I’ll admit to having initially dismissed the work that Black Square had done for Microsoft Flight Simulator. It looked like a paid mod of an aircraft that was already available when they brought out the analogue control King Air last year but I was very wrong about the level of detail that’s gone into their work. Here’s what it is and what the latest release includes.

Bonanza follows King Air in the analogue treatment

What Black Square done is take the default Asobo aircraft that they have upgraded and added a ton of depth to them. The exterior model, in this release, is using the modern Beechcraft Bonanza G36 for Microsoft Flight Simulator together with a more traditional analogue cockpit and then drilled down into some impressive depth

The advertising kind of does a bit of a disservice here as the analogue cockpit is just kind of the set dressing for everything else done. The upgrade includes three versions of the Bonanza 36 that includes a standard A36 version, one with tip tanks and extra fuel, and a turbocharged A36TC.

A detailed simulation of the turbocharger, persistent wear modeling, failure schedules, and customizable radio and navigation systems are the headlining features. Avionics include KX-155 NAV/COM radios, GNS 530, GNS 430, KR 87 ADF, KDI 572 DME, GTX 327 Transponder, KFC 150 Autopilot and a Bendix RDR1150XL Colour Weather Radar. There is also support for a Garmin GTN 750 with both PMS50 or TDS versions of that product supported.

A 16-minute technical and feature overview video goes into detail on how to make use of these systems.

The price is a bit steep at $32.99 USD but the depth of the upgrade is probably worth it to anyone who wants a deeper GA airplane experience. You can currently purchase the Analog Bonanza from Black Square on the JustFlight store. The Analog King Air, also from Black Square and also receiving the same treatment, is available from JustFlight for $38.99 USD.