FlightGear Flight Simulator/Technical/Command line options

This page will introduce the most used command line options in 2024.1 version. Command line basics Usage in terminal: fgfs [OPTION [OPTION ...]] The way to use options by Qt Launcher: go to the "Settings" tab and in the "Additional Settings" section enter the following options, each on a new line. The options entered there take precedence over those defined by Qt Launcher. To see the entire list of command line options used by Qt Launcher, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+L or select "View command-line" from the Launcher menu. Legend how to read the following options --option1 (--option2) - in this case --option2 is the alias for --option1 which is exactly the same as --option1. --option1--option2 - two different options, mutually exclusive. They cannot be used simultaneously, but are connected due to a common description. --option1, --option2 - two different options that can be used simultaneously and are connected due to a common description. Values for options Some options do not require a value, such as --help, but there are options for which we must specify a value, such as --fg-root. We can separate the value from the option with either the = sign or a space, such as: --fg-root=/path/to/fgdata --fg-root /path/to/fgdata Options that act like an enable/disable switch take optional values as true, 1, yes (enable) or false, 0, no (disable). If we don't specify any value next to such an option, it will work by default as if we passed true, e.g: --launcher will enable Launcher, which is equivalent to: --launcher=yes Most such options also have enable- and disable- prefixes, e.g. --enable-launcher. General Options --help (-h) Show the most relevant command line options. --verbose (-v) Show all command line options when combined with --help. --version Display the current FlightGear version. --fg-root=path Specify the root data path. --fg-scenery=path[:path...] Specify the base scenery path. Defaults to $FG_ROOT/Scenery. --fg-aircraft=path Specify additional aircraft directory path(s). --terrasync --disable-terrasync Enable/disable automatic scenery downloads/updates. Enabled by default. --language=code Select the language. Available codes: ca, de, en, es, fr, it, nl, pl, pt, ru, tr, zh_CN. --launcher --disable-launcher Enable/disable Qt Launcher. Enabled by default. --config=path Load additional properties from path. --units-feet --units-meters Use feet (default) or meters for distances. Features --freeze --disable-freeze Start in a paused state or unpaused. --ai-models --disable-ai-models Enable/disable AI subsystem (including multiplayer aircraft models). Enabled by default. --ai-traffic --disable-ai-traffic Enable/disable autogenerated traffic subsystem. Enabled by default. --vr --disable-vr Enable/disable Virtual Reality. Aircraft --aircraft=name Select an aircraft profile. --show-aircraft Print a list of currently available aircraft types. --auto-coordination --disable-auto-coordination Enable/disable auto coordination (rudder follows ailerons). Disabled by default. --livery=name Select aircraft livery. Flight Model --fdm={jsb|yasim|ufo|balloon} Select flight dynamics model. jsb (JSBSim) or yasim are recommended for most aircraft. --trim Trim the model (only with --fdm=jsbsim). --in-air Start in air (implied when using --altitude). Initial Position and Orientation --airport=ICAO Specify airport (e.g. KOAK). --runway=rwy_no Specify starting runway (must also specify an airport). --lon=degrees Starting longitude (west = -). --lat=degrees Starting latitude (south = -). --altitude=value Starting altitude in feet (or meters if --units-meters). --heading=degrees Specify heading angle. --vc=knots Specify initial airspeed in knots. --roc=fpm Specify initial rate of climb (negative for descent). Rendering Options --fullscreen --disable-fullscreen Enable/disable fullscreen mode. --geometry=WidthxHeight Specify window resolution (e.g. 1920x1080). --fov=degrees Specify field of view angle. --bpp={16|24|32} Specify bits per pixel. --graphics-preset={minimal-quality|low-quality|medium-quality|high-quality|ultra-quality} Specify a graphic preset. --max-fps=Hz Maximum frame rate in Hz. --prop:/sim/rendering/multi-samples=value Number of multi-samples for anti-aliasing (2, 4, 8, 16). --clouds --disable-clouds Enable/disable 2D cloud layers. --clouds3d --disable-clouds3d Enable/disable 3D volumetric clouds. --random-objects --disable-random-objects Enable/disable random scenery objects (buildings, etc.) HUD Options --hud --disable-hud Enable/disable Heads Up Display. --hud-3d --disable-hud-3d Enable/disable 3D HUD. Time Options --timeofday={real|dawn|morning|noon|afternoon|dusk|evening|midnight} Specify a time of day. --time-match-real Synchronize time with current real time at chosen airport. --time-match-local Synchronize time with system time of computer. --start-date-gmt=yyyy:mm:dd:hh:mm:ss Specify a starting date/time with respect to GMT. Network Options --multiplay=in,Hz,address,port Join a multiplayer session. Example: --multiplay=in,10,server.address.com,5000 --callsign=name Assign a unique callsign for multiplayer (max 10 chars, letters/numbers/hyphen/underscore). --fgcom --disable-fgcom Enable/disable built-in FGCom voice communication with ATC. Environment Options --real-weather-fetch --disable-real-weather-fetch Enable/disable METAR based real weather fetching (requires internet). --visibility=meters Specify initial visibility in meters (Basic Weather only). --wind=DIR@SPEED[:GUST] Specify wind direction (degrees) and speed (knots), optionally gusts. --turbulence=value Turbulence from 0.0 (calm) to 1.0 (severe). --metar="metar string" Start with a specific METAR string (only if live weather disabled). Avionics Options --com1=frequency, --com2=frequency Set COM radio frequencies. --nav1=frequency, --nav2=frequency Set NAV radio frequencies.https://wiki.flightgear.org/Command_line_options References