Fans of Aerosoft’s A330 project have been waiting for the company to release more details and lay out some new information on their forthcoming Airbus A330 project. Last week we learned that the team were plotting to launch a website to showcase the project and begin to answer some questions. There’s new screenshots, new information, but also more questions and concerns from parts of the community. Let’s have a look at everything!

The new details and the new screenshots

From the start I was very pleased to see Aerosoft launch this A330 focused website. Their past methods of showing off new project details in a long and very busy development thread on their forum was hard to follow for all but the most devoted of fan. This showcase is much clearer.

Aerosoft have provided what appears to be the first big development update laying out the project and indicating, plainly, where the project is at. They report that the aircraft is in a state where almost all planned systems are working and the aircraft can be flown from A to B. They go on to say that the aircraft looks great, the EFB is working, and many systems are extensively coded.

They also indicate that the aircraft still has challenges and they include ILS approach tracking not being precise enough, certain waypoint types cause the autopilot to oscillate, and performance hits caused by an imported flight plan into the MCDU.

Work on the sounds, cockpit usability and documentation continue as well.

An FAQ further clarifies that LNAV and VAN are both implemented already, the aircraft can be flown on Vatsim, IVAO and PilotEdge, and the aircraft is FSX compatible. Final feature set, release date, and cost are not yet known.

Dozens of new screenshots were released to day with about 1/3rd of the released shots shown here for your enjoyment. Visit their website for the rest!

The questions and the concerns

A number of community concerns have arisen and most of them center around the wording of the answer to the Vatsim/IVAO/PilotEdge question. The answer is straight forward enough in that yes you can fly on those systems but the rest of the answer has caused some to pause and ask what they mean.

You definitely can. However, you should familiarize yourself with the handling of the aircraft beforehand. Under certain circumstances you will have to fly maneuvers that are usually facilitated by additional systems, which will not be available from day 1.

Experienced virtual airliner pilots are worried through this statement that the aircraft is going to lack certain, though unknown, features that should be there. The Day 1 statement also, to some, implies an early access model.

We don’t know enough about either component here to really known what Aerosoft is talking about here. That, of course, is part of the problem itself in that we known enough to know that something is missing and that some features may appear after day 1 but we don’t know what they are.

Aerosoft may not know yet either but they have developed a reputation in recent years that has seen them offer updates to their CRJ infrequently and almost entirely pull their DHC-6 Twin Otter from sale. The A330 may enable the company to regain confidence with a solid product and ongoing support or further damage reputation if those things don’t happen. It’s not an easy place to be in but I am hopeful for the Aerosoft A330 to emerge as a successful product.

The dedicated website is a great first step and I encourage everyone to visit the new A330 site on the Aerosoft website.