I'm certain this question has been asked before - but I'm not having luck figuring the right keywords to use in searches to find my answer... So please - kindly point me towards the right thread if in fact this has been previously discussed.Here is the question: I can't seem to be able to find a setting anywhere in FS2004 that would let me opt for a 'cold' start in a parked plane. Instead FS2004 always starts with engine already running sitting on the runway - ready for takeoff.I have been able to find some suggestions about this 'problem' with help of google (but not on Avsim forums) and the 'solution' involved taxing to where I'd like to start next time, shutting the engine down and saving the flight.It seems a bit odd to me that a simulator program of the caliber of FS2004 would REALY have no way of starting "cold." Is taxing, shutting things down and then reloading thus saved flight indeed the only way to get around my problem? Or is there some obvious solution on the settings menu that I'm overlooking?Thank you,Michael

Just shut down the plane to cold then save. When you save there's an option to have it as default (I believe, I'm not where I can open fs). Then next time you start fs then that flight will start with the plane's engines off.

start with the default cessna at seattle. shut down the engines by putting the mixture lever to cutoff. turn off the battery. press the ; key and save it and check the save as default box. exit and go back to the main menu. select load a flight, and select that flight you just saved, check the save as default box. and start. now it will be loaded as your default flight and every other airplane that is loaded after that will use the battery and mixture off. except some complicated airplanes like the PMDG queen and LDS which go by their own config files

You don't have to start on the runway. When you select an airport make sure you select a parking spot rather than a runway in the lower left hand corner. If you save a cold and dark flight and use that when you start up FS9 (or you can select that flight in FS9) you can then switch to whatever airport you want without having to create a saved flight for each airport.Bud

my take - park, shut down and exit fs9restart fs9 select 'previous flight' and check 'make this the default flight'thereafter every time you return to the sim the previous a/c state and location will be your default flight. regards,Markhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpgXPHomeSP2/FS9.1/3.2HT/1024mb/X700pro256