Cheers all! I think Simviation is a GREAT site and has GREAT FSX forums. I still have some issues with FSX, but I learn more everytime I visit Simviation and so continue to "play" with FSX despite my initial issues with it thanks to Simviation! Many thanks to the folks who've added downloads and advise...a lot of work for you folks indeed! Since I believe in "paying it forward" (others like you have helped me and so just maybe I might be able to do the same for others), I would like to post some instructions here regarding adding pre-FSX aircraft to FSX as I've noticed there are still questions. This may be a repeat post and it may have been covered before, but i just wanted to help out. And yes, I have read the "GIVING OUT ADVISE" warning...I hope I have covered that issue in the following!

Again, I hope this might help and Regards,

NIGEL


MY GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLING FS2004 / FS2002 AIRCRAFT INTO FSX:
(Remember this is “GENERAL”…It may not work every time, but it has worked 95% of the time for me)

***THIS IS NOT A GUIDE FOR TRANSFERING YOUR PRESENT AIRCRAFT IN YOUR PRESENT FS2002 OR FS2004 TO FSX…IT’S ONLY A GUIDE FOR NEW ADD-ONS INTO FSX…AND IT’S A GUIDE, NOT THE RULE…IT DOESN’T HURT TO TRY!***

***ALWAYS READ THE README FILE / INSTRUCTIONS THAT CAME WITH THE AIRCRAFT FIRST AND THEN USE THE FOLLOWING AS AN ADDITIONAL GUIDE FOR INTALLATION IF NEEDED***

1) Extract the contents of the ZIPFILE folder to a temporary folder or your desktop.
2) Copy the AIRCRAFT FOLDER (the one that has the name of the aircraft and includes the MODEL,  PANEL, TEXTURE, SOUND, .air, etc folders / files in it) into the FSX/SIMOBJECTS/AIRCRAFT or ROTORCRAFT folder.
3) If there is an EFFECTS folder, copy the CONTENTS WITHIN THAT FOLDER (not the folder itself) into the FSX MAIN EFFECTS FOLDER.
4) My experience has been that most pre-FSX gauges don’t work in FSX, so I no longer bother copying those. However, if you want to try it AT YOUR OWN RISK, copy the CONTENTS WITHIN THE GUAGES FOLDER (not the folder itself) into the FSX MAIN GUAGES FOLDER. If you get the “no longer supported messages” in FSX, you’ll have to go back and delete those gauges from the FSX MAIN GUAGES folder. Like I said, I don’t bother with those any more…ATTEMPT AT YOUR OWN RISK!
5) If there is a SOUND FOLDER that is OUTSIDE OF and NOT WITHIN the MAIN AIRCRAFT FOLDER, copy the CONTENTS of that SOUND FOLDER (not the folder itself, just the CONTENTS within it) into the MAIN FSX SOUND FOLDER. If the ONLY SOUND FOLDER you find is ONLY within the AIRCRAFT FOLDER, there is NO NEED to copy SOUND…you’ve already done it by performing STEP 2.
6) Open FSX and go to FREE FLIGHT. Click on your aircraft menu and scroll. You should see your new aircraft listed but with no “thumbnail” picture…just a “dummy”, ”generic” picture (hopefully). Picture or not, choose it and attempt to fly it around and test it out anyway. If you get the GUAGES NOT SUPPORTED messages, then you DID install the gauges that are no longer supported by FSX and you will have to refer back to step 4.
7) Once you’re flying your new added aircraft around, get a screenshot of it. Open the screenshot into your photo / image editor. Crop the image to your liking and re-size it to 256 x 128 pixels. Name the new image “thumbnail” and save it as a jpeg / .jpg into your desktop or the temporary folder you used to extract the files into.
8) Copy the new “thumbnail” image you just made into the TEXTURES FOLDER that is within the new AIRCRAFT FOLDER that you just placed in FSX / SIMOBJECTS.
9) Open FSX again, go to FREE FLIGHT again, click on the aircraft menu again and scroll until you find the same aircraft again. This time there should be a picture / “thumbnail” of the new aircraft you added.


You may not get all the gauges, panels or 3D cockpit features that you would like, but at least you will have an FS2002 / FS2004 aircraft that will “fly” in FSX. As I’ve stated, these instructions have worked for me 95% of the time.