X-Plane Airport & Navigation Data
Downloading the latest data ...
I try to publish new data approximately every month. Each set of data files is identified by the AIRAC year and sequential number indicating when it was published (eg. AIRAC 2010.01 refers to the first release in 2010).
Each new release of X-Plane (to which you can update automatically using the X-Plane Installer) will include the latest data files available on the X-Plane release date. But, if you would like to install the very latest data immediately, you can download the data from the links here and place the files in the appropriate folders of your X-Plane installation. These files will work on Windows, Mac and Linux.
The data files are supplied in a Zip file format, and will need to be extracted to appropriate folders. If you are not comfortable with opening and extracting Zip files, then please wait until you upgrade X-Plane to the next version.
Latest data files
The latest data was published on 03 June, 2010 (AIRAC 2010.06, valid 03 June 2010 - 01 July 2010).
Data files are available in slightly different formats and scope for different versions of the X-Plane simulator. Make sure that you download the correct version. The data for each version have similar content, but with different file and folder names. X-Plane 9.00 and later has eliminated earlier limitations on the maximum number of airports within a region, and so some more smaller airports (mostly heliports) are included in these files. This difference is only noticeable in very dense metropolitan areas (such as Los Angeles, São Paulo, etc.).
These files will work under Windows, Mac or Linux. Click a button on the left to download the version of the data you require, and to see the log of all updates in this release.
Installing the new data manually
The file you download will be a Zip archive (for example, "AptNav200911XP900.zip") that contains data files assigned to their appropriate sub-folders within your X-Plane installation. Extract all the content of the archive to your X-Plane folder (for example: "C:\X-System 9.x\" on a Windows machine) with the option to "Use Folder Names" selected. This will place all the files in their proper locations. X-Plane 9.0 and later uses a different folder structure and names for the data files. So make sure that you download the correct data for your version of X-Plane.
The folder locations used by different X-Plane versions for the data files are:
- In X-Plane 9 and later, the nav-aid (earth_nav.dat), fix (earth_fix.dat), airway (earth_awy.dat) and astronomical (earth_astro.dat) data files are stored in the "X-Plane\Resources\default data\" folder. The airport data (apt.dat) is stored separately in the "X-Plane\Resources\default scenery\default apt.dat\" folder.
- In X-Plane 8.61 - 8.64, the airport (apt.dat), nav-aid (nav.dat), fix (fix.dat), airway (awy.dat) and astronomical (astro.dat) data files are all stored together in the "X-Plane\Resources\Earth nav data\" folder.
Expired data formats
Archived data files are also available for older versions of X-Plane, as listed on the left. These represent the last sets of data that were published in a format suitable for those older versions. It's unlikely that additional new data will be published for these defunct releases of X-Plane. If you download these new files, please make a backup copy of your existing data files before installing the new ones.
Mars!
Yes, X-Plane also supports flight on the red planet! We have created over 70 simple airports upon Mars for you to fly between. Most are near significant Martian features, allowing you to explore the planet and its distinctive atmosphere. This data is updated infrequently.
You will need the optional Mars scenery CD from Laminar Research (the authors of X-Plane) to appreciate this data. Some airports have an ILS approach, with a very shallow glideslope suited to the characteristics of Martian aeroplanes. The range of localizers and glideslopes has been extended on Mars to enable you to establish you aircraft on the approach much further from the runway - an essential feature given the poor maneuverability and high groundspeeds of Martian aeroplanes.