How to Install Addon Scenery in FSX

 Key:  Tip  Warning  File Path  Example

This tutorial will walk you through the steps of installing addon scenery in Mircosoft Flight Simulator X. There are two ways of doing it, the first being the way I prefer. I am using the Pensacola NAS addon scenery to demonstrate in this tutorial, which is avaliable here, and shown by the gear icon below.

Method 1: Using the Scenery Library Tool in FSX

Step 1: Download and extract the scenery file. Most of the scenery that you will download is contained in a zip file. You can either right click the .zip file and press extract all, running through the extraction wizard, or use a program such as winrar, winzip, or 7-zip to extract it. All do the same thing. If the file is a .exe, then you can just run the installer and it should automatically be installed for you.

gear Extract the KNPA_FSX1.2.zip file

Step 2: When you extract the file, there will be a folder with the name of the scenery and 2 folders called scenery and texture inside of it. Now move the folder that contains the scenery and texture folders into the FSX addon scenery folder.

FSX Addon Scenery Folder Location: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Addon Scenery

gear Be carefull, don't just copy the KNPA_FSX1.2 folder to the FSX addon scenery folder, because it doesn't directly contain the scenery and texture folders. The folder inside of that one called KNPA_FSX is the one you need to copy. (So only copy the folder that has the scenery and textures folders inside of it)

Step 3: Start up FSX if it isn't already and go to scenery library. (You can add scenery while you're in the middle of flying)

From the main menu: settings button>scenery library button

While Flying: inflight menu

Step 4: In the Scenery Library tool, click on add area button and navigate to the addon scenery folder. Click on the folder that contains the scenery and texture folders and press ok.

gear Navigate to the KNPA_FSX folder and press OK.

knpa fsx

Step 5: Press OK in the bottom right and the scenery will be activated. If you are doing this in flight, it will activate the scenery and then reload the scenery that you are currently flying over.

gear Press OK at the bottom right.

knpa ok

knpa loading

The advantages of using this method is you can turn individual scenery packages on and off without quiting the game and deleting the necessary files. It's also easier to keep track of what scenery is what.

Method 2: Copying and Pasting the Scenery Files into the Scenery and Texture Folders

Step 1: Download and extract the scenery just like in step 1 for the first method.

Step 2: Copy the files in the scenery folder from the downloaded scenery and paste it in the scenery folder in addon scenery. Do the same thing for texture.

FSX Scenery Folder in Addon Scenery: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Addon Scenery\scenery

FSX Texture Folder in Addon Scenery: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Addon Scenery\texture

Step 3: If the game is already started, go to the scenery library and press OK. FSX will reload all the addon scenery and anything new you put in. If the game isn't running, it should find the new scenery you added on start up and activate it.