How Do I Remove Planes from FSX?

[ThePlainsman]

I only want my High-definition add-on planes to be visible when I go to select a plane to fly. How do I get rid of the rest of 'em? I have no technical knowledge, so you'll have to explain it in plain language. Thanks.

[papab]

NOTE: Before making any changes to the .cfg file make a backup ...

Richt click the FSX Icon and scroll down and select properties,click"open file location,click the "Sim Objects" folder then click the "airplane" folder

Select the aircraft that you want to reduce the amount on paints showing on the aircraft slection screen...

Open the aircraft folder,right click the "aircraft.cfg" file and select open with notepad..
Select what paint you do not wnat to show up ( they are the the ones listed filtsim.0 etc...

Go to the "panel = and add a" minus" sign after it

See example below
Save the .cfg file

That's it- all the paints you placed a "minus" sign after "panel=" will not show up in the selection screen
Hope this helps...
Rick

EXAMPLE:

[fltsim.4]
title=IRIS Vulcan B2 XM569
sim=B2
model=b2_201_569
panel= -
sound=
texture=xm569
ui_manufacturer="Avro"
ui_type="Vulcan B.2"
ui_variation="XM569"
ui_typerole="Four Engine Bomber"
ui_createdby="IRIS Simulations"
atc_id=XM569
atc_airline=Air Force
atc_flight_number=569
description=IRIS Pro Series Avro Vulcan B.2\n\Copyright @2009 IRIS Flight Simulation Software

[ThePlainsman]

NOTE: Before making any changes to the .cfg file make a backup ...

Richt click the FSX Icon and scroll down and select properties,click"open file location,click the "Sim Objects" folder then click the "airplane" folder

Select the aircraft that you want to reduce the amount on paints showing on the aircraft slection screen...

Open the aircraft folder,right click the "aircraft.cfg" file and select open with notepad..

Go to the "panel = and add a" minus" sign after it

See example below
Save the .cfg file

That's it- all the paints you placed a "minus" sign after "panel=" will not show up in the selection screen
Hope this helps...
Rick

EXAMPLE:

[fltsim.4]
title=IRIS Vulcan B2 XM569
sim=B2
model=b2_201_569
panel= -
sound=
texture=xm569
ui_manufacturer="Avro"
ui_type="Vulcan B.2"
ui_variation="XM569"
ui_typerole="Four Engine Bomber"
ui_createdby="IRIS Simulations"
atc_id=XM569
atc_airline=Air Force
atc_flight_number=569
description=IRIS Pro Series Avro Vulcan B.2\n\Copyright @2009 IRIS Flight Simulation Software

Uhhh. That doesn't work. When I click on "open file location" a Games folder opens up, showing the icons for games installed in the folder games. There is no folder "Sim Objects." My fSX is installed in Target Location "Games." Is there a step in-between "open file location" and "Sim Objects?"

[Dave Torkington]

Uhhh. That doesn't work. When I click on "open file location" a Games folder opens up, showing the icons for games installed in the folder games. There is no folder "Sim Objects." My fSX is installed in Target Location "Games." Is there a step in-between "open file location" and "Sim Objects?"

Hi Plainsman,

Take care when fishing around in FSX folders, files and whatnot... We'd hate your FSX to foul up or the registry not find FSX or whatever...

There are several ways to 'simplify' the FSX aircraft selection menu, but they are quite involved. Can I suggest - get an FSX familiar buddy that might help you do this? Perhaps get on Teamspeak or Skype and talk / walk it through? Otherwise things can get awfully messy.

Regards, Dave :salute:

[ThePlainsman]

Hi Plainsman,

Take care when fishing around in FSX folders, files and whatnot... We'd hate your FSX to foul up or the registry not find FSX or whatever...

There are several ways to 'simplify' the FSX aircraft selection menu, but they are quite involved. Can I suggest - get an FSX familiar buddy that might help you do this? Perhaps get on Teamspeak or Skype and talk / walk it through? Otherwise things can get awfully messy.

Regards, Dave :salute:

Thanks Dave. I'm ready to give up and just deal with having all those default flyable planes cluttering up plane selection space. I don't want to muck up my FSX install.

[expat]

Uhhh. That doesn't work. When I click on "open file location" a Games folder opens up, showing the icons for games installed in the folder games. There is no folder "Sim Objects." My fSX is installed in Target Location "Games." Is there a step in-between "open file location" and "Sim Objects?"

Sounds like you need to determine the complete path your FSX folder is on, e..g C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes - at least that's where mine is. Doesn't have to be there - it can be in a lot of different places. But you need to find the the full path. Sounds to be what you are opening is not the right place if it's a dead end. Pretty fundamental step before you can start editing files.

[Dimus]

Hi Plainsman,

Let me just add that you need to keep the default planes also because they are used by FSX and also some third party traffic addons to create traffic in the skies and airports. However, the method suggested by papab will keep the planes as AI only and not show them in the selection screen, which is what you want I guess. You need to go in each plane's subfolder in Simobjects\Airplanes\ find the aircraft.cfg file and edit it with notepad as papab says. It is a tricky job though and it would be best to be done with assistance.

[Dave Torkington]

Thanks Dave. I'm ready to give up and just deal with having all those default flyable planes cluttering up plane selection space. I don't want to muck up my FSX install.

Expat's spot on - stick to what you confidently know and can do then you'll be just fine. I'd be real glad to talk you through it but at the same time I wouldn't want to intrude then leave you in the lurch not knowing which files should go where! PM me if you want to set up a meet.

For information, here's how I keep my aircraft selection list tidy... I'm not saying this is the best method - it isn't, but it works for me!

Navigate to your SimObjects folder [for me it's H:\FSX\SimObjects].

Inside the SimObjects folder, Microsoft in their infinate wisdom have created six folders with a variety of 'SimObjects' in them [Airplanes, Animals, Boats, GroundVehicles, Misc and Rotorcraft]. Personally, I've left it just like that and created three new folders called 'FSX Airplanes Hangar', 'FSX GroundVehicles Hangar' and 'FSX Rotorcraft Hangar' to keep things simple. Suits me 'cause I'm simple!

Then, any aircraft I don't intend flying for a while or won't hardly ever fly [like some of the default aircraft] I move out of the 'Airplanes' folder and into my 'FSX Airplanes Hangar'.

Simple? Well, it works for me... However be aware there are consequences of taking default aircraft etc. out of the SimobJects/Airplanes folder... For example, are any addon aircraft you have aliased to default aircraft? Perhaps an addon F-18 or DC-3 you have is using sounds etc. from the default aircraft... Also, there may be issue with saved flights, missing gauges, panels missing etc. As Dimus says, you'll loose all your commercial AI traffic this way... Not a problem if you've installed a heap of MAIW stuff in FSX and other AI to suit your needs.

No big deal, but just be aware that my method is pretty drastic!

Hope this helps :salute:

[orionll]

That's it- all the paints you placed a "minus" sign after "panel=" will not show up in the selection screen

Just to clarify, it's not specifically the minus or dash that does anything. By adding a dash, you tell FSX to look in the folder "-", which typically wouldn't exist. If that folder folder did exist, and included a panel, the plane would show up again. In other words, you can write anything you like (even supercalifragilisticexpialidocious), and as long as a folder of the same name with a valid panel doesn't exist, the trick will still work.