PMDG have been updating their Facebook page regularly over the last couple of days with a few new images of their long awaited Boeing 777. We also have some new feature information thanks to a manual leak that sheds a bit of light on what we can expect with the aircraft.
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A couple of new images have trickled out from PMDG ahead of the release of their Boeing 777 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The -300 variant coming first is reportedly getting close to release though recent updates from the company haven’t given us any firm information just yet.
Meanwhile, we have gotten some concrete information thanks to an alleged leak of the manual. Take what you read at this point with a grain of salt but I have little reason to doubt that these are features that seem likely and have, at times, been confirmed elsewhere.
A thread on the r/MicrosoftFlightSim group on Reddit gives us some highlights.
The features include a moveable tablet interface (PMDG calls it a UFT, everyone else calls it an EFB) which also adopts a Fenix style charging system where the battery can run out. Its not going to have much effect for short haul flyers (yes, the 777 is sometimes used on shorter flights) but if you do like realistic long distance missions you may want to power off the tablet to save battery.
Visual wear on brakes and wear pins have been apparently implemented and can be checked during a walkaround. The same applies to wheels which can also get dirty. Wear and tear items like engine oil and hydraulic fluid consumption will apparently also be features on the jet.
The type will have wing flex and engine wobble too – hopefully we’ll see this at a slightly higher framerate than we see with the 737.
Finally, one other highlight I want to mention is that PMDG have finally relented and are giving the 777 a weather radar making use of the radar system built-into MSFS. I think this is the right move and have written at length in the past on it being better to have the option of some sort of weather radar, even if flawed or less detailed than preferred, versus having none at all.
Hopefully we’ll be hearing from PMDG soon on release plans and a confirmation of the final featureset. That said, these features would keep the 777 up with the competition which is both plausible and good to see.
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