FlightGear wiki - User contributions [en]

Aircraft-set.xml

2026-08-11T14:06:06Z

PhilipsMC: Add info about the new community tag in URLs section, which was added in FlightGear version 2024.1.6

The '''aircraft-set.xml''' file (or rather ''name-of-aircraft''-set.xml) is the top level aircraft configuration file. The aircraft-set.xml file should be in the aircraft's root directory, for example <code>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Aircraft/747-400/747-400-set.xml</code>.

When FlightGear loads an aircraft, the aircraft-set.xml file is the main source of information, about other files to load, such as the 3D model and FDM configuration. It also contains meta data that is important when packaging the aircraft before a release of FlightGear, or when searching for aircraft in the UI (for example, the launcher).

== Overview ==
The aircraft-set.xml file is an XML file which contains many recommended pieces.

* A header with meta-data such as author information and a description
* [[Aircraft rating system|Aircraft ratings]] that can be used to select only the more well developed aircraft (or bad ones if you are looking for aircraft to improve)
* [[Howto:Reassign keyboard bindings|Keyboard bindings]]
* Paths to [[Nasal]] modules
* Paths to configuration files for the [[Flight Dynamics Model|flight dynamics model]] (FDMs), [[Howto:Animate models|3D models and their animations]], [[Autopilot configuration reference|autopilot]], [[Howto:Add sound effects to aircraft|sound]] etc.

FlightGear allows a great deal of flexibility when it comes to how to configure an aircraft.

== The aircraft-set.xml file name ==
The ''name-of-aircraft'' portion of ''name-of-aircraft''-set.xml is the name of the aircraft that is used for example when starting FlightGear from the command line (using the <code>--aircraft=''name-of-aircraft''</code> option). For example, if the file name is

fkdr1-set.xml

Then the command line to start with that aircraft is something like:

fgfs.exe --aircraft=fkdr1

=== Multiple aircraft-set.xml files ===
This naming convention gives you the opportunity to create two (or more) aircraft within the aircraft package root directory. For instance one could create two versions of an aircraft using different FDMs, but sharing many or most other features (and .xml files/models), using the following file names:

fkdr1-yasim-set.xml
fkdr1-uiuc-set.xml

When creating multiple aircraft this way, it's very common to put shared XML data into a -common.xml file which is included by both of the -set.xml files. It's important that your common file does ''not'' end in -set.xml, otherwise some systems will erroneously consider the file as another aircraft. Typically the name might be <code>fkdr1-common-sounds.xml</code> or <code>fokker-shared.xml</code> - but anything is fine so long as it doesn't end in <code>-set.xml</code>

{{note|When defining multiple versions of an aircraft, it's important to use some additional tags to link the aircraft together correctly - this improves the user experience by telling various places which -set.xml is the most important one. See below for the <code><variant-of></code> and <code><primary-set></code> tags.}}

=== Multiplayer aircraft ===
In Flightgear version 2020.3.1 and later, the aircraft-set.xml file is also used when showing [[Howto:Multiplayer|multiplayer]] aircraft, as part of the implementation of [[Changelog 2020.1#Multiplayer|Multiplayer Views]]. For historical reasons multiplayer packets contain only the path to the aircraft model (in essence the string in the <code>/sim/model/path</code> [[Property tree|property]]), not the -set.xml file. Internally Flightgear use a heuristic to find a corresponding -set.xml file.

There is also a feature that will load an AI aircraft model if it shares the same path, in essence from

[[$FG_ROOT]]/'''AI'''/Aircraft/''Aircraft-name''/Models/''Model-and-animation-configuration''.xml

instead of

$FG_ROOT/Aircraft/''Aircraft-name''/Models/''Model-and-animation-configuration''.xml

Note that the AI aircraft model need not be an XML file with a model and animation configuration, but can also be a plain .ac (AC3D) file with a 3D model.

Unfortunately, as this feature have been rather unknown and possibly undocumented for many years, few aircraft developers have provided such a model with their aircraft.

Needless to say, aircraft developers are highly encouraged to provide such a model with the aircraft.

== The property tree ==
{{main article|Property tree}}

The property tree contain a tree-like representation of various key-value pair properties that are used for configuration of and communication between different parts of FlightGear.

Most of the properties can be set using various configuration files and can be manipulated while FlightGear is running. Some of them are manipulated by FlightGear itself, some by the FDM, some by aircraft systems and [[Nasal]] scripts. Properties can also be manipulated manually when FlightGear is running using the [[property browser]].

== -set.xml Sections ==
The aircraft-set.xml file is a [[PropertyList XML files|PropertyList XML file]] that will configure properties in the property tree when an aircraft is loaded. When you view the property tree via the in-sim inspector, the properties you see are those defined in your -set.xml, combined with all the properties defined at runtime by the FDM, instruments, renderer and so on.

Since the -set.xml can grow to become very large, it's common to break it into several pieces. This is especially important when using multiple -set.xml files to avoid code duplication, but it can be very helpful in all cases to keep the main -set.xml file clear and readable. Splitting the file up is done via the PropertyList <code>include</code> syntax.

{{note|Most of these tags are optional.}}

{{note|The [https://pypi.org/project/FlightGear/ <code>flightgear</code> Python package] built from FGMeta-Python contains a script called <code>fg-check-aircraft</code> that can validate <tt>-set.xml</tt> files and report potential problems. Installation instructions for this package are given in {{fgmeta-python source | path = README.md | text = FGMeta-Python's README.md}}. Then run <code>fg-check-aircraft --help</code> for script usage (basically, you need to specify suitable <code>--include</code> options and tell which directories you want to check).}}

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<PropertyList>
<sim>
</syntaxhighlight>

XML file header and opening <code><PropertyList></code> and <code><sim></code> tags

==== Name & Description ====

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<description></description>
</syntaxhighlight>

The name that will be shown on the aircraft selection page of the launcher. It's called '''description''' but consider it the human-readable name for the aircraft. It's the primary thing users will see of your aircraft in UIs, so try to make it as informative as possible without being too long. Many authors include the manufacturer in the name, but this is not always necessary: e.e there's no need to call an aircraft 'Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 27 ML (Flogger)'. In this case 'MiG 27ML' or 'Mikoyan MiG-27ML' is likely fine. Nickname such as the NATO reporting name here are good to include in the longer description (see next next section) since this is also searchable in the UI.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<long-description>The Cessna 172 is the most popular general aviation aircraft in the world, with
over 40,000 examples built. The aircraft evolved from the earlier Cessna 170, and is available with
a huge range of instruments and engines. This examples features the a Lycoming IO-360 engine
and traditional mechanical flight instruments, typical of a new aircraft from 1986.
</long-description>
</syntaxhighlight>

A brief description of the aircraft, typically a few sentences or paragraphs. Do not including formatting in this text since it will be re-formatted by the UI. (Line breaks to separate paragraphs are ok). Since this text is also searchable, this is a good place to include nick-names or other information (eg, historical manufacturer names) to aid in discovery.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<aircraft-version></aircraft-version>
</syntaxhighlight>

Version of the aircraft. Often the date of the last change or a version number.


==== Minimum FlightGear version ====

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<minimum-fg-version></minimum-fg-version>
</syntaxhighlight>

This will make FlightGear show a warning dialog stating that the aircraft might not work as expected or at all if the FlightGear version loading it is too old.

This is useful of you know that you are using features not available for older versions of FlightGear.

==== Expected aircraft folder name ====

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<expected-aircraft-dir-name></expected-aircraft-dir-name>
</syntaxhighlight>

This will make FlightGear show a warning dialog if the aircraft do not have the expected folder name, suggesting that the user rename the aircraft to the aircraft name given above.

This is useful if you expect users to download your aircraft from for example GitHub, which will add a hyphen and a branch name to the folder name, most often <code>-master</code>. This will usually break a lot of things, for example showing the blue and yellow "infamous glider" instead of the aircraft model, as FlightGear do not find the aircraft model.

==== Ratings ====

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<rating>
<FDM type="int"></FDM>
<systems type="int"></systems>
<cockpit type="int"></cockpit>
<model type="int"></model>
</rating>
</syntaxhighlight>

The aircraft rating, using the criteria outlined in the article [[Aircraft rating system]], gives a (reasonably) objective rating based on the availability and quality of various aspects of the aircraft.

==== Authors & Maintainers ====

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">

<author></author>


<authors>
<author n="0">
<name>Wilbur Wirght</name>
<description>FDM, systems</description>
<nick>wwright</nick>
</author>
<author n="1">
<name>Orville Wirght</name>
<description>model and sounds</description>
<email>orville@gmail.com</email>
</author>
</authors>
</syntaxhighlight>

Previously, aircraft could define a single <author> tag with a string listing the authors of the aircraft. This often ended up containing other information, and for complex aircraft, could become very long and unreadable in some places, such as the splash screen.

For FlightGear 2018.3.0 onwards there is a replacement system, based around a structured list of authors. For each author their name can be supplied, and optionally other data if desired: nickname, email and a description of what they contributed. (The strucutre of this XML deliberately matches that used for add-ons)

Both the old and and new data can co-exist to allow aircraft compatability with older versions of FlightGear.

To distinguish contributions and previous authors from active maintainers, there is a seperate maintainers section which can be provided. The syntax is the same as for the authors, but the contact email is more important. In the future this might potentially be used to contact / notify all maintainers of aircraft. (Nickname and description are not used for maintainers)

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<maintainers>
<maintainer n="0">
<name>Wilbur Wirght</name>
<email>ww@wright-brothers.com</email>
</maintainer>
</maintainers >
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Variants ====

When you have multiple -set.xml files in an aircraft directory, one of them should be indicated as the default or primary, and other -set.xmls should be marked as variants of this. This is important so the packaging system knows which -set.xml best describes the whole directory. It's usually quite clear what the main or principle -set.xml should be, but sometimes an arbitrary decision is needed. (For example, with the 777, should the -200 or -300 be the primary aircraft? In practice it doesn't matter)

In the main -set.xml, add the following:

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<primary-set type="bool">true</primary-set>
</syntaxhighlight>

In each variant -set.xml, add the following:

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<variant-of>....mainAircraftName....</variant-of>
</syntaxhighlight>

For example if the main aircraft -set.xml is 'dc3-set.xml', and the variants are 'c47-set.xml' and 'dst-set.xml', you would add:

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<variant-of>dc3</variant-of>
</syntaxhighlight>

in both c47-set.xml and dst-set.xml. This ensures the information from dc3-set.xml will be used when describing the entire package. In this example it's clear the DC-3 should be the primary aircraft because that is the most commonly recognised version - the C-47 and Douglas Sleeper Transport are both useful variants that might exist, but DC-3 is the most generic name / variant.

==== Tags ====

The [[Catalog metadata|tag system]] allows systems to categorise aircraft, for example allowing more advanced searches in the future. Tags allow better feedback to the user when interacting with your aircraft - for
example if the aircraft is tagged as towable, a glider, or a helicopter, the startup behaviour can be customised.

Most importantly, set the following tags if appropriate:

* glider
* helicopter
* floats
* skis
* seaplane
* airship
* amphibious
* vtol

These tags are the most helpful in customising the start-up experience based on the type of aircraft. (Especially, which starting locations are offered / preferred when searching)

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<tags>
<tag n="0">boeing</tag>
<tag n="1">vtol</tag>
<tag n="2">glider</tag>
</tags>
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Urls ====

Beginning with FlightGear 2018.3.0, aircraft can list significant URLs, such as their home page, support page, community space(added in version 2024.1.6), Wikipedia article, or code repository. Again, the format matches that used for add-ons:

The <code><support></code> URL shall direct users to a place where they can obtain support or report problems, such as an issue tracker or support forum. The <code><community></code> URL is intended for the aircraft's general community or discussion space.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<urls>
<home-page>http://wiki.flightgear.org/UFO_from_the_%27White_Project%27_of_the_UNESCO</home-page>
<support>http://forum.flightgear.org</support>
<wikipedia>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unidentified_flying_object</wikipedia>
<code-repository>https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Aircraft/ufo/</code-repository>
<community>https://discord.gg/example</community>
</urls>
</syntaxhighlight>

The support URL is perhaps the most important, to direct users to a forum or bug-tracker where they can ask questions or report issues with the particular aircraft. Note that while multiple URLs of each type are in theory permitted, at the moment only the first one of each type will be used in the UI. (This may change in the future)

==== Previews ====

The preview system allows UI to show a visual preview of the aircraft during startup, on the website, and in the launcher. Several images can be provided, showing the aircraft exterior and interior. These are also used to provide an improved splash-screen experience, replacing the older system described below. Images should be 1024x768 with no text (as that is added dynamically) and minimal post-processing.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<previews>
<preview>
<type>exterior</type>
<splash type="bool">true</splash>
<path>Previews/exterior-1.png</path>
</preview>
<preview>
<type>exterior</type>
<splash type="bool">true</splash>
<path>Previews/exterior-f16a-2.png</path>
</preview>
<preview>
<type>panel</type>
<splash type="bool">false</splash>
<path>Previews/cockpit.png</path>
</preview>
</previews>
</syntaxhighlight>

Previews are tagged to allow automatic selection for certain use cases. It's recommended to include at least one exterior, daytime shot of the aircraft, and one interior shot fo the main instrument panel from the pilot's viewpoint. Beyond this any image of the aircraft is acceptable. Avoid including logo, badge or text elements in preview images since this gives poor quality results and restricts how the images can be used - different uses of the images will composite their own elements on top.

Preview file paths are relative to the -set.xml file. Permitted types at present are <code>exterior</code> and <code>panel</code> - the type can also be committed. By default all previews are considered for random selection as the splash screen - to prevent a particular preview being used as the splash screen, set the <code>splash</code> tag to <code>false</code>.

==== Flight-model (FDM) ====

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<flight-model></flight-model>
</syntaxhighlight>

The FDM the aircraft is using. Use <code>yasim</code> for [[YASim]] and <code>jsb</code> for [[JSBSim]].

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<aero></aero>
</syntaxhighlight>

The filename of the FDM file, without <code>.xml</code>. For instance, if your FDM file is sopwithCamel1F1.xml, the aero section would look like <code><nowiki><aero>sopwithCamel1F1</aero></nowiki></code>.

==== Startup ====

The startup section contains information used to show the splash screen for your aircraft. The recommend approach is to use the previews system described above, optionally marking some previews as suitable or unsuitable for use as a splash screen. When using the previews system to provide a splash screen, you can optionally provide a logo image. This replaces the default text (containing the aircraft name) with a presumably partially-transaprent overlay,
allowing more interesting graphics to be displayed on the splash screen.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<sim>
<startup>
<splash-logo-image>beechcraft-logo.png</splash-logo-image>
</startup>
</sim>
</syntaxhighlight>

When using a logo image, it should be a PNG with an alpha channel enabled, and will be blended over the selected preview image automatically. At present the placement is hard-coded, but this could be extended- if you'd like this added please ask on the developer mailing list.

The legacy splash screen system does not use previews, but instead uses the following syntax:

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<sim>
<startup>
<splash-texture n="0"></splash-texture>
<splash-texture n="1"></splash-texture>
</startup>
</sim>
</syntaxhighlight>

Because old splash screens typically included text and logo elements, the splash screen appearance is different in this case, to ensure all text is legible. (Information added by FlightGear such as version and startup progress, is moved to avoid overlapping, and the scaling behaviour is different)

==== Visual aircraft model ====

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<model>
<path></path>
<fallback-model-index></fallback-model-index>
</model>
</syntaxhighlight>

The file path to either a plain .ac (AC3D) 3D model or a model and animation configuration XML file. This path is also used when loading multiplayer aircraft and needs to be in the long form <code>Aircraft/<aircraft folder>/Models/<model file></code> so FlightGear can find it for multiplayer aircraft. The <code>fallback-model-index</code> is used to set what aircraft model be used to render their aircraft over multiplayer if a user does not have their aircraft installed or if the aircraft is outside the [[Level Of Detail (LOD) Ranges#AI/MP ranges|level of detail range]]. See [[MP Fallback models]] for more details.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<sound>
<path></path>
</sound>
</syntaxhighlight>

The path to a [[Howto:Add sound effects to aircraft|sound configuration XML file]]. If for example you find a nice WAV file of the jet engine you're using, you can fix it up with your favorite sound editor so it loops nicely and include that into your model (I've noticed a few models where it can get quite annoying when the loop length is so small you can really notice it) so make it smooth.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<panel>
<path></path>
</panel>
</syntaxhighlight>

File path to the 2D panel configuration XML file. We prefer 3D cockpits, which are linked in the model .xml file.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<autopilot>
<path></path>
</autopilot>
</syntaxhighlight>

File path to the autopilot configuration XML file. For details, see for example [[Autopilot configuration reference]].

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<checklists include=""/> 
</syntaxhighlight>

Configuration XML file defining a [[Aircraft Checklists|checklist]] (available since version 3.0).

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<variant-of></variant-of>
</syntaxhighlight>

Since 3.6, there is a new <code><variant-of></code> tag that can be added. This is used by the [[Integrated Qt5 Launcher|integrated Qt5 launcher]] to easily select a variant of an aircraft. For example, the [[British Aerospace Sea Harrier|BAe Sea Harrier FA2]] is a variant of the BAe Sea Harrier, and the ''Cessna 172P - Canvas Demo'' is a variant of the [[Cessna 172P]]. Additionally, this could be used for different [[Talk:Aircraft_Checklists#In-air_startups_.26_supporting_Startup_Situations|startup situations]] too.

Example from the {{fgaddon aircraft source|777|777-200ER-set.xml|l=11|text=777-200ER-set.xml}}: <code><variant-of>777-200</variant-of></code>

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
</sim>
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Performance and Flight-planning ====

From FlightGear 2018.3.0 onwards, it's possible to include additional data to improve user feedback and flight-plan creation. Note this information lives under the top-level <code>aircraft</code> tag, and '''not''' under <code>sim</code> as all the content above does.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<aircraft>
<icao>
<wake-turbulence-category>M</wake-turbulence-category> 
<type type="string">B738</type> 

<equipment type="string">SDFGY</equipment>

<surveillance type="string">S</surveillance> 
</icao>
</aircraft>
</syntaxhighlight>

This information is useful in pre-filling an ICAO standard flight-plan based on the aircraft and equipment. In the future it may be reported automatically to ATC clients / networks. To find out the officially registered ICAO type string for an aircraft, ICAO provides [http://www.icao.int/publications/DOC8643/Pages/Search.aspx a lookup service]

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<aircraft>
<performance>
<minimum>
<takeoff-length-ft type="int">6000</takeoff-length-ft>
<landing-length-ft type="int">4000</landing-length-ft>
</minimum>
<climb>

</climb>
<cruise>
<airspeed-knots type="int">400</airspeed-knots>

<altitude-ft type="int">4500</altitude-ft>

</cruise>
<descent>

</descent>
<approach>
<airspeed-knots type="int">120</airspeed-knots>
</approach>
<maximum>
<altitude-ft type="int">21000</altitude-ft> 
<mach type="double">0.875</mach>
<airspeed-knots type="int">180</airspeed-knots> 
</maximum>
</performance >
</aircraft>
</syntaxhighlight>

Performance data is optional, and advisory : it does not influence the system or FDM simulation in any way. Its purpose is to inform flight-planning and user experience, especially to provide reasonable default values when the user selects starting on approach or in the air. The cruise information is valuable in generating a plausible route between two airports (for example, if Victor or Jet airways should be used), and making a crude estimate of the time enroute based on typical cruising speeds.

The minimum runway length information is helpful in preferring certain airfields when searching locations - for example when using the 777 there is little point in considering a 600ft grass strip.

Information on aircraft maximums is valuable in the UI to give feedback when the user requests values which exceed aircraft capabilities: for example starting the C172 at 50000ft altitude or 800kts. (Since we're dealing with a flight-simulation situation, we still permit such uses, but it's beneficial to be able to warn the user they are doing something which will likely not work well)

At present climb and descent information is not included, but future version of FlightGear might support this, to plan realistic climb and descent profiles for the aircraft.

== Related content ==
* [[Aircraft Generation Wizard]] (stalled as of 12/2013)
* [[Aircraft rating system]]
* [[Catalog metadata]]
* [[Howto:3D Aircraft Models]]
* [[Howto:Add sound effects to aircraft]]
* [[Howto:Animate models]]
* [[MP Fallback models]]

[[Category:Aircraft enhancement]]

Mooney M20M Bravo

2026-08-08T05:24:52Z

PhilipsMC: update

[[File:Mooney-M20M-preview.png|thumb|Mooney M20M Bravo in FlightGear]]

The '''Mooney M20M Bravo''' is a high-performance turbocharged single-engine piston [[aircraft]] produced by Mooney International Corporation. It is part of the long-body Mooney M20 family and is known for its high cruise speed, efficient airframe, retractable landing gear, and distinctive vertical tail design.

This page documents the '''[[FlightGear]] implementation of the Mooney M20M Bravo''', an open-source aircraft addon currently under active development.

== Overview ==

* Aircraft type: Single-engine piston
* Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AF1B
* Primary developer: Philips Nguyen
* [[Flight dynamics model]]: [[JSBSim]]
* Development status: Alpha / active FDM, systems, and model integration development
* Source code: {{Github url|philip2012|Mooney-M20M}}

== FlightGear Implementation ==

The FlightGear Mooney M20M Bravo project is an open-source aircraft developed using the [[JSBSim]] flight dynamics model.

Development currently focuses on maintaining a stable aircraft baseline, validating the flight model through runtime testing, and progressively improving systems, cockpit, model, and visual integration.

At the current stage, the project includes:

* Aircraft directory structure and addon packaging
* Successful aircraft loading in FlightGear
* JSBSim FDM baseline
* Metrics, mass balance, aerodynamics, flight controls, propulsion, ground reactions, and external reactions
* Baseline property-binding and control-input fixes
* Static FDM sanity checks
* Control-chain sanity checks
* Baseline retractable-gear FDM behavior
* Stabilized constant-speed propeller behavior for climb testing
* Turbocharged high-altitude climb testing up to FL250
* FL250 ceiling behavior validated with low remaining climb rate near service ceiling
* Pacejka-based tire model for improved ground handling behavior
* FlightGear AI wake-turbulence force and moment hooks in the JSBSim external-reactions configuration
* Integrated exterior and interior 3D model package
* Cockpit panel, pedestal, seat, pilot, and analog-instrument model assets
* Propeller, primary flight-control, flap, and landing-gear animation infrastructure
* Classic, ALS, and HDR-oriented lighting assets
* Bump/specular, glass, rain-on-glass, engine-cranking smoke, and ground-effect assets
* Livery infrastructure
* Git LFS support for large binary aircraft assets

The current implementation remains an alpha-stage aircraft and should not yet be considered a fully tuned or feature-complete simulation of the M20M Bravo.

== Model and Cockpit Integration ==

The aircraft model layer has been substantially expanded with exterior geometry, an interior, cockpit components, analog instrument models, lighting, animations, and visual effects.

The integrated cockpit currently contains model assets for multiple analog instruments and avionics components. These assets should not yet be considered fully functional or validated, as property bindings, systems integration, and runtime behavior are still under development.

The model integration is also being reviewed incrementally for:

* Aircraft-relative path correctness
* Model placement and orientation
* Animation property paths
* FlightGear property usage
* Lighting and rendering behavior
* Effect compatibility
* Cockpit and instrument property bindings
* Compatibility with the aircraft's existing JSBSim and systems architecture

== Current Development Focus ==

The aircraft remains primarily in the FDM validation stage, while model integration and cleanup are being developed separately.

Current FDM development focuses on:

* Cruise performance validation
* Descent performance validation
* Stall and low-speed regression testing
* Continued JSBSim FDM refinement
* Engine and propeller behavior outside the validated climb envelope
* Aerodynamic coefficient refinement
* Ground handling refinement
* Retractable gear behavior

The turbocharged climb envelope has already been tested up to FL250. At this altitude, the aircraft approaches service-ceiling behavior with only a small remaining climb rate.

Ground handling and airborne performance are treated as separate validation areas. The Pacejka tire model is used to improve ground behavior, while aero-side testing remains focused on JSBSim flight performance.

Model-layer development currently focuses on cleanup and validation of the newly integrated exterior, interior, cockpit, lighting, animation, and effects infrastructure.

== Planned Development ==

Future development includes:

* Full POH-matched performance envelope
* Finalized cruise, descent, and stall validation
* Final engine and propeller tuning across all operating regimes
* Improved turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540 behavior
* Final retractable-gear system logic and animation
* Fully functional and validated analog cockpit
* Electrical system
* Fuel system
* Finalized aircraft sounds
* Model and effects cleanup
* Detailed liveries and visual polish
* Cross-country performance refinement using available reference data

== Development ==

The project is developed as a community addon for FlightGear. Aircraft source files and development history are maintained in a public GitHub repository.

Repository:

{{Github url|philip2012|Mooney-M20M}}

Major model contributions have been provided by Emmanuel Baranger (helijah), with model integration and repository contributions from Israel Emmanuel (Naviat).

Development discussion, testing, and project updates are also available through the BravoWorks community server:

[https://discord.gg/tuMr5nbqps BravoWorks Discord]

== References ==

* {{wikipedia|Mooney M20}}

[[Category:Piston aircraft]]
[[Category:Retractable gear aircraft]]
[[Category:Single-engine aircraft]]
[[Category:Tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Tricycle landing gear aircraft]]

Mooney M20M Bravo

2026-05-15T12:08:48Z

PhilipsMC: update name

Mooney M20M Bravo

2026-04-27T08:49:58Z

PhilipsMC: update wiki

Mooney M20M Bravo

2026-03-10T12:00:24Z

PhilipsMC:

Mooney M20M Bravo

2026-03-04T01:45:24Z

PhilipsMC: change engine

= Mooney M20M Bravo =

[[File:Mooney-M20M-preview.png|thumb|Mooney M20M Bravo in FlightGear]]

The '''Mooney M20M Bravo''' is a high-performance turbocharged single-engine piston aircraft produced by Mooney International Corporation. It is part of the Mooney M20 family and is known for its high cruise speed, efficient airframe, and distinctive vertical tail design.

This page documents the '''FlightGear implementation of the Mooney M20M Bravo''', an open-source aircraft addon currently under development.

== Overview ==

* Aircraft type: Single-engine piston
* Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AF1B
* Developer: Philips
* Flight dynamics model: JSBSim
* Development status: Early development
* Source code: https://github.com/philip2012/Mooney-M20M

== FlightGear Implementation ==

The FlightGear Mooney M20M Bravo project is an open-source aircraft developed using the JSBSim flight dynamics model. The project follows a structured development approach focused on establishing a stable aircraft architecture before implementing detailed systems and performance tuning.

Current development focuses on:

* Stable aircraft loading in FlightGear
* Correct aircraft directory structure
* Model integration
* Initial JSBSim flight dynamics configuration

Future development will include:

* Accurate flight dynamics tuning
* Engine and turbocharger simulation
* Cockpit instrumentation
* Aircraft systems implementation

== Development ==

The project is developed as a community addon for FlightGear. The aircraft source files and development history are maintained in a public GitHub repository.

Repository:

https://github.com/philip2012/Mooney-M20M

== References ==

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooney_M20

[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:General aviation]]
[[Category:Single engine aircraft]]
[[Category:JSBSim aircraft]]

Mooney M20M Bravo

2026-03-04T01:32:32Z

PhilipsMC: Create Mooney M20M Bravo aircraft page

= Mooney M20M Bravo =

[[File:Mooney-M20M-preview.png|thumb|Mooney M20M Bravo in FlightGear]]

The '''Mooney M20M Bravo''' is a high-performance turbocharged single-engine piston aircraft produced by Mooney International Corporation. It is part of the Mooney M20 family and is known for its high cruise speed, efficient airframe, and distinctive vertical tail design.

This page documents the '''FlightGear implementation of the Mooney M20M Bravo''', an open-source aircraft addon currently under development.

== Overview ==

* Aircraft type: Single-engine piston
* Engine: Continental TSIO-550-G
* Developer: Philips
* Flight dynamics model: JSBSim
* Development status: Early development
* Source code: https://github.com/philip2012/Mooney-M20M

== FlightGear Implementation ==

The FlightGear Mooney M20M Bravo project is an open-source aircraft developed using the JSBSim flight dynamics model. The project follows a structured development approach focused on establishing a stable aircraft architecture before implementing detailed systems and performance tuning.

Current development focuses on:

* Stable aircraft loading in FlightGear
* Correct aircraft directory structure
* Model integration
* Initial JSBSim flight dynamics configuration

Future development will include:

* Accurate flight dynamics tuning
* Engine and turbocharger simulation
* Cockpit instrumentation
* Aircraft systems implementation

== Development ==

The project is developed as a community addon for FlightGear. The aircraft source files and development history are maintained in a public GitHub repository.

Repository:

https://github.com/philip2012/Mooney-M20M

== References ==

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooney_M20

[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:General aviation]]
[[Category:Single engine aircraft]]
[[Category:JSBSim aircraft]]