Newbie's question

When I select an aircraft I am presented with a very large window containing both planes I will never want to fly and planes I might want to fly but in alternate liveries. I would like to simplify things by either moving the planes I don't want to a "spare" directory or by creating a "favourites" folder which will enable me to select from a small files of preferred aircraft. I've had a look in http://www.flyingscool.com/FSX_Directories.htm

To see if I could get some help with this, but no luck. I'd be grateful if someone could tell me whether either of these options is a possibility - and if so how do I do it? As an afterthought does one save any memory by moving aircraft files that are not being used, or do they just lie on disk without using memory?

Thanks, and apologies if this is well-worn question, the answer to which I have missed or not found.

Robert

There are numerous ways to "hide" unwanted aircraft which have been detailed in these forums. A quick search should bring up a solution to suit you.

The aircraft you do not want to not use any resources at all, except for the small disk space the files occupy.

Sent from my tablet thingy!

The quickest way to have an aircraft livery not show is to change the panel= to panel =0

in the aircraft.cfg file of all the default aircraft. That way it's easy to bring them back, if necessary. BE AWARE that eliminating default aircraft like this will affect some of the Missions where the default liveries are used as AI.

I have a separate folder designated as a Hangar folder for addon aircraft that I like but don't fly often.

Just elaborating on what mrzippy said very concisely.

Howto switch off a livery:

for example, from the default b747_400 aircraft.cfg:

[fltsim.0]
title=Boeing 747-400 Paint1
sim=Boeing747-400
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=1
kb_checklists=Boeing747-400_check
kb_reference=Boeing747-400_ref
atc_id=N747K
atc_airline=Boeing
atc_flight_number=1123
atc_heavy=1
ui_manufacturer="Boeing"
ui_type="747-400"
ui_variation="Boeing livery"
ui_typerole="Commercial Airliner"
ui_createdby="Microsoft Corporation"
description="More than 30 years ago, the 747 made its first trip from New York to London.  Since then, it's become the standard by which other large passenger jets are judged. Its size, range, speed and capacity were then, and are now, the best in its class."

[fltsim.1]
title=Boeing 747-400 Paint2
sim=Boeing747-400
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=2
kb_checklists=Boeing747-400_check
kb_reference=Boeing747-400_ref
atc_id=N747I
atc_airline=World Travel
atc_flight_number=1123
atc_heavy=1
ui_manufacturer="Boeing"
ui_type="747-400"
ui_variation="World Travel Airlines"
ui_typerole="Commercial Airliner"
ui_createdby="Microsoft Corporation"
description="More than 30 years ago, the 747 made its first trip from New York to London.  Since then, it's become the standard by which other large passenger jets are judged. Its size, range, speed and capacity were then, and are now, the best in its class."

[fltsim.2]
title=Boeing 747-400 Paint4
sim=Boeing747-400
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=4
kb_checklists=Boeing747-400_check
kb_reference=Boeing747-400_ref
atc_id=N747P
atc_airline=Orbit
atc_flight_number=1123
atc_heavy=1
ui_manufacturer="Boeing"
ui_type="747-400"
ui_variation="Orbit Airlines"
ui_typerole="Commercial Airliner"
ui_createdby="Microsoft Corporation"
description="More than 30 years ago, the 747 made its first trip from New York to London.  Since then, it's become the standard by which other large passenger jets are judged. Its size, range, speed and capacity were then, and are now, the best in its class."

[fltsim.3]
title=Boeing 747-400 Paint5
sim=Boeing747-400
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=5
kb_checklists=Boeing747-400_check
kb_reference=Boeing747-400_ref
atc_id=N747I
atc_airline=Pacifica
atc_flight_number=1123
atc_heavy=1
ui_manufacturer="Boeing"
ui_type="747-400"
ui_variation="Pacifica Airlines"
ui_typerole="Commercial Airliner"
ui_createdby="Microsoft Corporation"
description="More than 30 years ago, the 747 made its first trip from New York to London.  Since then, it's become the standard by which other large passenger jets are judged. Its size, range, speed and capacity were then, and are now, the best in its class."

[fltsim.4]
title=Boeing 747-400 Paint8
sim=Boeing747-400
model=
panel=

----etcetera

Each [fltsim.x] section defines one aircraft.

You see each has the line:

panel=

That means when fsx loads the panel, it looks for a folder named:

panel

For each livery you don't want, change the line to:

panel=off

And from then on it will lok for a folder named:

panel.off

Since there is no such folder, the plane will not appear in the aircraft selection screen in FSX.

*****

You also notice the line:

texture=

or

texture=1

etcetera..

That refers to the texture used.

In the b747_400 folder are those texture folders.

Texture

and

texture.1

If you look inside those folders, you see a file named: thumbnail.jpg

Those are a preview image of the texture (livery). Look there to see which ones you want to knock out with the panel=off trick.

Easy, and just as easy to undo again.

And if there are addon aircraft you don't want to use at all anymore, you can just remove the aircrafts folder completely from folder:

Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Simobjects\Airplanes.

But...

-- Do not remove any of the default aircraft. Their files are sometimes used by other aircraft.

-- Do not just delete payware aircraft that came with an installer, use the uninstallers when removing those.

You can just move the addon aircraft folders you don't want anymore to a 'Hangar'. A folder that FSX does not know about, outside of the "\Microsoft Flight Simulator X" -folder.

But...

-- When you installed the addon, you probably had to put files into "\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Gauges" and "\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Effects". Leave those where they are, they are probably being used by other aircraft too.

If you want to use the aircraft again in the future, just put them back in "\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Simobjects\Airplanes".

*********

This clears up the clutter in the aircraft selection screen. Any edits you made so far, to the aircraft you don't want for now, are saved in the "Hangar".

It does not increase peformance in fsx to remove them. You won't get more FPS. But it may make the initial starting of the game (up to the selection screen) a bit faster.

Many thanks to all who kindly replied with helpful guidance. Very grateful

Robert