Downloading X-Plane Add-Ons
X-Plane may have the most realistic flight model on the market, but what is that worth if you can’t fly the planes that you want to fly, in the places you want to fly them?
X-Plane supports three main kinds of add-ons:
- aircraft models
- scenery
- plugins
Aerosoft is the official distributor and source for X-Plane add ons. You can also find free and paid add ons on other online sites such as X-Plane.org.
Most aircraft models you download can be installed by simply unzipping the download and moving the resulting folder to your X-Plane installation’s Aircraft directory.
Likewise, most scenery can be installed by simply moving the add-on scenery folder to your X-Plane installation’s Custom Scenery directory.
For more information about X-Plane add-ons and how to install them, see Chapter 4 of the X-Plane manual.
Creating Your Own Add-Ons
If you don’t find the aircraft, scenery, or plug-ins you’re looking for, you can create your own. A good place to start is the Development Tools page. There, you’ll find information and links to the plug-in and scenery development kits. Of course, the Plane Maker software (found in your X-Plane installation directory) can be used to create aircraft–for more information, see the Plane Maker manual.
Upgrading to X-Plane for Professional Use
Using the professional-use USB keys, the simulator can also be upgraded for commercial use, as well as for FAA certification.