The screenshot is showing the Cessna 172 Mod in the payware add-on scenery “Monterey Regional Airport” by Orbx.
Formerly known as the cold and dark mod of the Cessna 172 this is a follow up mod of the default Aerofly FS 2 C172. With the recent additions to the default C172, namely the addition to cut the engine and it’s implementation of the mixture slider this “cold and dark” name was no longer accurate. Technically the default C172 is now cold and dark, too, which is great 🙂
Features
The features of the default Cessna 172 include:
(✅ The standard Aerofly FS 2 Cessna 172 already has those)
- ✅ Almost fully clickable cockpit
- ✅ Full electric system
- ✅ Fully working navigation, frequency and course selection, except GPS navigation
- ✅ Opening doors and windows
- ✅ Yoke hide
- ✅ Engine simulation including mixture and magnetos, engine shut down and restart
- ✅ Fuel consumption
- ✅ Placing the aircraft on the runway will load it in a takeoff configuration, ready to go, placing it in the air will load a nice cruise configuration, placing it on the final approach will load the aircraft in a state for landing including flaps and trim.
The changes of this mod compared to the default C172 are:
- + Starting from a parking position the aircraft is loaded in a cold and dark configuration. I hope this won’t affect any other situation. When you suddenly find the engine off, where you expected it to be running, just exit the flight, change your position with the location menu and then it should be running again.
- + Propeller was changed, rotation speeds are a bit different, there is a lot more prop wash happening, you will also need quite a bit of right rudder during takeoff. In the air the aircraft flies pretty much straight with almost no turning tendencies
- + Flight handling adjusted: Correct flight surface deflections, more accurate trim for takeoff and during approach, significantly different airfoils and therefor pretty much overall changed behavior, slightly reduced ground effect,…
- + Brake strength has been increased.
- + Sunshades can be rotated using the mouse wheel
Requirements
Aerofly FS 2 Steam Edition 2.04.07.15 (2019-06-19)
Download
Current version of this mod: V13 (21st June 2019)
Installation
This installation process will result in two Cessna 172s in the selection, one will be this cold and dark mod, the other one will be the original aircraft. (The mod will be towards the end of the selection list, not next to the original aircraft)
- Go to your installation directory of the Aerofly FS 2 in the Steam apps, which is usually at
“C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Aerofly FS 2 Flight Simulator” - Open the folder “aircraft” and copy the entire original “c172” folder. (Make sure not to touch the content of this folder during this installation!)
- Open your documents and open the folder “Aerofly FS 2” (C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\Aerofly FS 2) and enter the subdirectory “aircraft”
- Delete any previous folder “c172mod”
- Now paste the “c172” folder from the clipboard into the currently opened subdirectory “aircaft” and rename it to “c172mod”.
- In that “c172mod” folder rename the file “c172.tmb” to “c172mod.tmb”
- Except for the options.tmc file delete all “.tmd” and “.tmc” files in the “c172mod” folder.
- Downloading the zip file decompress it in a local directory.
- Copy all contained files and paste them in the “c172mod” folder.
The file structure should look like this after the installation:
“C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Documents\Aerofly FS 2\aircraft\c172mod\c172mod.tmd”
Very Nice! Thanks for continuing development – it’s a very enjoyable product.
Hi ! good job ! Now it is still perfectly working with current beta…. Can we hope to have same mod with other planes ? Keep on the good job !!!
Thanks! Most of the features I implemented in the Cessna 172 mod are now also part of the default C172. Only the throttle cut is missing at the moment, I didn’t have the time yet to add it to the current default version as well.
How was the flight behaviour adjusted?
I used the real world control deflections and more more accurate center of gravity, changed the airfoils and a bit of the propeller.. I’m not 100% happy with it yet but I hope I get time to do a version 2 using the latest version of Aerofly FS 2 with its own electical systems…
Doesn’t appear to work with the Aug 26 beta. That’s a shame because the other features of this release are well worth opting for the beta.
Edit: After more tests, I have found that the doors and window works, but the starter and battery switches don’t. Also the Avionics panel is all black and avionics don’t illuminate.
I hope that I have some time tomorrow to update the cold and dark mod. The current version in the Aerofly FS 2 beta already implements the electrical system natively, so I pretty much only have to update the engine on/off feature. Also the default Cessna now has a working fuel system, that I can also use to create new hooks such as fuel cut off by empty fuel tanks and so on.
Let me know if your c172 avionics panel becomes just a black rectangle. This is what happens to me when I apply this mod.. (Using the beta)
Try it again with the version 2 of this mod, that I just uploaded, please –
Yes, It all looks good now. Thank you. I love the new features.
Hopefully one day we’ll get these new features supported by the Saitek switch panel 😉
That would be awesome, yes!
Great job once again! Thank you.
Thanks for the heads up 🙂
Very cool mod! Thank you very much!
One question please. Does this modification, in any way, affect performance (FPS)?
Greetings
Yes, by 0.0001 FPS
Great work! Thank you very much.
Great work. I like the physics changes. Power/climb etc at takeoff is more what I would expect. Do you consider it more realistic? I looked in the files to see if there was an obvious parameter you’d changed like mass/power, but couldn’t see one. Was it a single parameter? If so I’d be interested to know so that if/when this mod becomes out of date I can change the default files directly…unless you can arrange for this behaviour to be the default.
Obviously it wasn’t just one parameter, I changed the airfoils of the wing and propeller and altered few other variables like the control deflections.
Few days ago I updated this mod again. Basically I take the default C172 with all its changed and I apply my modifications (fuel cut off and aerodynamic parameters).
Yes I’d say the physics changes are more realistic but they are not complete yet. The fine-tunings has to be done yet but I am flooded with other, more important, work.
Cheers,
Jan
“flooded with more important work” – I’m in a similar line of business, and I know the feeling well. Thanks again.
Hi. I just had a beta update and the c172 seems to have reverted to previous take off physics. I’m not quite sure though – the click to hide yoke still works. Filedates have changed though. I’d presume I’d better not overwrite them. Do we have to wait now for a mod update?
On my end it did not update any files of the Cessna 172…
You should be able to overwrite the c172.tmd file without issues, make a backup first to be sure. When there are significant incompatibilities between the versions I will of course update the mod. Currently there haven’t been much changes to the default C172, so there isn’t much to worry about.
Great mod! have roughly 150 h on a real C172. The drift to the left due to engine torque ist much more realistic! However I noticed takeoff power is just under 2’000 rpm. Am more realistic value would be around 2’400 – 2’500 depending on weather conditions. I would abort take off with such low power in a real C172 ;-).
Hi, just wondered if you’re working on any more improvements? I know some additions are dependent on the underlying engine. When the Dash 8 comes out will that aspect improve and let you do more?
Currently I’m not working on the C172, I am improving other things in the default Aerofly FS 2 simulator, navigation and autopilot related things.
The Q400 is relatively well developed in terms of system depth, we have all system pages and pretty much all switches are at least prepared. They won’t all have functionality right away since the underlaying physics have not been created (same with A320, B747, etc.). When I’m done adding the navigation source selection to the Q400 it should be quite good in terms of navigation. The LJ45 and the other airliners will also have a significant boost in AP system depth. So yeah, C172 is not high on my personal priority, I’m investing my time on the other aircraft at the moment.
Regards,
Jan
I applaud your accomplishment in providing this flight simmer who is new to Aerofly an opportunity to start dark and cold.
Your clear and precise installation instruction got me to a new choice of aircraft while selecting “Aircraft”, but then my
experience ended as I attempted to find any new options in the Control menu to utilize these new features.
Do you have additional instructions regrading the steps needed to use all these new controls?
Hi and sorry for the late reply.
I can’t add any new menu items by creating a modded aircraft. So currently there is no option to start cold and dark. What you can do however is manually kill the engine and then set everything off. And then turn it back on.
Regards,
Jan
A really fun addition… kinda shows what can be done and what will come to pass if aFS2 continues to mature in this highly competitive market.
This is so much fun that I now will need to pull out the SDK and take another try at setting up the Robin… I couldn’t seem to get it to work for me some months back.
Thank you very much for this fine addition!
Best regards,
Tom Wunder
This is absolutely great. Thank you very much. Even better than the first upgrade!
I have tried three times to download the new cold and dark version of the c172. I loved it and used it quite successfully prior to the recent update. However, there was no .tmb file to rename, as per the instructions. These are the only files that were unzipped:
c172mod.tmc
c172mod.tmd
c172mod_clean.tmd
c172mod_landing.tmd
c172mod_takeoff.tmd
controls.tmd
I must be doing something horribly wrong! Please let me know what I’m not or should be doing. Thanks!
Arne
In steamapps\common\Aerofly FS 2 Flight Simulator\aircraft\c172
I do have a c172.tmb file. This needs to be copied to the c172mod folder and then renamed to “c172mod.tmb”. Please try to copy it from the original game. It is there, the very first file underneath the folder actually.
Thanks, I realized that I had totally misread your very clear directions, so after a more careful reading, I am again enjoying your wonderful mod!
I “fly” the Cessna 172 (A2A) in FSX. What confuses me here in Aerofly is the not functional NAV/GPS switch. A bit small on power like the Original aircraft to fly in Colorado with it, but often enough the right aircraft for sightseeing.
The landscape is the point, why a came to Aerofly 2. Think a Partner like Caranado/Alabeo would be good for Aerofly. The big jets are here in this Simulation in my eyes completely dispensable. Nobody need this aircraft, 737 A 320 and 747. Most of these young virtual pilots have no patience to learn and want “747 first”. This is nonsense.
With military aircraft I see it different. I like the F-15E “Strike Eagle”, more trainer Jets Like L 39, T-45, Hawk…
Helicopters. Think, not the right people have been asked for. Yes please! Like Robinson Helos.
http://www.nzff.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=27886
Before I attempt to download this version, can you answer this for me? (New to the program). How do I refuel the Cessna 172?
You just reload the airplane.
I am unable to get the 172 to load in FS-2. I am using a Mac, could this be the problem? I printed the instructions an am sure I read them correct. Is this only for Steam?
I would also like to see the Stearman set up to work in FS-2.
Thanks
Stan
I never tested it on Mac, I don’t know if it will work or not.
Currently I don’t have any intentions to add more aircraft as free add-ons for Aerofly when I could just invest that time into making Aerofly itself better 🙂
Moin @Jet-Pack,
since I use a Mac, I took a look at it – and came up with these questions or suggestions:
(a) The points 1. – 6. and 8. your manual are clear.
(b) Point 7. says: “Delete all “.tmd” and “.tmc” files in the “c172mod” folder“
=> I find this 8 files:
– c172_clean.tmd
– c172_landing.tmd
– c172_takeoff.tmd
– c172.tmc
– c172.tmd
…
– controls.tmd
– copilot.tmc
…
– option.tmc
(c) Point 9. says: “Copy all contained files and paste them in the “c172mod” folder.“
=> There are only 7 files in the zip, what is with the deleted file „option.tmc“?
(d) And I think, the files „c172…“ must be renamed in „c172mod…“
=> My result:
– c172mod_clean.tmd
– c172mod_landing.tmd
– c172mod_takeoff.tmd
– c172mod.tmc
– c172mod.tmd
Are my considerations correct?
By, Michael
Hi Michael,
Thank you for the feedback, the option.tmc was added recently and it should not be deleted. This only affects the repaint of the aircraft at the moment. I edited the page text to reflect this. The files should be named as you wrote. Were they not named correctly in the download zip? (If so: I gotta fix that)
Thanks,
Jan
Hi Jan,
this are the file-names after unzip (in the round brackets: date, time ):
– c172_clean.tmd (2018-11-16, 15:34)
– c172_landing.tmd (2018-11-16, 15:34)
– c172_takeoff.tmd (2018-05-22, 11:49)
– c172.tmc (2019-05-15, 14:27)
– c172.tmd (2019-05-22, 14:27)
– controls.tmd (2018-06-28, 11:54)
– copilot.tmc (2018-12-05, 13:11)
Tschüss, Michael
This does not work for me maybe does not work anymore with latest update or AeroFly FS2?
Thanks, yes one of the latest updates may have broken it. If I find free time I’ll update the mod again. But now that the default aircraft pretty much has most of the mod’s features it only has the different model left.
Thank you very much