MSFS20 How to change ICAO code for a default airport

[WildLynxPilot]

I have been struggling with this for some time and did not really find good information on how to do it. Now, I found the solution and want to post it here if somebody else have the same problem.

I am working on a small airfield that has the wrong ICAO code (EFKL) in MSFS. The correct code is EFKW. I made a new airport project and edited it in dev mode, adding runways, taxiways, parkings and other stuff using the correct ICAO code. The compiled project did not show up in the sim - the EFKL was the only one selectable even though my new parkings and scenery objects were there. So I had EFKW available but somehow obscured by the default airport. I tried the new Exclusion Rectangle parameter "excludeAirport" but it did nothing - the EFKL was still there and the only selectable on the world map.

Then I finally found the solution: You have to add another <Airport>...</Airport> declaration for the false ICAO code in the xml and add the parameter closed="TRUE" to it. So now my xml looks like this:

    <?xml version="1.0"?>
    <FSData version="9.0">
    
    ....

    <Airport ident="EFKL" lat="60.75658581911122" lon="26.73234818315971"
    alt="41.00214062910527" closed="TRUE">
    </Airport>
    
    <Airport displayName="EFKW - Ummeljoki" parentGroupID="1" groupID="5"
    groupGenerated="FALSE" region="A" country="Finland" city="Kouvola" name="Ummeljoki"
    ident="EFKW" lat="60.75658581911122" lon="26.73234818315971"
    alt="41.00214062910527" magvar="8.600000" trafficScalar="1.000000"
    airportTestRadius="2000.00000000000000" applyFlatten="FALSE"
    isOnTIN="FALSE" tinColorCorrection="TRUE" starAirport="TRUE">
    
    .......
    
    </Airport>
    </FSData>

(Note that the ident, lat, lon and alt parameters are compulsory in the airport declaration!)

This got rid of the false EFKL in the world map and in the sim and now EFKW is selectable on the map and working!

I hope this can be useful information for somebody else...

 

[fabs79]

Thank you, this is good to know. IIRC it was absolutely impossible to remove a default airport in FSX or P3D, in the city where I lived a few years ago there was a small airfield that got closed and they built a convention centre on the former airport grounds, but it was still selectable in FSX and there was no way to change that.

 

[WildLynxPilot]

I suppose that you can do it easily now with a tiny mod that only contains the closed="TRUE" parameter.

 

[rhumbaflappy]

I actually have no problems using an airport exclude rectangle:

Attached is the Project.

 

[WildLynxPilot]

That's interesting. Have you built the project and installed it in Community and checked that EFKL is no longer available in the World map, but EFKW is (after restarting the sim with dev mode off?

 

[rhumbaflappy]

That's interesting. Have you built the project and installed it in Community and checked that EFKL is no longer available in the World map, but EFKW is (after restarting the sim with dev mode off?

Yes. It works fine for me.

 

[WildLynxPilot]

Curious. Did not work for me... Have to try it again with a fresh project later...

 

[rhumbaflappy]

Compile my project and confirm it works. The Exclusion rectangle can only have excludeAirports checked. And just to be sure, I placed the rectangle above the new airport in the scenery editor.

 

[WildLynxPilot]

Yes, I will try later. My solution also works for now...