Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft maker IRIS Simulations have announced a new partnership with Pilatus Aircraft to bring licensed recreations of the PC-9 and PC-24 to Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Two aircraft for MSFS
In an announcement late last week, IRIS Simulations have announced that their next two projects for Microsoft Flight Simulator are to build licensed recreations of the PC-9 and PC-24. IRIS simulations calls them ‘recreational’ recreations meaning that they will probably not be full study level aircraft. On the other hand, IRIS Simulations have been given good marks for their work on the Jabiru light aircraft so it seems likely that these will still be very good recreations.
It is with the greatest pleasure that we can announce that IRIS Simulations and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd have come to an agreement to produce officially licenced recreational renditions of the Pilatus PC-9 & PC-24 Super Versatile Jet for Microsoft Flight Simulator!This agreement builds upon a long standing relationship with Pilatus and allows IRIS Simulations to bring our award winning PC-9 and PC-24 Super Versatile Jet products to Microsoft’s flagship simulation product on both PC & Xbox Series X. We will be providing further information as development continues and look forward to showcasing these aircraft in the world’s leading PC & Xbox based flight simulator product.
IRIS Simulations
The PC-9 is a light turboprop based trainer and light attack aircraft in use with airforces and some aerobatics groups. It should be a zippy, fun and fast aircraft. IRIS Simulations reports that they are likely to be doing a PC-9A.
The PC-24 is something entirely different and is a modern business jet with speed and performance including a top speed of a 440 knots.
Both are likely to be types that we should be keeping an eye on as they develop! Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more.
Stormbirds 
With this, don’t we have a pretty much complete trainer on-ramp for any modern combat jet?
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Yeah pretty much! MSFS has some great trainer options already.
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Depends on how closely you want to role play.
For USN, sure, we’ve got a decent T-45C already, HOWEVER, the advanced training features of that aircraft (air and ground combat systems) are missing from the MSFS model.
USAF would move from the PC9-type aircraft to the T-38C Talon, where the cockpit setup is very similar to F-16/F-15. MilViz will be bringing their T-38A to msfs at some point, but NOT the “classified” Charlie version with all the fun toys 😦
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True. But once you’re ready for the weapon systems you can transition to the DCS T-45 mod, which does have the things that go boom.
Similar with the T-38 side, since DCS does have a good F-5, that should give a lot of the essential features.
Part of this is beyond the roleplay aspects, and more, how to teach someone who is just starting out how to do all this. There’s a steep learning curve to all of this, and it just gets steeper the more modern you go.
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Good thing about the PC-24 is that it’s capable of landing on grass strips!
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Oh that’s good to know and should just make for an even more interesting experience.
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“Simulation on X-Box”? Is that not a little difficult to reconcile?
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No I don’t think so. The sim is coming, essentially unaltered, to Xbox less than two weeks. Consoles as a platform are at this point a mass market PC with custom OS wrapper and customized hardware configuration.
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I DO hope it will be one of the later-model Glass Cockpit PC-9’s!
PC-24 will be cool – hopefully it will go deeper than Default level, or at least allow use of Working Title Mods, et al, to enhance the experience. Otherwise there’d be no reason to buy it when we have the CJ4 and even a warmed up Longitude.
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Working Title Mods will eventually be incorporated into the MSFS base product as there’s a partnership there now. https://stormbirds.blog/2021/03/10/working-title-becomes-a-developer-for-msfs/
Either way I think it’ll be good to have a a few business jets kicking around. A third party option at $30ish will have a little more attention given to it.
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Hey, the more the merrier. I’m just hoping to see things like Aerobask’s Phenom or HotStart’s Challenger. Addon’s that give enough immersion/realism that they’re worth the price over the WT CJ4, for e.g.
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I’d love that too! The Aerobask’s Phenom 300 is one of my favourite aircraft modules of all time.
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I think any plane or content adds value to the sim. If you don’t see any use in it, then just don’t buy it. I d also like to see some very long range business jets, like Global 7500, G650, Falcon 10X etc.
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I agree, however, at some point you gotta prioritize your activities and purchases.
If an addon doesn’t add anything to my experience that I don’t already have, it generally gets skipped.
The Just Flight Turbo Arrow is a perfect example: it’s a relatively boring aircraft IRL, but as an addon it greatly surpasses everything else available and so I fly it instead of all the other GA aircraft.
OTOH, IRIS has explicitly said these will be “Survey Level” addons, so i’m wondering what it will offer that the defaults+mods won’t. Just like Zibo on X-Plane, it’ll have to be pretty special to compete with them and survive.
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I would suspect that they may be developed at Carenado levels of detail which have been pretty good overall in MSFS. For many people, that is enough. If they can get most systems working the way they should and do things like canopy open/close, doors, etc. then I’d probably be satisfied. They don’t need to do a full electrical simulation for me to give it high marks (although that level of detail is cool).
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Nice, I ll definetly get the PC-24! I hope the PC-12 will follow in the future.
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I suppose the door is open for the PC-12 from IRIS. I wouldn’t be surprised if Carenado resurrects their PC-12 as well.
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Pilatus PC9 is what croatian pilots use before they jump to MiG-21… or Rafale in the future.
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Very interesting. This should be a popular choice from what I’m hearing. I’ll definitely be paying close attention to the work being done here!
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