FS2004 tutorial flights- how to change the default cessna

[Guest 737767]

Hi,I would like to fly the FS2004 tutorial flights with Roy Machado using the Flight1 Cessna 172. Where can I change the aircraft for the tutorials? Removing Microsofts Cessna 172 Skyhawk from the aircraft folder results in an "aircraft ini error".thanks for your help!

[Opa 6]

Hi,I would like to fly the FS2004 tutorial flights with Roy Machado using the Flight1 Cessna 172. Where can I change the aircraft for the tutorials? Removing Microsofts Cessna 172 Skyhawk from the aircraft folder results in an "aircraft ini error".thanks for your help!

I have never changed aircraft for the lessons but believe it can be done -But first - do NOT delete the default Cessna aircraft - it is what FS2004 expects to find in order to create the "default" flight which is present to you on the Create a Flight dialogue.To change to your preferred aircraft try the followings steps - exactly.Navigate to the Lessons subfolder in your FS2004 folder. Then select the folder named Student.In that folder select (as an example) the file named Lesson 1.FLTOpen that file using Notepad.Scroll down to the line which says:[Plane.0]Aircraft=Cessna Skyhawk 172SPComment out the Aircraft=Cessna Skyhawk 172SP by placing two forward slash marks thus://Aircraft=Cessna Skyhawk 172SPBelow it, create a new line like this:Aircraft=Beech Baron 58It would look like this when you are done:[Plane.0]//Aircraft=Cessna Skyhawk 172SPAircraft=Beech Baron 58That would change the aircraft used in that lesson to the default Beech Baron 58.To get the correct data to place there (in place of the Beech Baron 58), go to the aircraft folder of the Cessna you wish to use, open the aircraft.cfg file (again with Notepad) and find the title= line of the variation you wish to use.Copy the text that follows the title= statement and Paste it into the Aircraft= spot (replacing the Beech Baron 58 info as above).I do not have the Flight1 Cessna so cannot state what the text on it's tiltle= line actually is.Save your work and start FS2004 - select the Lesson 1 and you should be flying your aircraft instead of the default Cessna.You would need to repeat that procedure for all lessons which use the default Cessna aircraft.As you most likely have already discovered, you cannot change the aircraft once the lesson has started by the usual "select aircraft" option on the top menu when in windowed mode.Hope all that made sense - if not I will be happy to try to clarify any questions you may have.

[N60JBravo 27]

You can try this, I make no guarantees.There are 2 ways I can think of to do this, both might have consequences beyond what you want to do.One way is to change the plane called for in the .flt file. In Windows Explorer navigate to ...\FS9\Lessons\priv. (This is for the private license, the other ratings are in different folders, pretty easy to figure out which one you need).In that folder right click on lesson 1.flt and "open with" Notepad.Scroll down to [Plane.0]Aircraft=Cessna Skyhawk 172SPEdit it to look like this[Plane.0]//Aircraft=Cessna Skyhawk 172SPAircraft=Skyhawk 172RI copied that line from the aircraft.cfg for the F1 C172 that I have, yours should be the same. You might want to check.It is from the line title=Close the .flt file and save your changes.If you need to revert back to the original just reverse this procedure.You will have to do this for each .flt file in the folder.Again, I don't know how the sim will react to this as the lessons seem to be aware of the condition of gauges etc.The other way to try this would involve editing the title= line in both aircraft.cfg files so the sim will call the F1 instead of the default. You would have to change both as you can't have 2 with the same title= line (you can but only one will show up in the sim).Editing the aircraft.cfg will cause any AI flightplan that calls for the default to call for the F1 instead.There may be other issues that I can't think of, but I don't think you will do any irreversible damage by trying.If you do try, please post back with your results for others benefit.Hope this help,Joe[edit]David posted while I was typing, I will leave mine here also.David, GMTA[/edit]

[Opa 6]

Great minds think alike - right Joe? :(

[N60JBravo 27]

Yep Dave, although I don't know what got into me thinking I was a great mind.Just got lucky.he he he

[Opa 6]

Yep Dave, although I don't know what got into me thinking I was a great mind.Just got lucky.he he he

It will just be "our" little "secret" - lol

[Guest 737767]

Thanks for your replies! I just tried to select the files in FS9/Lessons but could only find Lesson1.abl and Lesson1.WX. The first one can be opened with notepad. However, it only contains information about the tutorial flight and its commands. The .WX yields no readable letters. I can

[Guest belga1]

Hello,If you checked the Student folder and seen only 2 files .. you must have some prob with FS2004 (install?)This is what I see in my lessons/student folder:What about the files in the others lessons subfolders ?Remind:The files to be edited with Notepad (or any text editor) are the ***.flt filesRegards.Gus.

[Guest 737767]

Hi Gus,actually, I got the ABL and .WX files on all tutorial flights as shown in you folder but the flt files are missing.any idea?

[Guest belga1]

Hello,Not a clue why those ****.flt files dissapeared .. but maybe

Removing Microsofts Cessna 172 Skyhawk from the aircraft folder results in an "aircraft ini error".

was the trigger ?Regards.Gus.

[Swoop 0]

I wonder if the files are hidden by default? Mine are not but I might have removed the hidden attribute bit from everything at one time or another. You know what you can try, take one of the lesson fights that you cannot see in your folder. If the flight is there then the files might be hidden or maybe FS9 creates them on the fly. Then after the flight, re-check the folder. Maybe FS9 un-hides the files after you've successfully made a flight? Don't know, just guessing...Mark

[Guest 737767]

Hi Gus,maybe.. Would you mind to send me your lesson1.flt to pahermes@hotmail.com? As I removed the whole default Cessna 172 from the aircraft folder I can imagine that Microsoft responds to that by removing all flt files from the tutorial folders...regardsAndreas

[Opa 6]

Hi Gus,maybe.. Would you mind to send me your lesson1.flt to pahermes@hotmail.com? As I removed the whole default Cessna 172 from the aircraft folder I can imagine that Microsoft responds to that by removing all flt files from the tutorial folders...regardsAndreas

A quick question - do you have a FULL install of FS2004 or did you opt for the partial install which retains some files on the CD ?You also need to restore the default Cessna if you have not already done so. It is on Disk 1 in the MSGAME1.cab. File can be extracted from a .cab file using any good zip/unzip program.Also be advised that removing the default Cessna aircraft would NOT cause the "missing" FLT files in the Lessons area to be removed. If they are not there then either someone deleted then or they were never installed.The aircraft.ini faulre error message you got was because FS2004 could not find the Cessna which was being called for in the default flight setup. Nothing more and nothing less.And lastly - the FLT files in the Lessons are are not "hidden" files.

[Guest belga1]

Hello,

A quick question - do you have a FULL install of FS2004 or did you opt for the partial install which retains some files on the CD ?

Not sure a partial install will cause lessons FLT files missing (and not the other files of the lessons folders)They are small files .. and the CD N

[Opa 6]

Thanks for your replies! I just tried to select the files in FS9/Lessons but could only find Lesson1.abl and Lesson1.WX. The first one can be opened with notepad. However, it only contains information about the tutorial flight and its commands. The .WX yields no readable letters. I can