The aircraft that I fly most of the time needs a runway about 4000ft for takeoff and landing. But when flying into/out of at least one of my regular airfields I always get allocated runways which are too short, despite the fact that longer runways are present and available.Is there something I can change in e.g. the aircraft.cfg file to ensure I get allocated a runway of sufficient length ?Alternatively (and less preferably), is there something I can change in the AFCAD file for the airport(s) concerned ? I have ADE9X and see I can mark runways as not available, but I would rather make it dependent on the aircraft type if possible.Thanks

It's up to the pilot to make sure that a runway is suitable and safe for the aircraft in question even if the runway was assigned by ATC. If the runway is not suitable then ask ATC for another runway, this is an option even in all the third party ATC programs as far as I am aware.

ATC will generally assign the largest runway with an ILS (If one is available) and is open for landing. The larger runway may be closed for landing in the AFCAD, I do this with my airports with parallel runways. I close the inner runway to landings, so my takeoffs are unimpeded. or it may not have an ILS. Check your AFCAD. The other thing you can do is when ATC assigns a runway, there is usually an option to request another runway, and sometimes another approach. (Depending on data in the AFCAD.) try that to see if the runway you want is available for landing.

The aircraft that I fly most of the time needs a runway about 4000ft for takeoff and landing. But when flying into/out of at least one of my regular airfields I always get allocated runways which are too short, despite the fact that longer runways are present and available. Is there something I can change in e.g. the aircraft.cfg file to ensure I get allocated a runway of sufficient length ?

As mentioned above, if you are using an ATC system, simply request a different runway. Keep in mind that ATC systems do not have a knowledge of how long a runway is... they only know the runway heading. As a virtual pilot, it's up to you to know the airport you are about to land at, and request an alternate runway if the one provided isn't suitable. In extreme situations, where a crosswind situation makes landing on the only runway with a suitable length impossible, real world airplanes may hold or be forced to divert to an alternate airfield. This process can also be simulated, if you wish. Altering an airport using scenery tools is good if you always-always-always use one particular airport and have to override ATC each and every time, but unless you're visiting it on every flight, it's generally not advisable to change things like that. Using more realistic options like ATC do require more realistic behavior on the part of you, the virtual pilot. Know your airports, make the alternate runway request, and you should be fine! -Greg

Thanks guys - excellent advice. I will follow up on all your suggestions.