FlightGear wiki - User contributions [en]

Command line options

2018-12-24T08:28:42Z

The4thchild: Include --fg-aircraft option based on the fgfs help documentation

'''Command line options''' are a common way to tell applications what to do/how to act on startup. With [[FlightGear]] they are used for many things, from simple ones like selecting an aircraft up to complex stuff like network traffic and weather parameters.

The easiest way to handle those options for FlightGear is using a tool with a graphical user interface like the [[FlightGear Qt launcher]]. This way one doesn't have to bother about them at all.

However, there are users who don't want or are not able to run a GUI and therefore are interested in this. Those who need them or just want to learn more about FlightGear, but have no idea what we are talking about, may read the wiki page on the general usage of the [[command line]].

A good place to store the personal options is a file called [[fgfsrc]]. This file is read by FlightGear on each startup.

The following lists show the options for FlightGear including a short description and sorted by categories. Please have in mind that keeping those lists up to date on the wiki is not an easy task. Also there are different versions of FlightGear out there which don't share exactly the same options. Therefore you better also check your versions ones with <code>fgfs --help --verbose</code>. If this command fails, you may add the option <code>--fg-root=[path]</code> as well, see below.

It is sad but true, not even this command is, at least in Git, up to date all the time. At the time of writing at least one option which is supported is not shown with <code>fgfs --help --verbose</code>. So if you have serious issues with an option, the source code is, as always, also the best source for info. In the file ''src/Main/options.cxx'' all the options are listed with their hard coded ''default'' setting and type.

The file [[$FG_ROOT]]/options.xml is used to generate the output for <code>fgfs --help [--verbose]</code>. That's the reason why <code>--fg-root=[path]</code> has to be added to this, if it is not set as environmental variable or as option in fgfsrc.

Usage: <code>fgfs [OPTION [OPTION ...]]</code>

==== General Options ====

--help, -h Show the most relevant command line options
--verbose, -v Show all command line options when combined with --help or -h
--fg-root=path Specify the root data path
--fg-scenery=path[:path...] Specify the base scenery path;
Defaults to [[$FG_ROOT]]/Scenery
--fg-aircraft=path Specify additional aircraft directory path(s)
(alternatively, you can use --aircraft-dir to
target a specific aircraft in a given
directory)
--language=code Select the language for this session
--launcher Enable Qt launcher
--disable-splash-screen Disable splash screen
--enable-splash-screen Enable splash screen
--disable-mouse-pointer Disable extra mouse pointer
--enable-mouse-pointer Enable extra mouse pointer
(i.e. for full screen Voodoo based cards)
--disable-random-objects Exclude random scenery objects
(buildings, etc.)
--enable-random-objects Include random scenery objects
(buildings, etc.)
--disable-ai-models Disable the AI subsystem.
(This also disables showing the models of other
multiplayer aircraft)
--enable-ai-models Enable the AI subsystem.
--disable-ai-traffic Disable the autogenerated traffic subsystem.
--enable-ai-traffic Enable the autogenerated traffic subsystem.
--disable-freeze Start in a running state
--enable-freeze Start in a frozen state
--disable-fuel-freeze Fuel is consumed normally
--enable-fuel-freeze Fuel tank quantity forced to remain constant
--disable-clock-freeze Clock advances normally
--enable-clock-freeze Do not advance clock
--enable-auto-coordination Enable auto coordination - rudder and
ailerons will be controlled together
--disable-auto-coordination Disable auto coordination (default)
--browser-app=path Specify path to your web browser
--prop:foo=bar Set property named "foo" to value "bar"
--config=path Load additional properties from path
--units-feet Use feet for distances
--units-meters Use meters for distances

==== Features ====

--disable-panel Disable instrument panel
--enable-panel Enable instrument panel
--disable-sound Disable sound effects
--enable-sound Enable sound effects
--disable-hud Disable Heads Up Display (HUD)
--enable-hud Enable Heads Up Display (HUD)
--disable-anti-alias-hud Disable anti-aliased HUD
--enable-anti-alias-hud Enable anti-aliased HUD
--disable-hud-3d Disable 3D HUD
--enable-hud-3d Enable 3D HUD
--ai-scenario=scenario Add and enable a new scenario. Multiple options
are allowed. Scenarios are in /[[$FG_ROOT]]/AI/.

==== Aircraft ====

--aircraft=name Select an aircraft profile as defined by a top
level -set.xml
--aircraft-dir=path Specify the exact directory to use for the
aircraft (normally not required, but may be
useful). Interpreted relatively to the
current directory. Causes the <path-cache>
from autosave_X_Y.xml, as well as
--fg-aircraft options and the FG_AIRCRAFT
environment variable to be bypassed.
--show-aircraft Print a list of the currently available
aircraft types

==== Flight Model ====

--fdm=name Select the core flight dynamics model
Can be one of jsb, larcsim, yasim, magic,
balloon, ada, external, or null
--aero=name Select aircraft aerodynamics model to load
--model-hz=n Run the FDM this rate (iterations per second)
--speed=n Run the FDM 'n' times faster than real time
--notrim Do NOT attempt to trim the model
(only with fdm=jsbsim)
--on-ground Start at ground level (default)
--in-air Start in air (implied when using --altitude)

==== Initial Position and Orientation ====

--airport=ID Specify airport (e.g. KOAK)
--runway=rwy_no Specify starting runway (must also specify an
airport)
--vor=ID Specify starting position relative to a VOR
--ndb=ID Specify starting position relative to an NDB
--fix=ID Specify starting position relative to a fix
--parkpos=NAME Specify a gate at the airport (e.g. 747d11)
--offset-distance=nm Specify distance to reference point (statute
miles)
--offset-azimuth=degrees Specify heading to reference point
--lon=degrees Starting longitude (west = -)
--lat=degrees Starting latitude (south = -)
--altitude=value Starting altitude
(in feet unless --units-meters specified)
--heading=degrees Specify heading (yaw) angle (Psi)
--roll=degrees Specify roll angle (Phi)
--pitch=degrees Specify pitch angle (Theta)
--uBody=units_per_sec Specify velocity along the body X axis
(in feet unless --units-meters specified)
--vBody=units_per_sec Specify velocity along the body Y axis
(in feet unless --units-meters specified)
--wBody=units_per_sec Specify velocity along the body Z axis
(in feet unless --units-meters specified)
--vc=knots Specify initial airspeed
--mach=num Specify initial mach number
--glideslope=degrees Specify flight path angle (can be positive)
--roc=fpm Specify initial climb rate (can be negative)

==== Rendering Options ====

--bpp=depth Specify the bits per pixel
--fog-disable Disable fog/haze
--fog-fastest Enable fastest fog/haze
--fog-nicest Enable nicest fog/haze
--disable-horizon-effect Disable celestial body growth illusion near the
horizon
--enable-horizon-effect Enable celestial body growth illusion near the
horizon
--disable-enhanced-lighting Disable enhanced runway lighting
--enable-enhanced-lighting Enable enhanced runway lighting
--season=winter Enable snow covered scenery
--disable-distance-attenuation
Disable runway light distance attenuation
--enable-distance-attenuation
Enable runway light distance attenuation
--disable-specular-highlight
Disable specular reflections on textured
objects
--enable-specular-highlight Enable specular reflections on textured objects
--enable-clouds Enable 2D (flat) cloud layers
--disable-clouds Disable 2D (flat) cloud layers
--enable-clouds3d Enable 3D (volumetric) cloud layers
--disable-clouds3d Disable 3D (volumetric) cloud layers
--fov=degrees Specify field of view angle
--disable-fullscreen Disable fullscreen mode
--enable-fullscreen Enable fullscreen mode
--shading-flat Enable flat shading
--shading-smooth Enable smooth shading
--disable-wireframe Disable wireframe drawing mode
--enable-wireframe Enable wireframe drawing mode
--geometry=WxH Specify window geometry/resolution (640x480, etc)
--view-offset=value Specify the default forward view direction as
an offset from straight ahead. Allowable values
are LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER, or a specific number
in degrees
--visibility=meters Specify initial visibility
--visibility-miles=miles Specify initial visibility in miles
--texture-filtering=number Specify anisotropic filtering of terrain textures. Valid values is 1, 2, 4, 8, 16. Default is 1.

==== Hud Options ====

--hud-tris Hud displays number of triangles rendered
--hud-culled Hud displays percentage of triangles culled

==== Time Options ====

--timeofday={dawn,noon,dusk,midnight}
Specify a time of day
--time-offset=[+-]hh:mm:ss Add this time offset
--time-match-real Synchronize time with current time at chosen airport
--time-match-local Synchronize time with system time of computer
--start-date-sys=yyyy:mm:dd:hh:mm:ss
Specify a starting date/time with respect to
system time
--start-date-gmt=yyyy:mm:dd:hh:mm:ss
Specify a starting date/time with respect to
Greenwich Mean Time
--start-date-lat=yyyy:mm:dd:hh:mm:ss
Specify a starting date/time with respect to
Local Aircraft Time

==== Network Options ====

--httpd=port Enable http server on the specified port
--telnet=port Enable telnet server on the specified port
--jpg-httpd=port Enable screen shot http server on the specified
port

==== MultiPlayer Options ====

--callsign assign a unique name to a player
--multiplay={in|out},hz,address,port
Specify multipilot communication settings
multiple instances can be used

==== Route/Way Point Options ====

--wp=ID[@alt] Specify a waypoint for the GC autopilot;
multiple instances can be used
--flight-plan=file Read all waypoints from a file

==== IO Options ====

--generic=params Open connection using a predefined
communication interface and a preselected
communication protocol
--garmin=params Open connection using the Garmin GPS protocol
--joyclient=params Open connection to an Agwagon joystick
--jsclient=params Open connection to a remote joystick
--native-ctrls=params Open connection using the FG Native Controls
protocol
--native-fdm=params Open connection using the FG Native FDM
protocol
--native=params Open connection using the FG Native protocol
--nmea=params Open connection using the NMEA protocol
--opengc=params Open connection using the OpenGC protocol
--props=params Open connection using the interactive property
manager (LEGACY/DEAD DO NOT USE same as --telnet)
--pve=params Open connection using the PVE protocol
--ray=params Open connection using the Ray Woodworth motion
chair protocol
--rul=params Open connection using the RUL protocol
--atc610x Enable atc610x interface

Under Windows, you must use a special escape sequence if you need to specify a COM port higher than 9.

Example: --generic=\\.\COM10,out,1,/tmp/data.xml,myproto

This is per the Microsoft KB article here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa363858%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

==== Avionics Options ====

--com1=frequency Set the COM1 radio frequency.
--com2=frequency Set the COM2 radio frequency.
--nav1=[radial:]frequency Set the NAV1 radio frequency, optionally
preceded by a radial.
--nav2=[radial:]frequency Set the NAV2 radio frequency, optionally
preceded by a radial.
--adf=[rotation:]frequency Set the ADF radio frequency, optionally
preceded by a card rotation.
--dme={nav1|nav2|frequency} Slave the ADF to one of the NAV radios, or set
its internal frequency.

==== Environment Options ====

--disable-real-weather-fetch Disable METAR based real weather fetching
--enable-real-weather-fetch Enable METAR based real weather fetching (this
requires an open internet connection)
--disable-horizon-effect Disable celestial body growth illusion near the
horizon
--enable-horizon-effect Enable celestial body growth illusion near the
horizon
--enable-clouds Enable 2D (flat) cloud layers
--disable-clouds Disable 2D (flat) cloud layers
--enable-clouds3d Enable 3D (volumetric) cloud layers
--disable-clouds3d Disable 3D (volumetric) cloud layers
--visibility=meters Specify initial visibility
--visibility-miles=miles Specify initial visibility in miles
--wind=DIR@SPEED Specify wind coming from DIR (degrees) at SPEED
(knots)
--turbulence=0.0 to 1.0 Specify turbulence from 0.0 (calm) to 1.0
(severe)
--ceiling=FT_ASL[:THICKNESS_FT]
Create an overcast ceiling, optionally with a
specific thickness (defaults to 2000 ft).
--random-wind
--metar="metar string" Starts with a certain METAR string. Only works if live weather is disabled.

==== Situation Options ====

--failure={pitot|static|system|vacuum}
Fail the pitot, static, vacuum, or electrical
system (repeat the option for multiple system
failures).

==== Debugging Options ====

--log-level={bulk|debug|info|warn|alert}
Set the logging level for this session.
0=verbose, 5=alerts only
--pid=/pathto/some/file.pid Write current PID into file.
--trace-read=property Trace the reads for a property;
multiple instances can be used
--trace-write=property Trace the writes for a property;
multiple instances can be used

== Related content ==
=== Wiki articles ===
* [[Command line]]

=== Source files ===
* {{fgdata file|options.xml}}
* {{flightgear file|src/Main/options.hxx}}
* {{flightgear file|src/Main/options.cxx}}

[[Category:Lists]]

[[de:Command Line Options]]
[[fr:Options de ligne de commande]]

Command line options

2018-08-16T13:15:55Z

The4thchild: Added another term for geometry for those searching for how to set window resolution

'''Command line options''' are a common way to tell applications what to do/how to act on startup. With [[FlightGear]] they are used for many things, from simple ones like selecting an aircraft up to complex stuff like network traffic and weather parameters.

The easiest way to handle those options for FlightGear is using a tool with a graphical user interface like the [[FlightGear Qt launcher]]. This way one doesn't have to bother about them at all.

However, there are users who don't want or are not able to run a GUI and therefore are interested in this. Those who need them or just want to learn more about FlightGear, but have no idea what we are talking about, may read the wiki page on the general usage of the [[command line]].

A good place to store the personal options is a file called [[fgfsrc]]. This file is read by FlightGear on each startup.

The following lists show the options for FlightGear including a short description and sorted by categories. Please have in mind that keeping those lists up to date on the wiki is not an easy task. Also there are different versions of FlightGear out there which don't share exactly the same options. Therefore you better also check your versions ones with <code>fgfs --help --verbose</code>. If this command fails, you may add the option <code>--fg-root=[path]</code> as well, see below.

It is sad but true, not even this command is, at least in Git, up to date all the time. At the time of writing at least one option which is supported is not shown with <code>fgfs --help --verbose</code>. So if you have serious issues with an option, the source code is, as always, also the best source for info. In the file ''src/Main/options.cxx'' all the options are listed with their hard coded ''default'' setting and type.

The file [[$FG_ROOT]]/options.xml is used to generate the output for <code>fgfs --help [--verbose]</code>. That's the reason why <code>--fg-root=[path]</code> has to be added to this, if it is not set as environmental variable or as option in fgfsrc.

Usage: <code>fgfs [OPTION [OPTION ...]]</code>

==== General Options ====

--help, -h Show the most relevant command line options
--verbose, -v Show all command line options when combined with --help or -h
--fg-root=path Specify the root data path
--fg-scenery=path[:path...] Specify the base scenery path;
Defaults to [[$FG_ROOT]]/Scenery
--language=code Select the language for this session
--launcher Enable Qt launcher
--disable-splash-screen Disable splash screen
--enable-splash-screen Enable splash screen
--disable-mouse-pointer Disable extra mouse pointer
--enable-mouse-pointer Enable extra mouse pointer
(i.e. for full screen Voodoo based cards)
--disable-random-objects Exclude random scenery objects
(buildings, etc.)
--enable-random-objects Include random scenery objects
(buildings, etc.)
--disable-ai-models Disable the AI subsystem.
(This also disables showing the models of other
multiplayer aircraft)
--enable-ai-models Enable the AI subsystem.
--disable-ai-traffic Disable the autogenerated traffic subsystem.
--enable-ai-traffic Enable the autogenerated traffic subsystem.
--disable-freeze Start in a running state
--enable-freeze Start in a frozen state
--disable-fuel-freeze Fuel is consumed normally
--enable-fuel-freeze Fuel tank quantity forced to remain constant
--disable-clock-freeze Clock advances normally
--enable-clock-freeze Do not advance clock
--enable-auto-coordination Enable auto coordination - rudder and
ailerons will be controlled together
--disable-auto-coordination Disable auto coordination (default)
--browser-app=path Specify path to your web browser
--prop:foo=bar Set property named "foo" to value "bar"
--config=path Load additional properties from path
--units-feet Use feet for distances
--units-meters Use meters for distances

==== Features ====

--disable-panel Disable instrument panel
--enable-panel Enable instrument panel
--disable-sound Disable sound effects
--enable-sound Enable sound effects
--disable-hud Disable Heads Up Display (HUD)
--enable-hud Enable Heads Up Display (HUD)
--disable-anti-alias-hud Disable anti-aliased HUD
--enable-anti-alias-hud Enable anti-aliased HUD
--disable-hud-3d Disable 3D HUD
--enable-hud-3d Enable 3D HUD
--ai-scenario=scenario Add and enable a new scenario. Multiple options
are allowed. Scenarios are in /[[$FG_ROOT]]/AI/.

==== Aircraft ====

--aircraft=name Select an aircraft profile as defined by a top
level -set.xml
--aircraft-dir=path Specify the exact directory to use for the
aircraft (normally not required, but may be
useful). Interpreted relatively to the
current directory. Causes the <path-cache>
from autosave_X_Y.xml, as well as
--fg-aircraft options and the FG_AIRCRAFT
environment variable to be bypassed.
--show-aircraft Print a list of the currently available
aircraft types

==== Flight Model ====

--fdm=name Select the core flight dynamics model
Can be one of jsb, larcsim, yasim, magic,
balloon, ada, external, or null
--aero=name Select aircraft aerodynamics model to load
--model-hz=n Run the FDM this rate (iterations per second)
--speed=n Run the FDM 'n' times faster than real time
--notrim Do NOT attempt to trim the model
(only with fdm=jsbsim)
--on-ground Start at ground level (default)
--in-air Start in air (implied when using --altitude)

==== Initial Position and Orientation ====

--airport=ID Specify airport (e.g. KOAK)
--runway=rwy_no Specify starting runway (must also specify an
airport)
--vor=ID Specify starting position relative to a VOR
--ndb=ID Specify starting position relative to an NDB
--fix=ID Specify starting position relative to a fix
--parkpos=NAME Specify a gate at the airport (e.g. 747d11)
--offset-distance=nm Specify distance to reference point (statute
miles)
--offset-azimuth=degrees Specify heading to reference point
--lon=degrees Starting longitude (west = -)
--lat=degrees Starting latitude (south = -)
--altitude=value Starting altitude
(in feet unless --units-meters specified)
--heading=degrees Specify heading (yaw) angle (Psi)
--roll=degrees Specify roll angle (Phi)
--pitch=degrees Specify pitch angle (Theta)
--uBody=units_per_sec Specify velocity along the body X axis
(in feet unless --units-meters specified)
--vBody=units_per_sec Specify velocity along the body Y axis
(in feet unless --units-meters specified)
--wBody=units_per_sec Specify velocity along the body Z axis
(in feet unless --units-meters specified)
--vc=knots Specify initial airspeed
--mach=num Specify initial mach number
--glideslope=degrees Specify flight path angle (can be positive)
--roc=fpm Specify initial climb rate (can be negative)

==== Rendering Options ====

--bpp=depth Specify the bits per pixel
--fog-disable Disable fog/haze
--fog-fastest Enable fastest fog/haze
--fog-nicest Enable nicest fog/haze
--disable-horizon-effect Disable celestial body growth illusion near the
horizon
--enable-horizon-effect Enable celestial body growth illusion near the
horizon
--disable-enhanced-lighting Disable enhanced runway lighting
--enable-enhanced-lighting Enable enhanced runway lighting
--season=winter Enable snow covered scenery
--disable-distance-attenuation
Disable runway light distance attenuation
--enable-distance-attenuation
Enable runway light distance attenuation
--disable-specular-highlight
Disable specular reflections on textured
objects
--enable-specular-highlight Enable specular reflections on textured objects
--enable-clouds Enable 2D (flat) cloud layers
--disable-clouds Disable 2D (flat) cloud layers
--enable-clouds3d Enable 3D (volumetric) cloud layers
--disable-clouds3d Disable 3D (volumetric) cloud layers
--fov=degrees Specify field of view angle
--disable-fullscreen Disable fullscreen mode
--enable-fullscreen Enable fullscreen mode
--shading-flat Enable flat shading
--shading-smooth Enable smooth shading
--disable-wireframe Disable wireframe drawing mode
--enable-wireframe Enable wireframe drawing mode
--geometry=WxH Specify window geometry/resolution (640x480, etc)
--view-offset=value Specify the default forward view direction as
an offset from straight ahead. Allowable values
are LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER, or a specific number
in degrees
--visibility=meters Specify initial visibility
--visibility-miles=miles Specify initial visibility in miles
--texture-filtering=number Specify anisotropic filtering of terrain textures. Valid values is 1, 2, 4, 8, 16. Default is 1.

==== Hud Options ====

--hud-tris Hud displays number of triangles rendered
--hud-culled Hud displays percentage of triangles culled

==== Time Options ====

--timeofday={dawn,noon,dusk,midnight}
Specify a time of day
--time-offset=[+-]hh:mm:ss Add this time offset
--time-match-real Synchronize time with current time at chosen airport
--time-match-local Synchronize time with system time of computer
--start-date-sys=yyyy:mm:dd:hh:mm:ss
Specify a starting date/time with respect to
system time
--start-date-gmt=yyyy:mm:dd:hh:mm:ss
Specify a starting date/time with respect to
Greenwich Mean Time
--start-date-lat=yyyy:mm:dd:hh:mm:ss
Specify a starting date/time with respect to
Local Aircraft Time

==== Network Options ====

--httpd=port Enable http server on the specified port
--telnet=port Enable telnet server on the specified port
--jpg-httpd=port Enable screen shot http server on the specified
port

==== MultiPlayer Options ====

--callsign assign a unique name to a player
--multiplay={in|out},hz,address,port
Specify multipilot communication settings
multiple instances can be used

==== Route/Way Point Options ====

--wp=ID[@alt] Specify a waypoint for the GC autopilot;
multiple instances can be used
--flight-plan=file Read all waypoints from a file

==== IO Options ====

--generic=params Open connection using a predefined
communication interface and a preselected
communication protocol
--garmin=params Open connection using the Garmin GPS protocol
--joyclient=params Open connection to an Agwagon joystick
--jsclient=params Open connection to a remote joystick
--native-ctrls=params Open connection using the FG Native Controls
protocol
--native-fdm=params Open connection using the FG Native FDM
protocol
--native=params Open connection using the FG Native protocol
--nmea=params Open connection using the NMEA protocol
--opengc=params Open connection using the OpenGC protocol
--props=params Open connection using the interactive property
manager (LEGACY/DEAD DO NOT USE same as --telnet)
--pve=params Open connection using the PVE protocol
--ray=params Open connection using the Ray Woodworth motion
chair protocol
--rul=params Open connection using the RUL protocol
--atc610x Enable atc610x interface

Under Windows, you must use a special escape sequence if you need to specify a COM port higher than 9.

Example: --generic=\\.\COM10,out,1,/tmp/data.xml,myproto

This is per the Microsoft KB article here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa363858%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

==== Avionics Options ====

--com1=frequency Set the COM1 radio frequency.
--com2=frequency Set the COM2 radio frequency.
--nav1=[radial:]frequency Set the NAV1 radio frequency, optionally
preceded by a radial.
--nav2=[radial:]frequency Set the NAV2 radio frequency, optionally
preceded by a radial.
--adf=[rotation:]frequency Set the ADF radio frequency, optionally
preceded by a card rotation.
--dme={nav1|nav2|frequency} Slave the ADF to one of the NAV radios, or set
its internal frequency.

==== Environment Options ====

--disable-real-weather-fetch Disable METAR based real weather fetching
--enable-real-weather-fetch Enable METAR based real weather fetching (this
requires an open internet connection)
--disable-horizon-effect Disable celestial body growth illusion near the
horizon
--enable-horizon-effect Enable celestial body growth illusion near the
horizon
--enable-clouds Enable 2D (flat) cloud layers
--disable-clouds Disable 2D (flat) cloud layers
--enable-clouds3d Enable 3D (volumetric) cloud layers
--disable-clouds3d Disable 3D (volumetric) cloud layers
--visibility=meters Specify initial visibility
--visibility-miles=miles Specify initial visibility in miles
--wind=DIR@SPEED Specify wind coming from DIR (degrees) at SPEED
(knots)
--turbulence=0.0 to 1.0 Specify turbulence from 0.0 (calm) to 1.0
(severe)
--ceiling=FT_ASL[:THICKNESS_FT]
Create an overcast ceiling, optionally with a
specific thickness (defaults to 2000 ft).
--random-wind
--metar="metar string" Starts with a certain METAR string. Only works if live weather is disabled.

==== Situation Options ====

--failure={pitot|static|system|vacuum}
Fail the pitot, static, vacuum, or electrical
system (repeat the option for multiple system
failures).

==== Debugging Options ====

--log-level={bulk|debug|info|warn|alert}
Set the logging level for this session.
0=verbose, 5=alerts only
--pid=/pathto/some/file.pid Write current PID into file.
--trace-read=property Trace the reads for a property;
multiple instances can be used
--trace-write=property Trace the writes for a property;
multiple instances can be used

== Related content ==
=== Wiki articles ===
* [[Command line]]

=== Source files ===
* {{fgdata file|options.xml}}
* {{flightgear file|src/Main/options.hxx}}
* {{flightgear file|src/Main/options.cxx}}

[[Category:Lists]]

[[de:Command Line Options]]
[[fr:Options de ligne de commande]]

Keyboard shortcuts

2015-07-17T02:05:46Z

The4thchild:

{{stub}}
Cheat sheet for using the most common keyboard shortcuts. Many planes have their own specific shortcuts, so not all of these shortcuts will apply. They're worth a shot though if your aircraft just isn't quite behaving as you would like it.
{| class="vatop"
|width="500" |
=== General ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|/
|Show [[property browser]]
|-
|?
|Show current aircraft specific help
|-
|:
|vi-like [[multikey commands]]
|-
|,
|Apply left brakes
|-
|.
|Apply right brakes
|-
|M
|Show map
|-
|Ctrl-C
|Toggle [[Howto: Make a clickable panel|clickable panel hotspots]]
|-
|Esc
|Quit FlightGear
|-
|h
|Cycle through [[HUD]] styles
|-
|H
|Cycle through [[HUD]] brightnesses
|-
|F3
|Print screen
|-
|F10
|Toggle [[menu]]bar visibility
|-
|F11
|Open [[autopilot]] dialog
|-
|F12
|Open radio settings dialog
|-
|p
|Pause/continue sim
|-
|P
|Toggle [[2D panel]]
|-
|Shift-Esc
|Reset FlightGear
|-
|Shift-F1
|Load flight
|-
|Shift-F2
|Save flight
|-
|Shift-F5
|Scroll 2D panel down
|-
|Shift-F6
|Scroll 2D panel up
|-
|Shift-F7
|Scroll 2D panel left
|-
|Shift-F8
|Scroll 2D panel right
|-
|Shift-F10
|Cycle through GUI styles
|}

=== View ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|Ctrl-X
|Reset zoom to default
|-
|v
|Next view
|-
|V
|Previous view
|-
|x
|Zoom in
|-
|X
|Zoom out
|-
|z
|Increase visibility
|-
|Z
|Decrease visibility
|-
|Ctrl-R
|Instant replay
|}
|width="500"|
=== Flying ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|}}} s
|Start a propeller engine ("}" x3 to set magneto, then hold "s" to start)
|-
|/
|Show [[property browser]]
|-
|b
|Apply all brakes
|-
|B
|Toggle parking brake(s)
|-
|g
|Gear up
|-
|G
|Gear down
|-
|j
|Spoilers/air brake down
|-
|k
|Spoilers/air brake up
|-
|[
|Flaps up
|-
|]
|Flaps down
|}

=== Autopilot ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|Ctrl-A
|Altitude lock
|-
|Ctrl-H
|Heading lock
|-
|Ctrl-G
|Glideslope lock
|-
|Ctrl-N
|NAV1 lock
|-
|Ctrl-P
|Pitch hold
|-
|Ctrl-S
|Autothrottle
|-
|Ctrl-T
|Terrain lock
|-
|Ctrl-W
|Wing level
|-
|F6
|Heading lock
|}
|}

Keyboard shortcuts

2015-07-17T01:48:41Z

The4thchild: /* General */

{{stub}}
{| class="vatop"
|width="500" |
=== General ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|/
|Show [[property browser]]
|-
|?
|Show current aircraft specific help
|-
|:
|vi-like [[multikey commands]]
|-
|,
|Apply left brakes
|-
|.
|Apply right brakes
|-
|M
|Show map
|-
|Ctrl-C
|Toggle [[Howto: Make a clickable panel|clickable panel hotspots]]
|-
|Esc
|Quit FlightGear
|-
|h
|Cycle through [[HUD]] styles
|-
|H
|Cycle through [[HUD]] brightnesses
|-
|F3
|Print screen
|-
|F10
|Toggle [[menu]]bar visibility
|-
|F11
|Open [[autopilot]] dialog
|-
|F12
|Open radio settings dialog
|-
|p
|Pause/continue sim
|-
|P
|Toggle [[2D panel]]
|-
|Shift-Esc
|Reset FlightGear
|-
|Shift-F1
|Load flight
|-
|Shift-F2
|Save flight
|-
|Shift-F5
|Scroll 2D panel down
|-
|Shift-F6
|Scroll 2D panel up
|-
|Shift-F7
|Scroll 2D panel left
|-
|Shift-F8
|Scroll 2D panel right
|-
|Shift-F10
|Cycle through GUI styles
|}

=== View ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|Ctrl-X
|Reset zoom to default
|-
|v
|Next view
|-
|V
|Previous view
|-
|x
|Zoom in
|-
|X
|Zoom out
|-
|z
|Increase visibility
|-
|Z
|Decrease visibility
|-
|Ctrl-R
|Instant replay
|}
|width="500"|
=== Flying ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|/
|Show [[property browser]]
|-
|b
|Apply all brakes
|-
|B
|Toggle parking brake(s)
|-
|g
|Gear up
|-
|G
|Gear down
|-
|j
|Spoilers/air brake down
|-
|k
|Spoilers/air brake up
|-
|[
|Flaps up
|-
|]
|Flaps down
|}

=== Autopilot ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|Ctrl-A
|Altitude lock
|-
|Ctrl-H
|Heading lock
|-
|Ctrl-G
|Glideslope lock
|-
|Ctrl-N
|NAV1 lock
|-
|Ctrl-P
|Pitch hold
|-
|Ctrl-S
|Autothrottle
|-
|Ctrl-T
|Terrain lock
|-
|Ctrl-W
|Wing level
|-
|F6
|Heading lock
|}
|}

Keyboard shortcuts

2015-07-17T01:44:51Z

The4thchild: /* Flying */

{{stub}}
{| class="vatop"
|width="500" |
=== General ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|/
|Show [[property browser]]
|-
|?
|Show current aircraft specific help
|-
|:
|vi-like [[multikey commands]]
|-
|,
|Apply left brakes
|-
|.
|Apply right brakes
|-
|[
|Flaps up
|-
|]
|Flaps down
|-
|Ctrl-C
|Toggle [[Howto: Make a clickable panel|clickable panel hotspots]]
|-
|Esc
|Quit FlightGear
|-
|h
|Cycle through [[HUD]] styles
|-
|H
|Cycle through [[HUD]] brightnesses
|-
|F3
|Print screen
|-
|F10
|Toggle [[menu]]bar visibility
|-
|F11
|Open [[autopilot]] dialog
|-
|F12
|Open radio settings dialog
|-
|p
|Pause/continue sim
|-
|P
|Toggle [[2D panel]]
|-
|Shift-Esc
|Reset FlightGear
|-
|Shift-F1
|Load flight
|-
|Shift-F2
|Save flight
|-
|Shift-F5
|Scroll 2D panel down
|-
|Shift-F6
|Scroll 2D panel up
|-
|Shift-F7
|Scroll 2D panel left
|-
|Shift-F8
|Scroll 2D panel right
|-
|Shift-F10
|Cycle through GUI styles
|}

=== View ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|Ctrl-X
|Reset zoom to default
|-
|v
|Next view
|-
|V
|Previous view
|-
|x
|Zoom in
|-
|X
|Zoom out
|-
|z
|Increase visibility
|-
|Z
|Decrease visibility
|-
|Ctrl-R
|Instant replay
|}
|width="500"|
=== Flying ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|/
|Show [[property browser]]
|-
|b
|Apply all brakes
|-
|B
|Toggle parking brake(s)
|-
|g
|Gear up
|-
|G
|Gear down
|-
|j
|Spoilers/air brake down
|-
|k
|Spoilers/air brake up
|-
|[
|Flaps up
|-
|]
|Flaps down
|}

=== Autopilot ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#efefef" | Key combination
! style="background:#efefef" | Action
|-
|Ctrl-A
|Altitude lock
|-
|Ctrl-H
|Heading lock
|-
|Ctrl-G
|Glideslope lock
|-
|Ctrl-N
|NAV1 lock
|-
|Ctrl-P
|Pitch hold
|-
|Ctrl-S
|Autothrottle
|-
|Ctrl-T
|Terrain lock
|-
|Ctrl-W
|Wing level
|-
|F6
|Heading lock
|}
|}

Input device

2013-03-19T05:09:01Z

The4thchild: Updated to mention the ability to reload settings without restarting the program

Could you imagine a pilot in his or her [[:Category:Cessna|Cessna]] controlling the machine with a keyboard alone? For getting the proper feeling of flight you will need a '''joystick/yoke''' plus [[rudder]] pedals, right?

FlightGear has integrated joystick support, which automatically detects any joystick, yoke, or pedals attached. Just try it! If this does work for you, lean back and be happy! You can see what FlightGear has detected your joystick as in the Help > Joystick Information dialog from the [[menu]].

Unfortunately, for the above mentioned versatility, chances are your joystick does not work out of the box. This article explains you how to make FlightGear recognise your device

== Joystick or yoke? ==
{| cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" align="right" style="clear:right; background:#fafafa; font-size: 85%; border: 1px solid #CCCCCC;"
|-
| [[File:CH Products Fighterstick USB.jpg|x199px|CH Products Fighterstick USB]]
| [[File:Saitek Pro Flight Cessna Yoke front.jpg|300px|Saitek Pro Flight Cessna Yoke]]
|-
| CH Products Fighterstick USB
| Saitek Pro Flight Cessna Yoke
|}
The two most common control devices on aircraft are the joystick (left picture) and yoke (right picture). Joysticks can be found on military fighters, helicopters and Airbus [[airliner]]s, while yokes are used on almost all other fixed wing aircraft, including Boeing airliners.

Joysticks are generally a lot cheaper, starting at $10. Yokes start at $100. When you are new to flightsimming, buying a cheap (ca. $20) joystick might be a good way to find out if it's something for you.

The following table should help you decide which one is best suited for you:
{| class="wikitable"
!
! Joystick
! Yoke
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | Price
| $10+
| $100+
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | General aviation
| style="background-color: #FF3333;" |
| style="background-color: #33FF33;" |
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | Helicopter
| style="background-color: #33FF33;" |
| style="background-color: #FF3333;" |
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | Fighters
| style="background-color: #33FF33;" |
| style="background-color: #FF3333;" |
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | Airbus
| style="background-color: #33FF33;" |
| style="background-color: #FF3333;" |
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | Boeing
| style="background-color: #FF3333;" |
| style="background-color: #33FF33;" |
|}

Some reviews of flight simulation hardware can be found in [[:Category:Hardware reviews]].

== Built-in joystick support ==
In order for joystick auto-detection to work, a joystick bindings xml file must exist for each joystick. This file describes what axes and buttons are to be used to control which functions in FlightGear. The associations between functions and axes or buttons are called "bindings".

FlightGear includes a large number of such bindings files for a variety of manufacturers. Chances are high that your joystick will be recognised straight away, so let's try that first. You can confirm whether it was recognised by looking in the <tt>Help > Joystick Information</tt> dialog. "Used for" should contain a name/description of your joystick. It will contain "default" when FlightGear did not recognise your joystick.

Most of the time when your joystick is not recognised, it is because of a missing name definition in the respective bindings file. Because FlightGear is used on all kind of operating systems, names vary a lot. You can find the files under <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Input/Joysticks/</tt> (despite the name, yokes and pedals are also found here!). For example, if you have a CH Products joystick, look in the folder <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Input/Joysticks/CH</tt> for a file that might work for your joystick. When such a file exists, do the following:
# Launch FlightGear with the joystick connected.
# Look under Help > Joystick Information and check the name behind "Joystick #0:".
# Open your joystick's bindings file in a XML editor and add the following code to the file, below the already-present <code><name></code> tags.
#:<pre><name>The EXACT name you found under step 2; including spaces, capitals etc.</name></pre>
# Please report this name [http://www.flightgear.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=24 at our forum], so it can be added to the official file (and next releases).

Please note that the latest config files are always to be found at https://gitorious.org/fg/fgdata/trees/master/Input/Joysticks. This link may contain additional binding files that were not included in the latest stable release.

If there is no file for your joystick, you will have to create such a file. We will discuss that in [[Joystick#Writing or editing joystick binding xml files|a later section]], by cutting and pasting bindings from the examples that are included with FlightGear.

=== Multiple devices on Windows ===
In case you have two USB devices (for instance a yoke plus pedals) to a Windows computer, there may be cases, where the same driver name is reported twice. In this case, you can get at least the yoke to work by assigning it number 0 (out of 0 and 1), by adding a line to <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/joystick.xml</tt> like:
<js n="0" include="Input/Joysticks/Saitek/ST290-Pro.xml"/>
if you also have pedals (or another joystick), just add more lines, similar to:
<js n="1" include="Input/Joysticks/Saitek/Pro-Flight-Rudder-Pedals.xml"/>

To make sure that the first input device is indeed the yoke, rotate the yoke ([[aileron]] control) and observe the Help > Joystick Information dialog. If the aileron value does not change, you have to make the yoke the preferred device first. For doing so, enter the Windows "Control panel", open "Game controllers" and select the "Advanced" button. Here you can select the yoke as the "Preferred" device. Afterwards you can check that assignment by restarting FlightGear. The yoke should now control the aileron.

== Adding support for your joystick ==
=== Verifying your joystick is working ===
==== Linux ====
Reboot your system and immediately enter on the [[command line]]

dmesg | grep Joystick

which pipes the boot message to grep which then prints every line in the boot message that contains the string “Joystick”. When you do this with a Saitek joystick attached, you will see a line similar to this one:

input0: USB HID v1.00 Joystick [SAITEK CYBORG 3D USB] on usb2:3.0

This line tells us that a joystick has identified itself as SAITEK CYBORG 3D USB to the operating system. It does not tell us that the joystick driver sees your joystick.

==== Windows ====
Go to <tt>Start > Control Panel > Game Controller</tt> and see whether the dialog displays (and responses) on your joystick.

=== Confirming that the driver recognizes your joystick ===
FlightGear ships with a utility called js_demo. It will report the number of joysticks attached to a system, their respective "names" and their capabilities. Under Linux, you can run js_demo from the folder /FlightGear/bin as follows:

$ cd /usr/local/FlightGear/bin
$ js_demo

Under Windows, open a command shell (<tt>Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt</tt>), go to the FlightGear binary folder and start the program as follows (given FlightGear is installed under <tt>C:/Program Files/Flightgear</tt>)

C:
cd /Program Files/FlightGear/bin/win32
js_demo.exe

If js_demo.exe is not included in your version, download it [http://fgfs.beggabaur.de/forum/js_demo.exe here].

On our system, the first few lines of output are (stop the program with C if it is quickly scrolling past your window!) as follows:

Joystick test program.
Joystick 0: “CH PRODUCTS CH FLIGHT SIM YOKE USB ”
Joystick 1: “CH PRODUCTS CH PRO PEDALS USB”
Joystick 2 not detected
Joystick 3 not detected
Joystick 4 not detected
Joystick 5 not detected
Joystick 6 not detected
Joystick 7 not detected
+——————–JS.0———————-+——————–JS.1———————-+
| Btns Ax:0 Ax:1 Ax:2 Ax:3 Ax:4 Ax:5 Ax:6 | Btns Ax:0 Ax:1 Ax:2 |
+———————————————-+———————————————-+
| 0000 +0.0 +0.0 +1.0 -1.0 -1.0 +0.0 +0.0 . | 0000 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0 . . . . . |

First note that js demo reports which number is assigned to each joystick recognized by the driver. Also, note that the “name” each joystick reports is also included between quotes. We will need the names for each bindings file when we begin writing the binding xml files for each joystick.

=== Identifying the numbering of axes and buttons ===
Axis and button numbers can be identified using js demo as follows. By observing the output of js demo while working your joystick axes and buttons you can determine what axis and button numbers are assigned to each joystick axis and button. It should be noted that numbering generally starts with zero.

The buttons are handled internally as a binary number in which bit 0 (the least significant bit) represents button 0, bit 1 represents button 1, etc., but this number is displayed on the screen in hexadecimal notation, so:

* 0001 ⇒ button 0 pressed
* 0002 ⇒ button 1 pressed
* 0004 ⇒ button 2 pressed
* 0008 ⇒ button 3 pressed
* 0010 ⇒ button 4 pressed
* 0020 ⇒ button 5 pressed
* 0040 ⇒ button 6 pressed
* ... etcp to ...
* 8000 ⇒ button 15 pressed
* ... and ...
* 0014 ⇒ buttons 2 and 4 pressed simultaneously
* ... etc.

For Linux users, there is another option for identifying the “name” and the numbers assigned to each axis and button. Most Linux distributions include a very handy program, “jstest”. With a CH Product Yoke plugged into the system, the following output lines are displayed by jstest:

jstest /dev/js3
Joystick (CH PRODUCTS CH FLIGHT SIM YOKE USB ) has 7 axes and 12 buttons. Driver version is 2.1.0
Testing…(interrupt to exit)
Axes: 0: 0 1: 0 2: 0 3: 0 4: 0 5: 0 6: 0 Buttons: 0:off 1:off 2:off 3:on 4:off 5:off 6:off 7:off 8:off 9:off 10:off 11:off

Note the “name” between parentheses. This is the name the system associates with your joystick.

When you move any control, the numbers change after the axis number corresponding to that moving control and when you depress any button, the “off” after the button number corresponding to the button pressed changes to “on”. In this way, you can quickly write down the axes numbers and button numbers for each function without messing with binary.

=== Writing or editing joystick binding xml files ===
At this point, you have confirmed that the operating system and the joystick driver both recognize your joystick(s). You also know of several ways to identify the joystick “name” your joystick reports to the driver and operating system. You will need a written list of what control functions you wish to have assigned to which axis and button and the corresponding numbers.

Make the following table from what you learned from js demo or jstest above (pencil and paper is fine). Here we assume there are 5 axes including 2 axes associated with the hat.

{| class="prettytable"
! align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Axis
! align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF" | Button
|-
|elevator = 0
|view cycle = 0
|-
|rudder = 1
|all brakes = 1
|-
|aileron = 2
|up trim = 2
|-
|throttle = 3
|down trim = 3
|-
|leftright hat = 4
|extend flaps = 4
|-
|foreaft hat = 5
|retract flaps = 5
|-
|
|decrease RPM = 6
|-
|
|increase RPM = 7
|}

We will assume that our hypothetical joystick supplies the “name” QUICK STICK 3D USB to the system and driver. With all the examples included with FlightGear, the easiest way to get a so far unsupported joystick to be auto detected, is to edit an existing binding xml file. Look at the xml files in the sub-folders of '''/FlightGear/Input/Joysticks/'''. After evaluating several of the xml binding files supplied with FlightGear, we decide to edit the file <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Input/Joysticks/Saitek/Cyborg-Gold-3d-USB.xml</tt>.

This file has all the axes functions above assigned to axes and all the button functions above assigned to buttons. This makes our editing almost trivial.

Before we begin to edit, we need to choose a name for our bindings xml file, create the folder for the QS joysticks, and copy the original xml file into this directory with this name.

$ cd /usr/local/FlightGear/Input/Joysticks
$ mkdir QS
$ cd QS
$ cp /usr/local/FlightGear/Input/Joysticks/Saitek/
Cyborg-Gold-3d-USB.xml QuickStick.xml

Here, we obviously have supposed a Linux/UNIX system with FlightGear being installed under '''/usr/local/FlightGear'''. For a similar procedure under Windows with FlightGear being installed under C:/Program Files/FlightGear, open a command shell and type

C:
cd /Program Files/FlightGear/Input/Joysticks
mkdir QS
cd QS
copy /FlightGear/Input/Joysticks/Saitek/
Cyborg-Gold-3d-USB.xml QuickStick.xml

Next, open QuickStick.xml with your favorite editor. Before we forget to change the joystick name, search for the line containing <name>. You should find the line

<name>SAITEK CYBORG 3D USB</name>

and change it to

<name>QUICK STICK 3D USB</name>

This line illustrates a key feature of xml statements. They begin with a <tag> and end with a </tag>.

You can now compare your table to the comment table at the top of your file copy. Note that the comments tell us that the Saitek elevator was assigned to axis 1. Search for the string

<axis n="1">

and change this to

<axis n="0">

Next, note that the Saitek rudder was assigned to axis 2. Search for the string

<axis n="2">

and change this to

<axis n="1">

Continue comparing your table with the comment table for the Saitek and changing the axis numbers and button numbers accordingly. Since QUICKSTICK USB and the Saitek have the same number of axes but different number of buttons, you must delete the buttons left over. Just remember to double check that you have a closing tag for each opening tag or you will get an error using the file.

Finally, be good to yourself (and others when you submit your new binding file to a FlightGear developers or users archive!), take the time to change the comment table in the edited file to match your changed axis and button assignments. The new comments should match the table you made from the js demo output. Save your edits.

Several users have reported that the numbers of axes and buttons assigned to functions may be different with the same joystick under Windows and Linux. The above procedure should allow one to easily change a binding xml file created for a different operating system for use by their operating system.

You can tell how FlightGear has interpretted your joystick setup by selecting <tt>Help > Joystick Information</tt> from the menu.

== Joystick support via .fgfsrc entries ==
Fortunately, there is a tool available now, which takes most of the burden from the average user who, maybe, is not that experienced with XML, the language which these files are written in.

For configuring your joystick using this approach, open a command shell (command prompt under windows, to be found under Start|All programs|Accessories). Change to the directory <tt>[[$FG_ROOT]]/bin</tt> via e.g. (modify to your path)

cd C:/Program Files/FlightGear/bin

and invoke the tool fgjs via

./fgjs --fg-root=[[$FG_ROOT]]

on a UNIX/Linux machine, or via

fgjs --fg-root=[[$FG_ROOT]]

on a Windows machine. The program will tell you which joysticks, if any, were detected. Now follow the commands given on screen, i.eṁove the axis and press the buttons as required. Be careful, a minor touch already “counts” as a movement. Check the reports on screen. If you feel something went wrong, just re-start the program.

After you are done with all the axis and switches, the directory above will hold a file called fgfsrc.js. If the FlightGear base directory FlightGear does not already contain an options file .fgfsrc (under UNIX)/system.fgfsrc (under Windows) mentioned above, just copy

'''fgfsrc.js''' into '''.fgfsrc''' (UNIX)/'''system.fgfsrc''' (Windows)

and place it into the directory FlightGear base directory FlightGear. In case you already wrote an options file, just open it as well as fgfsrc.js with an editor and copy the entries from fgfsrc.js into .fgfsrc/system.fgfsrc. One hint: The output of fgjs is UNIX formatted. As a result, Windows Editor may not display it the proper way. I suggest getting an editor being able to handle UNIX files as well. My favorite freeware file editor for that purpose, although somewhat dated, is still PFE, to be obtained from http://www.lancs.ac.uk/people/cpaap/pfe/.

The the axis/button assignment of fgjs should, at least, get the axis assignments right, its output may need some tweaking. There may be axes moving the opposite way they should, the dead zones may be too small etc. For instance, I had to change

–prop:/input/joysticks/js[1]/axis[1]/binding/factor=-1.0

into

–prop:/input/joysticks/js[1]/axis[1]/binding/factor=1.0

(USB CH Flightsim Yoke under Windows XP). Thus, here is a short introduction into the assignments of joystick properties.

Basically, all axes settings are specified via lines having the following structure:

--prop:/input/joysticks/js[n]/axis[m]/binding/command=property-scale
--prop:/input/joysticks/js[n]/axis[m]/binding/property=/controls/steering option
--prop:/input/joysticks/js[n]/axis[m]/binding/dead-band=db
--prop:/input/joysticks/js[n]/axis[m]/binding/offset=os
--prop:/input/joysticks/js[n]/axis[m]/binding/factor=fa

where

{| class="prettytable"
! align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |
! align="center" bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |
|-
|n
|number of device (usually starting with 0)
|-
|m
|number of axis (usually starting with 0)
|-
|steering option
|elevator, aileron, rudder, throttle, mixture, pitch
|-
|dead-band
|range, within which signals are discarded; useful to avoid jittering for minor yoke movements
|-
|offset
|specifies, if device not centered in its neutral position
|-
|factor
|controls sensitivity of that axis; defaults to +1, with a value of -1 reversing the behavior
|}

You should be able to at least get your joystick working along these lines. Concerning all the finer points, for instance, getting the joystick buttons working, John Check has written a very useful README being included in the base package to be found under '''FlightGear/Docs/Readme/Joystick.html'''. In case of any trouble with your input device, it is highly recommended to have a look into this document.

== More about programming joystick XML files ==
=== General tips ===
* When testing a new xml file it is best to start FlightGear via a command window (rather than the GUI interface). Any error messages will then be displayed in the terminal. Error messages will give both a message and a line number, helping you pinpoint any errors.
* Errors can be detected on initial startup or at runtime. Both types of errors will be displayed in the terminal.
* One of the most common errors is including a character that makes XML choke. Such characters include<br>& < --<br>These characters will cause problems even if simply included in comments or within scripts.
* If your scripts contain any of these characters, you have to enclose the scripts in <script><![CDATA[...]]></script>. Alternatively, you can 'escape' the characters, ie "<" becomes "<".
* You can reload your edited joystick file without restarting FlightGear by selecting "Debug" > "Reload Input" from the main simulator window.
* You can find many examples of different ways to program joysticks simply by examining the joystick xml files that are packaged with FlightGear. See the directory FlightGear/data/input/joysticks
* Many advanced functions can be programmed using the Nasal scripting language. These scripts are enclosed in <script></script> tags in the XML file. Helpful:
** A guide to the [[Nasal scripting language]] in FlightGear
** [[Nasal FAQ]]
** [[Howto: Write simple scripts in Nasal]]
* You can explore the internal property tree to see many variables that can be altered using joystick buttons or axes (File/Browse Internal Properties)
* You can test bits of Nasal code and do some other useful things using the Nasal Console (Debug/Nasal Console).
* All Nasal code shares a common namespace, so it's possible to set a variable in one nasal binding, and to read it in another.

=== Useful hints for scripts ===
Some particularly useful ideas for programming scripts within joystick XML files:
* getprop and setprop can be used for getting & setting properties from the internal properties tree:
var brake = !getprop("/controls/gear/brake-parking");
setprop("/controls/gear/brake-parking", brake);
* You can also make your own values on the property tree:
setprop("/input/joysticks/js[0]/myjoystick-modifier", 1);
var mod = getprop("/input/joysticks/js[0]/myjoystick-modifier");
* You can print to terminal using the print function. This is very useful for debugging.
print("Just", " a ", "test");
* You can display info in FlightGear via a popup. This is useful for giving the user feedback about changes that may not be obvious via the panel. It can also be useful for debugging. Example:

gui.popupTip("Parking Brake ON");

Arguments for gui.popupTip must be strings, so if you want to display other types of variables they should be formatted with something like sprintf:

gui.popupTip(sprintf("Elevator trim: %d", 100 * getprop("/controls/flight/elevator-trim")));

Or

thv = getprop("/controls/engines/engine[0]/mixture");
gui.popupTip("Thrust vector " ~ int(thv * 120 - 20));

* You can just start using variables, ie,
x = 10;

But [http://wiki.flightgear.org/index.php/Nasal_scripting_language#Variables for various reasons] it is generally better to declare variables with the "var" statement:
var x = 10;

Note that "var" creates variables that are local in scope, which may cause problems if you are intending to use a variable globally among all different bindings in your joystick XML file.

* You can include a section of script that runs on startup to initialize variables, create functions, etc. Example:
<PropertyList>
<name type="string">My joystick name</name>
<name type="string">My joystick name #2</name>
<nasal>
<script>
#initialize variables
f1 = f2 = 0;
left_brake = right_brake = 0;
# create a function to be used with all buttons
getmod = func { getprop("/input/joysticks/js[0]/t-flight-hotas-x-modifier" ) }
</script>
</nasal>

* Sample code for firing weapons with the joystick is found on the [[Gun Effects]] page.

== Related content ==
{{Forum|24|Hardware}}
* [[Force feedback]]

=== External links ===
* [http://www.flightgear.org/Docs/getstart/getstartch3.html#x8-360003.6 The FlightGear Manual]
* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/hapticsforfg/ Force Feedback]

[[Category:Hardware]]

[[de:Joystick]]
[[es:Joystick]]

TerraSync

2013-02-07T04:55:05Z

The4thchild: alternative way to download scenery and caveat for first-time download

<div style="padding-left:20px;">''Not to be confused with [[TerraGear]], a toolset to generate scenery.''</div>

To see the terrain below your [[aircraft]], you have to install the respective [[scenery]]. This can happen by downloading certain bits of scenery before flying as described in the article [[Howto: Install scenery|installing scenery]].

Alternatively, if you have a steady and reasonably fast internet connection, you can use '''TerraSync'''. It is a utility that automatically downloads the newest version of the needed [[FlightGear]] scenery while the simulator is running. TerraSync runs in the background in a separate process, monitors your position, and downloads (or updates) the latest greatest scenery from the master scenery server "just in time".

The master repository for TerraSync, i.e. the online resource from which TerraSync downloads its files, is synchronized with the [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/ FlightGear Scenery Database] once a day. So when using TerraSync, you will always have
# the latest [[File Formats#.2A.stg|.stg-files]], which tell FlightGear where to place an object
# the latest '''static''' models for objects. (Static models define unique objects that exist in one place only, such as famous buildings or landmarks.)

As of March 2011, TerraSync also downloads '''shared''' models (generic models used more than once in different places, each can represent many different objects, like generic houses or ships), at least when it first runs. It does not, however, install the shared models, and until they are installed in the right place, you won't see any objects that are based on them. You will need to copy all the files from the Models directory inside your TerraSync directory to <code>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Models</code>, replacing the files that are already there. If for some reason you suspect your models are not up-to-date, you can also manually download the newest [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/download/SharedModels.tgz '''shared''' models archive] from the [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/ FlightGear Scenery Database]. Unpack it to <code>[[$FG_ROOT]]/Models</code>.

It is recommended to use a separate scenery directory for TerraSync (i.e. do not run have it store its downloaded files in your main scenery directory) because network interruptions may upset the synchronization protocol and garble what is stored there. If/when that happens the easiest solution is to delete the affected subdirectory and let terrasync download it again (see [[Howto:_Animated_jetways#Usage]].

== Running TerraSync ==
=== FlightGear 2.4.0 and later ===
As of FlightGear 2.4.0, TerraSync controls are integrated in the usual FlightGear menu, under <tt>Environment > Scenery Download</tt>. You can also check the "Download scenery on the fly" in the setup GUI. Note that if you set your aircraft to start in a new area, where you have not yet downloaded any scenery, your aircraft may first appear to be in the water until sufficient scenery has downloaded. You can go to <tt>Environment > Scenery Download</tt> and choose "Manual Refresh" to apply scenery updates.

=== POSIX compliant [[command line]] shell ===

Start TerraSync:

<code>% nice terrasync -p 5500 -S -d "$HOME/fgfsScenery"</code>

The -S option tells terrasync to use the SVN protocol to fetch data. If you omit it terrasync will use the rsync program instead (which has to be installed on your system).

Start FlightGear:

<code>% fgfs --atlas=socket,out,1,localhost,5500,udp --fg-scenery="[[$FG_ROOT]]/Scenery/:$HOME/fgfsScenery"</code>

The full documentation and source for TerraSync is located in the FlightGear source distribution (in <code>utils/TerraSync/</code>).

=== [[FGRun]] in FlightGear 2.2.0 ===
# After starting FGRun, make sure you are in the first screen where you can set up directories. One time "Back" from the aircraft selection page. You are now at the "Path" page.
# You can create a list of scenery directories next to "[[$FG_SCENERY|FG_SCENERY]]". Select the line that TerraSync will be using and press the "TerraSync directory" button on the right. A small "T" will appear on the selected line, indicating that this one is set up as TerraSync direcotry.
#* The directories are being loaded from top to bottom, so make sure TerraSync is on top (unless you want to "surpass" terrasync and siplay scenery from another directory). When two directories contain scenery for the same region, FlightGear will take the scenery from the directory higher in the list.
# Finally, go to the last screen. There you have to activate TerraSync as in the following screenshot. Now TerraSync should work.<br />[[File:TerraSync 2.png|500px]]

''Note: Expect your firewall to block it the first time you run it; just tell the firewall to allow TerraSync to use the port.''

=== [[FGRun]] in FlightGear 1.9.1 ===
# After starting FGRun, make sure you are in the first screen where you can set up directories. One time "Back" from the aircraft selection page. You are now here:<br/>[[File:TerraSync 1.png|500px]]
# Select the destination folder for all files downloaded by terrasync. Usually the folder <code>[[$FG_ROOT]]\terrasync</code> already exists and you only have to add it to the list (as in the above example). Insure that it is positioned '''above''' your standard scenery folder (here that is <code>FlightGear191\scenery</code>) and all other directories over which the terrasync folder is supposed to have priority. When two directories contain information for the same region, FlightGear will take the information from the directory higher in the list. On Linux make sure the directory does not only to have a T, but also is the topmost folder.
# For TerraSync to know where to deposit the downloaded files, you have to tell the program which folder is the destination folder. In the above example, it is the 3<sup>rd</sup> in the list.
# Finally, go to the last screen. There you have to activate TerraSync as in the following screenshot. Now TerraSync should work.<br />[[File:TerraSync 2.png|500px]]

''Note: Expect your firewall to block it the first time you run it; just tell the firewall to allow TerraSync to use the port.''

== Troubleshooting ==

=== Problem 1 ===
If you get an error similar to the following in the command line console (black dialog):

Airports/L ... failed:
Can't move 'C:\FlightGear\terrasync\Airports\L\E\.svn\tmp\entries' to 'C:\FlightGear\terrasync\Airports\L\E\.svn\entries': The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.

and possibly the following popup appears:

[[File:TerraSync Taskbar Error.png]]

=== Solution 1 ===

You can probably fix the error by upgrading to Windows 7 Home Premium Service Pack 1.

----

=== Problem 2 ===
You get an error indicating locked airport directories while TerraSync is running.

Working copy 'D:\Program Files\FlightGear 2.4.0\terrasync\Airports\K' locked

While those directories often actually ''are'' updated, the error is annoying.

=== Solution 2 ===
Search the TerraSync directory for files named <tt>lock</tt> and delete them. They are supposed to be removed automatically when a TerraSync update is completed, but sometimes that fails.

== Related content ==
* [[Howto: Install scenery]]
* [[TerraMaster]]

[[Category:Software]]
[[Category:Scenery]]

[[de:TerraSync]]
[[fr:TerraSync]]

Settings for slower graphics cards

2012-03-07T05:10:32Z

The4thchild: /* Low-resource aircraft */

Some of us don't have the luxury of using the highest-end graphics cards. Fortunately, FlightGear can still render you enjoyment in the skies with a few strategic settings optimizations. The optimal settings may differ depending on your particular computer's hardware setup, so these are just suggestions from which you can experiment.

== FlightGear Settings ==

=== Hardware Setup ===

Although the hardware may be more or less fixed, a few tweaks can make the difference from 2 fps -> 10+ or even as high as 30 fps. Consider these adjustments to see if you can achieve high fps even without disabling FlightGear features.

* '''Graphics card drivers''': Ensure that you have the manufacturer's graphics card drivers installed. For example, Windows may automatically install a generic graphics card driver that works fine for most applications but which does not offer OpenGL support. You may be able to download and install drivers specific to your card from the manufacturer's site. See [[Troubleshooting problems#Slow Framerate with OpenGL Card]] for additional information on drivers.
* '''Maximize power performance settings''': If you're running a laptop, chances are your system defaults to a power-saving mode, even with the laptop plugged in. Adjust these settings to maximal power while running FlightGear.

=== FGRun setup ===

In the FlightGear Wizard, you can disable features that impact performance. A couple of these features have a particularly powerful effect.

* '''Disable unnecessary features''': In the FlightGear Wizard dialog, uncheck items in the Display and Features settings that are unnecessary, particularly "Enhanced runway lighting". In the Advanced > Rendering dialog, uncheck any remaining features and change Shading to "Flat" and Fog to "Disabled".
* '''Fly in daytime''': Changing from nighttime to daytime flying is not only easier on the piloting, but also easier on the graphic requirement. Check the "Time of day" box and select a daytime setting.
* '''Low-traffic airport''': KSFO is a wonderful airport but also known for a high-volume of traffic, which can slow performance. Try another airport if you encounter performance issues.

=== In-flight settings ===

Some additional features can only be readily adjusted after boarding the aircraft. Use the "Show frame rate" option (in View > Display Options) to track frame rates in the lower right corner of the screen to see in real-time how your optimizations are speeding your rendering.

* '''Turn off shaders''': Open the View > Rendering menu and uncheck the "Material Shaders" box (FG 2.4). In FG 2.6, move the "Shader effects" bar as far as possible to the "Performance" side.
* '''Fly over non-airport areas''': While framerate may initially be as slow as 5 fps during takeoff, they may jump 5x or more after flying out to less-populated areas.

== Low-resource aircraft ==

Certain aircraft have lower resource requirements. Here is a list of tested aircraft that are known to offer decent fps, especially over non-populated areas. Please add additional aircraft that you have found to work well on lower-powered computers.

* [[Ufo|UFO]]: Very high performance (30+ fps) with minimal resources.
* [[Boeing-Stearman_Model_75|Boeing Stearman]]: Decent performance (10+ fps).
* [[Cessna_Citation_X|Cessna Citation-X]]: Decent performance (10+ fps).
* [[McDonnell_F-4_Phantom_II|F-4E]] (David Culp's hanger): Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-5E: Good performance (up to 30 fps with shaders turned off).

Settings for slower graphics cards

2012-03-07T05:04:46Z

The4thchild: /* Hardware Setup */

Some of us don't have the luxury of using the highest-end graphics cards. Fortunately, FlightGear can still render you enjoyment in the skies with a few strategic settings optimizations. The optimal settings may differ depending on your particular computer's hardware setup, so these are just suggestions from which you can experiment.

== FlightGear Settings ==

=== Hardware Setup ===

Although the hardware may be more or less fixed, a few tweaks can make the difference from 2 fps -> 10+ or even as high as 30 fps. Consider these adjustments to see if you can achieve high fps even without disabling FlightGear features.

* '''Graphics card drivers''': Ensure that you have the manufacturer's graphics card drivers installed. For example, Windows may automatically install a generic graphics card driver that works fine for most applications but which does not offer OpenGL support. You may be able to download and install drivers specific to your card from the manufacturer's site. See [[Troubleshooting problems#Slow Framerate with OpenGL Card]] for additional information on drivers.
* '''Maximize power performance settings''': If you're running a laptop, chances are your system defaults to a power-saving mode, even with the laptop plugged in. Adjust these settings to maximal power while running FlightGear.

=== FGRun setup ===

In the FlightGear Wizard, you can disable features that impact performance. A couple of these features have a particularly powerful effect.

* '''Disable unnecessary features''': In the FlightGear Wizard dialog, uncheck items in the Display and Features settings that are unnecessary, particularly "Enhanced runway lighting". In the Advanced > Rendering dialog, uncheck any remaining features and change Shading to "Flat" and Fog to "Disabled".
* '''Fly in daytime''': Changing from nighttime to daytime flying is not only easier on the piloting, but also easier on the graphic requirement. Check the "Time of day" box and select a daytime setting.
* '''Low-traffic airport''': KSFO is a wonderful airport but also known for a high-volume of traffic, which can slow performance. Try another airport if you encounter performance issues.

=== In-flight settings ===

Some additional features can only be readily adjusted after boarding the aircraft. Use the "Show frame rate" option (in View > Display Options) to track frame rates in the lower right corner of the screen to see in real-time how your optimizations are speeding your rendering.

* '''Turn off shaders''': Open the View > Rendering menu and uncheck the "Material Shaders" box (FG 2.4). In FG 2.6, move the "Shader effects" bar as far as possible to the "Performance" side.
* '''Fly over non-airport areas''': While framerate may initially be as slow as 5 fps during takeoff, they may jump 5x or more after flying out to less-populated areas.

== Low-resource aircraft ==

Certain aircraft have lower resource requirements. Here is a list of aircraft that are known to offer decent fps, especially over non-populated areas. Please add additional aircraft that you have found to work well on lower-powered computers.

* UFO: Very high performance (30+ fps) with minimal resources.
* Cessna Citation-X: Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-4E (David Culp's hanger): Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-5E: Good performance (up to 30 fps with shaders turned off).

Settings for slower graphics cards

2012-03-07T05:03:18Z

The4thchild: /* In-flight adjustments */

Some of us don't have the luxury of using the highest-end graphics cards. Fortunately, FlightGear can still render you enjoyment in the skies with a few strategic settings optimizations. The optimal settings may differ depending on your particular computer's hardware setup, so these are just suggestions from which you can experiment.

== FlightGear Settings ==

=== Hardware Setup ===

Although the hardware may be more or less fixed, a few tweaks can make the difference from 2 fps -> 30 fps. Consider these adjustments to see if you can achieve high fps even without disabling FlightGear features.

* '''Graphics card drivers''': Ensure that you have the manufacturer's graphics card drivers installed. For example, Windows may automatically install a generic graphics card driver that works fine for most applications but which does not offer OpenGL support. You may be able to download and install drivers specific to your card from the manufacturer's site. See [[Troubleshooting problems#Slow Framerate with OpenGL Card]] for additional information on drivers.
* '''Maximize power performance settings''': If you're running a laptop, chances are your system defaults to a power-saving mode, even with the laptop plugged in. Adjust these settings to maximal power while running FlightGear.

=== FGRun setup ===

In the FlightGear Wizard, you can disable features that impact performance. A couple of these features have a particularly powerful effect.

* '''Disable unnecessary features''': In the FlightGear Wizard dialog, uncheck items in the Display and Features settings that are unnecessary, particularly "Enhanced runway lighting". In the Advanced > Rendering dialog, uncheck any remaining features and change Shading to "Flat" and Fog to "Disabled".
* '''Fly in daytime''': Changing from nighttime to daytime flying is not only easier on the piloting, but also easier on the graphic requirement. Check the "Time of day" box and select a daytime setting.
* '''Low-traffic airport''': KSFO is a wonderful airport but also known for a high-volume of traffic, which can slow performance. Try another airport if you encounter performance issues.

=== In-flight settings ===

Some additional features can only be readily adjusted after boarding the aircraft. Use the "Show frame rate" option (in View > Display Options) to track frame rates in the lower right corner of the screen to see in real-time how your optimizations are speeding your rendering.

* '''Turn off shaders''': Open the View > Rendering menu and uncheck the "Material Shaders" box (FG 2.4). In FG 2.6, move the "Shader effects" bar as far as possible to the "Performance" side.
* '''Fly over non-airport areas''': While framerate may initially be as slow as 5 fps during takeoff, they may jump 5x or more after flying out to less-populated areas.

== Low-resource aircraft ==

Certain aircraft have lower resource requirements. Here is a list of aircraft that are known to offer decent fps, especially over non-populated areas. Please add additional aircraft that you have found to work well on lower-powered computers.

* UFO: Very high performance (30+ fps) with minimal resources.
* Cessna Citation-X: Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-4E (David Culp's hanger): Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-5E: Good performance (up to 30 fps with shaders turned off).

Howto:Carrier

2011-04-29T01:49:58Z

The4thchild: /* Takeoff */

==Features==
[[File:Carrier3.jpg|thumb|300px|The Nimitz carrier in the San Fransisco bay]]

* Start FG with your chosen aircraft placed on the aircraft carrier "Nimitz" or "Eisenhower"
* Engage the launchbar in the steam catapult
* Have the carrier set course into the prevailing wind direction and attempt to get wind speed over the deck at a suitable value for launch
* Launch from the deck when ready
* Set the TACAN receiver in the aircraft to Nimitz's channel (029Y) and have the heading and range to the carrier displayed on the cockpit instruments
* Land on the deck and be halted by the arrestor cables
* Taxi onto the deck elevators, operate them and park on the hangar deck (0.9.10 and later)

You can start FlightGear with the command line or GUI. To position your [[aircraft]] on the carrier at startup, use the following [[Command Line Parameters|command line options]]. Note the upper-case "N" in Nimitz and the fact that the scenario comes in front of carrier! You can copy-paste this (he slash will make it look like one line):
fgfs \
--ai-scenario=nimitz_demo
--carrier=Nimitz \
--aircraft=seahawk \

The following start positions are available:

--parkpos=cat-1
--parkpos=cat-2
--parkpos=cat-3
--parkpos=cat-4
--parkpos=park-1

Note that several FG aircraft are carrier capable, but the [[Hawker Seahawk|Seahawk]] is possibly the easiest to fly to begin with.

If you are using the Windows or OSX launcher to run FG, you should find a text entry box in the gui that allows you to specify command line options, add the above options there. Linux or Cygwin users can just add them to their usual startup command; ``fgfs --carrier=Nimitz --aircraft=seahawk'. Please note the uppercase ``N' in ``Nimitz'.

In the [[FlightGear Wizard]]: go to Advanced... > Properties and make a new property with
sim/ai/scenario[0]=nimitz_demo --carrier=Nimitz

With version 1.0.0 there comes a special box for the carriers on the Airport selection page of the Wizard.

== Takeoff ==
[[File:Carrier1.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[Hawker Seahawk|Seahawk]] aircraft ready for takeoff]]
Once FlightGear has started, you should ensure that the parking brakes are off, ease the plane a little way down the catapult pressing ``L' to engage the launchbar (hold for several seconds until given "Engaged" feedback; this might be best done from an external view initially.) You should notice the aircraft being pulled into alignment with the catapult and see the strops appear and hold down the aircraft. This will only happen if your aircraft is close enough to the correct spot on the catapult; as a rough guide, for the default parking position the seahawk's nose should be rougly level with the deck observation bubble.

To get the carrier into as good a position as possible for launch, select the ``ATC/AI' menu, then check the ``Turn into wind' box under the ``AI Carrier' section.

You should now notice the carrier begin to pick up speed and turn into the wind, and naturally the deck may tilt somewhat as it turns. You should wait for this maneuver to finish and the deck to return to level before moving on to the next stage.
[[Image:Carrier6.jpg|thumb|300px|'''1:''' The takeoff part of the carrier with the catapults
'''2:''' The land part of the carrier with the wires]]
Being engaged to the catapult, you should spool up the engines to full power, ensure the brakes are off and that all flight controls are in a suitable position for launch. When ready, press ``C' to release the catapult. Your aircraft will be hurled forward off the deck, and you should be able to raise the undercarriage and climb slowly away, being careful to avoid stalling.

== Land ==
Actually finding the carrier in a vast expanse of open water can be very difficult, especially if visibility is poor. To assist with this task, the carriers are equipped with [[TACAN]], which allows a suitably-equipped aircraft (Seahawk at present) to obtain a range and bearing to the carrier. First, you must set the appropriate TACAN channel, 029Y in this case, in the radios dialogue (ctrl-r or choose Equipment/Radio Settings from the FG [[menubar]]). You should, if within range, notice the DME instrument show your distance from the carrier, and the ADF instrument (next to the DME in the seahawk) should indicate a bearing to the carrier. Turn to the indicated heading and you should see the DME dial indicate your closing in on the carrier.

{|
! Carrier || Scenario || TACAN
|-
| Nimitz || nimitz_demo || 029Y
|-
| Eisenhower || nimitz_demo || 030Y
|-
| Clemenceau || clemenceau_demo || 026Y
|-
| Foch || foch_demo || 026X
|-
| Akagi || akagi || N/A
|}

This is the most difficult part of the operation, as in real life. You might well find Andy Ross' [[A-4F Skyhawk Operations Manual]] useful here. Basically, though, you should use the TACAN to locate the carrier, and line up with the rear of the deck. As this part of the deck is at an angle to the course of the vessel, you may need to correct your alignment often. Ensure that the aircraft is in the correct configuration for approach (the Help/Aircraft Help menu should contain useful data for your aircraft) and that the gear and the arrestor hook are down.
[[File:Carrier5.jpg|thumb|300px|The Fresnel Lens Optical landing System]]
As you approach you should see, on the left hand side of the deck, a set of brightly coloured lights - called the Fresnel Lens Optical landing System (FLOLS). This indicates your position on the landing glideslope. You will see a horizontal row of green lights, and when approximately on the glideslope, an orange light ( known in some circles as the ``meatball') approximately in line with the green lights. When approaching correctly, the meatball appears in line with the green lights. If you are high it is above, and when low it is below. If you are very low the meatball turns red. If you fly to keep the meatball aligned you should catch number 3 wire.

Carrier landings are often described as ``controlled crashes' and you shouldn't waste your time attempting to flare and place the aircraft gently on the deck like you would with a conventional landing - ensuring that you catch the wires is the main thing.

Immediately your wheels touch the deck, you should open the throttles to full power, in case you have missed the wires and need to ``go around' again; the wires will hold the aircraft if you have caught them, even at full power.

If you wish, you can then (with 0.9.10 and later) raise the elevators from the ATC/AI menu, taxy onto one of the elevators, lower it (uncheck the box on the menu and don't worry, they are VERY slow...) and taxy off into the hangar.

Don't be discouraged if you don't succeed at first with carrier landings - it's not an easy maneouver to master. If after a little practice you find the Seahawk too easy, you could move on to the Seafire for more of a challenge!

== Related content ==
* [[Carrier over MP]] to find out how you could control the carrier and/or use the carrier over the multiplayer network.
[[de:Flugzeugträger]]

[[Category:Howto|Carrier]]

Hardware recommendations

2010-12-22T21:57:44Z

The4thchild: /* Netbooks */ : generalized to "Notebooks", especially since the link points to notebook running FlightGear

These '''hardware recommendations''' are based on informal user experience, be sure to consult other sources before making serious decisions regarding computer hardware.

== Recommended Hardware for FlightGear 1.9.x ==

* A 3D video card, with support for OpenGL 1.2 or better (OpenGL 2.0 is preferred) and at least 128-256 MB video RAM. Flightgear requires a hardware accelerated 3D video card with OpenGL drivers to run at reasonable frame-rates. Most modern PCs have hardware accelerated 3D cards. If your FlightGear video is not running smoothly, see [[Configuring OpenGL]]. See [[Supported Video Cards]]) for a list of video cards known to work with FlightGear. Note that cards with working shader support will enable FlightGear to run with more visual effects.

* At least 512-1024 MB '''free''' RAM (and more is better). FlightGear uses more than 500 MB of RAM by default. If less free RAM is available, FlightGear would be slowed down significantly due to OS swapping

* A 1-2 GHZ CPU (multi-core processors have benefits for some FlightGear components such as the tile loader)

* 500 MB HD space for a minimum installation, 3 GB if you want to compile it yourself, plus up to 8 GB for optional world-wide scenery

* A 3 button mouse or 2 button mouse with scroll wheel

* An optional sound card, Soundblaster compatible, preferably with EAX support

* An optional joystick/yoke and/or pedals - Gameport or USB (HID compatible), see [[Supported Peripherals]] for a list of input hardware known to work with FlightGear.

== Notebooks ==

If you are interested in running FlightGear on a notebook, you may also want to check out [[Notebooks known to run FlightGear]].

== Incompatible Hardware ==
A list of video cards that may not properly run FlightGear can be found at [[Problematic Video Cards]].

== Related content==
* [[Supported Video Cards]]
* [[Supported Peripherals]]
* [[3D Video Introduction]]
* [[Configuring OpenGL]]
* [[Troubleshooting Problems]]

Settings for slower graphics cards

2010-12-20T10:27:41Z

The4thchild:

Some of us don't have the luxury of using the highest-end graphics cards. Fortunately, FlightGear can still render you enjoyment in the skies with a few strategic settings optimizations. The optimal settings may differ depending on your particular computer's hardware setup, so these are just suggestions from which you can experiment.

== FlightGear Settings ==

=== Hardware Setup ===

Although the hardware may be more or less fixed, a few tweaks can make the difference from 2 fps -> 30 fps. Consider these adjustments to see if you can achieve high fps even without disabling FlightGear features.

* '''Graphics card drivers''': Ensure that you have the manufacturer's graphics card drivers installed. For example, Windows may automatically install a generic graphics card driver that works fine for most applications but which does not offer OpenGL support. You may be able to download and install drivers specific to your card from the manufacturer's site. See [[Troubleshooting_problems#Slow_Framerate_with_OpenGL_Card]] for additional information on drivers.
* '''Maximize power performance settings''': If you're running a laptop, chances are your system defaults to a power-saving mode, even with the laptop plugged in. Adjust these settings to maximal power while running FlightGear.

=== FGRun setup ===

In the FlightGear Wizard, you can disable features that impact performance. A couple of these features have a particularly powerful effect.

* '''Disable unnecessary features''': In the FlightGear Wizard dialog, uncheck items in the Display and Features settings that are unnecessary, particularly "Enhanced runway lighting". In the Advanced > Rendering dialog, uncheck any remaining features and change Shading to "Flat" and Fog to "Disabled".
* '''Fly in daytime''': Changing from nighttime to daytime flying is not only easier on the piloting, but also easier on the graphic requirement. Check the "Time of day" box and select a daytime setting.
* '''Low-traffic airport''': KSFO is a wonderful airport but also known for a high-volume of traffic, which can slow performance. Try another airport if you encounter performance issues.

=== In-flight adjustments ===

Some additional features can only be readily adjusted after boarding the aircraft.

* '''Turn off shaders''': Open the View > Rendering menu and uncheck the "Material Shaders" box.
* '''Fly over non-airport areas''': While framerate may initially be as slow as 5 fps during takeoff, they may jump 5x or more after flying out to less-populated areas.

== Low-resource aircraft ==

Certain aircraft have lower resource requirements. Here is a list of aircraft that are known to offer decent fps, especially over non-populated areas. Please add additional aircraft that you have found to work well on lower-powered computers.

* UFO: Very high performance (30+ fps) with minimal resources.
* Cessna Citation-X: Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-4E (David Culp's hanger): Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-5E: Good performance (up to 30 fps with shaders turned off).

Settings for slower graphics cards

2010-12-20T09:32:14Z

The4thchild: layout clarifications

Some of us don't have the luxury of using the highest-end graphics cards. Fortunately, FlightGear can still render you enjoyment in the skies with a few strategic settings optimizations. The optimal settings may differ depending on your particular computer's hardware setup, so these are just suggestions from which you can experiment.

== FlightGear Settings ==

=== Hardware Setup ===

Although the hardware may be more or less fixed, a few tweaks can make the difference from 2 fps -> 30 fps. Consider these adjustments to see if you can achieve high fps even without disabling FlightGear features.

* '''Graphics card drivers''': Ensure that you have the manufacturer's graphics card drivers installed. For example, Windows may automatically install a generic graphics card driver that works fine for most applications but which does not offer OpenGL support. You may be able to download and install drivers specific to your card from the manufacturer's site. See [[Troubleshooting_problems#Slow_Framerate_with_OpenGL_Card]] for additional information on drivers.
* '''Maximize power performance settings''': If you're running a laptop, chances are your system defaults to a power-saving mode, even with the laptop plugged in. Adjust these settings to maximal power while running FlightGear.

=== FGRun setup ===

* '''Disable unnecessary features''': In the FlightGear Wizard dialog, uncheck items in the Display and Features settings that are unnecessary, particularly "Enhanced runway lighting". In the Advanced > Rendering dialog, uncheck any remaining features and change Shading to "Flat" and Fog to "Disabled".
* '''Fly in daytime''': Changing from nighttime to daytime flying is not only easier on the piloting, but also easier on the graphic requirement. Check the "Time of day" box and select a daytime setting.
* '''Low-traffic airport''': KSFO is a wonderful airport but also known for a high-volume of traffic, which can slow performance. Try another airport if you encounter performance issues.
* '''Fly over non-airport areas''': While framerate may initially be as slow as 5 fps during takeoff, they may jump 5x or more after flying out to less-populated areas.

== Low-resource aircraft ==

Certain aircraft have lower resource requirements. Here is a list of aircraft that are known to offer decent fps, especially over non-populated areas. Please add additional aircraft that you have found to work well on lower-powered computers.

* UFO: Very high performance (30+ fps) with minimal resources.
* Cessna Citation-X: Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-4E (David Culp's hanger): Decent performance (10+ fps).

Settings for slower graphics cards

2010-12-19T23:51:17Z

The4thchild: /* Settings for Slower Graphics Cards */

== Settings for Slower Graphics Cards ==

Some of us don't have the luxury of using the highest-end graphics cards. Fortunately, FlightGear can still render you enjoyment in the skies with a few strategic settings optimizations. The optimal settings may differ depending on your particular computer's hardware setup, so these are just suggestions from which you can experiment.

=== Hardware Setup ===

* '''Graphics card drivers''': Ensure that you have the manufacturer's graphics card drivers installed. For example, Windows may automatically install a generic graphics card driver that works fine for most applications but which does not offer OpenGL support. You may be able to download and install drivers specific to your card from the manufacturer's site. See [[Troubleshooting_problems#Slow_Framerate_with_OpenGL_Card]] for additional information on drivers.
* '''Maximize power performance settings''': If you're running a laptop, chances are your system defaults to a power-saving mode, even with the laptop plugged in. Adjust these settings to maximal power while running FlightGear.

=== FlightGear run setup ===

* '''Disable unnecessary features''': In the FlightGear Wizard dialog, uncheck items in the Display and Features settings that are unnecessary, particularly "Enhanced runway lighting". In the Advanced > Rendering dialog, uncheck any remaining features and change Shading to "Flat" and Fog to "Disabled".
* '''Fly in daytime''': Changing from nighttime to daytime flying is not only easier on the piloting, but also easier on the graphic requirement. Check the "Time of day" box and select a daytime setting.
* '''Low-traffic airport''': KSFO is a wonderful airport but also known for a high-volume of traffic, which can slow performance. Try another airport if you encounter performance issues.
* '''Fly over non-airport areas''': While framerate may initially be as slow as 5 fps during takeoff, they may jump 5x or more after flying out to less-populated areas.

=== Low-resource aircraft ===

Certain aircraft have lower resource requirements. Here is a list of aircraft that are known to offer decent fps, especially over non-populated areas.

* UFO: Very high performance (30+ fps) with minimal resources.
* Cessna Citation-X: Decent performance (10+ fps).
* F-4E (David Culp's hanger): Decent performance (10+ fps).

Settings for slower graphics cards

2010-12-19T23:04:46Z

The4thchild: /* Settings for Slower Graphics Cards */

== Settings for Slower Graphics Cards ==

Some of us don't have the luxury of using the highest-end graphics cards. Fortunately, FlightGear can still render you enjoyment in the skies with a few strategic settings optimizations. The optimal settings may differ depending on your particular computer's hardware setup, so these are just suggestions from which you can experiment.

=== Hardware Setup ===

* '''Graphics card drivers''': Ensure that you have the manufacturer's graphics card drivers installed. For example, Windows may automatically install a generic graphics card driver that works fine for most applications but which does not offer OpenGL support. You may be able to download and install drivers specific to your card from the manufacturer's site. See [[Troubleshooting_problems#Slow_Framerate_with_OpenGL_Card]] for additional information on drivers.
* '''Maximize power performance settings''': If you're running a laptop, chances are your system defaults to a power-saving mode, even with the laptop plugged in. Adjust these settings to maximal power while running FlightGear.

=== FlightGear run setup ===

* '''Disable unnecessary features''': In the FlightGear Wizard dialog, uncheck items in the Display and Features settings that are unnecessary, particularly "Enhanced runway lighting". In the Advanced > Rendering dialog, uncheck any remaining features and change Shading to "Flat" and Fog to "Disabled".
* '''Fly in daytime''': Changing from nighttime to daytime flying is not only easier on the piloting, but also easier on the graphic requirement. Check the "Time of day" box and select a daytime setting.
* '''Low-traffic airport''': KSFO is a wonderful airport but also known for a high-volume of traffic, which can slow performance. Try another airport if you encounter performance issues.
* '''Fly over non-airport areas''': While framerate may initially be as slow as 5 fps during takeoff, they may jump 5x or more after flying out to less-populated areas.

=== Low-resource aircraft ===

Certain aircraft have lower resource requirements. Here is a list of aircraft that are known to offer decent fps.

* UFO: Very high performance with minimal resources.
* Beech B1900D: Able to load.

Settings for slower graphics cards

2010-12-19T22:37:53Z

The4thchild: Created page with '== Settings for Slower Graphics Cards == Some of us don't have the luxury of using the highest-end graphics cards. Fortunately, FlightGear can still render you enjoyment in the …'

Troubleshooting problems

2010-12-19T22:25:34Z

The4thchild: /* Slow Framerate with OpenGL Card */

{{cleanup}}

'''If you are having problems getting [[FlightGear]] to work for you, this page is dedicated to helping you.'''

* First - Try to solve the problem using the resources on this page
** If you are having a problem with software crashes, please read [[System Crashes]]
** If you are having problems with video, please check the list of [[Problematic Video Cards]]
** Check out [[Hardware Recommendations]] for more information about video cards and other hardware that works with FlightGear

* Request technical help from volunteers in the FlightGear community
** Try [[Requesting Technical Help]], but only after trying the other suggestions on this page first

= Common FlightGear Problems and Solutions =
{{main article|Howto: Get rid of common errors}}

== Slow Framerate with OpenGL Card ==

a)
If you have a card that fully supports OpenGL and FlightGear is still running slow, then there may be a somewhat esoteric fix to your problem.

Change the color depth to match that of your OS's desktop!

b) Identify if your graphic card use software OpenGL support

When Flightgear was launched, it display a message like this in Flighgear launcher's console window:
(before you need to enable log in info mode,
Flighgear launcher (fgrun.exe) -->button "advanced" in the third window -->
tab "debuuging", select info for "log level" --> click button OK )

Finished command line arguments
Initializing splash screen
GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8X/AGP/SSE2/forceSW
Max texture size = 2048
Depth buffer bits = 16
Loading Airport Database ...
Data file version = 810

Warning! If you see anything like "ForceSW" or "Software Emulation", it was a bad thing for you because you do not have HARDWARE OpenGL support, or your drivers are not configured properly. If you have SOFTWARE OpenGL support, your CPU work a lot to display the graphics.
Source : http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/6/6.370/contestants/software.htm#issues

c) Optimize FlightGear [[ settings for slower graphics cards]]

== Slow Framerate with Graphic Card with Nvidia chip ==

a) First, Identify if your graphic card use software OpenGL support

When Flightgear was launched, it display a message like this in Flighgear launcher's console window:
(before you need to enable log in info mode,
Flighgear launcher (fgrun.exe) -->button "advanced" in the third window -->
tab "debuuging", select info for "log level" --> click button OK )

Finished command line arguments
Initializing splash screen
GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8X/AGP/SSE2/forceSW
Max texture size = 2048
Depth buffer bits = 16
Loading Airport Database ...
Data file version = 810

Warning! If you see anything like "ForceSW" or "Software Emulation", it was a bad thing for you because you do not have HARDWARE OpenGL support, or your drivers are not configured properly. If you have SOFTWARE OpenGL support, your CPU work a lot to display the graphics.
Source : http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/6/6.370/contestants/software.htm#issues

b) Second, use this workaround for Windows 2000/XP to correct this problem.

I have a nvidia Geforce 4 MX440-AGP 8x and this workaround correct the slow framerate with my graphic card.
The detailed problem analysis is here :
http://www.mail-archive.com/flightgear-devel@lists.sourceforge.net/msg14993.html
This workaround is to downgrade your nvdia driver to 45.33 or 4.5.3.3.
You can find it here :
http://www.nvidia.com/object/pc_winxp-2k_45.33.html
This 45.33 driver supports over five generations of NVIDIA GPUs - from TNT to GeForce FX(Geforce Fx = Geforce5).

Don't use driver upper than 45.33, because in the upper version, there is a software OpenGL support. It was not the GPU (nvidia chip) that work to support the software OpenGL features but your CPU. And with this configuration, your CPU is used at 98% by fgfs.exe or the flightgear binary.

Note : I do tests with Graphic card with Nvidia Geforce 6200-AGP8X-256MB (NV44A2) and with 7.7.7.2 and 9.4.2.4 nvidia drivers on Windows 2000 SP4 (CPU : Celeron D 2,66Ghz, RAM : 512 MB).
I made tests with Flightgear 0.9.10 and 1.0.0, I have only 1 fps with these 2 drivers and 2 flighgear versions.
This card is not yet powerful for flightgear and there is no workaround for it.

== Corrupt Textures on ATi Cards ==

Several users have reported corrupted textures running FlightGear on ATi graphics cards. The ATi drivers are the subject of intensive improvement, but can still be problematic for some users. Try this:

Start FG in the normal way.
Select 'View' drop-down menu (one from the left- you may not be able to read the labels!)
Select 'Rendering Options' (fourth choice)
Uncheck 'Use Point Sprites for Runway Lights' (fourth check-box)

When you come to quit FG, do so by menu: File...Exit, rather than closing the window to save this setting.

If you can't read the Menu titles (because of corrupted graphics) you can manually edit the config files $FG_HOME/autosave.xml and/or $FG_ROOT/preferences.xml before even starting FlightGear. The file autosave.xml is created the first time FlightGear is closed and settings in it override the defaults in $FG_ROOT/preferences.xml. Use your operating system's search facilities to find the files if you don't know where to look for them. Close Flightgear and change the line
<point-sprites type="bool">true</point-sprites>
to
<point-sprites type="bool">false</point-sprites>
in both files (if you don't have an autosave.xml it is sufficient to make the change in preferences.xml) and start FlighGear again. This is the same as changing the above mentioned option in the rendering dialog but does not require FlightGear running.

Examples of corrupted graphics with an ATI card:

[[Image:ATI_point-sprites_corrupted_1.jpg]] [[Image:ATI_point-sprites_corrupted_2.jpg]]

== USB Joystick Fails to Work ==

FlightGear is designed to recognize automatically any USB joystick that it is aware of (has a configuration on file for it). Configuration for USB joysticks is located in the Inputs folder. For example:

Input/Saitek/X45.xml

The name reported by the joystick through the hardware of your system must match the name specified in the configuration file. If the stick identifies itself as

Saitek Saitek X45 Flight Control Stick

but the configuration file specifies

Saitek X45 USB Flight Stick

Flight Gear will fail to recognize it.

This happens with some frequency. It has been known for the same stick in a manufacturer's line to report different identifier strings. If you encounter a problem getting your usb stick to be recognized by FlightGear, it is helpful to first check to see

* a configuration file matching the name of your stick exists
* the configuration joystick name matches the name the stick actually reports to your computer

== USB Joystick exhibits permanent offset / requires repeated recalibration ==

USB Joystick drivers should automatically zero and calibrate the joystick on plugin. Some examples of some types of joystick can be faulty where the fault is exhibited as an offset from the zero position when this process is completed. In Kubuntu this can be fixed for the session by use of the Joystick calibration tool under "Keyboard and Mouse" of "System Settings", or equivalent tools with other distributions, but the problem will recur.

In some cases this may be caused by improper connector seating or other loose connections within the joystick. This can sometimes be remedied by unscrewing the base or other case element to access the circuit board and then reseating the connectors. Also check for faulty solder joints and discrete components bent over onto the circuit board. Before attempting any repair unplug the device and remove any batteries.

== Configuring CH Products Under Windows Vista==

The CH Products Yoke and Pedals are among the most popular flight sim controls.
Flight Gear provides excellent configuration files for both the Yoke and Pedals manufactured by CH. Windows Vista recognizes and configures the USB versions of these products by default. However, it reports them as "Generic Controls." This creates an issue when Flight Gear tries to assign the appropriate controller configuration.

To overcome this you need to edit your Joystick.xml (Filghtgear\Data\Joystick.xml) file to manually assign a configuration file for Flight Gear to use.

Eg:

If you have the Yoke as MS-Windows Controller 0 and Pedals as Controller 1 then you include the following lines:
<code>
<js n="0" include="Input/Joysticks/CH/pro-yoke-usb.xml"/>
<js n="1" include="Input/Joysticks/CH/pro-pedals-usb.xml"/>
</code>

== [Enter] does not work for rudder control ==

First of all: if [0] doesn't work, check if toggling num-lock solves the issue.

Open file ''[[$FG_ROOT]]/keyboard.xml'' with your preferred Editor. and search for those lines (it's close to the top, around line 40):
## uncomment this line to get keycode reports printed to the terminal window
#setlistener("devices/status/keyboard/event", func(n) debug.dump(n.getValues()));
Read the first one and uncomment the second one. To uncomment it remove the leading "#".<BR>
Save the file and run FlightGear as usual but with the log-level set to "alarm" (no need to do anything if it wasn't used/changed before!).<BR>
When FlighGear is running press [Enter] and immediately after this, without doing anyting on the keyboard, ''click'' on FlightGears log window and you'll see something like this in the last two lines of the log:
{ key: 13, modifier: { meta: 0, shift: 0, alt: 0, super: 0, ctrl: 0, hyper: 0 }, pressed: 1 }
{ key: 13, modifier: { meta: 0, shift: 0, alt: 0, super: 0, ctrl: 0, hyper: 0 }, pressed: 0 }
The first line is for pressing the [Enter]-Key, the second for releasing it. Keep the first number, named "key", in this exaple shown as "13", in mind.

Open file $FG_ROOT/keyboard.xml again and search for "enter". You should find following:
<key n="10">
<name>Enter</name>
<desc>Move rudder right</desc>
Now replace the value of ''key n='' with the one you had to keep in mind earlier. Save file and run FlightGear to test it.

If the [Enter] key doesn't work at all for some reason one solution would be to assign the key right hand next to (not the num-block-)[0], if it is not already assigned to something else. Procedure is the same as shown with the [Enter] key.

Last thing to do, in any case, disbable the keycode reports by replacing the "#" which we removed earlier.

= Possible pitfalls when modifying base package files =

At some point, most users will probably want to modify FlightGear in some way or another.
Many interesting modifications can be done by editing base package resources, such as for example aircraft files, instrumentation files, GUI files, Nasal scripts etc.

However, once you do modify the base package, it is important to keep track of your changes and to make sure that files are modified properly.
Here are some things to watch out for:
* When referencing file names or paths, always make sure that files and paths actually do exist
* When referencing file names or paths, make sure that they're used properly i.e. watch out for whitespaces, separators and case:
** On most modern operating systems, filenames and paths are indeed '''case sensitive''', so make sure to watch out for this, as well
* Also, most modern multi-user operating systems feature support for file permissions, so that files and paths need to have the proper permissions set in order to be accessible
* Once you start editing XML files, you will want to ensure that your edits are valid and don't corrupt the XML syntax, that is make sure that tags are properly closed - if you are not sure whether your edits were properly done or not, you may want to use a so called "xml validator", there are numerous free/open source tools available to help you validating XML documents, under *nix you could for example simply use "xmllint". Invalid XML files cannot be used by FlightGear anymore (there are also various web-based validator available, where you can simply paste contents or upload files to be checked).
* Also, while the majority of FlightGear XML files follows the basic PropertyList format, the various individual FlightGear components support different functionality and features, so tags and attributes that may be available and usable in one type of files such as i.e. GUI files are usually not necessarily also available in files for different subsystems/components, as features are so far being individually implemented for each single component rather than globally. So, even if a certain syntax or feature is supported in a different part of FlightGear, it may simply not yet be available in other ones.
Please note that it is easily possible to corrupt your base package simply by modifying files in the wrong way, so that FlightGear may no longer work without getting a fresh base package, thus you may want to keep your modifications separate from the rest of the base package. Or at least consider using a Source Code Management system such as for example svn or git.

If you do encounter problems getting your modifications to work for you, you may want to run FlightGear with an increased log/warning level, so that you get to see more completely which parts of FlightGear could be successfully completed and which ones failed, this can be achieved by using the --log-level=bulk parameter

==Related==
* [[About graphic drivers]]
* [[Howto: Get rid of common errors]]