Increase fuel capacity on stock 747-400

[Shane Stachwick]

I would like to modify the stock 747-400 to be the equivalent of the B747-400ER used by Quantas. I have a program that I can use to edit AIR files, but I have no programming or code experience. Where should I start?

[PhantomTweak]

Remember to make a backup copy of the files you wish to edit before starting!!!!
You can use a program like Notepad to get into the Aircraft.cfg file of the plane you want to change, and look down through the headings below the [flightsim01] etc area till you find something looking like

[fuel]
LeftMain=0.0, -14.5, -1.0, 185.0, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)
LeftAux=0.0, -6.0, -1.5, 70, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)
RightMain=0.0, 14.5, -1.0, 185.0, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)
RightAux=0.0, 6.0, -1.5, 70, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)
fuel_type=2 //Fuel type: 1 = Avgas, 2 = JetA
number_of_tank_selectors=1
electric_pump=1

You can either make the "useable Gallons" number (4th mumber in the sequences after the tank name) larger, or add a tank. There are only so many tanks the game will accept per aircraft, and on something like a 747, most are probably taken up already.

Save your work and fly!

Another way is to open the Aircraft.cfg file of the plane you like, find the [fuel] section as above and then copy it directly over the [fuel] section of the plane you want to modify. Not above of, instead of, if you see my point.

Bear in mind, that adding fuel quantity will affect your weight-n-balance, at 6.68 (roughly) pounds per gallon. So you add 100 gallons of fuel, you have added nearly 700 lbs of weight, and probably well aft or to one side of your center point, so it can throw off your WB calculations. You will be able to carry that much less freight or passengers, and you have to watch you balance point. Too far fow'd or aft and the plane won't fly no mo! It will either nose up and crash, or nose down and never take off.

I strongly reccommend reading through http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc526949.aspx#mozTocId136011. Tons and tons of useful info in it, and there are writeups for all the other files FS uses to make your Airplane fly too!

Good luck, and remember: MAKE BACKUPS!!!

Pat☺

[Shane Stachwick]

Thanks dude! I really appreciate the quick reply, I'm just relieved that I won't have to mess with the hexadecimal
code in the AIR file. I'll definitely keep the CG shift in mind, but I'm not concerned with payload capacity. I just plan on using this to set some distance PBs. I might do this with the 777-300 to make a -300 sized -200LR equivalent. Thanks again!

[PhantomTweak]

I'm just relieved that I won't have to mess with the hexadecimal
code in the AIR file

Actually, there is a program, AirEd by name, that permits you to edit .air files as though you were in Notepad. It's available here on Simviation, Flightsim, and Avsim, that I know of for sure, usually under a utility selection someplace.
There are still sections that utilize number matrices, but most of the things us rank amateurs want to play with are pretty straight number or text editing.
Look it up, it's a good thing to have!!

Pat☺

[Shane Stachwick]

Yeah I actually have AirEd. It's a very useful little program. I used it to make the CPU-only aircraft types flyable.