I’ve been waylaid by the nasty flu going around so I’m only just catching up on some recent news around the world of flight simming. This round-up is focused on Microsoft Flight Simulator with a mixture of combat and civil aircraft products all getting significant updates, news or releases. We start off with iniBuilds and the A350 but there are also updates from Just Flight, IndiaFoxtEcho, AzurPoly, FlightFX and more! Let’s go!
A350 showcase
iniBuilds are just weeks away from unleashing their new wide-body Airbus A350 simulation to the masses. The aircraft is slated to arrive before the end of February!
Pricing is still not quite available yet but iniBuilds are saying that it will be less than €80 not including VAT. They report that frame rates are going to be similar to the MSFS 2024 A330, features can be controlled through the iniBuilds manager software, and that 4X simrate is possible depending on available performance – important for those long hauls. SimBrief, Navigraph, GSX, Hoppie integration is all in.
The video above is a 1 hour, 37 minute long presentation that shows off many of the systems, the visuals, the technologies behind it, and some details of the aircraft too. I was quite interested to learn that a lot of the textures in the cockpit are 1K textures but make use of detail maps to add details that make them just as sharp as far higher resolution materials. It sounds like iniBuilds are doing everything that they can to make full use of MSFS 2024’s technologies.
FlightFX P.180 out
On the other end of the pricing spectrum but no less cool, FlightFX have just made their Piaggio P.180 available for MSFS 2020 and compatibility for 2024. Custom ProLine 21 Avionics, custom CAS and dedicated softkey menus, detailed flight modeling, immersive audio, cabin enhancements (including various clutter features) and promises for ongoing support round out some of the type’s key features.
The type has a detailed manual and more features listed on the official website. The product is launching on the MSFS Marketplace and is currently available for 2020 with compatibility support for 2024. A future edition with native support for 2024 is also on the way and pricing is set at a very reasonable $24.99 USD.
FlightFX announce E145
Another Embraer aircraft series is coming to MSFS with the announcement from FlightFX that their team are taking on the E145.
With the release of the P180 FlightFX is proud to announce our newest project. The E145 for Microsoft Flight Simulator! The team is very excited about this project and we plan on pushing boundaries and making something never seen before from FlightFX. The E145 is currently entering assembly which means we are putting stuff together 3D wise.
Obviously its still early days but their 3D model images (above and on their Discord) show great progress already.
The commuter oriented Embraer ERJ family was competitive with other small jet series and produced from 1999 through to 2020. They have now been eclipsed by Embraer’s E-Jets family though many of them are still in very active service in the modern day.
Jaguar and other product update from AzurPoly
AzurPoly are working away ensuring their legacy products are compatible with MSFS 2024. They report that the remaining bugs are solved in Sim Update 1 and that the Bronco and Fouga will be getting weapon updates on Marketplace releases very shortly too. A native development of the Transall for 2024 meanwhile is well underway.
But the big update is that the Jaguar is making terrific progress. They report that they have made the decision, for now, to support development of MSFS 2024 only as developing for both is a time consuming process. They do leave the door open saying development would be considered for 2020 only in the later phase.
They are currently adding pre-flight checks and walkaround interaction, more realistic hydraulic and electrical, improved graphics and overall system fidelity afforded by 2024 to the airplane. They also report that they are adding a Jaguar GR1 variant (the RAF version) with exterior model differences and liveries. For now the cockpit remains the same, however, the GR1 had a very different cockpit and they are considering doing that post release.
Just Flight update to Hawk and other products
The next aircraft to get the V2 update from Just Flight is the Hawk T1/A Advanced Trainer. The trainer jet updates the aircraft with new features for 2020 and adds MSFS 2024 compatibility.
The update includes four new liveries, a reworked flight model, new EFB features with Navigraph enroute charts, various fixes and other bugs are resolved as well. Weapon release functionality is here now too so you can fire that Sidewinder. All is listed here in the changelog.
Meanwhile, a new graphic has been released showing what is currently supporting 2024 and what is still in development.
IndiaFoxtEcho update
There are nearly always a constant stream of updates coming from IndiaFoxtEcho and the latest few are focused on a variety of released products. We start with the F-35 which has just had a version 1.4.0 release come out. This has a significant navigation system update with enhanced realism, adjustments to the HUD and EFI, and fixes to radio comm frequency changes.
Meanwhile, their T-45C Goshawk is now up to version 1.4.4 and this latest update is focused entirely on the sounds with the work of Echo19 coming in to improve the engine and fly-by sounds. This aircraft is updated for 2020 and with 2024 support and the team are considering a native version of the product for 2024.
Stormbirds 
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