Simviation Forums

Hello  I am new to Simvation. I would like to inquire about first of all. Adding aircraft and panels to FS2004.

I have DL'd and registered Addit !!Pro for FS2004 and have successfully added some A/C, Specifically a Continental Airlines 737-700 and a Continental Express Embrarer ERJ-145..

The particular problem that I have is that I cannot seem to install the proper Embrarer panel in the FS2004 program so it will be the right one for the ERJ. Consequently I have been flying the Embrarer with a default panel...The default B-737 panel.

Please assist me with this if possible...

Secondly I have seen references to add on scenery on the site and would like to have opinions and direction about how the add on scenery enhances the FS experience, what resolution or size to use and how best to add this feature...

Again many thanks

Art Phinney---AP1077@AOL.COM

Hi App1077. First of all I would urge you to learn how to install stuff manually. This is not difficult & it helps to know where all those files are going, especially if anything goes wrong. The basic principle is the same for all the M$ sims.

Installing aircraft is surprisingly simple. Follow the instructions in this tute carefully. http://www.simviation.com/acinstall.htm

The same goes for scenery. http://www.simviation.com/lair/fs2002sc.htm

There are various methods for changing a panel. The easiest method would be to paste the new BMP files & Panel.cfg into the Panel folder of the aircraft you wish to install it to, overwriting files if prompted. Paste all included gauges into the FS9\Gauges folder. This time it's best not to overwrite existing gauges.

Any special install instructions should be included in a Readme file with the panel.

PS. Please ignore any advice/instructions to unzip files direct to the sim. This is the quickest way to disaster I know.

PS. Please ignore any advice/instructions to unzip files direct to the sim. This is the quickest way to disaster I know.

& what Doug means by 'disaster' is that some aircraft might now show up in the 'Select Aircraft' menu  ;) You should  not encounter problems with your PC from adding aircraft or scenery to FS  ;)

[quote]& what Doug means by 'disaster' is that some aircraft might not show up in the 'Select Aircraft' menu

  I also agree NEVER NEVER unzip files straight into FS2004. A lot of people put the gauges needed for their aircraft in a folder within the main folder and if you use any oter means other than to unip to an alternate folder you could get a airplane with no gauges in it as fs2004 will not recognize the gauge folder within an aircraft folder. And some aircraft need a seperate folder within the gauge folder for their gauges to work I have three aircraft like this. And they will not work if you put that folder any place else other than with in the gauge folder.

It might help to explain the different types of gauges used in FS2002/4.

Conventional FS gauges: GAU files- paste direct to FS9\GAUGES

XML gauges - 2 basic types:

1. CAB format - these are compressed files that look like zipfiles. Don't extract them but paste the CAB files to FS9\GAUGES.

2. Folder format - exactly the same as the CAB files but not compressed. To install this type of gauge paste the folder itself into FS9\GAUGES.

I've seen some panels that include all 3 types of gauge which can be confusing. 3rd party gauges will usually be in a folder (or zipfile) named Gauges or similar. The easiest way to install them is to open this folder & paste the complete contents to FS9\GAUGES.