Microsoft and third-party developers shared news about Microsoft Flight Simulator and its add-ons, including both aircraft and airports.
First of all, Microsoft itself released the first build of the beta of the upcoming Sim Update 15, kicking off the testing of the patch that is scheduled to be released on March 12.
The update finally fixes the old bug that has ATC voices suddenly disappear and brings a lot of changes to glass cockpit avionics, including the Garmin G3000 / G5000, the Garmin G3X Touch, the G1000 Nxi, the Garmin GNS430W / GNS530W, and the WT21.
We also get multi-rotor support for helicopters and further updates to the Boeing 787-10, Boeing 747-8i, Cessna Citation Longitude, Cirrus SR22T, and more.
You can find the full patch notes in the official forums. As usual, keep in mind that this is a beta, so you should not join unless you’re prepared for a less-than-optimal experience for the sake of help testing it.
Moving on to third-party developers, Just Flight provided an update about BlueBird Simulations’ Boeing 757.
The main systems under development right now are the avionics , flight management system, air conditioning and the electrical system. The avionics displays have been mapped out pixel by pixel to ensure complete accuracy. The FMS is being developed to match the real world FMS with all pages being simulated. The electrical system has been rebuilt from the ground up using schematic diagrams to ensure accuracy with almost 500 circuit breakers being mapped to their respective electrical buses.
The air conditioning system is being recreated with accurate simulation of the recirc fans, packs, trim air along with appropriate EICAS messages and more. The rest of the pneumatic system will be worked on as well to high detail including the pressurization system. The IRS system has the L,R, and C systems individually simulated along with variable alignment times based on location ( fixed align time is an option as well). All of the other systems (fuel, hydraulic, APU etc) will get the same attention to detail and we will keep you updated as they progress.
Other areas of the aircraft have progressed nicely , including a new iteration of the virtual cockpit with many new improvements to visual quality and accuracy. The VC textures are currently under work and will look even better than the original visuals. The flight model has been undergoing rigorous testing. Both engine types along with the 300 are getting custom tuned to ensure as accurate a flight model as possible. Work on the custom sounds will also begin shortly. We will update the feature list for the aircraft at a later date to allow us to list all of the functionality in deep detail.
Moving on to airport releases, iniBuilds released Miami International Airport (KMIA) in Florida, United States by the combo Beautiful Model of the World and AmSim.
You can find it at the developer’s own shop for $23. It includes the following features.
- Added option to select HD or SD textures
- High-resolution custom ground textures
- Custom ground markings
- Real world ground dirt
- Detailed Terminal area
- Animated Jetway
- Animated MIA mover over terminal buildings
- 60+ surrounding buildings fully modeled
- Accurately modelled realistic night lighting
- Up to date airport layout
- Animated and static peoples
Last, but not least, we go to Africa with the release by 61Tree Studio of Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport (FLHN), serving Livingstone in Zambia.
The developer cautions that the scenery is 70% complete and updates will come weekly until it’s fully finished. Further details that we can expect are the completion of buildings surrounding the main terminal, the interior of the ATC tower, more shops and interiors, the infirmary, the security room, more vehicles, and more animated people.
That being said, it certainly already looks quite great as you can see below. You can find it on Simmarket for $16.99.
Keep in mind that here on TechRaptor we publish daily Microsoft Flight Simulator news to keep you up to date on the ins and out of the third-party industry.
