used professionally in aerospace engineering and research, with a flight dynamics engine ([[JSBSim]]) that is used in a 2015 NASA benchmark<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|date=2015|title=Further Development of Verification Check-casesforSix-Degree-of-Freedom Flight Vehicle Simulations|url=https://nescacademy.nasa.gov/src/flightsim/Reports/aiaa-15-1810-EOM_chkcases-II.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310134926/https://nescacademy.nasa.gov/src/flightsim/Reports/aiaa-15-1810-EOM_chkcases-II.pdf|archive-date=March 10, 2021|website=NASA Engineering and Safety Center Academy}}</ref> to judge new simulation code to the standards of the space industry''.'' FlightGear simulates orbital and atmospheric flight, but as of 2021 does not cover flight between planets (although its flight dynamics engine supports Mars and has been used to model the NASA {{wikipedia|Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey|ARES}} glider<ref>https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2004-4923</ref>). Of particular note is FlightGear<nowiki/>'s [[Space Shuttle]] project,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Space Shuttle - FlightGear wiki|url=https://wiki.flightgear.org/Space_Shuttle|access-date=2021-03-10|website=wiki.flightgear.org}}</ref> whose simulation is backed by NASA windtunnel data and is the most detailed and accurate simulation outside of NASA's internal ones.<ref>{{Cite web|title=An experience like no other… – FlightGear Flight Simulator|date=18 December 2015 |url=https://www.flightgear.org/tours/an-experience-like-no-other/|access-date=2021-03-10|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=FlightSim.Com - FlightGear Space Shuttle Project|url= https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?16540-FlightGear-Space-Shuttle-Project|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220422025303/https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?16540-FlightGear-Space-Shuttle-Project|archive-date= 22 April 2022}} </ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=FlightSim.Com - FlightGear - Visiting the ISS|url=https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?19086-FlightGear-Visiting-the-ISS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422025304/https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/content.php?19086-FlightGear-Visiting-the-ISS |archive-date=22 April 2022 }}</ref><ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_flight_simulation_game#Realistic_simulation</ref>

== Universities ==
=== Africa ===
* The '''Minia University''' in Egypt developed a virtual lab with MATLAB and FlightGear. "It can be used easily by students to study and visualize classical control principles using FlightGear and MATLAB GUI with an attractive case study of a flight control system."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236174210_automatic_control_education_using_flight_gear_and_matlab_based_virtual_lab/file/3deec5245860723ce4.pdf |title=Automatic control education using FlightGear and MATLAB based virtual lab |date=May 2012 }}</ref>

=== Asia ===
* The Department of Aircraft and Aeroengine from the Chinese '''Air Force Engineering University''' conducted a study on a new airworthiness compliance verification method based on pilot-aircraft-environment complex system simulation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1000936111604342/1-s2.0-S1000936111604342-main.pdf?_tid=d3518780-834d-11e2-ba1b-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1362238285_cf85b59c1b58215e2a1559b6f42867aa |title=Airworthiness Compliance Verification Method Based on Simulation of Complex System |date=12 January 2012 |author=XU Haojun, LIU Dongliang, XUE Yuan, ZHOU Li, MIN Guilong |publisher=Chinese Journal of Aeronautics}}</ref>
* The Malaysian '''Universiti Teknologi Malaysia''' uses FlightGear for several projects.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/user/isfarazi</ref>
* The '''Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics''' in China made a 3D surface movement simulation system for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Surface_Movement_Guidance_and_Control_System A-SMGCS] with FlightGear. The system displays ADS-B data in FlightGear through the multiplayer system and accurately predicts the aircraft's and/or vehicle's attitude (this is absent in ADS-B).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.joca.cn/EN/abstract/abstract16042.shtml|title=3D simulation of A-SMGCS surface movement based on FlightGear |date=16 May 2012 }}</ref>
* FlightGear was interfaced to MATLAB by the '''Indian Institute of Technology''' to develop a Vision-in-the-Loop Simulation facility for UAV landings.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ifac-papersonline.net/Detailed/64832.html |title=Vision Based Alignment to Runway During Approach for Landing of Fixed Wing UAVs |author=Marianandam, Peter Arun; Ghose, Debasish |date=2014}}</ref>
* The Chinese '''Shenyang Institute of Automation''' established a simulation system based on FlightGear and Matlab to validate a path planning method based on linear programming. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of this approach and the real flight test is under development.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ojs.unsysdigital.com/index.php/just/article/view/2 |title=LP Based Path Planning for Autonomous Landing of An Unmanned Helicopter on A Moving Platform |author=Chong Wu, Juntong Qi, Dalei Song, Jianda Han |date=24 May 2013 |publisher=Journal of Unmanned System Technology}}</ref>

=== Australia ===
* FlightGear was used by '''RMIT University''' in Melbourne, Australia to simulate the response to control inputs of a tethered kite system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/eserv/rmit:160101/Thorpe.pdf |title=Modelling and Control of Tethered Kite Systems for Wind Energy Extraction |last=Thorpe |first=Dylan |date=April 2007 }}</ref>

=== Europe ===
* The '''University of Naples''', Italy used FlightGear in a six degrees of freedom (6dof) motion simulator, serving as a research and training tool.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wpage.unina.it/agodemar/DSV-DQV/AIAA_MST_2007_DeMarco_Coiro_Nicolosi_paper.pdf |title=A 6DOF Flight Simulation Environment for General Aviation Aircraft with Control Loading Reproduction |last=Coiro |first=Domenico P. |coauthors=De Marco, Agostino; Nicolosi, Fabrizio |date=2007 }}</ref>
* The Intelligent Robotics Group at the '''University of Wales''', Aberystwyth, UK is using FlightGear as part of their aerobot research<ref>[http://users.aber.ac.uk/dpb/aerobots.html Aerobot Research], Dave Barne</ref> to design aerial vehicles that can operate in the atmosphere of other planets.
* '''Delft University of Technology''', the Netherlands
** FlightGear was used for the ICE project. The goal was to design, test, and evaluate computational techniques that can be used in the development of intelligent situation-aware crew assistance systems. Using methods from artificial intelligence, ICE focused primarily on the data fusion, data processing and reasoning part of these systems. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/Research/Projects/ICE/index.html |title=The Intelligent Cockpit Environment (ICE) Project |last=Ehlert |first=Patrick |date=18 January 2005 |publisher=TU Delft }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mmi.tudelft.nl/pub/patrick/Ehlert.P.A.M-GAMEON2002.pdf |title=Recognising situations in a flight simulator environment |date=November 2002 |author=Ehlert P.A.M., Mouthaan Q.M., Rothkrantz L.J.M. |accessdate=18 April 2012 |publisher=SCS Publishing House }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/People/Students/D.Dragos/back/ice/index.htm |title=The ICE Project |author=Datcu Dragos |date=January 2003 |accessdate=8 May 2012 }}</ref>
** FlightGear is often used to provide the visuals on [http://www.lr.tudelft.nl/en/cooperation/facilities/simona/the-simona-research-simulator/ SIMONA], a 6-DOF research flight simulator. For example:
*** Study on whether simulator-based training of pilot responses to unexpected or novel events can be improved by including unpredictability and variability in training scenarios.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0018720818779928 |title=Training Pilots for Unexpected Events: A Simulator Study on the Advantage of Unpredictable and Variable Scenarios |first=Annemarie |last=Landman |date=September 2018}}</ref>
** There is also a technical report ''FlightGear Multiplayer Engine : The development of a flightsimulator multiplayer engine for AI purposes'' at [http://www.kbs.twi.tudelft.nl/docs/report/DKS02-05.pdf here].
* The German based '''Hamburg University of Applied Sciences''' used JSBSim and FlightGear to evaluate the handling qualities of a box wing aircraft.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fzt.haw-hamburg.de/pers/Scholz/Airport2030/Airport2030_PUB_DLRK_12-09-10_Caja.pdf |title=Box Wing Flight Dynamics in the Stage of Conceptual Aircraft Design |author=Caja R., Scholz D. |date=23 November 2012}}</ref>
* For studentproject Daedalus, the Technical University of München uses FlightGear to optimize the flight characteristics of a zeppelin as well to simulate its performance. Another goal is to simulate prerecorded flights from a real model for further analysis. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.daedalus.ei.tum.de/index.php/de/mach-mit-mm |title=Mach mit ! - daedalus}}</ref>
* The '''Czech Technical University in Prague''' is working on a full motion simulator to do research on situation awareness. They're using FlightGear for the visuals. A video of the simulator can be seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8SQa9_el8k&feature=autoshare at YouTube]. More info at http://measure.feld.cvut.cz/en/cast
* '''French Aerospace Lab (ONERA)''' and '''University of Toulouse''', France (2004). A thesis student Frédéric Dehais has used FlightGear and developed a cognitive counter-measures experimental environment (p.119 and following) to show the pilot/ATC scheme could be formalized and enhanced to avoid cognitive perturbation. Use of Atlas and Onera Messenger. Over 22 real-life pilots have been testing this environment.<ref>{{fr}} {{cite web |url=http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/2137/1/Dehais_2137.pdf |title=Modélisation des conflits dans l’activité de pilotage |first=Frédéric |last=Dehais |publisher=University of Toulouse |date=21 June 2004}}</ref>
* '''Pázmány Péter Catholic University''' and the '''Hungarian Academy of Sciences''' developed a collision avoidance system for UAVs using visual detection. The system was simulated with FlightGear serving the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.analogic.sztaki.hu/publications/UAV_Collision_avoidance.pdf |title=Collision avoidance for UAV using visual detection }}</ref>
* The '''University of Sheffield''', England, modeled and simulated a small UAV in FlightGear and JSBSim. The report describes the whole process of creating an UAV for use in FlightGear.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/intranet/teaching/public/projects/archive/msc2006/pdf/acq05taa.pdf |title=Modelling and Autonomous Flight Simulation of a Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle |date=August 2006}}</ref>
* A MOOC on aerodynamics made by the French School '''Supaéro''' uses FlightGear.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.france-universite-numerique-mooc.fr/courses/isaesupaero/25001/Trimestre_4_2014/about | title=Aerodynamics MOOC using FlightGear|date=February 2015}}</ref>
* '''Durham University''' in England has been using FlightGear as a test bed for developing fault detection and self-healing systems in aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://dro.dur.ac.uk/17084/1/17084.pdf|title = FlightGear as a tool for real time fault-injection, detection and self-repair|author = Alan Purvis|coauthors = Ben Morris; Richard McWilliam|date = 2015|publisher = Durham Research Online|format = PDF}}</ref>
* '''Cranfield University''' in the United Kingdom
** Used FlightGear to visualize an airport environment which was then overlaid by a guidance system on a HUD. [[TerraGear]] and [[TerraGear GUI]] to generate the scenery.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/20338967.pdf |title=Aircraft head-up display surface guidance system |author=Jinxin Gu |date=November 2013}}</ref>
** Made a comparison between the usage of FlightGear 2018 or X-Plane 11/12 for the visuals in their Future Systems Simulator.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3476 |title=Analysis of Visualization Systems in Flight Simulators |author=Luis Del Barrio |coauthors=Wojciech Korek; Murat Millidere; Robert Harrison; James Whidborne |year=2023}}</ref>
* The '''Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Systems Department of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)''' have used FlightGear to visualize Simulink simulations of the CALLISTO vertical take-off and vertical landing (VTVL) rocket stage reusable demonstrator.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2021-0410 |title=Open-Source Visualization of Reusable Rockets Motion: Approaching Simulink - FlightGear Co-simulation |date=January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwzHuVJ34_g |title=Simulink-FlightGear Co-simulation for the Visualization of the CALLISTO Reusable Rocket Trajectory |date=January 2021}} 4 minute YouTube video.</ref>

=== North-America ===
* '''University of Illinois''' at Urbana Champaign. FlightGear is providing a platform for icing research for the Smart Icing Systems Project. <ref>http://www.aae.uiuc.edu/sis/mainpapers.html</ref>
* '''Simon Fraser University''', British Columbia Canada. Portions of FlightGear were used in simulation to develop the needed control algorithms for an autonomous aerial vehicle.
* '''Iowa State University'''. A senior project intended to retrofit some older sim hardware with FlightGear based software.
* '''University of Minnesota''' - Human Factors Research Lab. FlightGear brings new life to an old Agwagon single seat, single engine simulator.
* FlightGear is being used as the basic framework to provide the UTC Challenger Center (and hopefully other centers in the future) a low cost virtual reality computer simulation in the '''University of Tennessee''' at Chattanooga. Our simulation is using FlightGear and JSBSim, specifically the shuttle module, to develop a shuttle landing simulator. Currently, we are trying to get to the point of at least contributing instructions on how to interface our virtual reality hardware with Flightgear back to the OS community.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightgear.org/Projects/utc.html |title=University of Tennessee at Chattanooga |publisher=FlightGear |first=Dawn |last=Ellis |accessdate=18 April 2012}}</ref>
* '''Department of Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University''' used FlightGear primarily for its graphics engine, in advanced research programs in the areas of flight control design, advanced rotorcraft flight dynamics modeling, and near real-time acoustics simulation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fkm.utm.my/ftp/pub/OSS/Win32/FlightGear/paper_PSU_2004AHS.pdf |title=A Multi-Disciplinary Rotorcraft Simulation Facility Composed of Commodity Components and Open Source Software |publisher=Department of Aerospace Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University }}</ref>
* A team of '''Northeastern University''' (Boston, USA) engineering students has developed a system that allows a pilot to fly a simulated airplane in FlightGear, using nothing more than his or her brainwaves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2011/05/braincontrol.html |title=A brainy innovation takes flight |publisher=Northeastern University |date=31 May 2011 }}</ref>
* '''Arizona State University''' (USA) used a combination of engineering programmes (among which FlightGear) in its aerospace engineering program. The faculty shifted how they were teaching to put less focus on theory and more emphasis on simulation and visualization through the immediate use of engineering software. Students used those programs within [[MATLAB]].<ref>[http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2011/08/23/Arizona-State-Tries-Practice-over-Theory-in-Engineering-Education.aspx Arizona State Tries Practice over Theory in Engineering Education], Campus Technology</ref>
* A project by the '''University of Montreal''' and the '''University of Toulouse''' used FlightGear to visualize the effect of an active feedback system for pilot guidance assistance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2012-4941 |title=Preliminary Study of an Active Feedback System for Aircraft Guidance |date=13-16 August 2012 |author=Latorre-Costa P., Defay F., Saussie D. |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |accessdate=16 August 2012 }}</ref>
* The Center for Coastal & Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center at the '''University of New Hampshire''' set up a ship simulator using FlightGear for the visuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ccom.unh.edu/vislab/projects/simulator.html |title=Spatially Aware Hand-held Devices and the Boat Simulator |accessdate=20 October 2012 }}</ref>
* The '''University of Michigan''' used FlightGear to validate PID autopilot for unmanned aerial vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~duncanlm/Miller_Duncan_AIAA_RegionIII_2011_Autolab.pdf | title=Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory for Sense and Avoid Research and Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulations |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |author=Duncan Miller |date=2011 |format=pdf}}</ref>
* FlightGear was used by the '''University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies''' to simulate [[UTIAS Ornithopter No.1|their first ornithopter]] (engine powered).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ornithopter.net/MediaGallery/flightgear_e.html |title=Flying the Ornithopter in FlightGear Flight Simulator |author=Project Ornithopter |date=2006 |format=html }}</ref> In 2010 the team made aviation history when their second ornithopter became the first human-powered ornithopter to make a sustained flight.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://media.utoronto.ca/media-releases/new-media-technology/human-powered-ornithopter-becomes-first-ever-to-achieve-sustained-flight/ |title=Human-powered ornithopter becomes first ever to achieve sustained flight |publisher=University of Toronto |date=22 September 2010 }}</ref>
* '''Purdue University''', Indiana visualized scenarios involving cyber attacks in FlightGear to demonstrate the vulnerabilities of current UAV autopilot systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.syprisresearch.com/Images/secure-control-systems/AIAA-Infotech_Threats-and-Vulnerabilities-Analysis.pdf |title=Cyber Attack Vulnerabilities Analysis for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles}}</ref>
* A thesis at the '''University of Arizona''' involved using FlightGear to enhance the ArduPilot autopilot of an UAV to detect and capitalize upon rising air.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/297776 |title=Thermal Energy Extraction Methods for UAV Gliders |author=Umashankar, Rohit |date=30 April 2013 }}</ref>
* '''Old Dominion University''' coupled FlightGear and [https://pulse.kitware.com/ Pulse Physiology Engine] applications to recreate and understand hypoxic events, related to a combination of high FiO2 and high g-forces.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/117_Paper_INTEGRATIVE-PHYSIOLOGY-COUPLED-PILOT-CENTERED-FLIGHT-SIMULATION.pdf |title=Integrative Physiology-Coupled Pilot-Centered Flight Simulation |author=Shawn Harrison |coauthors=Anna Bulysheva; Brett Newman; Michelle Audette; Rachel Clipp; Jeff Webb |date=18-20 July 2022 |publisher=Society for Modeling & Simulation International |accessdate=19 July 2022}}</ref>
* '''Toronto Metropolitan University''' (Canada) used FlightGear in combination with Unity to drive a Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Display (VR-HMD) for airships operating in beyond the line-of-sight (BLOS) conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.20944/preprints202304.0290.v1 |title=Development and Evaluation of an Enhanced Virtual-Reality Flight Simulation Tool for Airships |author=Mohsen Rostami, Jafer Kamoonpuri, Pratik Pradhan and Joon Chung |publisher=Aerospace |date=13 April 2024}}</ref>

=== South-America ===
* The '''Aeronautical Engineering University''' of Argentina uses FlightGear to display the outside view of their simulator. Pictures can be seen at http://gsdv.com.ar/fotos/20110528/index.html.
* Brazilian '''Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais''' compared Microsoft Flight Simulator X to FlightGear for use in an UAV simulation. The authors concluded that, although the two sims were considerably close to each other, FlightGear is the better option for research, due to its flexible and open character and the higher frequency at which the simulation could run (independent of the visual frame rate).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepages.dcc.ufmg.br/~chaimo/public/SBAI09-cantoni.pdf |title=Analise Comparativa Entre Microsoft Flight Simulator E Flightgear Flight Simulator Em Testes Hardware-In-The-Loop }}</ref>
*'''Universidad Nacional de Colombia''' Introducción del simulador de vuelo FlightGear en los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje de la cinemática, dinámica y fluidos <ref>{{cite web |url = http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/54020/1/Proyecto%20FlightGear.pdf|title = Introducción del simulador de vuelo FlightGear en los procesos de
enseñanza y aprendizaje de la cinemática, dinámica y fluidos. Spanish|author = John Mauricio Beltrán Dueñas|date = 2015|publisher = Facultad de Ciencias|format = PDF}}</ref>
*'''Universidad de San Buenaventura Bogotá''' Diseño detallado de un simulador de vuelo dinámico.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://bibliotecadigital.usb.edu.co/bitstream/10819/1698/1/diseno_detallado_simulador_aguirre_2008.pdf|title = Diseño detallado de un simulador de vuelo dinámico. |date = 2008 |author = Luz Adriana Aguirre Bonilla, Janneth Guarnizo Reyes |publisher = Facultad de Ingenieria. Programa de Aeronáutica|format = PDF }}</ref>

== Home built applications ==
* '''Team Viper''' built a 360 degrees roll and pitch simulator, that runs on FlightGear.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-viper.org/ |title=TheViper }}</ref>
* '''John Wojnaroski''''s 747 cockpit is a long time project.<ref>http://www.flightgear.org/Projects/747-JW/</ref>

{{Appendix|all|
* {{cite web |url=http://www.usenix.org/events/usenix04/tech/sigs/full_papers/perry/perry_html/Applications_Simulator.html |title=Applications for the Simulator |last=Perry |first=Alex }}
----
{{References||2}}
}}

[[Category:FlightGear]]

Space Shuttle/info

2026-05-29T03:51:14Z

AirplaneMode: add Do NOT use |authors=... since it is not compatible with <ref>

<includeonly>{{infobox aircraft
| name = Space Shuttle
| hangar = fgaddon
| aircraft = SpaceShuttle
| image = Atlantis_in_Orbit.jpg
| alt = Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' in orbit
| image2 = Cockpit_view_MS_TAEM.webp
| alt2 = Space Shuttle cockpit (November 2024)
| type = Spaceplane/Glider aircraft/Hypersonic aircraft
| config = Delta-wing aircraft
| author1 = Thorsten Renk (flight dynamics, systems, avionics and effects)
| author2 = Richard Harrison (cockpit and avionics)
| author3 = Chris Kuhn (cockpit)
| author4 = NASA (3D)<ref>The material on the Shuttle is in public domain https://www.flightgear.org/blog/an-experience-like-no-other/</ref>
| author5 = Jorge Pareja (3D)
| author6 = Wayne Bragg (3D and effects)
| author7 = Herbert Wagner (3D)
| author8 = Gijs de Rooy (avionics)
| author9 = Gingin (Guidance, avionics)
| devel-team = Shuttle development team
| fdm = JSBSim
| fgname = SpaceShuttle/SpaceShuttle-orbit/SpaceShuttle-launch/SpaceShuttle-entry/SpaceShuttle-approach/SpaceShuttle-TAEM
| status-fdm = 4
| status-systems = 5
| status-cockpit = 5
| status-model = 4
| devel-website = https://sourceforge.net/projects/fgspaceshuttledev/
| devel-repo = {{sourceforge url|proj=fgspaceshuttledev|repo=code|branch=development}}
| forumtid = 25747
| craft = spacecraft
| navbar = 1
}}</includeonly><noinclude>
This is the aircraft infobox subpage of the [[Space Shuttle]].
[[Category:Aircraft infobox documentation]]
</noinclude>

Space Shuttle/info

2026-05-29T03:23:18Z

AirplaneMode:

<includeonly>{{infobox aircraft
| name = Space Shuttle
| hangar = fgaddon
| aircraft = SpaceShuttle
| image = Atlantis_in_Orbit.jpg
| alt = Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' in orbit
| image2 = Cockpit_view_MS_TAEM.webp
| alt2 = Space Shuttle cockpit (November 2024)
| type = Spaceplane/Glider aircraft/Hypersonic aircraft
| config = Delta-wing aircraft
| authors = Thorsten Renk (flight dynamics, systems, avionics and effects)/Richard Harrison (cockpit and avionics)/Chris Kuhn (cockpit)/NASA (3D materials in public domain)/Jorge Pareja (3D)/Wayne Bragg (3D and effects)/Herbert Wagner (3D)/Gijs de Rooy (avionics)/Gingin (Guidance, avionics)
| devel-team = Shuttle development team
| fdm = JSBSim
| fgname = SpaceShuttle/SpaceShuttle-orbit/SpaceShuttle-launch/SpaceShuttle-entry/SpaceShuttle-approach/SpaceShuttle-TAEM
| status-fdm = 4
| status-systems = 5
| status-cockpit = 5
| status-model = 4
| devel-website = https://sourceforge.net/projects/fgspaceshuttledev/
| devel-repo = {{sourceforge url|proj=fgspaceshuttledev|repo=code|branch=development}}
| forumtid = 25747
| craft = spacecraft
| navbar = 1
}}</includeonly><noinclude>
This is the aircraft infobox subpage of the [[Space Shuttle]].
[[Category:Aircraft infobox documentation]]
</noinclude>

Space Shuttle/info

2026-05-29T03:21:03Z

AirplaneMode: Undo revision 144785 by AirplaneMode (talk)

<includeonly>{{infobox aircraft
| name = Space Shuttle
| hangar = fgaddon
| aircraft = SpaceShuttle
| image = Atlantis_in_Orbit.jpg
| alt = Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' in orbit
| image2 = Cockpit_view_MS_TAEM.webp
| alt2 = Space Shuttle cockpit (November 2024)
| type = Spaceplane/Glider aircraft/Hypersonic aircraft
| config = Delta-wing aircraft
| authors = Thorsten Renk (flight dynamics, systems, avionics and effects)/Richard Harrison (cockpit and avionics)/Chris Kuhn (cockpit)/NASA (3D)/Jorge Pareja (3D)/Wayne Bragg (3D and effects)/Herbert Wagner (3D)/Gijs de Rooy (avionics)/Gingin (Guidance, avionics)
| devel-team = Shuttle development team
| fdm = JSBSim
| fgname = SpaceShuttle/SpaceShuttle-orbit/SpaceShuttle-launch/SpaceShuttle-entry/SpaceShuttle-approach/SpaceShuttle-TAEM
| status-fdm = 4
| status-systems = 5
| status-cockpit = 5
| status-model = 4
| devel-website = https://sourceforge.net/projects/fgspaceshuttledev/
| devel-repo = {{sourceforge url|proj=fgspaceshuttledev|repo=code|branch=development}}
| forumtid = 25747
| craft = spacecraft
| navbar = 1
}}</includeonly><noinclude>
This is the aircraft infobox subpage of the [[Space Shuttle]].
[[Category:Aircraft infobox documentation]]
</noinclude>

Space Shuttle/info

2026-05-29T03:09:24Z

AirplaneMode: reference

<includeonly>{{infobox aircraft
| name = Space Shuttle
| hangar = fgaddon
| aircraft = SpaceShuttle
| image = Atlantis_in_Orbit.jpg
| alt = Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' in orbit
| image2 = Cockpit_view_MS_TAEM.webp
| alt2 = Space Shuttle cockpit (November 2024)
| type = Spaceplane/Glider aircraft/Hypersonic aircraft
| config = Delta-wing aircraft
| authors = Thorsten Renk (flight dynamics, systems, avionics and effects)/Richard Harrison (cockpit and avionics)/Chris Kuhn (cockpit)/NASA (3D)<ref>The material on the Shuttle is in public domain https://www.flightgear.org/blog/an-experience-like-no-other/</ref>/Jorge Pareja (3D)/Wayne Bragg (3D and effects)/Herbert Wagner (3D)/Gijs de Rooy (avionics)/Gingin (Guidance, avionics)
| devel-team = Shuttle development team
| fdm = JSBSim
| fgname = SpaceShuttle/SpaceShuttle-orbit/SpaceShuttle-launch/SpaceShuttle-entry/SpaceShuttle-approach/SpaceShuttle-TAEM
| status-fdm = 4
| status-systems = 5
| status-cockpit = 5
| status-model = 4
| devel-website = https://sourceforge.net/projects/fgspaceshuttledev/
| devel-repo = {{sourceforge url|proj=fgspaceshuttledev|repo=code|branch=development}}
| forumtid = 25747
| craft = spacecraft
| navbar = 1
}}</includeonly><noinclude>
This is the aircraft infobox subpage of the [[Space Shuttle]].
[[Category:Aircraft infobox documentation]]
</noinclude>

''For the technical details about the menubar, see [[Menubar]].''

The in-game '''menu''' provides access to FlightGear's various features.

[[File:Menubar2.jpg|frame]]

= List of built-in menus =

Here is an incomplete list of FlightGear's menus, with links to their descriptions.

== File ==
* Reset
* [[Instant Replay#Continuous (disk-based) recordings|Flight Recorder Control]]
* Time Mode
* Screenshot
* Sound Configuration
* Input Devices
* [[TerraSync|Scenery Download]]
* Quit

== View ==
* Toggle Fullscreen
* [[Rendering Options]]
* [[View options|View Options]]
* [[Cockpit view options|Cockpit View Options]]
* [[Glideslope Tunnel|Toggle Glide Scope Tunnel]]
* [[Instant Replay]]
* [[Earthview|Earthview Orbital Rendering]]
* ALS Filter Effects

== Location ==
* Position Aircraft In Air
* Select Airport
* Random Altitude
* Tower Position

== Autopilot ==
* [[Autopilot#Autopilot Settings|Autopilot Settings]]
* [[Route Manager]]
* Previous Waypoint
* Next Waypoint

== Environment ==
* [[Weather]]
* Environment Settings
* [[Time|Time Settings]]
* [[Volcanoes]]

== Equipment ==
* [[Map]]
* Stopwatch
* Fuel and Payload
* Radio Settings
* [[GPS|GPS Settings]]
* Instrument Settings
* Light Switches
* [[Aircraft failure system|Random Failures]]
* [[Aircraft failure system|System Failures]]
* [[Aircraft failure system|Instrument Failures]]

== AI ==
* Traffic and Scenario Settings
* ATC Services in Range
* Wingman Controls
* [[AI Scenery Objects|AI Objects]]

== Multiplayer ==
* [[Multiplayer|Multiplayer Settings]]
* [[FGCom|FGCom Settings]]
* [[Chat Menu]]
* [[Pilot List]]
* [[Carrier over MP|MPCarrier Selection]]
* [[Swift|Swift Connection]]

== Debug ==
* Reload GUI
* Reload HUD
* [[Property Browser]]
* [[Nasal Console]]
...

== Help ==
* Aircraft Help
* [[Aircraft Checklists]]
* Common Aircraft Keys
* [[Tutorials]]
* About

= Related content =
* [https://flightgear.gitlab.io/getstart/release-{{current release|cr}}/en/HTML/getstart-ench5.html#menu-entries FlightGear Manual - Menu entries]
* [[Multi-key commands]] - an alternative to the menubar

[[Category:FlightGear feature]]
[[Category:Menubar]]
[[Category:Lists]]

[[fr:menu]]

View options

2026-05-29T00:39:41Z

AirplaneMode: Redirected page to Howto:Configure views in FlightGear

#redirect [[Howto:Configure views in FlightGear]]

Howto:Configure views in FlightGear

2026-05-29T00:34:28Z

AirplaneMode: merged

This mini-HOWTO explains how to configure views in FlightGear. Views define the position of the eye in the rendered scene and what if any object the eye is focused on or tracking. The eye is the imaginary or constructed eye that is simulated by the 3D rendering. It makes the picture on your screen represent what things would look like if you were standing or sitting at a given location.

Formerly there were two views hard coded into FlightGear, but as this document describes, it is possible to configure any number of views with XML configuration files. Views may be configured to switch between pilot and co-pilot, tower view, or view of an observer on the ground.

== Types of Views ==
There are two basic types of views:

* '''LookFrom''' - This type requires a single coordinate position. The direction of the view is independent of any particular object. Adjusting the heading and pitch offsets moves the direction of observation around. In the default FlightGear configuration panning with the mouse will move the view around as if the observer was turning their head.
* '''LookAt''' - This type requires two coordinate positions. The direction of the view is always oriented toward a target and tracks the target if it moves.

(see configuration examples below for usage of the <type> paramter)

== Defining Positions ==
There are two methods to define a postion and orientation for use in configuring a view. One method is tied to a model which means the view references the position and orientation of a model (e.g. Aircraft 3D Model) and the other is an independent postion which simply means that the view references location data directly (via the FlightGear property tree):

=== Tied to a Model ===
This method allows definition of the "eye", that is where you are looking from and/or the "target" or objected being looked at based on a model position and orientation. The following illustrates defining the positon of a "Cockpit View" that is positioned and oriented according to the position and orientation of a model:

<sim>
<view>
<name>Cockpit View</name>
<type>lookfrom</type>
<internal type="bool">true</internal>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
</config>
</view>
</sim>

Syntax for the '''eye position''' is:

<from-model type="bool">true or false</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">modelnumber</from-model-idx>

Syntax for the target or '''at position''' used in views of type "lookat" is:

<at-model type="bool">true or false</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">modelnumber</at-model-idx>

Note that from-model or at-model must be true in order for the position and orientation data from the model to be used.

=== Independent Position ===
This method allows definition of the eye, that is where you are looking from or the target (objected being looked at) based on arbitrary position and orientation data obtained from the property tree (i.e. any source). The following illustrates a Tower defined as a "lookat", a view that can be used to track or follow a moving model:

<sim>
<view>
<name>Tower View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/sim/tower/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/sim/tower/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/sim/tower/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-roll-deg-path>/sim/tower/roll-deg</eye-roll-deg-path>
<eye-pitch-deg-path>/sim/tower/pitch-deg</eye-pitch-deg-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/sim/tower/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

</config>
</view>
</sim>

Note that the definition is constructed as a path to a numeric data item in the global property tree. If you are unfamiliar with these properties, take a look at the "Property Picker" dialog while FlightGear is running and you can see the kinds of values in use. You may define your own static values, say for a fixed location of an observer, by adding the following xml to your setup (prefrences.xml or another file):

<somepath>
<ground-observer-lon-deg>48.6124</ground-observer-lon-deg>
<ground-observer-lat-deg>63.1243</ground-observer-lat-deg>
<ground-observer-alt-ft>123.5</ground-observer-alt-ft>
</somepath>

These values can then then be referenced in your view by including their path in the definition. For example to reference the above longitude for the ground observer:

<sim>
<view>
<config>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/somepath/ground-observer-lat-deg></eye-lon-deg-path>
..

All three longitude, latitude, and altitude must be defined to have a valid position (otherwise the missing items default to 0). You may also define orientation such as heading (the direction to look toward) and pitch (the angle up or down to be looking). In the case of a cockpit view the orientation will be that of the aircraft itself, but in the case of a "lookfrom" view like a ground observer or tower it can be an arbitrary view direction that is either static, or changing.

Syntax for the '''eye position and orientation''' is:

<eye-lat-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>path-to-property-value</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-roll-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-roll-deg-path>
<eye-pitch-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-pitch-deg-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-heading-deg-path>

Syntax for the target or '''at position''' used in views of type "lookat" is:

<target-lat-deg-path>path-to-property-value</target-lat-deg-path>
<target-lon-deg-path>path-to-property-value</target-lon-deg-path>
<target-alt-ft-path>path-to-property-value</target-alt-ft-path>

== View Offsets ==
There are two types of offsets, but only one is used in building viewer configurations. This is an offset from the eye position applied to the position defined for the eye as described in the section on '''Defining Positon'''.

These offsets are defined in meters. Here is an example of a '''Cockpit View''' definition that includes offsets for the pilot's eye:

<sim>
<view>
<name>Cockpit View</name>
<type>lookfrom</type>
<internal type="bool">false</internal>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>

<x-offset-m type="double">-0.22</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">0.30</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-0.45</z-offset-m>
</config>
</view>
</sim>

Note that these offsets are actually best applied differently to specific aircraft models. The size of the aircraft and the actual position of the pilot's seat make a big difference. So typically these offset entries are included per aircraft in the aircraft-set.xml files.

In other circumstances, such as defining a Chase View, you can possibly get away with defining the x-offsets in a more global location so that they apply to all aircraft. Here is an example of a Chase View configuration that includes offsets to define the eye as being 25 meters behind the model origin:

<sim>
<view>
<name>Chase View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<x-offset-m type="double">0</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">0</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-25</z-offset-m>
</config>
</view>
</sim>

At the time of this writing (and this is subject to change), offsets define the change in eye position as follows:

x-offset-m
Positive values to the right of origin (view position).
y-offset-m
Positive values move up from origin.
z-offset-m
Positive values move back (or in) from origin.

Generally, a higher Near Plane value will result in a better quality rendering of distant scenery and models. Currently when the aircraft is in flight the Near Plane is set at 10 meters.

Any object (including terrain) that is closer to the eye or camera than 10 meters will not be visible. For this reason, when the eye is close to the ground, the Near Plane must be set lower. Here is an example of a Cockpit view that is configured to have only a 0.5 meter Near Plane when sitting on the ground (or below a given flight level which currently defaults to 30ft AGL altitude).

<view>
<name>Cockpit View</name>
<type>lookfrom</type>
<internal type="bool">false</internal>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">0.5f</ground-level-nearplane-m>
</config>
</view>

The example Tower View however, is able to set the value to 10 meters since the tower position is 50ft AGL altitude to start with:

<view>
<name>Tower View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/sim/tower/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/sim/tower/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/sim/tower/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-roll-deg-path>/sim/tower/roll-deg</eye-roll-deg-path>
<eye-pitch-deg-path>/sim/tower/pitch-deg</eye-pitch-deg-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/sim/tower/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">10.0f</ground-level-nearplane-m>

</config>
</view>

== Other examples ==

Example 1 - The configuration of a Chase View without a rotating frutstum (the view does not tilt with the aircraft's roll and pitch) is easy. Since the aircraft model's orientation is contained in it's location definition, you must set from-model property to false so you may define your own source for position and orientation. Then define eye position properties for the appropriate values. If you leave eye-roll-deg and eye-pitch-deg out then they will be fixed at 0 degrees. Note that technically this example does rotate, but only on the heading :)

<view>
<name>Chase View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">false</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/position/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/position/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/position/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/orientation/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">0.5f</ground-level-nearplane-m>

<x-offset-m type="double">0</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">0</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-25</z-offset-m>
</config>
</view>

== Set view points ==
=== Default views ===
Various default views are defined in <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/preferences.xml</tt> and are used when there is no custom view defined for a certain view-number.

=== Custom views ===
It is possible to configure any number of views with [[XML]] configuration files. Views may be configured to switch between pilot and co-pilot, tower view, or view of an observer on the ground.

All of the codes mentioned in this article, should be placed between the <sim> and </sim> tag of your aircraft's [[Howto: Make an aircraft#The -set.xml file|-set.xml]] file.

<view n="0">
<name>Captain</name>
<type>lookfrom</type>
<internal type="bool">true</internal>
<config>
<x-offset-m type="double">-0.55</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">3.8</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-24.05</z-offset-m>
<pitch-offset-deg>-10</pitch-offset-deg>
<default-field-of-view-deg type="double">65.0</default-field-of-view-deg>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">6f</ground-level-nearplane-m>
<limits>
<enabled type="bool">true</enabled>
<left>
<heading-max-deg type="double">140</heading-max-deg>
<x-offset-max-m type="double">0.15</x-offset-max-m>
<x-offset-threshold-deg type="double">65</x-offset-threshold-deg>
</left>
<right>
<heading-max-deg type="double">140</heading-max-deg>
<x-offset-max-m type="double">0.15</x-offset-max-m>
<x-offset-threshold-deg type="double">65</x-offset-threshold-deg>
</right>
</limits>
</config>
<dynamic>
<enabled type="bool">false</enabled>
</dynamic>
</view>

* '''name''' this will be displayed when the user switches to the corresponding view.
* '''type''' can be:
** '''lookat''' your "eyes" fly around a point in space, while remaining focused at that point. Used for external views of the aircraft like helicopter view.
** '''lookfrom''' most resemblance to the human head (you look around from a fixed point). Used for pilot view.
* '''internal''' if set to "true" indicates the view is from inside the aircraft, otherwise from outside of the aircraft
* '''config''' Open the aircraft in a [[Modeling - Getting Started#3D Software|3D editor]] to find these coordinates, or open the [[property browser]] in sim and edit the <tt>/sim/current-view properties</tt> for live feedback.
** '''?-offset-m''' the offset from the origin of your aircraft, in meters.
** '''pitch-offset-deg''' the pitch of the view.
** '''default-field-of-view-deg''' the larger this number, the wider the view. Around 55-65 is the most common setting.
* '''limits''' you can limit the view movements, in order to simulate the fact that a human is unable to turn its head 360 degrees.
** '''enabled''' set to true to enable limits.
** '''left/right'''
*** '''heading-max-deg'''
*** '''x-offset-max-m'''
*** '''x-offset-threshold-deg'''
* '''dynamic'''
** '''enabled''' when set to true, this enables dynamic view, which rotates the view based on control input (to simulate a pilot looking into the direction he steers to).

Remark on '''limits''' (for developers): If you plan to implement a view-handler for a view there '''must not''' <limits>...</limits> be used in the view definition. The limits need to be handled within the view handler instead. If <limits>...</limits> are present within the view definition no (additional) view handler will be invoked (experienced in FG 3.4)

Additionally, you can place the following line after the last </view> tag. It is used to define the distance to the aircraft of the default views: chase, helicopter
<chase-distance-m type="double" archive="y">-90.0</chase-distance-m>

=== View numbers ===
Each view point must have an unique id/number. If no number is set, numbers are assigned from 0 to n in order of existance in the .xml file. Numbers can be overriden by using the following line (where 1 can be any number):
<view n="1">
Since there are various default view points (pilot, helicopter, tower etc.), it is advised to assign numbers starting at 100, when custom views are created. This will make sure that they won't interfere with any default views that may be added in future.

Note that the view numbers do have impact on the order of views when skipping through them in sim with the v/V keys.

=== Examples ===
==== Chase view with fixed roll/pitch degrees ====
The configuration of a chase view without a rotating frutstum (the view does not tilt with the aircraft's roll and pitch) is easy. Since the aircraft model's orientation is contained in its location definition, you must set the from-model property to false so you may define your own source for position and orientation. Then define eye position properties for the appropriate values. If you leave eye-roll-deg and eye-pitch-deg out then they will be fixed at 0 degrees. Note that technically this example does rotate, but only on the heading.

<view>
<name>Chase View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">false</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/position/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/position/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/position/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/orientation/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">0.5f</ground-level-nearplane-m>

<x-offset-m type="double">0</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">0</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-25</z-offset-m>
</config>
</view>

==== Tower view ====
<view>
<name>Tower View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/sim/tower/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/sim/tower/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/sim/tower/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-roll-deg-path>/sim/tower/roll-deg</eye-roll-deg-path>
<eye-pitch-deg-path>/sim/tower/pitch-deg</eye-pitch-deg-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/sim/tower/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">10.0f</ground-level-nearplane-m>

</config>
</view>

Additionally to this, there is a patch [[Howto: Make nice screenshots#Ground to Air|available here]], that let you move the tower's viewpoint around by simply clicking on the terrain.

== Related content ==
=== Wiki articles ===
* [[Howto:Configure views in FlightGear]]
* [[Howto: Objects visible according to views]] – How to make parts of the aircraft only appear in a specific view

=== Source code ===
* {{fgdata source |path=Nasal/view.nas}}
* {{flightgear source |path=src/Viewer/view.hxx}}
* {{flightgear source |path=src/Viewer/view.cxx}}
* {{flightgear source |path=src/Viewer/viewmgr.hxx}}
* {{flightgear source |path=src/Viewer/viewmgr.cxx}}

== Eye position in earlier version==

To make eye views work like in earlier FlightGear version you can add this:

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<eye-fixed type="bool">true</eye-fixed>
</syntaxhighlight>

== Related content ==
* For some basic info about defining views see [[Howto:Set view points]]
* To make parts of the aircraft only appear in a specific view, read the [[Howto: Objects visible according to views]]

[[Category:Howto|Configure views in FlightGear]]

Howto:Configure views in FlightGear

2026-05-29T00:33:41Z

AirplaneMode:

{{merge|Howto:Set view points|date=March 2016}}

This mini-HOWTO explains how to configure views in FlightGear. Views define the position of the eye in the rendered scene and what if any object the eye is focused on or tracking. The eye is the imaginary or constructed eye that is simulated by the 3D rendering. It makes the picture on your screen represent what things would look like if you were standing or sitting at a given location.

Formerly there were two views hard coded into FlightGear, but as this document describes, it is possible to configure any number of views with XML configuration files. Views may be configured to switch between pilot and co-pilot, tower view, or view of an observer on the ground.

== Types of Views ==
There are two basic types of views:

* '''LookFrom''' - This type requires a single coordinate position. The direction of the view is independent of any particular object. Adjusting the heading and pitch offsets moves the direction of observation around. In the default FlightGear configuration panning with the mouse will move the view around as if the observer was turning their head.
* '''LookAt''' - This type requires two coordinate positions. The direction of the view is always oriented toward a target and tracks the target if it moves.

(see configuration examples below for usage of the <type> paramter)

== Defining Positions ==
There are two methods to define a postion and orientation for use in configuring a view. One method is tied to a model which means the view references the position and orientation of a model (e.g. Aircraft 3D Model) and the other is an independent postion which simply means that the view references location data directly (via the FlightGear property tree):

=== Tied to a Model ===
This method allows definition of the "eye", that is where you are looking from and/or the "target" or objected being looked at based on a model position and orientation. The following illustrates defining the positon of a "Cockpit View" that is positioned and oriented according to the position and orientation of a model:

<sim>
<view>
<name>Cockpit View</name>
<type>lookfrom</type>
<internal type="bool">true</internal>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
</config>
</view>
</sim>

Syntax for the '''eye position''' is:

<from-model type="bool">true or false</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">modelnumber</from-model-idx>

Syntax for the target or '''at position''' used in views of type "lookat" is:

<at-model type="bool">true or false</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">modelnumber</at-model-idx>

Note that from-model or at-model must be true in order for the position and orientation data from the model to be used.

=== Independent Position ===
This method allows definition of the eye, that is where you are looking from or the target (objected being looked at) based on arbitrary position and orientation data obtained from the property tree (i.e. any source). The following illustrates a Tower defined as a "lookat", a view that can be used to track or follow a moving model:

<sim>
<view>
<name>Tower View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/sim/tower/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/sim/tower/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/sim/tower/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-roll-deg-path>/sim/tower/roll-deg</eye-roll-deg-path>
<eye-pitch-deg-path>/sim/tower/pitch-deg</eye-pitch-deg-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/sim/tower/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

</config>
</view>
</sim>

Note that the definition is constructed as a path to a numeric data item in the global property tree. If you are unfamiliar with these properties, take a look at the "Property Picker" dialog while FlightGear is running and you can see the kinds of values in use. You may define your own static values, say for a fixed location of an observer, by adding the following xml to your setup (prefrences.xml or another file):

<somepath>
<ground-observer-lon-deg>48.6124</ground-observer-lon-deg>
<ground-observer-lat-deg>63.1243</ground-observer-lat-deg>
<ground-observer-alt-ft>123.5</ground-observer-alt-ft>
</somepath>

These values can then then be referenced in your view by including their path in the definition. For example to reference the above longitude for the ground observer:

<sim>
<view>
<config>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/somepath/ground-observer-lat-deg></eye-lon-deg-path>
..

All three longitude, latitude, and altitude must be defined to have a valid position (otherwise the missing items default to 0). You may also define orientation such as heading (the direction to look toward) and pitch (the angle up or down to be looking). In the case of a cockpit view the orientation will be that of the aircraft itself, but in the case of a "lookfrom" view like a ground observer or tower it can be an arbitrary view direction that is either static, or changing.

Syntax for the '''eye position and orientation''' is:

<eye-lat-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>path-to-property-value</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-roll-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-roll-deg-path>
<eye-pitch-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-pitch-deg-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>path-to-property-value</eye-heading-deg-path>

Syntax for the target or '''at position''' used in views of type "lookat" is:

<target-lat-deg-path>path-to-property-value</target-lat-deg-path>
<target-lon-deg-path>path-to-property-value</target-lon-deg-path>
<target-alt-ft-path>path-to-property-value</target-alt-ft-path>

== View Offsets ==
There are two types of offsets, but only one is used in building viewer configurations. This is an offset from the eye position applied to the position defined for the eye as described in the section on '''Defining Positon'''.

These offsets are defined in meters. Here is an example of a '''Cockpit View''' definition that includes offsets for the pilot's eye:

<sim>
<view>
<name>Cockpit View</name>
<type>lookfrom</type>
<internal type="bool">false</internal>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>

<x-offset-m type="double">-0.22</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">0.30</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-0.45</z-offset-m>
</config>
</view>
</sim>

Note that these offsets are actually best applied differently to specific aircraft models. The size of the aircraft and the actual position of the pilot's seat make a big difference. So typically these offset entries are included per aircraft in the aircraft-set.xml files.

In other circumstances, such as defining a Chase View, you can possibly get away with defining the x-offsets in a more global location so that they apply to all aircraft. Here is an example of a Chase View configuration that includes offsets to define the eye as being 25 meters behind the model origin:

<sim>
<view>
<name>Chase View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<x-offset-m type="double">0</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">0</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-25</z-offset-m>
</config>
</view>
</sim>

At the time of this writing (and this is subject to change), offsets define the change in eye position as follows:

x-offset-m
Positive values to the right of origin (view position).
y-offset-m
Positive values move up from origin.
z-offset-m
Positive values move back (or in) from origin.

Generally, a higher Near Plane value will result in a better quality rendering of distant scenery and models. Currently when the aircraft is in flight the Near Plane is set at 10 meters.

Any object (including terrain) that is closer to the eye or camera than 10 meters will not be visible. For this reason, when the eye is close to the ground, the Near Plane must be set lower. Here is an example of a Cockpit view that is configured to have only a 0.5 meter Near Plane when sitting on the ground (or below a given flight level which currently defaults to 30ft AGL altitude).

<view>
<name>Cockpit View</name>
<type>lookfrom</type>
<internal type="bool">false</internal>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">0.5f</ground-level-nearplane-m>
</config>
</view>

The example Tower View however, is able to set the value to 10 meters since the tower position is 50ft AGL altitude to start with:

<view>
<name>Tower View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/sim/tower/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/sim/tower/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/sim/tower/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-roll-deg-path>/sim/tower/roll-deg</eye-roll-deg-path>
<eye-pitch-deg-path>/sim/tower/pitch-deg</eye-pitch-deg-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/sim/tower/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">10.0f</ground-level-nearplane-m>

</config>
</view>

== Other examples ==

Example 1 - The configuration of a Chase View without a rotating frutstum (the view does not tilt with the aircraft's roll and pitch) is easy. Since the aircraft model's orientation is contained in it's location definition, you must set from-model property to false so you may define your own source for position and orientation. Then define eye position properties for the appropriate values. If you leave eye-roll-deg and eye-pitch-deg out then they will be fixed at 0 degrees. Note that technically this example does rotate, but only on the heading :)

<view>
<name>Chase View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">false</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/position/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/position/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/position/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/orientation/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">0.5f</ground-level-nearplane-m>

<x-offset-m type="double">0</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">0</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-25</z-offset-m>
</config>
</view>

== Set view points ==
=== Default views ===
Various default views are defined in <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/preferences.xml</tt> and are used when there is no custom view defined for a certain view-number.

=== Custom views ===
It is possible to configure any number of views with [[XML]] configuration files. Views may be configured to switch between pilot and co-pilot, tower view, or view of an observer on the ground.

All of the codes mentioned in this article, should be placed between the <sim> and </sim> tag of your aircraft's [[Howto: Make an aircraft#The -set.xml file|-set.xml]] file.

<view n="0">
<name>Captain</name>
<type>lookfrom</type>
<internal type="bool">true</internal>
<config>
<x-offset-m type="double">-0.55</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">3.8</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-24.05</z-offset-m>
<pitch-offset-deg>-10</pitch-offset-deg>
<default-field-of-view-deg type="double">65.0</default-field-of-view-deg>
<from-model type="bool">true</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">6f</ground-level-nearplane-m>
<limits>
<enabled type="bool">true</enabled>
<left>
<heading-max-deg type="double">140</heading-max-deg>
<x-offset-max-m type="double">0.15</x-offset-max-m>
<x-offset-threshold-deg type="double">65</x-offset-threshold-deg>
</left>
<right>
<heading-max-deg type="double">140</heading-max-deg>
<x-offset-max-m type="double">0.15</x-offset-max-m>
<x-offset-threshold-deg type="double">65</x-offset-threshold-deg>
</right>
</limits>
</config>
<dynamic>
<enabled type="bool">false</enabled>
</dynamic>
</view>

* '''name''' this will be displayed when the user switches to the corresponding view.
* '''type''' can be:
** '''lookat''' your "eyes" fly around a point in space, while remaining focused at that point. Used for external views of the aircraft like helicopter view.
** '''lookfrom''' most resemblance to the human head (you look around from a fixed point). Used for pilot view.
* '''internal''' if set to "true" indicates the view is from inside the aircraft, otherwise from outside of the aircraft
* '''config''' Open the aircraft in a [[Modeling - Getting Started#3D Software|3D editor]] to find these coordinates, or open the [[property browser]] in sim and edit the <tt>/sim/current-view properties</tt> for live feedback.
** '''?-offset-m''' the offset from the origin of your aircraft, in meters.
** '''pitch-offset-deg''' the pitch of the view.
** '''default-field-of-view-deg''' the larger this number, the wider the view. Around 55-65 is the most common setting.
* '''limits''' you can limit the view movements, in order to simulate the fact that a human is unable to turn its head 360 degrees.
** '''enabled''' set to true to enable limits.
** '''left/right'''
*** '''heading-max-deg'''
*** '''x-offset-max-m'''
*** '''x-offset-threshold-deg'''
* '''dynamic'''
** '''enabled''' when set to true, this enables dynamic view, which rotates the view based on control input (to simulate a pilot looking into the direction he steers to).

Remark on '''limits''' (for developers): If you plan to implement a view-handler for a view there '''must not''' <limits>...</limits> be used in the view definition. The limits need to be handled within the view handler instead. If <limits>...</limits> are present within the view definition no (additional) view handler will be invoked (experienced in FG 3.4)

Additionally, you can place the following line after the last </view> tag. It is used to define the distance to the aircraft of the default views: chase, helicopter
<chase-distance-m type="double" archive="y">-90.0</chase-distance-m>

=== View numbers ===
Each view point must have an unique id/number. If no number is set, numbers are assigned from 0 to n in order of existance in the .xml file. Numbers can be overriden by using the following line (where 1 can be any number):
<view n="1">
Since there are various default view points (pilot, helicopter, tower etc.), it is advised to assign numbers starting at 100, when custom views are created. This will make sure that they won't interfere with any default views that may be added in future.

Note that the view numbers do have impact on the order of views when skipping through them in sim with the v/V keys.

=== Examples ===
==== Chase view with fixed roll/pitch degrees ====
The configuration of a chase view without a rotating frutstum (the view does not tilt with the aircraft's roll and pitch) is easy. Since the aircraft model's orientation is contained in its location definition, you must set the from-model property to false so you may define your own source for position and orientation. Then define eye position properties for the appropriate values. If you leave eye-roll-deg and eye-pitch-deg out then they will be fixed at 0 degrees. Note that technically this example does rotate, but only on the heading.

<view>
<name>Chase View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<from-model type="bool">false</from-model>
<from-model-idx type="int">0</from-model-idx>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/position/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/position/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/position/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/orientation/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">0.5f</ground-level-nearplane-m>

<x-offset-m type="double">0</x-offset-m>
<y-offset-m type="double">0</y-offset-m>
<z-offset-m type="double">-25</z-offset-m>
</config>
</view>

==== Tower view ====
<view>
<name>Tower View</name>
<type>lookat</type>
<config>
<eye-lat-deg-path>/sim/tower/latitude-deg</eye-lat-deg-path>
<eye-lon-deg-path>/sim/tower/longitude-deg</eye-lon-deg-path>
<eye-alt-ft-path>/sim/tower/altitude-ft</eye-alt-ft-path>
<eye-roll-deg-path>/sim/tower/roll-deg</eye-roll-deg-path>
<eye-pitch-deg-path>/sim/tower/pitch-deg</eye-pitch-deg-path>
<eye-heading-deg-path>/sim/tower/heading-deg</eye-heading-deg-path>

<at-model type="bool">true</at-model>
<at-model-idx type="int">0</at-model-idx>

<ground-level-nearplane-m type="double">10.0f</ground-level-nearplane-m>

</config>
</view>

Additionally to this, there is a patch [[Howto: Make nice screenshots#Ground to Air|available here]], that let you move the tower's viewpoint around by simply clicking on the terrain.

== Related content ==
=== Wiki articles ===
* [[Howto:Configure views in FlightGear]]
* [[Howto: Objects visible according to views]] – How to make parts of the aircraft only appear in a specific view

=== Source code ===
* {{fgdata source |path=Nasal/view.nas}}
* {{flightgear source |path=src/Viewer/view.hxx}}
* {{flightgear source |path=src/Viewer/view.cxx}}
* {{flightgear source |path=src/Viewer/viewmgr.hxx}}
* {{flightgear source |path=src/Viewer/viewmgr.cxx}}

== Eye position in earlier version==

To make eye views work like in earlier FlightGear version you can add this:

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<eye-fixed type="bool">true</eye-fixed>
</syntaxhighlight>

== Related content ==
* For some basic info about defining views see [[Howto:Set view points]]
* To make parts of the aircraft only appear in a specific view, read the [[Howto: Objects visible according to views]]

[[Category:Howto|Configure views in FlightGear]]

Howto:Set view points

2026-05-29T00:33:14Z

AirplaneMode: merged with Howto:configure views in flightgear

#redirect [[Howto:Configure views in FlightGear#Set view points]]

Rendering Options

2026-05-29T00:26:32Z

AirplaneMode:

[[File:Rendering options 2024.1.png|thumb|The rendering options dialog]]
[[File:Advanced rendering options.png|thumb|An advanced setting that balance frame rate and rendering quality.]]

Here is an incomplete list of the '''rendering options''' dialog, with links to their descriptions.
== Basic ==

* ☐ Throttle frame rate
* ☐ Compensate field of view for wider screens
* ☐ Use disk space for faster loading (DDS Texture Cache)
* ☐ Use point sprites for runway lights
* ☐ Use triangles for directional lights
* ☐ [[Animated jetways]]
* ☐ [[Photoscenery|Satellite Photoscenery]]
* ☐ Wireframe

* Graphics Quality 🔽
* ☐ [[WS3.0]]

== Advanced settings ==
=== General ===
* ◯ [[Classic Pipeline|Low specifications]] ☑ Use [[shaders]]
* ◉ [[ALS|Atmospheric light scattering (ALS)]]

* Terrain quality 🔽
* Model effects 🔽
* Water effects 🔽
* Clouds detail 🔽
* Wind effects 🔽
* Overlay 🔽
* [[Anti-aliasing]] 🔽

=== Shadows and Lights ===
* [[Shadows|Shadow quality]] 🔽

=== Scenery Layers ===
* Pylons and power lines 🔽
* [[Road Traffic|Detailed roads and railways]] 🔽
* [[Buildings]] 🔽
* [[Random vegetation|Autogenerated vegetation]] 🔽
* OpenStreetMap trees 🔽
* vegetation shadows 🔽
* Scenery objects 🔽

=== Atmospheric Effects ===
* ☐ Particles
* ☐ Precipitation
* ☐ [[3D clouds]]

[[Category:FlightGear feature]]
[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Menubar]]

FlightGear wiki:Manual of Style

2026-05-28T08:33:01Z

AirplaneMode: small format

{{shortcut|FGW:MOS}}
{{Wiki help navbar}}
The '''Manual of Style''' is a style manual for all FlightGear wiki articles. It helps editors write articles with consistent, clear, and precise language, layout, and formatting. The goal is to make using this wiki easier and more intuitive. Consistent language, style, and formatting promote clarity and cohesion. Writing should be clear and concise. Plain English works best; avoid ambiguity, jargon, and vague or unnecessarily complex wording.

Discuss style issues on [[FlightGear wiki talk:Manual of Style|the talk page]].

== Article titles, headings, and sections ==
=== Article titles ===
* Use sentence case, not title case. The initial letter of a title is capitalized (except in rare cases, such as eBay), but otherwise, capital letters are used only where they would be used in a normal sentence ({{xt|List of developed airports}}, not {{!xt|List of Developed Airports}}). Also, keep in mind that the wiki software automatically capitalizes the initial letter of a namespace/page title in its address.
* Titles should be precise enough to unambiguously define the topical scope of the article ({{xt|Boeing 747}}, not {{!xt|747}}).
* The characters <code># < > [ ] | { }</code> are reserved by the wiki software and can not be used.

=== Section organization ===
An article should begin with an introductory lead section, which should not contain section headings. The remainder may be divided into sections, each with a section heading (see below) that can be nested in a hierarchy. If there are at least four section headings in the article, a navigable table of contents is generated automatically and displayed between the lead and the first heading.

=== Section headings ===
Equal signs are used to mark the enclosed text as a section heading: <code>== Title ==</code> for a primary section; <code>=== Title ===</code> for the next level (a subsection); and so on to the lowest-level subsection, with <code>===== Title =====</code>. (The highest heading level technically possible is <code>= Title =</code>; but do not use it in articles, because it is reserved for the automatically generated top-level heading at the top of the page containing the title of the whole article.) Spaces between the equal signs and the heading text are optional, and will not affect the way the heading is displayed. The heading must be typed on a separate line. Include one blank line above the heading, and optionally one blank line below it, for readability in the edit window (but not two or more consecutive blank lines, which will add unnecessary visible white space in the rendered page.)

The provisions in [[#Article titles|Article titles]] (above) generally apply to section headings as well (for example, headings are in sentence case, not title case). The following points apply specifically to section headings:
* Headings should normally not contain links, especially where only part of a heading is linked.
* Section and subsection headings should preferably be unique within a page; otherwise section links may lead to the wrong place, and automatic edit summaries can be ambiguous.
* Citations should not be placed within or on the same line as section and subsection headings.
* Headings should not contain images.

== Capital letters ==
Sentence case rather than title case is used in wiki article titles and section headings; see [[#Article titles|Article titles]] and [[#Section headings|Section headings]] above. For capitalization of list items, see [[#Bulleted and numbered lists|Bulleted and numbered lists]]. Other points concerning capitalization are summarized below.

===Do not use capitals for emphasis===
Use italics, not capitals, to denote emphasis.
:''Incorrect'': {{!xt|It is not only a LITTLE learning that is dangerous}}.
:''Correct'': {{xt|It is not only a ''little'' learning that is dangerous}}.

===Calendar items===
* '''Months, days of the week, and holidays''' start with a capital letter ({{xt|June}}, {{xt|Monday}}).

===Celestial bodies===
* When used generally, the words '''<nowiki />''sun'', ''earth'', and ''moon''<nowiki />''' do not take capitals ({{xt|The sun was peeking over the mountain top}}), except when the term names a specific astronomical body ({{xt|The Moon orbits the Earth}}).

===Compass points===
Do not capitalize '''directions''' such as ''north'', nor their related forms ({{xt|Follow the northern road}}), except where they are parts of proper names (such as {{xt|South Pole}}).

Capitalize '''names of regions''' if they have attained proper-name status, including informal conventional names ({{xt|Southern California}} or {{xt|the Western Desert}}). Do not capitalize descriptive names for regions that have not attained the status of proper names, such as {{xt|southern Poland}}.

(Composite directions may or may not be hyphenated, depending on the style adopted in the article. {{xt|Southeast Asia}} and {{xt|northwest}} are more common in American English; but {{xt|South-East Asia}} and {{xt|north-west}} in British English. In cases such as {{xt|north–south dialogue}} and {{xt|east–west orientation}} an en dash is used.)

== Abbreviations ==
=== Write out both the full version and the abbreviation at first occurrence ===
* When an abbreviation is to be used in an article, give the expression in full at first, followed immediately by the abbreviation in parentheses (round brackets). In the rest of the article the abbreviation can then be used by itself:
::{{xt|The instrument landing system (ILS) is a ground-based instrument approach system}}, at the first mention of the instrument landing system; and
::{{xt|There are three categories of ILS}}, at a subsequent mention.
* Do not apply initial capitals in a full version simply because capitals are used in the abbreviation.
::{|style="background:transparent"
|-
|''Correct'': || {{xt|There are two types of flight rules: visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR).}}
|-
|''Incorrect'': || {{!xt|There are two types of flight rules: Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).}}
|}

=== Ampersand ===
The ampersand (&) substitutes for the word ''and'' (it is a form of Latin ''et''). In normal text, ''and'' should be used instead: {{xt|version 1 and 2}}, not {{!xt|version 1 & 2}}. Ampersands may be used with consistency and discretion in tables, infoboxes, and similar contexts where space is limited.

== Italics ==
=== Emphasis ===
Italics may be used ''sparingly'' to emphasize words in sentences (whereas boldface is normally not used for this purpose). Generally, the more highlighting in an article, the less its effectiveness.

=== Quotations in italics ===
Quotations must always be clearly indicated as being quotations. For quotations, use only quotation marks (for short quotations) or block quoting (for long ones), not italics. (See [[#Quotations|Quotations]] below.) This means that (1) a quotation is not italicized inside quotation marks or a block quote just because it is a quotation, and (2) italics are no substitute for proper quotation formatting.

== Quotations ==
Where the same quotation has been used elsewhere in the article, avoid duplicating it, which is regarded as poor style.

The quotation should be representative of the whole source document; editors should be very careful to avoid misrepresentation of the argument in the source. Where a quotation presents rhetorical language in place of more neutral, dispassionate tone preferred for encyclopedias, it can be a backdoor method of inserting a non-neutral treatment of a controversial subject into the wiki's narrative on the subject, and should be avoided.

Quotations should generally be worked into the article text, so as not to inhibit the pace, flow and organization of the article. Longer quotes may need to be set apart, generally through the use of wikitext templates such as {{tl|Quote}} or {{tl|Quotation}}. Longer quotations may also be hidden in the reference (footnote) to facilitate verification by other editors without sacrificing readability. For pull quotes (quotes of the article text used to highlight a section) the {{tl|Cquote}} template can be used. Quotations used only as sources to support statements contained in the article can be added with a <tt><nowiki><ref></nowiki></tt> tag containing a reference formatted with the {{tl|cite web}} template; in that case, add {{tl|Appendix}} at the end of the page so that citations can be displayed in a uniform way.

=== Original wording ===
Quotations must be verifiably attributed and the wording of the quoted text should be faithfully reproduced. If there is a significant error in the original statement, use {{xt|[''[[sic]]'']}} to show that the error was not made by the wiki editors. However, trivial spelling and typographic errors should simply be corrected without comment (for example, correct {{!xt|basicly}} to {{xt|basically}}), unless the slip is textually important.

Use [[#Ellipses|ellipses]] to indicate omissions from quoted text. Legitimate omissions include extraneous, irrelevant, or parenthetical words. Do not omit text where doing so would remove important context or alter the meaning of the text.

=== Typographic conformity ===
In most cases it is not desirable to duplicate the original formatting. Formatting and other purely typographical elements of quoted text should be adapted to the wiki's conventions without comment provided that doing so will not change or obscure the meaning of the text. These are alterations which make no difference when the text is read aloud, such as:
* Changing capitalization so that sentences begin with capital letters.
* When quoting a quotation that itself contains a quotation, single quotes may be replaced with double quotes, and vice versa. See [[#Quotations within quotations|Quotations within quotations]] below.
* Removing spaces before punctuation such as periods and colons.
* Generally preserve bold and italics (see [[#Italics|Italics]], above), but most other styling should be altered.
* Expanding abbreviations.

=== Quotations within quotations ===
For quotations within quotations, use double quote marks outermost and, working inward, alternate single with double quote marks.

=== Attribution ===
The author of a quote of a full sentence or more should be named; this is done in the main text and not in a footnote. A reader should not have to follow a footnote to learn whose words a quote is.

=== Linking ===
As much as possible, avoid linking from within quotes, which may clutter the quotation, violate the principle of leaving quotations unchanged, and mislead or confuse the reader.

=== Block quotations ===
Format a long quote (more than about 40 words or a few hundred characters, or consisting of more than one paragraph, regardless of length) as a block quotation, which the wiki's software will indent from both margins. Do not enclose block quotations in quotation marks (and especially avoid decorative quotation marks in normal use, such as those provided by the {{tl|cquote}} template, which are reserved for pull quotes; quoted sections from elsewhere in the same wiki article). Block quotations can be added with {{tl|quote}} or {{tl|quotation}}.

=== Overusing quotations ===
Long quotations crowd the actual article and remove attention from other information. Many direct quotations can be minimized in length by providing an appropriate context in the surrounding text. A summary or paraphrase of a quotation is often better where the original wording could be improved. Consider minimizing the length of a quotation by paraphrasing, by working smaller portions of quotation into the article text, or both.

Overuse happens when:

<blockquote>a quotation is used without pertinence</blockquote>

This means that a quotation is visually on the page, but its relevance is not explained anywhere.

==== Specific recommendations ====
* Using too many quotes is incompatible with the encyclopedic writing style.
* As a matter of style, quoteboxes should generally be avoided as they draw special attention to the opinion of one source, and present that opinion as though the project endorses it. Instead of using quoteboxes to highlight its notability, explain its importance before introducing the quote or in an introduction to the quote.
* The wiki is not a list or repository of loosely associated topics such as quotations.
* Do not insert any number of quotations in a stand-alone quote section.
* A quotation that does not directly relate to the topic of the article or directly support the information as it is presented should not be used.
* Intersperse quotations with original prose that comments on those quotations instead of constructing articles out of quotations with little or no original prose.
* Longer quotations may be hidden in the reference as a footnote to facilitate verification by other editors without sacrificing readability.

== Punctuation ==

=== Apostrophes ===
* Consistent use of the straight (or ''typewriter'') apostrophe ({{xt| ' }}) is recommended, as opposed to the curly (or ''typographic'') apostrophe ({{!xt| ’ }}).

=== Quotation marks ===
;Double or single
: Enclose quotations with double quotation marks ({{xt|Bob said, "Jim ate the apple."}}). Enclose quotations inside quotations with single quotation marks ({{xt|Bob said, "Did Jim say 'I ate the apple' after he left?"}}).

;Block quotes
: As already noted [[#Quotations|above]], we use quotation marks or block quotes (not both) to distinguish long quotations from other text. Multiparagraph quotations are always block-quoted. The quotations must be precise and exactly as in the source (except for certain ''allowable typographical changes'', also noted [[#Typographic conformity|above]]). The source should be cited clearly and precisely.

===Brackets and parentheses===
These rules apply to both round brackets {{xt|( )}}, often called parentheses, and square brackets {{xt|[ ]}}.

If a sentence contains a bracketed phrase, place the sentence punctuation outside the brackets {{xt|(as shown here).}} However, where one or more sentences are wholly inside brackets, place their punctuation inside the brackets. There should be no space next to the inner side of a bracket. An opening bracket should usually be preceded by a space, for example. This may not be the case if it is preceded by an opening quotation mark, another opening bracket, or a portion of a word.

There should be a space after a closing bracket, except where a punctuation mark follows (though a spaced dash would still be spaced after a closing bracket) and in unusual cases similar to those listed for opening brackets.

If sets of brackets are nested, use different types for adjacent levels of nesting; for two levels, it is customary to have square brackets appear within round brackets. This is often a sign of excessively convoluted expression; it is often better to recast, linking the thoughts with commas, semicolons, colons, or dashes.

Avoid adjacent sets of brackets. Either put the parenthetic phrases in one set separated by commas, or rewrite the sentence.

Square brackets are used to indicate editorial replacements and insertions within quotations, though this should never alter the intended meaning. They serve three main purposes.

====Sentences and brackets====
* If any sentence includes material that is enclosed in square or round brackets, it still must end—with a period, or a question or exclamation mark—''after'' those brackets. This principle applies no matter what punctuation is used within the brackets.
* However, if the entire sentence is within brackets, the closing punctuation falls within the brackets. (This sentence is an example.) This does not apply to matter that is added (or modified editorially) at the beginning of a sentence for clarity, which is usually in square brackets.

=== Ellipses ===
An ellipsis (plural ''ellipses'') is used to indicate an omission of material from quoted text or some other omission, perhaps of the end of a sentence, often in a printed record of conversation. The ellipsis is represented by '''ellipsis points''': a set of three unspaced periods, surrounded by square brackets {{xt|[...]}}.

== Dates and time ==
=== Time of day ===
Time of day is normally expressed in figures rather than being spelled out. Context determines whether the 12- or 24-hour clock is used.
* 12-hour clock times are written in the form {{xt|11:15 a.m.}} and {{xt|2:30 p.m.}}, or the form {{xt|11:15 am}} and {{xt|2:30 pm}}, with a space before the abbreviation.
* 24-hour clock times are written in the form {{xt|08:15}}, {{xt|22:55}}, with no suffix. Note that {{xt|00:00}} refers to midnight at the start of a date, and {{xt|24:00}} to midnight at the end of a date.

=== Days ===
* For full dates, use the format {{xt|10 June 1921}} or the format {{xt|June 10, 1921}}. Similarly, where the year is omitted, use {{xt|10 June}} or {{xt|June 10}}. For choice of format, see below.
* Do not use numerical date formats such as {{!xt|03/04/2005}}, as this could refer to 3 April or to March 4. If a numerical format is required (e.g. for conciseness in long lists and tables), use the YYYY-MM-DD format: {{xt|2005-04-03}}.

==== Choice of format ====
* All the dates in a given article should have the same format (day-month or month-day). These requirements do not apply to dates in quotations or titles.
* Otherwise, do not change an article from one form to another without good reason.

=== Months ===
* For month and year, write {{xt|June 1921}}, with no comma.
* Abbreviations for months, such as {{xt|Feb}}, are used only where space is extremely limited. Such abbreviations should use three letters only, and should not be followed by a period (full stop) except at the end of a sentence.

=== Years and longer periods ===
* Do not use ''the year'' before the digits ({{xt|1995}}, not {{!xt|the year 1995}}), unless the meaning would otherwise be unclear.
* Decades are written in the format {{xt|the 1980s}}, with no apostrophe. Use the two-digit form ('80s) only with an established social or cultural meaning. Avoid forms such as {{!xt|the 1700s}} that could refer to 10 or 100 years.

=== Current ===
Use of the term "current" should be avoided. What is current today may not be tomorrow; situations change over time. Instead, use date- and time-specific text.
:{|style="background:transparent"
|-
|''Incorrect'':||{{!xt|FlightGear 3.0 is currently the latest version ...}}
|-
|''Correct'':||{{xt|As of February 2014, FlightGear 3.0 is the latest version ...}}
|}

== Numbers ==
* In general, write whole numbers from one to nine as words, write other numbers that take two words or fewer to say as either figures or words (with consistency within each article), and write all other numbers as figures: {{xt|1/5}} or {{xt|one-fifth}}, {{xt|84}} or {{xt|eighty-four}}, {{xt|200}} or {{xt|two hundred}}, but {{xt|3.75}}, {{xt|544}}, {{xt|21 million}}.
* In general, use a comma to delimit numbers with five or more digits to the left of the decimal point. Numbers with four digits are at the editor's discretion: {{xt|12,345}}, but either {{xt|1,000}} or {{xt|1000}}.
* In general, use decimals rather than vulgar fractions with measurements.
* Write out "million" and "billion" on the first use. After that, unspaced "M" can be used for millions and "bn" for billions: {{xt|70M}} and {{xt|25bn}}.
* Write {{xt|3%}}, {{xt|three percent}}, or {{xt|three per cent}}, but not {{!xt|3 %}} (with a space) or {{!xt|three %}}. "Percent" is American usage, and "per cent" is British usage. In ranges of percentages written with an en dash, write only one percent sign: {{xt|3–14%}}.

==Units of measurement==
* The main unit in which a quantity is expressed should generally be an SI unit or non-SI unit officially accepted for use with the SI.
* In a direct quotation, always keep the source units. If a conversion is required, it should appear within square brackets in the quote, or else an obscure use of units can be explained in a footnote.
* Where space is limited (such as tables, infoboxes, parenthetical notes, and mathematical formulas) use unit symbols. In main text it is usually better to spell out unit names, but symbols may also be used when a unit (especially one with a long name) is used repeatedly. However, spell out the first instance of each unit in an article (for example, {{xt|the typical batch is 250 kilograms ... and then 15 kg of emulsifier is added}}), except for unit names that are hardly ever spelled out (e.g. the degree Celsius). Most unit names are not capitalized. Use "per" when writing out a unit, rather than a slash: {{xt|meter per second}}, not {{!xt|meter/second}}.
* Potentially unfamiliar unit symbols should be introduced parenthetically at their first occurrence in the article, with the full name given first: for example, {{xt|His initial betatron reached energies of 2.3 megaelectronvolts (MeV), while subsequent betatrons achieved 300 MeV.}}
* When dimensions are given, each number should be followed by a unit name or symbol (e.g. write {{xt|1 m × 3 m × 6 m}}, not {{!xt|1 × 3 × 6 m}}).
* When they form a compound adjective, values and unit names should be separated by a hyphen: for example, {{xt|a five-day race}}.
* Unit symbols are preceded by figures, not by spelled-out numbers. Values and unit symbols are separated by a non-breaking space. For example, {{xt|5 min}}. The percent sign, and units of degrees, minutes, and seconds ''for angles and coordinates'', are unspaced.
* Standard unit symbols do not require a full stop (period). However non-standard abbreviations should always be given a full stop.
* No ''s'' is appended, e.g. {{xt|km}}, {{xt|in}}, {{xt|lb}}, not {{!xt|kms}}, {{!xt|ins}}, {{!xt|lbs}}.
* Write powers of unit symbols with HTML, e.g. {{xt|<nowiki>5 km2</nowiki>}} not Unicode superscripts and subscripts.
* For quantities of bytes and bits, specify whether the binary or decimal meanings of K, M, G, etc. are intended.

== Grammar and usage ==
=== First-person pronouns ===
Wiki articles must not be based on one person's opinions or experiences. The use of ''I'', ''my'', or similar forms is restricted to user pages and quotations. Also avoid ''we'', ''us'', and ''our'': {{!xt|We should note that some critics have argued against our proposal}} (personal rather than encyclopedic).

== Vocabulary ==
=== Contractions ===
Uncontracted forms such as {{xt|do not}} or {{xt|it is}} are the default in encyclopedic style; {{!xt|don't}} and {{!xt|it's}} are too informal.

=== Foreign terms ===
Foreign words should be used sparingly.

==== No common usage in English ====
Use italics for phrases in other languages and for isolated foreign words that are not current in English.

==== Common usage in English ====
Loanwords and borrowed phrases that have common usage in English ({{xt|vice versa}}) do not require italics. A rule of thumb is not to italicize words that appear unitalicized in major English-language dictionaries.

=== Technical language ===
Some topics are intrinsically technical, but editors should try to make them understandable to as many readers as possible. Minimize jargon, or at least explain it. For unavoidably technical articles a separate introductory article may be the best solution. Avoid excessive ''wikilinking'' (linking within the wiki) as a substitute for parenthetic explanations such as the one in this sentence. Do not introduce new and specialized words simply to teach them to the reader when more common alternatives will do. When the notions named by jargon are too complex to concisely explain in a few parenthetical words, write one level down. For example, consider adding a brief background section with {{tl|main}} tags pointing to the full treatment article(s) of the prerequisite notions; this approach is practical only when the prerequisite concepts are central to the exposition of the article's main topic, and when such prerequisites aren't too numerous.

=== Geographical items ===
Places should generally be referred to consistently by the same name as in the title of their article. Exceptions are made if there is a widely accepted historical English name appropriate to the given context. In cases where such a historical name is used, it should be followed by the modern name in round brackets (parentheses) on the first occurrence of the name in applicable sections of the article. This resembles linking; it should not be done to the detriment of style. On the other hand, it is probably better to provide such a variant too often than too rarely. If more than one historical name is applicable for a given context, the other names should be added after the modern English name, that is: "historical name (modern name, other historical names)".

== Images ==
* Infoboxes, images, and related content in the lead must be right-aligned.
* Use captions to clarify the relevance of the image to the article (see [[#Captions|Captions]], below).
* Each image should be inside the major section to which it relates (within the section defined by the most recent level 2 heading or at the top of the lead), not immediately above the section heading.
* Avoid sandwiching text between two images that face each other, and between an image and an infobox or similar.
* The thumbnail option may be used ("<code>thumb</code>"), or another size may be fixed. The default thumbnail width is 220 pixels; users can adjust this in their preferences. Lead images should be no wider than "upright=1.35" (by default this is 300 pixels).
* Avoid referring to images as being on the left or right. Image placement is different for viewers of the mobile version of the wiki and might change in the future. Instead, use captions to identify images.

=== Avoid entering textual information as images ===
Textual information should almost always be entered as text rather than as an image. True text can be colored and adjusted with CSS tags and templates, but text in images cannot be. Images are not searchable and are slower to download. Any important textual information in an image should also appear in the image's alt text, caption, or other nearby text.

=== Captions ===
Photographs and other graphics should always have captions, unless they are "self-captioning" images or when they are unambiguous depictions of the subject of the article.

==== Formatting of captions ====
* Captions normally start with a capital letter.
* Most captions are not complete sentences, but merely sentence fragments that should not end with a period. If any complete sentence occurs in a caption, all sentences and any sentence fragments in that caption should end with a period.
* The text of captions should not be specially formatted (with italics, for example), except in ways that would apply if it occurred in the main text.
* Captions should be succinct; more information about the image can be included on its description page, or in the main text.
* Captions for technical charts and diagrams may be substantially longer than those for other images. Captions for technical images should fully describe all the elements of the image, and the image's significance.

== Bulleted and numbered lists ==
* Do not use lists if a passage is read easily as plain paragraphs.
* Use proper wikimarkup- or template-based list code ''(see [[Help:Formatting#Lists and indentation]])''.
* Do not leave blank lines between items in a bulleted or numbered list unless there is a reason to do so, since this causes the wiki software to interpret each item as beginning a new list.
** Indents (such as this) are permitted if the elements are "Children" items
* Use numbers rather than bullets only if:
** A need to refer to the elements by number may arise; or
** The sequence of the items is critical.
* Use the same grammatical form for all elements in a list, and do not mix sentences and sentence fragments as elements.
** For example, when the elements are:
*** ''Complete sentences'', each one is formatted with sentence case (its first letter is capitalized) and a final period (full stop).
*** ''Sentence fragments'', the list is typically introduced by a lead fragment ending with a colon.
*** ''Titles of works'', they retain the original capitalization of the titles.
*** ''Other elements'', they are formatted consistently in either sentence case or lower case.

== Links ==
=== Wikilinks ===
'''Make [[Help:Formatting#Links|links]] only where they are relevant and helpful in the context:''' Excessive use of hyperlinks can be distracting and may slow the reader down. Redundant links clutter the page and make future maintenance harder. High-value links that ''are'' worth pursuing should stand out clearly.

'''Linking to sections:''' A hash sign (#) followed by the appropriate heading will lead to a relevant part of a page. For example, <code><nowiki>[[FlightGear#History]]</nowiki></code> links to a particular section of the article [[FlightGear]].

'''Initial capitalization:''' The wiki software does not require that wikilinks begin with an upper-case character. Only capitalize the first letter where this is naturally called for.

'''Linking in discussion pages:''' When adding a wikilink to a discussion page, it is preferable to use [[Help:Formatting#Permalinks_and_links_to_diffs|permalinks]] instead of ordinary links, since the content may have changed a lot before the next reader reads the comment. To highlight a specific edit, it might also be useful to link to a [[Help:Formatting#Permalinks_and_links_to_diffs|diff]].

=== External links ===
Do not use external links in the body of an article. Articles can include an ''external links'' section at the end, pointing to further information outside the wiki as distinct from citing sources. The standard format is a primary heading, <code>==External links==</code>, followed by a bulleted list of links. Identify the link and briefly indicate its relevance to the article: avoid linking to commercial and unrelated web sites, in essence ''spam''. For example:
:<code><nowiki>* [http://flightgear.org Official website]</nowiki></code>
:<code><nowiki>* [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/codetickets/ Bug tracker]</nowiki></code>
These will appear as:
:* [http://flightgear.org Official website]
:* [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/codetickets/ Bug tracker]

== Miscellaneous ==
=== Keep markup simple ===
The simplest markup is often the easiest to edit, the most comprehensible, and the most predictable. Markup may appear differently in different browsers. Use HTML and CSS markup sparingly; in particular, do not use the CSS <code>float</code> or <code>line-height</code> properties because they break rendering on some browsers when large fonts are used.

An HTML entity is sometimes better than the equivalent Unicode character, which may be difficult to identify in edit mode; for example, <code>&Alpha;</code> is understood where <code>Α</code> (the upper-case form of Greek <code>α</code>) may not be.

=== Use templates ===
Make use of [[:Category:Templates|existing templates]] whenever possible to ensure articles are styled in a uniform way. See [[Help:Templates|the Templates Help page]] for a quick introduction to templates.

=== Formatting issues ===
Modifications in font size, blank space, and color (see [[#Color coding|Color coding]], below) are an issue for the wiki site-wide style sheet, and should be reserved for special cases only.

Typically, the use of custom font styles will:
* reduce consistency, since the text will no longer look uniform;
* reduce usability, since it might be impossible for people with custom style sheets (for accessibility reasons, for example) to override it, and it might clash with a different skin as well as inconvenience people with color blindness (see below); and
* cause disputes, since other editors may disagree aesthetically with the choice of style.

Outside article text, different font sizes are routinely used in navigation templates and infoboxes, tables (especially in larger ones), and some other contexts where alternatives are not available (such as table captions). Specify font sizes ''relatively'' (for example in CSS with <code>font-size: 80%</code>) rather than ''absolutely'' (like <code>font-size: 8pt</code>).

==== Color coding ====
Information should be accessible to all. Do not use color ''alone'' to mark differences in text: they may be invisible to people with color blindness. Also, black-and-white printouts, older computer displays with fewer colors, and monochrome displays (older PDAs and cell phones) cannot show such distinctions.

Choose colors that can be distinguished by the readers with the commonest form of colorblindness (red–green), such as maroon and teal; and ''additionally'' mark the differences with change of font or some other means (maroon and alternative font face, teal). Avoid low contrast between text and background colors. Viewing the page with [http://colorfilter.wickline.org/ Wickline] can help with the choice of colors.

In addition to vision accessibility problems, usage of only color to encode attributes in tables instead of a separate sortable column, disables the use of the powerful wiki sortability feature on that attribute for all readers. Even for readers with unimpaired color vision, excessive background shading of table entries impedes readability and recognition of wikilinks. Background color should be used only as a ''supplementary'' visual cue, and should be subtle (consider using lighter, less-dominant pastel hues) rather than a glaring spotlight.

===Invisible comments===
Editors use invisible comments to communicate with each other in the body of the text of an article. These comments are visible only in the wiki source—that is, in edit source mode, not in read mode.

Invisible comments are useful for flagging an issue or leaving instructions about part of the text, where this is more convenient than raising the matter on the talk page. They should be used judiciously, because they can clutter the wiki source for other editors. Check that your invisible comment does not change the formatting, for example by introducing white space in read mode.

To leave an invisible comment, enclose the text you intend to be read only by editors between <code></code>. For example: {{xt|<code><nowiki></nowiki></code>}}

== Reference ==
This document contains a selection of relevant sections from {{wikipedia|Wikipedia:Manual of Style}}.

== Related content ==
* [[FlightGear wiki:FlightGear screenshot categories]]
* [[Template:Informative template|Informative template]] – ''Template documentation guidelines.''

[[Category:Wiki style guides]]

User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter/Newsletter example

2026-05-25T23:41:37Z

AirplaneMode: add bug tracker link

<noinclude>{{Informative template|1=
{{See also|User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter}}
'''This''' is the right place for permanent changes to the newsletter structure and default segments. Don't hesitate to make your changes or even shorten it.
 

Due to the [[User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|<nowiki>{{This months newsletter}}</nowiki>]] template it is no longer necessary to copy-paste an old newsletter and change the dates manually. The newsletter header supports to (pre)load '''this draft page''' automatically during creation of a new newsletter. Next to the newsletter header you can use one of these "Create Newsletter..." links below.
 

Links to create newsletters: {{User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|date=now}}, {{User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|date=next month}}, {{User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|date=+2 months}},
 

<big>Parameters for this draft</big>{{-}}
The following $-parameters will be replaced during preload process:
* '''$1''' for month (01,02,...12)
* '''$2''' for Year (like {{#time: Y | now}}).
* '''$3''' for current release ({{current release|cr}}) based on {{tl|current release|cr}}.

The [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Extension:ParserFunctions##time time function] supports more precise dates, like
*<code><nowiki>{{#time: form |date |lang=xx}}</nowiki></code> form is like F=FullMonthname and Y=Year, see below
*<code><nowiki>{{#time: F Y |$2-$1}}</nowiki></code> for "''{{#time: F Y |{{CURRENTYEAR}}-{{CURRENTMONTH}}}}''"
 
*Use <nowiki><noin</nowiki>clude<nowiki>> </noin</nowiki>clude> for notes to get ignored when preloading this draft into new newsletters (this template description).
*Use <nowiki><includ</nowiki>eonl<nowiki>y> <includeo</nowiki>nly> for elements to not show up here but in a newsletter. (like Categories)
 
<big>Note to Translators</big>{{-}}
The newsletter system fully supports translations. Currently there is only German but feel free to to add your language here.
* [[User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter/De/Newslettervorlage|German]]
You would need to add your translation into [[User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|This months newsletter]], [[User:Skybike/Template:Newsletter-header-translate|Newsletter-header-translate]] and create new versions of this draft as well as [[FlightGear Newsletter]].

}}</noinclude>{{User:Skybike/Template:Newsletter-header-translate|<includeonly>$2-$1</includeonly>}}
{{TOC_right|limit=2}}
''We would like to emphasize that the monthly newsletter cannot live without the contributions of FlightGear users and developers. Everyone with a wiki account (free to register) is welcome to contribute to the newsletter. If you know about any FlightGear related news or projects such as for example updated scenery or aircraft, please do feel invited to add such news to the newsletter.''

''The Visual Editor makes editing the wiki as simple as using a Word-processor, and even easier than using the forum as you don't even need to know the syntax for a url. Just hit the 'edit' link and start.''

== Development news ==


You can now report and track FGAddon (launcher) aircraft bugs over in the [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/aircraft-bugs Aircraft bugs] project, on the FlightGear bug tracker! If there is already an existing bug tracker or repository for an aircraft, we would prefer if issues were reported there instead. But if you are in doubt, create an issue and we can triage it and forward it on to the appropriate place, if that is not the FGAddon tracker. A link to the bug tracker can be found on the left of every wiki page, and at the top of every forum page. If you have a spare hour or 2, and fancy getting involved, we would love for you to come on over, choose an issue, and have a crack at fixing it!




== In the hangar ==









== Scenery corner ==




















== Community news ==









== Multiplayer events ==









== Screenshot of the Month ==

If you want to participate in the screenshot contest, you can submit your candidate to the {{forum link|title=this|f=88|t=}}. Be sure to see the first post for participation rules. For purposes of convenience and organization, at the end of the month or after 20 entries have been submitted, a new forum topic will be started containing all shots in an easy-to-view layout. The voting will then take place there.

{{Appendix}}

<includeonly>[[Category:Changes after $3]]</includeonly>
<includeonly>[[Category:FlightGear Newsletter|$2 $1]]</includeonly>

<includeonly></includeonly>
<noinclude>
[[Category:Newsletter templates]]
</noinclude>

User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter/Newsletter example

2026-05-25T23:33:22Z

AirplaneMode:

<noinclude>{{Informative template|1=
{{See also|User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter}}
'''This''' is the right place for permanent changes to the newsletter structure and default segments. Don't hesitate to make your changes or even shorten it.
 

Due to the [[User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|<nowiki>{{This months newsletter}}</nowiki>]] template it is no longer necessary to copy-paste an old newsletter and change the dates manually. The newsletter header supports to (pre)load '''this draft page''' automatically during creation of a new newsletter. Next to the newsletter header you can use one of these "Create Newsletter..." links below.
 

Links to create newsletters: {{User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|date=now}}, {{User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|date=next month}}, {{User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|date=+2 months}},
 

<big>Parameters for this draft</big>{{-}}
The following $-parameters will be replaced during preload process:
* '''$1''' for month (01,02,...12)
* '''$2''' for Year (like {{#time: Y | now}}).
* '''$3''' for current release ({{current release|cr}}) based on {{tl|current release|cr}}.

The [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Extension:ParserFunctions##time time function] supports more precise dates, like
*<code><nowiki>{{#time: form |date |lang=xx}}</nowiki></code> form is like F=FullMonthname and Y=Year, see below
*<code><nowiki>{{#time: F Y |$2-$1}}</nowiki></code> for "''{{#time: F Y |{{CURRENTYEAR}}-{{CURRENTMONTH}}}}''"
 
*Use <nowiki><noin</nowiki>clude<nowiki>> </noin</nowiki>clude> for notes to get ignored when preloading this draft into new newsletters (this template description).
*Use <nowiki><includ</nowiki>eonl<nowiki>y> <includeo</nowiki>nly> for elements to not show up here but in a newsletter. (like Categories)
 
<big>Note to Translators</big>{{-}}
The newsletter system fully supports translations. Currently there is only German but feel free to to add your language here.
* [[User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter/De/Newslettervorlage|German]]
You would need to add your translation into [[User:Skybike/Template:This months newsletter|This months newsletter]], [[User:Skybike/Template:Newsletter-header-translate|Newsletter-header-translate]] and create new versions of this draft as well as [[FlightGear Newsletter]].

}}</noinclude>{{User:Skybike/Template:Newsletter-header-translate|<includeonly>$2-$1</includeonly>}}
{{TOC_right|limit=2}}
''We would like to emphasize that the monthly newsletter cannot live without the contributions of FlightGear users and developers. Everyone with a wiki account (free to register) is welcome to contribute to the newsletter. If you know about any FlightGear related news or projects such as for example updated scenery or aircraft, please do feel invited to add such news to the newsletter.''

''The Visual Editor makes editing the wiki as simple as using a Word-processor, and even easier than using the forum as you don't even need to know the syntax for a url. Just hit the 'edit' link and start.''

== Development news ==


You can now report and track FGAddon (launcher) aircraft bugs over in the "Aircraft Issues" project, on the FlightGear bug tracker! If there is already an existing bug tracker or repository for an aircraft, we would prefer if issues were reported there instead. But if you are in doubt, create an issue and we can triage it and forward it on to the appropriate place, if that is not the FGAddon tracker. A link to the bug tracker can be found on the left of every wiki page, and at the top of every forum page. If you have a spare hour or 2, and fancy getting involved, we would love for you to come on over, choose an issue, and have a crack at fixing it!




== In the hangar ==









== Scenery corner ==




















== Community news ==









== Multiplayer events ==









== Screenshot of the Month ==

If you want to participate in the screenshot contest, you can submit your candidate to the {{forum link|title=this|f=88|t=}}. Be sure to see the first post for participation rules. For purposes of convenience and organization, at the end of the month or after 20 entries have been submitted, a new forum topic will be started containing all shots in an easy-to-view layout. The voting will then take place there.

{{Appendix}}

<includeonly>[[Category:Changes after $3]]</includeonly>
<includeonly>[[Category:FlightGear Newsletter|$2 $1]]</includeonly>

<includeonly></includeonly>
<noinclude>
[[Category:Newsletter templates]]
</noinclude>

FlightGear Newsletter May 2026

2026-05-25T23:26:51Z

AirplaneMode: development news and wiki updates

{{User:Skybike/Template:Newsletter-header-translate|2026-05}}
{{TOC_right|limit=2}}
''We would like to emphasize that the monthly newsletter cannot live without the contributions of FlightGear users and developers. Everyone with a wiki account (free to register) is welcome to contribute to the newsletter. If you know about any FlightGear related news or projects such as for example updated scenery or aircraft, please do feel invited to add such news to the newsletter.''

''The new Visual Editor makes editing the wiki as simple as using a Word-processor, and even easier than using the forum as you don't even need to know the syntax for a url. Just hit the 'edit' link and start.''

== Development news ==


[[File:2024.2_HDR_PBR_rendering.png|400px|thumb|HDR and PBR rendered scene.]][[File:PBR-rendered cockpit 2024.2.png|400px|thumb|PBR rendered cockpit.]]
The 2024.2 version, which is currently under development, adds [[FlightGear and OpenGL Core Profile|core profile support]], [[HDR]] and PBR, and a new [[Canvas GUI]] replacing [[PUI]], delivering near cinema-grade image quality for FlightGear, narrowing the gap between FG and commercial simulators.



== In the hangar ==

You can now report and track FGAddon (launcher) aircraft bugs over in the "Aircraft Issues" project, on the FlightGear bug tracker! If there is already an existing bug tracker or repository for an aircraft, we would prefer if issues were reported there instead. But if you are in doubt, create an issue and we can triage it and forward it on to the appropriate place, if that is not the FGAddon tracker. A link to the bug tracker can be found on the left of every wiki page, and at the top of every forum page. If you have a spare hour or 2, and fancy getting involved, we would love for you to come on over, choose an issue, and have a crack at fixing it!


=== Updated aircraft ===
The [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]] has received an advanced new load manager for managing fuel and payload. There are tweaks to the manager based on flying the passenger or freighter.

[[File:MD-11-Load-Manager.jpg|500px|MD-11 LM]]

=== Liveries ===
The default livery of [[Airbus A320 family|A320-271N (PW1100G)]] in the dev branch has been changed to Lufthansa, due to Spirit's shutdown. <ref>https://github.com/legoboyvdlp/A320-family/pull/403</ref>



== Scenery corner ==




















== Community news ==



=== Wiki updates ===
The FlightGear [[FlightGear wiki|wiki]] has been renovated by contributors since the end of April 2026, including the cleanup of content, the removal of old information (e.g., [[FGRun]]), and the update of existing pages (e.g., [[New to FlightGear]]).

In addition, a book called [https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FlightGear_Flight_Simulator FlightGear Flight Simulator] has been created on Wikibooks based on the content of this wiki.


== Multiplayer events ==









== Screenshot of the Month ==

If you want to participate in the screenshot contest, you can submit your candidate to the {{forum link|title=this|f=88|t=}}. Be sure to see the first post for participation rules. For purposes of convenience and organization, at the end of the month or after 20 entries have been submitted, a new forum topic will be started containing all shots in an easy-to-view layout. The voting will then take place there.

{{Appendix}}

[[Category:Changes after 2024.1]]
[[Category:FlightGear Newsletter|2026 05]]

File:2024.2 PBR-rendered cockpit.png

2026-05-25T22:36:18Z

AirplaneMode: Redirected page to File:PBR-rendered cockpit 2024.2.png

#redirect [[File:PBR-rendered cockpit 2024.2.png]]

File:PBR-rendered cockpit 2024.2.png

2026-05-25T22:35:33Z

AirplaneMode: Uploaded own work with UploadWizard

=={{int:filedesc}}==
{{Information
|description={{en|1=PBR-rendered cockpit of c172 in 2024.2}}
|date=2026-05-25
|source={{own}}
|author=[[User:AirplaneMode|AirplaneMode]]
|permission=
|other versions=
}}

=={{int:license-header}}==
{{self|cc-by-sa-4.0}}

''For the technical details about the menubar, see [[Menubar]].''

The in-game '''menu''' provides access to FlightGear's various features.

[[File:Menubar2.jpg|frame]]

= List of built-in menus =

Here is an incomplete list of FlightGear's menus, with links to their descriptions.

== File ==
* Reset
* [[Instant Replay#Continuous (disk-based) recordings|Flight Recorder Control]]
* Time Mode
* Screenshot
* Sound Configuration
* Input Devices
* [[TerraSync|Scenery Download]]
* Quit

== View ==
* Toggle Fullscreen
* [[Rendering Options]]
* View Options
* [[Cockpit view options|Cockpit View Options]]
* [[Glideslope Tunnel|Toggle Glide Scope Tunnel]]
* [[Instant Replay]]
* [[Earthview|Earthview Orbital Rendering]]
* ALS Filter Effects

== Location ==
* Position Aircraft In Air
* Select Airport
* Random Altitude
* Tower Position

== Autopilot ==
* [[Autopilot#Autopilot Settings|Autopilot Settings]]
* [[Route Manager]]
* Previous Waypoint
* Next Waypoint

== Environment ==
* [[Weather]]
* Environment Settings
* [[Time|Time Settings]]
* [[Volcanoes]]

== Equipment ==
* [[Map]]
* Stopwatch
* Fuel and Payload
* Radio Settings
* [[GPS|GPS Settings]]
* Instrument Settings
* Light Switches
* [[Aircraft failure system|Random Failures]]
* [[Aircraft failure system|System Failures]]
* [[Aircraft failure system|Instrument Failures]]

== AI ==
* Traffic and Scenario Settings
* ATC Services in Range
* Wingman Controls
* [[AI Scenery Objects|AI Objects]]

== Multiplayer ==
* [[Multiplayer|Multiplayer Settings]]
* [[FGCom|FGCom Settings]]
* [[Chat Menu]]
* [[Pilot List]]
* [[Carrier over MP|MPCarrier Selection]]
* [[Swift|Swift Connection]]

== Debug ==
* Reload GUI
* Reload HUD
* [[Property Browser]]
* [[Nasal Console]]
...

== Help ==
* Aircraft Help
* [[Aircraft Checklists]]
* Common Aircraft Keys
* [[Tutorials]]
* About

= Related content =
* [https://flightgear.gitlab.io/getstart/release-{{current release|cr}}/en/HTML/getstart-ench5.html#menu-entries FlightGear Manual - Menu entries]
* [[Multi-key commands]] - an alternative to the menubar

[[Category:FlightGear feature]]
[[Category:Menubar]]
[[Category:Lists]]

[[fr:menu]]

UFO

2026-05-20T03:36:09Z

AirplaneMode: /* Export */

{{:{{PAGENAME}}/info}}
With the UFO you can place 3D objects in the [[FlightGear]] [[scenery]] (see [[Placing 3D Objects with the UFO]]). The UFO is not shown to other users over the [[Howto: Multiplayer|MP network]].

The UFO debuted in September 2002, with [[FlightGear 0.8.0]].

== Export ==

Exported data are written to:
* Object positions (press {{Key press|E}}): <code>[[$FG_HOME]]/Export/ufo-model-export.xml</code>
* Flightplan (press {{Key press|N}}): <code>[[$FG_HOME]]/Export/ufo-flightplan-export.xml</code>

'''Note for Mac:''' [[$FG_HOME]] is a hidden directory. To enable viewing of the xml file from the Finder application:
# Choose "Go" from the Finder menu
# Choose "Go to Folder..."
# Key in the folder pathname as given above
#* Replace (username) with your Mac user name
#* Do not key in <code>ufo-model-export.xml</code>
# Click "Go"
# Select the "Export" sub-directory

== Import ==
To import and continue working on previously saved, you can later reload the XML file with '''--config=''' command-line parameter:

Example command:
fgfs --config=$HOME/.fgfs/Export/ufo-model-export.xml

== Aircraft controls ==

===Ufo positioning===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|PgUp}}
|Fly faster (accelerate)
|-
|{{Key press|PgDown}}
|Fly slower (decelerate)
|-
|{{Key press|B|PgUp}}
|Fly backward (hold key)
|-
|{{Key press|[}}/{{Key press|]}}
|Decrease/Increase maximum speed (this will help you controlling the UFO that can be too fast sometimes)
|-
|{{Key press|Home}}
|Hover Up (increase ufo altitude)
|-
|{{Key press|End}}
|Hover down (decrease ufo altitude)
|-
|{{Key press|.}}
|Hover right
|-
|{{Key press|,}}
|Hover left
|-
|{{Key press|P}}
|Toggle radar panel
|-
|{{Key press|Mouse Wheel}}
|Hold down to move freely forward, backward and turn left and right while staying at the same altitude. Hold {{Key press|Shift}} to move faster.
|-
|{{Key press|Mouse Wheel|Mouse Back}}
|Hold down to move freely up, down and sideways without moving forwards or backwards. Hold {{Key press|Shift}} to move faster.
|-
|{{Key press|G|Mouse Click}}
|Teleport to selected place.
|-
|}

== Object controls ==

===Object management===
{{tip|If you are using the [[opentrack#Configuration|headtracker add-on]], disable it before starting FlightGear when using the [[Howto:Place 3D objects with the UFO|UFO to place objects]]. The {{key press|Shift|{{=}}}} binding for centering the view will interfere with the UFO's binding for showing the Adjust Model dialog.}}

{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|Mouse click
|Add model to scenery
|-
|{{Key press|Backspace}}
|Remove selected object(s)
|-
|{{Key press|Alt|Mouse Click}}
|Move selected object(s) to new place. (Linux users may need to disable the built-in "Move window" functionality tied to this key combo)
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl}} + {{Key press|←}}/{{Key press|→}}/{{Key press| ↑ }}/{{Key press| ↓ }}
|Move selected object(s) away/nearer/left/right
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl|Mouse Wheel}}
|Move selected object(s) away/nearer/left/right
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl|Mouse Wheel|Mouse Back}}
|Move selected object(s) up/down and rotate.
|-
|{{Key press|M}}
|Toggle marker for active (last selected) object
|-
|{{Key press|{{=}}}}
|open/close adjustment dialog (versions older than 3.0 uses {{Key press|Tab}}). {{Key press|equals}}) holding {{Key press|Ctrl}} or {{Key press|Shift}} down makes slider effects coarser/finer.
|}

===Selection===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl|Mouse Click}}
|Select nearest object
|-
|{{Key press|Shift|Mouse Click}}
|Add new object to selection
|-
|{{Key press|Shift|Ctrl|Mouse Click}}
|Add nearest object to selection
|}
[[File:Placing objects with UFO html 439816e9.jpg|thumb|270px|The model adjustment dialog]]

===Model===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|Space}}
|Open/Close model selection dialog
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl|PgUp}}/{{Key press|PgDn}}
|Cycle through model list
|-
|{{Key press|L}}
|Load model file via file selector
|}

===Export data===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|d}}
|Dump object data to terminal.
|-
|{{Key press|E}}
|Export object data
|}

===Flight plan===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|N}}
|Export flight plan
|-
|}

[[Fr:UFO du "White Project" de l'UNESCO]]

==Take measurements==

===The Cursor===
If you click on the ground you will place the cursor (Aircraft/ufo/Models/cursor.ac). The cursor is a 3D cross. The size of the cursor is 10 x 10 x 10 m. Each of the 6 arms is 5 meters long. The blue stripes mark 1m, each of the white and red stripes is 10cm long.

===Ground material and elevation===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl}}+{{Key press|Alt}}+{{Key press|Mouse Click}}
|A pop-up box will appear showing information about the landclass at that point and the elevation. This information is also output into the [[console]].
Information:

# Latitude and longitude (lat and lon) at that location.
# Name of the [[Howto:Regional texturing|regional definition]] file where the active regional definition is defined (in FG 2020.3.9 and later, or nightly builds as at May 2021) . Usually it's in [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Materials/regions/ data/materials/regions] e.g. Europe for europe.xml or Norway for norway.xml
# A block of landclasses for which a regional appearance is defined in the regional definition file from '''1)''' . The landclass at that location is one of these.
# Elevation in meters at that location
|-
|}

[[Fr:UFO du "White Project" de l'UNESCO]]

UFO

2026-05-20T03:30:25Z

AirplaneMode: /* Import */ remove fgrun

{{:{{PAGENAME}}/info}}
With the UFO you can place 3D objects in the [[FlightGear]] [[scenery]] (see [[Placing 3D Objects with the UFO]]). The UFO is not shown to other users over the [[Howto: Multiplayer|MP network]].

The UFO debuted in September 2002, with [[FlightGear 0.8.0]].

== Export ==

Exported data are written to:
* Object positions {{Key press|E}}: <code>[[$FG HOME]]/Export/ufo-model-export.xml</code>
* Flightplan {{Key press|N}}: <code>[[$FG HOME]]/Export/ufo-flightplan-export.xml</code>

'''Note for Mac:''' [[$FG HOME]] is a hidden directory. To enable viewing of the xml file from the Finder application:
# Choose "Go" from the Finder menu
# Choose "Go to Folder..."
# Key in the folder pathname as given above
#* Replace (username) with your Mac user name
#* Do not key in <code>ufo-model-export.xml</code>
# Click "Go"
# Select the "Export" sub-directory

== Import ==
To import and continue working on previously saved, you can later reload the XML file with '''--config=''' command-line parameter:

Example command:
fgfs --config=$HOME/.fgfs/Export/ufo-model-export.xml

== Aircraft controls ==

===Ufo positioning===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|PgUp}}
|Fly faster (accelerate)
|-
|{{Key press|PgDown}}
|Fly slower (decelerate)
|-
|{{Key press|B|PgUp}}
|Fly backward (hold key)
|-
|{{Key press|[}}/{{Key press|]}}
|Decrease/Increase maximum speed (this will help you controlling the UFO that can be too fast sometimes)
|-
|{{Key press|Home}}
|Hover Up (increase ufo altitude)
|-
|{{Key press|End}}
|Hover down (decrease ufo altitude)
|-
|{{Key press|.}}
|Hover right
|-
|{{Key press|,}}
|Hover left
|-
|{{Key press|P}}
|Toggle radar panel
|-
|{{Key press|Mouse Wheel}}
|Hold down to move freely forward, backward and turn left and right while staying at the same altitude. Hold {{Key press|Shift}} to move faster.
|-
|{{Key press|Mouse Wheel|Mouse Back}}
|Hold down to move freely up, down and sideways without moving forwards or backwards. Hold {{Key press|Shift}} to move faster.
|-
|{{Key press|G|Mouse Click}}
|Teleport to selected place.
|-
|}

== Object controls ==

===Object management===
{{tip|If you are using the [[opentrack#Configuration|headtracker add-on]], disable it before starting FlightGear when using the [[Howto:Place 3D objects with the UFO|UFO to place objects]]. The {{key press|Shift|{{=}}}} binding for centering the view will interfere with the UFO's binding for showing the Adjust Model dialog.}}

{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|Mouse click
|Add model to scenery
|-
|{{Key press|Backspace}}
|Remove selected object(s)
|-
|{{Key press|Alt|Mouse Click}}
|Move selected object(s) to new place. (Linux users may need to disable the built-in "Move window" functionality tied to this key combo)
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl}} + {{Key press|←}}/{{Key press|→}}/{{Key press| ↑ }}/{{Key press| ↓ }}
|Move selected object(s) away/nearer/left/right
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl|Mouse Wheel}}
|Move selected object(s) away/nearer/left/right
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl|Mouse Wheel|Mouse Back}}
|Move selected object(s) up/down and rotate.
|-
|{{Key press|M}}
|Toggle marker for active (last selected) object
|-
|{{Key press|{{=}}}}
|open/close adjustment dialog (versions older than 3.0 uses {{Key press|Tab}}). {{Key press|equals}}) holding {{Key press|Ctrl}} or {{Key press|Shift}} down makes slider effects coarser/finer.
|}

===Selection===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl|Mouse Click}}
|Select nearest object
|-
|{{Key press|Shift|Mouse Click}}
|Add new object to selection
|-
|{{Key press|Shift|Ctrl|Mouse Click}}
|Add nearest object to selection
|}
[[File:Placing objects with UFO html 439816e9.jpg|thumb|270px|The model adjustment dialog]]

===Model===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|Space}}
|Open/Close model selection dialog
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl|PgUp}}/{{Key press|PgDn}}
|Cycle through model list
|-
|{{Key press|L}}
|Load model file via file selector
|}

===Export data===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|d}}
|Dump object data to terminal.
|-
|{{Key press|E}}
|Export object data
|}

===Flight plan===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|N}}
|Export flight plan
|-
|}

[[Fr:UFO du "White Project" de l'UNESCO]]

==Take measurements==

===The Cursor===
If you click on the ground you will place the cursor (Aircraft/ufo/Models/cursor.ac). The cursor is a 3D cross. The size of the cursor is 10 x 10 x 10 m. Each of the 6 arms is 5 meters long. The blue stripes mark 1m, each of the white and red stripes is 10cm long.

===Ground material and elevation===
{| class="keytable"
! Key
! Function
|-
|{{Key press|Ctrl}}+{{Key press|Alt}}+{{Key press|Mouse Click}}
|A pop-up box will appear showing information about the landclass at that point and the elevation. This information is also output into the [[console]].
Information:

# Latitude and longitude (lat and lon) at that location.
# Name of the [[Howto:Regional texturing|regional definition]] file where the active regional definition is defined (in FG 2020.3.9 and later, or nightly builds as at May 2021) . Usually it's in [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Materials/regions/ data/materials/regions] e.g. Europe for europe.xml or Norway for norway.xml
# A block of landclasses for which a regional appearance is defined in the regional definition file from '''1)''' . The landclass at that location is one of these.
# Elevation in meters at that location
|-
|}

[[Fr:UFO du "White Project" de l'UNESCO]]

Weather

2026-05-20T03:29:25Z

AirplaneMode: /* Advanced Weather Gallery */

FlightGear simulates '''weather''' through one of two weather engines, that provide real weather fetch, predefined weather scenarios, [[3D clouds]] and much more. Weather simulation is not easy, and setting up these systems for the most general needs will be explained below, as well as the features they provide.
[[File:Local_weather_0.85_01.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Advanced Weather clouds over the mountains from 2010]]

== Fundamentals ==
[[File:Weather scenario selection.png|thumb|250px|Weather scenario selection in the main Weather dialog. You can also see where the METAR is shown, and can be edited in ''Manual input'' mode]]
[[File:Windboundaries.png|thumb|250px|A drawing giving an idea of what's the boundary/aloft layer separation (drawn in red)]]
[[File:ASW20_summerday1.jpg|thumb|350px|Advanced Weather can simulate the conditions for [[soaring]] (2014)]]
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, especially the {{wikipedia|troposphere}}, at a given time for a given place. Calculating the complete atmosphere or even a small part of it is extremely demanding in computing power. Hence, FlightGear calculates the state of the atmosphere only for a vertical line beginning at earth's center straight through your aircraft up to an appropriate altitude. For every point along this line, the following fundamental parameters are calculated:
* '''temperature''': usually in °C.
* '''{{wikipedia|dew point}}''': indicating at what temperature the air in that point would become a "cloud". It gives an indication of the {{wikipedia|relative humidity}}.
* '''pressure''': in inches of mercury (inHg) or hectopascals (hPa)
* '''density''': this affects the behaviour of the aircraft.
* '''wind''': usually in knots (kt), includes the vertical component and any turbulence.
* '''visibility''': usually in meters or statute miles (''not'' nautical! 1 SM is ~1600 m), tries to define how far an object can be seen, horizontally.

=== Atmosphere layers ===
Like the real atmosphere, the simulated one is divided in layers. For what concerns flight, a first distinction is made with the ''boundary layer'' and the ''aloft layer''. The {{wikipedia|Planetary boundary layer|boundary layer}} is the thin one close to ground, where the atmosphere, mainly the wind, is affected by the earth's surface. Its thickness may vary depending on how rough the ground is (e.g. sea as opposed to Alps), but in general it's less than 600 ft AGL. The aloft layer is immediately above the boundary one, and is by definition not affected by ground, i.e. there is free to flow air.

Within these layers, there are other sub-layers that can be defined, because the atmosphere still changes a lot, especially in the aloft layer. These sub-layers in FlightGear define the state of the fundamental parameters above, and can specifically define the presence of clouds. For the points in between, the values are calculated by interpolation, e.g. if you're halfway between two, the values will be set to the average.

=== Clouds ===
Real life clouds are humidity that become visible when dew point and temperature match, that is when air is saturated. Computing this for the whole atmosphere would be very realistic, and would need, again, some supercomputers, some patience and a huge amount of real data.

Clouds are therefore simulated by specifying at what altitudes they should be, their kind (fluffy, flat, cotton balls...) and other cloud-related phenomenons (precipitations, thermals...) To make things realistic one must either know very well what to do (Basic Weather) or rely on some advanced algorithms (Advanced weather.) Or use a preset scenario.

=== Scenarios and METAR ===
Defining weather can be a tedious task, as setting all the parameters for each layer is not everybody's fun. For this reason, in the in-sim dialog ''Environment > Weather Conditions'' you can choose what is called a ''weather scenario''. Scenarios are presets of weather conditions.

Besides scenarios, FlightGear has a built in [[METAR]] interpreter. This can read the coded weather information from a METAR and apply a more or less reasonable weather, that matches the conditions described in the METAR. Since a METAR ''only describes the weather at a station on the ground'', many parameters, esp. for the higher atmosphere are ''just plain guesses'' which just try to be reasonable.

You can either pass a METAR string with the [[command line options]] (<tt>--metar=</tt>) or choose ''Live data'' or ''Manual input'' from the ''Weather Conditions'' drop-down menu, where you can enable live weather data or enter your own METAR. The ''Live data'' option enables a task that calculates your nearest airport and fetches the current METAR for that station from NOAA weather service.

== The two weather systems ==
The two systems are generally referred to as:
* '''Basic weather''' (BW), the historical and default weather system (sometimes called ''Global weather''), and
* '''Advanced weather''' (AW), formerly known as ''Local weather'' and called ''Detailed weather'' in-sim (this is probably a leftover of previous dialog designs.)

Although they model the same thing, they don't have much in common. Here's a non-exhaustive comparison:
{| class="wikitable" width="60%"
! Basic Weather
! Advanced Weather
|-
| Very simple and straightforward to setup and customize, but can lead to non-realistic conditions and doesn't integrate some advanced features.
| Can be puzzling, but it treats all the variables as a whole keeping things close to reality.
|-
| Knows nothing about the effect of terrain on weather.
| Can make clouds and wind climb up a slope and flow around a mountain peak, and generate thermals consistent with the ground and the clouds (and much more.)
|-
| Applies the same weather conditions for your position and for every other part of the world.
| Can be set up to simulate realistic weather distribution.
|-
| Lets you specify visibility.
| Forces visibility to be consistent with the weather.
|-
| Is part of the FlightGear C++ code.
| Runs in [[Nasal]] space.
|}

To make it short, each of them has their pros and cons, but in general:
* if you plan to tweak the weather setup, be ready to read some documentation, at least this article and especially for AW;
* if you plan to simply use the weather scenarios, you should probably try AW, because out of the box it gives more realistic results.

== Basic Weather ==
[[File:Basic weather selected.png|thumb|350px|Basic Weather selected in the main Weather dialog]]
In Basic Weather most calculations are based on the {{wikipedia|International Standard Atmosphere}}. The default weather definition is:
* Boundary layer, 0ft, wind 270° at 3 kt, visib. 16093.4m, 29.92inHG (1013hPa), temp. 15°C, dewpoint 5°C
* Boundary layer, 500ft, wind 280° at 6 kt
* Aloft layer, 5000ft, wind 300° at 10 kt
* Aloft layer, 10000ft, wind 310° at 20 kt
* Aloft layer, 18000ft, wind 320° at 30 kt
* Aloft layer, 24000ft, wind 330° at 50 kt
* Aloft layer, 30000ft, wind 340° at 70 kt
All other values are derived from these parameters. The atmospheric parameters described here are defined in <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Environment/environment.xml</tt>, but they can be changed in-sim by selecting ''Environment > Weather Conditions'' from the menu, enabling ''Manually Configure Weather'' and clicking the ''Manual Configuration...'' button. When you want to start FlightGear with the default weather settings mentioned above you have to take care about disabling METAR Data. You can do this by running FlightGear with the following options:

<source>
--prop:/environment/params/metar-updates-environment=false
--prop:/environment/params/metar-updates-winds-aloft=false
--prop:/environment/params/metar-updates-snow-level=false
</source>

Of course, that's not the only way to configure BW. In fact, it supports the weather scenarios and can read METAR data, be it manually inserted or fetched on-the-fly.

In any case, you have to click ''Apply'' or ''OK'' to make the choice effective.

''Remember that any weather you set up, it will be applied to the whole world.''

=== Manual configuration ===
[[File:Basic weather dialog.png|thumb|350px|Manual configuration dialog for Basic Weather]]
The Basic Weather manual configuration dialog is mainly split in four: cloud layers, precipitations and pressure, aloft layers and boundary layers.

==== Clouds ====
Clouds are stacked in layers and for each layer the defining parameters for clouds are:
* coverage (clear, few, scattered, broken, overcast)
* the altitude of cloud base (Above Mean Sea Level)
* the thickness (distance from cloud base to cloud top)
Once again, the definition of the default cloud set is in preferences.xml.

==== Precipitations and pressure ====
Precipitation should be pretty clear, just notice that only one of snow or rain can be active at one time, and that the change is smoothed, so you have to wait some time to see the full effect of the precipitation. QNH is where to set the pressure at sea level.

==== Snow and rain on ground ====
Only the [[ALS]] pipeline can procedurally draw these deposits (September 2020). Deposits of [[snow]] and rain on the ground depend on the history of precipitation. Snow can linger for weeks. As it's impossible to know the amount deposited based on the amount falling at one time, these deposits are set from the ''Environment > Environment settings'' dialog. The ''snow line'', ''snow thickness'', and ''ground wetness'' (puddles) can be set manually. The "''Set maximum snow level from METAR''" option automatically creates a nominal snow-line based on METAR and latitude.

==== Aloft and boundary layers ====
The layers tables can be filled with information on altitude (elevation AGL for the boundary layer), wind direction and speed, visibility, temperature and dew point, turbulence. These values will be interpolated for the heights in between.

== Advanced Weather ==
[[File:Advanced weather selected.png|thumb|350px|Advanced Weather selected in the main Weather dialog]]
[[File:AW Weather patterns.jpg|thumb|Weather pattern in the Advanced Weather scenarios. You can see the various airmasses.]]
[[File:Clouds-nimbostratus.jpg|thumb|400px|It can't rain all the tile. (2010)]]
[[File:Advanced weather tile selection mode.png|thumb|Tile selection mode from Advanced Weather settings]]
''If you're in a hurry, please read at least the [[#Quirks|Quirks]] section, for your own good''.

Advanced Weather not only tries to be more realistic than the Basic Weather, but also adds some effects and tries to keep them all bound together like they are in real life. This means, to give some examples, that clouds move with the wind, and the thermals that generated them in a sunny day will move with them and keep evolving with them, varying their own activity during the day, since when they start where it's more probable (depending on ground type) to when they die over the water or because the ground heat vanishes with the sunset.

Such convective system, and other details like the ridge lift, allow not just for a nice distribution of clouds, but even for [[soaring|simulating soaring with gliders]]. And these are just some small scale effects.

=== Advanced Weather scenarios ===
Advanced Weather can also take into account the larger scale phenomenon of the interaction of high and low pressure areas. However, this can work only with some specific "offline" scenarios and another particular setting (see [[#General settings|tile modes]] below), because they allow making assumptions that the METAR (live or manual) with its limited information doesn't permit (even if live METAR can compensate this to some degree.) These scenarios are:
* Core high pressure region
* High pressure region
* Border of a high pressure region
* Border of a low pressure region
* Low pressure region
* Core low pressure region
* Warm sector

These correspond to some ''{{wikipedia|Air mass|airmasses}}'' which are well defined areas of a map (see the picture) that simulate a classic patterns of {{wikipedia|Extratropical cyclone|cyclones}} and {{wikipedia|Anticyclone|anticyclones}}, as we often see them in the weather forecast maps of mid-latitude areas. So, for example, if you start flying in a low pressure region and keep flying towards E-N-E, you will eventually see how the weather changes while you move to higher pressure regions. Being a large scale phenomenon, this of course requires mid or long range flights.

Tropical areas currently have a ''weather tile'' definition but it's not used by any scenario. Also, at the moment there's no definition for polar areas.

In any case, you have to click ''Apply'' or ''OK'' to make the choice effective.

==== Weather tiles ====
This will be just a quick peek under the hood of Advanced Weather. This weather simulation engine approaches the problem of the local weather definition by using ''weather tiles'' 40x40 km² wide. There are predefined weather tiles corresponding to certain conditions, and the way AW places them is configurable, to some extent (see [[#Tile selection mode|below]].)

With some knowledge of [[Nasal]], it is also possible to [[Advanced weather#Creating custom Weather Tiles|define custom tiles]] which can reproduce particular, very ''local'' weather conditions or phenomena (e.g. wind shear).

In normal conditions, though, you don't have to worry about weather tiles.

=== Advanced configuration ===
[[File:Advanced weather dialog.png|thumb|270px|Settings dialog for Advanced Weather]]
Although the ''Advanced Weather Configuration'' dialog doesn't look that complex, some of the options need a good understanding of what they do. Actually, most of them affect or are affected by other options, and this requires a special care, because you might try to combine incompatible settings or spend hours in tuning one that is disabled.

==== General settings ====
Here you can set the ''Tile selection mode'' and terrain presampling options.

When ''Terrain presampling'' is enabled, AW analyzes the terrain height to consider it in its calculations of the distribution of clouds.

Once this is activated, the ''Terrain effects'' option becomes available. When checked, the ''type'' of terrain (city, crops...) is also taken into account for the distribution of clouds, and their thermals if enabled; also, the shape of terrain determines ridge lift. This option is especially recommended to glider pilots, while the faster and higher pilots won't notice it, most of the time.

However, if ''Terrain presampling'' is disabled to save some CPU time, AW will not know about ground and will put cloud layers as if at sea level. This is not bad if you ''are'' at sea level, but if you're on the Himalaya you might have clouds underground. So, you might have to set the ''Altitude offset'' conveniently.

The ''Temperature offset'' is used with scenarios. Since they come with their own pre-defined temperature, that's the only way to simulate winter using them, so if you select a high pressure tile but specify a -45 deg temperature offset, you'll end up somewhere around -10 deg and get a decent arctic airmass for the effort. It has nothing to do with terrain effects.

The ''Tile selection mode'' specifies how tiles are automatically generated once the aircraft reaches the border of the original tile. It is a good idea to leave this setting as you find it, because it's automatically set when a scenario or METAR is selected. For those who dare, here's an explanation of the options:
* ''single tile'' just won't generate any further tiles. If you go outside of that beware of dragons.
* ''repeat tile'' creates new tiles of the same type as the originally selected tile, randomized to some degree. It only works with AW scenarios (to which actually corresponds a tile definition) and is automatically selected with ''Thunderstorm''.
* ''realistic weather'' works only with the AW scenarios, and is automatically selected with them. It simulates the realistic distribution of airmasses.
* ''METAR'' is automatically selected with ''Live data'' and ''Manual input'' and non-AW scenarios. Basically, it tries to give the best interpretation of the METAR string.

The first two are good ones if you're testing a custom tile to simulate a particular weather condition, and can't be made to work with all the scenarios. Most of the time, however, the other two options are the right choice, and they're also automatically selected, so you probably shouldn't care about this option.

==== Wind settings ====
[[File:Advanced weather winds dialog.png|thumb|350px|Wind configuration from Advanced Weather settings. This works in ''Aloft interpolation'' and ''Aloft waypoint'' mode.]]
[[File:Advanced weather wind models.png|thumb|A representation of Advanced Weather wind models]]
This is the trickiest part. We'll describe each setting singularly, and in what cases they can be used/will have effect.

''Wind direction'' and ''speed'' define ''the lowest aloft wind'' in a height convenient to the atmospheric boundary layer thickness. If ''terrain presampling'' is disabled, the boundary layer thickness is 600 feet above ground level. The definition of the ''wind direction'' and ''speed'' has no effect in METAR tile mode (because AW deduces it from the METAR itself, which reports the ''ground'' wind) and/or when the wind model is ''aloft interpolated'' or ''aloft waypoint'' (because that wind is used instead - see below). Otherwise you can use it.

''Gust settings'' are the happiest ones: they always work, immediately, no click needed, but if a new live METAR comes in (because you moved to a new area) they'll be overwritten. Their meaning should be self-explanatory. Note that gusts are only effective in the height above ground level of 1.2 times "lowest aloft wind speed"/ 10.0 times boundary layer altitude, i.e. when close enough to the ground.

''Wind model'' defines how the wind should change in space:
* ''constant'' sets the same wind everywhere, as specified in the dialog or derived from the METAR. This wind is the lowest aloft wind, and the boundary layer behaves consistently.
* ''constant in tile'' is like the above, but adds a wee bit of realism by introducing little changes in the wind direction and speed when crossing tiles.
* ''aloft interpolated'' allows to specify through the ''Wind Configuration'' dialog how aloft winds change with altitude, similarly to Basic Weather. Does not work in METAR mode.
* ''aloft waypoints'' is like the above, but lets you specify many positions (called here "waypoints") and AW will interpolate them in the 3D space. In METAR mode it works automatically and, instead of using the user data, it guesses the vertical distribution of winds on its own based on the reported ground wind, especially using as waypoints the live METAR stations.

Finally, the ''Wind Configuration'' dialog, reachable with the button at the bottom, is the one used by the ''aloft'' wind models. It should be self explaining, but remember to set at least one waypoint if you want to use ''aloft waypoints'' in non-METAR mode. Also, the value for level ''zero'' is not meant to be ground level, but the lowest aloft layer, i.e. the one just above the boundary layer. This dialog is especially uncomfortable with waypoints, because that mode is intended for use with [[Howto: Fetch live aloft data|live aloft wind data]], that someday might become available (again.)

Note that the boundary layer is always calculated, but is less realistic without terrain effects.

==== Thermic and visibility settings ====
''Generate thermals'' should be clear. It depends on having ''Terrain effects'' enabled, and the size and intensity of these thermals can be set with the ''Convective conditions'' slider: ''rough'' makes them very localized and entering them will give you a good shake, while ''low'' makes them larger, with less lift and little to no turbulence while entering them.

''Ground haze'', ''Air pollution'' and ''Fog properties'' work as you move them, so we'll let you find out what they do. However, they work only when not in [[Project Rembrandt|Rembrandt mode]] and with [[Atmospheric light scattering]] enabled.

''Max visibility'' is there to prevent that AW sets a too high visibility that could kill your framerate. Preventing a dangerously high visibility is also why you need to check ''Realistic visibility'' to get a few more kilometers, but it's still on the conservative side. More on visibility [[#Visibility, cloud distance and performance|below]].

==== Weather pattern scales ====
These options are active only when in ''realistic weather'' mode, and are most useful if you're a medium or long haul flyer.

''Airmass'' controls the transition between different airmasses, that are typical for the predefined weather tiles. The airmass slider regulates the property /local-weather/config/large-scale-persistence. The values you can set through the silder vary between 0.5 (''small'') and 2.0 (''large''). It determines how long you are flying in a specific weather tile and if the weather tile will change while entering the tile border. A low value reduces the probability for staying in the same weather tile whereas a high value makes it very probably that the current weather tile does not change (see weather_tile_management.nas).

''Cloud patterns'' is in a way bound to the previous setting. For each tile type there are some basic cloud layer definitions (patterns) that are chosen randomly. The ''cloud patterns'' slider defines how "often" spatially these patterns change. With a ''large'' scale the theme of clouds will remain similar within each airmass, a ''small'' scale allows for more variation.

=== Quirks & caveats ===
[[File:3D clouds.jpg|thumb|350px|Clouds as they were in 2008]]
Advanced Weather and its interface are known to have some idiosyncrasies and non intuitive behavior. In general, a good way of thinking of the AW engine is that it needs to be started and that, once running, can't be widely adjusted without a restart, i.e. clicking OK again. Here are some hints:
* If you clicked OK and can't see any cloud at all, you probably set up things in a way that AW doesn't like. Incompatible settings are described above.
* If you made some changes, but you can't ''see'' any even after clicking OK, and the above case is not applicable, you probably didn't follow the working pattern that AW requires:
*# select the scenario (or METAR) (this will likely overwrite some of the advanced settings)
*# open the advanced settings and make a (compatible) setting, then click OK
*# if needed, set the sim time
*# click Apply or OK in the main weather dialog.
* If you change scenario (or METAR) while the advanced settings dialog is open, it might not be consistently updated. Better to close it before changing scenario, to avoid misunderstandings.
Again, these problems are known, and are tough enough to tackle that they managed to survive through various interface redesigns.

More quirks:
* The ''actual weather simulation'' is the weather scenarios that describe the {{Wikipedia|air mass|airmasses}} around your starting position, like reading a {{Wikipedia|Weather map|weather map}} around a position. These are what people intuitively expect coming into a simulation, and what should be normally used.The weather changes as you move, or with time. Weather simulations are driven by terrain shape and surface materials, as well as other things like sunlight. Enable ''Weather > Advanced settings > Terrain presampling'' and ''terrain effects'' (may cause slowdown in extremely old CPUs). The results of each scenario depend on the terrain around you. Simulated scenarios: core high pressure region (fair weather), high pressure region, border of a high pressure region, border of a low pressure region, low pressure region, and warm sector. You can tell which ones these are as ''Weather > Advanced settings > Tile selection'' is automatically set to ''realistic weather''.
* "''Live data''" (live METAR) is not a simulation. No live weather service is - at any location you get weather belonging to one time of day, one day, one season, one long-term weather pattern like drought. Simulate another time of day, and it's wrong. Rare weather is unlikely when you fly. METAR data is also lacking and imperfect.
* You can press "''Apply''" to get a new set of values for randomised properties. Atmosphere state is very complex. There are many different possibilities for scenarios that describe airmasses around you. There are way more properties than is presented in the UI, or can be presented without people accidentally making physically impossible combinations. These properties are randomised at each time AW starts.
* Use ''Weather > Advanced settings > Temperature offset'' with scenarios to simulate higher or lower temperatures. This is the only way to simulate winter. Rainy scenarios produce snow-fall as appropriate.
* Use ''[[Weather#Snow and rain on ground|Environment > Environment settings]]'' for rain on the ground, or adjusting snow deposits - these depend on history of weather, not weather at any instant.

=== Autostarting Advanced Weather ===
In modern FlightGear Advanced Weather can be specified at start up [[FlightGear Qt launcher]] > Settings > Environment > Advanced Weather Modelling. You may also select a start up scenario, but as of 2020.3.11 LTS, you need to use the in-sim menu for other options (Nov 2021). See [[command line options]] if you are starting from the command-line - a list of options set by the launcher is available.

In older era FlightGear: use <tt>--prop:/local-weather/autostart=1</tt> and then check the property in the Nasal init code using <tt>getprop("/local-weather/autostart")</tt>, if it's true, invoke the same routines as the dialog's ok/apply buttons (see the corresponding bindings), and you'll end up with a fully optional autostart-feature. To retain the setting, set the <tt>userarchive</tt> attribute to true. Yes, it's not straightforward.

=== More on Advanced Weather ===
If you're interested in knowing all that the Advanced Weather engine does and can do, and its inner workings, in FlightGear's base package documentation there is <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Docs/README.local_weather.html</tt>. Although outdated with respect to the user interface, the mechanisms and principles are still valid.

The original project was presented in [[Advanced weather]].

== Visibility, cloud distance and performance ==
[[File:X-15-iceland03.jpg|thumb|400px|Now, that's what I call a decent visibility (caution: this screenshot was taken on high end hardware of 2014)]]
Basic Weather keeps visibility and weather relatively untied: by using the {{key press|z}} and {{key press|shift|z}} keys you can set the visibility you like.

Advanced Weather does the opposite, setting visibility to what the atmosphere condition suggests. However, this could set a too high visibility that could lead to bad performance. For this reason, using {{key press|z}} and {{key press|shift|z}} doesn't work as with Basic Weather, but sets the ''Max visibility'' we've already seen.

Moreover, using live METAR data will often not give the same good visibility you have out of the window. This is because the METAR string is often reported with visibility in meters, in which case the maximum is 9999 m even if it's way more. That is because METAR is intended for airport operations, not for full weather reports. AW knows that, but does what it can.

For both these reasons you might be unsatisfied with the visibility you're presented with in AW. If ''realistic visibility'' is not enough for you, you can "artificially" increase it by using ''Manual input'' and specifying it in statute miles. This way you can bypass the limit of the 9999 meters, and the atmosphere condition is adjusted accordingly and stays coherent.

The same partially applies also to how far clouds are drawn. The system is designed to draw them as far as 80 km (at least in AW), but that would easily kill the framerate of most machines. So, the slider in the ''Rendering options'' dialog is limited to 45 km. You can set it to higher values (max 80 km) by opening the property browser and editing <tt>/sim/rendering/cloud-visibility-range</tt>. In FG 3.2, though, new rendering techniques ("impostors") will allow for larger limits.

== Advanced Weather Gallery ==
''Remember the [[Advanced weather|Advanced Weather]] options from the [[menu]] inside the simulator, <code>Environment > Weather > Detailed weather > Advanced settings</code>. These screenshots have turned on things like terrain effects, terrain presampling, cloud shadows, realistic visibility, generate thermals, as well as configuring of sliders like for convection or hazes. [https://www.flightgear.org/tours/simulating-the-ever-changing-scenery/ Environment simulation] options like snow-line are set from <code>Environment > Environment settings</code>. The <code>View > Rendering</code> dialog has visualisation options for the local windfield on vegetation, precipitation, visible cloud range and density etc.

''Click to enlarge.''

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Pterosaur over Mount Waialeale on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii ( Flightgear 2019.x ) 01.jpg|alt=Pterosaur over Mount Waialeale on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii ( Flightgear 2019.x )
File:Lightning strike illuminating nearby clouds - Flightgear 2019.x.jpg|alt=Lightning strike illuminating nearby clouds - Flightgear
File:SOTM 2018-09 Back from work honey by GinGin.jpg
File:Eurocopter EC135 over wet volumetric grass in Innsbruck Airport (LOWI), Austria (Flightgear 2018.x).jpg|alt=Puddles from previous rain. Eurocopter EC135 over wet volumetric grass in Innsbruck Airport (LOWI), Austria (Flightgear 2018.x)|Puddles from previous rain
File:Gazelle on the slopes of a shield volcano in Hawaii showing overlay detail on ground (FlightGear 2018.x).jpg|Wisps of volumetric cloud
File:Bell 412 and clouds on the slope of Mount Etna in Sicily (Flightgear 2019.x).jpg
File:SOTM 2018-12 Stormy Day by GinGin.jpg
File:Shuttle launch at sunrise.jpg
File:Bell 412 over a snowcapped Mount Etna in Sicily in winter (Flightgear 2019.x) 02.jpg
File:Bell 412 over a snowcapped Mount Etna, Sicily - Flightgear 2019.x.jpg
File:SOTM 2020-01 The Goddness of Love & Beauty in iridescence by eatdirt.jpg|Scattering by ice crystals
File:C172p-frost.jpg|Frost from cool external temperatures
File:EC135 Sea of fog.jpg|Ground fog
File:Lightning05.jpg|Lightning
File:Kilauea Lava fountain and Sun halo in Hawaii (Flightgear 2018.3).jpg|alt=Ice crystals from a 22 degree halo. The halo is red as the light reaching it is red (out-scattering). Flightgear.|Ice crystals from a 22 degree halo. The halo is red as the light reaching it is red (out-scattering)
File:Pterosaur over Blue Mountains in Australia with signature blue haze (Flightgear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Pterosaur over Blue Mountains in Australia with signature blue haze (Flightgear 2020.x)|Smog particle modelling: Blue haze from organic smog released by Eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains of Australia
File:SOTM 2019-03 Magical cloud lighting by vnts.jpg|alt=Magical cloud lighting by vnts in FlightGear
File:SOTM 2019-07 Angelic Return by GinGin.jpg|alt=Angelic Return (Space Shuttle) by GinGin in FlightGear.
File:SOTM 2020-03 Mystic Misty by GinGin (Space Shuttle on launchpad, Florida).jpg|alt=Mystic Misty by GinGin (Space Shuttle on launchpad, Florida) in FlightGear.
File:SOTM 2019-07 Grass Greeting in Banjul by eatdirt.jpg|alt=Grass swaying from the local windfield in Banjul (Space Shuttle) by eatdirt in FlightGear.|Grass swaying from the local windfield
File:C182 at dawn.jpg|alt=C182 at dawn in FlightGear.
File:Pterosaur over Blue Mountains near Katoomba in Australia (FlightGear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Note layer of moisture modeled by Advanced weather Pterosaur over Blue Mountains near Katoomba in Australia (FlightGear 2020.x)|Note layer of moisture modeled by Advanced weather
File:SOTM 2018-11 Morning Mountain flight by StuartC.jpg|alt=Snow accumulates more on slopes that are less steep. Morning Mountain flight in FlightGear|Snow accumulates more on slopes that are less steep
File:Sun dog and ice halo, from top of Mount Herdubreid volcano in Iceland (Flightgear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Sun halo (22 degree ring), Sun pillar (vertical line through the sun), and Sun dogs (left and right of the sun). FlightGear 2020.3 LTS|Sun halo (22 degree ring), Sun pillar (vertical line through the sun), and Sun dogs (left and right of the sun)
File:Aurora and ice halo (Flightgear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Aurora and Ice halo. The sun is below the horizon. The rays of the low sun are red. making the halo red. FlightGear 2020.x.|Aurora and Ice halo. The sun is below the horizon. The rays of the low sun are red. making the halo red
File:Rainbow in iceland (Flightgear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Rainbow in iceland (Flightgear 2020.x)
File:Madrid at dawn in FlightGear 2020.x with the 1st world-build of OSM2City.jpg|alt=Madrid at dawn in FlightGear 2020.x with the 1st world-build of OSM2City|Hazy dawn. Morning fog in the distance has structure - it's patchy. There is some smog.
File:Tidal flats at low tide in Morecambe Bay in England (Flightgear 2020.x) 04.jpg|alt=Tidal flats at low tide in Morecambe Bay in England (Flightgear 2020.x)
File:Clouds in the mountains of Corsica (FlightGear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Clouds in the mountains of Corsica (FlightGear 2020.x)
File:Iceland in FlightGear 2020 01 Volcanic plume and snow (Aerospatiale Alouette III).jpg|alt=Iceland in FlightGear 2020 01 Volcanic plume and snow (Aerospatiale Alouette III)|[[Volcanoes|Volcanic]] eruptions have turbulent windfields
File:The Jet Nest sculpture at Keflavik International Airport (BIKF) in Iceland (Flightgear 2020.x) 1024 04.jpg|alt=The Jet Nest sculpture at Keflavik International Airport (BIKF) in Iceland (Flightgear 2020.x)
File:Aurora with low sun.jpg|alt=Aurora with low sun in FlightGear.
File:Icelandair01.png
</gallery>

== Related content ==
* [[Howto: Fetch live aloft data]]
* [[Weather reports]]
* [[Turbulence]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.badbadweather.com/ badbadweather.com] "Worst METAR reports worldwide for Flight Simulation"
* [https://earth.nullschool.net/ EarthWindMap] Interactive World map updated every three hours.

[[Category:Weather| ]]
[[Category:Menubar]]

[[es:Clima]]
[[pl:Pogoda]]

Weather

2026-05-20T03:28:39Z

AirplaneMode: adjust the order

FlightGear simulates '''weather''' through one of two weather engines, that provide real weather fetch, predefined weather scenarios, [[3D clouds]] and much more. Weather simulation is not easy, and setting up these systems for the most general needs will be explained below, as well as the features they provide.
[[File:Local_weather_0.85_01.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Advanced Weather clouds over the mountains from 2010]]

== Fundamentals ==
[[File:Weather scenario selection.png|thumb|250px|Weather scenario selection in the main Weather dialog. You can also see where the METAR is shown, and can be edited in ''Manual input'' mode]]
[[File:Windboundaries.png|thumb|250px|A drawing giving an idea of what's the boundary/aloft layer separation (drawn in red)]]
[[File:ASW20_summerday1.jpg|thumb|350px|Advanced Weather can simulate the conditions for [[soaring]] (2014)]]
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, especially the {{wikipedia|troposphere}}, at a given time for a given place. Calculating the complete atmosphere or even a small part of it is extremely demanding in computing power. Hence, FlightGear calculates the state of the atmosphere only for a vertical line beginning at earth's center straight through your aircraft up to an appropriate altitude. For every point along this line, the following fundamental parameters are calculated:
* '''temperature''': usually in °C.
* '''{{wikipedia|dew point}}''': indicating at what temperature the air in that point would become a "cloud". It gives an indication of the {{wikipedia|relative humidity}}.
* '''pressure''': in inches of mercury (inHg) or hectopascals (hPa)
* '''density''': this affects the behaviour of the aircraft.
* '''wind''': usually in knots (kt), includes the vertical component and any turbulence.
* '''visibility''': usually in meters or statute miles (''not'' nautical! 1 SM is ~1600 m), tries to define how far an object can be seen, horizontally.

=== Atmosphere layers ===
Like the real atmosphere, the simulated one is divided in layers. For what concerns flight, a first distinction is made with the ''boundary layer'' and the ''aloft layer''. The {{wikipedia|Planetary boundary layer|boundary layer}} is the thin one close to ground, where the atmosphere, mainly the wind, is affected by the earth's surface. Its thickness may vary depending on how rough the ground is (e.g. sea as opposed to Alps), but in general it's less than 600 ft AGL. The aloft layer is immediately above the boundary one, and is by definition not affected by ground, i.e. there is free to flow air.

Within these layers, there are other sub-layers that can be defined, because the atmosphere still changes a lot, especially in the aloft layer. These sub-layers in FlightGear define the state of the fundamental parameters above, and can specifically define the presence of clouds. For the points in between, the values are calculated by interpolation, e.g. if you're halfway between two, the values will be set to the average.

=== Clouds ===
Real life clouds are humidity that become visible when dew point and temperature match, that is when air is saturated. Computing this for the whole atmosphere would be very realistic, and would need, again, some supercomputers, some patience and a huge amount of real data.

Clouds are therefore simulated by specifying at what altitudes they should be, their kind (fluffy, flat, cotton balls...) and other cloud-related phenomenons (precipitations, thermals...) To make things realistic one must either know very well what to do (Basic Weather) or rely on some advanced algorithms (Advanced weather.) Or use a preset scenario.

=== Scenarios and METAR ===
Defining weather can be a tedious task, as setting all the parameters for each layer is not everybody's fun. For this reason, in the in-sim dialog ''Environment > Weather Conditions'' you can choose what is called a ''weather scenario''. Scenarios are presets of weather conditions.

Besides scenarios, FlightGear has a built in [[METAR]] interpreter. This can read the coded weather information from a METAR and apply a more or less reasonable weather, that matches the conditions described in the METAR. Since a METAR ''only describes the weather at a station on the ground'', many parameters, esp. for the higher atmosphere are ''just plain guesses'' which just try to be reasonable.

You can either pass a METAR string with the [[command line options]] (<tt>--metar=</tt>) or choose ''Live data'' or ''Manual input'' from the ''Weather Conditions'' drop-down menu, where you can enable live weather data or enter your own METAR. The ''Live data'' option enables a task that calculates your nearest airport and fetches the current METAR for that station from NOAA weather service.

== The two weather systems ==
The two systems are generally referred to as:
* '''Basic weather''' (BW), the historical and default weather system (sometimes called ''Global weather''), and
* '''Advanced weather''' (AW), formerly known as ''Local weather'' and called ''Detailed weather'' in-sim (this is probably a leftover of previous dialog designs.)

Although they model the same thing, they don't have much in common. Here's a non-exhaustive comparison:
{| class="wikitable" width="60%"
! Basic Weather
! Advanced Weather
|-
| Very simple and straightforward to setup and customize, but can lead to non-realistic conditions and doesn't integrate some advanced features.
| Can be puzzling, but it treats all the variables as a whole keeping things close to reality.
|-
| Knows nothing about the effect of terrain on weather.
| Can make clouds and wind climb up a slope and flow around a mountain peak, and generate thermals consistent with the ground and the clouds (and much more.)
|-
| Applies the same weather conditions for your position and for every other part of the world.
| Can be set up to simulate realistic weather distribution.
|-
| Lets you specify visibility.
| Forces visibility to be consistent with the weather.
|-
| Is part of the FlightGear C++ code.
| Runs in [[Nasal]] space.
|}

To make it short, each of them has their pros and cons, but in general:
* if you plan to tweak the weather setup, be ready to read some documentation, at least this article and especially for AW;
* if you plan to simply use the weather scenarios, you should probably try AW, because out of the box it gives more realistic results.

== Basic Weather ==
[[File:Basic weather selected.png|thumb|350px|Basic Weather selected in the main Weather dialog]]
In Basic Weather most calculations are based on the {{wikipedia|International Standard Atmosphere}}. The default weather definition is:
* Boundary layer, 0ft, wind 270° at 3 kt, visib. 16093.4m, 29.92inHG (1013hPa), temp. 15°C, dewpoint 5°C
* Boundary layer, 500ft, wind 280° at 6 kt
* Aloft layer, 5000ft, wind 300° at 10 kt
* Aloft layer, 10000ft, wind 310° at 20 kt
* Aloft layer, 18000ft, wind 320° at 30 kt
* Aloft layer, 24000ft, wind 330° at 50 kt
* Aloft layer, 30000ft, wind 340° at 70 kt
All other values are derived from these parameters. The atmospheric parameters described here are defined in <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Environment/environment.xml</tt>, but they can be changed in-sim by selecting ''Environment > Weather Conditions'' from the menu, enabling ''Manually Configure Weather'' and clicking the ''Manual Configuration...'' button. When you want to start FlightGear with the default weather settings mentioned above you have to take care about disabling METAR Data. You can do this by running FlightGear with the following options:

<source>
--prop:/environment/params/metar-updates-environment=false
--prop:/environment/params/metar-updates-winds-aloft=false
--prop:/environment/params/metar-updates-snow-level=false
</source>

Of course, that's not the only way to configure BW. In fact, it supports the weather scenarios and can read METAR data, be it manually inserted or fetched on-the-fly.

In any case, you have to click ''Apply'' or ''OK'' to make the choice effective.

''Remember that any weather you set up, it will be applied to the whole world.''

=== Manual configuration ===
[[File:Basic weather dialog.png|thumb|350px|Manual configuration dialog for Basic Weather]]
The Basic Weather manual configuration dialog is mainly split in four: cloud layers, precipitations and pressure, aloft layers and boundary layers.

==== Clouds ====
Clouds are stacked in layers and for each layer the defining parameters for clouds are:
* coverage (clear, few, scattered, broken, overcast)
* the altitude of cloud base (Above Mean Sea Level)
* the thickness (distance from cloud base to cloud top)
Once again, the definition of the default cloud set is in preferences.xml.

==== Precipitations and pressure ====
Precipitation should be pretty clear, just notice that only one of snow or rain can be active at one time, and that the change is smoothed, so you have to wait some time to see the full effect of the precipitation. QNH is where to set the pressure at sea level.

==== Snow and rain on ground ====
Only the [[ALS]] pipeline can procedurally draw these deposits (September 2020). Deposits of [[snow]] and rain on the ground depend on the history of precipitation. Snow can linger for weeks. As it's impossible to know the amount deposited based on the amount falling at one time, these deposits are set from the ''Environment > Environment settings'' dialog. The ''snow line'', ''snow thickness'', and ''ground wetness'' (puddles) can be set manually. The "''Set maximum snow level from METAR''" option automatically creates a nominal snow-line based on METAR and latitude.

==== Aloft and boundary layers ====
The layers tables can be filled with information on altitude (elevation AGL for the boundary layer), wind direction and speed, visibility, temperature and dew point, turbulence. These values will be interpolated for the heights in between.

== Advanced Weather ==
[[File:Advanced weather selected.png|thumb|350px|Advanced Weather selected in the main Weather dialog]]
[[File:AW Weather patterns.jpg|thumb|Weather pattern in the Advanced Weather scenarios. You can see the various airmasses.]]
[[File:Clouds-nimbostratus.jpg|thumb|400px|It can't rain all the tile. (2010)]]
[[File:Advanced weather tile selection mode.png|thumb|Tile selection mode from Advanced Weather settings]]
''If you're in a hurry, please read at least the [[#Quirks|Quirks]] section, for your own good''.

Advanced Weather not only tries to be more realistic than the Basic Weather, but also adds some effects and tries to keep them all bound together like they are in real life. This means, to give some examples, that clouds move with the wind, and the thermals that generated them in a sunny day will move with them and keep evolving with them, varying their own activity during the day, since when they start where it's more probable (depending on ground type) to when they die over the water or because the ground heat vanishes with the sunset.

Such convective system, and other details like the ridge lift, allow not just for a nice distribution of clouds, but even for [[soaring|simulating soaring with gliders]]. And these are just some small scale effects.

=== Advanced Weather scenarios ===
Advanced Weather can also take into account the larger scale phenomenon of the interaction of high and low pressure areas. However, this can work only with some specific "offline" scenarios and another particular setting (see [[#General settings|tile modes]] below), because they allow making assumptions that the METAR (live or manual) with its limited information doesn't permit (even if live METAR can compensate this to some degree.) These scenarios are:
* Core high pressure region
* High pressure region
* Border of a high pressure region
* Border of a low pressure region
* Low pressure region
* Core low pressure region
* Warm sector

These correspond to some ''{{wikipedia|Air mass|airmasses}}'' which are well defined areas of a map (see the picture) that simulate a classic patterns of {{wikipedia|Extratropical cyclone|cyclones}} and {{wikipedia|Anticyclone|anticyclones}}, as we often see them in the weather forecast maps of mid-latitude areas. So, for example, if you start flying in a low pressure region and keep flying towards E-N-E, you will eventually see how the weather changes while you move to higher pressure regions. Being a large scale phenomenon, this of course requires mid or long range flights.

Tropical areas currently have a ''weather tile'' definition but it's not used by any scenario. Also, at the moment there's no definition for polar areas.

In any case, you have to click ''Apply'' or ''OK'' to make the choice effective.

==== Weather tiles ====
This will be just a quick peek under the hood of Advanced Weather. This weather simulation engine approaches the problem of the local weather definition by using ''weather tiles'' 40x40 km² wide. There are predefined weather tiles corresponding to certain conditions, and the way AW places them is configurable, to some extent (see [[#Tile selection mode|below]].)

With some knowledge of [[Nasal]], it is also possible to [[Advanced weather#Creating custom Weather Tiles|define custom tiles]] which can reproduce particular, very ''local'' weather conditions or phenomena (e.g. wind shear).

In normal conditions, though, you don't have to worry about weather tiles.

=== Advanced configuration ===
[[File:Advanced weather dialog.png|thumb|270px|Settings dialog for Advanced Weather]]
Although the ''Advanced Weather Configuration'' dialog doesn't look that complex, some of the options need a good understanding of what they do. Actually, most of them affect or are affected by other options, and this requires a special care, because you might try to combine incompatible settings or spend hours in tuning one that is disabled.

==== General settings ====
Here you can set the ''Tile selection mode'' and terrain presampling options.

When ''Terrain presampling'' is enabled, AW analyzes the terrain height to consider it in its calculations of the distribution of clouds.

Once this is activated, the ''Terrain effects'' option becomes available. When checked, the ''type'' of terrain (city, crops...) is also taken into account for the distribution of clouds, and their thermals if enabled; also, the shape of terrain determines ridge lift. This option is especially recommended to glider pilots, while the faster and higher pilots won't notice it, most of the time.

However, if ''Terrain presampling'' is disabled to save some CPU time, AW will not know about ground and will put cloud layers as if at sea level. This is not bad if you ''are'' at sea level, but if you're on the Himalaya you might have clouds underground. So, you might have to set the ''Altitude offset'' conveniently.

The ''Temperature offset'' is used with scenarios. Since they come with their own pre-defined temperature, that's the only way to simulate winter using them, so if you select a high pressure tile but specify a -45 deg temperature offset, you'll end up somewhere around -10 deg and get a decent arctic airmass for the effort. It has nothing to do with terrain effects.

The ''Tile selection mode'' specifies how tiles are automatically generated once the aircraft reaches the border of the original tile. It is a good idea to leave this setting as you find it, because it's automatically set when a scenario or METAR is selected. For those who dare, here's an explanation of the options:
* ''single tile'' just won't generate any further tiles. If you go outside of that beware of dragons.
* ''repeat tile'' creates new tiles of the same type as the originally selected tile, randomized to some degree. It only works with AW scenarios (to which actually corresponds a tile definition) and is automatically selected with ''Thunderstorm''.
* ''realistic weather'' works only with the AW scenarios, and is automatically selected with them. It simulates the realistic distribution of airmasses.
* ''METAR'' is automatically selected with ''Live data'' and ''Manual input'' and non-AW scenarios. Basically, it tries to give the best interpretation of the METAR string.

The first two are good ones if you're testing a custom tile to simulate a particular weather condition, and can't be made to work with all the scenarios. Most of the time, however, the other two options are the right choice, and they're also automatically selected, so you probably shouldn't care about this option.

==== Wind settings ====
[[File:Advanced weather winds dialog.png|thumb|350px|Wind configuration from Advanced Weather settings. This works in ''Aloft interpolation'' and ''Aloft waypoint'' mode.]]
[[File:Advanced weather wind models.png|thumb|A representation of Advanced Weather wind models]]
This is the trickiest part. We'll describe each setting singularly, and in what cases they can be used/will have effect.

''Wind direction'' and ''speed'' define ''the lowest aloft wind'' in a height convenient to the atmospheric boundary layer thickness. If ''terrain presampling'' is disabled, the boundary layer thickness is 600 feet above ground level. The definition of the ''wind direction'' and ''speed'' has no effect in METAR tile mode (because AW deduces it from the METAR itself, which reports the ''ground'' wind) and/or when the wind model is ''aloft interpolated'' or ''aloft waypoint'' (because that wind is used instead - see below). Otherwise you can use it.

''Gust settings'' are the happiest ones: they always work, immediately, no click needed, but if a new live METAR comes in (because you moved to a new area) they'll be overwritten. Their meaning should be self-explanatory. Note that gusts are only effective in the height above ground level of 1.2 times "lowest aloft wind speed"/ 10.0 times boundary layer altitude, i.e. when close enough to the ground.

''Wind model'' defines how the wind should change in space:
* ''constant'' sets the same wind everywhere, as specified in the dialog or derived from the METAR. This wind is the lowest aloft wind, and the boundary layer behaves consistently.
* ''constant in tile'' is like the above, but adds a wee bit of realism by introducing little changes in the wind direction and speed when crossing tiles.
* ''aloft interpolated'' allows to specify through the ''Wind Configuration'' dialog how aloft winds change with altitude, similarly to Basic Weather. Does not work in METAR mode.
* ''aloft waypoints'' is like the above, but lets you specify many positions (called here "waypoints") and AW will interpolate them in the 3D space. In METAR mode it works automatically and, instead of using the user data, it guesses the vertical distribution of winds on its own based on the reported ground wind, especially using as waypoints the live METAR stations.

Finally, the ''Wind Configuration'' dialog, reachable with the button at the bottom, is the one used by the ''aloft'' wind models. It should be self explaining, but remember to set at least one waypoint if you want to use ''aloft waypoints'' in non-METAR mode. Also, the value for level ''zero'' is not meant to be ground level, but the lowest aloft layer, i.e. the one just above the boundary layer. This dialog is especially uncomfortable with waypoints, because that mode is intended for use with [[Howto: Fetch live aloft data|live aloft wind data]], that someday might become available (again.)

Note that the boundary layer is always calculated, but is less realistic without terrain effects.

==== Thermic and visibility settings ====
''Generate thermals'' should be clear. It depends on having ''Terrain effects'' enabled, and the size and intensity of these thermals can be set with the ''Convective conditions'' slider: ''rough'' makes them very localized and entering them will give you a good shake, while ''low'' makes them larger, with less lift and little to no turbulence while entering them.

''Ground haze'', ''Air pollution'' and ''Fog properties'' work as you move them, so we'll let you find out what they do. However, they work only when not in [[Project Rembrandt|Rembrandt mode]] and with [[Atmospheric light scattering]] enabled.

''Max visibility'' is there to prevent that AW sets a too high visibility that could kill your framerate. Preventing a dangerously high visibility is also why you need to check ''Realistic visibility'' to get a few more kilometers, but it's still on the conservative side. More on visibility [[#Visibility, cloud distance and performance|below]].

==== Weather pattern scales ====
These options are active only when in ''realistic weather'' mode, and are most useful if you're a medium or long haul flyer.

''Airmass'' controls the transition between different airmasses, that are typical for the predefined weather tiles. The airmass slider regulates the property /local-weather/config/large-scale-persistence. The values you can set through the silder vary between 0.5 (''small'') and 2.0 (''large''). It determines how long you are flying in a specific weather tile and if the weather tile will change while entering the tile border. A low value reduces the probability for staying in the same weather tile whereas a high value makes it very probably that the current weather tile does not change (see weather_tile_management.nas).

''Cloud patterns'' is in a way bound to the previous setting. For each tile type there are some basic cloud layer definitions (patterns) that are chosen randomly. The ''cloud patterns'' slider defines how "often" spatially these patterns change. With a ''large'' scale the theme of clouds will remain similar within each airmass, a ''small'' scale allows for more variation.

=== Quirks & caveats ===
[[File:3D clouds.jpg|thumb|350px|Clouds as they were in 2008]]
Advanced Weather and its interface are known to have some idiosyncrasies and non intuitive behavior. In general, a good way of thinking of the AW engine is that it needs to be started and that, once running, can't be widely adjusted without a restart, i.e. clicking OK again. Here are some hints:
* If you clicked OK and can't see any cloud at all, you probably set up things in a way that AW doesn't like. Incompatible settings are described above.
* If you made some changes, but you can't ''see'' any even after clicking OK, and the above case is not applicable, you probably didn't follow the working pattern that AW requires:
*# select the scenario (or METAR) (this will likely overwrite some of the advanced settings)
*# open the advanced settings and make a (compatible) setting, then click OK
*# if needed, set the sim time
*# click Apply or OK in the main weather dialog.
* If you change scenario (or METAR) while the advanced settings dialog is open, it might not be consistently updated. Better to close it before changing scenario, to avoid misunderstandings.
Again, these problems are known, and are tough enough to tackle that they managed to survive through various interface redesigns.

More quirks:
* The ''actual weather simulation'' is the weather scenarios that describe the {{Wikipedia|air mass|airmasses}} around your starting position, like reading a {{Wikipedia|Weather map|weather map}} around a position. These are what people intuitively expect coming into a simulation, and what should be normally used.The weather changes as you move, or with time. Weather simulations are driven by terrain shape and surface materials, as well as other things like sunlight. Enable ''Weather > Advanced settings > Terrain presampling'' and ''terrain effects'' (may cause slowdown in extremely old CPUs). The results of each scenario depend on the terrain around you. Simulated scenarios: core high pressure region (fair weather), high pressure region, border of a high pressure region, border of a low pressure region, low pressure region, and warm sector. You can tell which ones these are as ''Weather > Advanced settings > Tile selection'' is automatically set to ''realistic weather''.
* "''Live data''" (live METAR) is not a simulation. No live weather service is - at any location you get weather belonging to one time of day, one day, one season, one long-term weather pattern like drought. Simulate another time of day, and it's wrong. Rare weather is unlikely when you fly. METAR data is also lacking and imperfect.
* You can press "''Apply''" to get a new set of values for randomised properties. Atmosphere state is very complex. There are many different possibilities for scenarios that describe airmasses around you. There are way more properties than is presented in the UI, or can be presented without people accidentally making physically impossible combinations. These properties are randomised at each time AW starts.
* Use ''Weather > Advanced settings > Temperature offset'' with scenarios to simulate higher or lower temperatures. This is the only way to simulate winter. Rainy scenarios produce snow-fall as appropriate.
* Use ''[[Weather#Snow and rain on ground|Environment > Environment settings]]'' for rain on the ground, or adjusting snow deposits - these depend on history of weather, not weather at any instant.

=== Autostarting Advanced Weather ===
In modern FlightGear Advanced Weather can be specified at start up [[FlightGear Qt launcher]] > Settings > Environment > Advanced Weather Modelling. You may also select a start up scenario, but as of 2020.3.11 LTS, you need to use the in-sim menu for other options (Nov 2021). See [[command line options]] if you are starting from the command-line - a list of options set by the launcher is available.

In older era FlightGear: use <tt>--prop:/local-weather/autostart=1</tt> and then check the property in the Nasal init code using <tt>getprop("/local-weather/autostart")</tt>, if it's true, invoke the same routines as the dialog's ok/apply buttons (see the corresponding bindings), and you'll end up with a fully optional autostart-feature. To retain the setting, set the <tt>userarchive</tt> attribute to true. Yes, it's not straightforward.

=== More on Advanced Weather ===
If you're interested in knowing all that the Advanced Weather engine does and can do, and its inner workings, in FlightGear's base package documentation there is <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Docs/README.local_weather.html</tt>. Although outdated with respect to the user interface, the mechanisms and principles are still valid.

The original project was presented in [[Advanced weather]].

== Visibility, cloud distance and performance ==
[[File:X-15-iceland03.jpg|thumb|400px|Now, that's what I call a decent visibility (caution: this screenshot was taken on high end hardware of 2014)]]
Basic Weather keeps visibility and weather relatively untied: by using the {{key press|z}} and {{key press|shift|z}} keys you can set the visibility you like.

Advanced Weather does the opposite, setting visibility to what the atmosphere condition suggests. However, this could set a too high visibility that could lead to bad performance. For this reason, using {{key press|z}} and {{key press|shift|z}} doesn't work as with Basic Weather, but sets the ''Max visibility'' we've already seen.

Moreover, using live METAR data will often not give the same good visibility you have out of the window. This is because the METAR string is often reported with visibility in meters, in which case the maximum is 9999 m even if it's way more. That is because METAR is intended for airport operations, not for full weather reports. AW knows that, but does what it can.

For both these reasons you might be unsatisfied with the visibility you're presented with in AW. If ''realistic visibility'' is not enough for you, you can "artificially" increase it by using ''Manual input'' and specifying it in statute miles. This way you can bypass the limit of the 9999 meters, and the atmosphere condition is adjusted accordingly and stays coherent.

The same partially applies also to how far clouds are drawn. The system is designed to draw them as far as 80 km (at least in AW), but that would easily kill the framerate of most machines. So, the slider in the ''Rendering options'' dialog is limited to 45 km. You can set it to higher values (max 80 km) by opening the property browser and editing <tt>/sim/rendering/cloud-visibility-range</tt>. In FG 3.2, though, new rendering techniques ("impostors") will allow for larger limits.

== Advanced Weather Gallery ==
''Remember the [[Advanced Weather]] options from the [[menu]] inside the simulator, <code>Environment > Weather > Detailed weather > Advanced settings</code>. These screenshots have turned on things like terrain effects, terrain presampling, cloud shadows, realistic visibility, generate thermals, as well as configuring of sliders like for convection or hazes. [https://www.flightgear.org/tours/simulating-the-ever-changing-scenery/ Environment simulation] options like snow-line are set from <code>Environment > Environment settings</code>. The <code>View > Rendering</code> dialog has visualisation options for the local windfield on vegetation, precipitation, visible cloud range and density etc.

''Click to enlarge.''

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Pterosaur over Mount Waialeale on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii ( Flightgear 2019.x ) 01.jpg|alt=Pterosaur over Mount Waialeale on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii ( Flightgear 2019.x )
File:Lightning strike illuminating nearby clouds - Flightgear 2019.x.jpg|alt=Lightning strike illuminating nearby clouds - Flightgear
File:SOTM 2018-09 Back from work honey by GinGin.jpg
File:Eurocopter EC135 over wet volumetric grass in Innsbruck Airport (LOWI), Austria (Flightgear 2018.x).jpg|alt=Puddles from previous rain. Eurocopter EC135 over wet volumetric grass in Innsbruck Airport (LOWI), Austria (Flightgear 2018.x)|Puddles from previous rain
File:Gazelle on the slopes of a shield volcano in Hawaii showing overlay detail on ground (FlightGear 2018.x).jpg|Wisps of volumetric cloud
File:Bell 412 and clouds on the slope of Mount Etna in Sicily (Flightgear 2019.x).jpg
File:SOTM 2018-12 Stormy Day by GinGin.jpg
File:Shuttle launch at sunrise.jpg
File:Bell 412 over a snowcapped Mount Etna in Sicily in winter (Flightgear 2019.x) 02.jpg
File:Bell 412 over a snowcapped Mount Etna, Sicily - Flightgear 2019.x.jpg
File:SOTM 2020-01 The Goddness of Love & Beauty in iridescence by eatdirt.jpg|Scattering by ice crystals
File:C172p-frost.jpg|Frost from cool external temperatures
File:EC135 Sea of fog.jpg|Ground fog
File:Lightning05.jpg|Lightning
File:Kilauea Lava fountain and Sun halo in Hawaii (Flightgear 2018.3).jpg|alt=Ice crystals from a 22 degree halo. The halo is red as the light reaching it is red (out-scattering). Flightgear.|Ice crystals from a 22 degree halo. The halo is red as the light reaching it is red (out-scattering)
File:Pterosaur over Blue Mountains in Australia with signature blue haze (Flightgear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Pterosaur over Blue Mountains in Australia with signature blue haze (Flightgear 2020.x)|Smog particle modelling: Blue haze from organic smog released by Eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains of Australia
File:SOTM 2019-03 Magical cloud lighting by vnts.jpg|alt=Magical cloud lighting by vnts in FlightGear
File:SOTM 2019-07 Angelic Return by GinGin.jpg|alt=Angelic Return (Space Shuttle) by GinGin in FlightGear.
File:SOTM 2020-03 Mystic Misty by GinGin (Space Shuttle on launchpad, Florida).jpg|alt=Mystic Misty by GinGin (Space Shuttle on launchpad, Florida) in FlightGear.
File:SOTM 2019-07 Grass Greeting in Banjul by eatdirt.jpg|alt=Grass swaying from the local windfield in Banjul (Space Shuttle) by eatdirt in FlightGear.|Grass swaying from the local windfield
File:C182 at dawn.jpg|alt=C182 at dawn in FlightGear.
File:Pterosaur over Blue Mountains near Katoomba in Australia (FlightGear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Note layer of moisture modeled by Advanced weather Pterosaur over Blue Mountains near Katoomba in Australia (FlightGear 2020.x)|Note layer of moisture modeled by Advanced weather
File:SOTM 2018-11 Morning Mountain flight by StuartC.jpg|alt=Snow accumulates more on slopes that are less steep. Morning Mountain flight in FlightGear|Snow accumulates more on slopes that are less steep
File:Sun dog and ice halo, from top of Mount Herdubreid volcano in Iceland (Flightgear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Sun halo (22 degree ring), Sun pillar (vertical line through the sun), and Sun dogs (left and right of the sun). FlightGear 2020.3 LTS|Sun halo (22 degree ring), Sun pillar (vertical line through the sun), and Sun dogs (left and right of the sun)
File:Aurora and ice halo (Flightgear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Aurora and Ice halo. The sun is below the horizon. The rays of the low sun are red. making the halo red. FlightGear 2020.x.|Aurora and Ice halo. The sun is below the horizon. The rays of the low sun are red. making the halo red
File:Rainbow in iceland (Flightgear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Rainbow in iceland (Flightgear 2020.x)
File:Madrid at dawn in FlightGear 2020.x with the 1st world-build of OSM2City.jpg|alt=Madrid at dawn in FlightGear 2020.x with the 1st world-build of OSM2City|Hazy dawn. Morning fog in the distance has structure - it's patchy. There is some smog.
File:Tidal flats at low tide in Morecambe Bay in England (Flightgear 2020.x) 04.jpg|alt=Tidal flats at low tide in Morecambe Bay in England (Flightgear 2020.x)
File:Clouds in the mountains of Corsica (FlightGear 2020.x).jpg|alt=Clouds in the mountains of Corsica (FlightGear 2020.x)
File:Iceland in FlightGear 2020 01 Volcanic plume and snow (Aerospatiale Alouette III).jpg|alt=Iceland in FlightGear 2020 01 Volcanic plume and snow (Aerospatiale Alouette III)|[[Volcanoes|Volcanic]] eruptions have turbulent windfields
File:The Jet Nest sculpture at Keflavik International Airport (BIKF) in Iceland (Flightgear 2020.x) 1024 04.jpg|alt=The Jet Nest sculpture at Keflavik International Airport (BIKF) in Iceland (Flightgear 2020.x)
File:Aurora with low sun.jpg|alt=Aurora with low sun in FlightGear.
File:Icelandair01.png
</gallery>

== Related content ==
* [[Howto: Fetch live aloft data]]
* [[Weather reports]]
* [[Turbulence]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.badbadweather.com/ badbadweather.com] "Worst METAR reports worldwide for Flight Simulation"
* [https://earth.nullschool.net/ EarthWindMap] Interactive World map updated every three hours.

[[Category:Weather| ]]
[[Category:Menubar]]

[[es:Clima]]
[[pl:Pogoda]]

Next newsletter

2026-05-19T00:09:19Z

AirplaneMode: template

The next [[FlightGear Newsletter]] is:
* previous month: [[FlightGear Newsletter {{#time: F Y | now -1 month}}]]
* current month: [[FlightGear Newsletter {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}]]

[[Category:FlightGear Newsletter]]

Table of models

2026-05-18T21:12:50Z

AirplaneMode: redirect out-of-date page

#redirect [[aircraft]]

Release plan

2026-05-16T10:15:45Z

AirplaneMode:

{{GitStatus}}

The '''release plan''' is the process by which a new version of [[FlightGear]] is released. The release plan is actually a continual work-in-progress, and is refined with every new release and how much available resource and interest there is.

[[File:ReleasePlan.jpg|thumb|250px|The original release plan.]]
FlightGear has had multiple release plans over [[FlightGear History|history]].
* Originally, releases were sporadic, irregular and took many months of manual preparation.
* Subsequently a release plan was developed by Mathias Fröhlich, Martin Spott, Thorsten Brehm and Torsten Dreyer during [[LinuxTag]] 2011.
* A more regular plan was proposed by Torsten Dreyer after the 3.6 release was [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|cancelled]].
* Currently "Long Term Support" (LTS) releases are generated every ~24 months, with intermittent "preview" releases between them which receive less testing and support.

To suggest improvements and/or changes to the release plan, it is recommended to get in touch via the [[mailing list]]. Improvements can be based on the [[Release plan/Lessons learned|lessons learned]] from previous releases. However, do not underestimate the amount of effort go create a new release! Most of the burden falls on a few people.

== General release concept ==
At any given time there are two release "stream":
* A stable release stream. This is a stable release to which bug fixes are applied, and will be active for up to two years. Most users and aircraft developers use this release. Currently {{current release|cr}}.
* A "preview" release, based on the development branch "next". This is for those interested in the latest developments. There is not currently a preview release.

== Version numbers ==
FlightGear version numbers consist of three digits, separated by dots:

* '''Year''' (2020.1.0): The year the version was released.
* '''Number''' (2020.1.0): Which release of the year the version is.
* '''Revision''' (2020.1.0): The patch revision on that release.

{{note|In general, release are referred to by their first two digits (e.g., 2020.3). However, when filing a bug report or debugging problems, it is a good idea to give the full release number.}}

== Version files ==
; FGData: {{fgdata file|version}}
; SimGear: {{simgear file|simgear-version}}
; FlightGear: {{flightgear file|flightgear-version}}

== Bug tracker ==
The bug tracker can be seen at [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/work_items Work items] and [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/boards Issue boards].


== Lessons learned ==
See [[Release plan/Lessons learned]] for a list of things that turned out well and should be kept for the next release as well as thing that didn't turn out so well and should be changed for future releases. Ideally, the release plan should be updated and augmented so that the lessons learned are incorporated accordingly.


== Wiki articles that should be updated ==

See: [[:Category:Articles to be updated for each release]]

== Related content ==
=== Mailing lists ===
* {{cite web
|url = http://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/34701971/
|title = <nowiki>[Flightgear-devel] Release 3.8</nowiki>
|author = Torsten Dreyer
|date = Dec 17th, 2015
}}

[[Category:Core developer documentation]]
[[Category:FlightGear]]
[[Category:Release plans]]

[[fr:Release plan]]

Release plan

2026-05-16T10:13:06Z

AirplaneMode: /* Bug tracker */ typo

{{GitStatus}}

The '''release plan''' is the process by which a new version of [[FlightGear]] is released. The release plan is actually a continual work-in-progress, and is refined with every new release and how much available resource and interest there is.

[[File:ReleasePlan.jpg|thumb|250px|The original release plan.]]
FlightGear has had multiple release plans over [[FlightGear History|history]].
* Originally, releases were sporadic, irregular and took many months of manual preparation.
* Subsequently a release plan was developed by Mathias Fröhlich, Martin Spott, Thorsten Brehm and Torsten Dreyer during [[LinuxTag]] 2011.
* A more regular plan was proposed by Torsten Dreyer after the 3.6 release was [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|cancelled]].
* Currently "Long Term Support" (LTS) releases are generated every ~24 months, with intermittent "preview" releases between them which receive less testing and support.

To suggest improvements and/or changes to the release plan, it is recommended to get in touch via the [[mailing list]]. Improvements can be based on the [[Release plan/Lessons learned|lessons learned]] from previous releases. However, do not underestimate the amount of effort go create a new release! Most of the burden falls on a few people.

== General release concept ==
At any given time there are two release "stream":
* A stable release stream. This is a stable release to which bug fixes are applied, and will be active for up to two years. Most users and aircraft developers use this release. Currently {{current release|cr}}.
* A "preview" release, based on the development branch "next". This is for those interested in the latest developments. There is not currently a preview release.

== Version numbers ==
FlightGear version numbers consist of three digits, separated by dots:

* '''Year''' (2020.1.0): The year the version was released.
* '''Number''' (2020.1.0): Which release of the year the version is.
* '''Revision''' (2020.1.0): The patch revision on that release.

{{note|In general, release are referred to by their first two digits (e.g., 2020.3). However, when filing a bug report or debugging problems, it is a good idea to give the full release number.}}

== Version files ==
; FGData: {{fgdata file|version}}
; SimGear: {{simgear file|simgear-version}}
; FlightGear: {{flightgear file|flightgear-version}}

== Bug tracker ==
The bug tracker can be seen at [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/work_items Work items] and [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/boards Issue boards].



== Lessons learned ==
See [[Release plan/Lessons learned]] for a list of things that turned out well and should be kept for the next release as well as thing that didn't turn out so well and should be changed for future releases. Ideally, the release plan should be updated and augmented so that the lessons learned are incorporated accordingly.


== Wiki articles that should be updated ==

See: [[:Category:Articles to be updated for each release]]

== Related content ==
=== Mailing lists ===
* {{cite web
|url = http://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/34701971/
|title = <nowiki>[Flightgear-devel] Release 3.8</nowiki>
|author = Torsten Dreyer
|date = Dec 17th, 2015
}}

[[Category:Core developer documentation]]
[[Category:FlightGear]]
[[Category:Release plans]]

[[fr:Release plan]]

Release plan

2026-05-16T10:12:34Z

AirplaneMode:

{{GitStatus}}

The '''release plan''' is the process by which a new version of [[FlightGear]] is released. The release plan is actually a continual work-in-progress, and is refined with every new release and how much available resource and interest there is.

[[File:ReleasePlan.jpg|thumb|250px|The original release plan.]]
FlightGear has had multiple release plans over [[FlightGear History|history]].
* Originally, releases were sporadic, irregular and took many months of manual preparation.
* Subsequently a release plan was developed by Mathias Fröhlich, Martin Spott, Thorsten Brehm and Torsten Dreyer during [[LinuxTag]] 2011.
* A more regular plan was proposed by Torsten Dreyer after the 3.6 release was [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|cancelled]].
* Currently "Long Term Support" (LTS) releases are generated every ~24 months, with intermittent "preview" releases between them which receive less testing and support.

To suggest improvements and/or changes to the release plan, it is recommended to get in touch via the [[mailing list]]. Improvements can be based on the [[Release plan/Lessons learned|lessons learned]] from previous releases. However, do not underestimate the amount of effort go create a new release! Most of the burden falls on a few people.

== General release concept ==
At any given time there are two release "stream":
* A stable release stream. This is a stable release to which bug fixes are applied, and will be active for up to two years. Most users and aircraft developers use this release. Currently {{current release|cr}}.
* A "preview" release, based on the development branch "next". This is for those interested in the latest developments. There is not currently a preview release.

== Version numbers ==
FlightGear version numbers consist of three digits, separated by dots:

* '''Year''' (2020.1.0): The year the version was released.
* '''Number''' (2020.1.0): Which release of the year the version is.
* '''Revision''' (2020.1.0): The patch revision on that release.

{{note|In general, release are referred to by their first two digits (e.g., 2020.3). However, when filing a bug report or debugging problems, it is a good idea to give the full release number.}}

== Version files ==
; FGData: {{fgdata file|version}}
; SimGear: {{simgear file|simgear-version}}
; FlightGear: {{flightgear file|flightgear-version}}

== Bug tracker ==
The bug tracker can be seem at [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/work_items Work items] and [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/boards Issue boards].


== Lessons learned ==
See [[Release plan/Lessons learned]] for a list of things that turned out well and should be kept for the next release as well as thing that didn't turn out so well and should be changed for future releases. Ideally, the release plan should be updated and augmented so that the lessons learned are incorporated accordingly.


== Wiki articles that should be updated ==

See: [[:Category:Articles to be updated for each release]]

== Related content ==
=== Mailing lists ===
* {{cite web
|url = http://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/34701971/
|title = <nowiki>[Flightgear-devel] Release 3.8</nowiki>
|author = Torsten Dreyer
|date = Dec 17th, 2015
}}

[[Category:Core developer documentation]]
[[Category:FlightGear]]
[[Category:Release plans]]

[[fr:Release plan]]

Release plan

2026-05-16T10:12:00Z

AirplaneMode: remove out-of-date contents

{{GitStatus}}

The '''release plan''' is the process by which a new version of [[FlightGear]] is released. The release plan is actually a continual work-in-progress, and is refined with every new release and how much available resource and interest there is.

[[File:ReleasePlan.jpg|thumb|250px|The original release plan.]]
FlightGear has had multiple release plans over [[FlightGear History|history]].
* Originally, releases were sporadic, irregular and took many months of manual preparation.
* Subsequently a release plan was developed by Mathias Fröhlich, Martin Spott, Thorsten Brehm and Torsten Dreyer during [[LinuxTag]] 2011.
* A more regular plan was proposed by Torsten Dreyer after the 3.6 release was [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|cancelled]].
* Currently "Long Term Support" (LTS) releases are generated every ~24 months, with intermittent "preview" releases between them which receive less testing and support.

To suggest improvements and/or changes to the release plan, it is recommended to get in touch via the [[mailing list]]. Improvements can be based on the [[Release plan/Lessons learned|lessons learned]] from previous releases. However, do not underestimate the amount of effort go create a new release! Most of the burden falls on a few people.

== General release concept ==
At any given time there are two release "stream":
* A stable release stream. This is a stable release to which bug fixes are applied, and will be active for up to two years. Most users and aircraft developers use this release. Currently {{current release|cr}}.
* A "preview" release, based on the development branch "next". This is for those interested in the latest developments. There is not currently a preview release.

== Version numbers ==
FlightGear version numbers consist of three digits, separated by dots:

* '''Year''' (2020.1.0): The year the version was released.
* '''Number''' (2020.1.0): Which release of the year the version is.
* '''Revision''' (2020.1.0): The patch revision on that release.

{{note|In general, release are referred to by their first two digits (e.g., 2020.3). However, when filing a bug report or debugging problems, it is a good idea to give the full release number.}}

== Version files ==
; FGData: {{fgdata file|version}}
; SimGear: {{simgear file|simgear-version}}
; FlightGear: {{flightgear file|flightgear-version}}

== Bug tracker ==
The bug tracker can be seem at [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/work_items Work items] and [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/boards Issue boards].



== Lessons learned ==
See [[Release plan/Lessons learned]] for a list of things that turned out well and should be kept for the next release as well as thing that didn't turn out so well and should be changed for future releases. Ideally, the release plan should be updated and augmented so that the lessons learned are incorporated accordingly.


== Wiki articles that should be updated ==

See: [[:Category:Articles to be updated for each release]]

== Related content ==
=== Mailing lists ===
* {{cite web
|url = http://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/34701971/
|title = <nowiki>[Flightgear-devel] Release 3.8</nowiki>
|author = Torsten Dreyer
|date = Dec 17th, 2015
}}

[[Category:Core developer documentation]]
[[Category:FlightGear]]
[[Category:Release plans]]

[[fr:Release plan]]

Howto:Create WS3.0 terrain

2026-05-16T09:46:25Z

AirplaneMode: link

{{WS30 Navbar}}
This article provides instructions on how to generate basic [[WS3.0]] terrain.

WS3.0 terrain consists of three parts:

# A terrain mesh consisting of a landclass texture draped over an elevation model.
# A high resolution water raster used to show water features such as rivers, lakes and coastline with more definition
# Line features such as roads and railways.

The terrain is generated by a set of tools that are packaged in a docker image for convenience.[[File:Diagram-export-21-12-2023-16 29 37.png|thumb|Basic WS3.0 Scenery Generation Process]]

== Prerequisites ==

=== Set up a Workspace ===
Create a directory with the following sub-directories:

* <code>cache</code>
* <code>data</code>
* <code>output/vpb</code>
* <code>output/Terrain</code>

=== Docker ===

# Install [https://docs.docker.com/get-started/ Docker] on your platform.
#Pull the docker image by running the following command

docker pull flightgear/ws30-vpb-generator:latest
Optionally, if you are hitting rate limits:
#Create an account on https://hub.docker.com/. (Note that you will need to click on an email verification link before you can log in for the first time)
#Run <code>docker login</code> before the '''docker pull''' command above

== Getting the base data ==
You need two pieces of data for the area of scenery you are generating:

# An elevation model (aka DEM). This indicates what altitude each point of the surface is.
# Landclass data showing what type of terrain is at each point of the surface. This is often either a Raster (effectively a texture), or vector data.

=== Elevation Model ===
Download the NASADEM elevation model for the area of scenery you wish to generate. This is available in 1x1 degree blocks from [https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/products/nasadem_hgtv001/ here], and with an interactive browser [https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/search here].

Unzip the files into the <code>data</code> directory.

=== Landclass Raster ===
Download an landclass raster for the area of scenery you wish to generate.

* For Europe, use of [https://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/corine-land-cover/clc2018 CORINE] is recommended.
* For the USA [https://www.mrlc.gov/viewer/ NLCD] is recommended
* Sentinel-2 data is available for the entire world via [https://livingatlas.arcgis.com/landcoverexplorer/ ESRI], but has limited set of landclasses.

Put these into the <code>data</code> directory.

More detailed terrain can be created by modifying the landclass raster, and/or generating a new raster from vector data. These processes are discussed below.

== Generating Terrain ==
To generate terrain you need to run the tools within the docker container we installed above. The docker image is like a small, independent virtual computing environment running within your system. This particular docker image has all the scenery generation tools already installed.

=== Running the docker container ===
Firstly, get the container running from the directory containing your <code>cache</code>, <code>data</code> and <code>output</code> directories:
docker run --rm --mount "type=bind,source=`pwd`/data,target=/home/flightgear/data,readonly" --mount "type=bind,source=`pwd`/output,target=/home/flightgear/output" --mount "type=bind,source=`pwd`/cache,target=/home/flightgear/cache" -it flightgear/ws30-vpb-generator:latest /bin/bash

You should now find yourself in a bash shell within your container. You should see data and output directories which are linked to the directories you created earlier:
flightgear@ddcac77f7d5e:~$ ls
cache data output bin scripts
In the Windows environment using Docker Desktop, if you need a path to a source of elevation data and a path to the OSM shoreline shapefiles, you can add the following:
docker run --rm --mount "type=bind,source=G:/Scenery/ws3.0/Alabama/data,target=/home/flightgear/data,readonly" --mount "type=bind,source=G:/Scenery/WS3.0-extra/vector/land-polygons-complete-4326,target=/home/flightgear/coastlines" --mount "type=bind,source=G:/Scenery/WS3.0-extra/SRTM-1,target=/home/flightgear/SRTM-3,readonly" --mount "type=bind,source=G:/Scenery/ws3.0/Alabama/output,target=/home/flightgear/output" --mount "type=bind,source=G:/Scenery/ws3.0/Alabama/output/cache,target=/home/flightgear/cache" -it flightgear/ws30-vpb-generator:latest /bin/bash

Note: the --mount "type=bind,source=G:/Scenery/WS3.0-extra/SRTM-1,target=/home/flightgear/SRTM-3,readonly", the genVPB.py script in the Docker container is expecting a location of /home/flightgear/SRTM-3 for the elevation data. In this example I am using SRTM-1 elevation data, but we still map it to the expected /home/flightgear/SRTM-3 Docker container location.
=== Building the terrain ===
To build the terrain mesh, use the <code>genVPB.py</code> tool from inside the docker container:

Usage: genVPB.py --raster <input-raster> [ option ... ]
Usage: genVPB.py --bbox <lat0> <lon0> <lat1> <lon1> --sentinel --reclass <reclass> [ option ... ]

Arguments:
--raster RASTER Input landclass raster.
--bbox lat0 lon0 lat1 lon1 Bounding box of scenery to be generated
--sentinel Use Sentinel2 landclass tiles
--sentinel-dir SENTINEL_DIR Directory for Sentinel Data. Default /home/flightgear/data/Sentinel-2
--hgt-dir HGT_DIR Directory containing HGT DEM files. Default /home/flightgear/data/NASADEM
--output-dir OUTPUT_DIR Set output directory. Default /home/flightgear/output
--download-sentinel Download Sentinel2 tiles if needed
--reclass RECLASS Reclassify raster using file <reclass>. See ./scripts/mappings/
--coastline COASTLINE Clip against coastline against polygon (.osm)
--shrink-water SHRINK_WATER Shrink water bodies (landclasses 40, 41) by <pixels> pixels
--generate-water-raster Generate a water raster from OSM data
--generate-line-features Generate a water raster from OSM data
--cache-dir CACHE_DIR Directory for OSM data cache. Default /home/flightgear/cache/
--nasadem-server NASADEM_SERVER Set server to download NASADEM data from. Default https://e4ftl01.cr.usgs.gov/MEASURES/NASADEM_HGT.001/2000.02.11/)
--nasadem-user NASADEM_USER NASA Earthdata username.
--nasadem-password NASADEM_PASSWORD NASA Earthdata password.
--debug Debug output

For example, to generate a piece of terrain around Edinburgh (latitude 55.5, longitude 3 degrees West):
./scripts/genVPB.py --bbox 55 -4 56 -3 --raster ./data/uk_wgs84_10m_N54.tif

Another example, to generate a coastal area with shorelines and lakes, like Alaska:
./scripts/genVPB.py --bbox 68 -167 69 -152 --raster ./data/NLCD_2016_Alaska167-153_68_Smoothed-HD-Compressed_4326.tiff --hgt-dir ./SRTM-3/ --generate-water-raster --shrink-water 4 --coastline ./coastlines/land_polygons.shp

Same thing with roads and rails (line features):
./scripts/genVPB.py --bbox 68 -167 69 -152 --raster ./data/NLCD_2016_Alaska167-153_68_Smoothed-HD-Compressed_4326.tiff --hgt-dir ./SRTM-3/ --generate-water-raster --shrink-water 4 --coastline ./coastlines/land_polygons.shp --generate-line-features

--coastline requires OSM data mask from here [https://osmdata.openstreetmap.de/data/land-polygons.html OSM Shapefiles] Make sure you download the shapefiles on this page and not the alternate "Water polygons or Coastlines". It is the land cover shapefiles that are used as the cutting mask, not the water line data.

If you are using anything other than a CORINE raster you will need to reclassify the data to match the landclasses used by FlightGear. Those classes are defined in [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgdata/-/tree/next/Materials/base/landclass-mapping.xml Materials/base/landclass-mapping.xml]. You can reclassify them using the files in the [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta/-/tree/next/ws30/mappings/ scripts/mappings] directory. E.g. to reclassify NLCD2019 data you can use <code>--reclassify ./scripts/mappings/nlcd2019.txt</code>.

genVPB.py will output the data to the output/vpb directory, in which you should find a series of files and directories.

=== Adding water ===
'''Update 05/12/2026: Depreciated, it is now built into genVPB.py above.'''

'''Use genVPB.py ...... --generate-water-raster --shrink-water 4 --coastline [path_to_shapefile_mask]'''

The terrain mesh does not have highly detailed water features - as typically the source data has a resolution of 10-25m. Water features are generated from OpenStreetMap data. To generate water features simply run the <code>genwaterraster.py</code> command.

Usage: genwaterraster.py [-h] --bbox lat0 lon0 lat1 lon1 [--debug] [--output-dir OUTPUT_DIR] [--cache-dir CACHE_DIR]

Arguments:
--bbox lat0 lon0 lat1 lon1 Bounding box of scenery to be generated
--debug Debug output
--output-dir OUTPUT_DIR Directory to write files into. Default /home/flightgear/output
--cache-dir CACHE_DIR Directory for OSM data cache. Default /home/flightgear/cache

For example, to generate water for the area around Edinburgh:
./scripts/genwaterraster.py --bbox 55 -4 56 -3

Inside the ./output/vpb directory there should be a set of directories and .png files.

=== Adding roads and railways ===
The terrain mesh does not have any line features - things like roads. These are generated separately from OpenStreetMap data. To generate line features simply run the <code>genroads.py</code> command:

Usage: ./scripts/genroads.py [-h] --bbox lat0 lon0 lat1 lon1 [--debug] [--threads THREADS] [--cache-dir CACHE_DIR] [--output-dir OUTPUT_DIR]

Arguments:
--bbox lat0 lon0 lat1 lon1 Bounding box of scenery to be generated
--debug Debug output
--threads THREADS Number of parallel threads to run. Defaults to 1
--cache-dir CACHE_DIR Directory for OSM data cache. Default /home/flightgear/cache/
--output-dir OUTPUT_DIR Set output directory. Default /home/flightgear/cache/

For example, to generate roads for the area around Edinburgh:
./scripts/genroads.py --bbox 55 -4 56 -3

Inside the ./output/Terrain directory there should be a set of directories and, .STG files text files.

==Running FlightGear with the new WS3.0 Terrain==
To test the new terrain, simply include the output directory in your scenery path and run FlightGear with the <code>--prop:/scenery/use-vpb=true</code> to enable WS3.0.

== Advanced Techniques ==
The following sections describe more complex techniques to generate higher quality WS3.0 terrain. Almost all of them involve using different data sources to generate a more detailed landclass raster before running the final scenery generation processes described above. Generating a highly detailed landclass raster is where the magic happens.

Most techniques use gdal or grass to modify the raster/vector data, typically using the QGIS program.

=== Using a different elevation model ===
If you are using another elevation model other than NASAEM, then you may need to re-project it using QGIS/gdalwarp to the WGS84 CRS (aka EPSG:4326).

=== Landclass Data Requirements ===
For any landclass data we need to ensure the data is in the correct format. That means:

# Is a Raster (geotiff) rather than Vector data. This raster will become the texture on the terrain that the terrain shaders do their magic on.
# Uses the WGS84 Coordinate Reference System. The ensures that the terrain generation step is efficient.
# Has the correct landclass values for each terrain type. We use a set of values based on the CORINE raster set, defined in [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Materials/base/landclass-mapping.xml Materials/base/landclass-mapping.xml].

Below is a quick table showing what steps you need to take for common landclass data sources.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Landclass Data
!Warp to WGS84 required?
!Landclass re-classification Required?
!Raster Simplification Required?
!Conversion to Raster Required?
|-
|CORINE Raster
|Yes
|No
|No
|No
|-
|CORINE Vector
|Yes
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|-
|NLCD
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|No
|-
|Sentinel-2
|Yes
|Yes
|No
|No
|}
Conversion to Raster must be done manually. Converting to WGS84 and the correct landclasses ''can'' be done by the genVPB.py script, but slows down scenery generation. Therefore if you are planning to generate scenery multiple times it is best to pre-process the files yourself.

The easiest way to do these operations is using QGIS, which is available for most platforms. If you are scripting a toolchain, the QGIS tools include command-line equivalents for all commands.

When using QGIS, set the Project CRS to WGS84 (aka EPSG:4326). You can then add layers of Raster or Vector data from files from the <code>Layer->Add Layer</code> menu. When performing any operations, always write out the data to a real file so you can go back to it later. Disk space is cheap :).

=== Warping Raster Layers to WGS84 ===
genVPB.py will automatically convert to WGS84 if it detects a landclass raster with a different Coordinate System. However, you may wish to do so manually instead so all your data is on the same coordinate system.

In QGIS you can warp a raster layer to a different CRS using the Raster->Projections-Warp (Reproject) tool.

Select the following options in the dialog:

* Input Layer - Check you have selected the correct layer. The CRS is shown at the right.
* Target CRS - set to <code>EPSG:4326 - WGS84</code>, which should be your project CRS.
* Resampling Method to Use - Nearest Neighbour. (Landclass data is not like normal images. You don't want to interpolate between values.)
* Nodata value for output bands - 0.0 (This means that any data at the edges will be Ocean, usually a reasonable default)
* Advanced Parameters - No Compression
* Output data type - Byte
* Reprojected - Choose a target filename

Alternatively you can do this step from the commandline.
gdalwarp -t_srs EPSG:4326 -dstnodata 0.0 -r near -ot Byte -of GTiff -co COMPRESS=NONE -co BIGTIFF=IF_NEEDED /home/stuart/FlightGear/VPB/data/CORINE/u2018_clc2018_v2020_20u1_raster100m/DATA/U2018_CLC2018_V2020_20u1.tif /home/stuart/FlightGear/VPB/data/scratch/corine_WGS84.tif

=== Warping Vector Layers to WGS84 ===
genVPB.py will automatically convert to WGS84 if it detects a landclass raster with a different Coordinate System. However, you may wish to do so manually instead so all your data is on the same coordinate system.

In QGIS you can warp a vector layer using Vector->Data Management Tools->Reproject Layer.

Set the following options in the dialog:

* Input Layer - Check you have selected the correct layer. The CRS is shown at the right.
* Target CRS - set to <code>EPSG:4326 - WGS84</code>, which should be your project CRS.
* Reprojected - Choose a target filename

=== Reclassifying Vector Layers ===
For CORINE vector data in particular, the attributes used in the vector data are not the same as those used by the CORINE Raster data. So we need to create a new attribute on the data.
[[File:Field Calculator.png|thumb|QGIS Field Calculator]]
To do this

* Select <code>Layer->Open Attribute Table</code>. You should see a table with multiple columns. Each row represents a feature in the data.
* Click on <code>Toggle Editing Mode</code> (Ctrl + E), on the top left of the dialog
* Click on <code>New Field</code> (Ctrl+W) and create a new field called Landclass of type "Whole Number (Integer)". This will create a new column which we will populate with the correct landclass data
* Click on the <code>Open Field Calculator</code> button (Ctrl + I). (If you get an error about only being able to create Virtual fields, go back to the Layer menu, export it and open the exported file).
* Select the following options:
** Update Existing Field
** Select the Landclass field you just created.
** Copy the contents of https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgmeta/ci/next/tree/ws30/mappings/corine_vector.txt into the Expression box (without the comment lines starting with <code>#</code>). This is just some simple code to set the attribute correctly. The code should be correct for CORINE vector data. If your data is from other sources you will need to work out how you want to map your source data landclasses to the CORINE ones. [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Materials/base/landclass-mapping.xml Materials/base/landclass-mapping.xml] can be used as a guide.
* Select <code>OK</code>. You should see that your landclass column is now populated with the landclass data.
* Select <code>Layer->Save Layer Edits</code> to save you changes

=== Creating a Raster from a Vector Layer ===
To create a Raster from a Vector Layer select <code>Raster->Conversion->Rasterize (Vector to Raster)</code>.
[[File:QGIS Rasterize (Vector to Raster).png|thumb|Creating a Raster from a Vector Layer - QGIS Rasterize]]
Select the following options:

* Input Layer - correct layer, check CRS
* Field to use for burn-in value - select the <code>Landclass</code> column you created above.
* Output raster size units. This is going to set the resolution of your raster. You can work out the resolution in two different ways:
** Select "Georeferenced units" and determine how many degrees each pixel is in latitude and longitude.
** Select "Pixels" and determine the size of raster you want in pixels. [https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gccalc.shtml This] is a good calculator to help. You input e.g. SE and SW coordinates and calculate to get the distance in Km. Then you multiply by thousand and devide by the number of metres per pixel (e.g. 5) -> resolution for width.
* Width/Horizontal Resolution. Enter the values you've calculated for the horizontal resolution (longitudinal), or the width of the raster
* Height/Vertical Resolution. Enter the values you've calculated for the vertical resolution (latitude or the height of the raster)
* Output extent - Select an option from the box on the right. You can edit the text afterwards (NB: East, West, South, North). Best practise is to create long thin strips of 1 degree latitude in height, as this makes subsequent processing much easier.
* Assign a specific nodata value to output bands - Select 0.0 for Ocean. CORINE vector data in particular has a lot of nodata for Oceans
* Advanced Parameters - No Compression
* Output data type - Byte
* Rasterized - Select a new filename

=== Simplifying a Raster Layer ===
Some Raster Landclass data (NLCD included) has too much noise - in particular large US highway systems are identified as Urban areas.

To smooth it out we can use the GRASS <code>n.neighbors</code> function from the Processing Toolbox in QGIS.

Select the following options:

* Input Layer - correct layer, check CRS
* Neighborhood operation - median. (This is not a normal image, so using an average will result in weird values)
* Neighborhood size - 5.
* Neighbors - Select a new filename.

=== Clipping a Raster Layer with OSM Data for Land (Corine) ===
The Corine dataset does not match OSM coastlines exactly. The following multi-stage process makes sure, that no Corine land-use is in the water as defined by OSM.

==== Download OSM Land Data ====

Download land polygons based on OSM data as a Shapefile from [https://osmdata.openstreetmap.de/data/land-polygons.html Land Polygons] and make sure to pick the WGS84 projected download with split polygons ("Large polygons are split, use for larger scales"). Once downloaded unzip the content into a directory.

==== Reclassifying the OSM Land Data Vector Layer ====
I QGIS make sure that only the layer for the raster for land data is selected (e.g. <code>land-polygons-split-4326</code>) -> in the map view you will see the whole earth. NB: typically you do this reclassify only once after download and can reuse the result for future processing.

Then:

* Select <code>Layer->Open Attribute Table</code>. You should see a table with multiple columns. Each row represents a feature in the data.
* Click on <code>Toggle Editing Mode</code> (Ctrl + E), on the top left of the dialogue
* Click on <code>New Field</code> (Ctrl+W) and create a new field called Landclass of type <code>Integer (32 bit)</code>. This will create a new column which we will populate with the correct land class data
* On top of the table on the left side choose "Landclass" in the drop-down menu, then input <code>2</code> into the field to the right and then press button "Update" all to the left of this field.
* Wait a bit and the close the dialogue.
* Select <code>Layer->Save Layer Edits</code> to save your changes (overwrite e.g. <code>land-polygons-split-4326</code>).

==== Convert the Land Data from Vector to Raster ====
Do the same as in chapter "Creating a Raster from a Vector Layer" above. The only difference is that the Input layer will be the land data polygons and you need to choose a different file name for the "Rasterized" (e.g. osm_land_scotland_5m.tif)

==== Remove Novalue Entries in the Land Data Raster ====
To do this:

* Select <code>Processing->Toolbox</code>. You should see a new box on the right side.
* Write "gdal_calc" in the search box and you should see an entry "Raster calculator". Double click on it and you will get a new dialogue window.
* In this dialogue:
** For "Input layer A" choose the raster from the previous chapter ((e.g. osm_land_scotland_5m.tif)
** In field "Calculation in gdalnumeric ..." write: <code>greater(A,0) * A</code>
** In field "Output raster type" choose <code>Byte</code>
** In field "Advanced Parameters" choose Profile <code>No compression</code>
** In field "Additional command-line parameters" write: <code>--hideNoData</code>
** In field "Calculated" choose a file (e.g. osm_land_scotland_allvalues_5m.tif)
** (In the "GDAL/OGR console call" it will have something similar to the follwing - just with different paths: <code>gdal_calc.py --overwrite --calc "greater(A ,0) * A" --format GTiff --type Byte -A /home/vanosten/custom-fg-scenery/data/osm_land_scotland_5m.tif --A_band 1 --co COMPRESS=NONE --co BIGTIFF=IF_NEEDED --hideNoData --outfile /home/vanosten/custom-fg-scenery/data/osm_land_scotland_allvalues_5m.tif</code>
** Press the "Run" button - and when complete close the dialogue.

You should now see a map only black and white. You can check for correctness by pressing <code>CTRL+SHIFT+I</code> to get a cursor with an arrow and an "i". First make sure the new raster is selected on the left side. Next click on the sea/ocean and then check in the "Identify Results" window on the right that the value is < 2. The click on the land and check that the value is 2.

==== Create the Final Clipped Corine Raster Against OSM Land Data =====
Do the following:

* In QGIS make sure that you have only the following two layers: the basis Corine raster (see chapter "Creating a Raster from a Vector Layer" - here e.g. corine_raster_scotland_5m.tif) and plus the raster from the previous step (e.g. osm_land_scotland_allvalues_5m.tif)
* Select <code>Raster->Raster Calculator ...</code> and a corresponding dialogue will open showing on the left hand side the two rasters.
* Choose a new "Output layer" (e.g. corine_raster_scotland_clipped_5m.tif).
* In the "Raster Calculator Expression" field input: <code>if ("osm_land_scotland_all_data_5m@1" < 2, 44, "corine_raster_scotland_5m@1")</code>
* Press button "OK" and wait a while (you will see a new dialogue with showing the progress.

Done. You have now a raster (e.g. corine_raster_scotland_clipped_5m.tif) which does not have land in areas, where OSM data has sea/ocean.

=== Reclassifying a Raster Layer ===
WS3.0 uses CORINE landclass values. If using data from other sources it needs to be reclassified to the correct values. genVPB.py has an option to do this, but you may wish to do so manually.

To do this select <code>GRASS->Raster->r.reclass</code> from the Processing Toolbox.

Select the following options:

* Input Raster Layer - correct layer, check CRS
* Reclass rules text - copy in the contents of https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgmeta/ci/next/tree/ws30/mappings/nlcd2019.txt. Or an appropriate mapping from your landclass data to CORINE. Note that you can also reference a file using the "File containing reclass rules" option. Note a mapping of 22 24 = 1 is the same as 22 and 24 = 1. For a range of 22 to 24 use 22 23 24 = 1.
* Reclassified - Select a new filename.

(If this doesn't work a similar function is available in the Processing Toolbox under <code>Raster analysis->Reclassify by table</code>. However this doesn't save your table once you close the dialog, and entries have to be manually entered individually which takes a lot of effort)

=== Processing NLCD for USA using the Raster Calculator and tools in QGIS ===

[[Processing_NLCD_for_USA_using_Raster_Calculator_and_tools_in_QGIS]]

=== Python script to process NLCD for the USA ===

[[Python_script_to_process_NLCD_for_the_USA]]

=== Python script to process Sentinel-2 data ===

[[Python_script_to_process_Sentinel-2_data]]

===Generating the Terrain using osgdem===
Instead of using genVPB.py, you may wish to run osgdem directly.

In the Windows/Docker platform you can send the generate tile command directly to osgdem.exe, one tile at a time.

Using the NLCD raster processing convention from above, following is the the final step after creating the raster and entering bash shell with the windows version of "docker run..."

osgdem --TERRAIN --image-ext png --RGBA --no-interpolate-imagery --disable-error-diffusion --geocentric --no-mip-mapping -t ./data/California-Southern_4326-84-hd-corrected.tiff -d ./SRTM-3/N32W115.hgt -b -115 32 -114 33 --PagedLOD -l 7 --radius-to-max-visible-distance-ratio 3 -o ./output/vpb/w120n30/w115n32/ws_w115n32.osgb

Note: the --image-ext png --RGBA flags are critical to successfully building correctly placed landclasses in the final VPB generated scenery.

If you prefer to run the scenery generation manually, running the VPB osgdem process is described in more detail here: [[Virtual Planet Builder#Running VPB]].

After doing this you should have an output directory containing files of the form <code>output/vpb/w010n50/w004n50/ws_w004n50.osgb</code>, plus a host of sub-directories. Each one of these is a 1x1 tile of terrain.

to leave the container simply type <code>exit</code>.

===Packaging the Scenery===
Once you have the terrain and line features they should be packaged in a scenery directory in vpb and Terrain sub-directories respectively. E.g.
MyCoolScenery/Terrain
MyCoolScenery/vpb
It is good practise to document the data sources used in scenery generation. Some source licenses require attribution of the original data source for anything derived, published or distributed.

To assist in fulfilling these license obligations, you can create a source.xml file in the scenery directory which includes attribution information. This will then be available from within the simulator under Help->Scenery Sources, and may fulfil the attribution requirements of your license. '''Note that you are responsible for fulfilling any license requirements from the data, not FlightGear'''.

The format of the file is straightforward:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<PropertyList>
<nowiki><source></nowiki>
<name>Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2018, Version 2020_20u1</name>
<nowiki><link></nowiki><nowiki>http://web.archive.org/web/20221112175615/https://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/corine-land-cover/clc2018?tab=metadata%2A</nowiki><nowiki></link></nowiki>
<license>GMES Open License</license>
<nowiki></source></nowiki>
<nowiki><source></nowiki>
<name>NASADEM Merged DEM Global 1 arc second V001</name>
<nowiki><link></nowiki><nowiki>https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/</nowiki><nowiki></link></nowiki>
<license>Public Domain</license>
<nowiki></source></nowiki>
<nowiki><source></nowiki>
<name>OpenStreetMap</name>
<nowiki><link></nowiki><nowiki>https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright</nowiki><nowiki></link></nowiki>
<license>Open Data Commons Open Database License</license>
<nowiki></source></nowiki>
</PropertyList>

Shader

2026-05-16T09:45:37Z

AirplaneMode: /* Shaders in FlightGear */

{{forum|47|Effects & Shaders}}
{{Rendering}}
A '''shader''' is a set of software instructions, which is used primarily to calculate rendering effects on graphics hardware, like water reflections and shadows.

== History ==

[[FlightGear]] supports shaders since the switch from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]] (version 1.9.0). FlightGear 2.0 added the ability to program shaders and effects more easily (without modifying the core code) and use them for terrain and model materials. Old hard-coded shaders like the chrome shader or the random trees in the scenery were converted to the new system.

In newer versions with [[ALS]] or [[Rembrandt]], more sophisticated shaders are used.

== Disabling shaders ==
In ALS mode, the shader cannot be turned off. In non-ALS mode (by selecting "Low Specifications" in the render options menu), if you don't check the "Use Shaders" checkbox, FG will try to use the fixed pipeline for everything that doesn't require shaders (basically everything except clouds and trees). This may translate to a performance gain in old/low-power GPUs like Intel integrated cards.

If you do check the "Use Shaders" checkbox, FG will then try to use
shaders for everything. This may translate to a performance gain in
higher-end GPUs like desktop discrete cards.

The performance gains are highly variable though, i.e. you may find
that more modern Intel GPUs performs much better with the "Use
Shaders" checkbox enabled. That's why the option is there, so the user
can experiment with their own system.<ref>https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/37317666/</ref>

On the command line, use the following startup arguments to disable shaders altogether:
* --prop:/sim/rendering/quality-level=0
* --prop:/sim/rendering/shaders/quality-level=0

== Gallery ==
{| cellpadding="0"
|-
| align="left" style="background:#fafafa; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;" width="150px" | [[File:SnowAtAltitude1.jpg|200px|Image:SnowAtAltitude1.jpg]]
| align="left" style="background:#fafafa; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;" width="150px" border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;| [[File:SnowAtAltitude2.jpg|200px|Image:SnowAtAltitude2.jpg]]
| align="left" style="background:#fafafa; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;" width="150px" | [[File:WaterReflections1.jpg|200px|Image:SnowAtAltitude1.jpg]]
| align="left" style="background:#fafafa; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;" width="150px" border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;| [[File:WaterReflections2.jpg|200px|Image:SnowAtAltitude2.jpg]]
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" style="background:#fafafa; font-size: 85%; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-bottom:1px solid #CCCCCC;"|
Scenery around [[LFLJ]] with the snow effect disabled (left) and enabled (right).
| align="center" colspan="2" style="background:#fafafa; font-size: 85%; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-bottom:1px solid #CCCCCC;"|
Scenery around [[TNCM]] with water reflections disabled (left) and enabled (right).
|}

== References ==
<references/>

== Related content ==
=== Wiki articles ===
* [[Effect Framework]]
* [[Model-combined effect]]
* [[Procedural Texturing]]
* [[Rembrandt]]
* [[ALS]]
* [[Howto:Shader programming in FlightGear]]

=== Source code ===
* {{fgdata file|Shaders}}

Non-inclusive list of C++ source code files:

* {{simgear file|simgear/scene/material/Effect.hxx}}
* {{simgear file|simgear/scene/material/Effect.cxx}}

[[Category: Shaders| ]]
[[Category:Menubar]]

Shader

2026-05-16T09:41:32Z

AirplaneMode: remove old content

{{forum|47|Effects & Shaders}}
{{Rendering}}
A '''shader''' is a set of software instructions, which is used primarily to calculate rendering effects on graphics hardware, like water reflections and shadows.

== Shaders in FlightGear ==

[[FlightGear]] supports shaders since the switch from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]] (version 1.9.0). FlightGear 2.0 added the ability to program shaders and effects more easily (without modifying the core code) and use them for terrain and model materials. Old hard-coded shaders like the chrome shader or the random trees in the scenery were converted to the new system.

== Disabling shaders ==
In ALS mode, the shader cannot be turned off. In non-ALS mode (by selecting "Low Specifications" in the render options menu), if you don't check the "Use Shaders" checkbox, FG will try to use the fixed pipeline for everything that doesn't require shaders (basically everything except clouds and trees). This may translate to a performance gain in old/low-power GPUs like Intel integrated cards.

If you do check the "Use Shaders" checkbox, FG will then try to use
shaders for everything. This may translate to a performance gain in
higher-end GPUs like desktop discrete cards.

The performance gains are highly variable though, i.e. you may find
that more modern Intel GPUs performs much better with the "Use
Shaders" checkbox enabled. That's why the option is there, so the user
can experiment with their own system.<ref>https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/37317666/</ref>

On the command line, use the following startup arguments to disable shaders altogether:
* --prop:/sim/rendering/quality-level=0
* --prop:/sim/rendering/shaders/quality-level=0

== Gallery ==
{| cellpadding="0"
|-
| align="left" style="background:#fafafa; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;" width="150px" | [[File:SnowAtAltitude1.jpg|200px|Image:SnowAtAltitude1.jpg]]
| align="left" style="background:#fafafa; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;" width="150px" border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;| [[File:SnowAtAltitude2.jpg|200px|Image:SnowAtAltitude2.jpg]]
| align="left" style="background:#fafafa; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;" width="150px" | [[File:WaterReflections1.jpg|200px|Image:SnowAtAltitude1.jpg]]
| align="left" style="background:#fafafa; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;" width="150px" border-top:1px solid #CCCCCC;| [[File:WaterReflections2.jpg|200px|Image:SnowAtAltitude2.jpg]]
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" style="background:#fafafa; font-size: 85%; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-bottom:1px solid #CCCCCC;"|
Scenery around [[LFLJ]] with the snow effect disabled (left) and enabled (right).
| align="center" colspan="2" style="background:#fafafa; font-size: 85%; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-bottom:1px solid #CCCCCC;"|
Scenery around [[TNCM]] with water reflections disabled (left) and enabled (right).
|}

== References ==
<references/>

== Related content ==
=== Wiki articles ===
* [[Effect Framework]]
* [[Model-combined effect]]
* [[Procedural Texturing]]
* [[Rembrandt]]
* [[ALS]]
* [[Howto:Shader programming in FlightGear]]

=== Source code ===
* {{fgdata file|Shaders}}

Non-inclusive list of C++ source code files:

* {{simgear file|simgear/scene/material/Effect.hxx}}
* {{simgear file|simgear/scene/material/Effect.cxx}}

[[Category: Shaders| ]]
[[Category:Menubar]]

YouTube channels

2026-05-15T11:47:07Z

AirplaneMode: /* Related content */

YouTube is an international free video sharing and social networking website and app on the internet. Here is a list of '''YouTube channels''' with mostly FlightGear videos.

== Channels that share contents about FlightGear ==
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsXEFrdNHdVptY29WuN5VNg AeroOne]
*[https://www.youtube.com/c/AVIONADE/ AVIONADE]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrVRffVIGcbPveC0Jx-bEIg Charly FlightGear Airline]
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/PYCDorDek DorDek Kiddy]
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/FlightGearUKTV FGUK TV]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZf9IU9DjLNlAqWbKvAlj_w FlightGear Polska]
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePalpatine59 FlightGear VMD]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjxjEd54hYWR_IS5UwUZnw gerardll51]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEh7CEVdBMERlmVn3WalxA Hornet]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCexe4T0H9plEkiGY5njPGZg I make Videos]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpadzFrscZ8ZyiNLzrwVCZQ SE-JG | Johan G]
*[https://youtube.com/@octal450?si=6mn8ZCIhpC-7TNwR Josh Davidson Flight Simulation]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmB-vZlR03XU1RHE4DinEWw SP-ROM]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYAgyCtCB3I8SyS_8Fatu6w YLA Team]

== Related content ==
* [[FlightGear videos]]

[[Category:Community]]
[[Category:Lists]]

YouTube channels

2026-05-14T22:30:39Z

AirplaneMode: /* Channels that share contents about FlightGear */

YouTube channels

2026-05-14T22:29:03Z

AirplaneMode: updated the links

YouTube is an international free video sharing and social networking website and app on the internet. Here is a list of '''YouTube channels''' with mostly FlightGear videos.

== Channels that share contents about FlightGear ==
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsXEFrdNHdVptY29WuN5VNg AeroOne]

[https://www.youtube.com/c/AVIONADE/ AVIONADE]

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrVRffVIGcbPveC0Jx-bEIg Charly FlightGear Airline]

[https://www.youtube.com/user/PYCDorDek DorDek Kiddy]

[https://www.youtube.com/user/FlightGearUKTV FGUK TV]

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZf9IU9DjLNlAqWbKvAlj_w FlightGear Polska]

[https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePalpatine59 FlightGear VMD]

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjxjEd54hYWR_IS5UwUZnw gerardll51]

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEh7CEVdBMERlmVn3WalxA Hornet]

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCexe4T0H9plEkiGY5njPGZg I make Videos]

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpadzFrscZ8ZyiNLzrwVCZQ SE-JG | Johan G]

[https://youtube.com/@octal450?si=6mn8ZCIhpC-7TNwR Josh Davidson Flight Simulation]

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmB-vZlR03XU1RHE4DinEWw SP-ROM]

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYAgyCtCB3I8SyS_8Fatu6w YLA Team]

== Related content ==
* [[FlightGear videos]]
* [[Video tutorials]]

[[Category:Community]]
[[Category:Lists]]

FlightGear videos

2026-05-14T22:24:26Z

AirplaneMode: remove broken link

Feel free to add your (own) videos.

A collection of all [[FlightGear]] related channels on YouTube can be seen [[YouTube channels|here]].

== Addons ==
* [http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=fyjHLV-SGhg FlightGear AirRace Narita addon]

== Aircraft ==

=== [[Airbus A380]] ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yLZVddbXVo Landing at EHAM]

=== [[Boeing 737-300]] ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl9NFvPZuLU&feature=PlayList&p=3B31CCD15245D0AA&index=11 SBGR-SBGL Flight]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2wwkeGrvD4 New Boeing 737-300 testflight]

=== [[Boeing 747-400]] ===
* [http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=mb8VdBh-IE4&feature=channel Landing at TNCM]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VogfMnI0j3s A flight from TNCM to EHAM]

=== [[British Aerospace Harrier]] (VSTOL) ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrmCFIBymcc Hovering KSFO]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg_Pbcfhx98 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VSTOL)]

=== [[Douglas DC-3-C47]] (Touch and go) ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88wNoWTuk18 LFLG Touch and go]

=== [[F5E Tiger II]] ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYhVJEw7Ae8 Prestes F5E Tiger II Original Model]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1PeLQL840s Prestes F5E Tiger II Update]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS4joH8ETz0 F5E Tiger II Sonic Boom Fly-by with shock wave effect]

=== [[Fairchild A-10|Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II]] ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCViR6oOQ6A Bombing Run]

=== [[Grumman A-6E]] ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BoN4u4anrU Carrier Landing]

=== [[Grumman G-21 Goose]] ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBGsRGovWhQ Flying Buckaroo's Goose]

=== [[Piper J3 Cub]] ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg3Bvx2ZnFw&context=C333bf3aADOEgsToPDskL92iCIKUc_3GCmByBwAV71 Landing at TNCM]

=== [[Zlin 50 lx]] ===
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD4yMaszdQk Zlin basic aerobatic program]

== Helicopters ==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7aHqDkCzCw Who needs a helipad? (Eurocopter BO105)]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-JfdNzmlM Eurocopter EC135]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_oy111Wm9I Boeing CH-47 Chinook]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw13yLgunz0 Flying SCVM (New cockpit EC BO-105)]

== Development ==
* [http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=xkkIMdqAuC0 FlightGear new trees]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4oMOFnD6bw New clouds]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKELqBGVsqw Dynamic water effect]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYwlfZSHJpo Early morning red sky effect]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPtd6Np3u8Q Urban effect]

== Simulators ==
* [http://www.mail-archive.com/flightgear-devel@lists.sourceforge.net/msg15935.html A FlightGear-driven Flight & Navigation Procedures Trainer (FNPT)]
* [http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1-siAMojSM FlightGear Virtual Cockpit build]

== UAV related ==
* http://baron.flightgear.org/~curt/tmp/20080710.AVI

== Tutorials ==
Please see the separate [[video tutorials]] page.

== Related content ==
* [[YouTube channels]]

__NOTOC__

[[Category:Lists]]

Random Vegetation

2026-05-14T16:41:16Z

AirplaneMode: AirplaneMode moved page Random Vegetation to Random vegetation: to lowercase

#REDIRECT [[Random vegetation]]

Random vegetation

2026-05-14T16:41:16Z

AirplaneMode: AirplaneMode moved page Random Vegetation to Random vegetation: to lowercase

Random Vegetation is the system that generates trees, bushes and other vegetation on [[scenery]]. It is sometimes referred to as "Random Trees", and tree is often used as a synonym for vegetation throughout the system and documentation. For simplicity, this article will refer to "trees".

The location of trees can be defined in two ways:

* Random distribution within an area of the scenery, with distribution controlled by parameters in materials.xml
* Explicit placement defined in a tile by a TREE_LIST entry in the scenery STG file. Typically generated automatically from openstreetmap data by [[osm2city]].

In both cases, the material definition in materials.xml file controls parameters such as the tree height, width the texture used,

The trees themselves are rendered using two (3 post 2024.1) rectangles in a cross shape.

See the [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgdata/-/blob/next/Docs/README.materials README.materials] file for information on the specific parameters.
[[File:PBR trees.jpg|thumb|PBR tree showing normal map.]]

=== Tree Texture ===
The tree textures (tree-texture and tree-normal-map parameters) are png files that provide an atlas of textures to use when rendering individual trees, so there is a variety of trees.

Horizontally, the texture contains a number of individual tree textures defined by the "tree-varieties" parameter. Typically 8 for tall thin trees, and 4 for broader trees.

Vertically, each tree has 4 textures to cover in four possible states:

# summer,
# snow covered in summer
# winter,
# snow covered in winter

Post 2024.X, there is an additional tree-normal-map, which is an png normal map file with the same layout used by PBR rendering.

=== Generating PBR Trees ===
Due to the need to generate a normal map, the traditional approach of just painting a texture does not work for PBR trees. Instead, we use an approach of creating a tree model in Blender and then rendering a base colour texture and a normal map texture. This approach is described well on youtube (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GCy98O9S58&t=888s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix-KT9a4PSo).

Useful notes for arborealists:

* The tree-template.blend file in fgdata provides a useful starting point, with an appropriate camera and light set up already, solid shading set to display the normalmap, and some basic material definitions. So you can easily select the color map (Viewport Shading) or normal map (solid shading).
* To render the color map, simply press F12, wait for rendering to finish, and save the result.
* To render the normal map, select Solid Shading, then the camera viewpoint (num-pad 0), then select View->Viewport Render Image
* Use Sapling Tree Gen or another add-on to create the initial trees. You can save presets, which is useful.
* There will be 3 copies of the texture rendered at different angles, so the tree texture itself can be sparse.
* The tree needs to be completely vertical. This is particularly important for conifers which come to a point.
* Each tree must have a little space at the top. Otherwise subsequent rendering results in "top hats" above trees in the distance where the trunk of the tree above in the textures sheet bleeds downwards when the mipmaps are generated.

[[Category:Scenery]]

Scenery LoD

2026-05-14T16:36:26Z

AirplaneMode: link

Given the large distances that need to drawn in FlightGear, we use '''Level of Detail (LoD)''' to control how much of the scenery that is rendered at what distance to ensure frame-rates are reasonable.

== How LoD is Controlled ==
{{See also|Level Of Detail (LOD) Ranges}}

There are three ranges that can be configured:

; Detailed
: The range at which detailed scenery objects are displayed. Default value is 1500 m.

; Rough
: The range at which trees are displayed. Note that to avoid forests suddenly appearing, trees are slowly faded in from 2xRough range. Default value 9 km.

; Bare
: The range at which the underlying terrain mesh is displayed. Default value 30 km.

Scenery LoD is controlled from the '''View->Adjust LOD Ranges''' menu item in the simulator.

It should always be the case that Detailed < Rough < Bare. So in the dialog the Rough and Bare ranges are controlled as a delta on top of the Detailed range. Specifically the following properties

* <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/detailed</code> - Defaults value 1500m
* <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/rough-delta</code> - Defaults value 7500
* <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/bare-delta</code> - underlying terrain mesh. Default value 21000

So the ranges are calculated as follows:
* Detailed = <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/detailed</code>
* Rough = <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/rough</code> = <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/detailed</code> + <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/rough-delta</code>
* Bare = <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/bare</code> = <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/detailed</code> + <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/rough-delta</code> + <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/bare-delta</code>

== How LoD works ==
{{See also|PagedLOD}}

A scenery tile contains all three components - an underlying terrain mesh, trees (defined by the materials definition), and objects defined by the STG file for the tile.

The set of scenery tiles that are to be loaded/unloaded are re-calculated each time the view changes to a different tile location (aka "bucket"), and based on the Bare range. If <code>/sim/tile-cache/enable=true</code>, then a cache is used to keep the 100 most recent tiles loaded. Otherwise, they are unloaded as soon a they go out of range.

The terrain mesh is loaded in a separate thread, and FlightGear creates PagedLoD objects for the trees and objects. The PagedLoD is a piece of OSG code that will automatically load the required scenery when it comes into view and within the required range, then unload it if required when it goes out of view/range. So as you approach a tile, firstly the terrain mesh will be loaded, then the trees and then the scenery objects.

Obviously we need to unload objects otherwise memory usage will increase continually. OSG keeps this in check by limiting the number of PagedLoDs that are loaded at any time. To keep below the limit, it has a concept of object "expiring" after they have been out of view/range for a period of time. Once an object has expired

The way in which PagedLoD objects are unloaded is controlled through two properties:

* <code>/sim/rendering/plod-minimum-expiry-time-secs</code> - This is the minimum time before a PagedLoD will be unloaded (expired). Default value is 180 seconds.
* <code>/sim/rendering/max-paged-lod</code> - This is the maximum number of loaded PagedLoD nodes that OSG will keep. Once this limit is reached, OSG will unload expired PagedLoD nodes, starting with "inactive" ones - those out of view. Default value is 200.

Note that PagedLoD nodes are also used for AI aircraft, so there can be interactions in behaviour with high numbers of AI aircraft and scenery tiles.

== WS3.0 LoD ==
WS3.0 tiles have and in-build LoD hierarchy using PagedLoD. The top level tile is 1x1 degree in size, and below that are 4 tiles of 0.5x0.5 degree and so on, down to the lowest LoD level. Different scenery features are available at different LoD levels.

The table below shows the default values for the WS3.0 tiles. As the earth is a sphere, the size of a 1x1 degree tile will vary with latitude. The table below assumes 45 degrees of latitude.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!LoD Level
!Tile Size
(degrees)
!Tile Size
(km)
!Tile radius
(km)
!LoD Range
(km)
!Road/Railways displayed?
!Minimum road/railway width
(m)
!Random Vegetation?
!Detailed water?
|-
|0
|1x1
|79x111
|68
|n/a
|No
|9999
|No
|No
|-
|1
|0.5x0.5
|40x56
|34
|204
|No
|9999
|No
|No
|-
|2
|0.25x0.25
|20x28
|17
|102
|No
|9999
|No
|No
|-
|3
|0.125x0.125
|10x14
|8.5
|51
|No
|20
|No
|No
|-
|4
|0.0625x0.0625
|5x7
|4.3
|26
|No
|10
|No
|No
|-
|5
|0.0313
|2.5x3.5
|2.1
|13
|Yes
|7
|No
|No
|-
|6
|0.0156
|1.2x1.7
|1.1
|7
|Yes
|3
|Yes
|Yes
|}

Notes:

* <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/line-features-lod-level</code> sets the minimum LoD level at which roads and railways are displayed. At LoD levels less than this, no line feature are generated. The default value is 5.
* <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/vegetation-lod-level</code> sets the minimum LoD level at which [[random vegetation]] is generated. At LoD levels less than this no vegetation is generated. The default value is 6.
* <code>/sim/rendering/static-lod/lod-level[n]/line-features-min-width</code> set the minimum width of line features that will be generated for LoD Level "n".

This LoD configuration can be configured from the <code>View -> Adjust LoD Ranges</code>.

[[Category:Scenery|LoD]]

Shadows

2026-05-14T16:32:44Z

AirplaneMode: rewrote the header

'''Shadow''' is a long-standing feature of FlightGear. The old shadow feature became deprecated as of 1.9.0 and it was re-implemented during the shift to [[OSG]].

At some point scenery object shadows was reintroduced, probably when scenery objects like for example vegetations and buildings became rendered instantiated rather then as separate objects.

With FlightGear 2024.1 ([https://www.flightgear.org/download/releases/2024-1/ link to changelog]) aircraft shadows was reintroduced.

== Shadow mapping ==
Shadow mapping is a technique that use a texture where distance of objects from the light has been recorded. During rendering, the distance to the light of the fragment rendered is compared to the shortest distance of the scene to the light, and if it is higher, the fragment is drawn using only ambient light. Otherwise, it is fully lit.

[[Project Rembrandt]] was a new project that implemented shadow mapping for FlightGear.

Another project which allowed aircraft developers to implement aircraft shadows was the [[ALS technical notes#ALS fuselage shadow effect|Atmospheric Light Scattering (ALS)]] project.

== Related ==
* [[Howto: Add smooth ("Ambient Occlusion") shadows in Blender]]

[[Category:FlightGear feature]]
[[Category:Rendering]]
[[fr:Shadows]]

Random vegetation

2026-05-14T16:19:22Z

AirplaneMode: links and category

Random vegetation

2026-05-14T16:16:30Z

AirplaneMode: links and category

Random Vegetation is the system that generates trees, bushes and other vegetation on [[scenery]]. It is sometimes referred to as "Random Trees", and tree is often used as a synonym for vegetation throughout the system and documentation. For simplicity, this article will refer to "trees".

The location of trees can be defined in two ways:

* Random distribution within an area of the scenery, with distribution controlled by parameters in materials.xml
* Explicit placement defined in a tile by a TREE_LIST entry in the scenery STG file. Typically generated automatically from openstreetmap data by [[osm2city]].

In both cases, the material definition in materials.xml file controls parameters such as the tree height, width the texture used,

The trees themselves are rendered using two (3 post 2024.1) rectangles in a cross shape.

See the README.materials file for information on the specific parameters.
[[File:PBR trees.jpg|thumb|PBR tree showing normal map.]]

=== Tree Texture ===
The tree textures (tree-texture and tree-normal-map parameters) are png files that provide an atlas of textures to use when rendering individual trees, so there is a variety of trees.

Horizontally, the texture contains a number of individual tree textures defined by the "tree-varieties" parameter. Typically 8 for tall thin trees, and 4 for broader trees.

Vertically, each tree has 4 textures to cover in four possible states:

# summer,
# snow covered in summer
# winter,
# snow covered in winter

Post 2024.X, there is an additional tree-normal-map, which is an png normal map file with the same layout used by PBR rendering.

=== Generating PBR Trees ===
Due to the need to generate a normal map, the traditional approach of just painting a texture does not work for PBR trees. Instead, we use an approach of creating a tree model in Blender and then rendering a base colour texture and a normal map texture. This approach is described well on youtube (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GCy98O9S58&t=888s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix-KT9a4PSo).

Useful notes for arborealists:

* The tree-template.blend file in fgdata provides a useful starting point, with an appropriate camera and light set up already, solid shading set to display the normalmap, and some basic material definitions. So you can easily select the color map (Viewport Shading) or normal map (solid shading).
* To render the color map, simply press F12, wait for rendering to finish, and save the result.
* To render the normal map, select Solid Shading, then the camera viewpoint (num-pad 0), then select View->Viewport Render Image
* Use Sapling Tree Gen or another add-on to create the initial trees. You can save presets, which is useful.
* There will be 3 copies of the texture rendered at different angles, so the tree texture itself can be sparse.
* The tree needs to be completely vertical. This is particularly important for conifers which come to a point.
* Each tree must have a little space at the top. Otherwise subsequent rendering results in "top hats" above trees in the distance where the trunk of the tree above in the textures sheet bleeds downwards when the mipmaps are generated.

[[Category:Scenery]]

Satellite photoscenery

2026-05-14T08:26:16Z

AirplaneMode: Redirected page to Photoscenery

#redirect[[Photoscenery]]

Aircraft

2026-05-14T08:24:52Z

AirplaneMode: /* Light civilian aircraft */fix

[[File:FlightGear Launcher Aircraft Tab.png|thumb|The FlightGear Qt launcher, showing a handful of the aircraft that are able to be downloaded or updated from the FGAddon repository.]]

This list is not updated to include all the official [[GNU General Public License|GPL licensed]] aircraft for [[FlightGear]], but gives a visual sampling of the different types of aircraft and genres of aircraft officially available.

Most models shown here are available from the official FlightGear project and can be downloaded from the FlightGear launcher, with no additional steps required for installation. Alternatively these aircraft can be obtained directly from the [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgaddon/HEAD/tree/ FGAddon SVN repository]. If the aircraft is installed manually, you will lose the ability to check for, and install updates from within the launcher. Some models shown here are available from [[FlightGear hangars|non-official hangars]].

FlightGear aircraft features, quality, and compatibility vary significantly. Their development is dependent on the [[volunteer]]s who worked on them, with exception of some University and Government funded projects. Aircraft are listed by completeness status in [[:Category:Aircraft by status]].

To edit this list, see here: [[Template:Model_Gallery]].

=== Light civilian aircraft ===
The Cessna 172 has been the default aircraft since 2000. These aircraft typically have 1-2 piston engines, props, and avionics geared towards those with civilian pilot licenses.
{{Model Gallery | section=light_civilian_aircraft}}

===Business Jets===
Smaller aircraft with 1-2 turbofan engines, usually used by businesses and private companies.
{{Model Gallery| section=business_jets}}

===Airliners===
These typically have 2-4 turbofan engines and some of the more complicated takeoff and landing procedures (such as multiple [[flaps]]).

See [[Airliner development status]] for more info.

====Narrowbody & Midsize====
{{Model Gallery| section=modern_airliners_narrowbody_midsize}}

====Widebody & Jumbo Airliners====
{{Model Gallery| section=modern_airliners_widebody_jumbo}}

===Helicopters===
{{Main article|Helicopter}}

Helicopters have fundamentally different controls than fixed wing aircraft (see ''[[Flying the Helicopter]]''). Modern helicopter typically feature 1-2 turbine engines, which power a main rotor with 2-6 blades.
{{Model Gallery| section=helicopters}}

===Gliders, Sailplanes, & Ultralights===
These typically have the simplest controls, with minimal avionics. Flying [[:Category:Gliders|gliders]] or sailplanes using [[Soaring|thermals]] can provide more complicated experience. Ultralights on the other hand are among the simplest aircraft in FG.
{{Model Gallery| section=ultra_light}}

===Warbirds===
FlightGear includes a wide variety of vintage military aircraft. Complexity and realism is typically tied to the level of development work with a specific aircraft.
{{Model Gallery| section=warbirds}}

===Carrier-borne aircraft===
FlightGear supports landing on and taking off from [[carriers]].
{{Model Gallery| section=carrier_borne_aircraft}}

===Modern military aircraft ===
FlightGear has a wide variety of modern and retired military jets available, highlighted by features such as air-to-air refueling from the venerable KC-135 and the ability to simulate A-10 ordnance release.
{{Model Gallery| section=modern_military_aircraft}}

===Historical===
Many obscure to famous older aircraft of varying quality are available.
{{Model Gallery| section=historical_aircraft}}

===Experimental & Unique===
Experimental and special purpose aircraft.
{{Model Gallery| section=experimental}}

===Lighter than air aircraft (Available from version 1.9.0)===
These aircraft take advantage of lighter than air gas to become buoyant. In addition to typical aircraft control methods such as elevator, rudder and engine throttle, ballast and control of gas volume and pressure become options.
{{Model Gallery| section=lighter_than_air}}

===Science Fiction===
Alternative models provide a diversion of realistic simulation, but can also be useful for exploring scenery.
{{Model Gallery| section=science_fiction}}

===Spacecraft===
Things that show how small our planet Earth really is.
{{Model Gallery| section=spacecraft}}

==See Also ==
* [[Howto:Make an aircraft]]
* [[How to install aircraft]]
* [[Airliner Development Status]]



[[it:Aerei]]

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Aircraft| ]]

[[ca:Aeronau]]
[[de:Flugzeuge]]
[[es:Avión]]
[[fa:هواپیما]]
[[fi:Lentokoneet]]
[[fr:Avions]]
[[nl:Luchtvaartuigen]]
[[pl:Samoloty]]
[[pt:Avião]]
[[ru:Самолет]]
[[zh:插件飞机]]

Template:Volunteer Intro

2026-05-13T07:18:53Z

AirplaneMode: discord

Many people think that contributing to the [[FlightGear]] project requires writing C++ code or doing [[Portal:Developer/3D Modelers|3D modeling]] and that it takes lots of time, and therefore feel that they cannot contribute directly. Not so. There's a whole variety of ways to make a valuable and satisfying contribution to FlightGear without being a developer.

The '''[[Volunteer]]''' page is intended to provide a starting point for those wanting to contribute, but who don't know how. Of course, these are just suggestions. So if you have already a specific idea in mind, please do get in touch with the community to ask for feedback, using the [[mailing list]]s, {{forum link|text=forum}} or the [[Discord]] (chat).

Remember that work in non-development areas will be appreciated as much as developer contributions (or more!), because generally more visible to the end user.

If you'd like to learn more about getting your own ideas and features into FlightGear, check out [[Implementing new features for FlightGear]].

If you are '''contributing to the core simulator''', or an aircraft in the '''master repository''', you should be part of the FlightGear-devel mailing list, which is the primary point of contact for all discussions regarding the development of the simulator. You may want to check out also [[Howto: Understand the FlightGear development process]] and [[Howto: Starting core development]].<noinclude>
[[Category:Undocumented templates]]
</noinclude>