FlightGear wiki - User contributions [en]

New to FlightGear

2026-04-26T19:55:11Z

Fgf5: /* Configuring render quality */

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

== Installation and setup ==
=== Hardware requirements ===
For FlightGear to run smoothly, it requires a video card with OpenGL drivers 2.0 or higher. This is usually not a problem, but take a look at the [[hardware recommendations]] to have a better idea.

Many laptops are known to have issues with FlightGear, as the graphics card(s) on them are usually lower-end. See [[notebooks known to run FlightGear]] for reviews of several laptop systems.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you would like to launch FlightGear using command-line, launch <code>/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app</code> and type the following.

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== Getting scenery ===
A limited set of [[scenery]] comes installed with FlightGear. For FlightGear 2020.3 LTS this consists of
* The area surrounding the featured airport for the release which is [[Keflavik_Airport|Keflavik International Airport]] (BIKF)
* The tutorial airport for the [[Cessna_172P|Cessna 172P]] which is [[Hilo_International_Airport|Hilo International Airport]] (PHTO)

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

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

The official, although outdated, scenery is available at [http://www.flightgear.org/download/scenery/ the scenery download section] of the FlightGear website, and can be installed following [[Howto: Install scenery]]. You may obtain additional and more up to date scenery objects as they become available through the [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/ FlightGear Scenery Database]. '''This is recommended for users with weak internet connections or weak computers!'''

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Qt launcher also lets users add command line parameters for options that are normally changed from the menu inside the simulator, as well as quite advanced options that are only available from the command line (as of August 2020).

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

To get help with keyboard commands, with FlightGear running, go to the ''Help'' menu, look under ''Basic Keys'' (for simulator related commands) and ''Common Aircraft Keys'' (for commands universal to all aircraft) and ''Aircraft Help'' (for key commands specific to your aircraft). If the main menu is hidden press {{key press|F10}}.

Coming from an other simulator? Check [[key commands compared to other simulators]] for an overview of the difference between the key commands of that sim and FlightGear.

To use the mouse to fly the aircraft, press {{key press|Tab}} (the cursor should change to a cross) and move the mouse to direct the aircraft. Press {{key press|Tab}} again to look around (cursor should show a two sided arrow), and press {{key press|Tab}} again to return to normal mode, used to click stuff in the cockpit. In some aircraft, such as the [[A320neo]] and [[Airbus A330 (disambiguation)|A330]] this unfortunately will not work, so you will have to use right click to look around and mouse mode is disabled. Fortunately, those planes are airliners, which are really stable and easy to fly with the keyboard.

=== First time in the cockpit ===
Finding your way around the cockpit can be daunting the first time.

Where is the "virtual cockpit"? Not all FlightGear aircraft come with an interior actually, some research projects may not even come with an exterior model. A 2D panel may display over the 3D cockpit if one exists. You may turn this off through ''Main Menu'' > ''View'' > ''View Options'' and deselecting ''Show 2D panel'' in the ''Display Options'' section, or by pressing {{key press|Shift|P}}. Otherwise, you should be sitting in the virtual cockpit when FlightGear starts, as long as the Cockpit View is selected (if not pressing {{key press|Ctrl|V}} should get you to the pilot view).

You may find it difficult to read some of the displays, dials and gauges on the instrument panel. You can use the ''view'' mode of the mouse (press {{key press|Tab}} until you get a cursor shaped like a double arrow) to pan and the mouse wheel to zoom, or pan with the joystick hat and zoom with {{key press|X}} and {{key press|Shift|X}}.

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

Some functions, such as starter or magneto, may be difficult to use or simply lack clickable "hotspots", especially in aircraft models which are in development. In most cases you can go for the equivalent controls on a 2D panel or resort to the keyboard. The keyboard always work according to the assignments listed on the ''Help'' menu, but sometimes these are reassigned by an aircraft or configuration. Again, remember to check all the help dialogs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Learning to fly ==
=== FlightGear's Manual ===
FlightGear has an official [https://www.flightgear.org/support/manual/ manual] that covers the basics of flight. As a beginner, you may want to start with "Chapter 8: A Basic Flight Simulator Tutorial."

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

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

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

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

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

Many forces act on an aircraft in flight as well as on the [[avionics and instruments]] used for control and navigation, and may be counter-intuitive. Pilots must learn to recognize these phenomena and compensate for their effects. ''FlightGear models instrument errors that exist in the real world''.

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

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

===Flying using the autopilot===
Some aircraft require you to use the [[autopilot]] available from the ''Autopilot'' menu, which is the original FlightGear autopilot. This is a ''generic'' autopilot and as such, many aircraft come with their own ''specific'' autopilot, frequently a model of the real life one.

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

The Cessna 172 comes with a [[Bendix/King KAP140 Autopilot]] in its virtual cockpit. You cannot use the ''Autopilot'' dialog from the menu with this aircraft. You must use the autopilot device in the panel.

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

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

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

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

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

There are never enough people contributing, and the fields where their help would be appreciated are many:
;Testing:
*[[Building FlightGear|Build]] the latest Git code or download snapshots from the [[FlightGear Build Server]]
*[https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/issues File bug reports]
*Running FlightGear via valgrind to track down memory leaks

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

;Development:
*C/C++ Coding:
**Provide source code cleanups (in essence help in the process of migrating over to a primarily smart pointer-based memory management approach using SGSharedPtr)
**Provide bug fixes [[Bugs]] or new features
**Get involved in any of the other FlightGear-affiliated projects
*Aircraft development (3D modelling, textures, FDMs, scripting)
*Scenery development (terrain, model, weather)

[[Category:FlightGear]]

[[ca:Nou a FlightGear]]
[[de:Neu bei FlightGear]]
[[es:Nuevo en FlightGear]]
[[fi:Uusi_käyttäjä]]
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[[it:Nuovo per FlightGear]]
[[ja:FlightGear入門]]
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[[th:New to FlightGear]]
[[zh:FlightGear新手]]

New to FlightGear

2026-04-26T19:53:21Z

Fgf5: /* Installation and setup */ add "Configuring render quality"

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

== Installation and setup ==
=== Hardware requirements ===
For FlightGear to run smoothly, it requires a video card with OpenGL drivers 2.0 or higher. This is usually not a problem, but take a look at the [[hardware recommendations]] to have a better idea.

Many laptops are known to have issues with FlightGear, as the graphics card(s) on them are usually lower-end. See [[notebooks known to run FlightGear]] for reviews of several laptop systems.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you would like to launch FlightGear using command-line, launch <code>/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app</code> and type the following.

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== Getting scenery ===
A limited set of [[scenery]] comes installed with FlightGear. For FlightGear 2020.3 LTS this consists of
* The area surrounding the featured airport for the release which is [[Keflavik_Airport|Keflavik International Airport]] (BIKF)
* The tutorial airport for the [[Cessna_172P|Cessna 172P]] which is [[Hilo_International_Airport|Hilo International Airport]] (PHTO)

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

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

The official, although outdated, scenery is available at [http://www.flightgear.org/download/scenery/ the scenery download section] of the FlightGear website, and can be installed following [[Howto: Install scenery]]. You may obtain additional and more up to date scenery objects as they become available through the [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/ FlightGear Scenery Database]. '''This is recommended for users with weak internet connections or weak computers!'''

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Qt launcher also lets users add command line parameters for options that are normally changed from the menu inside the simulator, as well as quite advanced options that are only available from the command line (as of August 2020).

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

To get help with keyboard commands, with FlightGear running, go to the ''Help'' menu, look under ''Basic Keys'' (for simulator related commands) and ''Common Aircraft Keys'' (for commands universal to all aircraft) and ''Aircraft Help'' (for key commands specific to your aircraft). If the main menu is hidden press {{key press|F10}}.

Coming from an other simulator? Check [[key commands compared to other simulators]] for an overview of the difference between the key commands of that sim and FlightGear.

To use the mouse to fly the aircraft, press {{key press|Tab}} (the cursor should change to a cross) and move the mouse to direct the aircraft. Press {{key press|Tab}} again to look around (cursor should show a two sided arrow), and press {{key press|Tab}} again to return to normal mode, used to click stuff in the cockpit. In some aircraft, such as the [[A320neo]] and [[Airbus A330 (disambiguation)|A330]] this unfortunately will not work, so you will have to use right click to look around and mouse mode is disabled. Fortunately, those planes are airliners, which are really stable and easy to fly with the keyboard.

=== First time in the cockpit ===
Finding your way around the cockpit can be daunting the first time.

Where is the "virtual cockpit"? Not all FlightGear aircraft come with an interior actually, some research projects may not even come with an exterior model. A 2D panel may display over the 3D cockpit if one exists. You may turn this off through ''Main Menu'' > ''View'' > ''View Options'' and deselecting ''Show 2D panel'' in the ''Display Options'' section, or by pressing {{key press|Shift|P}}. Otherwise, you should be sitting in the virtual cockpit when FlightGear starts, as long as the Cockpit View is selected (if not pressing {{key press|Ctrl|V}} should get you to the pilot view).

You may find it difficult to read some of the displays, dials and gauges on the instrument panel. You can use the ''view'' mode of the mouse (press {{key press|Tab}} until you get a cursor shaped like a double arrow) to pan and the mouse wheel to zoom, or pan with the joystick hat and zoom with {{key press|X}} and {{key press|Shift|X}}.

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

Some functions, such as starter or magneto, may be difficult to use or simply lack clickable "hotspots", especially in aircraft models which are in development. In most cases you can go for the equivalent controls on a 2D panel or resort to the keyboard. The keyboard always work according to the assignments listed on the ''Help'' menu, but sometimes these are reassigned by an aircraft or configuration. Again, remember to check all the help dialogs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Learning to fly ==
=== FlightGear's Manual ===
FlightGear has an official [https://www.flightgear.org/support/manual/ manual] that covers the basics of flight. As a beginner, you may want to start with "Chapter 8: A Basic Flight Simulator Tutorial."

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

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

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

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

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

Many forces act on an aircraft in flight as well as on the [[avionics and instruments]] used for control and navigation, and may be counter-intuitive. Pilots must learn to recognize these phenomena and compensate for their effects. ''FlightGear models instrument errors that exist in the real world''.

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

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

===Flying using the autopilot===
Some aircraft require you to use the [[autopilot]] available from the ''Autopilot'' menu, which is the original FlightGear autopilot. This is a ''generic'' autopilot and as such, many aircraft come with their own ''specific'' autopilot, frequently a model of the real life one.

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

The Cessna 172 comes with a [[Bendix/King KAP140 Autopilot]] in its virtual cockpit. You cannot use the ''Autopilot'' dialog from the menu with this aircraft. You must use the autopilot device in the panel.

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

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

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

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

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

There are never enough people contributing, and the fields where their help would be appreciated are many:
;Testing:
*[[Building FlightGear|Build]] the latest Git code or download snapshots from the [[FlightGear Build Server]]
*[https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/issues File bug reports]
*Running FlightGear via valgrind to track down memory leaks

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

;Development:
*C/C++ Coding:
**Provide source code cleanups (in essence help in the process of migrating over to a primarily smart pointer-based memory management approach using SGSharedPtr)
**Provide bug fixes [[Bugs]] or new features
**Get involved in any of the other FlightGear-affiliated projects
*Aircraft development (3D modelling, textures, FDMs, scripting)
*Scenery development (terrain, model, weather)

[[Category:FlightGear]]

[[ca:Nou a FlightGear]]
[[de:Neu bei FlightGear]]
[[es:Nuevo en FlightGear]]
[[fi:Uusi_käyttäjä]]
[[fr:Nouveau sur flightgear]]
[[it:Nuovo per FlightGear]]
[[ja:FlightGear入門]]
[[nl:Nieuw bij FlightGear]]
[[pl:Nowy w FlightGear]]
[[pt:Novo no FlightGear]]
[[sr:Novi u FlightGear-u]]
[[th:New to FlightGear]]
[[zh:FlightGear新手]]

Graphics drivers configuration

2026-04-26T19:37:24Z

Fgf5: add template

{{Out of date}}{{Troubleshooting}}
This page will guide you into installing or updating the drivers for your graphics card, so that they can provide OpenGL support for FlightGear and be fully exploited. Currently FlightGear ''requires'' OpenGL 1.2, but more likely 2.0, and recommends 2.1 or above.

The absence of OpenGL support (by the card or the drivers) is often the cause of pathologically low framerate (i.e. less than 1-2 FPS.)

''If you need to check if the correct drivers are being used, [[#Check if the drivers are working|see below]].''

== Microsoft Windows ==
The following procedure, albeit being a bit long, avoids possible problems arising from the driver installation itself. If installed properly, the video driver itself can be ruled out as a culprit for visual anomalies in FlightGear on Windows. This general procedure applies for all video cards.

{{Note|Some laptops have more than one graphic card; in that case, you should repeat each item listed below for each video card.}}

=== Windows Vista/7/8 ===
Prerequisites:
* Download a suitable driver for your video card. Use the "Find Driver" or "Autodetect" or manual search tools on the homepages to find a driver compatible with your operating system and video card.
** ATI: http://support.amd.com/us/Pages/AMDSupportHub.aspx
** nVidia: http://www.geforce.com/drivers
** Intel: https://downloadcenter.intel.com
* Close all running programs.
* Make sure that you've got sufficient administrative rights by disabling User Account Control or opening system-related controls with administrative privileges
* Download [http://www.guru3d.com/files_get/guru3d_driver_sweeper_(no_installer),7.html Driver Sweeper (freeware)] or a tool with similar functionality. This one is optional of course, so apply at your own risk.

The procedure:
# Uninstall your current drivers
#* Open the Control Panel, click on '''Programs and Features''', select the entry for your driver and click '''Uninstall'''.
#* If there isn't such an entry, open the Control Panel, click on '''System'''->'''Device Manager''', open the '''Display Adapters''' section, right-click the entries for your video cards and click '''Uninstall'''. In the confirmation window, check '''Delete driver software''' and click '''OK'''.
# Reboot (you should be asked to do this anyway).
# Windows will automatically revert to its default drivers. Let the installation proceed.
# Reboot (Windows should ask you to).
# Run Driver Sweeper (with administrative privileges)
#* Check your driver provider (ATI or NVidia+PhysX), click '''Analyze'''
#* Driver Sweeper should list a lot of files not covered by the driver's uninstaller
#* Click '''Clean'''
#* Wait for Driver Sweeper to finish
# Reboot (Driver Sweeper will ask you to)
#* You can run Driver Sweeper again if you want to make sure you got everything
# Install the new drivers for your video card
# Reboot (The installer should ask you to)
# Set up the drivers (Anti-Aliasing, overclocking, etc...)
#* If you want to, reboot again
# You're done

=== Windows 2000/XP ===
# Uninstall your current drivers
#* Open the Control Panel, click on '''Software''', select the entry for your driver and click '''Uninstall'''.
# Reboot into '''Safe Mode''' (hit F8 when Windows starts loading and select '''Safe Mode''')
#* Chances are that your screen resolution will be very low! You can try increasing it by right-clicking on your desktop, selecting '''Properties''', dragging the '''Screen resolution''' slider and clicking '''Apply'''.
# See step 5 above (you won't need any privileges though)
# Reboot into Windows normally
#* Again, screen resolution may be very low, increase it if necessary
# See steps 7 to 10 above

=== Legacy procedure for old nVidia cards ===
You'll find information suitable for very old (10 years) cards at this [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=712&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15#p7232 forum post].

== Linux and other *nix systems ==
nVidia and ATI cards are all pretty well supported by *nix systems. Depending on your video card, your distribution, and your sys-admin experience, getting accelerated drivers running can be more or less of a challenge. However, most recent distributions have even proprietary drivers in their repositories, even Debian, so it should not be much of a problem. (It was a lot different before Xorg...)

=== A note on free drivers ===
When using free and open source drivers, support is generally better with AMD graphics cards than with nVidia products, because of differences in the [[wikipedia:Graphics hardware and FOSS|manufacturers' policies]] towards providing documentation for their hardware. As progress on the free drivers has been significant in recent months, try to stay as up to date as possible to get the best results. That means use most recent distribution versions instead of long term supported ones.

== Check if the drivers are working ==
When you're done with the installation, you can verify that in-sim, in the ''About > FlightGear'' dialog.

However you might have graphics issues preventing you to do so. A sure way to check that all went as it should is the following:
:# Set log level to "info": [[FGRun|FlightGear launcher]] (fgrun.exe), in the last window button ''advanced > debugging'', set ''Log level'' to ''info'' and click OK.
:# Launch FlightGear and find in the console window the line reporting your graphics card:
Finished command line arguments
Initializing splash screen
GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8X/AGP/SSE2/forceSW
Max texture size = 2048
: That "forceSW" indicates that the hardware acceleration is software emulated, so the OpenGL drivers are not configured, or worse you simply lack hardware support for OpenGL. '''Remember to set back to "alert" the log level!!''' Logging affects performance!

=== OpenGL programs for testing ===
{{stub}}
FlightGear is a complex OpenGL program. If you can't make any of the following programs work, you have little chance to run FligthGear.
* glxinfo (will give you information on OpenGL drivers and card)
* glxgears (should run very smoothly)
* UrbanTerror (should run at 30 fps or more)

=== A note for Compiz/Fusion users ===
While, with glxinfo, you should normally get to see something like "''direct rendering: Yes''" indicating working hardware acceleration, this doesn't have to be the case if you are running an OpenGL X server such as Xgl - still hardware acceleration may be working. However, running OpenGL applications on top of current Xgl implementations may rather '''severely''' affect overall application performance, in fact FlightGear may be slowed down by a factor of 2.5 or even more, in addition more complex OpenGL features (such as multi-texturing and shaders) may not work as expected (e.g. the latest shader-based clouds in CVS/HEAD are unlikely to work with current Xgl implementations).
So if you are using an GL-accelerated X-server (i.e. to run Compiz/Fusion) under Linux and are experiencing performance issues or other graphics related problems, please verify if these problems persist after having disabled Xgl support, this can usually be accomplished using xgl-switch --disable

For Linux, there's now an OpenGL benchmarking test suite available [http://www.phoronix-test-suite.com/ here] ([http://www.phoronix-test-suite.com/download.php?file=phoronix-test-suite-1.4.0 download]) that provides useful information about your system's degree of OpenGL support, if you are unsure about your system's OpenGL support and if you are experiencing performance issues in FlightGear, you may want to try running this test suite first in order to ensure that OpenGL is properly set up on your system.

== Caveat ==
* See [[Problematic Video Cards]].
* Some video cards only support Direct3D, which is not compatible with FlightGear.
* Some 3D cards can't function if you set the display resolution too large or the pixel depth to something that card won't support. Some OpenGL drivers silently drop back to software-only rendering under those circumstances.

== What's this OpenGL? Why do I need its support? ==
{{cquote|OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardware-accelerated rendering.|[[wikipedia:OpenGL|OpenGL]] from en.wikipedia.org}}

Using computers to dDraw 3D graphics generally includes several steps:
#Per-frame operations - like reading the mouse, doing flight dynamics
#Per-object operations - like coarse culling, level-of-detail
#Per-polygon or per-vertex operations - like rotate/translate/clip/illuminate
#Per-pixel operations - like shading, texturing, Z-buffering, alpha-blend

The amount of work required to perform each step increases one or two orders of magnitude at each step. A million pixels may need to be drawn every frame, so using a 3d video card for step (4) is vital.

*On a machine without 3D hardware, the main CPU has to do everything.
*On a PC with a basic 3D video card, the CPU does steps (1)(2)(3) and the video card does step (4).
*On a PC with a newer 3D video card, the CPU does steps (1)(2) and the video card does steps (3)(4).
*A card like the nVidia GeForce which can do steps (3)(4) provides great performance benefits on a slow-ish PC.

Newer 3D video cards for the PC, such as the nVidia GeForce or ATI use dedicated hardware to perform steps (3) and (4). Upgrading an older PC with a newer video card, compatible with OpenGL 2.0, will dramatically improve FlightGear performance. Even putting a cheaper basic 3D video card onto an older PC will improve performance, because the per-pixel operations are handled by the video card, so the frame rate speeds up.

[[Category:Troubleshooting]]

File:Rendering options 2024.1.png

2026-04-26T19:34:36Z

Fgf5: Uploaded own work with UploadWizard

=={{int:filedesc}}==
{{Information
|description={{en|1=rendering options in 2024.1}}
|date=2026-04-27
|source={{own}}
|author=[[User:Fgf5|Fgf5]]
|permission=
|other versions=
}}

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

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

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

[[File:Menubar2.jpg|frame]]

= List of built-in menus =

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Help ==
* Aircraft Help
* [[Tutorials]]
* About

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

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

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

[[File:Menubar2.jpg|frame]]

= List of built-in menus =

Here is an incomplete list of FlightGear's submenus with their links.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Help ==
* Aircraft Help
* [[Tutorials]]
* About

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

Cockpit view options

2026-04-26T19:21:27Z

Fgf5: /* Cockpit shaking effect */

[[File:Cockpit view options dialog.png|thumb|The cockpit view options dialog.]]
The '''cockpit view options''' dialog controls view effects inside the cockpit, especially those affected by g-force.

= Cockpit shaking effect =
The cockpit shaking effect that simulates G-forces induced by ground roughness is available since FlightGear 2020.04.

== For pilots ==
The effect is off by default and can be easily enabled trough the ''Cockpit View options'' accessible trough FlightGears menu bar:
* Enable the ''View Movement due to G-Force'' effect (this will also enable shaking in turbulences!)
* Adjust the effect rate m/g to a suitable value (GA-Aircraft likely want to set this to <code>0.015</code>)
* Tune the ''Ground shake effect'' to your liking. <code>1.0</code> is the default that will apply the effect that the aircraft developer intended.
Turn this to <code>0.0</code> to disable just the ground shaking effect.

== For aircraft developers ==
The effect system is tuneable trough properties and comes with a default aircraft setting suitable for GA airplanes like the C172.
It is always in effect unless the aircraft developer actively disables the default settings. Most Aircraft should be able to just use and tune the default implementation properties however.

Adjustments reside in <code>/sim/rendering/headshake/groundshake</code> and can be done with this properties:
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code>: allows to adjust the default aircraft effect output. To be overwritten from aircraft for which the default table is OK but the effect to small/big. Set to ''zero'' in case a separate aircraft specific scaler is provided.
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-min-knots</code>: at this speed the effect starts
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-max-knots</code>: at this speed the effect reaches its maximum
* <code>custom-aircraft-scaler</code>: aircraft devs calculate their own scaling algorythm result here. Most probably this is based on speed etc. Set <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code> to zero, because otherwise the default still applies (default+custom effects are added)!

The effect code is located in the FGData file [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml#l1036 <code>Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml</code>] with some further comments relevant for developers.

= Blackout and Redout =
Main Page: [[Howto:Add blackout and redout settings]]

The intensity of blackout/redout effects is adjustable. The "onset" is the threshold at which the effect begins to appear, while "complete" is the threshold at which the screen is completely covered by the effect.

[[Category:FlightGear_feature]]

Cockpit view options

2026-04-26T19:20:16Z

Fgf5: /* Cockpit shaking effect */

[[File:Cockpit view options dialog.png|thumb|The cockpit view options dialog.]]
The '''cockpit view options''' dialog controls view effects inside the cockpit, especially those affected by g-force.

= Cockpit shaking effect =
The cockpit shaking effect that simulates G-forces induced by ground roughness is available since FlightGear 2020.04.

== For pilots ==
The effect is off by default and can be easily enabled trough the ''Cockpit View options'' accessible trough FlightGears menu bar:
* Enable the ''View Movement due to G-Force'' effect (this will also enable shaking in turbolences!)
* Adjust the effect rate m/g to a suitable value (GA-Aircraft likely want to set this to <code>0.015</code>)
* Tune the ''Ground shake effect'' to your liking. <code>1.0</code> is the default that will apply the effect that the aircraft developer intended.
Turn this to <code>0.0</code> to disable just the ground shaking effect.

== For aircraft developers ==
The effect system is tuneable trough properties and comes with a default aircraft setting suitable for GA airplanes like the C172.
It is always in effect unless the aircraft developer actively disables the default settings. Most Aircraft should be able to just use and tune the default implementation properties however.

Adjustments reside in <code>/sim/rendering/headshake/groundshake</code> and can be done with this properties:
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code>: allows to adjust the default aircraft effect output. To be overwritten from aircraft for which the default table is OK but the effect to small/big. Set to ''zero'' in case a separate aircraft specific scaler is provided.
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-min-knots</code>: at this speed the effect starts
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-max-knots</code>: at this speed the effect reaches its maximum
* <code>custom-aircraft-scaler</code>: aircraft devs calculate their own scaling algorythm result here. Most probably this is based on speed etc. Set <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code> to zero, because otherwise the default still applies (default+custom effects are added)!

The effect code is located in the FGData file [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml#l1036 <code>Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml</code>] with some further comments relevant for developers.

= Blackout and Redout =
Main Page: [[Howto:Add blackout and redout settings]]

The intensity of blackout/redout effects is adjustable. The "onset" is the threshold at which the effect begins to appear, while "complete" is the threshold at which the screen is completely covered by the effect.

[[Category:FlightGear_feature]]

Cockpit shaking effect

2026-04-26T19:19:37Z

Fgf5: Changed redirect target from Cockpit view options to Cockpit view options#Cockpit shaking effect

#REDIRECT [[Cockpit view options#Cockpit shaking effect]]

Cockpit view options

2026-04-26T19:18:17Z

Fgf5:

[[File:Cockpit view options dialog.png|thumb|The cockpit view options dialog.]]
The '''cockpit view options''' dialog controls view effects inside the cockpit, especially those affected by g-force.

= Cockpit shaking effect =
A generic cockpit shaking effect that simulates G-forces induced by ground roughness is available since FlightGear 2020.04.

== For pilots ==
The effect is off by default and can be easily enabled trough the ''Cockpit View options'' accessible trough FlightGears menu bar:
* Enable the ''View Movement due to G-Force'' effect (this will also enable shaking in turbolences!)
* Adjust the effect rate m/g to a suitable value (GA-Aircraft likely want to set this to <code>0.015</code>)
* Tune the ''Ground shake effect'' to your liking. <code>1.0</code> is the default that will apply the effect that the aircraft developer intended.
Turn this to <code>0.0</code> to disable just the ground shaking effect.

== For aircraft developers ==
The effect system is tuneable trough properties and comes with a default aircraft setting suitable for GA airplanes like the C172.
It is always in effect unless the aircraft developer actively disables the default settings. Most Aircraft should be able to just use and tune the default implementation properties however.

Adjustments reside in <code>/sim/rendering/headshake/groundshake</code> and can be done with this properties:
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code>: allows to adjust the default aircraft effect output. To be overwritten from aircraft for which the default table is OK but the effect to small/big. Set to ''zero'' in case a separate aircraft specific scaler is provided.
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-min-knots</code>: at this speed the effect starts
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-max-knots</code>: at this speed the effect reaches its maximum
* <code>custom-aircraft-scaler</code>: aircraft devs calculate their own scaling algorythm result here. Most probably this is based on speed etc. Set <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code> to zero, because otherwise the default still applies (default+custom effects are added)!

The effect code is located in the FGData file [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml#l1036 <code>Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml</code>] with some further comments relevant for developers.

= Blackout and Redout =
Main Page: [[Howto:Add blackout and redout settings]]

The intensity of blackout/redout effects is adjustable. The "onset" is the threshold at which the effect begins to appear, while "complete" is the threshold at which the screen is completely covered by the effect.

[[Category:FlightGear_feature]]

Cockpit view options

2026-04-26T19:15:08Z

Fgf5: add contents about cockpit view options

[[File:Cockpit view options dialog.png|thumb|The cockpit view options dialog.]]
The '''cockpit view options''' dialog controls view effects inside the cockpit, especially those affected by g-force.

= Cockpit shaking effect =
A generic cockpit shaking effect that simulates G-forces induced by ground roughness is available since FlightGear 2020.04.

== For pilots ==
The effect is off by default and can be easily enabled trough the ''Cockpit View options'' accessible trough FlightGears menu bar:
* Enable the ''View Movement due to G-Force'' effect (this will also enable shaking in turbolences!)
* Adjust the effect rate m/g to a suitable value (GA-Aircraft likely want to set this to <code>0.015</code>)
* Tune the ''Ground shake effect'' to your liking. <code>1.0</code> is the default that will apply the effect that the aircraft developer intended.
Turn this to <code>0.0</code> to disable just the ground shaking effect.

== For aircraft developers ==
The effect system is tuneable trough properties and comes with a default aircraft setting suitable for GA airplanes like the C172.
It is always in effect unless the aircraft developer actively disables the default settings. Most Aircraft should be able to just use and tune the default implementation properties however.

Adjustments reside in <code>/sim/rendering/headshake/groundshake</code> and can be done with this properties:
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code>: allows to adjust the default aircraft effect output. To be overwritten from aircraft for which the default table is OK but the effect to small/big. Set to ''zero'' in case a separate aircraft specific scaler is provided.
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-min-knots</code>: at this speed the effect starts
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-max-knots</code>: at this speed the effect reaches its maximum
* <code>custom-aircraft-scaler</code>: aircraft devs calculate their own scaling algorythm result here. Most probably this is based on speed etc. Set <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code> to zero, because otherwise the default still applies (default+custom effects are added)!

The effect code is located in the FGData file [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml#l1036 <code>Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml</code>] with some further comments relevant for developers.

= Blackout and Redout =
Main Page: [[Howto:Add blackout and redout settings]]

The "onset" is the threshold at which the effect begins to appear, while "complete" is the threshold at which the screen is completely covered by the effect.

[[Category:Effects]]
[[Category:FlightGear_feature]]

File:Cockpit view options dialog.png

2026-04-26T19:03:13Z

Fgf5: Uploaded own work with UploadWizard

=={{int:filedesc}}==
{{Information
|description={{en|1=cockpit view options dialog}}
|date=2026-04-27
|source={{own}}
|author=[[User:Fgf5|Fgf5]]
|permission=
|other versions=
}}

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

Cockpit shaking effect

2026-04-26T19:00:17Z

Fgf5: Fgf5 moved page Cockpit shaking effect to Cockpit view options

#REDIRECT [[Cockpit view options]]

Cockpit view options

2026-04-26T19:00:17Z

Fgf5: Fgf5 moved page Cockpit shaking effect to Cockpit view options

A generic '''cockpit shaking effect''' that simulates G-forces induced by ground roughness is available since FlightGear 2020.04.

== For pilots ==
[[File:Groundshake options.jpg|thumb|The groundshake effect options]]
The effect is off by default and can be easily enabled trough the ''Cockpit View options'' accessible trough FlightGears menu bar:
* Enable the ''View Movement due to G-Force'' effect (this will also enable shaking in turbolences!)
* Adjust the effect rate m/g to a suitable value (GA-Aircraft likely want to set this to <code>0.015</code>)
* Tune the ''Ground shake effect'' to your liking. <code>1.0</code> is the default that will apply the effect that the aircraft developer intended.
Turn this to <code>0.0</code> to disable just the ground shaking effect.

== For aircraft developers ==
The effect system is tuneable trough properties and comes with a default aircraft setting suitable for GA airplanes like the C172.
It is always in effect unless the aircraft developer actively disables the default settings. Most Aircraft should be able to just use and tune the default implementation properties however.

Adjustments reside in <code>/sim/rendering/headshake/groundshake</code> and can be done with this properties:
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code>: allows to adjust the default aircraft effect output. To be overwritten from aircraft for which the default table is OK but the effect to small/big. Set to ''zero'' in case a separate aircraft specific scaler is provided.
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-min-knots</code>: at this speed the effect starts
* <code>default-aircraft-scaler-max-knots</code>: at this speed the effect reaches its maximum
* <code>custom-aircraft-scaler</code>: aircraft devs calculate their own scaling algorythm result here. Most probably this is based on speed etc. Set <code>default-aircraft-scaler-factor</code> to zero, because otherwise the default still applies (default+custom effects are added)!

The effect code is located in the FGData file [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/next/tree/Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml#l1036 <code>Aircraft/Generic/g-forces.xml</code>] with some further comments relevant for developers.

[[Category:Aircraft enhancement]]
[[Category:Effects]]
[[Category:FlightGear_feature]]

[[pl:Efekt drżenia kokpitu]]

Ufo

2026-04-21T23:30:39Z

Fgf5: redirection

#redirect[[UFO]]

Dogfighting tips

2026-04-21T23:14:39Z

Fgf5:

{{Template:Bombable_Navigation}}

The [[Bombable]] Flightgear add-on was developed with the idea that in a realistic flight simulator environment, the ideas about aerial combat developed by the best skilled pilots of all eras--such as those by World War I aces, below--would naturally develop as a result of the aircrafts' innate capabilities and limitations.

Following these historical rules and guidelines does indeed work in dogfighting with Bombable in FlightGear--whether with AI aircraft or with other real pilots over multiplayer.

[[File:camel-through-wing.jpg|thumb|150px|Bombable screen shot]]

===Dicta Boelcke===
Rules for Aerial Combat from the WWI era by the first great
German flying ace of the First World War, Oswald Boelcke:

1.Try to secure the upper hand before attacking. If possible, keep the sun
behind you.

2.Always continue with an attack you have begun.

3.Only fire at close range, and then only when the opponent is properly in
your sights.

4.You should always try to keep your eye on your opponent, and never let
yourself be deceived by ruses.

5.In any type of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.

6.If your opponent dives on you, do not try to get around his attack, but fly
to meet it.

7. When over the enemy's lines, never forget your own line of retreat.

8. Tip for Squadrons: In principle, it is better to attack in groups of four or
six. Avoid two aircraft attacking the same opponent.

===Edward Mannock's rules===
Edward Mannock, the first British WWI flying ace, wrote this set of rules:

* Pilots must dive to attack with zest, and must hold their fire until they
get within one hundred yards (90 m) of their target.

* Achieve surprise by approaching from the East. (From the German side of the
front.)

* Utilise the sun's glare and clouds to achieve surprise.

* Pilots must keep physically fit by exercise and the moderate use of
stimulants.

* Pilots must sight their guns and practise as much as possible as targets are
normally fleeting.

* Pilots must practise spotting machines in the air and recognising them at
long range, and every aeroplane is to be treated as an enemy until it is
certain it is not.

* Pilots must learn where the enemy's blind spots are. Scouts must be attacked
from above and two-seaters from beneath their tails.

* Pilots must practise quick turns, as this manoeuvre is more used than any
other in a fight.

* Pilot must practise judging distances in the air as these are very
deceptive. Decoys must be guarded against — a single enemy is often a decoy —
therefore the air above should be searched before attacking.

* If the day is sunny, machines should be turned with as little bank as
possible, otherwise the sun glistening on the wings will give away their
presence at a long range.

* Pilots must keep turning in a dog fight and never fly straight except when
firing.

* Pilots must never, under any circumstances, dive away from an enemy, as he
gives his opponent a non-deflection shot — bullets are faster than aeroplanes.

* Pilots must keep their eye on their watches during patrols, and on the
direction and strength of the wind.

===Adolph Malan's "TEN OF MY RULES FOR AIR FIGHTING"===

* Wait until you see the whites of his eyes. Fire short bursts of one to two
seconds only when your sights are definitely "ON".

* Whilst shooting think of nothing else, brace the whole of your body: have
both hands on the stick: concentrate on your ring sight.

* Always keep a sharp lookout. "Keep your finger out".

* Height gives you the initiative.

* Always turn and face the attack.

* Make your decisions promptly. It is better to act quickly even though your
tactics are not the best.

* Never fly straight and level for more than 30 seconds in the combat area.
When diving to attack always leave a proportion of your formation above to act
as a top guard.

* INITIATIVE, AGGRESSION, AIR DISCIPLINE, and TEAM WORK are words that MEAN
something in Air Fighting.

* Go in quickly - Punch hard - Get out!

[[Category:Historical aircraft]]

Howto:Multiplayer

2026-04-21T20:36:47Z

Fgf5: /* Connecting to Multiplayer */

The '''multiplayer''' feature of [[FlightGear]] makes it possible to see other pilots and vice-versa. This makes it possible to fly in formation, perform [[mid-air refueling]] with tankers controlled by real people or contact real [[air traffic control|air traffic controllers]] to ask for guidance.

Multiplayer may cause extreme [[troubleshooting performance issues|framerate drops]] during the loading of aircraft models, especially heavy models such as the [[Boeing 777]] or [[Airbus A320neo]]. It is suggested to fly in locations other than the default [[San Francisco International Airport]], as there are often lots of pilots in the area who are often new, and do not follow ATC, or respect traffic.

== Notes ==
* Callsigns can be a maximum of seven characters.
* You might want to check the [[#Known issues|Known issues]] section.

== Connecting to Multiplayer ==
=== Built-in launcher and in-sim dialog ===
[[File:Multiplayer settings dialog.jpg|thumb|Multiplayer settings dialog]]
The easiest way to get online is to use the [[FlightGear Qt launcher|built-in launcher]] or the in-sim Multiplayer dialog. All you need to do is enter a callsign and select a server from the menu.
[[File:Multiplayer setting in qt launcher.png|thumb|Multiplayer settings in launcher]]

=== Using multiplayer from the command line ===
When running FlightGear from the [[command line]], you can specify multiplayer settings. The two arguments are as follows:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=direction,10,ip.address,port
--callsign=anything
</syntaxhighlight>

Obviously, <code>--callsign</code> can be anything you wish but it must be limited to 7 (seven) characters in length counting any dashes. If your callsign is too long, it will be cut off in the various displays where it is shown. Generally speaking, callsigns are of the form X-XXXXX. Check [https://fgtracker.ml/ this page] to see whether your callsign is already in use or not. Do not pick a callsign that is already used, as that will create problems! Please don't leave your callsign as "CALLSIG".

There are four arguments to <code>--multiplay</code>:
; direction
: Either <code>in</code> or <code>out</code>. <code>in</code> tells FlightGear to listen to packets of data coming in through the specified '''port'''. <code>out</code> tells FlightGear to send data out through the '''port'''.

; ip.address
: IP address of network interface being used by FlightGear. If left blank, FlightGear will listen to all network interfaces. If '''direction''' is set to <code>in</code>, FlightGear will listen to ''only'' this IP address.

; port
: Port that data is either being sent or received through. Usually set to <code>5000</code> and above.

== Advanced usage of multiplayer ==
=== Local setup for testing ===
It is possible to set up a local multiplayer network between two FlightGear instances ''without'' using a [[FGMS|multiplayer server]]. All you need to do is map each I/O port of one instance to the corresponding port(s) of the other instance:

{{Note|
{{FGCquote
|A socket connection requires not only an IP address, but also a port number for each side of the link - imagine a port number like a "mailbox" sitting at the address. This mailbox is used by the communicating processes to send out and receive "messages". Different processes (even when possibly identical programs) will need to use different port numbers when running. Because open ports ({{=}}mailboxes) cannot be shared.
Thus, you need to modify the client-side port settings for each additional instance that you are running on the same machine, and map the output port of one instance to the input port of the other instance (and vice versa).
|{{cite web |url={{forum url|p=83068}}
|title=<nowiki>Re: 2 FGFS instances / 1 win7 running same time with MP?</nowiki>
|author=<nowiki>Hooray</nowiki>
|date=<nowiki>Thu Jun 10</nowiki>
}}
}}
}}

Command line parameters for the first instance:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=out,10,127.0.0.1,5000 --multiplay=in,10,127.0.0.1,5001 --callsign=Test1
</syntaxhighlight>

Command line parameters for the second instance:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=out,10,127.0.0.1,5001 --multiplay=in,10,127.0.0.1,5000 --callsign=Test2
</syntaxhighlight>

You can use this kind of setup to test multiplayer related features or troubleshoot multiplayer related bug reports that may be otherwise hard to reproduce over MP. As you can't access the configuration of other people's FlightGear, this technique allows you to have complete control over FlightGear's settings.

[[File:Direct-p2p-multiplayer-setup.png|800px|Screenshot demonstrating a "peer-to-peer" setup between two FlightGear instances running on the same machine via localhost (127.0.0.1) without any multiplayer server.]]

You can add an arbitrary number of channels to mirror your flight onto other servers, e.g. to a private fgms (FlightGear Multiplayer Server) using
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=out,10,my.private.server.ip,5000
</syntaxhighlight>

Additionally, the <code>in</code> argument above tells FG to listen '''only''' on the loopback/local interface - it will not receive packets arriving on the other network interface(s). If you want to also bind to other interfaces, just omit the IP address by using
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=in,10,,5000
</syntaxhighlight>

Check [https://fgtracker.ml/ this page] to see whether your callsign is already in use or not. Do not pick a callsign that is already used, as that will create problems!

=== Multiple connections per computer ===
It is possible to run multiple FlightGear instances on a single computer and connect them all to the multiplayer network. However, this requires some extras to keep in mind:
# Both instances use the same <code>out</code> port.
# One instance uses <code>in</code> port <code>5001</code>, the other port <code>5002</code>.
# Both instances have unique callsigns.

=== Optional collision detection in multiplayer ===

A patch has been added to FlightGear (since Version 3.5) to allow optional collision detection in multiplayer. To enable collision detection, start FlightGear with:

<syntaxhighlight>
--prop:bool:/sim/multiplay/hot=true
</syntaxhighlight>

Those who are able to patch FGData themselves, can download [http://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/attachment/CAHs0wcrEwYZvXTddcUaH0ZMfmVNvEWRap8MXOrEoKybUDO58sQ%40mail.gmail.com/3/ mp-hot-fgdata.patch], which adds a checkbox to the Multiplayer Settings dialog to enable or disable the collision detection at runtime.

== Multiplayer chat ==
{{Main article|Chat Menu}}

To chat with other pilots, go to the <tt>Multiplayer</tt> menu and select <tt>Chat Menu</tt> at the bottom of the menu. Note that the other pilots may not have their chat box open nor chat messages enabled, so they may not see your messages.

The shortcut for chatting is {{Key press|<nowiki>-</nowiki>}} (hyphen). This will bring up some text in the upper-left of the FlightGear window. By pressing the corresponding number keys, you can send pre-made messages. Pressing {{Key press|1}} will let you type in a custom message, which you can send by pressing enter. By default, other people's messages are displayed at the top of FlightGear's window for a few seconds, but it will appear for a much longer time in the window at <tt>Network > Chat</tt>. So if you think you have missed anything, go check there.

== Dealing with abusive behavior ==
Should you become victim of abusive or annoying behavior by any pilot, you have option to ignore him or her. To activate the ignore function open the <tt>Multiplayer > Pilot list</tt> dialog and click the <tt>ignore</tt> button next to the pilot's callsign. This will prevent chat messages from the ignored pilot appearing and prevent his aircraft from appearing.

== Multiplayer map ==
[[File:MP_Server.jpg|thumb|300px|[[MPMap]] screenshot]]
{{Main article|MPMap}}

There is a very nice online map which displays the location of online pilots at [http://mpmap02.flightgear.org mpmap02]. You will also find this useful to check that you are successfully connecting to the server, as well as looking up navaids, waypoints, airports, frequencies, weather, and more!

== Servers ==
The multiplayer servers are interconnected. With few exceptions you ''do not'' need to connect to a specific server in order to see other pilots who are on that server. For best performance, you should connect to the server that is either geographically closest to you, has the lowest latency (ping time), or is the least busy.
{{tip|Use [http://mpmap01.flightgear.org/mpstatus/ this link] to check if the MP servers are online. Page is automatically generated. The [[#In-sim Dialog|in-sim dialog]] will only display servers that are available.}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Server address
! Status
! Location
! Tracked (by [http://fgtracker.ml fgtracker.ml] unless otherwise specified)
! Maintainer
! Maintainer's [[IRC]] name
! Maintainer's {{forum link|text=forum}} name
! Comments
|-
| mpserver01.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Germany
| {{yes}}
| Oliver Schröder
| os
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver02.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Los Angeles, USA
| {{N/a}}
| Lloyd Stevens
| ls4680
| ls4680
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver03.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Germany
| {{yes}}
| Hergen
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| [https://mpserver03.flightgear.org mpserver03.flightgear.org]
|-
| mpserver04.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| UK
| {{no}}
| Jon Stockill
| Nav
| {{forum link|type=member|u=738|text=JonS}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver05.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Chicago, USA
| {{N/a}}
| Brant
| IonCannon218
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver06.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Berlin, Germany
| {{N/a}}
| Sven Teichmann
| {{N/a}}
| {{forum link|type=member|u=11839|text=D-SAMI}}
| Unlimited traffic
|-
| mpserver07.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Wisconsin, USA
| {{N/a}}
| Tom Betka
| TB
| {{N/a}}
| Offline
|-
| mpserver08.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| {{N/a}}
| Roland
| Quix0r
| {{forum link|type=member|u=7512|text=Quix0r}}
| 10 TByte traffic, mostly short pings
|-
| mpserver09.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Köln, Germany
| {{N/a}}
| Daniel Vigano
| Fauchi95
| {{N/a}}
| Offline
|-
| mpserver10.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Montpellier, France
| {{N/a}}
| {{usr|Xiii|Alexis Bory}}
| xiii
| {{forum link|type=member|u=884|text=xiii}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver11.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Vilnius, Lithuania
| {{N/a}}
| Darius
| {{N/a}}
| {{forum link|type=member|u=1122|text=ffg}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver12.org
| {{no}}
| Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| {{no}} ([http://mpserver12.org mpserver12.org])
| Rob
| evilslut
| {{N/a}}
| Formerly mpserver12.flightgear.org<ref>{{forum url|p=258435}}</ref>
|-
| mpserver13.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Beauvais, France
| {{N/a}}
| Charles Ingels
| charles
| {{forum link|type=member|u=1592|text=cbz-026}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver14.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| UK
| {{no}}
| Pete
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver15.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| North Point, Hong Kong
| {{yes}}
| Hazuki Amamiya
| Hazuki
| {{forum link|type=member|u=8400|text=Hazuki}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver16.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| {{N/a}}
| Rob Rozestraten
| truthsolo
| {{forum link|type=member|u=9926|text=truthsolo}}
| Offline
|-
| mpserver17.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Cluj, Romania
| {{N/a}}
| Marius
| tuxum
| {{forum link|type=member|u=11636|text=tuxum}}
| Offline
|-
| mpserver18.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Germany
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
|-
| mpserver19.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| London, UK
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| flightgearuk.gameplayer.club
|-
| mpserver20.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| South San Francisco, California, USA
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver21.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Tokyo, Japan
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver22.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Munich, Germany
| {{no}}
| Fabian Gilgen
| ivelischt
| ivelischt
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver25.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Mumbai, India
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| flightgearin.gameplayer.club
|-
| mpserver26.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Frankfurt, Germany
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| flightgearde.gameplayer.club
|-
| mpserver51.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| flightgearat.gameplayer.club
|-
| mpserver87.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| London, England
| {{yes}}
| Megaf
| Megaf
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21017|text=Megaf}}
| 2000 nmi Range and Radar Range.
|-
| mpcn01.fgprc.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Shanghai, China
| {{no}}
| Weihao Lee
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 100 nm Range and 2000nm Radar Range.
|-
| mpcn02.fgprc.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| NewYork, US
| {{no}}
| Sidi Liang
| {{N/a}}
| {{forum link|type=member|u=19791|text=sidi762}}
| 200 nm Range and 2000nm Radar Range.
|}

Geographic locations of the servers are also available at [http://goo.gl/maps/jBwUd Google Maps].

If you are interested in hosting your own multiplayer server, you may want to check out [[Howto: Set up a multiplayer server]].

== Known issues ==
=== Fibertel (Argentina) ===
In December 2014, it was reported that UDP connection through port 5000 was not possible for users whose ISP was {{Wikipedia|Fibertel}} (Argentina).

Fibertel Argentina apparently uses the port for setup purposes. "It should be open for the user but it might not be fully functional."

Port 5000 is a generic port, and neither FlightGear nor the {{Wikipedia|UPnP}} protocol are an "official" usage of the port.

A solution would be to spread the ports between the servers; e.g., mpserver01.flightgear.org → 5001, mpserver02.flightgear.org → 5002

See also the {{forum link|t=24754|text=forum thread}} and {{issue|1617}}.

== Related content ==
* [[FlightGear Multiplayer Server]]
* [[Howto: Set up a multiplayer server]]
* [[Multiplayer protocol]]
* [[Howto:Transmit_properties_over_MP]]
* [[Pilot List]] dialog

{{Appendix}}

[[Category:Multiplayer]]
[[Category:Howto|Multiplayer]]

[[de:Howto: Multiplayer]]
[[es:Howto: Multijugador]]
[[fr:Howto: Multijoueur]]
[[it:Come fare:Multiplayer]]
[[nl:Howto: Multiplayer]]
[[pl:Konfiguracja trybu multiplayer]]
[[pt:Tutorial de Multiplayer]]

Howto:Multiplayer

2026-04-21T20:35:05Z

Fgf5: removed obsoleted info

The '''multiplayer''' feature of [[FlightGear]] makes it possible to see other pilots and vice-versa. This makes it possible to fly in formation, perform [[mid-air refueling]] with tankers controlled by real people or contact real [[air traffic control|air traffic controllers]] to ask for guidance.

Multiplayer may cause extreme [[troubleshooting performance issues|framerate drops]] during the loading of aircraft models, especially heavy models such as the [[Boeing 777]] or [[Airbus A320neo]]. It is suggested to fly in locations other than the default [[San Francisco International Airport]], as there are often lots of pilots in the area who are often new, and do not follow ATC, or respect traffic.

== Notes ==
* Callsigns can be a maximum of seven characters.
* You might want to check the [[#Known issues|Known issues]] section.

== Connecting to Multiplayer ==
=== Built-in launcher and in-sim dialog ===
[[File:Multiplayer settings dialog.jpg|thumb|Multiplayer settings dialog]]
The easiest way to get online is to use the [[FlightGear Qt launcher|built-in launcher]] or the in-sim Multiplayer dialog. All you need to do is enter a callsign and select a server from the menu.
[[File:Multiplayer setting in qt launcher.png|thumb|The multiplayer setting in launcher.]]

=== Using multiplayer from the command line ===
When running FlightGear from the [[command line]], you can specify multiplayer settings. The two arguments are as follows:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=direction,10,ip.address,port
--callsign=anything
</syntaxhighlight>

Obviously, <code>--callsign</code> can be anything you wish but it must be limited to 7 (seven) characters in length counting any dashes. If your callsign is too long, it will be cut off in the various displays where it is shown. Generally speaking, callsigns are of the form X-XXXXX. Check [https://fgtracker.ml/ this page] to see whether your callsign is already in use or not. Do not pick a callsign that is already used, as that will create problems! Please don't leave your callsign as "CALLSIG".

There are four arguments to <code>--multiplay</code>:
; direction
: Either <code>in</code> or <code>out</code>. <code>in</code> tells FlightGear to listen to packets of data coming in through the specified '''port'''. <code>out</code> tells FlightGear to send data out through the '''port'''.

; ip.address
: IP address of network interface being used by FlightGear. If left blank, FlightGear will listen to all network interfaces. If '''direction''' is set to <code>in</code>, FlightGear will listen to ''only'' this IP address.

; port
: Port that data is either being sent or received through. Usually set to <code>5000</code> and above.

== Advanced usage of multiplayer ==
=== Local setup for testing ===
It is possible to set up a local multiplayer network between two FlightGear instances ''without'' using a [[FGMS|multiplayer server]]. All you need to do is map each I/O port of one instance to the corresponding port(s) of the other instance:

{{Note|
{{FGCquote
|A socket connection requires not only an IP address, but also a port number for each side of the link - imagine a port number like a "mailbox" sitting at the address. This mailbox is used by the communicating processes to send out and receive "messages". Different processes (even when possibly identical programs) will need to use different port numbers when running. Because open ports ({{=}}mailboxes) cannot be shared.
Thus, you need to modify the client-side port settings for each additional instance that you are running on the same machine, and map the output port of one instance to the input port of the other instance (and vice versa).
|{{cite web |url={{forum url|p=83068}}
|title=<nowiki>Re: 2 FGFS instances / 1 win7 running same time with MP?</nowiki>
|author=<nowiki>Hooray</nowiki>
|date=<nowiki>Thu Jun 10</nowiki>
}}
}}
}}

Command line parameters for the first instance:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=out,10,127.0.0.1,5000 --multiplay=in,10,127.0.0.1,5001 --callsign=Test1
</syntaxhighlight>

Command line parameters for the second instance:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=out,10,127.0.0.1,5001 --multiplay=in,10,127.0.0.1,5000 --callsign=Test2
</syntaxhighlight>

You can use this kind of setup to test multiplayer related features or troubleshoot multiplayer related bug reports that may be otherwise hard to reproduce over MP. As you can't access the configuration of other people's FlightGear, this technique allows you to have complete control over FlightGear's settings.

[[File:Direct-p2p-multiplayer-setup.png|800px|Screenshot demonstrating a "peer-to-peer" setup between two FlightGear instances running on the same machine via localhost (127.0.0.1) without any multiplayer server.]]

You can add an arbitrary number of channels to mirror your flight onto other servers, e.g. to a private fgms (FlightGear Multiplayer Server) using
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=out,10,my.private.server.ip,5000
</syntaxhighlight>

Additionally, the <code>in</code> argument above tells FG to listen '''only''' on the loopback/local interface - it will not receive packets arriving on the other network interface(s). If you want to also bind to other interfaces, just omit the IP address by using
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
--multiplay=in,10,,5000
</syntaxhighlight>

Check [https://fgtracker.ml/ this page] to see whether your callsign is already in use or not. Do not pick a callsign that is already used, as that will create problems!

=== Multiple connections per computer ===
It is possible to run multiple FlightGear instances on a single computer and connect them all to the multiplayer network. However, this requires some extras to keep in mind:
# Both instances use the same <code>out</code> port.
# One instance uses <code>in</code> port <code>5001</code>, the other port <code>5002</code>.
# Both instances have unique callsigns.

=== Optional collision detection in multiplayer ===

A patch has been added to FlightGear (since Version 3.5) to allow optional collision detection in multiplayer. To enable collision detection, start FlightGear with:

<syntaxhighlight>
--prop:bool:/sim/multiplay/hot=true
</syntaxhighlight>

Those who are able to patch FGData themselves, can download [http://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/attachment/CAHs0wcrEwYZvXTddcUaH0ZMfmVNvEWRap8MXOrEoKybUDO58sQ%40mail.gmail.com/3/ mp-hot-fgdata.patch], which adds a checkbox to the Multiplayer Settings dialog to enable or disable the collision detection at runtime.

== Multiplayer chat ==
{{Main article|Chat Menu}}

To chat with other pilots, go to the <tt>Multiplayer</tt> menu and select <tt>Chat Menu</tt> at the bottom of the menu. Note that the other pilots may not have their chat box open nor chat messages enabled, so they may not see your messages.

The shortcut for chatting is {{Key press|<nowiki>-</nowiki>}} (hyphen). This will bring up some text in the upper-left of the FlightGear window. By pressing the corresponding number keys, you can send pre-made messages. Pressing {{Key press|1}} will let you type in a custom message, which you can send by pressing enter. By default, other people's messages are displayed at the top of FlightGear's window for a few seconds, but it will appear for a much longer time in the window at <tt>Network > Chat</tt>. So if you think you have missed anything, go check there.

== Dealing with abusive behavior ==
Should you become victim of abusive or annoying behavior by any pilot, you have option to ignore him or her. To activate the ignore function open the <tt>Multiplayer > Pilot list</tt> dialog and click the <tt>ignore</tt> button next to the pilot's callsign. This will prevent chat messages from the ignored pilot appearing and prevent his aircraft from appearing.

== Multiplayer map ==
[[File:MP_Server.jpg|thumb|300px|[[MPMap]] screenshot]]
{{Main article|MPMap}}

There is a very nice online map which displays the location of online pilots at [http://mpmap02.flightgear.org mpmap02]. You will also find this useful to check that you are successfully connecting to the server, as well as looking up navaids, waypoints, airports, frequencies, weather, and more!

== Servers ==
The multiplayer servers are interconnected. With few exceptions you ''do not'' need to connect to a specific server in order to see other pilots who are on that server. For best performance, you should connect to the server that is either geographically closest to you, has the lowest latency (ping time), or is the least busy.
{{tip|Use [http://mpmap01.flightgear.org/mpstatus/ this link] to check if the MP servers are online. Page is automatically generated. The [[#In-sim Dialog|in-sim dialog]] will only display servers that are available.}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Server address
! Status
! Location
! Tracked (by [http://fgtracker.ml fgtracker.ml] unless otherwise specified)
! Maintainer
! Maintainer's [[IRC]] name
! Maintainer's {{forum link|text=forum}} name
! Comments
|-
| mpserver01.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Germany
| {{yes}}
| Oliver Schröder
| os
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver02.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Los Angeles, USA
| {{N/a}}
| Lloyd Stevens
| ls4680
| ls4680
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver03.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Germany
| {{yes}}
| Hergen
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| [https://mpserver03.flightgear.org mpserver03.flightgear.org]
|-
| mpserver04.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| UK
| {{no}}
| Jon Stockill
| Nav
| {{forum link|type=member|u=738|text=JonS}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver05.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Chicago, USA
| {{N/a}}
| Brant
| IonCannon218
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver06.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Berlin, Germany
| {{N/a}}
| Sven Teichmann
| {{N/a}}
| {{forum link|type=member|u=11839|text=D-SAMI}}
| Unlimited traffic
|-
| mpserver07.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Wisconsin, USA
| {{N/a}}
| Tom Betka
| TB
| {{N/a}}
| Offline
|-
| mpserver08.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| {{N/a}}
| Roland
| Quix0r
| {{forum link|type=member|u=7512|text=Quix0r}}
| 10 TByte traffic, mostly short pings
|-
| mpserver09.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Köln, Germany
| {{N/a}}
| Daniel Vigano
| Fauchi95
| {{N/a}}
| Offline
|-
| mpserver10.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Montpellier, France
| {{N/a}}
| {{usr|Xiii|Alexis Bory}}
| xiii
| {{forum link|type=member|u=884|text=xiii}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver11.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Vilnius, Lithuania
| {{N/a}}
| Darius
| {{N/a}}
| {{forum link|type=member|u=1122|text=ffg}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver12.org
| {{no}}
| Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| {{no}} ([http://mpserver12.org mpserver12.org])
| Rob
| evilslut
| {{N/a}}
| Formerly mpserver12.flightgear.org<ref>{{forum url|p=258435}}</ref>
|-
| mpserver13.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Beauvais, France
| {{N/a}}
| Charles Ingels
| charles
| {{forum link|type=member|u=1592|text=cbz-026}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver14.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| UK
| {{no}}
| Pete
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver15.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| North Point, Hong Kong
| {{yes}}
| Hazuki Amamiya
| Hazuki
| {{forum link|type=member|u=8400|text=Hazuki}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver16.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| {{N/a}}
| Rob Rozestraten
| truthsolo
| {{forum link|type=member|u=9926|text=truthsolo}}
| Offline
|-
| mpserver17.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Cluj, Romania
| {{N/a}}
| Marius
| tuxum
| {{forum link|type=member|u=11636|text=tuxum}}
| Offline
|-
| mpserver18.flightgear.org
| {{no|Down}}
| Germany
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
|-
| mpserver19.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| London, UK
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| flightgearuk.gameplayer.club
|-
| mpserver20.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| South San Francisco, California, USA
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver21.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Tokyo, Japan
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver22.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Munich, Germany
| {{no}}
| Fabian Gilgen
| ivelischt
| ivelischt
| {{N/a|None}}
|-
| mpserver25.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Mumbai, India
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| flightgearin.gameplayer.club
|-
| mpserver26.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Frankfurt, Germany
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| flightgearde.gameplayer.club
|-
| mpserver51.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| {{yes}}
| Marisa Giancarla
| marisag
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21604|text=marisag}}
| flightgearat.gameplayer.club
|-
| mpserver87.flightgear.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| London, England
| {{yes}}
| Megaf
| Megaf
| {{forum link|type=member|u=21017|text=Megaf}}
| 2000 nmi Range and Radar Range.
|-
| mpcn01.fgprc.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| Shanghai, China
| {{no}}
| Weihao Lee
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 100 nm Range and 2000nm Radar Range.
|-
| mpcn02.fgprc.org
| {{yes|Up}}
| NewYork, US
| {{no}}
| Sidi Liang
| {{N/a}}
| {{forum link|type=member|u=19791|text=sidi762}}
| 200 nm Range and 2000nm Radar Range.
|}

Geographic locations of the servers are also available at [http://goo.gl/maps/jBwUd Google Maps].

If you are interested in hosting your own multiplayer server, you may want to check out [[Howto: Set up a multiplayer server]].

== Known issues ==
=== Fibertel (Argentina) ===
In December 2014, it was reported that UDP connection through port 5000 was not possible for users whose ISP was {{Wikipedia|Fibertel}} (Argentina).

Fibertel Argentina apparently uses the port for setup purposes. "It should be open for the user but it might not be fully functional."

Port 5000 is a generic port, and neither FlightGear nor the {{Wikipedia|UPnP}} protocol are an "official" usage of the port.

A solution would be to spread the ports between the servers; e.g., mpserver01.flightgear.org → 5001, mpserver02.flightgear.org → 5002

See also the {{forum link|t=24754|text=forum thread}} and {{issue|1617}}.

== Related content ==
* [[FlightGear Multiplayer Server]]
* [[Howto: Set up a multiplayer server]]
* [[Multiplayer protocol]]
* [[Howto:Transmit_properties_over_MP]]
* [[Pilot List]] dialog

{{Appendix}}

[[Category:Multiplayer]]
[[Category:Howto|Multiplayer]]

[[de:Howto: Multiplayer]]
[[es:Howto: Multijugador]]
[[fr:Howto: Multijoueur]]
[[it:Come fare:Multiplayer]]
[[nl:Howto: Multiplayer]]
[[pl:Konfiguracja trybu multiplayer]]
[[pt:Tutorial de Multiplayer]]

File:Multiplayer setting in qt launcher.png

2026-04-21T20:26:01Z

Fgf5: /* {{int:filedesc}} */

=={{int:filedesc}}==
{{Information
|description={{en|1=the multiplayer setting in qt launcher}}
|date=2026-04-22
|source={{own}}
|author=[[User:Fgf5|Fgf5]]
|permission=
|other versions=
}}

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

File:Multiplayer setting in qt launcher.png

2026-04-21T20:24:30Z

Fgf5: Uploaded own work with UploadWizard

=={{int:filedesc}}==
{{Information
|description={{en|1=the multiplayer setting in [[qt launcher]]}}
|date=2026-04-22
|source={{own}}
|author=[[User:Fgf5|Fgf5]]
|permission=
|other versions=
}}

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

Autopilot

2026-04-21T19:40:36Z

Fgf5: /* See Also */ formatting

{{forum|46|Autopilot & Route Manager}}
{{Autoflight Navigation}}

An '''autopilot''' ('''AP''') is a mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being. Most people understand an autopilot to refer specifically to [[aircraft]], but self-steering gear for ships, boats, space craft and missiles is often also called by this term.

The autopilot of an aircraft is sometimes referred to as "George".

== Autopilot in FlightGear ==
We have a generic one and custom ones written for a certain aircraft, which are supposed to simulate particular autopilot types/models for a specific aircraft.

The generic one can be used for aircraft which don't have a custom autopilot implementation and seems to work reasonably well on most aircraft. You can enable it with the "Autopilot Settings" which you can open using the F11-key or in the menu bar using the "Autopilot" item.

In real life, aircraft have specifically-programmed/customized autopilot system to cater for individual aircraft characteristics.
To a certain extent, Flightgear has the possibility to simulate this as well.

So it is possible to write a custom <tt>autopilot.xml</tt> to override the generic autopilot implementation.
This custom autopilot configuration file can be driven by either the standard autopilot dialog, custom cockpit panel hotspots or a combination of both.

In general, it can be considered to be more complex to provide proper cockpit panel implementations than wiring up the autopilot properties to the standard autopilot GUI dialog, so if an aircraft's autopilot doesn't seem to work properly using cockpit panel hotspots, you may want to try using the standard GUI dialog instead.

Also, please note that not all aircraft/autopilot combinations provide full support for all features offered by the standard autopilot dialog. This may be due to an aircraft's completion status, but also due to technical limitations in certain aircraft/autopilot, so that only certain modes are provided.
This may also apply to aircraft panels, that are seemingly offering functionality that may not yet be implemented.

In addition, JSBSim also features support for a standalone autopilot implementation, that works without any dependency to FlightGear/Nasal.

For further information about programing autopilots in FlightGear look at [[Autopilot Tuning Resources]] and http://www.flightgear.org/Docs/XMLAutopilot/.

== Autopilot Settings ==
[[File:Autopilot.jpg|thumb|270px|The Generic Autopilot's Dialog]]
The AP Settings dialog can be found at '''Autopilot > Autopilot Settings'''.

=== Heading Control ===
* '''Wings Level''': Keeps the aircraft's wings level. Some aircraft may re-use this mode to hold a set bank angle.
* '''Heading Bug:''' Tracks the heading bug (magnetic heading).
* '''True Heading:''' Tracks true heading. This mode changes to GPS/FMS Heading if the [[Route Manager]] is activated.
* '''NAV1 CDI Course:''' Tracks a VOR or [[ILS]] localizer.

=== Velocity Control ===
* '''Speed with Throttle:''' Hold the set airspeed by adjusting throttle
* '''Speed with Pitch:''' Hold the set airspeed by adjusting pitch angle. The throttle will be unlocked and can be moved to adjust climb/descent rate.
* Mach mode tracking is possible, but the dialog does not contain a method to enable it at this time.

=== Pitch/Altitude Control ===
* The mode selected here is ignored if "Speed with Pitch" is selected as it is in conflict.
* '''Vertical Speed:''' Hold the set vertical speed in feet per minute.
* '''Pitch Hold:''' Hold a set pitch angle.
* '''FPA Hold:''' Hold a set flight path angle.
* '''Altitude Hold:''' Acquire and hold the set altitude.
* '''AGL Hold:''' Acquire and hold the set altitude above ground level (sometimes known as "radio altitude").
* '''NAV1 Glideslope:''' Tracks an [[ILS]] glideslope.

== Custom Autopilot Dialogs ==
It is possible to provide enhanced or completely new implementations of the standard autopilot dialog to cater for autopilot/aircraft-specific features.
[[File:Navomatic-dialog.png|thumb|200px|A custom Navomatic 400AP]]
[[File:ITAF-Current-UI.png|thumb|300px|A custom [[IT-Autoflight]] dialog]]

Some aircraft in FlightGear however only provide one means of interacting with the autopilot (i.e. autopilot dialog '''or''' panel hotspots).
For example, the [[Piper PA34-200T Seneca II|Seneca II]] and the [[Piper PA-24 Comanche|Piper Comanche]] autopilots can be only used from the virtual cockpit using custom panel hotspots. This is in fact increasingly the case, as new emulations of autopilot systems are implemented using the built-in scripting language [[Nasal scripting language|Nasal]] which provides for much more flexible system design and functionality, compared to the relatively static way of describing autopilot systems and their relevant and modes using only the [[XML]]-configurable autopilot system. In fact, to properly emulate more complex autoflight systems that provide support for more abstract flight modes, using a combination of XML-configurable PID controllers and Nasal is likely to be the most promising approach.

== Route Manager ==
{{main article | Route Manager}}
The Route Manager in FlightGear is something like a very simple FMC- Flight Management Control/Computer.
In FGFS you can input a list of waypoints like NAVAIDS, Fixes and Airports, which the aircraft flies along. You can also add the altitude which the aircraft should have at a certain waypoint. So it is possible to let the aircraft fly along a certain route.

At the moment, it is not possible to add velocities or other constraints.

== See Also ==
* [[Advanced Autopilot Tuning Tips]]

== Related Content ==
* [[Autopilot Configuration Reference]]
* [[Howto: Design an autopilot]] for a FlightGear aircraft

[[Category:Autoflight| ]]
[[Category:Menubar]]

[[es:Piloto_automático]]
[[Fr:Pilote automatique]]
[[it:Pilota automatico]]

Stalls and Spin Awareness

2026-04-21T19:32:31Z

Fgf5: reorganize

'''Stalls and spin awareness''' is a critical skill for any pilot, whether flying a real aircraft or a simulator like FlightGear. This page explains the aerodynamics behind stalls, the factors that influence stall speed, how to recognize an impending stall, and how to safely enter and recover from stalls.

== Aerodynamics of stalls ==

A stall occurs when the angle of attack (AoA) exceeds the critical angle at which the wing can no longer produce sufficient lift. It is not caused by low airspeed alone—although airspeed and AoA are closely related.

* The critical AoA is typically around 16–18° for most general aviation aircraft.
* As the critical AoA is approached, airflow separates from the upper surface of the wing, resulting in a sudden loss of lift, a nose‑down pitch tendency, and often a wing drop.

== Factors affecting stall speed ==

The stall speed is not fixed; it changes with configuration, weight, and load factor. FlightGear models all these effects realistically.

; Landing gear and flaps
: Extending flaps lowers the stall speed because it increases the wing’s camber and lift coefficient. Likewise, lowering landing gear adds drag and changes the pitch attitude, but its main effect on stall speed comes from the change in configuration. In FlightGear you can feel this by comparing stall speeds with flaps up versus full flaps.

; Weight
: Stall speed increases with weight. Heavier aircraft need a higher angle of attack to produce the required lift, so the critical AoA is reached at a higher indicated airspeed. Use the aircraft weight and fuel load menus to experiment.

; Center of gravity (CG)
: A forward CG makes the aircraft more stable but increases the stall speed slightly because the tail must produce more downforce. An aft CG reduces stall speed and can make stall recovery more challenging—especially in spin‑prone aircraft.

; Load factor and bank angle
: In a turn, the load factor increases, and stall speed rises with the square root of the load factor. For example, a 60° bank (2 g) increases stall speed by about 40%. FlightGear’s turn coordinator and accelerometer (<code>/instrumentation/g-meter</code>) help you visualise this relationship.

== Power-off and power-on stalls ==
=== Power‑off stalls ===

Power‑off stalls typically occur during approach and landing phases. Common scenarios:

* Final approach with excessive nose‑up trim or too slow airspeed.
* A steep turn in the pattern, especially when base‑to‑final is overshot.
* Abrupt pitch‑up during a go‑around before the aircraft has accelerated.

In FlightGear, practice these scenarios by setting up a short approach, then pulling the throttle to idle and trying to maintain altitude with back pressure until the stall warning sounds.

=== Power‑on stalls ===

Power‑on stalls are most common during takeoff and climb, or when practicing go‑arounds. Look out for:

* A high pitch attitude immediately after takeoff, especially with a low‑power aircraft.
* Aggressive climbing turns, such as those used to avoid obstacles.
* Attempting to climb too steeply after a go‑around while the flaps are still extended.

Many FlightGear aircraft feature a realistic stall horn that becomes audible just before the stall. Use it to build your awareness.

== Recognizing stall indications ==

Whether power‑on or power‑off, the first signs of an approaching stall are similar:

* A decreasing audible stall warning (horn or tone) – in FlightGear, check that the aircraft you fly has a stall horn modelled; many do.
* Buffeting or shaking of the airframe – you can feel this in the simulator through force feedback (if available) or see it in the cockpit instruments.
* Reduced control effectiveness, particularly in roll (mushy ailerons).
* Pitch‑up tendency even though you are not pulling back further.

For power‑on stalls the nose will be high and the aircraft may yaw left (in a single‑engine propeller aircraft) due to torque and P‑factor. In FlightGear, you can observe this yaw by watching the turn coordinator or the slip/skid ball.

== Practicing power‑off stalls ==

Power‑off stalls are usually demonstrated in descending flight, straight or turning.

=== Straight‑ahead power‑off stall ===
# Clear the area (use external views or traffic display).
# Reduce power to idle and maintain altitude by increasing pitch until the airspeed bleeds off.
# As the stall warning sounds or buffeting begins, hold the nose up until the stall breaks.
# Recover by lowering the nose, applying full power, and leveling the wings.

=== Turning power‑off stall ===
# Enter a 20–30° bank turn, power idle.
# Add back pressure to hold altitude; the inside wing may stall first, causing a roll toward the low wing.
# Recover by rolling wings level, lowering nose, and applying power.

== Practicing power‑on stalls ==

Power‑on stalls simulate a takeoff or go‑around scenario.

# Establish a climb configuration (takeoff flaps, gear up if retractable).
# Apply full power and pitch up to a nose‑high attitude (typically 20–25°).
# Maintain that attitude until the stall occurs—the aircraft may buffet, yaw, and then drop the nose.
# Recovery: reduce pitch, ensure wings are level, and then apply full power if not already set. In a simulator, it’s good practice to check that you haven’t inadvertently induced a spin.

== Entry technique and minimum altitude ==

When practicing stalls in FlightGear (or in a real aircraft), always respect a safe altitude.

* Minimum entry altitude: At least 1500 ft AGL for entry, allowing recovery by 1000 ft AGL. For spins, the recommended altitude is higher (typically 3000 ft AGL or more).
* Entry technique: Smoothly increase pitch (for power‑off) or apply power while raising the nose (for power‑on). Avoid abrupt control inputs that could lead to a secondary stall or spin.

The autopilot can be used to hold altitude while you configure the aircraft, but remember to disconnect it before starting the maneuver.

== Coordination of flight controls ==

Proper coordination is vital to prevent a stall from developing into a spin. Always use rudder to keep the slip/skid ball centered.

* In a power‑on stall, right rudder (for most single‑engine aircraft) is needed to counteract left‑turning tendencies.
* In a turning stall, step on the high wing to keep the ball centered; if a wing drops during the stall, use opposite rudder to pick it up while lowering the nose.

FlightGear provides a visual slip/skid indicator in most cockpits. You can also enable the on‑screen “ball” via the HUD options.

== Recovery technique ==

The standard stall recovery is:

# Reduce angle of attack – push the nose down decisively. In FlightGear, this often means a brisk forward movement of the joystick or yoke.
# Apply full power (except for power‑off stalls where power is already idle – add it during recovery).
# Roll wings level if a wing dropped.
# Retract flaps (if extended) after a positive rate of climb is established.

Minimum recovery altitude is the point at which you must be fully recovered to avoid ground contact. In the simulator, treat 1000 ft AGL as the hard floor for training stalls.

New to FlightGear

2026-04-21T19:14:49Z

Fgf5: /* Flightgear's Manual */

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

== Installation and setup ==
=== Hardware requirements ===
For FlightGear to run smoothly, it requires a video card with OpenGL drivers 2.0 or higher. This is usually not a problem, but take a look at the [[hardware recommendations]] to have a better idea.

Many laptops are known to have issues with FlightGear, as the graphics card(s) on them are usually lower-end. See [[notebooks known to run FlightGear]] for reviews of several laptop systems.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you would like to launch FlightGear using command-line, launch <code>/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app</code> and type the following.

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== Configuring OpenGL ===
FlightGear runs best with current [[OpenGL]] video drivers. If you are having trouble running FlightGear, see [[Graphics drivers configuration]] for more information.

=== Getting scenery ===
A limited set of [[scenery]] comes installed with FlightGear. For FlightGear 2020.3 LTS this consists of
* The area surrounding the featured airport for the release which is [[Keflavik_Airport|Keflavik International Airport]] (BIKF)
* The tutorial airport for the [[Cessna_172P|Cessna 172P]] which is [[Hilo_International_Airport|Hilo International Airport]] (PHTO)

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

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

The official, although outdated, scenery is available at [http://www.flightgear.org/download/scenery/ the scenery download section] of the FlightGear website, and can be installed following [[Howto: Install scenery]]. You may obtain additional and more up to date scenery objects as they become available through the [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/ FlightGear Scenery Database]. '''This is recommended for users with weak internet connections or weak computers!'''

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Qt launcher also lets users add command line parameters for options that are normally changed from the menu inside the simulator, as well as quite advanced options that are only available from the command line (as of August 2020).

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

To get help with keyboard commands, with FlightGear running, go to the ''Help'' menu, look under ''Basic Keys'' (for simulator related commands) and ''Common Aircraft Keys'' (for commands universal to all aircraft) and ''Aircraft Help'' (for key commands specific to your aircraft). If the main menu is hidden press {{key press|F10}}.

Coming from an other simulator? Check [[key commands compared to other simulators]] for an overview of the difference between the key commands of that sim and FlightGear.

To use the mouse to fly the aircraft, press {{key press|Tab}} (the cursor should change to a cross) and move the mouse to direct the aircraft. Press {{key press|Tab}} again to look around (cursor should show a two sided arrow), and press {{key press|Tab}} again to return to normal mode, used to click stuff in the cockpit. In some aircraft, such as the [[A320neo]] and [[Airbus A330 (disambiguation)|A330]] this unfortunately will not work, so you will have to use right click to look around and mouse mode is disabled. Fortunately, those planes are airliners, which are really stable and easy to fly with the keyboard.

=== First time in the cockpit ===
Finding your way around the cockpit can be daunting the first time.

Where is the "virtual cockpit"? Not all FlightGear aircraft come with an interior actually, some research projects may not even come with an exterior model. A 2D panel may display over the 3D cockpit if one exists. You may turn this off through ''Main Menu'' > ''View'' > ''View Options'' and deselecting ''Show 2D panel'' in the ''Display Options'' section, or by pressing {{key press|Shift|P}}. Otherwise, you should be sitting in the virtual cockpit when FlightGear starts, as long as the Cockpit View is selected (if not pressing {{key press|Ctrl|V}} should get you to the pilot view).

You may find it difficult to read some of the displays, dials and gauges on the instrument panel. You can use the ''view'' mode of the mouse (press {{key press|Tab}} until you get a cursor shaped like a double arrow) to pan and the mouse wheel to zoom, or pan with the joystick hat and zoom with {{key press|X}} and {{key press|Shift|X}}.

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

Some functions, such as starter or magneto, may be difficult to use or simply lack clickable "hotspots", especially in aircraft models which are in development. In most cases you can go for the equivalent controls on a 2D panel or resort to the keyboard. The keyboard always work according to the assignments listed on the ''Help'' menu, but sometimes these are reassigned by an aircraft or configuration. Again, remember to check all the help dialogs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Learning to fly ==
=== FlightGear's Manual ===
FlightGear has an official [https://www.flightgear.org/support/manual/ manual] that covers the basics of flight. As a beginner, you may want to start with "Chapter 8: A Basic Flight Simulator Tutorial."

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

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

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

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

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

Many forces act on an aircraft in flight as well as on the [[avionics and instruments]] used for control and navigation, and may be counter-intuitive. Pilots must learn to recognize these phenomena and compensate for their effects. ''FlightGear models instrument errors that exist in the real world''.

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

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

===Flying using the autopilot===
Some aircraft require you to use the [[autopilot]] available from the ''Autopilot'' menu, which is the original FlightGear autopilot. This is a ''generic'' autopilot and as such, many aircraft come with their own ''specific'' autopilot, frequently a model of the real life one.

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

The Cessna 172 comes with a [[Bendix/King KAP140 Autopilot]] in its virtual cockpit. You cannot use the ''Autopilot'' dialog from the menu with this aircraft. You must use the autopilot device in the panel.

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

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

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

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

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

There are never enough people contributing, and the fields where their help would be appreciated are many:
;Testing:
*[[Building FlightGear|Build]] the latest Git code or download snapshots from the [[FlightGear Build Server]]
*[https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/issues File bug reports]
*Running FlightGear via valgrind to track down memory leaks

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

;Development:
*C/C++ Coding:
**Provide source code cleanups (in essence help in the process of migrating over to a primarily smart pointer-based memory management approach using SGSharedPtr)
**Provide bug fixes [[Bugs]] or new features
**Get involved in any of the other FlightGear-affiliated projects
*Aircraft development (3D modelling, textures, FDMs, scripting)
*Scenery development (terrain, model, weather)

[[Category:FlightGear]]

[[ca:Nou a FlightGear]]
[[de:Neu bei FlightGear]]
[[es:Nuevo en FlightGear]]
[[fi:Uusi_käyttäjä]]
[[fr:Nouveau sur flightgear]]
[[it:Nuovo per FlightGear]]
[[ja:FlightGear入門]]
[[nl:Nieuw bij FlightGear]]
[[pl:Nowy w FlightGear]]
[[pt:Novo no FlightGear]]
[[sr:Novi u FlightGear-u]]
[[th:New to FlightGear]]
[[zh:FlightGear新手]]

New to FlightGear

2026-04-21T19:14:37Z

Fgf5: /* Learning to fly */ add fg's manual

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

== Installation and setup ==
=== Hardware requirements ===
For FlightGear to run smoothly, it requires a video card with OpenGL drivers 2.0 or higher. This is usually not a problem, but take a look at the [[hardware recommendations]] to have a better idea.

Many laptops are known to have issues with FlightGear, as the graphics card(s) on them are usually lower-end. See [[notebooks known to run FlightGear]] for reviews of several laptop systems.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you would like to launch FlightGear using command-line, launch <code>/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app</code> and type the following.

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== Configuring OpenGL ===
FlightGear runs best with current [[OpenGL]] video drivers. If you are having trouble running FlightGear, see [[Graphics drivers configuration]] for more information.

=== Getting scenery ===
A limited set of [[scenery]] comes installed with FlightGear. For FlightGear 2020.3 LTS this consists of
* The area surrounding the featured airport for the release which is [[Keflavik_Airport|Keflavik International Airport]] (BIKF)
* The tutorial airport for the [[Cessna_172P|Cessna 172P]] which is [[Hilo_International_Airport|Hilo International Airport]] (PHTO)

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

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

The official, although outdated, scenery is available at [http://www.flightgear.org/download/scenery/ the scenery download section] of the FlightGear website, and can be installed following [[Howto: Install scenery]]. You may obtain additional and more up to date scenery objects as they become available through the [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/ FlightGear Scenery Database]. '''This is recommended for users with weak internet connections or weak computers!'''

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Qt launcher also lets users add command line parameters for options that are normally changed from the menu inside the simulator, as well as quite advanced options that are only available from the command line (as of August 2020).

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

To get help with keyboard commands, with FlightGear running, go to the ''Help'' menu, look under ''Basic Keys'' (for simulator related commands) and ''Common Aircraft Keys'' (for commands universal to all aircraft) and ''Aircraft Help'' (for key commands specific to your aircraft). If the main menu is hidden press {{key press|F10}}.

Coming from an other simulator? Check [[key commands compared to other simulators]] for an overview of the difference between the key commands of that sim and FlightGear.

To use the mouse to fly the aircraft, press {{key press|Tab}} (the cursor should change to a cross) and move the mouse to direct the aircraft. Press {{key press|Tab}} again to look around (cursor should show a two sided arrow), and press {{key press|Tab}} again to return to normal mode, used to click stuff in the cockpit. In some aircraft, such as the [[A320neo]] and [[Airbus A330 (disambiguation)|A330]] this unfortunately will not work, so you will have to use right click to look around and mouse mode is disabled. Fortunately, those planes are airliners, which are really stable and easy to fly with the keyboard.

=== First time in the cockpit ===
Finding your way around the cockpit can be daunting the first time.

Where is the "virtual cockpit"? Not all FlightGear aircraft come with an interior actually, some research projects may not even come with an exterior model. A 2D panel may display over the 3D cockpit if one exists. You may turn this off through ''Main Menu'' > ''View'' > ''View Options'' and deselecting ''Show 2D panel'' in the ''Display Options'' section, or by pressing {{key press|Shift|P}}. Otherwise, you should be sitting in the virtual cockpit when FlightGear starts, as long as the Cockpit View is selected (if not pressing {{key press|Ctrl|V}} should get you to the pilot view).

You may find it difficult to read some of the displays, dials and gauges on the instrument panel. You can use the ''view'' mode of the mouse (press {{key press|Tab}} until you get a cursor shaped like a double arrow) to pan and the mouse wheel to zoom, or pan with the joystick hat and zoom with {{key press|X}} and {{key press|Shift|X}}.

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

Some functions, such as starter or magneto, may be difficult to use or simply lack clickable "hotspots", especially in aircraft models which are in development. In most cases you can go for the equivalent controls on a 2D panel or resort to the keyboard. The keyboard always work according to the assignments listed on the ''Help'' menu, but sometimes these are reassigned by an aircraft or configuration. Again, remember to check all the help dialogs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Learning to fly ==
=== Flightgear's Manual ===
FlightGear has an official [https://www.flightgear.org/support/manual/ manual] that covers the basics of flight. As a beginner, you may want to start with "Chapter 8: A Basic Flight Simulator Tutorial."

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

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

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

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

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

Many forces act on an aircraft in flight as well as on the [[avionics and instruments]] used for control and navigation, and may be counter-intuitive. Pilots must learn to recognize these phenomena and compensate for their effects. ''FlightGear models instrument errors that exist in the real world''.

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

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

===Flying using the autopilot===
Some aircraft require you to use the [[autopilot]] available from the ''Autopilot'' menu, which is the original FlightGear autopilot. This is a ''generic'' autopilot and as such, many aircraft come with their own ''specific'' autopilot, frequently a model of the real life one.

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

The Cessna 172 comes with a [[Bendix/King KAP140 Autopilot]] in its virtual cockpit. You cannot use the ''Autopilot'' dialog from the menu with this aircraft. You must use the autopilot device in the panel.

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

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

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

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

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

There are never enough people contributing, and the fields where their help would be appreciated are many:
;Testing:
*[[Building FlightGear|Build]] the latest Git code or download snapshots from the [[FlightGear Build Server]]
*[https://gitlab.com/flightgear/flightgear/-/issues File bug reports]
*Running FlightGear via valgrind to track down memory leaks

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

;Development:
*C/C++ Coding:
**Provide source code cleanups (in essence help in the process of migrating over to a primarily smart pointer-based memory management approach using SGSharedPtr)
**Provide bug fixes [[Bugs]] or new features
**Get involved in any of the other FlightGear-affiliated projects
*Aircraft development (3D modelling, textures, FDMs, scripting)
*Scenery development (terrain, model, weather)

[[Category:FlightGear]]

[[ca:Nou a FlightGear]]
[[de:Neu bei FlightGear]]
[[es:Nuevo en FlightGear]]
[[fi:Uusi_käyttäjä]]
[[fr:Nouveau sur flightgear]]
[[it:Nuovo per FlightGear]]
[[ja:FlightGear入門]]
[[nl:Nieuw bij FlightGear]]
[[pl:Nowy w FlightGear]]
[[pt:Novo no FlightGear]]
[[sr:Novi u FlightGear-u]]
[[th:New to FlightGear]]
[[zh:FlightGear新手]]

FlightGear wiki:Village pump

2026-04-21T18:37:57Z

Fgf5: /* MediaWiki updated to 1.39.6 */

__NEWSECTIONLINK__
{{Archives|[[/Archive 2012|2012]]|[[/Archive 2013|2013]]|[[/Archive 2014|2014]]|[[/Archive 2015|2015]]|[[/Archive 2016|2016]]|[[/Archive 2017|2017]]|[[/Archive 2018|2018]]|[[/Archive 2019|2019]]|[[/Archive 2020|2020]]|[[/Archive 2021|2021]]|[[/Archive 2022|2022]]}}
{{shortcut|FGW:VP}}

Welcome to the '''Village Pump'''. This page is used to discuss the technical issues, operations and guidelines of the [[FlightGear wiki]].

Please [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|action=edit&section=new}} add new topics] to the '''bottom''' of this page.

Old discussions should be moved to a [[FlightGear wiki:Village pump/Archive YEAR]]. These discussions can then be moved to a relevant talk page if appropriate.

__TOC__

== MediaWiki updated to 1.39.6 ==

We have updated MediaWiki to its latest LTS version 1.39.6 today. Although we've tested the update, chances are that we've missed certain scenarios or features. Please report any issues that you may encounter.

[[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 09:31, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

: Hi, when will the dark mode (like wikipedia) be added?
: [[User:Fgf5|Fgf5]] ([[User talk:Fgf5|talk]]) 18:37, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

== Embedded YouTube videos broken ==

It seems that the [[mw:Extension:EmbedVideo|EmbedVideo extension]] was removed at some point. Consequently, pages such as [[Howto:Creating FlightGear Promo Videos]] are broken. At present, the best replacements seems to be [[mw:Extension:EmbedVideo_(fork)|a fork]] and [[mw:Extension:YouTube|Extension:YouTube]].

—'''''[[User:Red Leader|Red Leader]]''''' ([[User talk:Red Leader|talk]], [[Special:Contributions/Red Leader|contribs]]) 19:21, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

: Hi,
: Thanks for the report. It was introduced by today's update, but should be fixed now.
: [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 21:21, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

:: Confirmed, thanks. And I’d completely forgotten about {{[[Template:Wikipedia|wikipedia]]}}. 😅
:: '''''[[User:Red Leader|Red Leader]]''''' ([[User talk:Red Leader|talk]], [[Special:Contributions/Red Leader|contribs]]) 21:57, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

== Forum registration problem ==

Hello,
I would like to register on the forum, but I tried several times without success. I sent an email to the administrator some time ago, but it seems to have been lost. I don't know what to do, is there somebody here who could help? Please tell me if you need additional information.
Thanks very much in advance. [[User:Kestrel|Kestrel]] ([[User talk:Kestrel|talk]]) 13:14, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

: Hi,
: That's unfortunate! You can find my email address at https://forum.flightgear.org/contact.php Please try again if you've done that before, I'll actively monitor the address for any incoming messages, and let me know if you don't get a reply.
: [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 15:01, 25 March 2024 (UTC) (forum admin)

== Sidebar link for "Build server" is broken ==

Hello,

Just wanted to bring to someones attention that the URL for "Build server" currently 404s. Not sure if this resource still exists or if its URL has changed.

Cheers!
-Joshua

: Hi Joshua,
: The URL is still correct, but the build server is temporarily down due to a server failure. It's being worked on, so should be back up "soon".
: [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 12:29, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

== FlightGear Wikipedia article image needs correctly sourced Flightgear wiki screenshot ==
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlightGear

The image used for the Flightgear Wikipedia article appears to have been deleted, because it was sourced from the following Flightgear-wiki screenshot page:

[[:File:Bo 105 over Sint Marteen.png]]

which referred to an imgur link instead of the following thread, which gives a CC license based on a google search of the file name:

https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=32163&start=0

Discussion on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Files_for_discussion/2024_December_7#File:FlightGear_Flight_Sim_Bo_105_over_Sint_Marteen.png

> ''Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the file's talk page or in a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_review deletion review]).''

The person who uploaded it, or someone from the wiki, should ideally fix the FlightGear wiki page, and do a deletion review for the Wikipedia file. The file may have been used in multiple pages since screenshots are uncommon on Wikipedia due to proprietary apps. Feel free to remove this comment once it's taken care of. Good luck

== Issues with three templates ==

Hi,

The [[Template:Fgmeta_commit|fgmeta commit]] template appears to be broken. It used to work in the first ''Note'' [[Scripted_Compilation_on_Linux_Debian/Ubuntu#For_the_curious:_the_SSH_way|here]] (see the URL).

Also, I tried to use [[Template:Repo_link#Site:_Generic]] to create a link to the [https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake.git CMake repo], but didn't manage: IIRC, the link text was empty.

Finally, [[Template:Fgmeta_source]] doesn't seem to to what the doc. says for ''simplepath'': with
<pre><nowiki>{{fgmeta source
| path = download_and_compile.sh
| simplepath = 1
}}</nowiki></pre>

the link text starts with a slash, so I used
<pre><nowiki>{{fgmeta source
| path = download_and_compile.sh
| text = download_and_compile.sh
}}</nowiki></pre>
which is of course more redundant.

Thanks for considering! :-)

[[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

: Good catch. I need to look into that one. I may not have coded the commit part of GitLab into the master {{tl|repo_link}} template.

: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 15:41, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

:: All fixed. It was quite simple - the {{tl|fgmeta_source}} template was missing the <code>proj</code> parameter. I've also fixed {{tl|fgmeta_clone}}.

:: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 15:53, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

::: Thanks for the reply and fixes, Bugman! (And sorry for the delay, I didn't see any notification...) I see the first item is indeed addressed. Regarding the second item, well, I see no place where I'd really want to use this now on the d&c page, so didn't test it. As for the third one, I still get <code>/download_and_compile.sh</code> in the Preview when I try the above {{tl|fgmeta_source}} snippet with <code>simplepath = 1</code>.

::: I looked at {{tl|fgmeta_clone}} too; it looks nice but seems to default to the <code>git://</code> protocol. Would it be possible to make it default to using <code>https://</code>? Thanks again. :-)

::: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

:::: Not a problem. For the <code>simplepath</code> parameter, that is the designed behaviour in the {{tl|repo link}} template. In most cases our repositories have complex directory structures and the desired output is the absolute file path, removing the protocol and URL parts of the path. Do you wish to simply have the file name there? No one had asked for that before, so I never added an option for that. In the case of the source repositories, you often want to remove the first part of the absolute path so that for example in SimGear, {{simgear source|path=simgear/scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx|simplepath=1}} (<nowiki>{{simgear source|path=simgear/scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx|simplepath=1}}</nowiki>) would be shown as {{simgear source|path=simgear/scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx|text=scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx}} (<nowiki>{{simgear source|path=simgear/scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx|text=scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx}}</nowiki>. This is not scriptable in MediaWiki so I left it all for the text parameter.

:::: For the protocol, I have now added the <code>protocol</code> parameter. E.g. <nowiki>{{fgmeta clone | protocol = https}}</nowiki>. That will give <code>{{fgmeta clone | protocol = https}}</code> (as of today generated as <code><nowiki>git clone https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta.git</nowiki></code>).

:::: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 08:51, 24 March 2025 (UTC)

::::: Thanks Bugman, I've updated the [[Scripted_Compilation_on_Linux_Debian/Ubuntu|download_and_compile.sh page]] to use <code><nowiki>{{fgmeta clone | protocol = https}}</nowiki></code> as you proposed; it works great. For the link to download_and_compile.sh, I can continue to use <code><nowiki>{{fgmeta source | path = download_and_compile.sh | text = download_and_compile.sh}}</nowiki></code>, no problem.

::::: As far as I'm concerned, everything is resolved here, so this thread/section can be deleted if someone wants to “clean up”.

::::: ''Other subject:'' the only remaining thing is that I didn't receive any notification, neither for your replies here nor for the January changes by [[User:Jebba|Jebba]] to the [[Scripted_Compilation_on_Linux_Debian/Ubuntu|download_and_compile.sh page]] that is on my watchlist. I used to receive email notifications for these things years ago, haven't changed my preferences regarding this and don't see any setting that would explain why I don't receive these notifications anymore. Maybe email sending by the wiki software is not quite well configured according to current standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)?

::::: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

== Improve the 'simgear clone', 'flightgear clone' and 'fgdata clone' templates ==

Hi,

In order to improve [[Fedora_Packages_and_Compiling]], it would be nice to have the <code><nowiki>{{simgear clone}}</nowiki></code>, <code><nowiki>{{flightgear clone}}</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>{{fgdata clone}}</nowiki></code> templates on par with <code><nowiki>{{fgmeta clone}}</nowiki></code> (support for the <code>protocol</code> parameter, etc.). I tried

<nowiki>{{simgear clone | protocol = https | opt = --single-branch --branch release/2024.1 | post = simgear}}</nowiki>

but it doesn't seem to work, as the preview shows this:

<nowiki>git clone --single-branch --branch release/2024.1 git://gitlab.com simgear</nowiki>

(ditto with <code>flightear clone</code> and <code>fgdata clone</code>). Thanks in advance :-)

[[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

: I needed a while to work out the best strategy for these changes. I've now gone through all of the {{tl|repo link}} cloning subtemplates listed on {{tl|repo link/doc related}} and added the <code>project</code> parameter to the templates and the optional <code>protocol</code> parameter. These changes were required as the <code>gl</code> section of the {{tl|repo_link}} template is constructed differently to the <code>sf</code> section. I've also updated the git cloning documentation {{tl|repo link/doc git clone}}. I hope this covers everything you need.

: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 07:48, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

:: Thanks a lot, Bugman, this works great! Your changes allowed me to perform [https://wiki.flightgear.org/w/index.php?title=Fedora_Packages_and_Compiling&type=revision&diff=141687&oldid=141513 this edit] in [[Fedora_Packages_and_Compiling]]. The only remaining <code>git clone</code> command written in full on that page is for FG's fork of OpenSceneGraph at GitLab. I understand that choosing a proper name for an applicable <code><nowiki>{{... clone}}</nowiki></code> template probably requires some careful thinking... ;-)

:: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

== Default text in Template:Repo link ==

Hi,

The default ''text'' in {{tl|Repo link}} gives somewhat pleasant link texts such as
flightgear/flightgear/src/Scripting/NasalSys.cxx
when the ''site'' is <code>sourceforge</code>, however the result looks like a bug for other sites (though I understand this may be as intended). To be clear, the URLs are correct but the default link texts look weird because they start with the unqualified site name rather than the fully-qualified domain name. For instance,
{{obr}}fgmeta source{{cbr}}
yields [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta gitlab/flightgear/fgmeta/next] rather than [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta/next]. I suggest to replace <code>gitlab</code> with <code>gitlab.com</code> in the default text (where the HTML comment says “Site advertising”) and do the same for <code>github</code>.

Note: the Gitorious web site doesn't exist anymore, maybe that should be removed from the template?

Thanks for considering; I can do the replacement if you wish.

[[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 10:38, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

: Sounds sensible, so please go ahead!
: Regarding Gitorious, it may be nice to link to an archived version of the repos, such as https://archive.softwareheritage.org/browse/origin/directory/?origin_url=https://gitorious.org/flightgear/fgdata.git&visit_type=git Altough this only makes sense for repos or branches that are not part of our current GitLab...
: [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 13:58, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

:: [https://wiki.flightgear.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Repo_link&action=history Done], thanks Gijs!
::

:: One should be careful using this, though, because the resulting link ''texts'' may be non-existing URLs (after prepending the protocol) despite looking like valid ones, as shown by the first example in [[User:Rominet/Sandbox#FGMeta-Python repo templates]]!

:: So, to avoid people getting trapped by this, maybe the default link text should start with something like <code>[GitLab]/...</code> rather than the <code>gitlab.com/...</code> I just put (to make it clear that such link texts are not supposed to be “Internet addresses”).
:: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 16:20, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

::: This is now implemented. For instance, <code>{{obr}}fgmeta-python source {{!}} path = pyproject.toml {{!}} tag = 1.0.0b1 {{cbr}}</code> results in {{fgmeta-python source | path = pyproject.toml | tag = 1.0.0b1 }}. This also holds for GitHub and GitoriousIsNowClosed. SourceForge has no such prefix for now (it initially didn't, and editing its part of {{tl|Repo link}} requires a bit more temerity than what I have at the moment :-)).
::: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 09:15, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

: That's a good idea. Note for Gitorious - I added this because there are a number of historical documents/pages that refer to developments that occurred on Gitorious which were not migrated to SourceForge. I originally made the Gitorious links work by pointing to the archive by the Internet Archive (see [[Gitorious]]). However that archive has been offline for a few years now. The Internet Archive are storing all the data so it may return one day.

: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 22:06, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

== Beware of shortened Git commit IDs ==

While fixing broken links due to the {{tl|foo commit}} templates not specifying <code>proj=flightgear</code> (this was implicit with <code>site=sf</code> but isn't with <code>site=gl</code>), I found that URLs at GitLab don't accept the same shortened Git commit IDs as those at SourceForge:
https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/807062 - OK
https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgdata/-/commit/807062 - NOK
https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgdata/-/commit/807062d - OK
https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgdata/-/commit/807062d0b6f858885547f27325e829c2bf42a12b - OK

As a consequence, there are probably a lot of broken links in the wiki due to shortened commit IDs. Better always use the long ones...

{{Note|Commit ID 807062 in FGData is not ambiguous at the time of this writing.}}
[[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 15:45, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

: I have modified {{tl|Simgear_commit}}, {{tl|Flightgear_commit}}, {{tl|Fgdata_commit}}, etc. (12 templates!) to show a commit ID truncated to 7 characters in the automatically generated link text, so there is no excuse for not using the full commit IDs anymore when using these templates (see the result [[Howto:Building_FlightGear_without_HiDPI_support#Commits|here]] for instance). Thanks to [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] for installing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Module:Ustring Module:Ustring] which made this possible!

: Note that manually provided ''text'' arguments are not truncated.
: {{tip|In case you feel like replacing shortened commit IDs with full ones in {{tl|foo commit}} template calls, the full commit IDs can be found like so:
cd /path/to/repository
git rev-parse ''shortened-id1'' ''shortened-id2'' ...
}}

: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 18:05, 25 December 2025 (UTC)

== Nasal unit test assertion documentation ==
I just started an article about [[Nasal unit tests]] but could need some help improving the section about the tests.

The only documentation I find is the {{flightgear source|path=src/Scripting/NasalUnitTesting.cxx|text=C++ source code}} and the existing test files (<code>test_*.nut</code>) in {{fgdata source|path=Nasal|text=fgdata/Nasal}} (side note: it took me several days to figure out where the <code>nasal-test</code> FGCommand was implemented).

—[[User:Johan G|Johan G]] ([[User_talk:Johan_G|Talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Johan_G|contribs]]) 12:36, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

: In order to find the <code>nasal-test</code> FGCommand, a simple approach is to run, in the three main repositories, <code>git grep -Fe nasal-test</code> (or, more accurately but slower: <code>git grep -Ee '\bnasal-test\b'</code>). This shows a few lines including
globals->get_commands()->addCommand("nasal-test", &command_executeNasalTest);
: which indicates that the command is implemented by {{flightgear source | path=src/Scripting/NasalUnitTesting.cxx | line=148 | text=command_executeNasalTest()}}, which can be found using either IDE-like features (LSP server, etc.) or the same <code>git grep</code> technique. :-)

: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 13:40, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

FlightGear wiki:Village pump

2026-04-21T18:35:35Z

Fgf5: /* MediaWiki updated to 1.39.6 */

__NEWSECTIONLINK__
{{Archives|[[/Archive 2012|2012]]|[[/Archive 2013|2013]]|[[/Archive 2014|2014]]|[[/Archive 2015|2015]]|[[/Archive 2016|2016]]|[[/Archive 2017|2017]]|[[/Archive 2018|2018]]|[[/Archive 2019|2019]]|[[/Archive 2020|2020]]|[[/Archive 2021|2021]]|[[/Archive 2022|2022]]}}
{{shortcut|FGW:VP}}

Welcome to the '''Village Pump'''. This page is used to discuss the technical issues, operations and guidelines of the [[FlightGear wiki]].

Please [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|action=edit&section=new}} add new topics] to the '''bottom''' of this page.

Old discussions should be moved to a [[FlightGear wiki:Village pump/Archive YEAR]]. These discussions can then be moved to a relevant talk page if appropriate.

__TOC__

== MediaWiki updated to 1.39.6 ==

We have updated MediaWiki to its latest LTS version 1.39.6 today. Although we've tested the update, chances are that we've missed certain scenarios or features. Please report any issues that you may encounter.

[[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 09:31, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Hi, when will the dark mode (like wikipedia) be added?

== Embedded YouTube videos broken ==

It seems that the [[mw:Extension:EmbedVideo|EmbedVideo extension]] was removed at some point. Consequently, pages such as [[Howto:Creating FlightGear Promo Videos]] are broken. At present, the best replacements seems to be [[mw:Extension:EmbedVideo_(fork)|a fork]] and [[mw:Extension:YouTube|Extension:YouTube]].

—'''''[[User:Red Leader|Red Leader]]''''' ([[User talk:Red Leader|talk]], [[Special:Contributions/Red Leader|contribs]]) 19:21, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

: Hi,
: Thanks for the report. It was introduced by today's update, but should be fixed now.
: [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 21:21, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

:: Confirmed, thanks. And I’d completely forgotten about {{[[Template:Wikipedia|wikipedia]]}}. 😅
:: '''''[[User:Red Leader|Red Leader]]''''' ([[User talk:Red Leader|talk]], [[Special:Contributions/Red Leader|contribs]]) 21:57, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

== Forum registration problem ==

Hello,
I would like to register on the forum, but I tried several times without success. I sent an email to the administrator some time ago, but it seems to have been lost. I don't know what to do, is there somebody here who could help? Please tell me if you need additional information.
Thanks very much in advance. [[User:Kestrel|Kestrel]] ([[User talk:Kestrel|talk]]) 13:14, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

: Hi,
: That's unfortunate! You can find my email address at https://forum.flightgear.org/contact.php Please try again if you've done that before, I'll actively monitor the address for any incoming messages, and let me know if you don't get a reply.
: [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 15:01, 25 March 2024 (UTC) (forum admin)

== Sidebar link for "Build server" is broken ==

Hello,

Just wanted to bring to someones attention that the URL for "Build server" currently 404s. Not sure if this resource still exists or if its URL has changed.

Cheers!
-Joshua

: Hi Joshua,
: The URL is still correct, but the build server is temporarily down due to a server failure. It's being worked on, so should be back up "soon".
: [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 12:29, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

== FlightGear Wikipedia article image needs correctly sourced Flightgear wiki screenshot ==
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlightGear

The image used for the Flightgear Wikipedia article appears to have been deleted, because it was sourced from the following Flightgear-wiki screenshot page:

[[:File:Bo 105 over Sint Marteen.png]]

which referred to an imgur link instead of the following thread, which gives a CC license based on a google search of the file name:

https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=32163&start=0

Discussion on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Files_for_discussion/2024_December_7#File:FlightGear_Flight_Sim_Bo_105_over_Sint_Marteen.png

> ''Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the file's talk page or in a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_review deletion review]).''

The person who uploaded it, or someone from the wiki, should ideally fix the FlightGear wiki page, and do a deletion review for the Wikipedia file. The file may have been used in multiple pages since screenshots are uncommon on Wikipedia due to proprietary apps. Feel free to remove this comment once it's taken care of. Good luck

== Issues with three templates ==

Hi,

The [[Template:Fgmeta_commit|fgmeta commit]] template appears to be broken. It used to work in the first ''Note'' [[Scripted_Compilation_on_Linux_Debian/Ubuntu#For_the_curious:_the_SSH_way|here]] (see the URL).

Also, I tried to use [[Template:Repo_link#Site:_Generic]] to create a link to the [https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake.git CMake repo], but didn't manage: IIRC, the link text was empty.

Finally, [[Template:Fgmeta_source]] doesn't seem to to what the doc. says for ''simplepath'': with
<pre><nowiki>{{fgmeta source
| path = download_and_compile.sh
| simplepath = 1
}}</nowiki></pre>

the link text starts with a slash, so I used
<pre><nowiki>{{fgmeta source
| path = download_and_compile.sh
| text = download_and_compile.sh
}}</nowiki></pre>
which is of course more redundant.

Thanks for considering! :-)

[[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

: Good catch. I need to look into that one. I may not have coded the commit part of GitLab into the master {{tl|repo_link}} template.

: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 15:41, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

:: All fixed. It was quite simple - the {{tl|fgmeta_source}} template was missing the <code>proj</code> parameter. I've also fixed {{tl|fgmeta_clone}}.

:: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 15:53, 13 March 2025 (UTC)

::: Thanks for the reply and fixes, Bugman! (And sorry for the delay, I didn't see any notification...) I see the first item is indeed addressed. Regarding the second item, well, I see no place where I'd really want to use this now on the d&c page, so didn't test it. As for the third one, I still get <code>/download_and_compile.sh</code> in the Preview when I try the above {{tl|fgmeta_source}} snippet with <code>simplepath = 1</code>.

::: I looked at {{tl|fgmeta_clone}} too; it looks nice but seems to default to the <code>git://</code> protocol. Would it be possible to make it default to using <code>https://</code>? Thanks again. :-)

::: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

:::: Not a problem. For the <code>simplepath</code> parameter, that is the designed behaviour in the {{tl|repo link}} template. In most cases our repositories have complex directory structures and the desired output is the absolute file path, removing the protocol and URL parts of the path. Do you wish to simply have the file name there? No one had asked for that before, so I never added an option for that. In the case of the source repositories, you often want to remove the first part of the absolute path so that for example in SimGear, {{simgear source|path=simgear/scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx|simplepath=1}} (<nowiki>{{simgear source|path=simgear/scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx|simplepath=1}}</nowiki>) would be shown as {{simgear source|path=simgear/scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx|text=scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx}} (<nowiki>{{simgear source|path=simgear/scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx|text=scene/util/QuadTreeBuilder.hxx}}</nowiki>. This is not scriptable in MediaWiki so I left it all for the text parameter.

:::: For the protocol, I have now added the <code>protocol</code> parameter. E.g. <nowiki>{{fgmeta clone | protocol = https}}</nowiki>. That will give <code>{{fgmeta clone | protocol = https}}</code> (as of today generated as <code><nowiki>git clone https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta.git</nowiki></code>).

:::: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 08:51, 24 March 2025 (UTC)

::::: Thanks Bugman, I've updated the [[Scripted_Compilation_on_Linux_Debian/Ubuntu|download_and_compile.sh page]] to use <code><nowiki>{{fgmeta clone | protocol = https}}</nowiki></code> as you proposed; it works great. For the link to download_and_compile.sh, I can continue to use <code><nowiki>{{fgmeta source | path = download_and_compile.sh | text = download_and_compile.sh}}</nowiki></code>, no problem.

::::: As far as I'm concerned, everything is resolved here, so this thread/section can be deleted if someone wants to “clean up”.

::::: ''Other subject:'' the only remaining thing is that I didn't receive any notification, neither for your replies here nor for the January changes by [[User:Jebba|Jebba]] to the [[Scripted_Compilation_on_Linux_Debian/Ubuntu|download_and_compile.sh page]] that is on my watchlist. I used to receive email notifications for these things years ago, haven't changed my preferences regarding this and don't see any setting that would explain why I don't receive these notifications anymore. Maybe email sending by the wiki software is not quite well configured according to current standards (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)?

::::: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

== Improve the 'simgear clone', 'flightgear clone' and 'fgdata clone' templates ==

Hi,

In order to improve [[Fedora_Packages_and_Compiling]], it would be nice to have the <code><nowiki>{{simgear clone}}</nowiki></code>, <code><nowiki>{{flightgear clone}}</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>{{fgdata clone}}</nowiki></code> templates on par with <code><nowiki>{{fgmeta clone}}</nowiki></code> (support for the <code>protocol</code> parameter, etc.). I tried

<nowiki>{{simgear clone | protocol = https | opt = --single-branch --branch release/2024.1 | post = simgear}}</nowiki>

but it doesn't seem to work, as the preview shows this:

<nowiki>git clone --single-branch --branch release/2024.1 git://gitlab.com simgear</nowiki>

(ditto with <code>flightear clone</code> and <code>fgdata clone</code>). Thanks in advance :-)

[[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

: I needed a while to work out the best strategy for these changes. I've now gone through all of the {{tl|repo link}} cloning subtemplates listed on {{tl|repo link/doc related}} and added the <code>project</code> parameter to the templates and the optional <code>protocol</code> parameter. These changes were required as the <code>gl</code> section of the {{tl|repo_link}} template is constructed differently to the <code>sf</code> section. I've also updated the git cloning documentation {{tl|repo link/doc git clone}}. I hope this covers everything you need.

: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 07:48, 1 April 2025 (UTC)

:: Thanks a lot, Bugman, this works great! Your changes allowed me to perform [https://wiki.flightgear.org/w/index.php?title=Fedora_Packages_and_Compiling&type=revision&diff=141687&oldid=141513 this edit] in [[Fedora_Packages_and_Compiling]]. The only remaining <code>git clone</code> command written in full on that page is for FG's fork of OpenSceneGraph at GitLab. I understand that choosing a proper name for an applicable <code><nowiki>{{... clone}}</nowiki></code> template probably requires some careful thinking... ;-)

:: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]])

== Default text in Template:Repo link ==

Hi,

The default ''text'' in {{tl|Repo link}} gives somewhat pleasant link texts such as
flightgear/flightgear/src/Scripting/NasalSys.cxx
when the ''site'' is <code>sourceforge</code>, however the result looks like a bug for other sites (though I understand this may be as intended). To be clear, the URLs are correct but the default link texts look weird because they start with the unqualified site name rather than the fully-qualified domain name. For instance,
{{obr}}fgmeta source{{cbr}}
yields [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta gitlab/flightgear/fgmeta/next] rather than [https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta gitlab.com/flightgear/fgmeta/next]. I suggest to replace <code>gitlab</code> with <code>gitlab.com</code> in the default text (where the HTML comment says “Site advertising”) and do the same for <code>github</code>.

Note: the Gitorious web site doesn't exist anymore, maybe that should be removed from the template?

Thanks for considering; I can do the replacement if you wish.

[[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 10:38, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

: Sounds sensible, so please go ahead!
: Regarding Gitorious, it may be nice to link to an archived version of the repos, such as https://archive.softwareheritage.org/browse/origin/directory/?origin_url=https://gitorious.org/flightgear/fgdata.git&visit_type=git Altough this only makes sense for repos or branches that are not part of our current GitLab...
: [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] ([[User talk:Gijs|talk]]) 13:58, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

:: [https://wiki.flightgear.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Repo_link&action=history Done], thanks Gijs!
::

:: One should be careful using this, though, because the resulting link ''texts'' may be non-existing URLs (after prepending the protocol) despite looking like valid ones, as shown by the first example in [[User:Rominet/Sandbox#FGMeta-Python repo templates]]!

:: So, to avoid people getting trapped by this, maybe the default link text should start with something like <code>[GitLab]/...</code> rather than the <code>gitlab.com/...</code> I just put (to make it clear that such link texts are not supposed to be “Internet addresses”).
:: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 16:20, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

::: This is now implemented. For instance, <code>{{obr}}fgmeta-python source {{!}} path = pyproject.toml {{!}} tag = 1.0.0b1 {{cbr}}</code> results in {{fgmeta-python source | path = pyproject.toml | tag = 1.0.0b1 }}. This also holds for GitHub and GitoriousIsNowClosed. SourceForge has no such prefix for now (it initially didn't, and editing its part of {{tl|Repo link}} requires a bit more temerity than what I have at the moment :-)).
::: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 09:15, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

: That's a good idea. Note for Gitorious - I added this because there are a number of historical documents/pages that refer to developments that occurred on Gitorious which were not migrated to SourceForge. I originally made the Gitorious links work by pointing to the archive by the Internet Archive (see [[Gitorious]]). However that archive has been offline for a few years now. The Internet Archive are storing all the data so it may return one day.

: [[User:Bugman|Bugman]] ([[User talk:Bugman|talk]]) 22:06, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

== Beware of shortened Git commit IDs ==

While fixing broken links due to the {{tl|foo commit}} templates not specifying <code>proj=flightgear</code> (this was implicit with <code>site=sf</code> but isn't with <code>site=gl</code>), I found that URLs at GitLab don't accept the same shortened Git commit IDs as those at SourceForge:
https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/807062 - OK
https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgdata/-/commit/807062 - NOK
https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgdata/-/commit/807062d - OK
https://gitlab.com/flightgear/fgdata/-/commit/807062d0b6f858885547f27325e829c2bf42a12b - OK

As a consequence, there are probably a lot of broken links in the wiki due to shortened commit IDs. Better always use the long ones...

{{Note|Commit ID 807062 in FGData is not ambiguous at the time of this writing.}}
[[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 15:45, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

: I have modified {{tl|Simgear_commit}}, {{tl|Flightgear_commit}}, {{tl|Fgdata_commit}}, etc. (12 templates!) to show a commit ID truncated to 7 characters in the automatically generated link text, so there is no excuse for not using the full commit IDs anymore when using these templates (see the result [[Howto:Building_FlightGear_without_HiDPI_support#Commits|here]] for instance). Thanks to [[User:Gijs|Gijs]] for installing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Module:Ustring Module:Ustring] which made this possible!

: Note that manually provided ''text'' arguments are not truncated.
: {{tip|In case you feel like replacing shortened commit IDs with full ones in {{tl|foo commit}} template calls, the full commit IDs can be found like so:
cd /path/to/repository
git rev-parse ''shortened-id1'' ''shortened-id2'' ...
}}

: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 18:05, 25 December 2025 (UTC)

== Nasal unit test assertion documentation ==
I just started an article about [[Nasal unit tests]] but could need some help improving the section about the tests.

The only documentation I find is the {{flightgear source|path=src/Scripting/NasalUnitTesting.cxx|text=C++ source code}} and the existing test files (<code>test_*.nut</code>) in {{fgdata source|path=Nasal|text=fgdata/Nasal}} (side note: it took me several days to figure out where the <code>nasal-test</code> FGCommand was implemented).

—[[User:Johan G|Johan G]] ([[User_talk:Johan_G|Talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Johan_G|contribs]]) 12:36, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

: In order to find the <code>nasal-test</code> FGCommand, a simple approach is to run, in the three main repositories, <code>git grep -Fe nasal-test</code> (or, more accurately but slower: <code>git grep -Ee '\bnasal-test\b'</code>). This shows a few lines including
globals->get_commands()->addCommand("nasal-test", &command_executeNasalTest);
: which indicates that the command is implemented by {{flightgear source | path=src/Scripting/NasalUnitTesting.cxx | line=148 | text=command_executeNasalTest()}}, which can be found using either IDE-like features (LSP server, etc.) or the same <code>git grep</code> technique. :-)

: [[User:Rominet|Rominet]] ([[User talk:Rominet|talk]]) 13:40, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

FlightGear history

2026-04-21T18:22:26Z

Fgf5: /* Beginnings (1996-1997) */

[[FlightGear]] development started with an online proposal in 1996, using custom 3D graphics code. Development of an [[OpenGL]] based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olson starting in 1997. Many people have contributed to the project in the years since its inception.

FlightGear incorporated other open-source resources, including the [[LaRCsim]] flight model from NASA, and freely available elevation data. The first working binaries, using OpenGL for 3D graphic code, came out in 1997. Enthusiastic development of newer versions for several years resulted in progressively more stable and advanced versions. By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly, and by 2005, the maturity of software lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity. 2007 marked a formal transition out of beta development with the release of version 1.0.0, ten years after FlightGear's first release in 1997.

In 2008, version 1.9.0 of FlightGear included a major change from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporarily loss of some features like 3D clouds and shadows, while newly added features, such as particles, imparted another degree of realism to the simulation.

== Beginnings (1996-1997) ==
[[File:FG SUNHALO.JPG|thumb|270px|March 18, 1999: one of the oldest surviving screenshots of FlightGear. Back then, FlightGear was the only PC based flight simulator rendering the [[Moon|sun, moon, and celestial]] objects at the correct position, and under the correct lighting conditions, in the sky. ]]
[[File:Image103.gif|thumb|Original Win95 icon]]
The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr who proposed a new flight simulator to be developed by volunteers<ref>David Murr (Apr 9, 1996). FlightGear proposal 1.0: [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.aviation.simulators/ny8HFBE5_T8/OdtIiGNGJc8J "A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@"]. Published on the rec.aviation.simulators newsgroup.</ref><ref>David Murr (1996). FlightGear proposal 2.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-2.0 FLIGHT GEAR "This truly is as real as it gets!" - a proposal for a new flight simulator - REVISION 2.0].</ref><ref>David Murr (Oct 29, 1996). FlightGear proposal 3.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0 - Wednesday, 10.30.96, "The future of flight simulation is here"]. Published on the [http://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/flightgear/www/old-stuff/flight-gear.9610 flight-gear@infoplane.com mailing list].</ref><ref>David Murr (Sep 11, 1998). FlightGear proposal 3.0.1: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0.1 - Friday, Sep.11.98, "The future of flight simulation is here"].</ref>. Part of the initial goals were to develop 2D and 3D graphics routines for the simulator. However this was a huge task that came to an unfinished halt at the start of 1997 as the main developer, Eric Korpela, was finishing his thesis.
 
Development of an OpenGL based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olsen starting in 1997, after the initial start in 1996. A large community response lead to many contributing to the project from its start in late '90s up to the present.
 

"''I was working at the University of Minnesota at the time, and had access to Sun and SGI graphical work stations which offered OpenGL for 3d graphics. OpenGl was just starting to become available on PC hardware with things like the 3dfx voodoo card. Somewhere at this point it occurred to me that a far better path would be to leverage an existing multi-platform 3d graphics system (like OpenGL) to build our flight simulator upon.'' 
''So I proceeded to rough together a basic scenery system, pasted on the larcsim flight model, and in a relatively short time was able to show actual flight over real 3d terrain. Good, realistic 3d terrain was something the other existing flight sims at the time were pretty far behind on ... and I think my work was enough of a breakthrough that it got a lot of people excited about the possibilities.''"~Curt Olson <ref>Curtis Olson (Sep 28, 2015). [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=27558&p=259048#p259021 Re: A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@]. Published on the FlightGear forum.</ref>
 

Rather than start entirely from scratch, FlightGear developers made use of the [[LaRCsim]] flight model from NASA, with OpenGL for 3D graphic code, and freely available elevation data. First working binaries came out in 1997, with an intense updating of newer versions for several years resulting in progressively more stable and advanced programs.

== Versions 0.7–0.9 (2001–2003) ==
By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly (0.7.x, 0.8.0, over 2001-2003) and with 0.9.xx (2003-2006). Later in the decade, the rate of final public releases slowed, but had larger amounts of content (0.9.10, 1.0.0 etc.). The maturity of software by 2005 lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity.

== Version 0.9.0-0.9.11 (2002-2007) ==
The use of version numbers slowed dramatically after the late 2002 release of version 0.9.0. Versions 0.9.9 (2005) and 0.9.10 (2006) had about 8 all-new or redone [[aircraft]] adding to a total of 70-90 aircraft. [[Nasal]] was also integrated into FlightGear in version 0.9.4. FlightGear 0.9.10 won Softpedia's "Pick" award (5 out of 5 stars) on June 3, 2006 as well as the "100% CLEAN" Softpedia award.

Behind the scenes there was a 0.9.11-pre1 released in 2007 that ended up being superseded by FlightGear 1.0. The pre-version had about 33 new or redone aircraft.

[[File:FG-A-10.jpg|thumb|270px|3D Cockpit panel for [[A-10]] in version 1.0.0 in 2008]]

== Version 1.0 (2008) ==
The version number marked a formal transition out of beta development since the software's first release in 1997, ten years prior.

== Version 1.9.0 (2008) ==
At the time version 1.9.0 was released FlightGear switched from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporary loss of some of the features like 3D clouds and shadows. On the contrary new features such as particles add another degree of realism to the simulation. Most aircraft developed for OSG do not work with older versions. The user is able to choose from 230 aircraft provided with 1.9.0, although only a few are included in the base package.
Version 1.9.1, released shortly afterwards, was a bug fix release.

== Version 2.0.0 (2010) ==
FlightGear 2.0.0 reflects the maturation of the OpenSceneGraph port that started with the previous 1.9.0 release. In addition to many internal code improvements, FlightGear 2.0.0 marks the introduction of many new exciting improvements in the graphics and sound system, as well as improved usability of key features, and improved behavior of existing features. Highlights of this new version include: Dramatic new 3D clouds, dramatic lighting conditions, improved support for custom scenery, and many many new and detailed aircraft models.

== Version 2.4.0 (2011) ==
Starting with version 2.4.0, the FlightGear team adopted a [[release plan]]. From then on, a new version is released every February and August.

==Version 3.8.0/2016.1.0==
{{Main article|Release plan#Detailed time schedule and checklist}}
Following the cancellation of 3.6, the modern FlightGear team revised the release plan and process. New releases are essentially selected and tuned "nightlies" instead of special compilations.

Also, in this release the concept of rotating default airports first started. All FlightGear releases after 2016.1 have unique default airports and 'codenames'.

{{Main article|Release plan/Lessons learned#2016.1}}

== Version 2018.1 "Honolulu" (2018) ==
Released in April 2018, version 2018.1 was the first major update in the 2018 release cycle. This version focused on environmental realism and significant improvements to the YASim flight dynamics model (FDM), including support for multiple wing sections to model variable wing geometry. The "Honolulu" release featured PHNL as the default airport and introduced active volcanoes such as Kilauea and Etna, which integrated environmental physics by generating increased turbulence in their vicinity. The [[Atmospheric light scattering|ALS (Atmospheric Light Scattering)]] renderer was also updated with extra volumetric vegetation layers for denser undergrowth.

== Version 2019.1 (2019) ==
Version 2019.1, released in March 2019, introduced the "Compositor," an experimental XML-configurable rendering framework designed to replace legacy hard-coded rendering paths. This framework enabled advanced post-processing effects and Cascaded Shadow Mapping (CSM) for more realistic environmental shadows. Other technical advancements included the introduction of a DDS Texture Cache to speed up loading times and the implementation of 8.33 kHz radio frequency spacing for aircraft like the [[Boeing 777]] to comply with modern European airspace requirements.

== Version 2020.1 and 2020.3 LTS (2020) ==
The 2020 cycle saw the release of 2020.1 in May and the Long Term Support (LTS) version, 2020.3, in October. This era was marked by a shift toward data integrity, particularly in the JSBSim FDM, where gyros were updated to measure rotation rates rather than rotational accelerations to better match physical reality. Graphical performance was enhanced through instanced-based rendering for OpenStreetMap (OSM) buildings, which was later integrated into the [[TerraSync]] system (v2020.3.7) for global coverage. The release also featured expanded aircraft carrier support with new launcher options for takeoff and approach positions.

== Version 2024.1 (2025-2026) ==
Replacing the 2020.3 LTS, version 2024.1 (officially released in February 2025 as v2024.1.1) represents a major technological pivot for the project. Key highlights include:

* [[VR]] Support: Preliminary integration of VR headsets using the OpenXR standard.

* [[World Scenery 3.0]] (WS3.0): A preview of a new Quadtree-based scenery system utilizing Virtual Planet Builder, providing higher frame rates and lower memory usage through multiple levels of detail.

* Dynamic Lighting and Shadows: Real-time dynamic shadows and lighting were added to the core rendering engine.

* Climate Modeling: The legacy season selection was replaced with a holistic climate model calculating environmental factors like snow lines and ocean temperatures dynamically.

Additionally, some old components including UIUC are removed.

== Release timeline ==
Final build code release dates by year.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width:40%; margin:auto"
! Date !! Version
|-
| Jul 17, 1997 || First major code release
|-
| Sep 23, 1997 || 0.12
|-
| Dec 9, 1997 || 0.15
|-
| Dec 17, 1997 || 0.18
|-
| Dec 30, 1997 || 0.19 (first binaries)
|-
| Jan 6, 1998 || 0.22
|-
| Mar 11 98 || 0.37
|-
| Apr 8, 1998 || 0.41
|-
| Apr 14, 1998 || 0.42
|-
| Apr 23, 1998 || 0.43
|-
| Apr 28, 1998 || 0.44
|-
| May 7, 1998 || 0.45
|-
| May 11, 1998 || 0.46
|-
| May 18, 1998 || 0.47
|-
| Jun 9, 1998 || 0.48
|-
| Jun 27, 1998 || 0.49
|-
| Jul 13, 1998 || 0.50
|-
| Jul 21, 1998 || 0.51
|-
| Aug 15, 1998 || 0.52
|-
| Sep 2, 1998 || 0.53
|-
| Sep 25, 1998 || 0.54
|-
| Oct 23, 1998 || 0.55
|-
| Nov 23, 1998 || 0.56
|-
| Jan 21, 1999 || 0.57
|-
| Feb 10, 1999 || 0.58
|-
| Mar 31, 1999 || 0.59
|-
| May 26, 1999 || 0.6.0
|-
| Jun 21, 1999 || 0.6.1 (Stable)
|-
|rowspan=2 | Sep 11, 1999 || 0.7.0 (Development)
|-
| 0.6.2 (Stable)
|-
| Oct 22, 1999 || 0.7.1 (Development)
|-
| Feb 17, 2000 || 0.7.2 (Development)
|-
| May 18, 2000 || 0.7.3 (Development)
|-
| Jul 20, 2000 || 0.7.4
|-
| Sep 18, 2000 || 0.7.5
|-
| Dec 19, 2000 || 0.7.6
|-
| Jun 20, 2001 || 0.7.7
|-
| Jul 13, 2001 || 0.7.8
|-
| Feb 16, 2002 || 0.7.9
|-
| Apr 20, 2002 || 0.7.10
|-
| Sep 7, 2002 || 0.8.0
|-
| Dec 3, 2002 || 0.9.0
|-
| Dec 5, 2002 || 0.9.1
|-
| Jun 4, 2003 || 0.9.2
|-
| Oct 24, 2003 || 0.9.3
|-
| Mar 26, 2004 || 0.9.4
|-
| Jul 29, 2004 || 0.9.5
|-
| Oct 12, 2004 || 0.9.6
|-
| Jan 18, 2005 || 0.9.8
|-
| Nov 17, 2005 || 0.9.9
|-
| Apr 5, 2006 || 0.9.10
|-
| May 2007 || 0.9.11-pre1
|-
| Dec 17, 2007 || 1.0.0
|-
| Dec 22, 2008 || 1.9.0
|-
| Jan 25, 2009 || 1.9.1
|-
| Feb 25, 2010 || 2.0.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2011 || 2.4.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2012 || 2.6.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2012 || 2.8.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2013 || 2.10
|-
| Sep 21, 2013 || 2.12
|-
| Feb 17, 2014 || 3.0
|-
| Oct 15, 2014 || 3.2
|-
| Feb 17, 2015 || 3.4
|-
| {{N/a}} || 3.6 (unreleased, see [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|here]])
|-
| Feb 17, 2016 || 2016.1.1 (new versioning scheme)
|-
| May 7, 2016 || 2016.1.2
|-
| May 17, 2016 || 2016.2.1
|-
| Sep 12, 2016 || 2016.3.1
|-
| Nov 19, 2016 || 2016.4.1
|-
| Nov 23, 2016 || 2016.4.2
|-
| Dec 5, 2016 || 2016.4.3
|-
| Dec 28, 2016 || 2016.4.4
|-
| Feb 23, 2017 || 2017.1.1
|-
| Mar 1, 2017 || 2017.1.2
|-
| Apr 4, 2017 || 2017.1.3
|-
| May 22, 2017 || 2017.2.1
|-
| Sep 20, 2017 || 2017.3.1
|-
| Apr 11, 2018 || 2018.1.1
|-
| May 22, 2018 || 2018.2.1
|-
| Dec 3, 2018 || 2018.3.1
|-
| Jan 29, 2019 || 2018.3.2
|-
| {{N/a}} || 2018.3.3 (not released)
|-
| Aug 9, 2019 || 2018.3.4
|-
| Apr 20, 2020 || 2018.3.5
|-
| Aug 9, 2020 || 2018.3.6
|-
| Mar 14, 2019 || 2019.1.1
|-
| Sep 1, 2019 || 2019.1.2
|-
| May 11, 2020 || 2020.1.1
|-
| May 25, 2020 || 2020.1.2
|-
| Jun 26, 2020 || 2020.1.3
|-
| Oct 13, 2020 || 2020.2.1
|-
| Oct 29, 2020 || 2020.3.1
|-
| Nov 6, 2020 || 2020.3.2
|-
| Nov 23, 2020 || 2020.3.3
|-
| Dec 1, 2020 || 2020.3.4
|-
| Dec 19, 2020 || 2020.3.5
|-
| Jan 24, 2021 || 2020.3.6
|-
| Mar 21, 2021 || 2020.3.7
|-
| Mar 25, 2021 || 2020.3.8
|-
| Jun 14, 2021 || 2020.3.9
|-
| Jul 26, 2021 || 2020.3.10
|-
| Jul 29, 2021 || 2020.3.11
|-
|Feb 6, 2022
|2020.3.12
|-
|Mar 30, 2022
|2020.3.13
|-
|Sep 27, 2022
|2020.3.14
|-
|Oct 12, 2022
|2020.3.15
|-
|Oct 20, 2022
|2020.3.16
|-
|Sep 22, 2022
|2020.3.17
|-
|Mar 21, 2023
|2020.3.18
|-
|Feb 27, 2025
|2024.1.1
|-
|Sep 18, 2025
|2024.1.2
|-
|Nov 2, 2025
|2024.1.3
|-
|Jan 21, 2026
|2024.1.4
|-
|Mar 22, 2026
|2024.1.5
|}

== Cycled default airports ==

FlightGear did not start changing the default airport until version 2016.1 was released. At that time, the idea was that each new release would have a new default airport. This chart lists the default airports since 2016.1 was released. Since 2018.1, the selection of a new default airport has been changed so that a new airport is selected for each new major version release instead of for each minor version release.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release !! ICAO !! Default Airport
|-
| 2016.1 || [[KSFO]] || San Francisco ''(transition)''
|-
| 2016.2 || [[LEBL]] || Barcelona
|-
| 2016.3 || [[SBRJ]] || Rio de Janeiro
|-
| 2016.4 || [[LSZH]] || Zürich
|-
| 2017.1 || [[ENBR]] || Bergen
|-
| 2017.2 || [[KBOS]] || Boston
|-
| 2017.3 || [[LKPR]] || Prague
|-
| 2018.1 || rowspan="4" | [[PHNL]] || rowspan="4" | Honolulu
|-
| 2018.2
|-
| 2018.3
|-
| 2019.1
|-
| 2020.1 || rowspan="4" | [[BIKF]] || rowspan="4" | Keflavik
|-
| 2020.2
|-
| 2020.3
|-
| 2024.1
|}

== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.flightgear.org/ Internet Archive: Wayback Machine for http://www.flightgear.org/ ]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19981212014011/http://flightgear.org/ Old website on December 5, 1998]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209082206/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/tucson.jpg link] ("A view from the ground near Tucson, AZ (KTUS)", old FlightGear screenshot)
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209050729/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/texture2.jpg link] ("Here's one of the Grand Canyon with a rock face texture. I know this looks funny, but I'm just experimenting here.", old FlightGear screenshot)

{{Appendix|2=
* {{wikipedia|FlightGear}}
* [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 Original Flight Gear Proposal] by David L. Murr (Revision 3.0.1)
* [ftp://flightgear.wo0t.de/flightgear-ftp/ FlightGear FTP Archive]
----
{{References}}
}}
[[fr:FlightGear history]]

[[Category:FlightGear]]

FlightGear history

2026-04-21T18:20:01Z

Fgf5: /* Beginnings (1996-1997) */

[[FlightGear]] development started with an online proposal in 1996, using custom 3D graphics code. Development of an [[OpenGL]] based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olson starting in 1997. Many people have contributed to the project in the years since its inception.

FlightGear incorporated other open-source resources, including the [[LaRCsim]] flight model from NASA, and freely available elevation data. The first working binaries, using OpenGL for 3D graphic code, came out in 1997. Enthusiastic development of newer versions for several years resulted in progressively more stable and advanced versions. By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly, and by 2005, the maturity of software lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity. 2007 marked a formal transition out of beta development with the release of version 1.0.0, ten years after FlightGear's first release in 1997.

In 2008, version 1.9.0 of FlightGear included a major change from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporarily loss of some features like 3D clouds and shadows, while newly added features, such as particles, imparted another degree of realism to the simulation.

== Beginnings (1996-1997) ==
[[File:FG SUNHALO.JPG|thumb|270px|March 18, 1999: one of the oldest surviving screenshots of FlightGear. Back then, FlightGear was the only PC based flight simulator rendering the [[Moon|sun, moon, and celestial]] objects at the correct position, and under the correct lighting conditions, in the sky. ]]
[[File:Image103.gif|thumb|Original Win95 icon]]
The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr who proposed a new flight simulator to be developed by volunteers<ref>David Murr (Apr 9, 1996). FlightGear proposal 1.0: [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.aviation.simulators/ny8HFBE5_T8/OdtIiGNGJc8J "A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@"]. Published on the rec.aviation.simulators newsgroup.</ref><ref>David Murr (1996). FlightGear proposal 2.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-2.0 FLIGHT GEAR "This truly is as real as it gets!" - a proposal for a new flight simulator - REVISION 2.0].</ref><ref>David Murr (Oct 29, 1996). FlightGear proposal 3.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0 - Wednesday, 10.30.96, "The future of flight simulation is here"]. Published on the [http://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/flightgear/www/old-stuff/flight-gear.9610 flight-gear@infoplane.com mailing list].</ref><ref>David Murr (Sep 11, 1998). FlightGear proposal 3.0.1: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0.1 - Friday, Sep.11.98, "The future of flight simulation is here"].</ref>. Part of the initial goals were to develop 2D and 3D graphics routines for the simulator. However this was a huge task that came to an unfinished halt at the start of 1997 as the main developer, Eric Korpela, was finishing his thesis.
 
Development of an OpenGL based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olsen starting in 1997, after the initial start in 1996. A large community response lead to many contributing to the project from its start in late '90s up to the present.
 

"''I was working at the University of Minnesota at the time, and had access to Sun and SGI graphical work stations which offered OpenGL for 3d graphics. OpenGl was just starting to become available on PC hardware with things like the 3dfx voodoo card. Somewhere at this point it occurred to me that a far better path would be to leverage an existing multi-platform 3d graphics system (like OpenGL) to build our flight simulator upon.''

''So I proceeded to rough together a basic scenery system, pasted on the larcsim flight model, and in a relatively short time was able to show actual flight over real 3d terrain. Good, realistic 3d terrain was something the other existing flight sims at the time were pretty far behind on ... and I think my work was enough of a breakthrough that it got a lot of people excited about the possibilities.''"~Curt Olson <ref>Curtis Olson (Sep 28, 2015). [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=27558&p=259048#p259021 Re: A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@]. Published on the FlightGear forum.</ref>
 

Rather than start entirely from scratch, FlightGear developers made use of the LaRCsim flight model from NASA, with OpenGL for 3D graphic code, and freely available elevation data. First working binaries came out in 1997, with an intense updating of newer versions for several years resulting in progressively more stable and advanced programs.

== Versions 0.7–0.9 (2001–2003) ==
By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly (0.7.x, 0.8.0, over 2001-2003) and with 0.9.xx (2003-2006). Later in the decade, the rate of final public releases slowed, but had larger amounts of content (0.9.10, 1.0.0 etc.). The maturity of software by 2005 lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity.

== Version 0.9.0-0.9.11 (2002-2007) ==
The use of version numbers slowed dramatically after the late 2002 release of version 0.9.0. Versions 0.9.9 (2005) and 0.9.10 (2006) had about 8 all-new or redone [[aircraft]] adding to a total of 70-90 aircraft. [[Nasal]] was also integrated into FlightGear in version 0.9.4. FlightGear 0.9.10 won Softpedia's "Pick" award (5 out of 5 stars) on June 3, 2006 as well as the "100% CLEAN" Softpedia award.

Behind the scenes there was a 0.9.11-pre1 released in 2007 that ended up being superseded by FlightGear 1.0. The pre-version had about 33 new or redone aircraft.

[[File:FG-A-10.jpg|thumb|270px|3D Cockpit panel for [[A-10]] in version 1.0.0 in 2008]]

== Version 1.0 (2008) ==
The version number marked a formal transition out of beta development since the software's first release in 1997, ten years prior.

== Version 1.9.0 (2008) ==
At the time version 1.9.0 was released FlightGear switched from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporary loss of some of the features like 3D clouds and shadows. On the contrary new features such as particles add another degree of realism to the simulation. Most aircraft developed for OSG do not work with older versions. The user is able to choose from 230 aircraft provided with 1.9.0, although only a few are included in the base package.
Version 1.9.1, released shortly afterwards, was a bug fix release.

== Version 2.0.0 (2010) ==
FlightGear 2.0.0 reflects the maturation of the OpenSceneGraph port that started with the previous 1.9.0 release. In addition to many internal code improvements, FlightGear 2.0.0 marks the introduction of many new exciting improvements in the graphics and sound system, as well as improved usability of key features, and improved behavior of existing features. Highlights of this new version include: Dramatic new 3D clouds, dramatic lighting conditions, improved support for custom scenery, and many many new and detailed aircraft models.

== Version 2.4.0 (2011) ==
Starting with version 2.4.0, the FlightGear team adopted a [[release plan]]. From then on, a new version is released every February and August.

==Version 3.8.0/2016.1.0==
{{Main article|Release plan#Detailed time schedule and checklist}}
Following the cancellation of 3.6, the modern FlightGear team revised the release plan and process. New releases are essentially selected and tuned "nightlies" instead of special compilations.

Also, in this release the concept of rotating default airports first started. All FlightGear releases after 2016.1 have unique default airports and 'codenames'.

{{Main article|Release plan/Lessons learned#2016.1}}

== Version 2018.1 "Honolulu" (2018) ==
Released in April 2018, version 2018.1 was the first major update in the 2018 release cycle. This version focused on environmental realism and significant improvements to the YASim flight dynamics model (FDM), including support for multiple wing sections to model variable wing geometry. The "Honolulu" release featured PHNL as the default airport and introduced active volcanoes such as Kilauea and Etna, which integrated environmental physics by generating increased turbulence in their vicinity. The [[Atmospheric light scattering|ALS (Atmospheric Light Scattering)]] renderer was also updated with extra volumetric vegetation layers for denser undergrowth.

== Version 2019.1 (2019) ==
Version 2019.1, released in March 2019, introduced the "Compositor," an experimental XML-configurable rendering framework designed to replace legacy hard-coded rendering paths. This framework enabled advanced post-processing effects and Cascaded Shadow Mapping (CSM) for more realistic environmental shadows. Other technical advancements included the introduction of a DDS Texture Cache to speed up loading times and the implementation of 8.33 kHz radio frequency spacing for aircraft like the [[Boeing 777]] to comply with modern European airspace requirements.

== Version 2020.1 and 2020.3 LTS (2020) ==
The 2020 cycle saw the release of 2020.1 in May and the Long Term Support (LTS) version, 2020.3, in October. This era was marked by a shift toward data integrity, particularly in the JSBSim FDM, where gyros were updated to measure rotation rates rather than rotational accelerations to better match physical reality. Graphical performance was enhanced through instanced-based rendering for OpenStreetMap (OSM) buildings, which was later integrated into the [[TerraSync]] system (v2020.3.7) for global coverage. The release also featured expanded aircraft carrier support with new launcher options for takeoff and approach positions.

== Version 2024.1 (2025-2026) ==
Replacing the 2020.3 LTS, version 2024.1 (officially released in February 2025 as v2024.1.1) represents a major technological pivot for the project. Key highlights include:

* [[VR]] Support: Preliminary integration of VR headsets using the OpenXR standard.

* [[World Scenery 3.0]] (WS3.0): A preview of a new Quadtree-based scenery system utilizing Virtual Planet Builder, providing higher frame rates and lower memory usage through multiple levels of detail.

* Dynamic Lighting and Shadows: Real-time dynamic shadows and lighting were added to the core rendering engine.

* Climate Modeling: The legacy season selection was replaced with a holistic climate model calculating environmental factors like snow lines and ocean temperatures dynamically.

Additionally, some old components including UIUC are removed.

== Release timeline ==
Final build code release dates by year.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width:40%; margin:auto"
! Date !! Version
|-
| Jul 17, 1997 || First major code release
|-
| Sep 23, 1997 || 0.12
|-
| Dec 9, 1997 || 0.15
|-
| Dec 17, 1997 || 0.18
|-
| Dec 30, 1997 || 0.19 (first binaries)
|-
| Jan 6, 1998 || 0.22
|-
| Mar 11 98 || 0.37
|-
| Apr 8, 1998 || 0.41
|-
| Apr 14, 1998 || 0.42
|-
| Apr 23, 1998 || 0.43
|-
| Apr 28, 1998 || 0.44
|-
| May 7, 1998 || 0.45
|-
| May 11, 1998 || 0.46
|-
| May 18, 1998 || 0.47
|-
| Jun 9, 1998 || 0.48
|-
| Jun 27, 1998 || 0.49
|-
| Jul 13, 1998 || 0.50
|-
| Jul 21, 1998 || 0.51
|-
| Aug 15, 1998 || 0.52
|-
| Sep 2, 1998 || 0.53
|-
| Sep 25, 1998 || 0.54
|-
| Oct 23, 1998 || 0.55
|-
| Nov 23, 1998 || 0.56
|-
| Jan 21, 1999 || 0.57
|-
| Feb 10, 1999 || 0.58
|-
| Mar 31, 1999 || 0.59
|-
| May 26, 1999 || 0.6.0
|-
| Jun 21, 1999 || 0.6.1 (Stable)
|-
|rowspan=2 | Sep 11, 1999 || 0.7.0 (Development)
|-
| 0.6.2 (Stable)
|-
| Oct 22, 1999 || 0.7.1 (Development)
|-
| Feb 17, 2000 || 0.7.2 (Development)
|-
| May 18, 2000 || 0.7.3 (Development)
|-
| Jul 20, 2000 || 0.7.4
|-
| Sep 18, 2000 || 0.7.5
|-
| Dec 19, 2000 || 0.7.6
|-
| Jun 20, 2001 || 0.7.7
|-
| Jul 13, 2001 || 0.7.8
|-
| Feb 16, 2002 || 0.7.9
|-
| Apr 20, 2002 || 0.7.10
|-
| Sep 7, 2002 || 0.8.0
|-
| Dec 3, 2002 || 0.9.0
|-
| Dec 5, 2002 || 0.9.1
|-
| Jun 4, 2003 || 0.9.2
|-
| Oct 24, 2003 || 0.9.3
|-
| Mar 26, 2004 || 0.9.4
|-
| Jul 29, 2004 || 0.9.5
|-
| Oct 12, 2004 || 0.9.6
|-
| Jan 18, 2005 || 0.9.8
|-
| Nov 17, 2005 || 0.9.9
|-
| Apr 5, 2006 || 0.9.10
|-
| May 2007 || 0.9.11-pre1
|-
| Dec 17, 2007 || 1.0.0
|-
| Dec 22, 2008 || 1.9.0
|-
| Jan 25, 2009 || 1.9.1
|-
| Feb 25, 2010 || 2.0.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2011 || 2.4.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2012 || 2.6.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2012 || 2.8.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2013 || 2.10
|-
| Sep 21, 2013 || 2.12
|-
| Feb 17, 2014 || 3.0
|-
| Oct 15, 2014 || 3.2
|-
| Feb 17, 2015 || 3.4
|-
| {{N/a}} || 3.6 (unreleased, see [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|here]])
|-
| Feb 17, 2016 || 2016.1.1 (new versioning scheme)
|-
| May 7, 2016 || 2016.1.2
|-
| May 17, 2016 || 2016.2.1
|-
| Sep 12, 2016 || 2016.3.1
|-
| Nov 19, 2016 || 2016.4.1
|-
| Nov 23, 2016 || 2016.4.2
|-
| Dec 5, 2016 || 2016.4.3
|-
| Dec 28, 2016 || 2016.4.4
|-
| Feb 23, 2017 || 2017.1.1
|-
| Mar 1, 2017 || 2017.1.2
|-
| Apr 4, 2017 || 2017.1.3
|-
| May 22, 2017 || 2017.2.1
|-
| Sep 20, 2017 || 2017.3.1
|-
| Apr 11, 2018 || 2018.1.1
|-
| May 22, 2018 || 2018.2.1
|-
| Dec 3, 2018 || 2018.3.1
|-
| Jan 29, 2019 || 2018.3.2
|-
| {{N/a}} || 2018.3.3 (not released)
|-
| Aug 9, 2019 || 2018.3.4
|-
| Apr 20, 2020 || 2018.3.5
|-
| Aug 9, 2020 || 2018.3.6
|-
| Mar 14, 2019 || 2019.1.1
|-
| Sep 1, 2019 || 2019.1.2
|-
| May 11, 2020 || 2020.1.1
|-
| May 25, 2020 || 2020.1.2
|-
| Jun 26, 2020 || 2020.1.3
|-
| Oct 13, 2020 || 2020.2.1
|-
| Oct 29, 2020 || 2020.3.1
|-
| Nov 6, 2020 || 2020.3.2
|-
| Nov 23, 2020 || 2020.3.3
|-
| Dec 1, 2020 || 2020.3.4
|-
| Dec 19, 2020 || 2020.3.5
|-
| Jan 24, 2021 || 2020.3.6
|-
| Mar 21, 2021 || 2020.3.7
|-
| Mar 25, 2021 || 2020.3.8
|-
| Jun 14, 2021 || 2020.3.9
|-
| Jul 26, 2021 || 2020.3.10
|-
| Jul 29, 2021 || 2020.3.11
|-
|Feb 6, 2022
|2020.3.12
|-
|Mar 30, 2022
|2020.3.13
|-
|Sep 27, 2022
|2020.3.14
|-
|Oct 12, 2022
|2020.3.15
|-
|Oct 20, 2022
|2020.3.16
|-
|Sep 22, 2022
|2020.3.17
|-
|Mar 21, 2023
|2020.3.18
|-
|Feb 27, 2025
|2024.1.1
|-
|Sep 18, 2025
|2024.1.2
|-
|Nov 2, 2025
|2024.1.3
|-
|Jan 21, 2026
|2024.1.4
|-
|Mar 22, 2026
|2024.1.5
|}

== Cycled default airports ==

FlightGear did not start changing the default airport until version 2016.1 was released. At that time, the idea was that each new release would have a new default airport. This chart lists the default airports since 2016.1 was released. Since 2018.1, the selection of a new default airport has been changed so that a new airport is selected for each new major version release instead of for each minor version release.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release !! ICAO !! Default Airport
|-
| 2016.1 || [[KSFO]] || San Francisco ''(transition)''
|-
| 2016.2 || [[LEBL]] || Barcelona
|-
| 2016.3 || [[SBRJ]] || Rio de Janeiro
|-
| 2016.4 || [[LSZH]] || Zürich
|-
| 2017.1 || [[ENBR]] || Bergen
|-
| 2017.2 || [[KBOS]] || Boston
|-
| 2017.3 || [[LKPR]] || Prague
|-
| 2018.1 || rowspan="4" | [[PHNL]] || rowspan="4" | Honolulu
|-
| 2018.2
|-
| 2018.3
|-
| 2019.1
|-
| 2020.1 || rowspan="4" | [[BIKF]] || rowspan="4" | Keflavik
|-
| 2020.2
|-
| 2020.3
|-
| 2024.1
|}

== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.flightgear.org/ Internet Archive: Wayback Machine for http://www.flightgear.org/ ]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19981212014011/http://flightgear.org/ Old website on December 5, 1998]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209082206/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/tucson.jpg link] ("A view from the ground near Tucson, AZ (KTUS)", old FlightGear screenshot)
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209050729/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/texture2.jpg link] ("Here's one of the Grand Canyon with a rock face texture. I know this looks funny, but I'm just experimenting here.", old FlightGear screenshot)

{{Appendix|2=
* {{wikipedia|FlightGear}}
* [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 Original Flight Gear Proposal] by David L. Murr (Revision 3.0.1)
* [ftp://flightgear.wo0t.de/flightgear-ftp/ FlightGear FTP Archive]
----
{{References}}
}}
[[fr:FlightGear history]]

[[Category:FlightGear]]

FlightGear history

2026-04-21T18:19:34Z

Fgf5: /* Beginnings (1996-1997) */

[[FlightGear]] development started with an online proposal in 1996, using custom 3D graphics code. Development of an [[OpenGL]] based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olson starting in 1997. Many people have contributed to the project in the years since its inception.

FlightGear incorporated other open-source resources, including the [[LaRCsim]] flight model from NASA, and freely available elevation data. The first working binaries, using OpenGL for 3D graphic code, came out in 1997. Enthusiastic development of newer versions for several years resulted in progressively more stable and advanced versions. By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly, and by 2005, the maturity of software lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity. 2007 marked a formal transition out of beta development with the release of version 1.0.0, ten years after FlightGear's first release in 1997.

In 2008, version 1.9.0 of FlightGear included a major change from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporarily loss of some features like 3D clouds and shadows, while newly added features, such as particles, imparted another degree of realism to the simulation.

== Beginnings (1996-1997) ==
[[File:FG SUNHALO.JPG|thumb|270px|March 18, 1999: one of the oldest surviving screenshots of FlightGear. Back then, FlightGear was the only PC based flight simulator rendering the [[Moon|sun, moon, and celestial]] objects at the correct position, and under the correct lighting conditions, in the sky. ]]
[[File:Image103.gif|thumb|Original Win95 icon]]
The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr who proposed a new flight simulator to be developed by volunteers<ref>David Murr (Apr 9, 1996). FlightGear proposal 1.0: [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.aviation.simulators/ny8HFBE5_T8/OdtIiGNGJc8J "A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@"]. Published on the rec.aviation.simulators newsgroup.</ref><ref>David Murr (1996). FlightGear proposal 2.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-2.0 FLIGHT GEAR "This truly is as real as it gets!" - a proposal for a new flight simulator - REVISION 2.0].</ref><ref>David Murr (Oct 29, 1996). FlightGear proposal 3.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0 - Wednesday, 10.30.96, "The future of flight simulation is here"]. Published on the [http://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/flightgear/www/old-stuff/flight-gear.9610 flight-gear@infoplane.com mailing list].</ref><ref>David Murr (Sep 11, 1998). FlightGear proposal 3.0.1: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0.1 - Friday, Sep.11.98, "The future of flight simulation is here"].</ref>. Part of the initial goals were to develop 2D and 3D graphics routines for the simulator. However this was a huge task that came to an unfinished halt at the start of 1997 as the main developer, Eric Korpela, was finishing his thesis.
 
Development of an OpenGL based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olsen starting in 1997, after the initial start in 1996. A large community response lead to many contributing to the project from its start in late '90s up to the present.
 

"''I was working at the University of Minnesota at the time, and had access to Sun and SGI graphical work stations which offered OpenGL for 3d graphics. OpenGl was just starting to become available on PC hardware with things like the 3dfx voodoo card. Somewhere at this point it occurred to me that a far better path would be to leverage an existing multi-platform 3d graphics system (like OpenGL) to build our flight simulator upon.''

''So I proceeded to rough together a basic scenery system, pasted on the larcsim flight model, and in a relatively short time was able to show actual flight over real 3d terrain. Good, realistic 3d terrain was something the other existing flight sims at the time were pretty far behind on ... and I think my work was enough of a breakthrough that it got a lot of people excited about the possibilities.''"~Curt Olson <ref>Curtis Olson (Sep 28, 2015). [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=27558&p=259048#p259021 Re: A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@]. Published on the FlightGear forum.</ref>
 
Rather than start entirely from scratch, FlightGear developers made use of the LaRCsim flight model from NASA, with OpenGL for 3D graphic code, and freely available elevation data. First working binaries came out in 1997, with an intense updating of newer versions for several years resulting in progressively more stable and advanced programs.

== Versions 0.7–0.9 (2001–2003) ==
By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly (0.7.x, 0.8.0, over 2001-2003) and with 0.9.xx (2003-2006). Later in the decade, the rate of final public releases slowed, but had larger amounts of content (0.9.10, 1.0.0 etc.). The maturity of software by 2005 lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity.

== Version 0.9.0-0.9.11 (2002-2007) ==
The use of version numbers slowed dramatically after the late 2002 release of version 0.9.0. Versions 0.9.9 (2005) and 0.9.10 (2006) had about 8 all-new or redone [[aircraft]] adding to a total of 70-90 aircraft. [[Nasal]] was also integrated into FlightGear in version 0.9.4. FlightGear 0.9.10 won Softpedia's "Pick" award (5 out of 5 stars) on June 3, 2006 as well as the "100% CLEAN" Softpedia award.

Behind the scenes there was a 0.9.11-pre1 released in 2007 that ended up being superseded by FlightGear 1.0. The pre-version had about 33 new or redone aircraft.

[[File:FG-A-10.jpg|thumb|270px|3D Cockpit panel for [[A-10]] in version 1.0.0 in 2008]]

== Version 1.0 (2008) ==
The version number marked a formal transition out of beta development since the software's first release in 1997, ten years prior.

== Version 1.9.0 (2008) ==
At the time version 1.9.0 was released FlightGear switched from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporary loss of some of the features like 3D clouds and shadows. On the contrary new features such as particles add another degree of realism to the simulation. Most aircraft developed for OSG do not work with older versions. The user is able to choose from 230 aircraft provided with 1.9.0, although only a few are included in the base package.
Version 1.9.1, released shortly afterwards, was a bug fix release.

== Version 2.0.0 (2010) ==
FlightGear 2.0.0 reflects the maturation of the OpenSceneGraph port that started with the previous 1.9.0 release. In addition to many internal code improvements, FlightGear 2.0.0 marks the introduction of many new exciting improvements in the graphics and sound system, as well as improved usability of key features, and improved behavior of existing features. Highlights of this new version include: Dramatic new 3D clouds, dramatic lighting conditions, improved support for custom scenery, and many many new and detailed aircraft models.

== Version 2.4.0 (2011) ==
Starting with version 2.4.0, the FlightGear team adopted a [[release plan]]. From then on, a new version is released every February and August.

==Version 3.8.0/2016.1.0==
{{Main article|Release plan#Detailed time schedule and checklist}}
Following the cancellation of 3.6, the modern FlightGear team revised the release plan and process. New releases are essentially selected and tuned "nightlies" instead of special compilations.

Also, in this release the concept of rotating default airports first started. All FlightGear releases after 2016.1 have unique default airports and 'codenames'.

{{Main article|Release plan/Lessons learned#2016.1}}

== Version 2018.1 "Honolulu" (2018) ==
Released in April 2018, version 2018.1 was the first major update in the 2018 release cycle. This version focused on environmental realism and significant improvements to the YASim flight dynamics model (FDM), including support for multiple wing sections to model variable wing geometry. The "Honolulu" release featured PHNL as the default airport and introduced active volcanoes such as Kilauea and Etna, which integrated environmental physics by generating increased turbulence in their vicinity. The [[Atmospheric light scattering|ALS (Atmospheric Light Scattering)]] renderer was also updated with extra volumetric vegetation layers for denser undergrowth.

== Version 2019.1 (2019) ==
Version 2019.1, released in March 2019, introduced the "Compositor," an experimental XML-configurable rendering framework designed to replace legacy hard-coded rendering paths. This framework enabled advanced post-processing effects and Cascaded Shadow Mapping (CSM) for more realistic environmental shadows. Other technical advancements included the introduction of a DDS Texture Cache to speed up loading times and the implementation of 8.33 kHz radio frequency spacing for aircraft like the [[Boeing 777]] to comply with modern European airspace requirements.

== Version 2020.1 and 2020.3 LTS (2020) ==
The 2020 cycle saw the release of 2020.1 in May and the Long Term Support (LTS) version, 2020.3, in October. This era was marked by a shift toward data integrity, particularly in the JSBSim FDM, where gyros were updated to measure rotation rates rather than rotational accelerations to better match physical reality. Graphical performance was enhanced through instanced-based rendering for OpenStreetMap (OSM) buildings, which was later integrated into the [[TerraSync]] system (v2020.3.7) for global coverage. The release also featured expanded aircraft carrier support with new launcher options for takeoff and approach positions.

== Version 2024.1 (2025-2026) ==
Replacing the 2020.3 LTS, version 2024.1 (officially released in February 2025 as v2024.1.1) represents a major technological pivot for the project. Key highlights include:

* [[VR]] Support: Preliminary integration of VR headsets using the OpenXR standard.

* [[World Scenery 3.0]] (WS3.0): A preview of a new Quadtree-based scenery system utilizing Virtual Planet Builder, providing higher frame rates and lower memory usage through multiple levels of detail.

* Dynamic Lighting and Shadows: Real-time dynamic shadows and lighting were added to the core rendering engine.

* Climate Modeling: The legacy season selection was replaced with a holistic climate model calculating environmental factors like snow lines and ocean temperatures dynamically.

Additionally, some old components including UIUC are removed.

== Release timeline ==
Final build code release dates by year.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width:40%; margin:auto"
! Date !! Version
|-
| Jul 17, 1997 || First major code release
|-
| Sep 23, 1997 || 0.12
|-
| Dec 9, 1997 || 0.15
|-
| Dec 17, 1997 || 0.18
|-
| Dec 30, 1997 || 0.19 (first binaries)
|-
| Jan 6, 1998 || 0.22
|-
| Mar 11 98 || 0.37
|-
| Apr 8, 1998 || 0.41
|-
| Apr 14, 1998 || 0.42
|-
| Apr 23, 1998 || 0.43
|-
| Apr 28, 1998 || 0.44
|-
| May 7, 1998 || 0.45
|-
| May 11, 1998 || 0.46
|-
| May 18, 1998 || 0.47
|-
| Jun 9, 1998 || 0.48
|-
| Jun 27, 1998 || 0.49
|-
| Jul 13, 1998 || 0.50
|-
| Jul 21, 1998 || 0.51
|-
| Aug 15, 1998 || 0.52
|-
| Sep 2, 1998 || 0.53
|-
| Sep 25, 1998 || 0.54
|-
| Oct 23, 1998 || 0.55
|-
| Nov 23, 1998 || 0.56
|-
| Jan 21, 1999 || 0.57
|-
| Feb 10, 1999 || 0.58
|-
| Mar 31, 1999 || 0.59
|-
| May 26, 1999 || 0.6.0
|-
| Jun 21, 1999 || 0.6.1 (Stable)
|-
|rowspan=2 | Sep 11, 1999 || 0.7.0 (Development)
|-
| 0.6.2 (Stable)
|-
| Oct 22, 1999 || 0.7.1 (Development)
|-
| Feb 17, 2000 || 0.7.2 (Development)
|-
| May 18, 2000 || 0.7.3 (Development)
|-
| Jul 20, 2000 || 0.7.4
|-
| Sep 18, 2000 || 0.7.5
|-
| Dec 19, 2000 || 0.7.6
|-
| Jun 20, 2001 || 0.7.7
|-
| Jul 13, 2001 || 0.7.8
|-
| Feb 16, 2002 || 0.7.9
|-
| Apr 20, 2002 || 0.7.10
|-
| Sep 7, 2002 || 0.8.0
|-
| Dec 3, 2002 || 0.9.0
|-
| Dec 5, 2002 || 0.9.1
|-
| Jun 4, 2003 || 0.9.2
|-
| Oct 24, 2003 || 0.9.3
|-
| Mar 26, 2004 || 0.9.4
|-
| Jul 29, 2004 || 0.9.5
|-
| Oct 12, 2004 || 0.9.6
|-
| Jan 18, 2005 || 0.9.8
|-
| Nov 17, 2005 || 0.9.9
|-
| Apr 5, 2006 || 0.9.10
|-
| May 2007 || 0.9.11-pre1
|-
| Dec 17, 2007 || 1.0.0
|-
| Dec 22, 2008 || 1.9.0
|-
| Jan 25, 2009 || 1.9.1
|-
| Feb 25, 2010 || 2.0.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2011 || 2.4.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2012 || 2.6.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2012 || 2.8.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2013 || 2.10
|-
| Sep 21, 2013 || 2.12
|-
| Feb 17, 2014 || 3.0
|-
| Oct 15, 2014 || 3.2
|-
| Feb 17, 2015 || 3.4
|-
| {{N/a}} || 3.6 (unreleased, see [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|here]])
|-
| Feb 17, 2016 || 2016.1.1 (new versioning scheme)
|-
| May 7, 2016 || 2016.1.2
|-
| May 17, 2016 || 2016.2.1
|-
| Sep 12, 2016 || 2016.3.1
|-
| Nov 19, 2016 || 2016.4.1
|-
| Nov 23, 2016 || 2016.4.2
|-
| Dec 5, 2016 || 2016.4.3
|-
| Dec 28, 2016 || 2016.4.4
|-
| Feb 23, 2017 || 2017.1.1
|-
| Mar 1, 2017 || 2017.1.2
|-
| Apr 4, 2017 || 2017.1.3
|-
| May 22, 2017 || 2017.2.1
|-
| Sep 20, 2017 || 2017.3.1
|-
| Apr 11, 2018 || 2018.1.1
|-
| May 22, 2018 || 2018.2.1
|-
| Dec 3, 2018 || 2018.3.1
|-
| Jan 29, 2019 || 2018.3.2
|-
| {{N/a}} || 2018.3.3 (not released)
|-
| Aug 9, 2019 || 2018.3.4
|-
| Apr 20, 2020 || 2018.3.5
|-
| Aug 9, 2020 || 2018.3.6
|-
| Mar 14, 2019 || 2019.1.1
|-
| Sep 1, 2019 || 2019.1.2
|-
| May 11, 2020 || 2020.1.1
|-
| May 25, 2020 || 2020.1.2
|-
| Jun 26, 2020 || 2020.1.3
|-
| Oct 13, 2020 || 2020.2.1
|-
| Oct 29, 2020 || 2020.3.1
|-
| Nov 6, 2020 || 2020.3.2
|-
| Nov 23, 2020 || 2020.3.3
|-
| Dec 1, 2020 || 2020.3.4
|-
| Dec 19, 2020 || 2020.3.5
|-
| Jan 24, 2021 || 2020.3.6
|-
| Mar 21, 2021 || 2020.3.7
|-
| Mar 25, 2021 || 2020.3.8
|-
| Jun 14, 2021 || 2020.3.9
|-
| Jul 26, 2021 || 2020.3.10
|-
| Jul 29, 2021 || 2020.3.11
|-
|Feb 6, 2022
|2020.3.12
|-
|Mar 30, 2022
|2020.3.13
|-
|Sep 27, 2022
|2020.3.14
|-
|Oct 12, 2022
|2020.3.15
|-
|Oct 20, 2022
|2020.3.16
|-
|Sep 22, 2022
|2020.3.17
|-
|Mar 21, 2023
|2020.3.18
|-
|Feb 27, 2025
|2024.1.1
|-
|Sep 18, 2025
|2024.1.2
|-
|Nov 2, 2025
|2024.1.3
|-
|Jan 21, 2026
|2024.1.4
|-
|Mar 22, 2026
|2024.1.5
|}

== Cycled default airports ==

FlightGear did not start changing the default airport until version 2016.1 was released. At that time, the idea was that each new release would have a new default airport. This chart lists the default airports since 2016.1 was released. Since 2018.1, the selection of a new default airport has been changed so that a new airport is selected for each new major version release instead of for each minor version release.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release !! ICAO !! Default Airport
|-
| 2016.1 || [[KSFO]] || San Francisco ''(transition)''
|-
| 2016.2 || [[LEBL]] || Barcelona
|-
| 2016.3 || [[SBRJ]] || Rio de Janeiro
|-
| 2016.4 || [[LSZH]] || Zürich
|-
| 2017.1 || [[ENBR]] || Bergen
|-
| 2017.2 || [[KBOS]] || Boston
|-
| 2017.3 || [[LKPR]] || Prague
|-
| 2018.1 || rowspan="4" | [[PHNL]] || rowspan="4" | Honolulu
|-
| 2018.2
|-
| 2018.3
|-
| 2019.1
|-
| 2020.1 || rowspan="4" | [[BIKF]] || rowspan="4" | Keflavik
|-
| 2020.2
|-
| 2020.3
|-
| 2024.1
|}

== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.flightgear.org/ Internet Archive: Wayback Machine for http://www.flightgear.org/ ]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19981212014011/http://flightgear.org/ Old website on December 5, 1998]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209082206/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/tucson.jpg link] ("A view from the ground near Tucson, AZ (KTUS)", old FlightGear screenshot)
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209050729/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/texture2.jpg link] ("Here's one of the Grand Canyon with a rock face texture. I know this looks funny, but I'm just experimenting here.", old FlightGear screenshot)

{{Appendix|2=
* {{wikipedia|FlightGear}}
* [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 Original Flight Gear Proposal] by David L. Murr (Revision 3.0.1)
* [ftp://flightgear.wo0t.de/flightgear-ftp/ FlightGear FTP Archive]
----
{{References}}
}}
[[fr:FlightGear history]]

[[Category:FlightGear]]

FlightGear history

2026-04-21T18:18:47Z

Fgf5: /* Version 2020.1 and 2020.3 LTS (2020) */

[[FlightGear]] development started with an online proposal in 1996, using custom 3D graphics code. Development of an [[OpenGL]] based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olson starting in 1997. Many people have contributed to the project in the years since its inception.

FlightGear incorporated other open-source resources, including the [[LaRCsim]] flight model from NASA, and freely available elevation data. The first working binaries, using OpenGL for 3D graphic code, came out in 1997. Enthusiastic development of newer versions for several years resulted in progressively more stable and advanced versions. By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly, and by 2005, the maturity of software lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity. 2007 marked a formal transition out of beta development with the release of version 1.0.0, ten years after FlightGear's first release in 1997.

In 2008, version 1.9.0 of FlightGear included a major change from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporarily loss of some features like 3D clouds and shadows, while newly added features, such as particles, imparted another degree of realism to the simulation.

== Beginnings (1996-1997) ==
[[File:FG SUNHALO.JPG|thumb|270px|March 18, 1999: one of the oldest surviving screenshots of FlightGear. Back then, FlightGear was the only PC based flight simulator rendering the [[Moon|sun, moon, and celestial]] objects at the correct position, and under the correct lighting conditions, in the sky. ]]
[[File:Image103.gif|thumb|Original Win95 icon]]
The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr who proposed a new flight simulator to be developed by volunteers<ref>David Murr (Apr 9, 1996). FlightGear proposal 1.0: [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.aviation.simulators/ny8HFBE5_T8/OdtIiGNGJc8J "A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@"]. Published on the rec.aviation.simulators newsgroup.</ref><ref>David Murr (1996). FlightGear proposal 2.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-2.0 FLIGHT GEAR "This truly is as real as it gets!" - a proposal for a new flight simulator - REVISION 2.0].</ref><ref>David Murr (Oct 29, 1996). FlightGear proposal 3.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0 - Wednesday, 10.30.96, "The future of flight simulation is here"]. Published on the [http://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/flightgear/www/old-stuff/flight-gear.9610 flight-gear@infoplane.com mailing list].</ref><ref>David Murr (Sep 11, 1998). FlightGear proposal 3.0.1: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0.1 - Friday, Sep.11.98, "The future of flight simulation is here"].</ref>. Part of the initial goals were to develop 2D and 3D graphics routines for the simulator. However this was a huge task that came to an unfinished halt at the start of 1997 as the main developer, Eric Korpela, was finishing his thesis.
 
Development of an OpenGL based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olsen starting in 1997, after the initial start in 1996. A large community response lead to many contributing to the project from its start in late '90s up to the present.
 
"''I was working at the University of Minnesota at the time, and had access to Sun and SGI graphical work stations which offered OpenGL for 3d graphics. OpenGl was just starting to become available on PC hardware with things like the 3dfx voodoo card. Somewhere at this point it occurred to me that a far better path would be to leverage an existing multi-platform 3d graphics system (like OpenGL) to build our flight simulator upon.''

''So I proceeded to rough together a basic scenery system, pasted on the larcsim flight model, and in a relatively short time was able to show actual flight over real 3d terrain. Good, realistic 3d terrain was something the other existing flight sims at the time were pretty far behind on ... and I think my work was enough of a breakthrough that it got a lot of people excited about the possibilities.''"~Curt Olson <ref>Curtis Olson (Sep 28, 2015). [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=27558&p=259048#p259021 Re: A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@]. Published on the FlightGear forum.</ref>
 
Rather than start entirely from scratch, FlightGear developers made use of the LaRCsim flight model from NASA, with OpenGL for 3D graphic code, and freely available elevation data. First working binaries came out in 1997, with an intense updating of newer versions for several years resulting in progressively more stable and advanced programs.

== Versions 0.7–0.9 (2001–2003) ==
By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly (0.7.x, 0.8.0, over 2001-2003) and with 0.9.xx (2003-2006). Later in the decade, the rate of final public releases slowed, but had larger amounts of content (0.9.10, 1.0.0 etc.). The maturity of software by 2005 lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity.

== Version 0.9.0-0.9.11 (2002-2007) ==
The use of version numbers slowed dramatically after the late 2002 release of version 0.9.0. Versions 0.9.9 (2005) and 0.9.10 (2006) had about 8 all-new or redone [[aircraft]] adding to a total of 70-90 aircraft. [[Nasal]] was also integrated into FlightGear in version 0.9.4. FlightGear 0.9.10 won Softpedia's "Pick" award (5 out of 5 stars) on June 3, 2006 as well as the "100% CLEAN" Softpedia award.

Behind the scenes there was a 0.9.11-pre1 released in 2007 that ended up being superseded by FlightGear 1.0. The pre-version had about 33 new or redone aircraft.

[[File:FG-A-10.jpg|thumb|270px|3D Cockpit panel for [[A-10]] in version 1.0.0 in 2008]]

== Version 1.0 (2008) ==
The version number marked a formal transition out of beta development since the software's first release in 1997, ten years prior.

== Version 1.9.0 (2008) ==
At the time version 1.9.0 was released FlightGear switched from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporary loss of some of the features like 3D clouds and shadows. On the contrary new features such as particles add another degree of realism to the simulation. Most aircraft developed for OSG do not work with older versions. The user is able to choose from 230 aircraft provided with 1.9.0, although only a few are included in the base package.
Version 1.9.1, released shortly afterwards, was a bug fix release.

== Version 2.0.0 (2010) ==
FlightGear 2.0.0 reflects the maturation of the OpenSceneGraph port that started with the previous 1.9.0 release. In addition to many internal code improvements, FlightGear 2.0.0 marks the introduction of many new exciting improvements in the graphics and sound system, as well as improved usability of key features, and improved behavior of existing features. Highlights of this new version include: Dramatic new 3D clouds, dramatic lighting conditions, improved support for custom scenery, and many many new and detailed aircraft models.

== Version 2.4.0 (2011) ==
Starting with version 2.4.0, the FlightGear team adopted a [[release plan]]. From then on, a new version is released every February and August.

==Version 3.8.0/2016.1.0==
{{Main article|Release plan#Detailed time schedule and checklist}}
Following the cancellation of 3.6, the modern FlightGear team revised the release plan and process. New releases are essentially selected and tuned "nightlies" instead of special compilations.

Also, in this release the concept of rotating default airports first started. All FlightGear releases after 2016.1 have unique default airports and 'codenames'.

{{Main article|Release plan/Lessons learned#2016.1}}

== Version 2018.1 "Honolulu" (2018) ==
Released in April 2018, version 2018.1 was the first major update in the 2018 release cycle. This version focused on environmental realism and significant improvements to the YASim flight dynamics model (FDM), including support for multiple wing sections to model variable wing geometry. The "Honolulu" release featured PHNL as the default airport and introduced active volcanoes such as Kilauea and Etna, which integrated environmental physics by generating increased turbulence in their vicinity. The [[Atmospheric light scattering|ALS (Atmospheric Light Scattering)]] renderer was also updated with extra volumetric vegetation layers for denser undergrowth.

== Version 2019.1 (2019) ==
Version 2019.1, released in March 2019, introduced the "Compositor," an experimental XML-configurable rendering framework designed to replace legacy hard-coded rendering paths. This framework enabled advanced post-processing effects and Cascaded Shadow Mapping (CSM) for more realistic environmental shadows. Other technical advancements included the introduction of a DDS Texture Cache to speed up loading times and the implementation of 8.33 kHz radio frequency spacing for aircraft like the [[Boeing 777]] to comply with modern European airspace requirements.

== Version 2020.1 and 2020.3 LTS (2020) ==
The 2020 cycle saw the release of 2020.1 in May and the Long Term Support (LTS) version, 2020.3, in October. This era was marked by a shift toward data integrity, particularly in the JSBSim FDM, where gyros were updated to measure rotation rates rather than rotational accelerations to better match physical reality. Graphical performance was enhanced through instanced-based rendering for OpenStreetMap (OSM) buildings, which was later integrated into the [[TerraSync]] system (v2020.3.7) for global coverage. The release also featured expanded aircraft carrier support with new launcher options for takeoff and approach positions.

== Version 2024.1 (2025-2026) ==
Replacing the 2020.3 LTS, version 2024.1 (officially released in February 2025 as v2024.1.1) represents a major technological pivot for the project. Key highlights include:

* [[VR]] Support: Preliminary integration of VR headsets using the OpenXR standard.

* [[World Scenery 3.0]] (WS3.0): A preview of a new Quadtree-based scenery system utilizing Virtual Planet Builder, providing higher frame rates and lower memory usage through multiple levels of detail.

* Dynamic Lighting and Shadows: Real-time dynamic shadows and lighting were added to the core rendering engine.

* Climate Modeling: The legacy season selection was replaced with a holistic climate model calculating environmental factors like snow lines and ocean temperatures dynamically.

Additionally, some old components including UIUC are removed.

== Release timeline ==
Final build code release dates by year.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width:40%; margin:auto"
! Date !! Version
|-
| Jul 17, 1997 || First major code release
|-
| Sep 23, 1997 || 0.12
|-
| Dec 9, 1997 || 0.15
|-
| Dec 17, 1997 || 0.18
|-
| Dec 30, 1997 || 0.19 (first binaries)
|-
| Jan 6, 1998 || 0.22
|-
| Mar 11 98 || 0.37
|-
| Apr 8, 1998 || 0.41
|-
| Apr 14, 1998 || 0.42
|-
| Apr 23, 1998 || 0.43
|-
| Apr 28, 1998 || 0.44
|-
| May 7, 1998 || 0.45
|-
| May 11, 1998 || 0.46
|-
| May 18, 1998 || 0.47
|-
| Jun 9, 1998 || 0.48
|-
| Jun 27, 1998 || 0.49
|-
| Jul 13, 1998 || 0.50
|-
| Jul 21, 1998 || 0.51
|-
| Aug 15, 1998 || 0.52
|-
| Sep 2, 1998 || 0.53
|-
| Sep 25, 1998 || 0.54
|-
| Oct 23, 1998 || 0.55
|-
| Nov 23, 1998 || 0.56
|-
| Jan 21, 1999 || 0.57
|-
| Feb 10, 1999 || 0.58
|-
| Mar 31, 1999 || 0.59
|-
| May 26, 1999 || 0.6.0
|-
| Jun 21, 1999 || 0.6.1 (Stable)
|-
|rowspan=2 | Sep 11, 1999 || 0.7.0 (Development)
|-
| 0.6.2 (Stable)
|-
| Oct 22, 1999 || 0.7.1 (Development)
|-
| Feb 17, 2000 || 0.7.2 (Development)
|-
| May 18, 2000 || 0.7.3 (Development)
|-
| Jul 20, 2000 || 0.7.4
|-
| Sep 18, 2000 || 0.7.5
|-
| Dec 19, 2000 || 0.7.6
|-
| Jun 20, 2001 || 0.7.7
|-
| Jul 13, 2001 || 0.7.8
|-
| Feb 16, 2002 || 0.7.9
|-
| Apr 20, 2002 || 0.7.10
|-
| Sep 7, 2002 || 0.8.0
|-
| Dec 3, 2002 || 0.9.0
|-
| Dec 5, 2002 || 0.9.1
|-
| Jun 4, 2003 || 0.9.2
|-
| Oct 24, 2003 || 0.9.3
|-
| Mar 26, 2004 || 0.9.4
|-
| Jul 29, 2004 || 0.9.5
|-
| Oct 12, 2004 || 0.9.6
|-
| Jan 18, 2005 || 0.9.8
|-
| Nov 17, 2005 || 0.9.9
|-
| Apr 5, 2006 || 0.9.10
|-
| May 2007 || 0.9.11-pre1
|-
| Dec 17, 2007 || 1.0.0
|-
| Dec 22, 2008 || 1.9.0
|-
| Jan 25, 2009 || 1.9.1
|-
| Feb 25, 2010 || 2.0.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2011 || 2.4.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2012 || 2.6.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2012 || 2.8.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2013 || 2.10
|-
| Sep 21, 2013 || 2.12
|-
| Feb 17, 2014 || 3.0
|-
| Oct 15, 2014 || 3.2
|-
| Feb 17, 2015 || 3.4
|-
| {{N/a}} || 3.6 (unreleased, see [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|here]])
|-
| Feb 17, 2016 || 2016.1.1 (new versioning scheme)
|-
| May 7, 2016 || 2016.1.2
|-
| May 17, 2016 || 2016.2.1
|-
| Sep 12, 2016 || 2016.3.1
|-
| Nov 19, 2016 || 2016.4.1
|-
| Nov 23, 2016 || 2016.4.2
|-
| Dec 5, 2016 || 2016.4.3
|-
| Dec 28, 2016 || 2016.4.4
|-
| Feb 23, 2017 || 2017.1.1
|-
| Mar 1, 2017 || 2017.1.2
|-
| Apr 4, 2017 || 2017.1.3
|-
| May 22, 2017 || 2017.2.1
|-
| Sep 20, 2017 || 2017.3.1
|-
| Apr 11, 2018 || 2018.1.1
|-
| May 22, 2018 || 2018.2.1
|-
| Dec 3, 2018 || 2018.3.1
|-
| Jan 29, 2019 || 2018.3.2
|-
| {{N/a}} || 2018.3.3 (not released)
|-
| Aug 9, 2019 || 2018.3.4
|-
| Apr 20, 2020 || 2018.3.5
|-
| Aug 9, 2020 || 2018.3.6
|-
| Mar 14, 2019 || 2019.1.1
|-
| Sep 1, 2019 || 2019.1.2
|-
| May 11, 2020 || 2020.1.1
|-
| May 25, 2020 || 2020.1.2
|-
| Jun 26, 2020 || 2020.1.3
|-
| Oct 13, 2020 || 2020.2.1
|-
| Oct 29, 2020 || 2020.3.1
|-
| Nov 6, 2020 || 2020.3.2
|-
| Nov 23, 2020 || 2020.3.3
|-
| Dec 1, 2020 || 2020.3.4
|-
| Dec 19, 2020 || 2020.3.5
|-
| Jan 24, 2021 || 2020.3.6
|-
| Mar 21, 2021 || 2020.3.7
|-
| Mar 25, 2021 || 2020.3.8
|-
| Jun 14, 2021 || 2020.3.9
|-
| Jul 26, 2021 || 2020.3.10
|-
| Jul 29, 2021 || 2020.3.11
|-
|Feb 6, 2022
|2020.3.12
|-
|Mar 30, 2022
|2020.3.13
|-
|Sep 27, 2022
|2020.3.14
|-
|Oct 12, 2022
|2020.3.15
|-
|Oct 20, 2022
|2020.3.16
|-
|Sep 22, 2022
|2020.3.17
|-
|Mar 21, 2023
|2020.3.18
|-
|Feb 27, 2025
|2024.1.1
|-
|Sep 18, 2025
|2024.1.2
|-
|Nov 2, 2025
|2024.1.3
|-
|Jan 21, 2026
|2024.1.4
|-
|Mar 22, 2026
|2024.1.5
|}

== Cycled default airports ==

FlightGear did not start changing the default airport until version 2016.1 was released. At that time, the idea was that each new release would have a new default airport. This chart lists the default airports since 2016.1 was released. Since 2018.1, the selection of a new default airport has been changed so that a new airport is selected for each new major version release instead of for each minor version release.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release !! ICAO !! Default Airport
|-
| 2016.1 || [[KSFO]] || San Francisco ''(transition)''
|-
| 2016.2 || [[LEBL]] || Barcelona
|-
| 2016.3 || [[SBRJ]] || Rio de Janeiro
|-
| 2016.4 || [[LSZH]] || Zürich
|-
| 2017.1 || [[ENBR]] || Bergen
|-
| 2017.2 || [[KBOS]] || Boston
|-
| 2017.3 || [[LKPR]] || Prague
|-
| 2018.1 || rowspan="4" | [[PHNL]] || rowspan="4" | Honolulu
|-
| 2018.2
|-
| 2018.3
|-
| 2019.1
|-
| 2020.1 || rowspan="4" | [[BIKF]] || rowspan="4" | Keflavik
|-
| 2020.2
|-
| 2020.3
|-
| 2024.1
|}

== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.flightgear.org/ Internet Archive: Wayback Machine for http://www.flightgear.org/ ]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19981212014011/http://flightgear.org/ Old website on December 5, 1998]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209082206/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/tucson.jpg link] ("A view from the ground near Tucson, AZ (KTUS)", old FlightGear screenshot)
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209050729/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/texture2.jpg link] ("Here's one of the Grand Canyon with a rock face texture. I know this looks funny, but I'm just experimenting here.", old FlightGear screenshot)

{{Appendix|2=
* {{wikipedia|FlightGear}}
* [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 Original Flight Gear Proposal] by David L. Murr (Revision 3.0.1)
* [ftp://flightgear.wo0t.de/flightgear-ftp/ FlightGear FTP Archive]
----
{{References}}
}}
[[fr:FlightGear history]]

[[Category:FlightGear]]

FlightGear history

2026-04-21T18:18:28Z

Fgf5: /* Version 2018.1 "Honolulu" (2018) */

[[FlightGear]] development started with an online proposal in 1996, using custom 3D graphics code. Development of an [[OpenGL]] based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olson starting in 1997. Many people have contributed to the project in the years since its inception.

FlightGear incorporated other open-source resources, including the [[LaRCsim]] flight model from NASA, and freely available elevation data. The first working binaries, using OpenGL for 3D graphic code, came out in 1997. Enthusiastic development of newer versions for several years resulted in progressively more stable and advanced versions. By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly, and by 2005, the maturity of software lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity. 2007 marked a formal transition out of beta development with the release of version 1.0.0, ten years after FlightGear's first release in 1997.

In 2008, version 1.9.0 of FlightGear included a major change from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporarily loss of some features like 3D clouds and shadows, while newly added features, such as particles, imparted another degree of realism to the simulation.

== Beginnings (1996-1997) ==
[[File:FG SUNHALO.JPG|thumb|270px|March 18, 1999: one of the oldest surviving screenshots of FlightGear. Back then, FlightGear was the only PC based flight simulator rendering the [[Moon|sun, moon, and celestial]] objects at the correct position, and under the correct lighting conditions, in the sky. ]]
[[File:Image103.gif|thumb|Original Win95 icon]]
The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr who proposed a new flight simulator to be developed by volunteers<ref>David Murr (Apr 9, 1996). FlightGear proposal 1.0: [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.aviation.simulators/ny8HFBE5_T8/OdtIiGNGJc8J "A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@"]. Published on the rec.aviation.simulators newsgroup.</ref><ref>David Murr (1996). FlightGear proposal 2.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-2.0 FLIGHT GEAR "This truly is as real as it gets!" - a proposal for a new flight simulator - REVISION 2.0].</ref><ref>David Murr (Oct 29, 1996). FlightGear proposal 3.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0 - Wednesday, 10.30.96, "The future of flight simulation is here"]. Published on the [http://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/flightgear/www/old-stuff/flight-gear.9610 flight-gear@infoplane.com mailing list].</ref><ref>David Murr (Sep 11, 1998). FlightGear proposal 3.0.1: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0.1 - Friday, Sep.11.98, "The future of flight simulation is here"].</ref>. Part of the initial goals were to develop 2D and 3D graphics routines for the simulator. However this was a huge task that came to an unfinished halt at the start of 1997 as the main developer, Eric Korpela, was finishing his thesis.
 
Development of an OpenGL based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olsen starting in 1997, after the initial start in 1996. A large community response lead to many contributing to the project from its start in late '90s up to the present.
 
"''I was working at the University of Minnesota at the time, and had access to Sun and SGI graphical work stations which offered OpenGL for 3d graphics. OpenGl was just starting to become available on PC hardware with things like the 3dfx voodoo card. Somewhere at this point it occurred to me that a far better path would be to leverage an existing multi-platform 3d graphics system (like OpenGL) to build our flight simulator upon.''

''So I proceeded to rough together a basic scenery system, pasted on the larcsim flight model, and in a relatively short time was able to show actual flight over real 3d terrain. Good, realistic 3d terrain was something the other existing flight sims at the time were pretty far behind on ... and I think my work was enough of a breakthrough that it got a lot of people excited about the possibilities.''"~Curt Olson <ref>Curtis Olson (Sep 28, 2015). [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=27558&p=259048#p259021 Re: A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@]. Published on the FlightGear forum.</ref>
 
Rather than start entirely from scratch, FlightGear developers made use of the LaRCsim flight model from NASA, with OpenGL for 3D graphic code, and freely available elevation data. First working binaries came out in 1997, with an intense updating of newer versions for several years resulting in progressively more stable and advanced programs.

== Versions 0.7–0.9 (2001–2003) ==
By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly (0.7.x, 0.8.0, over 2001-2003) and with 0.9.xx (2003-2006). Later in the decade, the rate of final public releases slowed, but had larger amounts of content (0.9.10, 1.0.0 etc.). The maturity of software by 2005 lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity.

== Version 0.9.0-0.9.11 (2002-2007) ==
The use of version numbers slowed dramatically after the late 2002 release of version 0.9.0. Versions 0.9.9 (2005) and 0.9.10 (2006) had about 8 all-new or redone [[aircraft]] adding to a total of 70-90 aircraft. [[Nasal]] was also integrated into FlightGear in version 0.9.4. FlightGear 0.9.10 won Softpedia's "Pick" award (5 out of 5 stars) on June 3, 2006 as well as the "100% CLEAN" Softpedia award.

Behind the scenes there was a 0.9.11-pre1 released in 2007 that ended up being superseded by FlightGear 1.0. The pre-version had about 33 new or redone aircraft.

[[File:FG-A-10.jpg|thumb|270px|3D Cockpit panel for [[A-10]] in version 1.0.0 in 2008]]

== Version 1.0 (2008) ==
The version number marked a formal transition out of beta development since the software's first release in 1997, ten years prior.

== Version 1.9.0 (2008) ==
At the time version 1.9.0 was released FlightGear switched from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporary loss of some of the features like 3D clouds and shadows. On the contrary new features such as particles add another degree of realism to the simulation. Most aircraft developed for OSG do not work with older versions. The user is able to choose from 230 aircraft provided with 1.9.0, although only a few are included in the base package.
Version 1.9.1, released shortly afterwards, was a bug fix release.

== Version 2.0.0 (2010) ==
FlightGear 2.0.0 reflects the maturation of the OpenSceneGraph port that started with the previous 1.9.0 release. In addition to many internal code improvements, FlightGear 2.0.0 marks the introduction of many new exciting improvements in the graphics and sound system, as well as improved usability of key features, and improved behavior of existing features. Highlights of this new version include: Dramatic new 3D clouds, dramatic lighting conditions, improved support for custom scenery, and many many new and detailed aircraft models.

== Version 2.4.0 (2011) ==
Starting with version 2.4.0, the FlightGear team adopted a [[release plan]]. From then on, a new version is released every February and August.

==Version 3.8.0/2016.1.0==
{{Main article|Release plan#Detailed time schedule and checklist}}
Following the cancellation of 3.6, the modern FlightGear team revised the release plan and process. New releases are essentially selected and tuned "nightlies" instead of special compilations.

Also, in this release the concept of rotating default airports first started. All FlightGear releases after 2016.1 have unique default airports and 'codenames'.

{{Main article|Release plan/Lessons learned#2016.1}}

== Version 2018.1 "Honolulu" (2018) ==
Released in April 2018, version 2018.1 was the first major update in the 2018 release cycle. This version focused on environmental realism and significant improvements to the YASim flight dynamics model (FDM), including support for multiple wing sections to model variable wing geometry. The "Honolulu" release featured PHNL as the default airport and introduced active volcanoes such as Kilauea and Etna, which integrated environmental physics by generating increased turbulence in their vicinity. The [[Atmospheric light scattering|ALS (Atmospheric Light Scattering)]] renderer was also updated with extra volumetric vegetation layers for denser undergrowth.

== Version 2019.1 (2019) ==
Version 2019.1, released in March 2019, introduced the "Compositor," an experimental XML-configurable rendering framework designed to replace legacy hard-coded rendering paths. This framework enabled advanced post-processing effects and Cascaded Shadow Mapping (CSM) for more realistic environmental shadows. Other technical advancements included the introduction of a DDS Texture Cache to speed up loading times and the implementation of 8.33 kHz radio frequency spacing for aircraft like the [[Boeing 777]] to comply with modern European airspace requirements.

== Version 2020.1 and 2020.3 LTS (2020) ==
The 2020 cycle saw the release of 2020.1 in May and the Long Term Support (LTS) version, 2020.3, in October. This era was marked by a shift toward data integrity, particularly in the JSBSim FDM, where gyros were updated to measure rotation rates rather than rotational accelerations to better match physical reality. Graphical performance was enhanced through instanced-based rendering for OpenStreetMap (OSM) buildings, which was later integrated into the TerraSync system (v2020.3.7) for global coverage. The release also featured expanded aircraft carrier support with new launcher options for takeoff and approach positions.

== Version 2024.1 (2025-2026) ==
Replacing the 2020.3 LTS, version 2024.1 (officially released in February 2025 as v2024.1.1) represents a major technological pivot for the project. Key highlights include:

* [[VR]] Support: Preliminary integration of VR headsets using the OpenXR standard.

* [[World Scenery 3.0]] (WS3.0): A preview of a new Quadtree-based scenery system utilizing Virtual Planet Builder, providing higher frame rates and lower memory usage through multiple levels of detail.

* Dynamic Lighting and Shadows: Real-time dynamic shadows and lighting were added to the core rendering engine.

* Climate Modeling: The legacy season selection was replaced with a holistic climate model calculating environmental factors like snow lines and ocean temperatures dynamically.

Additionally, some old components including UIUC are removed.

== Release timeline ==
Final build code release dates by year.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width:40%; margin:auto"
! Date !! Version
|-
| Jul 17, 1997 || First major code release
|-
| Sep 23, 1997 || 0.12
|-
| Dec 9, 1997 || 0.15
|-
| Dec 17, 1997 || 0.18
|-
| Dec 30, 1997 || 0.19 (first binaries)
|-
| Jan 6, 1998 || 0.22
|-
| Mar 11 98 || 0.37
|-
| Apr 8, 1998 || 0.41
|-
| Apr 14, 1998 || 0.42
|-
| Apr 23, 1998 || 0.43
|-
| Apr 28, 1998 || 0.44
|-
| May 7, 1998 || 0.45
|-
| May 11, 1998 || 0.46
|-
| May 18, 1998 || 0.47
|-
| Jun 9, 1998 || 0.48
|-
| Jun 27, 1998 || 0.49
|-
| Jul 13, 1998 || 0.50
|-
| Jul 21, 1998 || 0.51
|-
| Aug 15, 1998 || 0.52
|-
| Sep 2, 1998 || 0.53
|-
| Sep 25, 1998 || 0.54
|-
| Oct 23, 1998 || 0.55
|-
| Nov 23, 1998 || 0.56
|-
| Jan 21, 1999 || 0.57
|-
| Feb 10, 1999 || 0.58
|-
| Mar 31, 1999 || 0.59
|-
| May 26, 1999 || 0.6.0
|-
| Jun 21, 1999 || 0.6.1 (Stable)
|-
|rowspan=2 | Sep 11, 1999 || 0.7.0 (Development)
|-
| 0.6.2 (Stable)
|-
| Oct 22, 1999 || 0.7.1 (Development)
|-
| Feb 17, 2000 || 0.7.2 (Development)
|-
| May 18, 2000 || 0.7.3 (Development)
|-
| Jul 20, 2000 || 0.7.4
|-
| Sep 18, 2000 || 0.7.5
|-
| Dec 19, 2000 || 0.7.6
|-
| Jun 20, 2001 || 0.7.7
|-
| Jul 13, 2001 || 0.7.8
|-
| Feb 16, 2002 || 0.7.9
|-
| Apr 20, 2002 || 0.7.10
|-
| Sep 7, 2002 || 0.8.0
|-
| Dec 3, 2002 || 0.9.0
|-
| Dec 5, 2002 || 0.9.1
|-
| Jun 4, 2003 || 0.9.2
|-
| Oct 24, 2003 || 0.9.3
|-
| Mar 26, 2004 || 0.9.4
|-
| Jul 29, 2004 || 0.9.5
|-
| Oct 12, 2004 || 0.9.6
|-
| Jan 18, 2005 || 0.9.8
|-
| Nov 17, 2005 || 0.9.9
|-
| Apr 5, 2006 || 0.9.10
|-
| May 2007 || 0.9.11-pre1
|-
| Dec 17, 2007 || 1.0.0
|-
| Dec 22, 2008 || 1.9.0
|-
| Jan 25, 2009 || 1.9.1
|-
| Feb 25, 2010 || 2.0.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2011 || 2.4.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2012 || 2.6.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2012 || 2.8.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2013 || 2.10
|-
| Sep 21, 2013 || 2.12
|-
| Feb 17, 2014 || 3.0
|-
| Oct 15, 2014 || 3.2
|-
| Feb 17, 2015 || 3.4
|-
| {{N/a}} || 3.6 (unreleased, see [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|here]])
|-
| Feb 17, 2016 || 2016.1.1 (new versioning scheme)
|-
| May 7, 2016 || 2016.1.2
|-
| May 17, 2016 || 2016.2.1
|-
| Sep 12, 2016 || 2016.3.1
|-
| Nov 19, 2016 || 2016.4.1
|-
| Nov 23, 2016 || 2016.4.2
|-
| Dec 5, 2016 || 2016.4.3
|-
| Dec 28, 2016 || 2016.4.4
|-
| Feb 23, 2017 || 2017.1.1
|-
| Mar 1, 2017 || 2017.1.2
|-
| Apr 4, 2017 || 2017.1.3
|-
| May 22, 2017 || 2017.2.1
|-
| Sep 20, 2017 || 2017.3.1
|-
| Apr 11, 2018 || 2018.1.1
|-
| May 22, 2018 || 2018.2.1
|-
| Dec 3, 2018 || 2018.3.1
|-
| Jan 29, 2019 || 2018.3.2
|-
| {{N/a}} || 2018.3.3 (not released)
|-
| Aug 9, 2019 || 2018.3.4
|-
| Apr 20, 2020 || 2018.3.5
|-
| Aug 9, 2020 || 2018.3.6
|-
| Mar 14, 2019 || 2019.1.1
|-
| Sep 1, 2019 || 2019.1.2
|-
| May 11, 2020 || 2020.1.1
|-
| May 25, 2020 || 2020.1.2
|-
| Jun 26, 2020 || 2020.1.3
|-
| Oct 13, 2020 || 2020.2.1
|-
| Oct 29, 2020 || 2020.3.1
|-
| Nov 6, 2020 || 2020.3.2
|-
| Nov 23, 2020 || 2020.3.3
|-
| Dec 1, 2020 || 2020.3.4
|-
| Dec 19, 2020 || 2020.3.5
|-
| Jan 24, 2021 || 2020.3.6
|-
| Mar 21, 2021 || 2020.3.7
|-
| Mar 25, 2021 || 2020.3.8
|-
| Jun 14, 2021 || 2020.3.9
|-
| Jul 26, 2021 || 2020.3.10
|-
| Jul 29, 2021 || 2020.3.11
|-
|Feb 6, 2022
|2020.3.12
|-
|Mar 30, 2022
|2020.3.13
|-
|Sep 27, 2022
|2020.3.14
|-
|Oct 12, 2022
|2020.3.15
|-
|Oct 20, 2022
|2020.3.16
|-
|Sep 22, 2022
|2020.3.17
|-
|Mar 21, 2023
|2020.3.18
|-
|Feb 27, 2025
|2024.1.1
|-
|Sep 18, 2025
|2024.1.2
|-
|Nov 2, 2025
|2024.1.3
|-
|Jan 21, 2026
|2024.1.4
|-
|Mar 22, 2026
|2024.1.5
|}

== Cycled default airports ==

FlightGear did not start changing the default airport until version 2016.1 was released. At that time, the idea was that each new release would have a new default airport. This chart lists the default airports since 2016.1 was released. Since 2018.1, the selection of a new default airport has been changed so that a new airport is selected for each new major version release instead of for each minor version release.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release !! ICAO !! Default Airport
|-
| 2016.1 || [[KSFO]] || San Francisco ''(transition)''
|-
| 2016.2 || [[LEBL]] || Barcelona
|-
| 2016.3 || [[SBRJ]] || Rio de Janeiro
|-
| 2016.4 || [[LSZH]] || Zürich
|-
| 2017.1 || [[ENBR]] || Bergen
|-
| 2017.2 || [[KBOS]] || Boston
|-
| 2017.3 || [[LKPR]] || Prague
|-
| 2018.1 || rowspan="4" | [[PHNL]] || rowspan="4" | Honolulu
|-
| 2018.2
|-
| 2018.3
|-
| 2019.1
|-
| 2020.1 || rowspan="4" | [[BIKF]] || rowspan="4" | Keflavik
|-
| 2020.2
|-
| 2020.3
|-
| 2024.1
|}

== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.flightgear.org/ Internet Archive: Wayback Machine for http://www.flightgear.org/ ]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19981212014011/http://flightgear.org/ Old website on December 5, 1998]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209082206/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/tucson.jpg link] ("A view from the ground near Tucson, AZ (KTUS)", old FlightGear screenshot)
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209050729/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/texture2.jpg link] ("Here's one of the Grand Canyon with a rock face texture. I know this looks funny, but I'm just experimenting here.", old FlightGear screenshot)

{{Appendix|2=
* {{wikipedia|FlightGear}}
* [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 Original Flight Gear Proposal] by David L. Murr (Revision 3.0.1)
* [ftp://flightgear.wo0t.de/flightgear-ftp/ FlightGear FTP Archive]
----
{{References}}
}}
[[fr:FlightGear history]]

[[Category:FlightGear]]

FlightGear history

2026-04-21T18:16:37Z

Fgf5: add links

[[FlightGear]] development started with an online proposal in 1996, using custom 3D graphics code. Development of an [[OpenGL]] based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olson starting in 1997. Many people have contributed to the project in the years since its inception.

FlightGear incorporated other open-source resources, including the [[LaRCsim]] flight model from NASA, and freely available elevation data. The first working binaries, using OpenGL for 3D graphic code, came out in 1997. Enthusiastic development of newer versions for several years resulted in progressively more stable and advanced versions. By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly, and by 2005, the maturity of software lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity. 2007 marked a formal transition out of beta development with the release of version 1.0.0, ten years after FlightGear's first release in 1997.

In 2008, version 1.9.0 of FlightGear included a major change from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporarily loss of some features like 3D clouds and shadows, while newly added features, such as particles, imparted another degree of realism to the simulation.

== Beginnings (1996-1997) ==
[[File:FG SUNHALO.JPG|thumb|270px|March 18, 1999: one of the oldest surviving screenshots of FlightGear. Back then, FlightGear was the only PC based flight simulator rendering the [[Moon|sun, moon, and celestial]] objects at the correct position, and under the correct lighting conditions, in the sky. ]]
[[File:Image103.gif|thumb|Original Win95 icon]]
The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr who proposed a new flight simulator to be developed by volunteers<ref>David Murr (Apr 9, 1996). FlightGear proposal 1.0: [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.aviation.simulators/ny8HFBE5_T8/OdtIiGNGJc8J "A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@"]. Published on the rec.aviation.simulators newsgroup.</ref><ref>David Murr (1996). FlightGear proposal 2.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-2.0 FLIGHT GEAR "This truly is as real as it gets!" - a proposal for a new flight simulator - REVISION 2.0].</ref><ref>David Murr (Oct 29, 1996). FlightGear proposal 3.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0 - Wednesday, 10.30.96, "The future of flight simulation is here"]. Published on the [http://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/flightgear/www/old-stuff/flight-gear.9610 flight-gear@infoplane.com mailing list].</ref><ref>David Murr (Sep 11, 1998). FlightGear proposal 3.0.1: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0.1 - Friday, Sep.11.98, "The future of flight simulation is here"].</ref>. Part of the initial goals were to develop 2D and 3D graphics routines for the simulator. However this was a huge task that came to an unfinished halt at the start of 1997 as the main developer, Eric Korpela, was finishing his thesis.
 
Development of an OpenGL based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olsen starting in 1997, after the initial start in 1996. A large community response lead to many contributing to the project from its start in late '90s up to the present.
 
"''I was working at the University of Minnesota at the time, and had access to Sun and SGI graphical work stations which offered OpenGL for 3d graphics. OpenGl was just starting to become available on PC hardware with things like the 3dfx voodoo card. Somewhere at this point it occurred to me that a far better path would be to leverage an existing multi-platform 3d graphics system (like OpenGL) to build our flight simulator upon.''

''So I proceeded to rough together a basic scenery system, pasted on the larcsim flight model, and in a relatively short time was able to show actual flight over real 3d terrain. Good, realistic 3d terrain was something the other existing flight sims at the time were pretty far behind on ... and I think my work was enough of a breakthrough that it got a lot of people excited about the possibilities.''"~Curt Olson <ref>Curtis Olson (Sep 28, 2015). [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=27558&p=259048#p259021 Re: A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@]. Published on the FlightGear forum.</ref>
 
Rather than start entirely from scratch, FlightGear developers made use of the LaRCsim flight model from NASA, with OpenGL for 3D graphic code, and freely available elevation data. First working binaries came out in 1997, with an intense updating of newer versions for several years resulting in progressively more stable and advanced programs.

== Versions 0.7–0.9 (2001–2003) ==
By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly (0.7.x, 0.8.0, over 2001-2003) and with 0.9.xx (2003-2006). Later in the decade, the rate of final public releases slowed, but had larger amounts of content (0.9.10, 1.0.0 etc.). The maturity of software by 2005 lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity.

== Version 0.9.0-0.9.11 (2002-2007) ==
The use of version numbers slowed dramatically after the late 2002 release of version 0.9.0. Versions 0.9.9 (2005) and 0.9.10 (2006) had about 8 all-new or redone [[aircraft]] adding to a total of 70-90 aircraft. [[Nasal]] was also integrated into FlightGear in version 0.9.4. FlightGear 0.9.10 won Softpedia's "Pick" award (5 out of 5 stars) on June 3, 2006 as well as the "100% CLEAN" Softpedia award.

Behind the scenes there was a 0.9.11-pre1 released in 2007 that ended up being superseded by FlightGear 1.0. The pre-version had about 33 new or redone aircraft.

[[File:FG-A-10.jpg|thumb|270px|3D Cockpit panel for [[A-10]] in version 1.0.0 in 2008]]

== Version 1.0 (2008) ==
The version number marked a formal transition out of beta development since the software's first release in 1997, ten years prior.

== Version 1.9.0 (2008) ==
At the time version 1.9.0 was released FlightGear switched from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporary loss of some of the features like 3D clouds and shadows. On the contrary new features such as particles add another degree of realism to the simulation. Most aircraft developed for OSG do not work with older versions. The user is able to choose from 230 aircraft provided with 1.9.0, although only a few are included in the base package.
Version 1.9.1, released shortly afterwards, was a bug fix release.

== Version 2.0.0 (2010) ==
FlightGear 2.0.0 reflects the maturation of the OpenSceneGraph port that started with the previous 1.9.0 release. In addition to many internal code improvements, FlightGear 2.0.0 marks the introduction of many new exciting improvements in the graphics and sound system, as well as improved usability of key features, and improved behavior of existing features. Highlights of this new version include: Dramatic new 3D clouds, dramatic lighting conditions, improved support for custom scenery, and many many new and detailed aircraft models.

== Version 2.4.0 (2011) ==
Starting with version 2.4.0, the FlightGear team adopted a [[release plan]]. From then on, a new version is released every February and August.

==Version 3.8.0/2016.1.0==
{{Main article|Release plan#Detailed time schedule and checklist}}
Following the cancellation of 3.6, the modern FlightGear team revised the release plan and process. New releases are essentially selected and tuned "nightlies" instead of special compilations.

Also, in this release the concept of rotating default airports first started. All FlightGear releases after 2016.1 have unique default airports and 'codenames'.

{{Main article|Release plan/Lessons learned#2016.1}}

== Version 2018.1 "Honolulu" (2018) ==
Released in April 2018, version 2018.1 was the first major update in the 2018 release cycle. This version focused on environmental realism and significant improvements to the YASim flight dynamics model (FDM), including support for multiple wing sections to model variable wing geometry. The "Honolulu" release featured PHNL as the default airport and introduced active volcanoes such as Kilauea and Etna, which integrated environmental physics by generating increased turbulence in their vicinity. The [[Atmospheric Light Scattering]] (ALS) renderer was also updated with extra volumetric vegetation layers for denser undergrowth.

== Version 2019.1 (2019) ==
Version 2019.1, released in March 2019, introduced the "Compositor," an experimental XML-configurable rendering framework designed to replace legacy hard-coded rendering paths. This framework enabled advanced post-processing effects and Cascaded Shadow Mapping (CSM) for more realistic environmental shadows. Other technical advancements included the introduction of a DDS Texture Cache to speed up loading times and the implementation of 8.33 kHz radio frequency spacing for aircraft like the [[Boeing 777]] to comply with modern European airspace requirements.

== Version 2020.1 and 2020.3 LTS (2020) ==
The 2020 cycle saw the release of 2020.1 in May and the Long Term Support (LTS) version, 2020.3, in October. This era was marked by a shift toward data integrity, particularly in the JSBSim FDM, where gyros were updated to measure rotation rates rather than rotational accelerations to better match physical reality. Graphical performance was enhanced through instanced-based rendering for OpenStreetMap (OSM) buildings, which was later integrated into the TerraSync system (v2020.3.7) for global coverage. The release also featured expanded aircraft carrier support with new launcher options for takeoff and approach positions.

== Version 2024.1 (2025-2026) ==
Replacing the 2020.3 LTS, version 2024.1 (officially released in February 2025 as v2024.1.1) represents a major technological pivot for the project. Key highlights include:

* [[VR]] Support: Preliminary integration of VR headsets using the OpenXR standard.

* [[World Scenery 3.0]] (WS3.0): A preview of a new Quadtree-based scenery system utilizing Virtual Planet Builder, providing higher frame rates and lower memory usage through multiple levels of detail.

* Dynamic Lighting and Shadows: Real-time dynamic shadows and lighting were added to the core rendering engine.

* Climate Modeling: The legacy season selection was replaced with a holistic climate model calculating environmental factors like snow lines and ocean temperatures dynamically.

Additionally, some old components including UIUC are removed.

== Release timeline ==
Final build code release dates by year.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width:40%; margin:auto"
! Date !! Version
|-
| Jul 17, 1997 || First major code release
|-
| Sep 23, 1997 || 0.12
|-
| Dec 9, 1997 || 0.15
|-
| Dec 17, 1997 || 0.18
|-
| Dec 30, 1997 || 0.19 (first binaries)
|-
| Jan 6, 1998 || 0.22
|-
| Mar 11 98 || 0.37
|-
| Apr 8, 1998 || 0.41
|-
| Apr 14, 1998 || 0.42
|-
| Apr 23, 1998 || 0.43
|-
| Apr 28, 1998 || 0.44
|-
| May 7, 1998 || 0.45
|-
| May 11, 1998 || 0.46
|-
| May 18, 1998 || 0.47
|-
| Jun 9, 1998 || 0.48
|-
| Jun 27, 1998 || 0.49
|-
| Jul 13, 1998 || 0.50
|-
| Jul 21, 1998 || 0.51
|-
| Aug 15, 1998 || 0.52
|-
| Sep 2, 1998 || 0.53
|-
| Sep 25, 1998 || 0.54
|-
| Oct 23, 1998 || 0.55
|-
| Nov 23, 1998 || 0.56
|-
| Jan 21, 1999 || 0.57
|-
| Feb 10, 1999 || 0.58
|-
| Mar 31, 1999 || 0.59
|-
| May 26, 1999 || 0.6.0
|-
| Jun 21, 1999 || 0.6.1 (Stable)
|-
|rowspan=2 | Sep 11, 1999 || 0.7.0 (Development)
|-
| 0.6.2 (Stable)
|-
| Oct 22, 1999 || 0.7.1 (Development)
|-
| Feb 17, 2000 || 0.7.2 (Development)
|-
| May 18, 2000 || 0.7.3 (Development)
|-
| Jul 20, 2000 || 0.7.4
|-
| Sep 18, 2000 || 0.7.5
|-
| Dec 19, 2000 || 0.7.6
|-
| Jun 20, 2001 || 0.7.7
|-
| Jul 13, 2001 || 0.7.8
|-
| Feb 16, 2002 || 0.7.9
|-
| Apr 20, 2002 || 0.7.10
|-
| Sep 7, 2002 || 0.8.0
|-
| Dec 3, 2002 || 0.9.0
|-
| Dec 5, 2002 || 0.9.1
|-
| Jun 4, 2003 || 0.9.2
|-
| Oct 24, 2003 || 0.9.3
|-
| Mar 26, 2004 || 0.9.4
|-
| Jul 29, 2004 || 0.9.5
|-
| Oct 12, 2004 || 0.9.6
|-
| Jan 18, 2005 || 0.9.8
|-
| Nov 17, 2005 || 0.9.9
|-
| Apr 5, 2006 || 0.9.10
|-
| May 2007 || 0.9.11-pre1
|-
| Dec 17, 2007 || 1.0.0
|-
| Dec 22, 2008 || 1.9.0
|-
| Jan 25, 2009 || 1.9.1
|-
| Feb 25, 2010 || 2.0.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2011 || 2.4.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2012 || 2.6.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2012 || 2.8.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2013 || 2.10
|-
| Sep 21, 2013 || 2.12
|-
| Feb 17, 2014 || 3.0
|-
| Oct 15, 2014 || 3.2
|-
| Feb 17, 2015 || 3.4
|-
| {{N/a}} || 3.6 (unreleased, see [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|here]])
|-
| Feb 17, 2016 || 2016.1.1 (new versioning scheme)
|-
| May 7, 2016 || 2016.1.2
|-
| May 17, 2016 || 2016.2.1
|-
| Sep 12, 2016 || 2016.3.1
|-
| Nov 19, 2016 || 2016.4.1
|-
| Nov 23, 2016 || 2016.4.2
|-
| Dec 5, 2016 || 2016.4.3
|-
| Dec 28, 2016 || 2016.4.4
|-
| Feb 23, 2017 || 2017.1.1
|-
| Mar 1, 2017 || 2017.1.2
|-
| Apr 4, 2017 || 2017.1.3
|-
| May 22, 2017 || 2017.2.1
|-
| Sep 20, 2017 || 2017.3.1
|-
| Apr 11, 2018 || 2018.1.1
|-
| May 22, 2018 || 2018.2.1
|-
| Dec 3, 2018 || 2018.3.1
|-
| Jan 29, 2019 || 2018.3.2
|-
| {{N/a}} || 2018.3.3 (not released)
|-
| Aug 9, 2019 || 2018.3.4
|-
| Apr 20, 2020 || 2018.3.5
|-
| Aug 9, 2020 || 2018.3.6
|-
| Mar 14, 2019 || 2019.1.1
|-
| Sep 1, 2019 || 2019.1.2
|-
| May 11, 2020 || 2020.1.1
|-
| May 25, 2020 || 2020.1.2
|-
| Jun 26, 2020 || 2020.1.3
|-
| Oct 13, 2020 || 2020.2.1
|-
| Oct 29, 2020 || 2020.3.1
|-
| Nov 6, 2020 || 2020.3.2
|-
| Nov 23, 2020 || 2020.3.3
|-
| Dec 1, 2020 || 2020.3.4
|-
| Dec 19, 2020 || 2020.3.5
|-
| Jan 24, 2021 || 2020.3.6
|-
| Mar 21, 2021 || 2020.3.7
|-
| Mar 25, 2021 || 2020.3.8
|-
| Jun 14, 2021 || 2020.3.9
|-
| Jul 26, 2021 || 2020.3.10
|-
| Jul 29, 2021 || 2020.3.11
|-
|Feb 6, 2022
|2020.3.12
|-
|Mar 30, 2022
|2020.3.13
|-
|Sep 27, 2022
|2020.3.14
|-
|Oct 12, 2022
|2020.3.15
|-
|Oct 20, 2022
|2020.3.16
|-
|Sep 22, 2022
|2020.3.17
|-
|Mar 21, 2023
|2020.3.18
|-
|Feb 27, 2025
|2024.1.1
|-
|Sep 18, 2025
|2024.1.2
|-
|Nov 2, 2025
|2024.1.3
|-
|Jan 21, 2026
|2024.1.4
|-
|Mar 22, 2026
|2024.1.5
|}

== Cycled default airports ==

FlightGear did not start changing the default airport until version 2016.1 was released. At that time, the idea was that each new release would have a new default airport. This chart lists the default airports since 2016.1 was released. Since 2018.1, the selection of a new default airport has been changed so that a new airport is selected for each new major version release instead of for each minor version release.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release !! ICAO !! Default Airport
|-
| 2016.1 || [[KSFO]] || San Francisco ''(transition)''
|-
| 2016.2 || [[LEBL]] || Barcelona
|-
| 2016.3 || [[SBRJ]] || Rio de Janeiro
|-
| 2016.4 || [[LSZH]] || Zürich
|-
| 2017.1 || [[ENBR]] || Bergen
|-
| 2017.2 || [[KBOS]] || Boston
|-
| 2017.3 || [[LKPR]] || Prague
|-
| 2018.1 || rowspan="4" | [[PHNL]] || rowspan="4" | Honolulu
|-
| 2018.2
|-
| 2018.3
|-
| 2019.1
|-
| 2020.1 || rowspan="4" | [[BIKF]] || rowspan="4" | Keflavik
|-
| 2020.2
|-
| 2020.3
|-
| 2024.1
|}

== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.flightgear.org/ Internet Archive: Wayback Machine for http://www.flightgear.org/ ]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19981212014011/http://flightgear.org/ Old website on December 5, 1998]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209082206/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/tucson.jpg link] ("A view from the ground near Tucson, AZ (KTUS)", old FlightGear screenshot)
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209050729/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/texture2.jpg link] ("Here's one of the Grand Canyon with a rock face texture. I know this looks funny, but I'm just experimenting here.", old FlightGear screenshot)

{{Appendix|2=
* {{wikipedia|FlightGear}}
* [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 Original Flight Gear Proposal] by David L. Murr (Revision 3.0.1)
* [ftp://flightgear.wo0t.de/flightgear-ftp/ FlightGear FTP Archive]
----
{{References}}
}}
[[fr:FlightGear history]]

[[Category:FlightGear]]

FlightGear history

2026-04-21T18:12:07Z

Fgf5: added versions since 2018.1

[[FlightGear]] development started with an online proposal in 1996, using custom 3D graphics code. Development of an [[OpenGL]] based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olson starting in 1997. Many people have contributed to the project in the years since its inception.

FlightGear incorporated other open-source resources, including the [[LaRCsim]] flight model from NASA, and freely available elevation data. The first working binaries, using OpenGL for 3D graphic code, came out in 1997. Enthusiastic development of newer versions for several years resulted in progressively more stable and advanced versions. By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly, and by 2005, the maturity of software lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity. 2007 marked a formal transition out of beta development with the release of version 1.0.0, ten years after FlightGear's first release in 1997.

In 2008, version 1.9.0 of FlightGear included a major change from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporarily loss of some features like 3D clouds and shadows, while newly added features, such as particles, imparted another degree of realism to the simulation.

== Beginnings (1996-1997) ==
[[File:FG SUNHALO.JPG|thumb|270px|March 18, 1999: one of the oldest surviving screenshots of FlightGear. Back then, FlightGear was the only PC based flight simulator rendering the [[Moon|sun, moon, and celestial]] objects at the correct position, and under the correct lighting conditions, in the sky. ]]
[[File:Image103.gif|thumb|Original Win95 icon]]
The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr who proposed a new flight simulator to be developed by volunteers<ref>David Murr (Apr 9, 1996). FlightGear proposal 1.0: [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.aviation.simulators/ny8HFBE5_T8/OdtIiGNGJc8J "A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@"]. Published on the rec.aviation.simulators newsgroup.</ref><ref>David Murr (1996). FlightGear proposal 2.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-2.0 FLIGHT GEAR "This truly is as real as it gets!" - a proposal for a new flight simulator - REVISION 2.0].</ref><ref>David Murr (Oct 29, 1996). FlightGear proposal 3.0: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0 - Wednesday, 10.30.96, "The future of flight simulation is here"]. Published on the [http://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/flightgear/www/old-stuff/flight-gear.9610 flight-gear@infoplane.com mailing list].</ref><ref>David Murr (Sep 11, 1998). FlightGear proposal 3.0.1: [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 FLIGHT GEAR FLIGHT SIMULATOR, revision 3.0.1 - Friday, Sep.11.98, "The future of flight simulation is here"].</ref>. Part of the initial goals were to develop 2D and 3D graphics routines for the simulator. However this was a huge task that came to an unfinished halt at the start of 1997 as the main developer, Eric Korpela, was finishing his thesis.
 
Development of an OpenGL based version was spearheaded by Curtis Olsen starting in 1997, after the initial start in 1996. A large community response lead to many contributing to the project from its start in late '90s up to the present.
 
"''I was working at the University of Minnesota at the time, and had access to Sun and SGI graphical work stations which offered OpenGL for 3d graphics. OpenGl was just starting to become available on PC hardware with things like the 3dfx voodoo card. Somewhere at this point it occurred to me that a far better path would be to leverage an existing multi-platform 3d graphics system (like OpenGL) to build our flight simulator upon.''

''So I proceeded to rough together a basic scenery system, pasted on the larcsim flight model, and in a relatively short time was able to show actual flight over real 3d terrain. Good, realistic 3d terrain was something the other existing flight sims at the time were pretty far behind on ... and I think my work was enough of a breakthrough that it got a lot of people excited about the possibilities.''"~Curt Olson <ref>Curtis Olson (Sep 28, 2015). [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=27558&p=259048#p259021 Re: A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FLIGHT SIMULATOR - home built!@]. Published on the FlightGear forum.</ref>
 
Rather than start entirely from scratch, FlightGear developers made use of the LaRCsim flight model from NASA, with OpenGL for 3D graphic code, and freely available elevation data. First working binaries came out in 1997, with an intense updating of newer versions for several years resulting in progressively more stable and advanced programs.

== Versions 0.7–0.9 (2001–2003) ==
By 2001, the team was releasing new beta versions regularly (0.7.x, 0.8.0, over 2001-2003) and with 0.9.xx (2003-2006). Later in the decade, the rate of final public releases slowed, but had larger amounts of content (0.9.10, 1.0.0 etc.). The maturity of software by 2005 lead to more widespread reviews, and increased popularity.

== Version 0.9.0-0.9.11 (2002-2007) ==
The use of version numbers slowed dramatically after the late 2002 release of version 0.9.0. Versions 0.9.9 (2005) and 0.9.10 (2006) had about 8 all-new or redone [[aircraft]] adding to a total of 70-90 aircraft. [[Nasal]] was also integrated into FlightGear in version 0.9.4. FlightGear 0.9.10 won Softpedia's "Pick" award (5 out of 5 stars) on June 3, 2006 as well as the "100% CLEAN" Softpedia award.

Behind the scenes there was a 0.9.11-pre1 released in 2007 that ended up being superseded by FlightGear 1.0. The pre-version had about 33 new or redone aircraft.

[[File:FG-A-10.jpg|thumb|270px|3D Cockpit panel for [[A-10]] in version 1.0.0 in 2008]]

== Version 1.0 (2008) ==
The version number marked a formal transition out of beta development since the software's first release in 1997, ten years prior.

== Version 1.9.0 (2008) ==
At the time version 1.9.0 was released FlightGear switched from [[PLIB]] to [[OSG]], which caused the temporary loss of some of the features like 3D clouds and shadows. On the contrary new features such as particles add another degree of realism to the simulation. Most aircraft developed for OSG do not work with older versions. The user is able to choose from 230 aircraft provided with 1.9.0, although only a few are included in the base package.
Version 1.9.1, released shortly afterwards, was a bug fix release.

== Version 2.0.0 (2010) ==
FlightGear 2.0.0 reflects the maturation of the OpenSceneGraph port that started with the previous 1.9.0 release. In addition to many internal code improvements, FlightGear 2.0.0 marks the introduction of many new exciting improvements in the graphics and sound system, as well as improved usability of key features, and improved behavior of existing features. Highlights of this new version include: Dramatic new 3D clouds, dramatic lighting conditions, improved support for custom scenery, and many many new and detailed aircraft models.

== Version 2.4.0 (2011) ==
Starting with version 2.4.0, the FlightGear team adopted a [[release plan]]. From then on, a new version is released every February and August.

==Version 3.8.0/2016.1.0==
{{Main article|Release plan#Detailed time schedule and checklist}}
Following the cancellation of 3.6, the modern FlightGear team revised the release plan and process. New releases are essentially selected and tuned "nightlies" instead of special compilations.

Also, in this release the concept of rotating default airports first started. All FlightGear releases after 2016.1 have unique default airports and 'codenames'.

{{Main article|Release plan/Lessons learned#2016.1}}

== Version 2018.1 "Honolulu" (2018) ==
Released in April 2018, version 2018.1 was the first major update in the 2018 release cycle. This version focused on environmental realism and significant improvements to the YASim flight dynamics model (FDM), including support for multiple wing sections to model variable wing geometry. The "Honolulu" release featuredPHNL as the default airport and introduced active volcanoes such as Kilauea and Etna, which integrated environmental physics by generating increased turbulence in their vicinity. The Atmospheric Light Scattering (ALS) renderer was also updated with extra volumetric vegetation layers for denser undergrowth.

== Version 2019.1 (2019) ==
Version 2019.1, released in March 2019, introduced the "Compositor," an experimental XML-configurable rendering framework designed to replace legacy hard-coded rendering paths. This framework enabled advanced post-processing effects and Cascaded Shadow Mapping (CSM) for more realistic environmental shadows. Other technical advancements included the introduction of a DDS Texture Cache to speed up loading times and the implementation of 8.33 kHz radio frequency spacing for aircraft like the Boeing 777 to comply with modern European airspace requirements.

== Version 2020.1 and 2020.3 LTS (2020) ==
The 2020 cycle saw the release of 2020.1 in May and the Long Term Support (LTS) version, 2020.3, in October. This era was marked by a shift toward data integrity, particularly in the JSBSim FDM, where gyros were updated to measure rotation rates rather than rotational accelerations to better match physical reality. Graphical performance was enhanced through instanced-based rendering for OpenStreetMap (OSM) buildings, which was later integrated into the TerraSync system (v2020.3.7) for global coverage. The release also featured expanded aircraft carrier support with new launcher options for takeoff and approach positions.

== Version 2024.1 (2025-2026) ==
Replacing the 2020.3 LTS, version 2024.1 (officially released in February 2025 as v2024.1.1) represents a major technological pivot for the project. Key highlights include:

* Virtual Reality Support: Preliminary integration of VR headsets using the OpenXR standard.

* World Scenery 3.0 (WS3.0): A preview of a new Quadtree-based scenery system utilizing Virtual Planet Builder, providing higher frame rates and lower memory usage through multiple levels of detail.

* Dynamic Lighting and Shadows: Real-time dynamic shadows and lighting were added to the core rendering engine.

* Climate Modeling: The legacy season selection was replaced with a holistic climate model calculating environmental factors like snow lines and ocean temperatures dynamically.

== Release timeline ==
Final build code release dates by year.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width:40%; margin:auto"
! Date !! Version
|-
| Jul 17, 1997 || First major code release
|-
| Sep 23, 1997 || 0.12
|-
| Dec 9, 1997 || 0.15
|-
| Dec 17, 1997 || 0.18
|-
| Dec 30, 1997 || 0.19 (first binaries)
|-
| Jan 6, 1998 || 0.22
|-
| Mar 11 98 || 0.37
|-
| Apr 8, 1998 || 0.41
|-
| Apr 14, 1998 || 0.42
|-
| Apr 23, 1998 || 0.43
|-
| Apr 28, 1998 || 0.44
|-
| May 7, 1998 || 0.45
|-
| May 11, 1998 || 0.46
|-
| May 18, 1998 || 0.47
|-
| Jun 9, 1998 || 0.48
|-
| Jun 27, 1998 || 0.49
|-
| Jul 13, 1998 || 0.50
|-
| Jul 21, 1998 || 0.51
|-
| Aug 15, 1998 || 0.52
|-
| Sep 2, 1998 || 0.53
|-
| Sep 25, 1998 || 0.54
|-
| Oct 23, 1998 || 0.55
|-
| Nov 23, 1998 || 0.56
|-
| Jan 21, 1999 || 0.57
|-
| Feb 10, 1999 || 0.58
|-
| Mar 31, 1999 || 0.59
|-
| May 26, 1999 || 0.6.0
|-
| Jun 21, 1999 || 0.6.1 (Stable)
|-
|rowspan=2 | Sep 11, 1999 || 0.7.0 (Development)
|-
| 0.6.2 (Stable)
|-
| Oct 22, 1999 || 0.7.1 (Development)
|-
| Feb 17, 2000 || 0.7.2 (Development)
|-
| May 18, 2000 || 0.7.3 (Development)
|-
| Jul 20, 2000 || 0.7.4
|-
| Sep 18, 2000 || 0.7.5
|-
| Dec 19, 2000 || 0.7.6
|-
| Jun 20, 2001 || 0.7.7
|-
| Jul 13, 2001 || 0.7.8
|-
| Feb 16, 2002 || 0.7.9
|-
| Apr 20, 2002 || 0.7.10
|-
| Sep 7, 2002 || 0.8.0
|-
| Dec 3, 2002 || 0.9.0
|-
| Dec 5, 2002 || 0.9.1
|-
| Jun 4, 2003 || 0.9.2
|-
| Oct 24, 2003 || 0.9.3
|-
| Mar 26, 2004 || 0.9.4
|-
| Jul 29, 2004 || 0.9.5
|-
| Oct 12, 2004 || 0.9.6
|-
| Jan 18, 2005 || 0.9.8
|-
| Nov 17, 2005 || 0.9.9
|-
| Apr 5, 2006 || 0.9.10
|-
| May 2007 || 0.9.11-pre1
|-
| Dec 17, 2007 || 1.0.0
|-
| Dec 22, 2008 || 1.9.0
|-
| Jan 25, 2009 || 1.9.1
|-
| Feb 25, 2010 || 2.0.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2011 || 2.4.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2012 || 2.6.0
|-
| Aug 17, 2012 || 2.8.0
|-
| Feb 17, 2013 || 2.10
|-
| Sep 21, 2013 || 2.12
|-
| Feb 17, 2014 || 3.0
|-
| Oct 15, 2014 || 3.2
|-
| Feb 17, 2015 || 3.4
|-
| {{N/a}} || 3.6 (unreleased, see [[FlightGear Newsletter November 2015#FlightGear v3.6 canceled|here]])
|-
| Feb 17, 2016 || 2016.1.1 (new versioning scheme)
|-
| May 7, 2016 || 2016.1.2
|-
| May 17, 2016 || 2016.2.1
|-
| Sep 12, 2016 || 2016.3.1
|-
| Nov 19, 2016 || 2016.4.1
|-
| Nov 23, 2016 || 2016.4.2
|-
| Dec 5, 2016 || 2016.4.3
|-
| Dec 28, 2016 || 2016.4.4
|-
| Feb 23, 2017 || 2017.1.1
|-
| Mar 1, 2017 || 2017.1.2
|-
| Apr 4, 2017 || 2017.1.3
|-
| May 22, 2017 || 2017.2.1
|-
| Sep 20, 2017 || 2017.3.1
|-
| Apr 11, 2018 || 2018.1.1
|-
| May 22, 2018 || 2018.2.1
|-
| Dec 3, 2018 || 2018.3.1
|-
| Jan 29, 2019 || 2018.3.2
|-
| {{N/a}} || 2018.3.3 (not released)
|-
| Aug 9, 2019 || 2018.3.4
|-
| Apr 20, 2020 || 2018.3.5
|-
| Aug 9, 2020 || 2018.3.6
|-
| Mar 14, 2019 || 2019.1.1
|-
| Sep 1, 2019 || 2019.1.2
|-
| May 11, 2020 || 2020.1.1
|-
| May 25, 2020 || 2020.1.2
|-
| Jun 26, 2020 || 2020.1.3
|-
| Oct 13, 2020 || 2020.2.1
|-
| Oct 29, 2020 || 2020.3.1
|-
| Nov 6, 2020 || 2020.3.2
|-
| Nov 23, 2020 || 2020.3.3
|-
| Dec 1, 2020 || 2020.3.4
|-
| Dec 19, 2020 || 2020.3.5
|-
| Jan 24, 2021 || 2020.3.6
|-
| Mar 21, 2021 || 2020.3.7
|-
| Mar 25, 2021 || 2020.3.8
|-
| Jun 14, 2021 || 2020.3.9
|-
| Jul 26, 2021 || 2020.3.10
|-
| Jul 29, 2021 || 2020.3.11
|-
|Feb 6, 2022
|2020.3.12
|-
|Mar 30, 2022
|2020.3.13
|-
|Sep 27, 2022
|2020.3.14
|-
|Oct 12, 2022
|2020.3.15
|-
|Oct 20, 2022
|2020.3.16
|-
|Sep 22, 2022
|2020.3.17
|-
|Mar 21, 2023
|2020.3.18
|-
|Feb 27, 2025
|2024.1.1
|-
|Sep 18, 2025
|2024.1.2
|-
|Nov 2, 2025
|2024.1.3
|-
|Jan 21, 2026
|2024.1.4
|-
|Mar 22, 2026
|2024.1.5
|}

== Cycled default airports ==

FlightGear did not start changing the default airport until version 2016.1 was released. At that time, the idea was that each new release would have a new default airport. This chart lists the default airports since 2016.1 was released. Since 2018.1, the selection of a new default airport has been changed so that a new airport is selected for each new major version release instead of for each minor version release.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release !! ICAO !! Default Airport
|-
| 2016.1 || [[KSFO]] || San Francisco ''(transition)''
|-
| 2016.2 || [[LEBL]] || Barcelona
|-
| 2016.3 || [[SBRJ]] || Rio de Janeiro
|-
| 2016.4 || [[LSZH]] || Zürich
|-
| 2017.1 || [[ENBR]] || Bergen
|-
| 2017.2 || [[KBOS]] || Boston
|-
| 2017.3 || [[LKPR]] || Prague
|-
| 2018.1 || rowspan="4" | [[PHNL]] || rowspan="4" | Honolulu
|-
| 2018.2
|-
| 2018.3
|-
| 2019.1
|-
| 2020.1 || rowspan="4" | [[BIKF]] || rowspan="4" | Keflavik
|-
| 2020.2
|-
| 2020.3
|-
| 2024.1
|}

== External links ==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.flightgear.org/ Internet Archive: Wayback Machine for http://www.flightgear.org/ ]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19981212014011/http://flightgear.org/ Old website on December 5, 1998]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209082206/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/tucson.jpg link] ("A view from the ground near Tucson, AZ (KTUS)", old FlightGear screenshot)
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19990209050729/http://www.flightgear.org/Gallery/texture2.jpg link] ("Here's one of the Grand Canyon with a rock face texture. I know this looks funny, but I'm just experimenting here.", old FlightGear screenshot)

{{Appendix|2=
* {{wikipedia|FlightGear}}
* [http://www.flightgear.org/proposal-3.0.1 Original Flight Gear Proposal] by David L. Murr (Revision 3.0.1)
* [ftp://flightgear.wo0t.de/flightgear-ftp/ FlightGear FTP Archive]
----
{{References}}
}}
[[fr:FlightGear history]]

[[Category:FlightGear]]

FGAddon

2026-04-21T17:47:53Z

Fgf5: /* History */

[[File:FGAddon logo.png|270px|right]]

The official '''FGAddon''' [[aircraft]] hangar is a version control repository, hosted on [[FlightGear|FlightGear's]] [[SourceForge]] infrastructure, and used for the day-to-day development of FlightGear aircraft. FGAddon is an {{wikipedia|Apache Subversion}} version control repository. These are aircraft that are not part of the base package (the aircraft that are included in the base package — the [[Cessna 172P]] and the [[UFO]] — are kept in the [[FGData]] repository), but are tagged with each stable release.

The FGAddon aircraft development repository should be considered unstable. When using a stable FlightGear release, it is best to obtain aircraft directly in the launcher. However, as stable releases from FlightGear version 3.4 onwards are tagged and present within the FGAddon repository, the Subversion tools can be a convenient way to obtain individual aircraft or the entire official hangar of approximately 500 aircraft. Also, if using the [[FlightGear build server|lastest nightly releases]] or a [[Building FlightGear|self-compiled version of FlightGear]] from FlightGear's [https://gitlab.com/flightgear Git version control repositories], using FGAddon allows the aircraft to be updated to the latest development versions.

== History ==
The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr. The first commits were to the original [[FlightGear CVS|flightgear and simgear CVS version control repositories]]. As the project grew, so did the size, quantity, and quality of the FlightGear assets. These assets were not organised and were scattered across different parts of the internet. Therefore it was decided that much of this FlightGear content would be assembled and stored together in a new centralised CVS repository called fgdata, which was created on October 22, 2000. To allow for the legal redistribution of these assets as part of the FlightGear distribution, a GPLv2 only policy was adopted.

In May 2010, development was interrupted by the infamous ''"coffee incident"'' which resulted in the loss of Curtis' home server hosting all of the FlightGear repositories<ref>James Turner (May 20, 2010). [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.games.flightgear.devel/60340/focus=60341 <nowiki>[Flightgear-devel]</nowiki> Re: Flightgear git repositories (was Re: GIT or CVS - Confusion)] Published on the flightgear-devel mailing list.</ref>. These events resulted in a [[FlightGear CVS|mass migration of all the CVS repositories to Git repositories]]. Due to bandwidth issues, it was decided that the new repositories would be hosted on the Gitorious open source infrastructure.

With time as the project grew, the size and scope of the fgdata repository mushroomed, mainly due to the growing number of aircraft stored in [[$FG_ROOT]]/Aircraft, so that a split was inevitable. A first splitting attempt was organised by Gijs de Rooy and announced on October 18, 2011<ref>Cedric Sodhi (Oct 18, 2011) [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.games.flightgear.devel/66846 <nowiki>[Flightgear-devel]</nowiki> FGData Split Completed - a.k.a Life after the Split] Published on the flightgear-devel mailing list.</ref>. Each aircraft was placed in its own Git repository and all aircraft linked back to fgdata using a Git submodule approach. However this attempt failed and was abandoned. From this date until the end of 2014, the design of the fgdata split was discussed on the development mailing list and summarised in the [[FlightGear Git: splitting fgdata]] wiki article. In the planning stages, the repositories were known as fgdata-old splitting into [[FGData]] (a.k.a. fgdata-new) and FGAddon (a.k.a. flightgear-aircraft and fgaircraft). After half a decade of planning, it was decided that the best solution for FlightGear aircraft development would be a single centralized Subversion repository. This would facilitate community management and maintenance of the aircraft while at the same time providing modularity and smaller downloads and smaller local repository sizes.

In late 2014, Gitorious, the provider of the open source infrastructure for the FlightGear source code and data repositories announced that it would shut its services down by May 2015 due to its acquisition by GitLab. This catalysed the split of fgdata-old and a switch to the SourceForge open source infrastructure for the hosting of the VC repositories. Other parts of the FlightGear infrastructure were already hosted by SourceForge, making the move a natural one. Sealing the deal, SourceForge agreed in writing to host the huge FlightGear aircraft collection, the size of which is unrivaled in open source circles. Today, the FGAddon SVN repository is hosted on SourceForge.

In August 2015, a new FlightGear policy document was written to codify the unwritten standards of the project<ref>[http://www.flightgear.org/flightgear-policy-document/ FlightGear Policy Document and Roadmap], draft document.</ref>. With this document, the licensing policy for the FlightGear aircraft hosted on FGAddon has been updated from being GPLv2-only to now being GPLv2+. To combat licence proliferation, avoid complications using work from one aircraft in another, and for the integrity and good of the FlightGear project, it is strongly recommended that all original content (whether hosted in FGAddon or elsewhere) be GPLv2+ licensed.



== Obtaining aircraft ==

{{tip|If you are interested in obtaining aircraft for stable FlightGear releases and you are unaware of what version control is, you should visit the [[FlightGear_hangars|FlightGear hangars]] for downloading aircraft.}}
{{caution|If the FlightGear and FGAddon aircraft versions do not match, strange bugs should be expected and the version-mismatch combination will not be supported by the FlightGear community.}}

With access to the Subversion (SVN) tools, the FGAddon version control repository can be a convenient way for obtaining aircraft for using within a specific FlightGear version directly from the official source. When using the [[FlightGear Build Server|nightly builds]] or a [[Building FlightGear|version controlled copy of FlightGear]], the most up to date in-development versions of the aircraft should be used so the versions match. The following describes how to use the official repository to obtain aircraft from the perspective of a FlightGear user.

=== Preparation ===
To use the FGAddon repository, the Subversion tools need to be installed:
* '''MS Windows''': Install one of the [https://subversion.apache.org/packages.html#windows many Subversion clients]. For example [https://sliksvn.com/download/ SlikSVN] is one of the best command line versions and the best for aircraft development, and [http://tortoisesvn.net/ TortoiseSVN] provides a user friendly graphical user interface (GUI) by integrating into Windows Explorer.
* '''Mac OS X''': Install the [https://subversion.apache.org/packages.html#osx official Subversion client].
* '''GNU/Linux''': Install the Subversion client via the package manager. This will usually be in a package called <code>subversion-*.{rpm,deb}</code>.
** This command should work for the Raspberry Pi platform: <code>sudo apt-get install subversion</code>. It also contains a client.

=== FGAddon directory layout ===
To know how to use the FGAddon repository, an understanding of the repository directory layout is essential.
* <code>/trunk</code>: This base directory is where the in-development versions of the aircraft are located.
* <code>/branches/release-x.y.z/</code>: These directories correspond to the specific stable FlightGear releases.

The [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgaddon/HEAD/tree/ web interface for the FGAddon repository] allows all of the aircraft to be browsed.

=== Download ===
[[File:V22Osprey.jpg|thumb|200px|Aircraft to be downloaded]]
Firstly, choose an aircraft to download. The [[Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey]] will be used in this example.

==== Command line ====

To download the aircraft for FlightGear 2024.1, simply type:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co|branch=branches/release-2024.1|path=Aircraft/V22-Osprey|post=}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

To obtain the in-development version, type:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co|path=Aircraft/V22-Osprey|post=}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

If all of the ~500 aircraft from the repository are desired - beware that this will be a huge download of over 6 GB - use the following command:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co|post=flightgear-fgaddon}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

When using a stable FlightGear release, for example FlightGear 2020.3, to obtain all of the FGAddon aircraft to match the installed FlightGear version, use:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co|branch=branches/release-2020.3|post=flightgear-fgaddon}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

==== GUI clients and TortoiseSVN ====

When using one of the Subversion GUIs (graphical user interfaces), simply copy one of the above <code>https://</code> URLs and use that in the GUI (each GUI is different, so see the relevant documentation for help). For the unique TortoiseSVN tool, simply:

* In Windows Explorer, create a new empty folder for the aircraft (or aircraft collection).
* In the new folder, right click and select <code>SVN Checkout...</code>.
* Copy and paste the URL, for example {{fgaddon source|path=Aircraft/V22-Osprey|type=svn|full=1}}, leave all other settings as they are, and import by clicking on <code>OK</code>.

For more details, see the [http://tortoisesvn.net/support.html TortoiseSVN documentation]. Note that there is an option to install the command line tools when installing TortoiseSVN.

=== Flying ===

To use the newly downloaded aircraft, please see the [[Howto:Install aircraft]] article, skipping the instructions for downloading and unzipping the aircraft.

=== Updates ===
With a checked out copy of the <code>/trunk</code> in-development version, the aircraft can be updated to the latest version using the command:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn up
</syntaxhighlight>

== Aircraft development ==

{{tip|The FlightGear community encourages aircraft development directly within FGAddon.}}

=== Contact the original aircraft authors ===

The first step for developing and advancing the aircraft of the official FlightGear hangar, or from one of the [[Flightgear_hangars#Aircraft_hangars|private hangars]] for that matter, is to make contact with the original aircraft author(s). Their names can be found within the <code>*-set.xml</code> file, within the <code><authors></code> XML tag. Often the contact email address will be listed in a README file or some other text file in the base aircraft directory. If not, contact can sometimes be established via the [https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel FlightGear development mailing list]. Contacting the original authors is important to see if the aircraft is currently being actively developed, and if you can join in as part of the development team.

=== SourceForge account ===

To work on the official aircraft collection, a [https://sourceforge.net/user/registration/ SourceForge account] should first be set up. This will allow to either directly commit to the FGAddon repository, if commit access has been been granted, or to work in as part of a SourceForge development team. The registration process is lightning quick and the SourceForge developer infrastructure and developer services will be accessible in under a minute.

=== Commit access ===

Before obtaining commit access, an all-out effort to contact the original author(s) should be made to determine if the aircraft is actively being developed. If this is unsuccessful, sign up for the [https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel FlightGear development mailing list] and ask for help there. If the aircraft has a current maintainer, you will be directed as to how to proceed with development. Otherwise ask if someone could volunteer to mentor you in the process of becoming an aircraft developer with full commit access.

To obtain commit access, you will first need:
# To demonstrate your capabilities and development skills.
# To show that you understand the [http://www.flightgear.org/flightgear-policy-document/ FlightGear policy document].
# To show an understanding of the GPL licensing issues, and that you can be trusted not to use copyrighted, non-GPL material.
# To earn the trust of the FlightGear community.

These easy to jump over hurdles are simply designed to protect against repository corruption or pollution of the repository with illegal content.

To have your changes committed into the FGAddon repository, you should discuss and coordinate with the original aircraft author, or your mentor, for the best way to proceed. Depending on the [[#Development_scenarios|development scenario]], this maybe by merge request, file transfer, the primitive patch system, or any other convenient way. Once you believe you have proven your capabilities and you are knowledgeable about GPL licensing issues, you should write a mail to the development mailing list asking if you can be granted commit access, providing your SourceForge username.

=== FGAddon commitlog mailing list ===

To follow all changes which occur in the FGAddon repository, subscribe to the dedicated [https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-fgaddon-commitlogs Flightgear FGAddon commitlogs mailing list]. One email is sent per commit, as the commit is made.

== Version control tools ==

To access FGAddon and use it for aircraft development, the Subversion or SVN version control tools are needed. Alternatively git-svn provides an interface for those who prefer the git version control tools.

=== Subversion ===

==== Set up ====
The FGAddon aircraft hangar is stored in a remote Subversion repository located on the SourceForge infrastructure, and therefore it is simplest to use the SVN tools for aircraft development and will cause the least problems. See the [[#Preparation|Subversion installation section]] for setting up the tool chain.

==== Repository checkout ====
The first step is to 'checkout' a copy of either the repository trunk or one of the aircraft in the trunk:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn co <url> <dir>
</syntaxhighlight>

For the relevant URL to use, you must chose one of the [[#Development_scenarios|development scenarios]] and find the URL in that section. This command will create a local subversion repository copy in the given <code><dir></code> directory. Note that this will only contain the part of the FGAddon repository specified in the URL. This means that Subversion allows you to checkout either a single file all the way to the entire remote repository.

==== Information and history ====
At any point to see information about the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn info
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the history of the checked out copy of the repository, type one of:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn log
svn log | less
svn log -v | less
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Daily usage ====
The main Subversion command you will be using is:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn add <path>
</syntaxhighlight>

This will register the file or directory <code><path></code> within the local repository to allow it to later be 'committed' and sent to the remote repository. To move or rename a file or directory, use:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn mv <path1> <path2>
</syntaxhighlight>

This should be used rather than normal file moving/renaming so that the change is tracked in the local repository. To remove a file from the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn rm <path>
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the current status of the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn st
</syntaxhighlight>

To update the local repository with changes in the remote repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn up
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Committing changes ====
All of the above operations only occur on the local repository copy - the remote FGAddon repository at SourceForge will know nothing of these changes. To send all your changes to FGAddon, you need to commit the changes:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci
</syntaxhighlight>

This will open up an editor to allow you to write an informative commit log message. When committing, it is best to make small modular commits so that each commit corresponds to a single purpose. Note that you can only commit to FGAddon if you have [[#Commit access|commit access]].

==== Branching ====
The concept of Subversion branching is currently only used in the FlightGear project for tagging the stable releases. However if you are curious about branching, see the [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.7/svn.branchmerge.html Branching and Merging chapter of the Subversion manual], and the [https://www.orcaware.com/svn/wiki/Svnmerge.py svnmerge.py script] which can greatly simplify the process.

=== Git-svn ===

The git-svn tool is useful for those who are already familiar with using git repositories, or those who wish to have their own private aircraft development playground. Git-svn provides a bridge between the remote FGAddon Subversion repository and a local git repository. For those unfamiliar with git, the git-svn bridge together with the git repository is far more complicated to use than the native [[#Subversion|Subversion tools]]. For more information on using git, see [[Howto:Start using git]]. The following will assume that only a single aircraft will be stored in the local git repository.

==== Set up ====
The git distributed version control system needs to first be [https://git-scm.com/downloads installed].

==== Cloning a single aircraft ====
The first step is to 'clone' a copy of one of the aircraft in the remote Subversion trunk:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn clone <aircraft_url>
</syntaxhighlight>

For the relevant aircraft URL to use, you must chose one of the [[#Development_scenarios|development scenarios]] and find the URL in that section. The URL depends on your [[#Commit access|FGAddon commit access status]]. The clone command will create a local git repository containing solely the aircraft of interest, and initialise the git-svn bridge.

==== Information and history ====
At any point to see information about the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn info
git branch -vva
git remote -v
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the history of the checked out copy of the repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Daily usage ====
The main git command you will be using is:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git add <path>
</syntaxhighlight>

This will register the file or directory <code><path></code> within the local repository to allow it to later be 'committed' to the local git repository. To move or rename a file or directory, use:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git mv <path1> <path2>
</syntaxhighlight>

However note that git history is not as robust as svn history. See the [[#Moving_or_renaming_files|git-svn file moving/renaming deficiency section]] for how to better perform this operation. To remove a file from the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git rm <path>
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the current status of the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git status
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Committing changes ====
As git is a distributed version control system, changes are committed to the local git repository.
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git commit
</syntaxhighlight>

This will open up an editor to allow you to write an informative commit log message. The commit is local and will not be sent to FGAddon.

==== Dedicated FGAddon branch ====
In the examples above, only a single branch was assumed in the repository. If interaction with a remote git repository or branching within the local git repository is desired, then a different strategy is required. The reason being that the branch that synchronises with FGAddon must [https://git-scm.com/book/en/v1/Git-and-Other-Systems-Git-and-Subversion#git-svn preserve a linear history]. This means only cherry-picking of the desired changes into that branch is allowed.

In this example, two branches will be set up in the local git repository:
* <code>fgaddon</code>: This branch will be dedicated for FGAddon synchronisation and will preserve a linear history.
* <code>master</code>: A master branch for aircraft development, allowing for mergers and other non-linear history operations.

Assuming a [[#Cloning_a_single_aircraft|newly cloned repository]], create the <code>fgaddon</code> branch with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git branch fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

And switch to that branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

The FGAddon synchronisation can then be performed on this branch. To pull in the developments from the master branch, use cherry-picking to apply a sequentially ordered list of commit hashes:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 2>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 3>
...
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the list of commits to be sent to FGAddon prior to dcommitting, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

And to see the changes as a single diff:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git diff git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Synchronising ====
To send the changes to the remote FGAddon repository, firstly change to the dedicated <code>fgaddon</code> branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

Make sure the local git-svn repository is up to date with all changes that have occurred in FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

Then push or dcommit the changes to FGAddon with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Deficiencies of git-svn ===

{{warning|Performing a <code>git-svn clone</code> of the <code>/trunk/</code> or entire repository is not recommended, as the entire repository history will be downloaded, resulting in a huge local repository, as well as putting a large strain on the FlightGear open source infrastructure.}}

It is important to understand that there are a number of operations in which git-svn is deficient. In many cases, the svn tools should be used instead.

==== Copying files between aircraft ====

{{caution|Git-svn does not maintain the file copying history normally present in a Subversion repository.}}

The most important of these is the copying of content from other FGAddon aircraft. In this case you will need FGAddon commit access and a local svn copy of the repository. Firstly synchronise the repositories by dcommitting all changes back to FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

Then in the local svn repository, copy the file:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn cp Aircraft/<aircraft1>/<file_path1> Aircraft/<aircraft2>/<file_path2>
</syntaxhighlight>

And commit the change:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci
</syntaxhighlight>

Back in the local git-svn repository, pull in the new files:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

Using the subversion tools avoids the FGAddon repository backend from significantly increasing in size, as [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.7/svn.branchmerge.using.html#svn.branchmerge.using.create svn copies are cheap].

==== Moving or renaming files ====

{{caution|Git-svn does not always maintain the file moving or renaming history normally present in a Subversion repository.}}

This problem stems from the fact that svn history is more robust than that of git. The <code>svn mv</code> and <code>git mv</code> commands are not equivalent. The subversion command stores the move history directly in the repository whereas git does not (git instead uses heuristic methods to try to detect history, after the commit). The result of using git-svn is that often the move will not be detected and the FGAddon history will show one file or directory being deleted and another added. This also causes the repository backend to increase in size, whereas <code>svn mv</code> will not cause any significant size increase. If you wish to have a better historical record in the FGAddon repository and be considerate to the repository backend, it is recommended that you temporarily switch to the subversion tools. Firstly, synchronise the repositories:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

Then in the local svn repository, move or rename the file:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn mv Aircraft/<aircraft>/<file_path1> Aircraft/<aircraft>/<file_path2>
</syntaxhighlight>

And commit the change:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci
</syntaxhighlight>

Back in the local git-svn repository, pull in the changes with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Copying files within one aircraft ====

Just as the <code>svn mv</code> command stores the move information directly within the repository, so does <code>svn cp</code> store the copy information. Therefore if you would like to duplicate a text file and modify it, using the native Subversion tools instead of git-svn for this operation allows for the file history to be permanently preserved in the FGAddon repository.

==== Subversion properties ====

{{caution|Git-svn currently only supports the <code>svn:executable</code> property, all other properties are ignored and cannot be added, changed, or removed in a git-svn clone of the aircraft.}}

Internally, Subversion identifies binary files using the <code>svn:mime-type</code> repository property. However as git-svn cannot set this property when using the <code>git add</code> command, the result is that binary files will be treated as text. Binary diffs will be seen when using <code>svn diff</code> or <code>git diff</code>, and a binary diff will be shown in the [[#FGAddon commitlog mailing list|FGAddon commitlog mailing list]] messages. As this issue is not unique to git-svn, to work around this issue please see the [[#Binary diffs|binary diffs]] section.

==== Protocols other than svn+ssh ====

The command <code>git svn init</code> replicates the entire history of an aircraft into a local repository. As part of this process, it generates a git commit ID or hash for every Subversion revision. The problem is that the git commit ID depends on the protocol used to read from the Subversion repository (likely a git bug). Hence:

{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn init|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

and

{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn init|protocol=https|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

will result in two different and incompatible git repositories, even though they contain the same data. The incompatibility is not immediately apparent but it will bite later. Suppose someone with read-only access to FGAddon uses the https method, then asks a FGAddon gatekeeper to commit their changes. The gatekeeper, naturally, uses svn+ssh, as this is the only protocol granting write permissions. When the gatekeeper tries to merge the contributor's https clone into their own svn+ssh clone, git will complain that the two repositories have no history in common, and flag every change as a conflict.

Therefore, if you are planning to make any changes to an aircraft, be sure to use svn+ssh even if you do not yet have commit permissions on FGAddon. svn+ssh does not require write permissions, it only requires a SourceForge user ID.

== FGAddon development concepts ==

=== New aircraft ===

To add a new aircraft to the FGAddon repository, the SVN tools are required. If you encounter <code>svn:mime-type</code> property problems when adding a new aircraft, see the [[#Mime-type problems|mime-type problems section]] for how to resolve the issue. Or if you have a <code>svn:executable</code> property problem, see the [[#Executable flag|executable flag problem section]].

==== svn import ====

{{warning|The <code>svn import</code> command described herein will send all contents of the specified directory directly into FGAddon without warning and without a way to cancel the operation. Therefore special care must be taken when specifying the directory to upload into FGAddon, as well as the target FGAddon directory. See the [[#svn add|svn add]] section below for a safer way to add a new aircraft.}}

The [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.7/svn.tour.importing.html#svn.tour.importing.import svn import] command is the easiest method to use and does not require a local copy of the repository to be checked out. To start:

# Create an empty local aircraft directory.
# Copy the aircraft files into this directory.
# Carefully check all files to make sure there are no hidden or temporary files that should not be uploaded to FGAddon.

Assuming the Dead Simple Human Powered Airplane (DaSH PA or "DaSH") aircraft as an example, located in the <code>DaSH/</code> directory, on the command line run:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source
| cmd = svn import DaSH/
| protocol = svn+ssh
| login = <username>
| type = svn
| path = Aircraft/DaSH/
| post = -m \
| full = 1
}}
"Initial import of the DaSH human powered aircraft.\n\nFor details see the forum thread at http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=24495 ."
| lang = "sh"
}}

Where <code><username></code> is the SourceForge user name. This will add all the files into FGAddon with commit log message with the summary line <code>Initial import of the DaSH human powered aircraft.</code>, followed by a blank line, and then a detailed description pointing to the original location or discussion of the aircraft. To see if the aircraft has been successfully added to the repository:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source
| cmd = svn list
| protocol = svn+ssh
| login = <username>
| type = svn
| path = Aircraft/DaSH/
| full = 1
}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Or visit the {{fgaddon source|path=Aircraft|text=FGAddon web interface}}. The aircraft can then be checked out as described in the [[#Development scenarios|Development scenarios section]].

==== svn add ====

If a local copy of the FGAddon trunk is present, then the <code>svn add</code> command can be used instead. This is far safer than the <code>svn import</code> command, as the change can be double checked before committing. In the <code>Aircraft/</code> directory of the local repository, create the <code>DaSH/</code> directory. This can either be empty or contain all files of the initial aircraft. Then on the command line, add the aircraft to the local repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn add DaSH/
</syntaxhighlight>

Then double check the changes prior to committing:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn st
</syntaxhighlight>

And send the changes to FGAddon with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci
</syntaxhighlight>

An editor, often vi<ref>[http://www.vim.org/docs.php Vim documentation]</ref>, will open and the commit message can be composed. Alternatively the commit log message can be specified on the command line with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci -m "<subject_line>\n\n<detailed_description>"
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Commit blocking by pre-commit hooks ===

Sometimes when committing to FGAddon, the commit will be blocked the following will be printed out:
<pre>
svn: E165001: Commit failed (details follow):
svn: E165001: Commit blocked by pre-commit hook (exit code 1) with output:
</pre>

This is due to the presence of two repository pre-commit hook scripts which check the quality of the commit, blocking it if a text file is set to a binary file mime-type or if the executable flag is set. These scripts are simply to protect the repository and to keep it clean.

==== Mime-type problems ====

Sometimes when attempting to commit files to FGAddon using the SVN tools, the commit will be blocked with the following message:
<pre>
Sending dash-set.xml
svn: E165001: Commit failed (details follow):
svn: E165001: Commit blocked by pre-commit hook (exit code 1) with output:

Aborting the commit, the svn:mime-type property is labelling the following text
files as binary:

dash-set.xml: svn:mime-type=application/xml

Before committing, please remove this property by typing 'svn propdel svn:mime-
type file_name' for all affected files. This will allow the text files to be
treated as text within the FGAddon repository.

To avoid the svn:mime-type property being incorrectly set by your subversion
client, the subversion configuration file at $HOME/.subversion/config or
%appdata%\roaming\subversion\config should be edited and a new entry added to
[auto-props] for each affected file type. In most cases, the problem is with
XML files being labelled as "application/xml" by a library called libmagic. To
override this, add the following to the svn config file:

*.xml = svn:mime-type=text/xml

svn: E165001: Your commit message was left in a temporary file:
svn: E165001: '/flightgear/repo_testing/svn-commit.tmp'
</pre>

Despite messages about adding or sending files, no change will have occurred in the FGAddon repository. This message is created by a repository pre-commit hook script which checks if the Subversion <code>svn:mime-type</code> property is set on a list of known text files and, if the mime-type is set to a binary format, the commit is blocked. The reason for this block is to protect the repository. Newer SVN clients rely on a 3rd party library known as libmagic which will detect the aircraft XML files as the binary mime-type of <code>application/xml</code>. The result is that the XML files are treated as binary files in the repository. This behaviour is completely undesirable, as changes cannot be followed on the [[#FGAddon commitlog mailing list|flightgear-fgaddon-commitlogs mailing list]] or in the repository history, and the size of the commits become orders of magnitude larger. Therefore this buggy behaviour has been blocked for the protection of the FlightGear project. To remove the problem, follow the instructions in the message and, using the command line tools, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn propdel svn:mime-type <file_name>
</syntaxhighlight>

Repeat this for each text file listed in the error message. Then commit again, using the commit message saved in the <code>svn-commit.tmp</code> file. The message file name will be reported in the commit failure message, but check its contents first:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
cat svn-commit.tmp
</syntaxhighlight>

And reperform the commit:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci -F svn-commit.tmp
</syntaxhighlight>

===== Subversion config file =====

The automatic property setting of <code>svn:mime-type</code> can be controlled by modifying the Subversion <code>config</code> file. Firstly in the <code>[miscellany]</code> section, make sure that the auto-properties are turned on:
<syntaxhighlight>
enable-auto-props = yes
</syntaxhighlight>

Then in the <code>[auto-props]</code> section, add:
<syntaxhighlight>
*.ac = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.eff = svn:mime-type=text/xml
*.frag = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.nas = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.osgx = svn:mime-type=text/xml
*.svg = svn:mime-type=text/svg+xml
*.txt = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.vert = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.xhtml = svn:mime-type=text/xml
*.xml = svn:mime-type=text/xml
*.xsl = svn:mime-type=text/xml
</syntaxhighlight>

These are all the text files that the hook script will check that the mime-type is set to a text format, though new text files will likely be added in the future. These additions can either be to the user configuration file located at <code>~/.subversion/config</code> (or <code>%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Subversion\config</code> in Windows) or, if a user configuration file is not set, to the global configuration file at <code>/etc/subversion/config</code> (or <code>%APPDATA%\Subversion\config</code> in Windows).

==== Executable flag ====

Another blocking message when attempting to commit files to FGAddon using the SVN tools is:
<pre>
Adding dash-set.xml
Transmitting file data .svn: E165001: Commit failed (details follow):
svn: E165001: Commit blocked by pre-commit hook (exit code 1) with output:

The svn:executable property is set on the files ['dash-set.xml'], aborting the
commit.

The current policy is that no executable files are allowed in FGAddon. Before
committing, please remove this property by typing 'svn propdel svn:executable
file_name' for all affected files. Or to remove it recursively from all files
to be committed, in your aircraft directory type 'svn propdel svn:executable
-R'.

To avoid the svn:executable property being set by your subversion client, on
GNU/Linux and Mac OS X systems simply make sure that the file's execute bit is
not set before adding the file to be committed.

svn: E165001: Your commit message was left in a temporary file:
svn: E165001: '/flightgear/repo_testing/svn-commit.tmp'
</pre>

This will probably only be seen on Mac OS X and GNU/Linux systems. This message is printed by a pre-commit repository hook script that checks if the Subversion <code>svn:executable</code> property is set and, if so, the commit is blocked. This is a security measure, as no aircraft files should be executable. To remove the problem, follow the instructions in the message and, using the command line tools, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn propdel svn:executable -R
</syntaxhighlight>

Then commit again, using the commit message saved in the <code>svn-commit.tmp</code> file. The message file name will be reported in the commit failure message, but check its contents first:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
cat svn-commit.tmp
</syntaxhighlight>

And the reperform the commit:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci -F svn-commit.tmp
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Binary diffs ===

{{warning|The incorrect setting or absence of the mime-type property on a binary file will result in a binary diff.}}

When looking at the output of <code>svn diff</code> (or <code>git diff</code> if you are using git-svn) as well as when reading messages from the [[#FGAddon commitlog mailing list|FGAddon commitlog mailing list]], you may see a large number of unrecognisable characters. This is the result of what is known as a binary diff, showing the binary file differences as if it were text. Although this is not a issue for the operation of the repository, the situation is an aesthetic problem which makes it more difficult to perform a review of the changes.

To fix the problem, firstly the binary files with the <code>svn:mime-type</code> property missing need to be identified. The following subversion command can be used:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn propget svn:mime-type <file_name>
</syntaxhighlight>

As it can be tedious checking each file individually, the following Python script simplifies and automates the process to identify all binary files with a mime-type issue:

{{collapsible script
| type = Python 2/3 script
| title = Find binary files with no <code>svn:mime-type</code> property set.
| intro = The following script is based on blacklisting text files. Hence false positives are to be expected, and the blacklists can be expanded as needed.
| lang = python
| script =
#! /usr/bin/env python

from os import getcwd, walk
from os.path import join, splitext
from re import search
from subprocess import PIPE, Popen

skip_txt_file_seg = [
'authors',
'copying',
'licen',
'readme'
]

skip_txt_ext = [
'ac',
'css',
'dat',
'eff',
'frag',
'html',
'json',
'log',
'nas',
'osgx',
'svg',
'tex',
'txt',
'vert',
'xhtml',
'xml',
'xsl'
]

skip_bin_prop = [
'application/octet-stream',
'application/pdf',
'application/postscript',
'application/x-dosexec',
'application/x-gzip',
'application/zip',
'audio/x-wav',
'image/gif',
'image/jpeg',
'image/png',
'image/vnd.adobe.photoshop',
'image/tiff',
'image/x-ms-bmp',
'image/x-xcf',
]

# Walk through the directories.
for root, dirs, files in walk(getcwd()):
# Loop over the files in the current directory.
for file in files:
# Skip known text files.
skip = False
for i in range(len(skip_txt_file_seg)):
if search(skip_txt_file_seg[i], file.lower()):
skip = True
if skip:
continue

# The file extension.
file_path, ext = splitext(file)
ext = ext[1:].lower()

# Skip known text file extensions.
if ext in skip_txt_ext:
continue

# The full file path.
path = join(root, file)

# Query the file for svn:mime-type.
cmd = 'svn propget svn:mime-type \"%s\"' % path
pipe = Popen(cmd, shell=True, stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE, close_fds=False)
props = []
for line in pipe.stdout.readlines():
props.append(line.strip())

# Byte array conversion (Python3).
for i in range(len(props)):
if hasattr(props[i], 'decode'):
props[i] = props[i].decode()

# Skip binary svn:mime-type values.
if len(props) and props[0] in skip_bin_prop:
continue

# Printout.
if not len(props):
print("%s" % path)
else:
print("%s svn:mime-type=%s" % (path, props[0]))
}}

==== Fixing the problem ====

As [[#Subversion_properties|git-svn cannot set or change]] the <code>svn:mime-type</code> property, a [[#Repository_checkout|svn checkout copy]] of the aircraft is required. The property can then be set to the default Subversion binary mime-type with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" <file_name>
</syntaxhighlight>

Alternatively, the following set of shell commands can be used to automate the process:
{{collapsible script
| type = Shell commands
| title = Set specific <code>svn:mime-type</code> values on a set of known binary files.
| intro = These shell commands will work on GNU/Linux or Mac OS X systems (or on Windows if using cygwin, or if a find command line tool is installed). The list of file types here are those most commonly found in FGAddon. To set the property on a list of binary files, type (or copy and paste):
| lang = bash
| script =
find -iname "*.wav" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "audio/x-wav" {} \;
find -iname "*.bmp*" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/x-ms-bmp" {} \;
find -iname "*.gif" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/gif" {} \;
find -iname "*.jpg" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/jpeg" {} \;
find -iname "*.png*" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/png" {} \;
find -iname "*.psd" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/vnd.adobe.photoshop" {} \;
find -iname "*.tif" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/tiff" {} \;
find -iname "*.xcf" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/x-xcf" {} \;
find -iname "*.rgb*" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.au" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.*af" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.3ds" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.blend*" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.dds" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.od[gst]" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.onetoc2" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.xlsx" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.pdf" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/pdf" {} \;
find -iname "*.ps" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/postscript" {} \;
find -iname "*.gz" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/x-gzip" {} \;
find -iname "*.mdl" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/x-dosexec" {} \;
find -iname "*.zip" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/zip" {} \;
| conc = Other binary files can safely be set to <code>"application/octet-stream"</code>, the Subversion default for binary files.
}}

== SourceForge developer services ==

The FlightGear project is hosted on the SourceForge open source infrastructure. This developer services section will highlight some of the useful tools you can take advantage of. SourceForge consists of two categories of services:
; Project infrastructure : The FlightGear project uses the project services of SourceForge. These services are for standalone software projects.
; Developer infrastructure : These are services available to anyone with a SourceForge account, and are available via your SourceForge homepage and accessible to all. This includes being able to create multiple version control repositories (svn, git, hg), wikis, forums, development teams, blogs, and ticket trackers (for bugs, support requests, tasks, etc.).

Rather than creating a new project, any development for the FlightGear project should be based on the developer infrastructure.

=== Developer git repository ===

To set up your own remote git repository, here for developing the FGAddon fkdr1 aircraft:
* On your profile page at <tt><nowiki>https://sourceforge.net/u/<username>/profile/</nowiki></tt>, go to <code>Admin</code> -> <code>Add New</code> -> <code>Git</code>.
* Set label to <code>fkdr1 FGAddon git-svn repository</code>.
* Set the code path to <code>code-fkdr1</code>. The <code>code-*</code> prefix is to differentiate this from the <code>forum-*</code>, <code>wiki-*</code>, and other directories.

The repository will be located at <tt><nowiki>https://sourceforge.net/u/<username>/code-fkdr1/ci/master/tree/</nowiki></tt>.

=== Development teams ===

If you and a group of friends would like to privately develop one of the FGAddon aircraft as a team, assuming that the you have contacted the original aircraft authors and the aircraft is not actively being developed, then you should create a SourceForge development team. A team leader should be appointed to set this up under their SourceForge account. Assuming you wish to develop the "ornithopter" aircraft, the steps are:

* Go to <code>Personal tools</code> -> <code>Admin</code>.
* Click on <code>User Permissions</code>.
* Click on <code>Add a new group</code> at the bottom.
* Set the name to <code>ornithopter</code>, and save.
* Click on <code>Add</code> in the <code>ornithopter</code> group and add the SourceForge names of all your team members.

After setting up a private repository in the team leader's account, as described below, then the development team should be set up for the repository.

* Go to the repository under your SourceForge account.
* Click on <code>Admin - <repository name></code>, then select <code>Permissions</code>.
* In the <code>Write</code> section, remove <code>Developer</code> and add <code>ornithopter</code>.
* Click on <code>Save</code>.

The development team will then have commit access to the private repository.

=== Team communications ===

To help with team development, the SourceForge infrastructure allows for multiple [https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/documentation/Discussion/ dedicated discussion forums] to be created. This can either be within a SourceForge project or under a SourceForge users homepage. This allows the team leader to create a forum dedicated solely to the development of the aircraft of interest. Continuing with the <code>ornithopter</code> example, the steps for the team leader are simple:

* On your profile page at <tt><nowiki>https://sourceforge.net/u/<username>/profile/</nowiki></tt>, go to <code>Personal tools</code> -> <code>Admin</code>.
* Click on the <code>Tools</code> option in the left hand menu.
* Click on <code>Discussion</code> in the <code>Click to install</code> section.
* Change the label to <code>Ornithopter forum</code>, and the path to <code>forum-ornithopter</code>, for example. The <code>forum-*</code> prefix is to differentiate this from the <code>code-*</code>, <code>wiki-*</code>, and other directories.
* Click on <code>Save</code>.

More details are given on the [https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/documentation/Discussion/ SourceForge Discussion documentation].

== Development scenarios ==

=== Individual developer ===

{{Note|Development scenario: You are an individual developer and will use the native Subversion tools.}}

This is by far the simplest development scenario and should be used in most cases. If you are using the command line Subversion client, you can checkout an individual aircraft with:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co
| login = <username>
| path = Aircraft/wrightFlyer1903
| post =
}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Where <code><username></code> is your SourceForge user name. Alternatively you can checkout all aircraft with:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co
| login = <username>
| post = flightgear-fgaddon
}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

If you do not have commit access, type one of:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co
| path = Aircraft/wrightFlyer1903
| post =
}}
{{fgaddon co
| post = flightgear-fgaddon
}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

To use the new local svn repository, see the [[#Subversion|subversion instructions]].

=== Individual developer (git-svn) ===

{{Note|Development scenario: You are an individual developer and will use the git-svn tools.}}

This is more complicated than using the native SVN tools, but can be useful without having FGAddon commit access, as multiple local commits can be made to be sent to the original aircraft authors or to the development mailing list/forum. To clone the aircraft of choice into a new git repository, type:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn clone|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Where <code><username></code> is your infrastructure user name and <code><aircraft></code> is the directory name in the FGAddon repository. This is valid whether or not you have commit permissions.

To use the new local git repository, see the [[#Git-svn|git-svn instructions]] and [[#Deficiencies_of_git-svn|its deficiencies]].

==== Upload to Sourceforge ====

To share the local developments, the changes can be uploaded to a remote git repository on the SourceForge infrastructure. For this, a [[#Developer_git_repository|developer git repository]] should first be set up under your SourceForge profile. Then add this as a remote:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{sourceforge url|cmd=git remote add|opt=origin|protocol=ssh|login=<username>|user=<username>|type=git|repo=code-<aircraft>}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

And send the master branch where developments are located with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git push --set-upstream origin master
</syntaxhighlight>

The changes in the new repository will be visible via the web interface at {{#tag:span|{{#tag:tt|{{#tag:nowiki|{{sourceforge url|user=<username>|repo=code-<aircraft>|branch=master}}}}}}| style="color: blue"}}.

=== Sending external git repository changes into FGAddon ===

{{Note|Development scenario: You are an individual developer with FGAddon commit access and wish to transfer the commits in a remote git repository into FGAddon using a temporary local git repository.}}

Firstly clone the FGAddon aircraft into a local git-svn repository with:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn clone|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

This will create a new local git repository linked to FGAddon via git-svn. If the aircraft is new and not present in FGAddon, see the [[#New_aircraft|instructions for adding a new aircraft to FGAddon]]. Next, set up the remote git repository as a remote, and fetch it:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git remote add <name> <url>
git fetch
</syntaxhighlight>

Where <code><url></code> is the URL of the remote git repository. Finally make an ordered list of all hashes of the commits to be sent into FGAddon, from earliest to latest, and cherry-pick them into the git-svn master branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 2>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 3>
...
</syntaxhighlight>

Note that the git-svn local repository should only have a single <code>master</code> branch and only consist of cherry-picking. To see the changes queued for sending to FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log git-svn..HEAD
git diff git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

Then to send the changes to FGAddon, firstly pull in any remote changes, and send the commits:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

The temporary local repository can then be deleted.

=== Connecting an existing git repository to FGAddon ===

{{Note|Development scenario: You are an individual developer or team leader with FGAddon commit access and wish to connect a pre-existing remote git repository with FGAddon to send all changes back to FGAddon.}}

If a remote git repository containing a developed aircraft already exists, it is possible to connect it to the remote FGAddon repository using the git-svn tools. The following uses the [[#Dedicated_FGAddon_branch|dedicated FGAddon branch technique]]. Firstly, set up the bridge to FGAddon using git-svn in the per-aircraft repository:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn init|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Where <code><aircraft></code> is the aircraft directory name in FGAddon. Note that this step can be performed without commit access to FGAddon by using a read-only SVN URL instead, but then changes cannot be pushed back to FGAddon ([[#Synchronising|dcommitting]], as it is known in the git-svn terminology). However, this allows upstream FGAddon changes to be integrated into the remote git repository, thus making it easy to prepare changes for submission for FGAddon inclusion using patches sent to the mailing list or sent via other channels.

Now fetch the current state from the remote FGAddon repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn fetch
</syntaxhighlight>

The downloaded SVN history is in the remote branch <code>remotes/git-svn</code>. To commit changes to SVN you need a local branch that tracks this remote branch. Create a local <code>fgaddon</code> branch that you will use to commit updates:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git branch fgaddon remotes/git-svn
</syntaxhighlight>

After committing new stuff to the <code>master</code> branch, to push to FGAddon checkout the <code>fgaddon</code> branch and update it from SVN in case someone else has touched the aircraft in the remote FGAddon repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

Cherry-pick the new commits from <code>master</code> to <code>fgaddon</code> to preserve a linear history:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 2>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 3>
...
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the changes queued for sending to FGAddon as either commits or a diff, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log git-svn..HEAD
git diff git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

If everything looks ok, dcommit the local commits on the <code>fgaddon</code> branch to send them to the remote FGAddon SVN repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

Switch back to the master branch for local development:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout master
</syntaxhighlight>

To get changes from upstream you can either just download them with
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn fetch
</syntaxhighlight>

or download them and rebase your <code>fgaddon</code> branch onto them:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Team development ===

{{Note|Development scenario: All members of the team are acting as gatekeepers, and all commits are made directly to FGAddon, either using svn or git-svn.}}

The simplest way to work as a team is for each developer to either have a [[#Individual developer|svn copy of FGAddon]] or a [[#Individual developer (git-svn)|git-svn copy of FGAddon]], and everyone commits directly to FGAddon. Communication and coordination between the team members can be performed using a [[#Team_communications|team leader organised SourceForge forum]] or using the [http://forum.flightgear.org/ FlightGear forum]. In this scenario, the team needs to take the initiative and everyone apply for FGAddon commit access.

=== Private team development (git-svn) ===

{{Note|Development scenario: One team leader is acting as the gatekeeper on a private git repository hosted on the in-house SourceForge infrastructure, using git-svn to push a fgaddon branch to FGAddon, with team members committing directly to the private git repository or making merge requests from their fork of the private repository.}}

To keep everything in-house, the entire operation will be based on the official infrastructure and remote repositories under each user's SourceForge (SF) profile. Note to the team leader - you must [https://git-scm.com/book/en/v1/Git-and-Other-Systems-Git-and-Subversion#git-svn keep your git-svn history linear] (meaning that a [[#Dedicated_FGAddon_branch|dedicated FGAddon branch]] should be created and changes manually cherry-picked into this branch). In the following, the <code>ornithopter</code> aircraft will be used as an example.

==== The team ====

Firstly, the entire team should sign up for [[#SourceForge account|SourceForge accounts]].

==== Team leader ====

===== Private repository set up =====

These steps are to be taken by the team leader. In your SourceForge user profile, set up a [[#Developer_git_repository| git repository]] with the label <code>Ornithopter FGAddon git-svn repository</code> and code path <code>code-ornithopter</code>. Then create a empty local git repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ mkdir ornithopter
$ cd ornithopter
$ git init
</syntaxhighlight>

Link the empty repository to the <code>ornithopter</code> aircraft directory in the remote FGAddon repository and pull it in with:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
$ {{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn init|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/ornithopter|full=1}}
$ git svn fetch
| lang = "sh"
}}

Replace <code><username></code> with your SF user name. Set up a special git-svn branch for FGAddon gatekeeping and dcommitting changes back to the repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git branch fgaddon remotes/git-svn
$ git checkout fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

And pull in the <code>ornithopter</code> from FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the current local git-svn repository setup, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git branch -vva
$ git remote -v
$ git svn info
</syntaxhighlight>

Then return to the master branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git checkout master
</syntaxhighlight>

Finally, set up the remote git repository as a remote:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
$ {{sourceforge url|cmd=git remote add|opt=origin|protocol=ssh|login=<username>|user=<username>|type=git|repo=code-ornithopter}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

And send the master branch to the remote git repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git push -u origin master
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the new set up:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git branch -vva
$ git remote -v
</syntaxhighlight>

The repository will be located at {{#tag:span|{{#tag:tt|{{#tag:nowiki|{{sourceforge url|user=<username>|repo=code-ornithopter|branch=master}}}}}}| style="color: blue"}}. Note that the git-svn information stored in the <code>.git/svn</code> directory will not be pushed to remote SoureForge repository, and therefore the link back to FGAddon will only be present in the local copy of the team leader. The git-svn link can be re-established at a later point if necessary.

===== Team setup =====

Set up a [[#Development teams|dedicated development team and grant them access to the git-svn repository]].

===== Pushing to FGAddon =====

Committing to FGAddon is for the local git repository of the team leader. History must be linear in the fgaddon branch, so cherry-picking is the way to go. This is from the [[#Individual developer (git-svn)|Individual developer (git-svn)]] section. In the local git repository, switch to the <code>fgaddon</code> branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

Pull in any changes which have occurred in FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the commits in the <code>master</code> branch which are not in the <code>fgaddon</code> branch, type one of:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log HEAD..master
git log HEAD..master --pretty=oneline
</syntaxhighlight>

Manually select the commits to be sent to FGAddon and cherry-pick them:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 2>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 3>
...
</syntaxhighlight>

Or to cherry-pick a range of commits:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>^..<commit hash 8>
</syntaxhighlight>

Then check what is to be sent:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log git-svn..HEAD
git diff git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

Send the changes to FGAddon, send the git <code>fgaddon</code> branch changes to the remote git repository, and switch back to the master branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
git push
git checkout master
</syntaxhighlight>

Finally merge in the git svn commits with their new hashes from the <code>fgaddon</code> branch, and send it to the remote git repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git merge fgaddon
git push
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Team members ====

===== Working with the repository =====

Each team member should make a clone of the private git repository:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
$ {{sourceforge source|cmd=git clone|protocol=ssh|login=<username>|user=<username_leader>|type=git|repo=code-ornithopter|post=ornithopter|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Replace <code><username></code> with your SourceForge user name, and <code><username_leader></code> is the SourceForge user name of the team leader.

===== Forking and merge requests =====

Alternatively, each team member can fork the git repository under your SourceForge account:
* Go to {{#tag:span|{{#tag:tt|{{#tag:nowiki|{{sourceforge source|user=<username>|repo=code-ornithopter|branch=master|full=1}}}}}}| style="color: blue"}}, where <code><username></code> is the SourceForge user name of the team leader.
* Click on <code>Fork</code>.
* Set the mount point to <code>code-ornithopter</code> and change the label as you wish.

Develop and push to your fork, then make merge requests by clicking on the <code>Request Merge</code> button.

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:FlightGear]]
[[ca:FGAddon]]
[[de:FGAddon]]
[[fr:FGAddon]]
[[nl:FGAddon]]
[[pl:FGAddon]]

FGAddon

2026-04-21T17:47:33Z

Fgf5: /* History */ Remove redundant contents

[[File:FGAddon logo.png|270px|right]]

The official '''FGAddon''' [[aircraft]] hangar is a version control repository, hosted on [[FlightGear|FlightGear's]] [[SourceForge]] infrastructure, and used for the day-to-day development of FlightGear aircraft. FGAddon is an {{wikipedia|Apache Subversion}} version control repository. These are aircraft that are not part of the base package (the aircraft that are included in the base package — the [[Cessna 172P]] and the [[UFO]] — are kept in the [[FGData]] repository), but are tagged with each stable release.

The FGAddon aircraft development repository should be considered unstable. When using a stable FlightGear release, it is best to obtain aircraft directly in the launcher. However, as stable releases from FlightGear version 3.4 onwards are tagged and present within the FGAddon repository, the Subversion tools can be a convenient way to obtain individual aircraft or the entire official hangar of approximately 500 aircraft. Also, if using the [[FlightGear build server|lastest nightly releases]] or a [[Building FlightGear|self-compiled version of FlightGear]] from FlightGear's [https://gitlab.com/flightgear Git version control repositories], using FGAddon allows the aircraft to be updated to the latest development versions.

== History ==
[[File:Image103.gif|thumb|Original Win95 icon]]

The FlightGear project was conceived on April 8, 1996 by David Murr. The first commits were to the original [[FlightGear CVS|flightgear and simgear CVS version control repositories]]. As the project grew, so did the size, quantity, and quality of the FlightGear assets. These assets were not organised and were scattered across different parts of the internet. Therefore it was decided that much of this FlightGear content would be assembled and stored together in a new centralised CVS repository called fgdata, which was created on October 22, 2000. To allow for the legal redistribution of these assets as part of the FlightGear distribution, a GPLv2 only policy was adopted.

In May 2010, development was interrupted by the infamous ''"coffee incident"'' which resulted in the loss of Curtis' home server hosting all of the FlightGear repositories<ref>James Turner (May 20, 2010). [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.games.flightgear.devel/60340/focus=60341 <nowiki>[Flightgear-devel]</nowiki> Re: Flightgear git repositories (was Re: GIT or CVS - Confusion)] Published on the flightgear-devel mailing list.</ref>. These events resulted in a [[FlightGear CVS|mass migration of all the CVS repositories to Git repositories]]. Due to bandwidth issues, it was decided that the new repositories would be hosted on the Gitorious open source infrastructure.

With time as the project grew, the size and scope of the fgdata repository mushroomed, mainly due to the growing number of aircraft stored in [[$FG_ROOT]]/Aircraft, so that a split was inevitable. A first splitting attempt was organised by Gijs de Rooy and announced on October 18, 2011<ref>Cedric Sodhi (Oct 18, 2011) [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.games.flightgear.devel/66846 <nowiki>[Flightgear-devel]</nowiki> FGData Split Completed - a.k.a Life after the Split] Published on the flightgear-devel mailing list.</ref>. Each aircraft was placed in its own Git repository and all aircraft linked back to fgdata using a Git submodule approach. However this attempt failed and was abandoned. From this date until the end of 2014, the design of the fgdata split was discussed on the development mailing list and summarised in the [[FlightGear Git: splitting fgdata]] wiki article. In the planning stages, the repositories were known as fgdata-old splitting into [[FGData]] (a.k.a. fgdata-new) and FGAddon (a.k.a. flightgear-aircraft and fgaircraft). After half a decade of planning, it was decided that the best solution for FlightGear aircraft development would be a single centralized Subversion repository. This would facilitate community management and maintenance of the aircraft while at the same time providing modularity and smaller downloads and smaller local repository sizes.

In late 2014, Gitorious, the provider of the open source infrastructure for the FlightGear source code and data repositories announced that it would shut its services down by May 2015 due to its acquisition by GitLab. This catalysed the split of fgdata-old and a switch to the SourceForge open source infrastructure for the hosting of the VC repositories. Other parts of the FlightGear infrastructure were already hosted by SourceForge, making the move a natural one. Sealing the deal, SourceForge agreed in writing to host the huge FlightGear aircraft collection, the size of which is unrivaled in open source circles. Today, the FGAddon SVN repository is hosted on SourceForge.

In August 2015, a new FlightGear policy document was written to codify the unwritten standards of the project<ref>[http://www.flightgear.org/flightgear-policy-document/ FlightGear Policy Document and Roadmap], draft document.</ref>. With this document, the licensing policy for the FlightGear aircraft hosted on FGAddon has been updated from being GPLv2-only to now being GPLv2+. To combat licence proliferation, avoid complications using work from one aircraft in another, and for the integrity and good of the FlightGear project, it is strongly recommended that all original content (whether hosted in FGAddon or elsewhere) be GPLv2+ licensed.



== Obtaining aircraft ==

{{tip|If you are interested in obtaining aircraft for stable FlightGear releases and you are unaware of what version control is, you should visit the [[FlightGear_hangars|FlightGear hangars]] for downloading aircraft.}}
{{caution|If the FlightGear and FGAddon aircraft versions do not match, strange bugs should be expected and the version-mismatch combination will not be supported by the FlightGear community.}}

With access to the Subversion (SVN) tools, the FGAddon version control repository can be a convenient way for obtaining aircraft for using within a specific FlightGear version directly from the official source. When using the [[FlightGear Build Server|nightly builds]] or a [[Building FlightGear|version controlled copy of FlightGear]], the most up to date in-development versions of the aircraft should be used so the versions match. The following describes how to use the official repository to obtain aircraft from the perspective of a FlightGear user.

=== Preparation ===
To use the FGAddon repository, the Subversion tools need to be installed:
* '''MS Windows''': Install one of the [https://subversion.apache.org/packages.html#windows many Subversion clients]. For example [https://sliksvn.com/download/ SlikSVN] is one of the best command line versions and the best for aircraft development, and [http://tortoisesvn.net/ TortoiseSVN] provides a user friendly graphical user interface (GUI) by integrating into Windows Explorer.
* '''Mac OS X''': Install the [https://subversion.apache.org/packages.html#osx official Subversion client].
* '''GNU/Linux''': Install the Subversion client via the package manager. This will usually be in a package called <code>subversion-*.{rpm,deb}</code>.
** This command should work for the Raspberry Pi platform: <code>sudo apt-get install subversion</code>. It also contains a client.

=== FGAddon directory layout ===
To know how to use the FGAddon repository, an understanding of the repository directory layout is essential.
* <code>/trunk</code>: This base directory is where the in-development versions of the aircraft are located.
* <code>/branches/release-x.y.z/</code>: These directories correspond to the specific stable FlightGear releases.

The [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgaddon/HEAD/tree/ web interface for the FGAddon repository] allows all of the aircraft to be browsed.

=== Download ===
[[File:V22Osprey.jpg|thumb|200px|Aircraft to be downloaded]]
Firstly, choose an aircraft to download. The [[Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey]] will be used in this example.

==== Command line ====

To download the aircraft for FlightGear 2024.1, simply type:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co|branch=branches/release-2024.1|path=Aircraft/V22-Osprey|post=}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

To obtain the in-development version, type:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co|path=Aircraft/V22-Osprey|post=}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

If all of the ~500 aircraft from the repository are desired - beware that this will be a huge download of over 6 GB - use the following command:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co|post=flightgear-fgaddon}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

When using a stable FlightGear release, for example FlightGear 2020.3, to obtain all of the FGAddon aircraft to match the installed FlightGear version, use:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co|branch=branches/release-2020.3|post=flightgear-fgaddon}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

==== GUI clients and TortoiseSVN ====

When using one of the Subversion GUIs (graphical user interfaces), simply copy one of the above <code>https://</code> URLs and use that in the GUI (each GUI is different, so see the relevant documentation for help). For the unique TortoiseSVN tool, simply:

* In Windows Explorer, create a new empty folder for the aircraft (or aircraft collection).
* In the new folder, right click and select <code>SVN Checkout...</code>.
* Copy and paste the URL, for example {{fgaddon source|path=Aircraft/V22-Osprey|type=svn|full=1}}, leave all other settings as they are, and import by clicking on <code>OK</code>.

For more details, see the [http://tortoisesvn.net/support.html TortoiseSVN documentation]. Note that there is an option to install the command line tools when installing TortoiseSVN.

=== Flying ===

To use the newly downloaded aircraft, please see the [[Howto:Install aircraft]] article, skipping the instructions for downloading and unzipping the aircraft.

=== Updates ===
With a checked out copy of the <code>/trunk</code> in-development version, the aircraft can be updated to the latest version using the command:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn up
</syntaxhighlight>

== Aircraft development ==

{{tip|The FlightGear community encourages aircraft development directly within FGAddon.}}

=== Contact the original aircraft authors ===

The first step for developing and advancing the aircraft of the official FlightGear hangar, or from one of the [[Flightgear_hangars#Aircraft_hangars|private hangars]] for that matter, is to make contact with the original aircraft author(s). Their names can be found within the <code>*-set.xml</code> file, within the <code><authors></code> XML tag. Often the contact email address will be listed in a README file or some other text file in the base aircraft directory. If not, contact can sometimes be established via the [https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel FlightGear development mailing list]. Contacting the original authors is important to see if the aircraft is currently being actively developed, and if you can join in as part of the development team.

=== SourceForge account ===

To work on the official aircraft collection, a [https://sourceforge.net/user/registration/ SourceForge account] should first be set up. This will allow to either directly commit to the FGAddon repository, if commit access has been been granted, or to work in as part of a SourceForge development team. The registration process is lightning quick and the SourceForge developer infrastructure and developer services will be accessible in under a minute.

=== Commit access ===

Before obtaining commit access, an all-out effort to contact the original author(s) should be made to determine if the aircraft is actively being developed. If this is unsuccessful, sign up for the [https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-devel FlightGear development mailing list] and ask for help there. If the aircraft has a current maintainer, you will be directed as to how to proceed with development. Otherwise ask if someone could volunteer to mentor you in the process of becoming an aircraft developer with full commit access.

To obtain commit access, you will first need:
# To demonstrate your capabilities and development skills.
# To show that you understand the [http://www.flightgear.org/flightgear-policy-document/ FlightGear policy document].
# To show an understanding of the GPL licensing issues, and that you can be trusted not to use copyrighted, non-GPL material.
# To earn the trust of the FlightGear community.

These easy to jump over hurdles are simply designed to protect against repository corruption or pollution of the repository with illegal content.

To have your changes committed into the FGAddon repository, you should discuss and coordinate with the original aircraft author, or your mentor, for the best way to proceed. Depending on the [[#Development_scenarios|development scenario]], this maybe by merge request, file transfer, the primitive patch system, or any other convenient way. Once you believe you have proven your capabilities and you are knowledgeable about GPL licensing issues, you should write a mail to the development mailing list asking if you can be granted commit access, providing your SourceForge username.

=== FGAddon commitlog mailing list ===

To follow all changes which occur in the FGAddon repository, subscribe to the dedicated [https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/flightgear-fgaddon-commitlogs Flightgear FGAddon commitlogs mailing list]. One email is sent per commit, as the commit is made.

== Version control tools ==

To access FGAddon and use it for aircraft development, the Subversion or SVN version control tools are needed. Alternatively git-svn provides an interface for those who prefer the git version control tools.

=== Subversion ===

==== Set up ====
The FGAddon aircraft hangar is stored in a remote Subversion repository located on the SourceForge infrastructure, and therefore it is simplest to use the SVN tools for aircraft development and will cause the least problems. See the [[#Preparation|Subversion installation section]] for setting up the tool chain.

==== Repository checkout ====
The first step is to 'checkout' a copy of either the repository trunk or one of the aircraft in the trunk:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn co <url> <dir>
</syntaxhighlight>

For the relevant URL to use, you must chose one of the [[#Development_scenarios|development scenarios]] and find the URL in that section. This command will create a local subversion repository copy in the given <code><dir></code> directory. Note that this will only contain the part of the FGAddon repository specified in the URL. This means that Subversion allows you to checkout either a single file all the way to the entire remote repository.

==== Information and history ====
At any point to see information about the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn info
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the history of the checked out copy of the repository, type one of:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn log
svn log | less
svn log -v | less
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Daily usage ====
The main Subversion command you will be using is:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn add <path>
</syntaxhighlight>

This will register the file or directory <code><path></code> within the local repository to allow it to later be 'committed' and sent to the remote repository. To move or rename a file or directory, use:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn mv <path1> <path2>
</syntaxhighlight>

This should be used rather than normal file moving/renaming so that the change is tracked in the local repository. To remove a file from the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn rm <path>
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the current status of the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn st
</syntaxhighlight>

To update the local repository with changes in the remote repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn up
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Committing changes ====
All of the above operations only occur on the local repository copy - the remote FGAddon repository at SourceForge will know nothing of these changes. To send all your changes to FGAddon, you need to commit the changes:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci
</syntaxhighlight>

This will open up an editor to allow you to write an informative commit log message. When committing, it is best to make small modular commits so that each commit corresponds to a single purpose. Note that you can only commit to FGAddon if you have [[#Commit access|commit access]].

==== Branching ====
The concept of Subversion branching is currently only used in the FlightGear project for tagging the stable releases. However if you are curious about branching, see the [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.7/svn.branchmerge.html Branching and Merging chapter of the Subversion manual], and the [https://www.orcaware.com/svn/wiki/Svnmerge.py svnmerge.py script] which can greatly simplify the process.

=== Git-svn ===

The git-svn tool is useful for those who are already familiar with using git repositories, or those who wish to have their own private aircraft development playground. Git-svn provides a bridge between the remote FGAddon Subversion repository and a local git repository. For those unfamiliar with git, the git-svn bridge together with the git repository is far more complicated to use than the native [[#Subversion|Subversion tools]]. For more information on using git, see [[Howto:Start using git]]. The following will assume that only a single aircraft will be stored in the local git repository.

==== Set up ====
The git distributed version control system needs to first be [https://git-scm.com/downloads installed].

==== Cloning a single aircraft ====
The first step is to 'clone' a copy of one of the aircraft in the remote Subversion trunk:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn clone <aircraft_url>
</syntaxhighlight>

For the relevant aircraft URL to use, you must chose one of the [[#Development_scenarios|development scenarios]] and find the URL in that section. The URL depends on your [[#Commit access|FGAddon commit access status]]. The clone command will create a local git repository containing solely the aircraft of interest, and initialise the git-svn bridge.

==== Information and history ====
At any point to see information about the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn info
git branch -vva
git remote -v
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the history of the checked out copy of the repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Daily usage ====
The main git command you will be using is:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git add <path>
</syntaxhighlight>

This will register the file or directory <code><path></code> within the local repository to allow it to later be 'committed' to the local git repository. To move or rename a file or directory, use:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git mv <path1> <path2>
</syntaxhighlight>

However note that git history is not as robust as svn history. See the [[#Moving_or_renaming_files|git-svn file moving/renaming deficiency section]] for how to better perform this operation. To remove a file from the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git rm <path>
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the current status of the local repository, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git status
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Committing changes ====
As git is a distributed version control system, changes are committed to the local git repository.
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git commit
</syntaxhighlight>

This will open up an editor to allow you to write an informative commit log message. The commit is local and will not be sent to FGAddon.

==== Dedicated FGAddon branch ====
In the examples above, only a single branch was assumed in the repository. If interaction with a remote git repository or branching within the local git repository is desired, then a different strategy is required. The reason being that the branch that synchronises with FGAddon must [https://git-scm.com/book/en/v1/Git-and-Other-Systems-Git-and-Subversion#git-svn preserve a linear history]. This means only cherry-picking of the desired changes into that branch is allowed.

In this example, two branches will be set up in the local git repository:
* <code>fgaddon</code>: This branch will be dedicated for FGAddon synchronisation and will preserve a linear history.
* <code>master</code>: A master branch for aircraft development, allowing for mergers and other non-linear history operations.

Assuming a [[#Cloning_a_single_aircraft|newly cloned repository]], create the <code>fgaddon</code> branch with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git branch fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

And switch to that branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

The FGAddon synchronisation can then be performed on this branch. To pull in the developments from the master branch, use cherry-picking to apply a sequentially ordered list of commit hashes:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 2>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 3>
...
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the list of commits to be sent to FGAddon prior to dcommitting, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

And to see the changes as a single diff:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git diff git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Synchronising ====
To send the changes to the remote FGAddon repository, firstly change to the dedicated <code>fgaddon</code> branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

Make sure the local git-svn repository is up to date with all changes that have occurred in FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

Then push or dcommit the changes to FGAddon with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Deficiencies of git-svn ===

{{warning|Performing a <code>git-svn clone</code> of the <code>/trunk/</code> or entire repository is not recommended, as the entire repository history will be downloaded, resulting in a huge local repository, as well as putting a large strain on the FlightGear open source infrastructure.}}

It is important to understand that there are a number of operations in which git-svn is deficient. In many cases, the svn tools should be used instead.

==== Copying files between aircraft ====

{{caution|Git-svn does not maintain the file copying history normally present in a Subversion repository.}}

The most important of these is the copying of content from other FGAddon aircraft. In this case you will need FGAddon commit access and a local svn copy of the repository. Firstly synchronise the repositories by dcommitting all changes back to FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

Then in the local svn repository, copy the file:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn cp Aircraft/<aircraft1>/<file_path1> Aircraft/<aircraft2>/<file_path2>
</syntaxhighlight>

And commit the change:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci
</syntaxhighlight>

Back in the local git-svn repository, pull in the new files:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

Using the subversion tools avoids the FGAddon repository backend from significantly increasing in size, as [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.7/svn.branchmerge.using.html#svn.branchmerge.using.create svn copies are cheap].

==== Moving or renaming files ====

{{caution|Git-svn does not always maintain the file moving or renaming history normally present in a Subversion repository.}}

This problem stems from the fact that svn history is more robust than that of git. The <code>svn mv</code> and <code>git mv</code> commands are not equivalent. The subversion command stores the move history directly in the repository whereas git does not (git instead uses heuristic methods to try to detect history, after the commit). The result of using git-svn is that often the move will not be detected and the FGAddon history will show one file or directory being deleted and another added. This also causes the repository backend to increase in size, whereas <code>svn mv</code> will not cause any significant size increase. If you wish to have a better historical record in the FGAddon repository and be considerate to the repository backend, it is recommended that you temporarily switch to the subversion tools. Firstly, synchronise the repositories:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

Then in the local svn repository, move or rename the file:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn mv Aircraft/<aircraft>/<file_path1> Aircraft/<aircraft>/<file_path2>
</syntaxhighlight>

And commit the change:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci
</syntaxhighlight>

Back in the local git-svn repository, pull in the changes with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Copying files within one aircraft ====

Just as the <code>svn mv</code> command stores the move information directly within the repository, so does <code>svn cp</code> store the copy information. Therefore if you would like to duplicate a text file and modify it, using the native Subversion tools instead of git-svn for this operation allows for the file history to be permanently preserved in the FGAddon repository.

==== Subversion properties ====

{{caution|Git-svn currently only supports the <code>svn:executable</code> property, all other properties are ignored and cannot be added, changed, or removed in a git-svn clone of the aircraft.}}

Internally, Subversion identifies binary files using the <code>svn:mime-type</code> repository property. However as git-svn cannot set this property when using the <code>git add</code> command, the result is that binary files will be treated as text. Binary diffs will be seen when using <code>svn diff</code> or <code>git diff</code>, and a binary diff will be shown in the [[#FGAddon commitlog mailing list|FGAddon commitlog mailing list]] messages. As this issue is not unique to git-svn, to work around this issue please see the [[#Binary diffs|binary diffs]] section.

==== Protocols other than svn+ssh ====

The command <code>git svn init</code> replicates the entire history of an aircraft into a local repository. As part of this process, it generates a git commit ID or hash for every Subversion revision. The problem is that the git commit ID depends on the protocol used to read from the Subversion repository (likely a git bug). Hence:

{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn init|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

and

{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn init|protocol=https|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

will result in two different and incompatible git repositories, even though they contain the same data. The incompatibility is not immediately apparent but it will bite later. Suppose someone with read-only access to FGAddon uses the https method, then asks a FGAddon gatekeeper to commit their changes. The gatekeeper, naturally, uses svn+ssh, as this is the only protocol granting write permissions. When the gatekeeper tries to merge the contributor's https clone into their own svn+ssh clone, git will complain that the two repositories have no history in common, and flag every change as a conflict.

Therefore, if you are planning to make any changes to an aircraft, be sure to use svn+ssh even if you do not yet have commit permissions on FGAddon. svn+ssh does not require write permissions, it only requires a SourceForge user ID.

== FGAddon development concepts ==

=== New aircraft ===

To add a new aircraft to the FGAddon repository, the SVN tools are required. If you encounter <code>svn:mime-type</code> property problems when adding a new aircraft, see the [[#Mime-type problems|mime-type problems section]] for how to resolve the issue. Or if you have a <code>svn:executable</code> property problem, see the [[#Executable flag|executable flag problem section]].

==== svn import ====

{{warning|The <code>svn import</code> command described herein will send all contents of the specified directory directly into FGAddon without warning and without a way to cancel the operation. Therefore special care must be taken when specifying the directory to upload into FGAddon, as well as the target FGAddon directory. See the [[#svn add|svn add]] section below for a safer way to add a new aircraft.}}

The [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.7/svn.tour.importing.html#svn.tour.importing.import svn import] command is the easiest method to use and does not require a local copy of the repository to be checked out. To start:

# Create an empty local aircraft directory.
# Copy the aircraft files into this directory.
# Carefully check all files to make sure there are no hidden or temporary files that should not be uploaded to FGAddon.

Assuming the Dead Simple Human Powered Airplane (DaSH PA or "DaSH") aircraft as an example, located in the <code>DaSH/</code> directory, on the command line run:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source
| cmd = svn import DaSH/
| protocol = svn+ssh
| login = <username>
| type = svn
| path = Aircraft/DaSH/
| post = -m \
| full = 1
}}
"Initial import of the DaSH human powered aircraft.\n\nFor details see the forum thread at http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=24495 ."
| lang = "sh"
}}

Where <code><username></code> is the SourceForge user name. This will add all the files into FGAddon with commit log message with the summary line <code>Initial import of the DaSH human powered aircraft.</code>, followed by a blank line, and then a detailed description pointing to the original location or discussion of the aircraft. To see if the aircraft has been successfully added to the repository:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source
| cmd = svn list
| protocol = svn+ssh
| login = <username>
| type = svn
| path = Aircraft/DaSH/
| full = 1
}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Or visit the {{fgaddon source|path=Aircraft|text=FGAddon web interface}}. The aircraft can then be checked out as described in the [[#Development scenarios|Development scenarios section]].

==== svn add ====

If a local copy of the FGAddon trunk is present, then the <code>svn add</code> command can be used instead. This is far safer than the <code>svn import</code> command, as the change can be double checked before committing. In the <code>Aircraft/</code> directory of the local repository, create the <code>DaSH/</code> directory. This can either be empty or contain all files of the initial aircraft. Then on the command line, add the aircraft to the local repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn add DaSH/
</syntaxhighlight>

Then double check the changes prior to committing:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn st
</syntaxhighlight>

And send the changes to FGAddon with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci
</syntaxhighlight>

An editor, often vi<ref>[http://www.vim.org/docs.php Vim documentation]</ref>, will open and the commit message can be composed. Alternatively the commit log message can be specified on the command line with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci -m "<subject_line>\n\n<detailed_description>"
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Commit blocking by pre-commit hooks ===

Sometimes when committing to FGAddon, the commit will be blocked the following will be printed out:
<pre>
svn: E165001: Commit failed (details follow):
svn: E165001: Commit blocked by pre-commit hook (exit code 1) with output:
</pre>

This is due to the presence of two repository pre-commit hook scripts which check the quality of the commit, blocking it if a text file is set to a binary file mime-type or if the executable flag is set. These scripts are simply to protect the repository and to keep it clean.

==== Mime-type problems ====

Sometimes when attempting to commit files to FGAddon using the SVN tools, the commit will be blocked with the following message:
<pre>
Sending dash-set.xml
svn: E165001: Commit failed (details follow):
svn: E165001: Commit blocked by pre-commit hook (exit code 1) with output:

Aborting the commit, the svn:mime-type property is labelling the following text
files as binary:

dash-set.xml: svn:mime-type=application/xml

Before committing, please remove this property by typing 'svn propdel svn:mime-
type file_name' for all affected files. This will allow the text files to be
treated as text within the FGAddon repository.

To avoid the svn:mime-type property being incorrectly set by your subversion
client, the subversion configuration file at $HOME/.subversion/config or
%appdata%\roaming\subversion\config should be edited and a new entry added to
[auto-props] for each affected file type. In most cases, the problem is with
XML files being labelled as "application/xml" by a library called libmagic. To
override this, add the following to the svn config file:

*.xml = svn:mime-type=text/xml

svn: E165001: Your commit message was left in a temporary file:
svn: E165001: '/flightgear/repo_testing/svn-commit.tmp'
</pre>

Despite messages about adding or sending files, no change will have occurred in the FGAddon repository. This message is created by a repository pre-commit hook script which checks if the Subversion <code>svn:mime-type</code> property is set on a list of known text files and, if the mime-type is set to a binary format, the commit is blocked. The reason for this block is to protect the repository. Newer SVN clients rely on a 3rd party library known as libmagic which will detect the aircraft XML files as the binary mime-type of <code>application/xml</code>. The result is that the XML files are treated as binary files in the repository. This behaviour is completely undesirable, as changes cannot be followed on the [[#FGAddon commitlog mailing list|flightgear-fgaddon-commitlogs mailing list]] or in the repository history, and the size of the commits become orders of magnitude larger. Therefore this buggy behaviour has been blocked for the protection of the FlightGear project. To remove the problem, follow the instructions in the message and, using the command line tools, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn propdel svn:mime-type <file_name>
</syntaxhighlight>

Repeat this for each text file listed in the error message. Then commit again, using the commit message saved in the <code>svn-commit.tmp</code> file. The message file name will be reported in the commit failure message, but check its contents first:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
cat svn-commit.tmp
</syntaxhighlight>

And reperform the commit:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci -F svn-commit.tmp
</syntaxhighlight>

===== Subversion config file =====

The automatic property setting of <code>svn:mime-type</code> can be controlled by modifying the Subversion <code>config</code> file. Firstly in the <code>[miscellany]</code> section, make sure that the auto-properties are turned on:
<syntaxhighlight>
enable-auto-props = yes
</syntaxhighlight>

Then in the <code>[auto-props]</code> section, add:
<syntaxhighlight>
*.ac = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.eff = svn:mime-type=text/xml
*.frag = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.nas = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.osgx = svn:mime-type=text/xml
*.svg = svn:mime-type=text/svg+xml
*.txt = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.vert = svn:mime-type=text/plain
*.xhtml = svn:mime-type=text/xml
*.xml = svn:mime-type=text/xml
*.xsl = svn:mime-type=text/xml
</syntaxhighlight>

These are all the text files that the hook script will check that the mime-type is set to a text format, though new text files will likely be added in the future. These additions can either be to the user configuration file located at <code>~/.subversion/config</code> (or <code>%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Subversion\config</code> in Windows) or, if a user configuration file is not set, to the global configuration file at <code>/etc/subversion/config</code> (or <code>%APPDATA%\Subversion\config</code> in Windows).

==== Executable flag ====

Another blocking message when attempting to commit files to FGAddon using the SVN tools is:
<pre>
Adding dash-set.xml
Transmitting file data .svn: E165001: Commit failed (details follow):
svn: E165001: Commit blocked by pre-commit hook (exit code 1) with output:

The svn:executable property is set on the files ['dash-set.xml'], aborting the
commit.

The current policy is that no executable files are allowed in FGAddon. Before
committing, please remove this property by typing 'svn propdel svn:executable
file_name' for all affected files. Or to remove it recursively from all files
to be committed, in your aircraft directory type 'svn propdel svn:executable
-R'.

To avoid the svn:executable property being set by your subversion client, on
GNU/Linux and Mac OS X systems simply make sure that the file's execute bit is
not set before adding the file to be committed.

svn: E165001: Your commit message was left in a temporary file:
svn: E165001: '/flightgear/repo_testing/svn-commit.tmp'
</pre>

This will probably only be seen on Mac OS X and GNU/Linux systems. This message is printed by a pre-commit repository hook script that checks if the Subversion <code>svn:executable</code> property is set and, if so, the commit is blocked. This is a security measure, as no aircraft files should be executable. To remove the problem, follow the instructions in the message and, using the command line tools, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn propdel svn:executable -R
</syntaxhighlight>

Then commit again, using the commit message saved in the <code>svn-commit.tmp</code> file. The message file name will be reported in the commit failure message, but check its contents first:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
cat svn-commit.tmp
</syntaxhighlight>

And the reperform the commit:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn ci -F svn-commit.tmp
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Binary diffs ===

{{warning|The incorrect setting or absence of the mime-type property on a binary file will result in a binary diff.}}

When looking at the output of <code>svn diff</code> (or <code>git diff</code> if you are using git-svn) as well as when reading messages from the [[#FGAddon commitlog mailing list|FGAddon commitlog mailing list]], you may see a large number of unrecognisable characters. This is the result of what is known as a binary diff, showing the binary file differences as if it were text. Although this is not a issue for the operation of the repository, the situation is an aesthetic problem which makes it more difficult to perform a review of the changes.

To fix the problem, firstly the binary files with the <code>svn:mime-type</code> property missing need to be identified. The following subversion command can be used:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn propget svn:mime-type <file_name>
</syntaxhighlight>

As it can be tedious checking each file individually, the following Python script simplifies and automates the process to identify all binary files with a mime-type issue:

{{collapsible script
| type = Python 2/3 script
| title = Find binary files with no <code>svn:mime-type</code> property set.
| intro = The following script is based on blacklisting text files. Hence false positives are to be expected, and the blacklists can be expanded as needed.
| lang = python
| script =
#! /usr/bin/env python

from os import getcwd, walk
from os.path import join, splitext
from re import search
from subprocess import PIPE, Popen

skip_txt_file_seg = [
'authors',
'copying',
'licen',
'readme'
]

skip_txt_ext = [
'ac',
'css',
'dat',
'eff',
'frag',
'html',
'json',
'log',
'nas',
'osgx',
'svg',
'tex',
'txt',
'vert',
'xhtml',
'xml',
'xsl'
]

skip_bin_prop = [
'application/octet-stream',
'application/pdf',
'application/postscript',
'application/x-dosexec',
'application/x-gzip',
'application/zip',
'audio/x-wav',
'image/gif',
'image/jpeg',
'image/png',
'image/vnd.adobe.photoshop',
'image/tiff',
'image/x-ms-bmp',
'image/x-xcf',
]

# Walk through the directories.
for root, dirs, files in walk(getcwd()):
# Loop over the files in the current directory.
for file in files:
# Skip known text files.
skip = False
for i in range(len(skip_txt_file_seg)):
if search(skip_txt_file_seg[i], file.lower()):
skip = True
if skip:
continue

# The file extension.
file_path, ext = splitext(file)
ext = ext[1:].lower()

# Skip known text file extensions.
if ext in skip_txt_ext:
continue

# The full file path.
path = join(root, file)

# Query the file for svn:mime-type.
cmd = 'svn propget svn:mime-type \"%s\"' % path
pipe = Popen(cmd, shell=True, stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE, close_fds=False)
props = []
for line in pipe.stdout.readlines():
props.append(line.strip())

# Byte array conversion (Python3).
for i in range(len(props)):
if hasattr(props[i], 'decode'):
props[i] = props[i].decode()

# Skip binary svn:mime-type values.
if len(props) and props[0] in skip_bin_prop:
continue

# Printout.
if not len(props):
print("%s" % path)
else:
print("%s svn:mime-type=%s" % (path, props[0]))
}}

==== Fixing the problem ====

As [[#Subversion_properties|git-svn cannot set or change]] the <code>svn:mime-type</code> property, a [[#Repository_checkout|svn checkout copy]] of the aircraft is required. The property can then be set to the default Subversion binary mime-type with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" <file_name>
</syntaxhighlight>

Alternatively, the following set of shell commands can be used to automate the process:
{{collapsible script
| type = Shell commands
| title = Set specific <code>svn:mime-type</code> values on a set of known binary files.
| intro = These shell commands will work on GNU/Linux or Mac OS X systems (or on Windows if using cygwin, or if a find command line tool is installed). The list of file types here are those most commonly found in FGAddon. To set the property on a list of binary files, type (or copy and paste):
| lang = bash
| script =
find -iname "*.wav" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "audio/x-wav" {} \;
find -iname "*.bmp*" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/x-ms-bmp" {} \;
find -iname "*.gif" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/gif" {} \;
find -iname "*.jpg" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/jpeg" {} \;
find -iname "*.png*" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/png" {} \;
find -iname "*.psd" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/vnd.adobe.photoshop" {} \;
find -iname "*.tif" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/tiff" {} \;
find -iname "*.xcf" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "image/x-xcf" {} \;
find -iname "*.rgb*" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.au" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.*af" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.3ds" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.blend*" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.dds" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.od[gst]" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.onetoc2" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.xlsx" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/octet-stream" {} \;
find -iname "*.pdf" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/pdf" {} \;
find -iname "*.ps" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/postscript" {} \;
find -iname "*.gz" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/x-gzip" {} \;
find -iname "*.mdl" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/x-dosexec" {} \;
find -iname "*.zip" -exec svn propset svn:mime-type "application/zip" {} \;
| conc = Other binary files can safely be set to <code>"application/octet-stream"</code>, the Subversion default for binary files.
}}

== SourceForge developer services ==

The FlightGear project is hosted on the SourceForge open source infrastructure. This developer services section will highlight some of the useful tools you can take advantage of. SourceForge consists of two categories of services:
; Project infrastructure : The FlightGear project uses the project services of SourceForge. These services are for standalone software projects.
; Developer infrastructure : These are services available to anyone with a SourceForge account, and are available via your SourceForge homepage and accessible to all. This includes being able to create multiple version control repositories (svn, git, hg), wikis, forums, development teams, blogs, and ticket trackers (for bugs, support requests, tasks, etc.).

Rather than creating a new project, any development for the FlightGear project should be based on the developer infrastructure.

=== Developer git repository ===

To set up your own remote git repository, here for developing the FGAddon fkdr1 aircraft:
* On your profile page at <tt><nowiki>https://sourceforge.net/u/<username>/profile/</nowiki></tt>, go to <code>Admin</code> -> <code>Add New</code> -> <code>Git</code>.
* Set label to <code>fkdr1 FGAddon git-svn repository</code>.
* Set the code path to <code>code-fkdr1</code>. The <code>code-*</code> prefix is to differentiate this from the <code>forum-*</code>, <code>wiki-*</code>, and other directories.

The repository will be located at <tt><nowiki>https://sourceforge.net/u/<username>/code-fkdr1/ci/master/tree/</nowiki></tt>.

=== Development teams ===

If you and a group of friends would like to privately develop one of the FGAddon aircraft as a team, assuming that the you have contacted the original aircraft authors and the aircraft is not actively being developed, then you should create a SourceForge development team. A team leader should be appointed to set this up under their SourceForge account. Assuming you wish to develop the "ornithopter" aircraft, the steps are:

* Go to <code>Personal tools</code> -> <code>Admin</code>.
* Click on <code>User Permissions</code>.
* Click on <code>Add a new group</code> at the bottom.
* Set the name to <code>ornithopter</code>, and save.
* Click on <code>Add</code> in the <code>ornithopter</code> group and add the SourceForge names of all your team members.

After setting up a private repository in the team leader's account, as described below, then the development team should be set up for the repository.

* Go to the repository under your SourceForge account.
* Click on <code>Admin - <repository name></code>, then select <code>Permissions</code>.
* In the <code>Write</code> section, remove <code>Developer</code> and add <code>ornithopter</code>.
* Click on <code>Save</code>.

The development team will then have commit access to the private repository.

=== Team communications ===

To help with team development, the SourceForge infrastructure allows for multiple [https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/documentation/Discussion/ dedicated discussion forums] to be created. This can either be within a SourceForge project or under a SourceForge users homepage. This allows the team leader to create a forum dedicated solely to the development of the aircraft of interest. Continuing with the <code>ornithopter</code> example, the steps for the team leader are simple:

* On your profile page at <tt><nowiki>https://sourceforge.net/u/<username>/profile/</nowiki></tt>, go to <code>Personal tools</code> -> <code>Admin</code>.
* Click on the <code>Tools</code> option in the left hand menu.
* Click on <code>Discussion</code> in the <code>Click to install</code> section.
* Change the label to <code>Ornithopter forum</code>, and the path to <code>forum-ornithopter</code>, for example. The <code>forum-*</code> prefix is to differentiate this from the <code>code-*</code>, <code>wiki-*</code>, and other directories.
* Click on <code>Save</code>.

More details are given on the [https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/documentation/Discussion/ SourceForge Discussion documentation].

== Development scenarios ==

=== Individual developer ===

{{Note|Development scenario: You are an individual developer and will use the native Subversion tools.}}

This is by far the simplest development scenario and should be used in most cases. If you are using the command line Subversion client, you can checkout an individual aircraft with:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co
| login = <username>
| path = Aircraft/wrightFlyer1903
| post =
}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Where <code><username></code> is your SourceForge user name. Alternatively you can checkout all aircraft with:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co
| login = <username>
| post = flightgear-fgaddon
}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

If you do not have commit access, type one of:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon co
| path = Aircraft/wrightFlyer1903
| post =
}}
{{fgaddon co
| post = flightgear-fgaddon
}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

To use the new local svn repository, see the [[#Subversion|subversion instructions]].

=== Individual developer (git-svn) ===

{{Note|Development scenario: You are an individual developer and will use the git-svn tools.}}

This is more complicated than using the native SVN tools, but can be useful without having FGAddon commit access, as multiple local commits can be made to be sent to the original aircraft authors or to the development mailing list/forum. To clone the aircraft of choice into a new git repository, type:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn clone|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Where <code><username></code> is your infrastructure user name and <code><aircraft></code> is the directory name in the FGAddon repository. This is valid whether or not you have commit permissions.

To use the new local git repository, see the [[#Git-svn|git-svn instructions]] and [[#Deficiencies_of_git-svn|its deficiencies]].

==== Upload to Sourceforge ====

To share the local developments, the changes can be uploaded to a remote git repository on the SourceForge infrastructure. For this, a [[#Developer_git_repository|developer git repository]] should first be set up under your SourceForge profile. Then add this as a remote:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{sourceforge url|cmd=git remote add|opt=origin|protocol=ssh|login=<username>|user=<username>|type=git|repo=code-<aircraft>}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

And send the master branch where developments are located with:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git push --set-upstream origin master
</syntaxhighlight>

The changes in the new repository will be visible via the web interface at {{#tag:span|{{#tag:tt|{{#tag:nowiki|{{sourceforge url|user=<username>|repo=code-<aircraft>|branch=master}}}}}}| style="color: blue"}}.

=== Sending external git repository changes into FGAddon ===

{{Note|Development scenario: You are an individual developer with FGAddon commit access and wish to transfer the commits in a remote git repository into FGAddon using a temporary local git repository.}}

Firstly clone the FGAddon aircraft into a local git-svn repository with:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn clone|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

This will create a new local git repository linked to FGAddon via git-svn. If the aircraft is new and not present in FGAddon, see the [[#New_aircraft|instructions for adding a new aircraft to FGAddon]]. Next, set up the remote git repository as a remote, and fetch it:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git remote add <name> <url>
git fetch
</syntaxhighlight>

Where <code><url></code> is the URL of the remote git repository. Finally make an ordered list of all hashes of the commits to be sent into FGAddon, from earliest to latest, and cherry-pick them into the git-svn master branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 2>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 3>
...
</syntaxhighlight>

Note that the git-svn local repository should only have a single <code>master</code> branch and only consist of cherry-picking. To see the changes queued for sending to FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log git-svn..HEAD
git diff git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

Then to send the changes to FGAddon, firstly pull in any remote changes, and send the commits:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

The temporary local repository can then be deleted.

=== Connecting an existing git repository to FGAddon ===

{{Note|Development scenario: You are an individual developer or team leader with FGAddon commit access and wish to connect a pre-existing remote git repository with FGAddon to send all changes back to FGAddon.}}

If a remote git repository containing a developed aircraft already exists, it is possible to connect it to the remote FGAddon repository using the git-svn tools. The following uses the [[#Dedicated_FGAddon_branch|dedicated FGAddon branch technique]]. Firstly, set up the bridge to FGAddon using git-svn in the per-aircraft repository:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
{{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn init|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/<aircraft>|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Where <code><aircraft></code> is the aircraft directory name in FGAddon. Note that this step can be performed without commit access to FGAddon by using a read-only SVN URL instead, but then changes cannot be pushed back to FGAddon ([[#Synchronising|dcommitting]], as it is known in the git-svn terminology). However, this allows upstream FGAddon changes to be integrated into the remote git repository, thus making it easy to prepare changes for submission for FGAddon inclusion using patches sent to the mailing list or sent via other channels.

Now fetch the current state from the remote FGAddon repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn fetch
</syntaxhighlight>

The downloaded SVN history is in the remote branch <code>remotes/git-svn</code>. To commit changes to SVN you need a local branch that tracks this remote branch. Create a local <code>fgaddon</code> branch that you will use to commit updates:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git branch fgaddon remotes/git-svn
</syntaxhighlight>

After committing new stuff to the <code>master</code> branch, to push to FGAddon checkout the <code>fgaddon</code> branch and update it from SVN in case someone else has touched the aircraft in the remote FGAddon repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

Cherry-pick the new commits from <code>master</code> to <code>fgaddon</code> to preserve a linear history:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 2>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 3>
...
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the changes queued for sending to FGAddon as either commits or a diff, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log git-svn..HEAD
git diff git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

If everything looks ok, dcommit the local commits on the <code>fgaddon</code> branch to send them to the remote FGAddon SVN repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
</syntaxhighlight>

Switch back to the master branch for local development:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout master
</syntaxhighlight>

To get changes from upstream you can either just download them with
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn fetch
</syntaxhighlight>

or download them and rebase your <code>fgaddon</code> branch onto them:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Team development ===

{{Note|Development scenario: All members of the team are acting as gatekeepers, and all commits are made directly to FGAddon, either using svn or git-svn.}}

The simplest way to work as a team is for each developer to either have a [[#Individual developer|svn copy of FGAddon]] or a [[#Individual developer (git-svn)|git-svn copy of FGAddon]], and everyone commits directly to FGAddon. Communication and coordination between the team members can be performed using a [[#Team_communications|team leader organised SourceForge forum]] or using the [http://forum.flightgear.org/ FlightGear forum]. In this scenario, the team needs to take the initiative and everyone apply for FGAddon commit access.

=== Private team development (git-svn) ===

{{Note|Development scenario: One team leader is acting as the gatekeeper on a private git repository hosted on the in-house SourceForge infrastructure, using git-svn to push a fgaddon branch to FGAddon, with team members committing directly to the private git repository or making merge requests from their fork of the private repository.}}

To keep everything in-house, the entire operation will be based on the official infrastructure and remote repositories under each user's SourceForge (SF) profile. Note to the team leader - you must [https://git-scm.com/book/en/v1/Git-and-Other-Systems-Git-and-Subversion#git-svn keep your git-svn history linear] (meaning that a [[#Dedicated_FGAddon_branch|dedicated FGAddon branch]] should be created and changes manually cherry-picked into this branch). In the following, the <code>ornithopter</code> aircraft will be used as an example.

==== The team ====

Firstly, the entire team should sign up for [[#SourceForge account|SourceForge accounts]].

==== Team leader ====

===== Private repository set up =====

These steps are to be taken by the team leader. In your SourceForge user profile, set up a [[#Developer_git_repository| git repository]] with the label <code>Ornithopter FGAddon git-svn repository</code> and code path <code>code-ornithopter</code>. Then create a empty local git repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ mkdir ornithopter
$ cd ornithopter
$ git init
</syntaxhighlight>

Link the empty repository to the <code>ornithopter</code> aircraft directory in the remote FGAddon repository and pull it in with:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
$ {{fgaddon source|cmd=git svn init|protocol=svn+ssh|login=<username>|type=svn|path=Aircraft/ornithopter|full=1}}
$ git svn fetch
| lang = "sh"
}}

Replace <code><username></code> with your SF user name. Set up a special git-svn branch for FGAddon gatekeeping and dcommitting changes back to the repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git branch fgaddon remotes/git-svn
$ git checkout fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

And pull in the <code>ornithopter</code> from FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the current local git-svn repository setup, type:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git branch -vva
$ git remote -v
$ git svn info
</syntaxhighlight>

Then return to the master branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git checkout master
</syntaxhighlight>

Finally, set up the remote git repository as a remote:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
$ {{sourceforge url|cmd=git remote add|opt=origin|protocol=ssh|login=<username>|user=<username>|type=git|repo=code-ornithopter}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

And send the master branch to the remote git repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git push -u origin master
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the new set up:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ git branch -vva
$ git remote -v
</syntaxhighlight>

The repository will be located at {{#tag:span|{{#tag:tt|{{#tag:nowiki|{{sourceforge url|user=<username>|repo=code-ornithopter|branch=master}}}}}}| style="color: blue"}}. Note that the git-svn information stored in the <code>.git/svn</code> directory will not be pushed to remote SoureForge repository, and therefore the link back to FGAddon will only be present in the local copy of the team leader. The git-svn link can be re-established at a later point if necessary.

===== Team setup =====

Set up a [[#Development teams|dedicated development team and grant them access to the git-svn repository]].

===== Pushing to FGAddon =====

Committing to FGAddon is for the local git repository of the team leader. History must be linear in the fgaddon branch, so cherry-picking is the way to go. This is from the [[#Individual developer (git-svn)|Individual developer (git-svn)]] section. In the local git repository, switch to the <code>fgaddon</code> branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git checkout fgaddon
</syntaxhighlight>

Pull in any changes which have occurred in FGAddon:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn rebase
</syntaxhighlight>

To see the commits in the <code>master</code> branch which are not in the <code>fgaddon</code> branch, type one of:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log HEAD..master
git log HEAD..master --pretty=oneline
</syntaxhighlight>

Manually select the commits to be sent to FGAddon and cherry-pick them:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 2>
git cherry-pick <commit hash 3>
...
</syntaxhighlight>

Or to cherry-pick a range of commits:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git cherry-pick <commit hash 1>^..<commit hash 8>
</syntaxhighlight>

Then check what is to be sent:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git log git-svn..HEAD
git diff git-svn..HEAD
</syntaxhighlight>

Send the changes to FGAddon, send the git <code>fgaddon</code> branch changes to the remote git repository, and switch back to the master branch:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git svn dcommit
git push
git checkout master
</syntaxhighlight>

Finally merge in the git svn commits with their new hashes from the <code>fgaddon</code> branch, and send it to the remote git repository:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
git merge fgaddon
git push
</syntaxhighlight>

==== Team members ====

===== Working with the repository =====

Each team member should make a clone of the private git repository:
{{#tag:syntaxhighlight|
$ {{sourceforge source|cmd=git clone|protocol=ssh|login=<username>|user=<username_leader>|type=git|repo=code-ornithopter|post=ornithopter|full=1}}
| lang = "sh"
}}

Replace <code><username></code> with your SourceForge user name, and <code><username_leader></code> is the SourceForge user name of the team leader.

===== Forking and merge requests =====

Alternatively, each team member can fork the git repository under your SourceForge account:
* Go to {{#tag:span|{{#tag:tt|{{#tag:nowiki|{{sourceforge source|user=<username>|repo=code-ornithopter|branch=master|full=1}}}}}}| style="color: blue"}}, where <code><username></code> is the SourceForge user name of the team leader.
* Click on <code>Fork</code>.
* Set the mount point to <code>code-ornithopter</code> and change the label as you wish.

Develop and push to your fork, then make merge requests by clicking on the <code>Request Merge</code> button.

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:FlightGear]]
[[ca:FGAddon]]
[[de:FGAddon]]
[[fr:FGAddon]]
[[nl:FGAddon]]
[[pl:FGAddon]]

UFO/info

2026-04-21T16:58:03Z

Fgf5:

<includeonly>{{infobox aircraft
| name = UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO
| hangar = fgdata
| aircraft = ufo
| image = UFO.jpg
| type = Fictional aircraft
| authors = ET
| fdm = UFO
| fgname = ufo
| status = Complete
| ready = bombable
| devel-repo = {{fgdata url|path=Aircraft/ufo}}
| navbar = 1
}}</includeonly><noinclude>
This is the aircraft infobox subpage of the [[UFO]].
[[Category:Aircraft infobox documentation]]
</noinclude>

UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO/info

2026-04-21T16:57:17Z

Fgf5: Fgf5 moved page UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO/info to UFO/info: simplify the title

#REDIRECT [[UFO/info]]

UFO/info

2026-04-21T16:57:17Z

Fgf5: Fgf5 moved page UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO/info to UFO/info: simplify the title

<includeonly>{{infobox aircraft
| name = UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO
| hangar = fgdata
| aircraft = ufo
| image = UFO.jpg
| type = Fictional aircraft
| authors = ET
| fdm = UFO
| fgname = ufo
| status = Complete
| ready = bombable
| devel-repo = {{fgdata url|path=Aircraft/ufo}}
| navbar = 1
}}</includeonly><noinclude>
This is the aircraft infobox subpage of the [[UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO]].
[[Category:Aircraft infobox documentation]]
</noinclude>

UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO

2026-04-21T16:56:12Z

Fgf5: Fgf5 moved page UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO to UFO over redirect: simplify the title

#REDIRECT [[UFO]]

UFO

2026-04-21T16:56:12Z

Fgf5: Fgf5 moved page UFO from the 'White Project' of the UNESCO to UFO over redirect: simplify the title

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

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

== Export ==

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

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

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

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

In Windows, this is done using the Advanced dialog, found on the last page of the [[FGRun]] GUI.
# Click ''Advanced''
# Select ''General''
# Locate the field ''Config'' and click {{Key press|...}}
# Browse to the '''ufo-model-export.xml''' file and click {{Key press|OK}}.

== Aircraft controls ==

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

== Object controls ==

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==Take measurements==

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

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

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

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

Horizontal Situation Indicator

2026-04-21T16:41:08Z

Fgf5: merge "general description"

[[File:KI525.jpg|thumb|250px|The HSI in FlightGear's Seneca]]

HSI is the acronym for '''Horizontal Situation Indicator'''. Sometimes it is also called '''Pictorial Navigation Indicator'''. It combines a standard [[Avionics_and_instruments#Directional_Gyro|'''Directional Gyro''' (DG)]] and '''Course Deviation Indicator''' (CDI) into one single instrument and reduces the pilots workload by displaying the aircraft's heading and position relative to a desired course in a compact manner.

The well known drift of a standard Directional Gyro is usually compensated by the use of a slaved gyro system that constantly corrects the heading indication.

The purpose of this document is to briefly describe the indicators and the usage of a HSI instrument.

== Indicators ==

[[File:KI525-legend.jpg|thumb|250px|The HSI in FlightGear's Seneca]]
=== Compass Card / Compass Rose ===
The Compass Card (1) is driven by the internal gyro. It shows the magnetic heading of the aircraft. Drift errors like in standard Directional Gyro are automatically corrected when in slaved mode.
=== Lubber Line ===
The number on the Compass Card (1) under the Lubber Line (2) shows the current aircraft magnetic heading.
=== NAV Warning Flag ===
The red NAV Warning Flag (3) indicates, that either CDI or the GS indicators are unreliable. It is driven by the signal quality of the received nav station. Do not use the CDI or GS indicators for navigation when the NAV Warning Flag is visible.

=== HDG Warning Flag ===
The red HDG Warning Flag (4) becomes visible when the speed of the directional gyro is to low. Beware that there may occur compass failures that are not indicated by the HDG Warning Flag, so compare the indicated heading with the magnetic compass on a regular basis.
If the HSI is part of a slaved gyro system, the HDG Warning Flag also appears if the gyro has lost synchronization with the master. On a KCS55 this will happen, if a offset of more than 3 degrees is detected between earth magnetic field and the gyro indication. It also shows up, if the slaved gyro system is switch to manual mode.

=== Heading Select Bug ===
The orange Heading Select Bug (5) indicates the heading you (the pilot) wants to fly. It may be coupled to the autopilot so can provide the "Heading Select" function. The autopilot will try to maintain the heading indicated by the Heading Select Bug. The Heading Bug can be adjusted by the Heading Select Knob (11)

=== Course Deviation Bar ===
Like a standard Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) the Course Deviation Bar (6) shows how far the aircraft is off the selected course. When the bar is in line with the yellow arrow head and tail the aircraft is exactly on the selected course. When the bar moves to the right when looking in the direction of the arrow, the desired course is on the right (with respect to the aircraft's heading). The scale under the bar shows how far off course the aircraft is. In VOR navigation, each dot corresponds to a deviation of two degrees, allowing a total of +/- 10 degrees. During the reception of a LOC signal each dot on the CDI scale corresponds to a deviation of 0.5 degrees, a full deflection is 2.5 degrees off course.
The advantage to a standard CDI is, that the entire indicator rotates with the Compass Card, giving the pilot a pictorial symbolic view of the relationship of the aircraft's heading, the selected course and the current position.

=== Course Select Pointer / Cursor ===
The Course Select Pointer (7), often simply called Cursor, is set by the pilot using the Course Select Knob (10) to the desired VOR or LOC course which is shown under the head of the arrow while the tail marks the reciprocal course.

=== To/From Indicator ===
Two white triangles (8) near the center of the display indicate, whether the selected course is to or from the tuned VOR. They correspond to the "To" and "From" flag of a standard CDI display. There is either only the "To" or only the "From" or no flag at all in the view. One will never see both flags like in the descriptive image on the right.

=== Glideslope Pointer ===
The Glideslope Pointer (9) come into view when a glideslope signal is being received during a ILS approach and the aircraft's position is within the defined range and slope of the glideslope signal. This is a very sensitive display. A full deflection correspons to a 1.4 degrees difference in the glideslope. A one dot indication showing a deviation of only 0.35 degrees off the glide slope.

=== Course Select Knob ===
Use the Course Select Knob (10) to turn the Course Select Pointer (7) to match the desired course on the Compass Card (1). This knob has the same function as the OBS knob on a standard CDI.

=== Heading Select Knob ===
The Heading Select Knob (11) moves the Heading Bug (5) to the desired heading on the Compass Card (1)

[[Category:Piper PA34-200T Seneca II]]
[[Category:Aircraft instruments]]

Cessna 172P/FAQ

2026-04-21T16:30:52Z

Fgf5:

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about [[Cessna 172P]] aircraft.

== FAQ ==

'''Q:''' I am experiencing grey windows, what is happening?

'''A:''' If you are experiencing grey windows, you do not have the minimum FlightGear version to run this aircraft. Consider upgrading your Flight Gear version.

'''Q:''' Why does the aircraft keep turning left?

'''A:''' Please see [[understanding Propeller Torque and P-Factor]]. If using the amphibian model on a solid runway, note that at the taxiing is done by differential braking (the rudder becomes more and more effective as the plane gains speed). Also, check your weight distribution (new players: try adding a copilot in the Equipment > Fuel and Payload dialog).

'''Q:''' Why will the engine not start?

'''A:''' You can start the engine automatically by clicking on the menu "Cessna C172P" and selecting "Autostart". For a manual start, please follow the checklists available by clicking on the menu "Help" followed by "Aircraft Checklists". As seen above, the engine must by "primed" before starting. If oil management is activated, you must have enough oil for the engine to work (more than 5.0 quarts). If fuel contamination is activated, the fuel must be light blue in order for the engine to properly work. You must also make sure that the battery is charged enough (you can check and recharge it in the Aircraft Options dialog). 
Or it might be as simple as not having the magneto[s] turned on (which provide electricity to the spark plugs), or the fuel mix is too lean (put it at 100% to start) or the throttle too low (put it about 10-20%).

Or even more simply make sure that the game is not paused by pressing '''p'''.

'''Q:''' Why does the Autostart fail to start the engine?

'''A:''' That's probably because you are attempting to take off from a very high altitude airport. Autostart always tries to start the engine with the mixture full rich, and if it fails to do that properly then you must manually start the engine after properly leaning the mixture.

'''Q:''' Why does the engine die immediately after startup?

'''A:''' Probably because the throttle is being incremented too fast after startup as the engine needs a few seconds to stabilize itself.

'''Q:''' Why can't I start the sim with the engine running?

'''A:''' You can! Go to the menu "Cessna C172P", select "Aircraft Options" and tick the option "Start with engine running".

'''Q:''' Why I keep running out of battery?

'''A:''' Just like in the real airplane, it's always a bad idea to keep the battery switch on for a long time while the engine is not running, as the battery will run out of charge. When the engine is running, the alternator will make sure that the battery is always recharging. If you run out of battery charge, go to the Aircraft Options dialog and recharge it.

'''Q:''' Why doesn't the aircraft move?

'''A:''' The aircraft won't move if you have the parking brakes set, or if either of the wing tie-downs, the tail tie-down or wheel chocks are in place (if the option "allow securing aircraft" is enabled in the aircraft menu).

'''Q:''' Why the airspeed indicator doesn't work?

'''A:''' If the option "allow securing aircraft" is enabled in the aircraft menu, then very likely you forgot to remove the pitot tube cover.

'''Q:''' How can I switch to the bush tires/pontoons/amphibian?

'''A:''' By clicking in menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and then selecting the other landing gear options.

'''Q:''' How can I switch to the 180 HP engine?

'''A:''' This is also done by clicking in menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and then selecting the engine power option.

'''Q:''' Why can't I take off from the water without crashing the plane?

'''A:''' Taking off and landing on water can be quite tricky. Try applying a little bit of back pressure on the yoke while accelerating to 55 KIAS. It's also recommended to use the 180 HP engine instead of the default 160 HP, as the extra weight of the pontoons make it really hard to climb with the default engine.

'''Q:''' Why is the simulator lagging so much?

'''A:''' As with any complex 3D model, this new version of the c172p is a bit more demanding on the computers than the older one. If you are having troubles with performance, try using non-HD liveries which use textures with lower resolutions, as well as other solutions that can improve performance (disabling certain graphical options in the Rendering Options, lowering the resolution of FlightGear, etc.).

Some tricks that help to increase fps is by disabling all GUI windows, including the menu bar and the orange fps counters at the bottom of the screen. You can display an alternative fps counter in the top left corner via the "Debug" menu and then selecting "Cycle On-Screen Statistics". Make sure to hide the menu bar by pressing F10 to see the counter.

A second trick is to simply disable the rendering of all clouds if you don't mind. Start FlightGear with "--prop:/sim/rendering/draw-mask/clouds=0".

If you notice heavy slowdowns when flying over certain scenery and you see FlightGear generating many "Warning:: Picked up error in TriangleIntersect" messages in the terminal or log file, you can disable this by starting FlightGear with "--prop:/sim/rendering/osg-notify-level=fatal".

'''Q:''' Why are the windows getting foggy/frosty?

'''A:''' If the dew point of the cabin air temperature is higher than the surface temperature of the windshield, the windows will get either foggy or frosty. Use the Cabin Heat and Cabin Air levers (on the right of the flaps) to control it. The dew point rises with the temperature in the cabin, and it rises faster than the windshield temperature can adjust, resulting in temporary fog. If the air is very humid, the dew point is going to be very close to the cabin temperature, which makes it likely that it will be higher than the windshield temperature. Extra passengers will create a more humid atmosphere in the cabin. Try to increase air flow using the Cabin Air lever or overhead air vents in order to decrease the humidity or temperature. Alternatively, disable the effect by going to the menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and disable the option "Enable frost and fog".

'''Q:''' How do I increase the cabin air temperature?

'''A:''' Increase the cabin air temperature by opening the Cabin Heat lever. In order to actually get a heated air flow, you need a medium or high EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature -- the instrument between the yoke and the ADF instrument), and airspeed and/or sufficient propeller RPM.

'''Q:''' How can I click on a switch which is being covered by the yoke?

'''A:''' You can hide the yokes by clicking on them or by going to the menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Hide/Show Yokes".

'''Q:''' Why my engine seems to be losing power?

'''A:''' Assuming that you have the mixture correctly leaned according to your altitude and atmospheric pressure, then another possibility is that you are accumulating carburettor ice which results in loss of power. Apply carb heat and the ice should slowly melt. Notice that if the engine starts to cough when you apply carb heat, it means that ice is being melt and is a sign that icing was indeed your problem. To reduce the cough during the melting process, lean the mixture.

Cessna 172P/FAQ

2026-04-21T16:30:35Z

Fgf5:

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Cessna 172P aircraft.

== FAQ ==

'''Q:''' I am experiencing grey windows, what is happening?

'''A:''' If you are experiencing grey windows, you do not have the minimum FlightGear version to run this aircraft. Consider upgrading your Flight Gear version.

'''Q:''' Why does the aircraft keep turning left?

'''A:''' Please see [[understanding Propeller Torque and P-Factor]]. If using the amphibian model on a solid runway, note that at the taxiing is done by differential braking (the rudder becomes more and more effective as the plane gains speed). Also, check your weight distribution (new players: try adding a copilot in the Equipment > Fuel and Payload dialog).

'''Q:''' Why will the engine not start?

'''A:''' You can start the engine automatically by clicking on the menu "Cessna C172P" and selecting "Autostart". For a manual start, please follow the checklists available by clicking on the menu "Help" followed by "Aircraft Checklists". As seen above, the engine must by "primed" before starting. If oil management is activated, you must have enough oil for the engine to work (more than 5.0 quarts). If fuel contamination is activated, the fuel must be light blue in order for the engine to properly work. You must also make sure that the battery is charged enough (you can check and recharge it in the Aircraft Options dialog). 
Or it might be as simple as not having the magneto[s] turned on (which provide electricity to the spark plugs), or the fuel mix is too lean (put it at 100% to start) or the throttle too low (put it about 10-20%).

Or even more simply make sure that the game is not paused by pressing '''p'''.

'''Q:''' Why does the Autostart fail to start the engine?

'''A:''' That's probably because you are attempting to take off from a very high altitude airport. Autostart always tries to start the engine with the mixture full rich, and if it fails to do that properly then you must manually start the engine after properly leaning the mixture.

'''Q:''' Why does the engine die immediately after startup?

'''A:''' Probably because the throttle is being incremented too fast after startup as the engine needs a few seconds to stabilize itself.

'''Q:''' Why can't I start the sim with the engine running?

'''A:''' You can! Go to the menu "Cessna C172P", select "Aircraft Options" and tick the option "Start with engine running".

'''Q:''' Why I keep running out of battery?

'''A:''' Just like in the real airplane, it's always a bad idea to keep the battery switch on for a long time while the engine is not running, as the battery will run out of charge. When the engine is running, the alternator will make sure that the battery is always recharging. If you run out of battery charge, go to the Aircraft Options dialog and recharge it.

'''Q:''' Why doesn't the aircraft move?

'''A:''' The aircraft won't move if you have the parking brakes set, or if either of the wing tie-downs, the tail tie-down or wheel chocks are in place (if the option "allow securing aircraft" is enabled in the aircraft menu).

'''Q:''' Why the airspeed indicator doesn't work?

'''A:''' If the option "allow securing aircraft" is enabled in the aircraft menu, then very likely you forgot to remove the pitot tube cover.

'''Q:''' How can I switch to the bush tires/pontoons/amphibian?

'''A:''' By clicking in menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and then selecting the other landing gear options.

'''Q:''' How can I switch to the 180 HP engine?

'''A:''' This is also done by clicking in menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and then selecting the engine power option.

'''Q:''' Why can't I take off from the water without crashing the plane?

'''A:''' Taking off and landing on water can be quite tricky. Try applying a little bit of back pressure on the yoke while accelerating to 55 KIAS. It's also recommended to use the 180 HP engine instead of the default 160 HP, as the extra weight of the pontoons make it really hard to climb with the default engine.

'''Q:''' Why is the simulator lagging so much?

'''A:''' As with any complex 3D model, this new version of the c172p is a bit more demanding on the computers than the older one. If you are having troubles with performance, try using non-HD liveries which use textures with lower resolutions, as well as other solutions that can improve performance (disabling certain graphical options in the Rendering Options, lowering the resolution of FlightGear, etc.).

Some tricks that help to increase fps is by disabling all GUI windows, including the menu bar and the orange fps counters at the bottom of the screen. You can display an alternative fps counter in the top left corner via the "Debug" menu and then selecting "Cycle On-Screen Statistics". Make sure to hide the menu bar by pressing F10 to see the counter.

A second trick is to simply disable the rendering of all clouds if you don't mind. Start FlightGear with "--prop:/sim/rendering/draw-mask/clouds=0".

If you notice heavy slowdowns when flying over certain scenery and you see FlightGear generating many "Warning:: Picked up error in TriangleIntersect" messages in the terminal or log file, you can disable this by starting FlightGear with "--prop:/sim/rendering/osg-notify-level=fatal".

'''Q:''' Why are the windows getting foggy/frosty?

'''A:''' If the dew point of the cabin air temperature is higher than the surface temperature of the windshield, the windows will get either foggy or frosty. Use the Cabin Heat and Cabin Air levers (on the right of the flaps) to control it. The dew point rises with the temperature in the cabin, and it rises faster than the windshield temperature can adjust, resulting in temporary fog. If the air is very humid, the dew point is going to be very close to the cabin temperature, which makes it likely that it will be higher than the windshield temperature. Extra passengers will create a more humid atmosphere in the cabin. Try to increase air flow using the Cabin Air lever or overhead air vents in order to decrease the humidity or temperature. Alternatively, disable the effect by going to the menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and disable the option "Enable frost and fog".

'''Q:''' How do I increase the cabin air temperature?

'''A:''' Increase the cabin air temperature by opening the Cabin Heat lever. In order to actually get a heated air flow, you need a medium or high EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature -- the instrument between the yoke and the ADF instrument), and airspeed and/or sufficient propeller RPM.

'''Q:''' How can I click on a switch which is being covered by the yoke?

'''A:''' You can hide the yokes by clicking on them or by going to the menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Hide/Show Yokes".

'''Q:''' Why my engine seems to be losing power?

'''A:''' Assuming that you have the mixture correctly leaned according to your altitude and atmospheric pressure, then another possibility is that you are accumulating carburettor ice which results in loss of power. Apply carb heat and the ice should slowly melt. Notice that if the engine starts to cough when you apply carb heat, it means that ice is being melt and is a sign that icing was indeed your problem. To reduce the cough during the melting process, lean the mixture.

Cessna 172P

2026-04-21T16:29:09Z

Fgf5: /* FAQ */ move faqs to a new page

{{:{{PAGENAME}}/info}}
The '''Cessna 172P ''Skyhawk''''' is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing [[aircraft]]. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.

The Cessna 172 has been the default aircraft in [[FlightGear]] since 2000, when it replaced the [[Navion]]. It has had a long development and includes a wide variety of simulation features. In 2015, it went through a complete refresh, including engine options, various tire sizes and floats, as well as a complete cockpit texture makeover. This new detailed version of the plane has become the default aircraft since [[Changelog_3.6|FlightGear 3.6]].

== Features ==

The new C172p has a much better 3D model and is now fully textured (including the interior). All the switches in the cockpit are clickable. It also has an improved FDM (Flight Dynamics Model - the "physics" of the plane), more complex procedures and new realistic checklists, new sound effects, and damage modelling. The aircraft can get damaged if mishandled (e.g. gear collapse after a hard landing).

[[File:c172p-preview5.jpg|center|700px]]

The aircraft currently has five variants, all available from the aircraft menu:
* regular wheels
* 26" bush tires
* 36" bush tires
* pontoons
* amphibious
* snow skis

Also, from the same menu, the user can select two different engines:
* 160 HP
* 180 HP (recommended when using pontoons, amphibian and skis variants)

The aircraft now can get damaged from collisions, crashes, hard landings or overload while in-flight, and the modelling includes wheel collapse, wings breaking, etc. The damage can be turned off in the aircraft menu, which also contains an option for repairing the aircraft.

The windows now can get foggy or frosty, depending on the combination of interior and exterior temperatures. The pilot must then use the Cabin Heat and Cabin Air levers (on the right of the flaps) to control it. Alternatively, it's possible to disable the effect in the "Aircraft Options" in the "Cessna 172P" menu. This effect depends on the new ALS (Atmospheric Light Scattering) effects found in 3.5 and above, and will also have the side effect of producing grey windows in versions prior to 3.5.

The FDM has also been modified. The aircraft may enter into a spin in case of an asymmetric stall (a particularly dangerous situation when turning to final, in which case the aircraft is at low speed and low height). The FDM has also been tweaked to include hydrodynamics effects while taking off or landing on water, as well as adding a new 180 HP engine.

There are several liveries available, some of which have higher resolution than others, which are marked as HD in the liveries menu. Each of the HD liveries also has unique cockpit and interior textures.

The aircraft has a simulation of the [[Bendix/King KAP140 Autopilot]].

Also, if the user has enabled ALS (Atmospheric light scattering) in the Rendering Options, then it's possible to activate the flashlight by clicking on the "Cessna 172P" menu and selecting "Flashlight". Select it once for the white flashlight, select it again for a red one and select it one more time to turn it off.

The aircraft can now go through a pre-flight: wheel chocks, tie-downs and the pitot tube cover can now be added or removed, oil management and fuel contamination by water have been implemented (both of which are not activated by default, but are available in the Aircraft Options dialogue).

Carburettor icing is also modelled. Accumulating carburettor ice will result in loss of power. Applying carb heat will help to melt it. If the engine starts to cough when carb heat is applied, it means that ice has indeed been accumulated in the carburettor and now is being melted. To reduce a cough during the melting process, one can lean the mixture.

As of version 2016.3, static objects can be toggled in the Ground Equipment dialogue. These include cones under the wings, a fuel truck, a ground power unit and ladders. The ground power can be used to recharge the battery and the fuel truck can be used to refuelling the tanks. The walker can climb the ladder by walking towards it, which makes it easy to access the fuel tank cap in order to refill it.

[[File:c172p-panel-lighting.jpg|700px|center|Cessna 172P cockpit at night]]

== Handling The Aircraft ==
=== Pre-Flight Inspection ===
[[File:c172p-ground-objects.jpg|300px||thumb|Cessna 172P secured at Aosta Airport]]
It's recommended to use any exterior view or activate the walker for these procedures.
* Fuel quantity: add by clicking on the fuel tank caps above each wing (you can add a ladder in the Ground Equipment dialog and climb it with the walker as well)
* Left wing: remove tie-down
* Left wing: remove pitot tube cover
* Left wing: check for fuel contamination by clicking under the wing and take a fuel sample. If the sample is light blue, the fuel is not contaminated and can be returned to the tank. If the sample is transparent or partially transparent, you must discard it and take new samples until they are completely light blue
* Tail: remove tie-down
* Right wing: remove tie-down
* Right wing: check for fuel contamination
* Nose: check for oil quantity by clicking on the oil door in the nose. Critical oil level for either engine is 5.0 quarts.
* Nose: remove wheel chocks

=== Engine Start (manual and complex startup) ===
[[File:c172p-panel-closeup.jpg|300px||thumb|Cessna 172P before starting the engine]]
* Priming: prime the engine at least 3 times
* Mixture: Rich (red lever all the way in)
* Throttle: Open 1/8 (black lever at 20%)
* Parking Brake: Applied ({{Key press|Shift|B}})
* Prop Area: Clear
* Master switch: ON (both)
* Magnetos: Both (Press {{Key press|<nowiki>}</nowiki>}} three times)
* Ignition: Start ({{Key press|S}})

=== Engine Start (automatically with Autostart) ===
* Click on the menu "Cessna C172P" and select "Autostart" in order to start the plane. Please note that the Autostart attempts to start the engine with the mixture full rich, so if you are taking off from a very high altitude airport you may need to manually start the plane.

=== Takeoff ===
[[File:c172p-preview0.jpg|300px||thumb|Cessna 172P ready for take off]]
* no flaps
* full throttle
* rotate at 55 KIAS

=== Climbout ===
* no flaps
* full throttle
* 75 KIAS

=== Cruise ===
* throttle 65%
* mixture rich of peak
* speed around 100 knots

=== Landing ===
[[File:c172p-preview4.jpg|300px||thumb|Cessna 172P about to touch down]]
* full flaps
* 60 KIAS

=== Airspeeds ===
: ''See also [[Aircraft speed#V speeds]]''

The information in this section is based on external resources.<ref>[http://www.triangleaviation.com/1982_172r.html Triangle Aviation]{{dead link|2015-10}}</ref><ref>[http://www.otisair.com/c172info.html OtisAir's Airborne Observations]{{dead link|2015-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/724e90061c5bf3b1862576260063e599/$FILE/3A12.pdf |title=Type Certificate No. 3A12, Revision 79 |date=27 August 2009 |work= |publisher=FAA |format=pdf |accessdate=9 October 2015}}</ref>

[[File:172P 01.jpg|300px]]
{| class="wikitable"
! Airspeed !! CAS
|-
| Stall speed, landing configuration, VS0 || 46 - 48 kt
|-
| Stall speed, clean, VS1 || 51 - 53 kt
|-
| Rotation speed, VR || 55 kt
|-
| Best angle of climb speed, VX || 59 kt
|-
| Best rate of climb speed, VY || 76 kt
|-
| Maximum flap extended speed, VFE || 85 kt
|-
| rowspan="2" valign="top" | Maneuvering speed, VA || 96 kt (floatplane)
|-
| 99 kt (landplane)
|-
| Maximum structural cruising speed, VNO || 127 kt
|-
| Never exceed speed, VNE || 158 kt
|}

== FAQ ==
Main Page: [[Cessna 172P/FAQ]]

== Development ==

This aircraft is undergoing a constant development, which can be followed on its [https://github.com/Juanvvc/c172p-detailed repository], where a [https://github.com/Juanvvc/c172p-detailed/issues list of issues and future enhancements] can also be found.

== Gallery ==
{{screenshot cat
| category = Cessna 172 screenshots
| subject = the Cessna 172
| image = Cessna 172P.jpg
}}{{-}}
<gallery mode="packed">
c172p-preview5.jpg|Cessna 172P high over Italy
C172P_and_equipment_on_Volumetric_grass_at_Innsbruck,_Austria_(Flightgear_2019.x).jpg| Cessna 172P with equipment resting on volumetric grass
c172p-preview7.jpg|PT-IAO on a soft dirt runway
c172p-preview0.jpg|Panel view, about to take off
c172p-preview2.jpg|Parked and secured
c172p-preview13.jpg|Night lighting effects
C172P_resting_on_Volumetric_grass_at_Innsbruck_Airport_-_Flightgear_2018.x.jpg| C172P resting on 2 types of volumetric grass
c172p-preview1.jpg|Float variant taking off
c172p-preview3.jpg|Ski variant over Freiburg
c172p-preview4.jpg|About to land at Aosta Airport
c172p-panel-closeup.jpg|Panel close-up
c172p-preview6.jpg|Hazy day over Naples
c172p-preview8.jpg|Sightseeing at Chapada Diamantina
c172p-preview9.jpg|Bush take off
c172p-preview12.jpg|Night flight with dimmed post lights
c172p-panel-lighting.jpg|Full post lighting
c172p-preview10.jpg|Amphibian variant at Hawaii
c172p-preview11.jpg|Bush variant
c172p-panel-landing.jpg|About to land
c172p-ground-objects.jpg|PT-IAO with ground objects
c172p-particles.jpg|Taking off on water, showing the particle system
c172p-parked.jpg|N35799 livery parked at Camden Airport (YSCN)
c172p-damage.jpg|Gear collapse due to heavy landing
c172p-frost.jpg|If the conditions are just right, frost or fog will appear in the windows
</gallery>

== External links ==
* {{Wikipedia|Cessna 172|lang=en}}
* [https://www.aerodynamicaviation.com/members_docs/ Cessna 172P and other checklists and manuals at AeroDynamicAviation.com]

{{Appendix}}

{{Cessna}}

[[Category:Aircraft with a cockpit-only autopilot]]

[[ar:Cessna 172P]]
[[ca:Cessna 172P]]
[[de:Cessna 172P]]
[[es:Cessna 172P]]
[[fr:Cessna 172P]]
[[nl:Cessna 172P]]
[[pl:Cessna 172P]]
[[ru:Cessna 172P]]
[[zh:Cessna 172P]]
[[Category:Red Griffin ATC compatible aircraft]]

Cessna 172p/FAQ

2026-04-21T16:28:54Z

Fgf5: Fgf5 moved page Cessna 172p/FAQ to Cessna 172P/FAQ

#REDIRECT [[Cessna 172P/FAQ]]

Cessna 172P/FAQ

2026-04-21T16:28:54Z

Fgf5: Fgf5 moved page Cessna 172p/FAQ to Cessna 172P/FAQ

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about this aircraft.

== FAQ ==

'''Q:''' I am experiencing grey windows, what is happening?

'''A:''' If you are experiencing grey windows, you do not have the minimum FlightGear version to run this aircraft. Consider upgrading your Flight Gear version.

'''Q:''' Why does the aircraft keep turning left?

'''A:''' Please see [[understanding Propeller Torque and P-Factor]]. If using the amphibian model on a solid runway, note that at the taxiing is done by differential braking (the rudder becomes more and more effective as the plane gains speed). Also, check your weight distribution (new players: try adding a copilot in the Equipment > Fuel and Payload dialog).

'''Q:''' Why will the engine not start?

'''A:''' You can start the engine automatically by clicking on the menu "Cessna C172P" and selecting "Autostart". For a manual start, please follow the checklists available by clicking on the menu "Help" followed by "Aircraft Checklists". As seen above, the engine must by "primed" before starting. If oil management is activated, you must have enough oil for the engine to work (more than 5.0 quarts). If fuel contamination is activated, the fuel must be light blue in order for the engine to properly work. You must also make sure that the battery is charged enough (you can check and recharge it in the Aircraft Options dialog). 
Or it might be as simple as not having the magneto[s] turned on (which provide electricity to the spark plugs), or the fuel mix is too lean (put it at 100% to start) or the throttle too low (put it about 10-20%).

Or even more simply make sure that the game is not paused by pressing '''p'''.

'''Q:''' Why does the Autostart fail to start the engine?

'''A:''' That's probably because you are attempting to take off from a very high altitude airport. Autostart always tries to start the engine with the mixture full rich, and if it fails to do that properly then you must manually start the engine after properly leaning the mixture.

'''Q:''' Why does the engine die immediately after startup?

'''A:''' Probably because the throttle is being incremented too fast after startup as the engine needs a few seconds to stabilize itself.

'''Q:''' Why can't I start the sim with the engine running?

'''A:''' You can! Go to the menu "Cessna C172P", select "Aircraft Options" and tick the option "Start with engine running".

'''Q:''' Why I keep running out of battery?

'''A:''' Just like in the real airplane, it's always a bad idea to keep the battery switch on for a long time while the engine is not running, as the battery will run out of charge. When the engine is running, the alternator will make sure that the battery is always recharging. If you run out of battery charge, go to the Aircraft Options dialog and recharge it.

'''Q:''' Why doesn't the aircraft move?

'''A:''' The aircraft won't move if you have the parking brakes set, or if either of the wing tie-downs, the tail tie-down or wheel chocks are in place (if the option "allow securing aircraft" is enabled in the aircraft menu).

'''Q:''' Why the airspeed indicator doesn't work?

'''A:''' If the option "allow securing aircraft" is enabled in the aircraft menu, then very likely you forgot to remove the pitot tube cover.

'''Q:''' How can I switch to the bush tires/pontoons/amphibian?

'''A:''' By clicking in menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and then selecting the other landing gear options.

'''Q:''' How can I switch to the 180 HP engine?

'''A:''' This is also done by clicking in menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and then selecting the engine power option.

'''Q:''' Why can't I take off from the water without crashing the plane?

'''A:''' Taking off and landing on water can be quite tricky. Try applying a little bit of back pressure on the yoke while accelerating to 55 KIAS. It's also recommended to use the 180 HP engine instead of the default 160 HP, as the extra weight of the pontoons make it really hard to climb with the default engine.

'''Q:''' Why is the simulator lagging so much?

'''A:''' As with any complex 3D model, this new version of the c172p is a bit more demanding on the computers than the older one. If you are having troubles with performance, try using non-HD liveries which use textures with lower resolutions, as well as other solutions that can improve performance (disabling certain graphical options in the Rendering Options, lowering the resolution of FlightGear, etc.).

Some tricks that help to increase fps is by disabling all GUI windows, including the menu bar and the orange fps counters at the bottom of the screen. You can display an alternative fps counter in the top left corner via the "Debug" menu and then selecting "Cycle On-Screen Statistics". Make sure to hide the menu bar by pressing F10 to see the counter.

A second trick is to simply disable the rendering of all clouds if you don't mind. Start FlightGear with "--prop:/sim/rendering/draw-mask/clouds=0".

If you notice heavy slowdowns when flying over certain scenery and you see FlightGear generating many "Warning:: Picked up error in TriangleIntersect" messages in the terminal or log file, you can disable this by starting FlightGear with "--prop:/sim/rendering/osg-notify-level=fatal".

'''Q:''' Why are the windows getting foggy/frosty?

'''A:''' If the dew point of the cabin air temperature is higher than the surface temperature of the windshield, the windows will get either foggy or frosty. Use the Cabin Heat and Cabin Air levers (on the right of the flaps) to control it. The dew point rises with the temperature in the cabin, and it rises faster than the windshield temperature can adjust, resulting in temporary fog. If the air is very humid, the dew point is going to be very close to the cabin temperature, which makes it likely that it will be higher than the windshield temperature. Extra passengers will create a more humid atmosphere in the cabin. Try to increase air flow using the Cabin Air lever or overhead air vents in order to decrease the humidity or temperature. Alternatively, disable the effect by going to the menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and disable the option "Enable frost and fog".

'''Q:''' How do I increase the cabin air temperature?

'''A:''' Increase the cabin air temperature by opening the Cabin Heat lever. In order to actually get a heated air flow, you need a medium or high EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature -- the instrument between the yoke and the ADF instrument), and airspeed and/or sufficient propeller RPM.

'''Q:''' How can I click on a switch which is being covered by the yoke?

'''A:''' You can hide the yokes by clicking on them or by going to the menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Hide/Show Yokes".

'''Q:''' Why my engine seems to be losing power?

'''A:''' Assuming that you have the mixture correctly leaned according to your altitude and atmospheric pressure, then another possibility is that you are accumulating carburettor ice which results in loss of power. Apply carb heat and the ice should slowly melt. Notice that if the engine starts to cough when you apply carb heat, it means that ice is being melt and is a sign that icing was indeed your problem. To reduce the cough during the melting process, lean the mixture.

Cessna 172P/FAQ

2026-04-21T16:26:17Z

Fgf5:

Cessna 172P/FAQ

2026-04-21T16:25:48Z

Fgf5: move FAQs to a new page

== FAQ ==

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about this aircraft:

'''Q:''' I am experiencing grey windows, what is happening?

'''A:''' If you are experiencing grey windows, you do not have the minimum FlightGear version to run this aircraft. Consider upgrading your Flight Gear version.

'''Q:''' Why does the aircraft keep turning left?

'''A:''' Please see [[understanding Propeller Torque and P-Factor]]. If using the amphibian model on a solid runway, note that at the taxiing is done by differential braking (the rudder becomes more and more effective as the plane gains speed). Also, check your weight distribution (new players: try adding a copilot in the Equipment > Fuel and Payload dialog).

'''Q:''' Why will the engine not start?

'''A:''' You can start the engine automatically by clicking on the menu "Cessna C172P" and selecting "Autostart". For a manual start, please follow the checklists available by clicking on the menu "Help" followed by "Aircraft Checklists". As seen above, the engine must by "primed" before starting. If oil management is activated, you must have enough oil for the engine to work (more than 5.0 quarts). If fuel contamination is activated, the fuel must be light blue in order for the engine to properly work. You must also make sure that the battery is charged enough (you can check and recharge it in the Aircraft Options dialog). 
Or it might be as simple as not having the magneto[s] turned on (which provide electricity to the spark plugs), or the fuel mix is too lean (put it at 100% to start) or the throttle too low (put it about 10-20%).

Or even more simply make sure that the game is not paused by pressing '''p'''.

'''Q:''' Why does the Autostart fail to start the engine?

'''A:''' That's probably because you are attempting to take off from a very high altitude airport. Autostart always tries to start the engine with the mixture full rich, and if it fails to do that properly then you must manually start the engine after properly leaning the mixture.

'''Q:''' Why does the engine die immediately after startup?

'''A:''' Probably because the throttle is being incremented too fast after startup as the engine needs a few seconds to stabilize itself.

'''Q:''' Why can't I start the sim with the engine running?

'''A:''' You can! Go to the menu "Cessna C172P", select "Aircraft Options" and tick the option "Start with engine running".

'''Q:''' Why I keep running out of battery?

'''A:''' Just like in the real airplane, it's always a bad idea to keep the battery switch on for a long time while the engine is not running, as the battery will run out of charge. When the engine is running, the alternator will make sure that the battery is always recharging. If you run out of battery charge, go to the Aircraft Options dialog and recharge it.

'''Q:''' Why doesn't the aircraft move?

'''A:''' The aircraft won't move if you have the parking brakes set, or if either of the wing tie-downs, the tail tie-down or wheel chocks are in place (if the option "allow securing aircraft" is enabled in the aircraft menu).

'''Q:''' Why the airspeed indicator doesn't work?

'''A:''' If the option "allow securing aircraft" is enabled in the aircraft menu, then very likely you forgot to remove the pitot tube cover.

'''Q:''' How can I switch to the bush tires/pontoons/amphibian?

'''A:''' By clicking in menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and then selecting the other landing gear options.

'''Q:''' How can I switch to the 180 HP engine?

'''A:''' This is also done by clicking in menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and then selecting the engine power option.

'''Q:''' Why can't I take off from the water without crashing the plane?

'''A:''' Taking off and landing on water can be quite tricky. Try applying a little bit of back pressure on the yoke while accelerating to 55 KIAS. It's also recommended to use the 180 HP engine instead of the default 160 HP, as the extra weight of the pontoons make it really hard to climb with the default engine.

'''Q:''' Why is the simulator lagging so much?

'''A:''' As with any complex 3D model, this new version of the c172p is a bit more demanding on the computers than the older one. If you are having troubles with performance, try using non-HD liveries which use textures with lower resolutions, as well as other solutions that can improve performance (disabling certain graphical options in the Rendering Options, lowering the resolution of FlightGear, etc.).

Some tricks that help to increase fps is by disabling all GUI windows, including the menu bar and the orange fps counters at the bottom of the screen. You can display an alternative fps counter in the top left corner via the "Debug" menu and then selecting "Cycle On-Screen Statistics". Make sure to hide the menu bar by pressing F10 to see the counter.

A second trick is to simply disable the rendering of all clouds if you don't mind. Start FlightGear with "--prop:/sim/rendering/draw-mask/clouds=0".

If you notice heavy slowdowns when flying over certain scenery and you see FlightGear generating many "Warning:: Picked up error in TriangleIntersect" messages in the terminal or log file, you can disable this by starting FlightGear with "--prop:/sim/rendering/osg-notify-level=fatal".

'''Q:''' Why are the windows getting foggy/frosty?

'''A:''' If the dew point of the cabin air temperature is higher than the surface temperature of the windshield, the windows will get either foggy or frosty. Use the Cabin Heat and Cabin Air levers (on the right of the flaps) to control it. The dew point rises with the temperature in the cabin, and it rises faster than the windshield temperature can adjust, resulting in temporary fog. If the air is very humid, the dew point is going to be very close to the cabin temperature, which makes it likely that it will be higher than the windshield temperature. Extra passengers will create a more humid atmosphere in the cabin. Try to increase air flow using the Cabin Air lever or overhead air vents in order to decrease the humidity or temperature. Alternatively, disable the effect by going to the menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Aircraft Options" and disable the option "Enable frost and fog".

'''Q:''' How do I increase the cabin air temperature?

'''A:''' Increase the cabin air temperature by opening the Cabin Heat lever. In order to actually get a heated air flow, you need a medium or high EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature -- the instrument between the yoke and the ADF instrument), and airspeed and/or sufficient propeller RPM.

'''Q:''' How can I click on a switch which is being covered by the yoke?

'''A:''' You can hide the yokes by clicking on them or by going to the menu "Cessna 172P", selecting "Hide/Show Yokes".

'''Q:''' Why my engine seems to be losing power?

'''A:''' Assuming that you have the mixture correctly leaned according to your altitude and atmospheric pressure, then another possibility is that you are accumulating carburettor ice which results in loss of power. Apply carb heat and the ice should slowly melt. Notice that if the engine starts to cough when you apply carb heat, it means that ice is being melt and is a sign that icing was indeed your problem. To reduce the cough during the melting process, lean the mixture.

Bombable

2026-04-21T16:16:23Z

Fgf5: developer

{{Template:Bombable_Navigation}}
{{Infobox subsystem
|image = Bombable4 4 600.png
|name = Bombable Addon
|started = 2009
|description = Addon for FlightGear that adds support for dogfighting, damage, and AI bots.
|status = Under active development (01/2014)
|developers = Flug, Aether
|folders = {{github url|user=Aether-FGFS|repo=Bombable-6.0}}
}}

[[File:camel-through-wing.jpg|thumb|[[Sopwith Camel]]]]
[[File:spad-vs-camel.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:warthog-down-on-bay-bridge.jpg|thumb|[[A-10 Warthog]]]]

'''Bombable''' is an [[addon]] for FlightGear that adds bombs, weapons, damage, fire, and explosion effects to FlightGear that work with the main [[aircraft]], [[scenery]], [[AI]] aircraft and other AI objects, and [[multiplayer]] aircraft objects. Bombable turns FlightGear into a combat flight simulator.

[https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5742&p=43772#p43772 Download the current version of the Bombable add-on here.]

== Features ==
* [[Multiplayer]] dogfighting.
* AI scenarios that allow you to use any FlightGear aircraft that can shoot weapons and/or drop bombs for air-to-air, air-to-ground, and anti-maritime combat missions against AI tanks, [[jeep]]s, ships, and aircraft that will fight you.
* Explosion and burning when you crash.
* Damage added to your aircraft when you exceed the [[Howto: Define limits|aircraft's limitations]] (excessive g-force, exceeding VNE, etc.).

== Downloading and using in FlightGear ==
* [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5742&p=43772 Download Bombable on the Flightgear Forums thread for Bombable] or [https://github.com/bhugh/Bombable/releases/tag/v5.0 using this direct link]
* Instructions for installing and using Bombable are included in the Docs directory of the download file.

== List of Bombable Aircraft ==
[[Sopwith Camel]], SPAD VII, [[Fokker Dr.I]] Triplane, [[A6M2 Zero]], F6F Hellcat, [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10 Warthog]], MiG-21UPG, MiG-23MLD, SaabJ35F, [[UFO]], and other included aircraft such the [[Polikarpov I16]].

== How to add Bombable to a FlightGear aircraft ==
* [[Howto: Adding Bombable to FlightGear Aircraft]]

== Related articles ==
* [[Howto: Dogfighting over Multiplayer with Bombable]]
* [[Dicta Boelcke]] rules for dogfighting by the WWI aces
* [[Bombable_Development_Roadmap]]

== Bombable video ==
{{#ev:youtube|PirnWJHZtcg}}

== Readme ==
* [https://github.com/Aether-FGFS/Bombable-6.0/blob/main/Docs/bombable-readme.txt Official bombable-readme.txt]

== History ==
FlightGear seems to have most all the pieces under the hood to make an excellent platform for simulating historical military aircraft, dogfighting and fighter plane tactics with aircraft of different eras, and bombing runs and other tactics from various historical eras, and other aircraft simulations that could depend on FlightGear's realistic, underlying flight models.

Some aircraft have implemented limited weapons, armament, and explosions. The A-10 Warthog was released, including an AI scenario for the A-10 to bomb M-1 tanks, which then exploded realistically.

The Bombable add-on was designed to put all the available FlightGear elements together as a proof of concept to see if FlightGear can be a realistic simulator for aircraft that include weapons and armament, working with AI aircraft and over Multiplayer, including:

* Realistic impact detection and damage assessment
* Damage tracking over AI and Multiplayer and communication of impacts and damage levels over Multiplayer
* AI aircraft, vehicles, and ships that can evade, attack, and generally act realistically
* Explosions, fires, and so on, upon damage and crash

Bombable was developed with the idea that in a realistic flight simulator environment, the rules and techniques of dogfighting and aerial warfare--like the World War I [[Dicta Boelcke]], by Oswald Boelcke, one of the first great aces of the war--would naturally develop and naturally play out.

== Status ==
As of April 2026 (Bombable 6.0) the status is:

* Bombable is now compatible with FlightGear 2024, with MP communication updated to use MPBroadcast and a number of bugs repaired.

As of September 2023 (Bombable 5.0) the status is:

* Bombable is now a standard FlightGear add-on, and compatible with FlightGear 2020

As of January 2014 (Bombable 4.5) the status is:
* Damage impact detection is the most advanced element in Bombable. It is greatly improved over FG's native impact detection system, and the framework is in place for further refinements or as a model for FG to implement more refined impact detection internally.

* Damage tracking and communication over Multiplayer works well in a very lightweight with a very low data rate. However, only a general damage percentage is tracked and communicated. Damage to different locations or systems is not simulated.

* AI aircraft behavior is controlled by a Nasal script that modifies FlightGear's AI system. This is Bombable's weakest point--in many ways the Nasal script is simply fighting the underlying AI code for control of the AI aircraft. Creating more realistic/intelligent AI fighter aircraft will require greater integration with FlightGear's AI systems. That is a problem for programmers--but for users, the AI aircraft now move, attack, and evade with reasonable realism.

* AI aircraft weapons systems are simulated through a probabilistic approach. And shown visually via FlightGear's Particle System. At this time it appears that creating and tracking AI weapon projectiles via FlightGear's submodel system, which simulates submodel dynamics and impacts precisely, is technically difficult and would have a drastic negative impact on the FlightGear framerate. Bombable follows the more promising of simulating AI weapon fire using FlightGear's particle system, which allows for visual display of numerous moving particles with little to no effect on the framerate and calculating weapons hits mathematically in a simple way that has minimal impact on framerate.

* '''AI aircraft move vertically – and do loops''': AI aircraft now move much more realistically in the vertical direction. They do loops, dive, and all the rest. Their behavior (climb rates, dive rates, and so on) matches those of the corresponding FG aircraft. This makes for a much more realistic 3-D dogfighting experience in FlightGear.
and earlier versions
* Proof of concept for explosions, fires, weapons damage animations, and crash animations is in place. All these elements could be refined for greater realism.

* '''Realistic roll rates for ai aircraft''': Roll rates are one the most important factors determining the effectiveness of fighter aircraft-- aircraft that can roll faster can turn faster. Now the roll rate for AI aircraft in scenarios can be customized, and bugs in the roll & turn routines for AI aircraft have been fixed.

* '''Significant performance improvements''': Bombable now makes much less of an impact on your framerate, and much less stuttering & slowdown at key points, like when numerous machine gun rounds are impacting.

* '''Relocate any scenario to your location''': Have an AI scenario based in San Francisco, but want to fly in London? No problem, just hit a button in the Bombable menu and your scenario comes to you, wherever you are. Damage levels for AI aircraft and objects are re-set. It's like loading a new scenario without having to re-start FlightGear.

* '''Re-spawn AI aircraft & objects''': After you have shot down (or been shot down by!) AI aircraft or objects in scenarios, you can instantly re-spawn them and try again. (Available in the Bombable menu.)

The last two are kind of game changers. With FG 2.12's ability to load and unload scenarios instantly and easily, and Bombable's ability to move scenarios to wherever you are, anywhere in the world, scenarios are now flexible and moveable.

== Versions ==

[https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5742&p=43772#p43772 Download the current version of the Bombable add-on here.] Below is information about previous versions and updates.
[[File:Bombable-Camel-vs-Camel.png|300px|thumbnail|right|Camel v. Camel in Bombable]]

=== Version 6.0 (4/2026), compatible with FG 2024 ===
MP communication, updated to use MPBroadcast. Repaired number of bugs.

=== Version 5.0 (9/2023), compatible with FG 2020 and earlier versions ===

=== Version 4.6 (2/2017), compatible with FG 2016.4.4 and earlier versions ===
Small tweaks for 100% compatibility with FG version 3.0 through 2016.4.4.

=== Version 4.5b (01/2014, compatible with FG 2.12.1 and earlier versions) ===
Version 4.5b works with FG 2.12.x and has some improvements that take advantage of FG 2.12's new AI scenario handling system.

In addition, 4.5b has some improved aircraft, tweaks AI aircraft performance and realism, and fixes a few bugs.

=== Version 4.5 (04/2013, compatible with FG 2.10) ===
Flug just uploaded a new version of Bombable that is compatible with FlightGear 2.10.0--in fact, it should work with all 2.X versions of FlightGear.

http://brenthugh.com/flightgear/bombable4-5.zip

Thanks to Voudoun da Vinci for helping track down some of the problems and the fixes.

Bombable is still pretty new to FG 2.10, so please let me know if you find any problems. Message in this thread is the best way.

FYI part of the package is a new, greatly improved, historically accurate (to the degree I could make it so!) JSBSim FDM for the Sopwith Camel.

The idea was to make the Camel fly like a real Camel--not just when flying safely well within the envelope like a commercial pilot, but when taking it to the edge and beyond, as real combat pilots did in WWI.

Not easy to fly--but a lot of fun to try. It's SopwithCamel-Bombable (JSBSim), included in the Bombable distribution.

Bombable is now compatible with FG 2.10 (as well as 2.8, 2.6 and earlier versions) and includes a new, far more realistic and true-to-life JSBSim flight model for the Sopwith Camel.

* The new JSBSim version of Sopwith Camel is far more realistic as a fighter aircraft, implementing nearly every documented flight characteristic of the original Camel. The new JSBSim Camel is very quirky and difficult to fly--just as the original Camel was. See separate file documenting the JSBSim flight model. To try the new Camel flight model, in FGRun select:

* sopwithCamel-Bombable
* Sopwith Camel 1F.1 (JSBSim, Experimental, Guns/Bombable)

* Improvements to make Bombable more compatible with FG 2.10 (as well as 2.6 and 2.8):

* Continue to refined workaround for the FG bug allowing only one particlesystem per XML file.

* Workarounds for a stricter XML parser that was adopted by FG somewhere between FG 2.4 and 2.10. Several of the aircraft XML files would not parse due to the special or foreign characters included in comments.

* Updated sound files to mono format (required by FG 2.10 3-D sound system).

* Minor updates/bugfixes to aircraft, scenarios

=== Version 4.4 ===
Version 4.4 is a complete revamping of Bombable into more of a complete, cohesive system for Multiplayer and AI dogfighting and bombing. The accuracy of all the basic functions has been improved and made more realistic, and a number of new "Bombable- compatible" aircraft have been included, from WWI fighters to modern-day jet fighters.

* '''Weapon hit detection greatly improved''': Complete re-vamped system for detecting your weapon hits on AI or Multiplayeraircraft. It is no longer limited by FG's built-in, large "damage cylinder". It now extends the weapon's flight path within that cylinder to determine precisely how close the weapon hit on your target--allowing muchbetter modeling of hits, damage, and results.

* '''Damage analysis system greatly improved''': In addition, the damage analysis system has been updated to calculate and use the momentum of weapons as the basis for determing damage of weapon hits. This has proven to be far more realistic and gives much better results thanthe previous ad-hoc method.

* '''Greatly improved damage impact animations''': Previous versions of Bombable relied on FG's built-in impact animations. The result was that FG often showed the damage impact explosion when the projectile had actually made a clean miss of the aircraft. In Bombable 4.4, this problem is solved, with impact explosions being shown exactly where Bombable calculates they happen, and only when Bombable detects an actual hit with damage. So you have much tigher correspondence between what you see and whatdamage is recorded.

* The impact animations work for all types of small and large caliber guns and bombs. The system uses FG's excellent particle system to draw the gun and bomb impacts with almost not impact on framerate, and far less jerkiness than FG's usual submodel method. As a bonus, the new animations look much, much better as well, and the visual of the impact matches the actual damage of the impact quite well--that is, the visual size of a bomb explosion closely matches the actual damage area of the bomb; small caliber weapons hits show as smallerimpacts that large caliber weapons, etc.

* '''Your own weapons can damage you''': Drop a bomb on your own aircraft or too near it? You'll see the results--damage to your aircraft. This makes bombing runs far more realistic--if you get too close to the bomb impact, you'll feel the results.

* '''Impact visuals, smoke, and fire shown on scenery''': If you drop a bomb on a scenery or a building, you see an explosion and a long-lasting fire – just as you do when you bomb a jeep, tank, or airplane. Previously, the bombs, guns, rockets, and other armament only had an effect on AI and MP aircraft, tanks, ships, and so on. Now armament hits affect almost everything in the FlightGear world.

* '''Re-spawn AI aircraft''': After you have shot down (or been shot down by!) AI aircraft in scenarios, you can instantly re-spawn them and try again. (Available in the Bombable menu.)

* '''Bombable Fokker DR.1 fixed''': Fixed/update the Fokker Dr.1 aircraft. It is now the same aircraft as distributed in FG 2.4.0 but with added historically accurate guns and an aircraft help file.

* '''Bombable Grumman F6F Hellcat added''': Added a new Bombable-compatible aircraft, the Grumman F6F Hellcat. This makes a great foil to the A6M2 Zero, as they fought against each other in WWII. (As always, mucho thanks must go to the authors of the F6F aircraft--all I've done is update the weaponry to be historically accurate and add a thin veneer of tweaks to make the aircraft completely compatible with Bombable. All credit for aircraft design, systems, FDM, and everything else goes to the original authors, in this case EmanuelBaranger and others.)

* '''New scenarios''': New scenario to show off the F6F, one to show offthe Bombable UFO, and one to help with testing:
** BOMB-LakeTahoeWWIIB17BombersWithF6FCover.xml
** BOMB-MarinCountyUFOInvasion.xml
** BOMB-Kansas-City-Bombable-Testbed.xml

* '''Bombable A-10 Warthog added''': The A-10 is the best plane to fly several scenarios and including it in the package means that it can be used to fly multiplayer bombable as well. It has several tweaks making it easier to use with the Bombable package and also improves an annoying bug where the A-10 slows FG's framerate massively after a few re-init/re-locates. (Again, all credit to the A-10 original authors--all I have done is adda few Bombable tweaks and specifics.)

* '''Bombable UFO added''': This is mostly for testing; keys 1-9, 0, q, and w fire different weapons. A working AI version is included--so you can have dueling Bombable UFOs over Multiplayer or try the UFO dogfighting scenario (surprisingly fun!). Also a testbed scenario is included, and using the UFO with the BOMB-Kansas-City-Bombable-Testbed.xml scenario is the easiest way to test most Bombable functions, aircraft, and AI aircraft. (Based on FG's stock UFO, but with Bombable capabilitiesadded.)

* '''Bomb damage''': Reconfigured damage impact of bombs; the bombs now act--lookand create damage--far closer to real data.

* '''New menu''': Re-vamped Bombable menu with new/streamlined/more sensible options.

* '''Reset damage''': In the new Bombable menu you can reset damage for main aircraft and AI aircraft and objects.

* '''Bombable scenarios renamed''': Renamed all scenarios that come with the package with prefix "BOMB-". This should make it easier to find the scenarios and also update or remove them when necessary.

* '''Smaller smoke/fire option''': A small fire option, used where appropriate, so that fires/explosions/damage don't always look sooverly huge.

* '''Unusable aircraft removed''': Removed unused/unusable aircraft from the distribution. Some of these are perfectly fine for general flying, but weapons or other features don't work well with Bombable, and having them listed in the menus when they didn't really work made forconfusion.

* '''Scenario fixes''': Some scenarios were not loading properly for some people in ver. 4.3. This might be because of inconsistencies in the case of some file and directory names. I worked on resolving thisissue, but please let me know if it is still happening.

* '''Scenarios renamed''': Renamed all scenarios to start with "BOMB-". This should help us keep straight which scenarios work with Bombable and also troubleshoot and track down & fix problems with scenarios.

* '''AI weapons improved''': AI weapons now malfunction when the AI aircraft, vehicle, or ship is damaged.

* '''Misc. updates''': Updated included AI aircraft and scenarios to fit with the new impact detection system.

* '''For bombable aircraft designers''': If you have designed aircraft to use with Bombable, you should look at the sample AI aircraft provided to see updates to the Bombable dimensions, vulnerabilities, and weapons sections. You will need to re-tool your aircraft slightly, but when finished the results will be much better.

* '''Bug fixes''': Various small bug fixed and improvements, fixed a lot of the programs with scenarios, AI Aircraft, directories.

See the To Do file (many of which have now been done) for many more changes, updates, and improvements.

=== Version 4.3 ===
* Multiplayer dogfighting is now working in FG 2.4.0. (It broke sometime in the FG 2.X.X. series.) Use one of the MP-dogfighting- enabled planes included in the packet (Sopwith Camel-Bombable/Yasim, SPAD VII-Bombable, or FKDR1-Bombable/JSB, or A6M2-Bombable/YASim--use the versions marked as Guns/Bombable, not the default FG installs) and make sure your opponent does the same--you will both be able to shoot and damage each other, see damage reports, etc.

* Weapons on AI aircraft--which will shoot at you as you attack them--can now be placed in different locations and aimed indifferent directions.

In combat, they will shoot you if that location/direction is lined up with you. The AI B-17 Bomber included in the package will shoot at you from the rear; the M-1 tank will shoot towards the front at about a 45 degree angle, Jeep will shoot forwards and upwards,Ferries will shoot forward or backwards, etc.

The result is a far more realistic experience. Shooting bombers used to be like shooting fish in a barrel--now between the bombers shooting at you and the fighter planes coming in from high cover, you're lucky to score a few small hits and get out of therealive . . .

* The AI Weapons system was generally improved and weapon strength, direction, size, location, and effectiveness can be specified in the XML file for each AI aircraft type. (If you're creating your own Bombable-enable aircraft, just add weapons specs in the WEAPONSsection of AI aircraft; see enclosed AI/Aircraft files for examples.)

* Generally tweaked AI aircraft, attack & weapons routines, and AI scenarios for a better, more realistic experience. In particular,try:
** MarinCountyWWIIBombersWithCover.xml (fly A6M2-Bombable/YASim)
** MarinCountyCamelInvasion1-Simple.xml (fly Sopwith Camel-Bombable/YASim)

* Again worked on the problem of getting AI aircraft to climb and dive more realistically instead of sedately. The AI aircraft are farmore realistic/active in the vertical direction now.

* Bombable no longer overwrites existing aircraft or anything else in FG's installation. It will add new aircraft and a few other Bombable-specific files. All new/added aircraft have the suffix -Bombable. Bombable will overwrite-replace things from its ownprevious installation, but no other files.

Generally when flying Bombable's AI scenarios or flying over multiplayer with another person using Bombable, your best experience will be to use one of the aircraft provided (and identifiable by the -Bombable extension) or another aircraftspecifically set up to use Bombable's capabilities.

=== Version 4.2 ===
* Made numerous changes/updates/improvements related to getting Bombable working with FG 2.4.0.

* Found the FG 2.4.0 "reinit" problem in both M-1 and Jeep in AI/Aircraft & fixed

* Reconfigured the damage calculations for light weapons in the test_impact function. Result may be that it is harder/takes more hits than before to damage aircraft or objects. If it is too hard you can select both "Easy Mode" and "Super Easy Mode" together to make it quite a bit easier to both hit targets and create damage. This still needs some refinement but it is setting the groundworkfor a better, more consistent way of dealing with damage.

* Small refinements in display, damage reports, etc.

* FG 2.4.0 is doing this crazy thing where it reinitializes AI objects in scenario repeatedly and also (sometimes!) slips in non-AI objects like joystick inputs for initialization as AI/scenario objects. This results in massive slowdowns and other bizarre behavior. So I've set up checks to disallow repeated re-inits of AI objects and only allow AI and Multiplayer objects (as opposed joystick input devices, etc) to initialize themselves with Bombable. The ultimate solution here is a FG code fix, but in the meanwhilesome of the worst effects might be mitigated.

=== Version 4.0 ===
This is a beta release that works with Flightgear 2.4.0. Some AI aircraft characteristics have changed in FG 2.4.0 so there are someproblems and different behavior in the AI aircraft.

* Removed the "reinit" command in bombable.nas that made FG 2.4.0 croak.

* Removed the mp_broadcast.nas file that is no longer necessary with FG 2.4.0 (and in fact the old version included with Bombable made FG2.4.0 choke).

* FG 2.4.0 doesn't make the weight or mass of the armament available on impact (previous versions}}} did!), so a kludgy work-around wascreated.

* Numerous other tweaks and bug fixes.

=== Version 3.0p ===
* This is a bit of an alpha release and has not been as thoroughly tested with all scenarios as previous releases.

* '''AI aircraft are more mobile vertically''': AI Aircraft dodge and chase you more vertically, diving and climbing.

* '''Various bugfixes'''

=== Version 3.0o ===
* '''AI aircraft shoot at and damage you''': When in an AI dogfight, if you let the AI aircraft get into position they have a chance to shoot at and possibly damage you. This is working best with WWI AI Aircraft (Camel, SPAD, Fokker) as in the Marin County Camel Invasion scenarios, but it will also work with the Zero and Warthog scenarios.

* '''Mostly fixed menu/options save/restore bug''': Some of the options still don't save/restore correctly, but most do now.

* '''Numerous other bugfixes/small improvements'''

=== Version 3.0n ===
* '''AI aircraft dodge and "attack" realistically''': AI dogfights just became 10X as realistic, as fighter planes will turn and attack, just as fighter planes did in WWI and WWII. Try the Marin County Camel Invasion and Marin County Zero Invasion scenarios for a taste of how this works. (No weapons for AI aircraft yet--maybe in the future.)

* '''New scenario – B-17 bombers with fighter cover''': Fly out of Marin Ranch and attack a squadron of 6 B-17 Bombers. As you do so, the fighter squadrons descend and swarm you. They don't fire at you (yet! fodder for future versions!) but they turn aggressively towards you, evade your shots, etc., just as real fighters would.

* '''Damaged ai aircraft crash more realistically'''

* '''Greatly improved, more realistic damage analysis''': Damage assessment for guns is a lot more realistic, giving greater damage when you hit closer to the center of the object and allowing for the possibility that even small arms might strike a vital or explosive point, causing catastrophic damage. For instance, you can now damage the Nimitz or Eisenhower*--though it's still tough to sink.

* '''More realistic fire starting''': One of the chief causes of combat aircraft damage is the fires that even small caliber weapons can cause--and fires are even more likely with heavier ammo that includes incendiary (high explosive) materials. Bombable now models that any hit may start a fire, and heavier rounds are more likely to start files. Fires progressively damage the aircraft and eventually bring it down. Beware that fires sometimes go out before completely disabling the aircraft--so monitor the enemy aircraft to make sure they do not recover and escape.

* '''More realistic aircraft smoke starting''': Similar to fire starting, each damaging hit has the possibility to cause damage that causes the aircraft to emit a trail of smoke. The bigger/closer the hit, the more likely to cause this damage.

* '''Bombable preferences/settings saved and restored at startup'''

* '''Fixed excessive damage report problem''': Aircraft would continually report damage even after objects received 100% damage--now fixed.

* '''Numerous small bugfixes'''

* Note: You can bomb the Nimitz/Eisenhower carriers if you have the bombable carriers add-on: http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7082

=== Version 3.0m ===
* Positive and negative G-force limits are now settable separately (most aircraft have different limits for positive vs negative G, so this adds some realism)

* Bugfixes on damage & damage report

* Every hit now registers via on-screen popup (vs previous behavior of only showing damage when it increased past multiples of 5%)

* Bugfixes on g-force damage that caused extraneous very high g forces to cause random damage

* Bugfixes in multiplayer communication, fixed problems when MP is disabled or doesn't exist

* Bugfix on bombable multiplayer unload (runtime error "listenerids") and improvement to unload routines

* Fixed Easy/Super Easy Mode malfunction (Super Easy Mode never engaged; new default mode is Easy Mode which should give same performance as previous default mode)

* Tuned damage/vulnerabilities on ferries (San Francisco Ferry Invasion scenario)

=== Version 3.0L ===
* '''Overspeed detection/damage'''

* '''G-force and overspeed detection optional''': Switches in the Bombable menu to turn it off; turned off by default except for planes included in Bombable package.

* '''Vulnerabilities framework for primary aircraft''': Allows max acceleration, max speed parameters to be set individually per aircraft (main aircraft) and then damage from overspeed/overacceleration is accrued when those limits are exceeded.

* '''Blackout/redout tunable per aircraft''': Allows blackout & redout values to be set per aircraft--for instance to reflect that WWI aircraft had no pressure suits or special high-G training. This will help level the playing field and create uniformity in MP dogfighting with similar aircraft.

* '''G-force and overspeed limits and damage amounts tuned''': For the four aircraft included in the Bombable package (A6M2 Zero, Sopwith Camel, SPAD VII, Fokker DR1) the g-force damage & overspeed damage parameters have been individually tuned and are fairly realistic.

* '''Fires only for appropriate damage''': Overspeed & overacceleration (g-force) damage doesn't start a fire, though it will still rack up 100% damage and shut you down.

* '''Numerous bugfixes'''

=== Version 3.0k ===
* '''Excessive G-force damages your aircraft:''' Excessive g-force now adds damage to your airframe and can even make you crash. To avoid damaging your aircraft due to excessive g-force, always fly with blackout/redout turned on and avoid pulling g-forces much beyond those that make you blackout or redout.

* '''Zeros over marin county scenario:''' Marin County Zero Invasion scenario added.

=== Version 3.0j (private release) ===
* '''Burn/smoke on crash:''' Aircraft now catch fire, burn, and instantly go to 100% damage when they crash. This is broadcast via MP so others will see you burn when you crash.

* '''A5mw zero for dogfighting:''' A6M2 ready for MP dogfighting included in release.

* '''A6M2 Zero:''' Added historically accurate guns and cannons (fire with e and E) to A6M2 Zero.

* '''Bombable A62M Zero:''' Included Bombable version of the AI A6M2 Zero from Hellcat's Carrier Bombable project, but also made a few tweaks/improvements to he AI A6M2 for improved realism. See http://www.4shared.com/file/235605076/6101800f/carrier_bombable.html

* '''Dogfighting:''' Greatly improved dogfighting/multiplayer communication of damages

* '''Bugfix DR 1:''' Added keyboard firing switch to Fokker DR 1 (use the 'e' key to fire the weapons).

* '''Bugfixes:''' Many other miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements.

=== Version 3.0i ===
* '''Reset resets damage:''' In dogfighting, resetting or using the Location menu to change your location resets your damage to 0% and broadcasts that to others flying with you via multiplayer

* '''FlightGear 2.0 compatible:''' Tested and works with FG 2.0 as well as FG 1.9 and CVS versions between 1.9 and 2.0

* '''Bugfixes:''' Various small bugfixes

=== Versions 3.0 through 3.0h ===
* '''Bombable/shootable:''' Code to make objects, AI aircraft, MP aircraft bombable and shootable.

* '''Moving AI bombable/shootable objects:''' Code to allow AI aircraft, naval vessels, and surface vehicles to move (sort of) realistically and act as bombable/moving aerial targets.

* '''Scenarios:''' Bombing and dogfighting scenarios using these AI aircraft.

* '''Multiplayer dogfighting:''' Code to allow multiplayer (MP) communication of damage to aircraft, allowing multiplayer dogfighting

* '''Aircraft enhancements--weapons and dogfighting:''' Three WWI era aircraft enhanced with historically accurate weapons systems and prepared for MP dogfighting (Sopwith Camel, Fokker DR1, SPAD-VII)

* '''Contrails and smoke:''' MP aircraft capable of dogfighting, and some other MP and AI aircraft automatically have contrails and engine smoke trails. This makes it possible to locate the aircraft when doing MP dogfighting and generally adds to the realism.

== External links ==
* [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5742&p=43772 Download Bombable, Bombable forum thread]

[[Category:Bombable]]

Addon

2026-04-21T15:41:16Z

Fgf5: adjust the order

[[File:Fgaddonslogo202x89.png|right]]
An '''addon''' is a third-party pack for FlightGear containing enhancements.

There is a new, easier way to create addons since FlightGear 2017.3. In essence FlightGear will load an overlay XML into the property tree and start a well known Nasal function.<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=314620#p314620
|title = <nowiki> Re: New Feature: Addon - "API" </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Torsten </nowiki>
|date = Jul 19th, 2017
|added = Jul 19th, 2017
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>

We now have a simple way to add addons to FlightGear without the need to mess around with <code>FGData/Nasal</code> or <code>FGHome/Nasal</code> directories.<ref name="Forum_announcement">{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=314563#p314563
|title = <nowiki> New Feature: Addon - "API" </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Torsten </nowiki>
|date = Jul 18th, 2017
}}</ref>

{{TOC limit|3}}

== Installing and using an addon ==
Download and copy the addon to a directory on your computer.

If you use the launcher, select the Add-ons page from the icon bar on the left, then find the section Add-on Module folders and click the Add(+) button. Select the folder where you put the addon. Once the addon is shown in the list, make sure its check box is selected.

Or alternatively, use the command line switch <code>--addon=/path/to/some/addon</code><ref name="Forum_announcement"/> if you are not using the launcher.

Some add-ons may require additional actions, so please also read the description of the specific add-on.

== List of Addons ==
You can find the official repository at {{fgaddon source|path=Addons}}

# [https://github.com/PlayeRom/flightgear-addon-menu-aggregator Add-ons Menu Aggregator] - this add-on aggregates the menus of all other add-ons into one menu item.
# [[Aerotow Everywhere Add-on]] AI towing aircraft for gliders at every airport.<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?t=40742
|title = <nowiki> Re: Aerotow Everywhere </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Roman Ludwicki (PlayeRom) </nowiki>
|date = Aug 14th, 2022
|added = Aug 14th, 2022
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>
# [https://github.com/SP-NTX/AnotherGUI AnotherGUI] - An add-on that adds a new GUI style.
# {{fgaddon source|path=Addons/ATCChatter/|text=ATC Chatter}} (ported by Torsten).
# [[Blacklist add-on]] - Automatically ignore pilots with certain callsigns or multiplayer models.
# [[Bombable]] - military add-on.
# [[Cargo Towing Addon]] <ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?t=36824
|title = <nowiki> Re: Cargo Towing Addon </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Wayne Bragg (wlbragg) </nowiki>
|date =
|added =
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref> - Allow any helicopter to tow, move and place various types of models.
# [[Earthview#Customization]] - High resolution customization
# [[FaceTrackNoIR]] (ported by HHS)<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/36454826/
|title = <nowiki> Re: </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Unknown, HHS</nowiki>
|date = Nov 1th, 2018
}}</ref> - An addon to interface this [[Head tracking|head tracker]] with FlightGear
# [https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24792 Fencemaker] (Eases creating Fence-like scenery objects. Originally by VaLeo, converted to an addon by sfr) - ([https://www.mediafire.com/file/cf0la63v9g352md/fencemaker_addon.zip/file download])<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24792&start=45#p390066
|title = <nowiki> Re: </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Stefan Frank </nowiki>
|maintainer = <nowiki> Stefan Frank </nowiki>
|date = Aug 8th, 2021
}}</ref>
# [https://github.com/PlayeRom/flightgear-addon-fgcamera FGCamera] - ([https://github.com/PlayeRom/flightgear-addon-fgcamera/blob/master/Docs/manual.md manual]) - [[FGCamera | Wiki Page]]
# [[FGPlot]]
# [https://gitlab.com/fg_shfsn/addons/flight-planner Flight Planner] - a flexible tool for manual flight planning and airport briefing.
# [[Ground Services]] (ported by ThomasS)<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=316400#p316400
|title = <nowiki> Re: </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> ThomasS </nowiki>
|date = Aug 12th, 2017
|added = Aug 12th, 2017
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>
# [https://gitlab.com/fg_shfsn/addons/hax Hax!]: landing evaluation and aircraft development tools, TerraSync toggler.
# {{fgaddon source|path=Addons/Headtracker/|text=Headtracker addon}} Helps integrate FaceTrackNoIR and opentrack with FlightGear.
# [[HighAirTrader]] An in-sim mini game in which you transport goods to different airports.
# [https://github.com/tdammers/fg-hoppie-acars Hoppie ACARS client] - connect to [http://www.hoppie.nl/acars Hoppie's ACARS], used on VATSIM and other networks.
# [https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-hudheli HUD Heli] - additional Heli HUD's ([https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-hudheli/blob/master/doc/manual.md manual]) - encapsulation of HeliHUD package as an addon.
# [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgaddon/HEAD/tree/trunk/Addons/Illuminator/ Illuminator] - configure lights attached to 3D models (e.g. taxi light, landing light or a light attached to a scenery model like a light pole) at runtime.
# [https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-protocolkml KML Exporter (Google Earth)] - ([https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-protocolkml/blob/master/doc/manual.md manual])
# [[Landing Rate addon]] [https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=33101&p=327787#p327787]
# [https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-linuxtrack LinuxTrack Head Tracker integration] - ([https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-linuxtrack/blob/master/doc/manual.md manual])
# [https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-littlenavmap LittleNavMap integration] - ([https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-littlenavmap/blob/master/doc/manual.md manual])
# [[Logbook Add-on]] - logs all your flights to local file with flight analysis.<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?t=41070
|title = <nowiki> Re: Logbook Add-on </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Roman Ludwicki (PlayeRom) </nowiki>
|date = Dec 11th, 2022
|added = Dec 11th, 2022
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>
# [[Log time-stamper add-on]] - Will print simulated UTC time, real local time, and/or real UTC time time-stamps at configurable intervals to the console and log.
# [https://gitlab.com/fg_shfsn/addons/mickey Mickey] - Tiny HUD for mouse flying in FlightGear. Visual feedback for mouse flying, to make up for mouse's lack of self-centering.
# [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgaddon/HEAD/tree/trunk/Addons/MissionGenerator Mission Generator Addon] <ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?t=39774
|title = <nowiki> Re: Announcing Mission Generator Addon </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Wayne Bragg (wlbragg) </nowiki>
|date =
|added =
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref> - Generate various random missions - Search & Rescue, Life Flight, Aerial Intrusion, Wildfire.
# [https://github.com/SP-NTX/MPChatImprovments MPChatImprovments] Multi-key commands for Multiplayer, new features for chat,...
# [https://github.com/PlayeRom/flightgear-addon-nasal-namespace-browser Nasal Namespace Browser] - heir to [[Nasal Browser]]
# [https://github.com/hbeni/fgfs-noGroundDamage noGroundDamage] - Addon to temporarily disable damage after landing and for ground operations for the c172/c182
# [[Oscilloscope addon]] - Allows displaying a property of Nasal function over time
# [[PAR instrument]] - Precision Approach Radar and Ground Controlled Approach
# [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgaddon/HEAD/tree/trunk/Addons/RainVectorEditor/ Rain Vector Editor] - Utility to allow dynamic editing of the rain vector for the rain effect on glass.
# [[Ramp Marshall]] <ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?t=20572
|title = <nowiki> Re: Nasal based Independant Ramp Marshall </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> omega95 - Wayne Bragg (wlbragg)</nowiki>
|date =
|added =
|script_version = 0.40
}}{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?t=42753
|title = <nowiki> Re: Announcing New Ramp Marshall Addon </nowiki>
|author =
|date =
|added =
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref> - Ramp Marshalling for FlightGear Airports.
# [https://github.com/eatdust/RCView RCView] - Radio Control View<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://github.com/eatdust/RCView
|title = <nowiki> RCView </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Chris Ringeval (Eatdirt) </nowiki>
|date = Mar 23rd, 2024
|added = Mar 23rd, 2024
|script_version = 0.0
}}</ref>
# [[Red Griffin ATC]] - Speaking Air Traffic Controller<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=36755
|title = <nowiki> Re: </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> RedGriffin </nowiki>
|date = Jan 6th, 2020
|added = Jan 6th, 2020
|script_version = 1.0.0 RC2
}}</ref>
# [https://github.com/tdammers/fg-simbrief-addon SimBrief import] - Import flightplans, weights, fuel, and winds alof, from SimBrief.
# [[Spoken ATC]] (ported by Torsten)<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=314095#p314095
|title = <nowiki> Re: </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Torsten </nowiki>
|date = Jul 10th, 2017
|added = Jul 10th, 2017
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>
# [[Spoken GCA]] - An offline ground controlled approach (GCA) addon
# [https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-vfrflight VFRFlight integration] - ([https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-vfrflight/blob/master/doc/manual.md manual])
# [https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-vfrnavigator VFR Flying Helper] - ([https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-vfrnavigator/blob/master/doc/usage.md manual])
# [[Which Runway Add-on]] - dynamically determines and displays the optimal runway for take-off and landing based on current wind and airport preferences, while calculating headwind, crosswind, and tailwind components for each runway.<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://github.com/PlayeRom/flightgear-addon-which-runway
|title = <nowiki> Which Runway GitHub </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Roman Ludwicki (PlayeRom) </nowiki>
|date = Sep 10th, 2025
|added = Sep 10th, 2025
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>
# [[Wildfire simulation|Wildfire]] <ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?t=39677
|title = <nowiki> Re: Wildfire Addon </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> AndersG - Wayne Bragg (wlbragg) </nowiki>
|date =
|added =
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref> - Wildfire simulation.
# [[YASim Development Tools]] (by jsb)

=== Experimental Addons ===

Addons which are in the development stage/unfinished but can be used as a quick view of addon functionality

# [https://github.com/slawekmikula/flightgear-addon-missions FlightGear Missions addon] - Add-on for missions/adventures code
# [[Model Cockpit View]] (abandoned)<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=32718&start=45#p430651
|title = <nowiki> Re: </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> wkitty42 </nowiki>
|date = Mar 24th, 2025
|added = Mar 24th, 2025
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>

== Creating an addon ==
There is a very simple Skeleton addon available in FGAddon to be used as a template.<ref name="Forum_announcement"/> See {{fgaddon source|path=Addons/Skeleton}}.

A leading slash (<code>/</code>) in this section indicates the base directory of the directory structure of the addon.

=== Minimum configuration ===
An addon may be installed in a directory anywhere on your hard disk and need at least two files:

* <code>/addon-config.xml</code> - A standard [[PropertyList XML files|PropertyList XML file]] to be used to populate or modify the [[property tree]]. (Same as to be used in <code>--config=foo.xml</code>)
* <code>/addon-main.nas</code> - The Nasal hook for the logic. This file needs a function called <code>main()</code> which will be called from the global addon initializer (<code>addons.nas</code>)

=== Additional common files ===
* <code>/addon-metadata.xml</code> - A PropertyList XML file with metadata about the addon it.
* <code>/addon-menubar-items.xml</code> - A PropertyList XML file describing menus to be added to the FlightGear menu bar.
* <code>/gui/dialogs/<my-foobar-dialog>.xml</code> - PropertyList XML files to create custom dialogs.

=== Good to know ===
The new addon mechanism lets you add a <code>addon-config.xml</code> to override the settings in <code>defaults.xml</code> and other files.

That will allow an addon to:
* override key bindings (as in the spoken ATC addon),
* add or override autopilots and property rules,
* introduce XML state machines.

Unless your really want to add/change/remove those at runtime, this should cater for most use cases.<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=314902#p314902
|title = <nowiki> Re: Spoken </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Torsten </nowiki>
|date = Jul 23rd, 2017
|added = Jul 23rd, 2017
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>

We have some instructions how to use SVN [[FGAddon|in our wiki]]. It covers mostly aircraft development but the workflow is pretty much the same for addons.<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=314647#p314647
|title = <nowiki> Re: Spoken ATC </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Torsten </nowiki>
|date = Jul 19th, 2017
|added = Jul 19th, 2017
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>

=== Sound Support ===
Sound support is available using fgcommand's.

See [[Nasal FAQ]] "play-audio-sample"

https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/flightgear/ci/5acf2e26d085b7553b2387b9753e9253e8b4bff4

[[Hackathon Proposal:Addon specific Sound Queues]]

== Addon initialization ==
On initialization fgfs takes care of:
* Through {{flightgear source|path=src/Main/options.cxx|text=<code>options.cxx</code>}}:<ref name="Forum_announcement"/>
** Creating a property under <code>/addons/addon[n]/path=/path/to/some/addon</code>
** Loading <code>/path/to/some/addon/addon-config.xml</code> into the property tree (same as <code>--config=/path/to/some/addon/addon-config.xml</code>)
** Adding <code>/path/to/some/addon</code> to the list of allowed directories (same as <code>--fg-aircraft=/path/to/some/addon</code>)
* Through {{fgdata source|path=Nasal/addons.nas|text=<code>addons.nas</code>}}:
** Loading <code>/foo/bar/baz/addon-main.nas</code> into namespace <code>__addon[ADDON_ID]__</code>
** Calling <code>main(addonGhost)</code> from <code>/foo/bar/baz/addon-main.nas</code>.

== Aircraft specific config (addon-hints) ==
Some addons need per-aircraft configuration. While addons should strive to be self-contained (ie. the addon should contain means to
detect different aircraft and apply config from whithin the addon) there is also the possibility for the addon to read so called "addon-hints".

For this, a special property tree exists: <code>/sim/addon-hints/<addon>/...</code>
The tree is expected to be populated from the aircraft.xml file. The addon can then read the properties from a common place regardless of loaded aircraft.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<sim>
<addon-hints>
<my-addon>
...
</my-addon>
</addon-hints>
</sim>
</syntaxhighlight>

== APIs ==
{{hatnote|For more details about these APIs, see the readme file, {{readme file|add-ons}}.}}
=== C++ API ===
There is a C++ API on FlightGear's side that handle some on the add-on related tasks manly through the <code>AddonManager()</code>, <code>Addon()</code> and <code>AddonVersion()</code> classes.

=== Nasal API ===
The Nasal add-on API lives in the 'addons' namespace and can for example do queries to <code>AddonManager()</code> and read data from <code>addons.Addon</code> objects. It can for example compare add-on versions if there is dependencies.

See: {{Repo link|site=gitlab|proj=flightgear|repo=fgdata|branch=next|path=Nasal/addons.nas}}

== Background ==
{{See also|Howto:Creating a simple modding framework}}

ATC chatter was removed in 2015, see fgdata commit: [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/fgdata/ci/81607f734e13add9be02816ddaec305d05bc4e47/ 81607f734e13add9be02816ddaec305d05bc4e47]

And the devel list messages referenced in the commit log.
the other relevant commit is this: b60736ba7add2a7cd39af3d8a974d5be3ea46e8b
It would not be very difficult to restore this functionality, or even generalize/improve it significantly (which was the scope of the original discussion on the devel list)<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=288388#p288388
|title = <nowiki> Re: Whatever happened to radom radio </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Hooray </nowiki>
|date = Jun 11th, 2016
|added = Jun 11th, 2016
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>

The restored functionality could be distributed as a tarball that is extracted into $FG_ROOT - alternatively, into $FG_HOME, because Nasal files there are treated as overlays, which basically means that you can install user-specific extensions there without having to tamper with $FG_ROOT, it would only take very minor changes to turn the chatter feature into a corresponding "addon" - not unlike fgcamera ...<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=288392#p288392
|title = <nowiki> Re: Whatever happened to radom radio </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Hooray </nowiki>
|date = Jun 11th, 2016
|added = Jun 11th, 2016
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>

We should absolutely stop telling anyone to edit preferences.xml in FG_ROOT; any documentation or advice which says to should be changes ASAP. <ref>{{cite web
|url = https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=192632#p192632
|title = <nowiki> Re: NavCache:init failed:Sqlite error:Sqlite API abuse </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> zakalawe </nowiki>
|date = Oct 26th, 2013
|added = Oct 26th, 2013
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>

As of 12/2017, the addon API is in the process of being significantly updated <ref>https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/36146017/</ref> <ref>https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/36150159/</ref> <ref>https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/36150444/</ref>

== Ideas ==
=== Hooking into features using legacy OpenGL code ===
{{See also|Unifying the 2D rendering backend via canvas}}
In 09/2018, James suggested that legacy features using raw OpenGL calls (e.g. HUD/2D panels) could be easily replaced via scripted Canvas/Nasal solutions at the mere cost of providing a mechanism to hook into the legacy code implementing these features (namely, the HUD/instrumentation subsystems) <ref>https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/36399261/</ref> <ref>https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/36399261/</ref>

=== Catalog & Package Manager support ===
if this works with more complex, pre-existing addons such as [[Bombable]], where the file layout is a replica of the old FGData layout, these types of mature addons might be better as SourceForge FlightGear sub-projects rather than being copied into FGAddon. Maybe the config file and nasal script could be used to automate the installation process ?<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/35953179/
|title = <nowiki> Re: [Flightgear-devel] Simple API for creating FlightGear
addons/plugins </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Edward d'Auvergne </nowiki>
|date = Jul 19th, 2017
|added = Jul 19th, 2017
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>
The [[Bombable]] addon is one of the most popular addons out there, and a large number of aircraft in FGAddon have bombable support, so it is worth not forgetting about. Especially if the addon system one day becomes automated through a [[Catalog metadata|catalog.xml type system]]<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/35953650/
|title = <nowiki> Re: [Flightgear-devel] Simple API for creating FlightGear
addons/plugins </nowiki>
|author = <nowiki> Edward d'Auvergne </nowiki>
|date = Jul 19th, 2017
|added = Jul 19th, 2017
|script_version = 0.40
}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Appendix}}

== Related content ==
=== Wiki articles ===
* [[FG Add-on FAQ]]
* [[Modules.nas]]
* [[FlightGear configuration via XML]]
* [[FlightGear configuration via XML#preferences.xml]]
* [[Nasal]]
* [[Property tree]]
* [[Properties persistent between sessions]]
* [[PropertyList XML File]]

=== Forum topics ===
* {{forum link|t=32561|title=New Feature: Addon - "API"}}

=== Readme files ===
* {{readme file|add-ons}}
* {{readme file|gui}} - Details on how to add menus and custom dialogs.

=== Source code ===
==== FGAddon ====
* {{fgaddon source|path=Addons/Skeleton}} - Skeleton addon to be used as a template.

==== FGData ====
* {{fgdata source|path=Nasal/addons.nas}}

==== FlightGear ====
* {{flightgear source|path=src/Main/options.cxx}}
* {{flightgear source|path=src/Add-ons/}}

[[Category:FlightGear addons| ]]