What's Changed in Version 7?

So far, the major changes from V6 to V7 are internal - there's been a major rework of the mechanisms inside X-Plane that aren't really visible on the outside. But there's a huge list of small changes and new features. For the details, see the 7.00 history page.
In many respects 7.x is compatible with 6.70:

Same scenery format

Compatible aircraft format (there's a new format for 7.00, but 7.00-7.63 loads 6.xx aircraft without conversion).

For all the gory details on what's been happening with V7, see the detailed history pages.
This page describes changes specific to V7.x. Also see the Installing and Upgrading page for general information.

V7 current Favorites

Where do I get V7??

From the X-Plane download page. It lists the main FTP site and several alternate sites. If you can't deal with the download, you can order a CD.

Can I run V7 with my 6.x CD?

No. V7 is a major new version. The 6.x update subscription has run out. You must order a V7 CD, either direct from Laminar Research or X-Plane.org. A V7 single CD package is also available at some retail stores and mail order retailers. See the Install/Upgrade page for details.

System requirements:

The Macintosh version requires either OS-X or OS-9.2.2; OS-X is highly recommended. Some 7.x versions run on OS-9.2.2; others don't.

There are no mandatory hardware requirements over 6.70. In fact, with comparable rendering options, 7.00 is substantially faster than 6.70. You'll do fine with a 1GHz cpu and Radeon or GeForce video card. However, the new volumetric clouds in 7.00 require a lot of cpu power. Go for a high end current machine if you want to fly in lots of scattered clouds. The cloud shadows also eat a lot of power.

What's happened to the folders?

Not much, again. The big change is that the preferences are now stored in a Preferences folder inside the Resources folder. It's much easier now to manage your preferences if you're running multiple versions of X-Plane.

What changes are there in the aircraft format?

Landing light #3 has become a taxi light. If your V6 plane has a #3 landing light, you'll have to add a taxilight switch to the panel to avoid a loading error.
For planes with retractable landing gear, you need to specify a gear cycle time if they're from an earlier V6 version.
The front panel view is now the full screen. (The menu bar only pops up if you move the cursor onto it.) Custom panel bitmaps should now be 1024x768. The V6 1024x750 panel bitmaps will be accepted, but you'll have a gap at the top of your panel view.

Additional changes in 7.10:

The AP1/AP2/GPS autopilot buttons have disappeared. The HSI source selector switch (but_HSI_12 or but_HSI_12GPS) now selects the autopilot source. You'll probably need to add one of these if you didn't have one already.

Additional changes in 7.21:

The naming structure for custom sound files has changed. See the Beech King Air for an example.

Additional changes in 7.30:

Panel bitmaps may be taller than the the previous height of 768, with a panel of up to 1024x1024 supported. The up and down arrows scroll between the upper and lower panel views.

Additional changes in 7.41:

The graphics for panels and instruments have received a major overhaul; all instruments now get their graphics from individual bitmaps and may be individually customized. Old default panels still work the same. Old custom panels continue to work (mostly - don't expect bugs to get fixed), but the old custom panel method will be discontinued after the V7.x run. For details, see the Aircraft Format and Conversion page.

What about my custom scenery?

Custom scenery for V6 should work fine in V7.

Things to watch out for...

My frame rate is really terrible

Cloud shadows are on by default in the Rendering Options. Turn them off unless you have a pretty fast machine and video card.

Lower your texture resolution one notch in the Rendering Options menu.The new runway texture bitmaps are larger, and you may be running out of VRAM.

I just bought the new scenery CDs for 6.70. Do I need to buy the 7.00 scenery CDs now?

No - they're the same. For more help in identifying what version of the scenery CDs you have, see the X-Plane Global Scenery page.

Current Favorites...

I see no scenery on Mars (version 7.50)

This was a bug in 7.50; it's fixed in 7.61 and later versions.

Just sitting on the runway, my plane turns or slides in the wind

This is a known problem with how ground friction is handled, made much worse by computational flutter. The problem was especially bad in 7.41; incidence of computational flutter appears to be significantly reduced in later versions. See the detailed description on the Theory page.

I can't take a screenshot or capture Quicktime video with a high end ATI card

You need to disable anti-aliasing in the video drivers. (This may be PC-specific; more data needed.)

I can't activate ATC any more

Turning on multi-player mode disbles ATC.

Every time I start up X-Plane it attempts to make an internet connection to Baron.me.umn.edu

It's attempting to download real weather. Turn off the "Download metar.rwx" button in the Weather settings menu to make this go away.

When I cross a waypoint set up in the FMS, X-Plane crashes

This is a known bug in version 7.30; it is fixed in V7.41. If you have the autopilot slaved to the FMS (i.e., LNAV mode) X-Plane will hang, typically with a terrible noise in the audio, when you get within .3 to .5 miles of the waypoint. To circumvent the problem, when you're within 1.5 miles of the waypoint, manually advance to the next waypoint. (Thanx to Andrew Bright for the workaround.)

7.30+ won't start on my iBook with 8MB VRAM

The increased panel size in 7.30 pushed VRAM requirements over the edge for Mac iBooks with 8MB VRAM and running OSX. It still works if you're running OS9, which uses slightly less VRAM for the same application load. (But it probably won't for long).

How do I convert V6.x planes for use in V7?

For most V6 planes no conversion is necessary. V7.x will accept them as is. There is a new aircraft format; to convert a plane simply open it in PlaneMaker and resave it. For details and exceptions, see the Aircraft Format and Conversion page.

The AP1/AP2/GPS buttons for the autopilot have disappeared (V7.10+)

These buttons are no longer available on the panel as of V7.10. Look instead for a NAV1/NAV2 or NAV1/NAV2/GPS HSI selector switch. If the plane doesn't have one you'll have to open it in PlaneMaker and add one.

The AP1/AP2/GPS buttons for the autopilot don't work (V7.10+)

Same answer as above, only the plane has a custom panel. The panel bitmap still shows the button images, but there's no functioning button there. If the plane doesn't have a NAV1/NAV2 or NAV1/NAV2/GPS HSI selector switch you'll have to open it in PlaneMaker and add one. And you'll have to fix up the custom panel bitmap.

I try to engage LNAV or VNAV and the autopilot doesn't work (V7.41+)

There have been a couple of important changes in how the AP's LNAV and VNAV modes work. Among other things, X-Plane now models realistic range limits for navaids and is unforgiving about incorrect use of the autopilot. For details, see the autopilot description on the Flying and Navigation page.

The top of the panel is missing (V7.x)

And I can see a narrow strip of sky where there should be the window frame (or whatever).
Your plane has a V6 custom panel bitmap. In V7 the menu bar was removed from the normal front view and only appears when you move the cursor to the top of the screen. So the custom panel bitmap needs to be expanded from the V6 size of 1024x750 to the new size of 1024x768 or larger.

After flying at high altitude for a few minutes the screen slowly goes black.

You're suffering from hypoxia - oxygen starvation. This will occur in a plane that has pressurization controls and you forgot to set them, or it has an incomplete set and you can't. For more details see the Flying FAQ.

Back to the main page