Moved FSX aircraft, now they're missing

[Guest tailspin1945]

I had so many add-ons FSX aircraft (I'm a sucker for anything built before about 1950) that I decided to move most of them to another drive, and then move them back when I want to fly something different.But when I move them back FSX doesn't display them in the aircraft selection menu.I gather that means there's a file missing...but which one?I copied the SimObject/Aircraft/* folder intact to the external drive, and back.Could it be a hidden file of some sort is missing, or is there a list of installed aircraft somewhere that needs to be repopulated?

[jvile 1]

It sounds like when you moved the entire folder FSX updated the FSX.cfg and made changes. When you move the folder back you may have to open the FSX.cfg and update it manually. Of course you could also delete the FSX.cfg file and let FSX rebuild it on a restart.This is the section you need to look at in the FSX.cfg file(Main)User Objects=Airplane, HelicopterSimObjectPaths.0=SimObjectsAirplanesSimObjectPaths.1=SimObjectsRotorcraftSimObjectPaths.2=SimObjectsGroundVehiclesSimObjectPaths.3=SimObjectsBoatsSimObjectPaths.4=SimObjectsAnimalsSimObjectPaths.5=SimObjectsMiscSimObjectPaths.6=SimObjectsAI AirplanesSimObjectPaths.7=SimObjectsA User AirplanesSimObjectPaths.8=SimObjectsMilitary AirplanesHideMenuNormal=0

[Guest tailspin1945]

Excellent! That did it!Many thanks.

[Guest tailspin1945]

Spoke too soon (blush). Seemed like such an obvious answer, so I responded before I tried it.My fsx.CFG file does have the entries just as you listed them.Is there another file somewhere that is essentially B.A. Database of available aircraft, or perhaps a registry entry that's FUBARed?

[jvile 1]

What Version Windows do you have and where did you look for the FSX.cfg.

[Guest tailspin1945]

Running XP sp2.fsx.CFG was in in Documents and Settings/User/Application Data/Microsoft/FSX

[jvile 1]

When you moved the planes back to there original drive installation did you bring a Panel folder with the AI Plane Folder? The only way to get FSX to display a Plane in the aircraft menu is add a panel folder and/or alias to another planes panel folder.All my AI Jet Aircraft folders have a Panel folder and I point the panel.cfg as a alias to the default FSX B737-400.

[Guest tailspin1945]

We may be getting somewhere here

[jvile 1]

If you place all your AI Planes in the FSX default Airplanes folder then the only entry in the FSX.cfg for Airplanes is the defaultSimObjectPaths.0=SimObjectsAirplanesHowever you must have a panel folder and panel.cfg pointing to a plane that does have a panel for the AI plane to show in the aircraft selection menu.In FS9 we used the .air file to make the AI plane show in the menu of aircraft folderIn FSX we have to use a panel folder to make the AI Plane show in the menu of aircraft folderBy default FSX uses a folder for placement of their planes called .....FSXSimOjectsAirplanesIf that folder exist and all the FSX airplanes plus yours are nesting there then you should see the AI Planes listed also if a panel.cfg is alias to another default FSX plane.

[Guest tailspin1945]

Problem may be (or not) that I don't seem to have an AI planes folder, anywhere.In any event, I'm not concerned (at the moment) about AI planes. My problem is freeware add-on planes.The problem started when I copied the entire Airplanes folder from SimObjects over to an external drive, and then went back and deleted most of them so the load time would be quicker. When I copy some the planes back the don't appear in the menu. Oddly, some do. And then there's that weirdness of the R-22 showing up even thought it was not in the SimObjects/Helicopter folder.All of which makes me suspicious there is a file somewhere that keeps track (or not) of what airplanes are available.But then it should be pretty clear I don't really know what I'm talking about or understand what's going on in the guys of FSX. Yet.But sure appreciate your patience and help.

[Guest tailspin1945]

Problem solved!The reference to the panel folder fired a neuron that started a conversation with a friend who is/was the mechanic on our planes. He used to work at Singer (and is Flight Sim, not sewing machines) and apparently can fix modern computers and 1929 flying flivers.He noticed the cfg file in the panel folder in the aircraft folder contained an alias that pointed to itself.How it (and it and all the others in other aircraft) got that way is a mystery to me.But simply deleting the cfg file, as he suggested, solved the problem, There were no other contents except a [FLTSIM] header.Thank you all for your help.You too Gunner! (He was an artilleryman, hence the call-sign, before he was helo driver before he was shot in the butt before he was a test pilot before he was at Singer and Hughes and McDonald Douglas before he was a mechanic before he fixed FSX for me.)