Preview of X-Crafts ERJ Family V2

January 26, 2026

9–14 minutes

Embraer’s ERJ family of regional jets is not a type that I’ve been overly familiar with. I’ve never flown on one, I’ve rarely seen one, and for me it had been mostly overshadowed by the more modern E-Jets Series and, of course, the Bombardier CRJ series of regional jets. However, with hundreds of them airborne at any one time, and significant regional operators flying these aircraft they are very much a part of modern commuter aviation in various parts of the world and its this aircraft series that X-Crafts is returning to with an entirely revamped V2 release. Marko from the X-Crafts team reached out and asked if I wanted to check out a beta version preview of the aircraft ahead of its launch and I said “Yes, absolutely!” Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect!

Still in beta, newbie ERJ pilot right here!

The version I got to check out is a very recent build from the development team, however, it is in beta! Right off the bat, I want to say that when you get to preview an aircraft there are often a few things that they are still ironing out the kinks on. So, if you see something amiss, particularly if you’re familiar with the airplane, it may be because they are still sorting things out. I did run into a few bugs though only a few.

The second thing to keep in mind is that I’m pretty new to the ERJ. As I said in the preamble, its not an airplane that I was overly familiar with. In preparation for this preview, I read about the aircraft’s history, I read the checklists provided by X-Crafts, and I’ve done my best to keep up with the airplane. Still, there were definitely some things that I was doing wrong that required some review followed by a “Oh, of course, I’m an idiot.” We all have those moments as sim pilots! There’s also the usual missing of an item on the checklist that happened to me a few times like leaving the APU on for an entire flight.

First impressions

I’ve done a series of flights with the beta test to get a feel for the aircraft ahead of release. This article won’t be a full review (look for that to come later), however, I will offer some quality considerations of the product as we go along. Despite being a beta test that I’ve been flying, my first impression is that X-Crafts is very close to releasing these aircraft. The product I experienced is already at an excellent quality level with just a few issues that I ran into plus a few that are known that the team are trying to knock off the list before launch.

I can already say that the ERJ Family V2 is going to be quite familiar to those with the E-Jets Family V2 (a comparison I will make frequently). It has the same tablet with the same features (albeit tuned to the ERJ), the model and texture work is extremely good and is in the upper tier of what I’ve seen in X-Plane and compares favourably with some of the best developers in MSFS as well. If you’re looking for a MSFS comparison, its a notch behind iniBuilds flagship products and Fenix but comparable with Just Flight or Aerosoft’s CRJ model (which is quite good despite its chequered reputation in past years). It’s better than what I’ve seen of the texture and model work from ToLiss and comparable or better than Laminar’s recently upgraded A330 – also no slouch in the looks department.

Sounds are also excellent and just like the E-Jets I don’t see the need for a sound pack to upgrade the experience. There are a few bugs right now with inconsistent and duplicated altitude call-outs during landing but there are lots of great and subtle jobs done with the engines, start-up sounds, most in-cockpit switches, avionics fan whirring noises, and so forth. There’s always room for more subtly to be added and I’ll write more on this when we get to the full review but this does have punchy engine sounds with great attention to their character as the throttle is adjusted. The exterior sounds are quite loud and may need a little adjustment prior to release to level them out a bit more.

This aircraft is great when taxiing and great hand-flying as well. The autopilot is highly capable but taking direct control lets you feel the weight and the whole aircraft behind you in a way that X-Plane and capable developers like X-Crafts are able to do. The feeling is not too far removed from the E-Jets but it has its own unique quirks that you’ll need to learn as you fly it.

X-Crafts new AirComms helper system is really well implemented as well. The system pop-up dynamically with helpful tips, if you want them, when you do something wrong or it looks like you’re having trouble with something. It will give you contextual information in the top right corner as the items come up.

It’ll remind you about how long the IRS system takes to align (you can set it to fast or realistic as needed) and it’ll remind you about setting the thrust setting for the appropriate phase of flight (takeoff, climb and cruise). The best one was when I was struggling to put in arrival information and the pop-up reminded me that the FMS in the ERJ is weird and you need to “close the flight plan” by putting the arrival airport as not just the arrival point but also the last waypoint. This is another way that X-Crafts (beyond all of their tutorials and help videos) is catering towards newer virtual pilots or to people unfamiliar to the ERJ. I actually think there’s probably a few more that they could implement like not having the bleed open when you’re trying to start the engines… I made the mistake, some of you will too.

First flights

I did a bunch of flights with the ERJ family in writing up the preview. I need to put even more time in before the full review but I’m well on my way to learning the jet and its systems which will serve me well as we all wait for release and then I write the review up.

My first flight replicated a real world flight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Wilmington, North Carolina. This first flight is where I made the most number of mistakes and learned a whole lot about the ERJ and how to fly it.

Another flight was conducted during one of the biggest and worst winter storms across large parts of North America in recent years. The real world flight from Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois, was cancelled and I can see why. The flight conditions were brutal and the ERJ’s maximum ceiling of 37,000 was not high enough to meaningfully break out of the clouds or the associated turbulence. The anti-ice system was working but I was getting warnings at various points during my flight! This is Stormbirds afterall and I like flying through a good storm to test out a flight simulated airplane – in real life I’d prefer calmer skies of course. It did tell me that X-Craft’s autopilot can handle turbulence without disconnecting for the basic stuff.

I did a real world JSX semi-private operator flight from Burbank, California to Concord Buchanan Field Airport, California. The setting sun and weather conditions were superb!

ERJ’s are most commonly used in North America but I wanted to do something a bit different and that’s where South African operator Airlink flying from Cape Town to Kimberley Airport through mostly open skies was fun and different.

With community liveries sure to pick up traction post launch and some interesting other operators around the world. I’ll definitely be flying this elsewhere too.

Is it… study level?

The term study level is plagued with misunderstandings and expectations that are difficult sometimes to quantify on a person to person level. Still, decades after the term became popular in flight simulation circles, the question continues to pop-up. I prefer to use a sliding scale like low, medium, and high fidelity instead. Its also troubled by different levels of understanding but it at least helps place a product on a spectrum.

Are the ERJ Family V2 high fidelity? My answer is yes! You can take my opinion with a grain of salt (or a pinch of it if you prefer) because no, I am not an ERJ pilot, but I have read as much as I could, understood as much as I could and listened to a couple of real world pilots take on the jet and the overall impression is that this is doing a great job of simulating the real airplane. Its more than that, however, when it comes to making for an entertaining flight sim product.

High fidelity for me goes beyond does it do what the real world airplane does in normal and abnormal situations. It also asks if its doing everything it should to be a good entertainment product at the same time. Does it have the graphics, the support systems, and various integrations to make it a good sim product. Its a difficult bar to clear and I’ll wait for the final release and review to fully cement that opinion. Things can change I like to let developers finish and release before I do that kind of critique. Still, I think X-Crafts haven’t missed a beat here and have improved slightly over their previous products. It’s a big improvement when you compare this with the first generation.

You can expect detailed systems operations, realistic warning lights, checklist accuracy in nearly all important aspects of simulated flight. Yes, there a couple of items are INOP like the backup oxygen system… on the other hand, the oxygen in my office at home is just fine thank you. To the best of my knowledge, it also doesn’t have the full electrical system mapped out so you can’t pull breakers. But I don’t feel like that’s necessary for high fidelity when everything else is there and working as it should.

The ERJ is also interesting to fly as its not nearly as automated as the follow-on E-Jets. It doesn’t have a VNAV and it doesn’t have an auto-throttle so the ERJ is a bit more hands on. It does, on the other hand, have automated holds which is an advancement that E-Jets should have and doesn’t just yet so X-Crafts have been making progress!

What’s coming

As with X-Crafts E-Jets Family V2 release, ERJ Family V2 will come with a series of choices for purchase. The beta test that I’ve been participating in has the ERJ 135, 140, 145, 145XR and the Legacy 650 business jet. It’s a nearly complete accounting of Embraer’s ERJ series first launched in 1989.

Final pricing isn’t available yet but I’m expecting that the individual aircraft and complete set bundle will be more or less priced at the same level as the E-Jets Family. That is, for reference, $74.95 USD for an individual variant and $149.95 USD for the complete pack. That’d be my guess right now but we’ll have to see when they arrive.

Most of the different variants are quite similar with minor differences in length, weight, and performance. The Legacy 650 is the most unique of the bunch. The cockpit is going to be familiar from the other variants, however the cabin area is all business jet with various luxury appointments. If you prefer to business jets, you can absolutely do that kind of flying with this.

Final thoughts

If I were to make a guess, it probably won’t be that much longer before X-Crafts turns their ERJ Family V2 release around for full launch. Despite being a beta, I never ran into any serious problems with the aircraft and between the impressive visuals, sounds, systems, and integration, there’s an awful lot to look forward to with this release.

AirComms is a great helper system for newbie pilots and those new to the ERJ series so if you’re worried about learning the jet, don’t be. The system covers a lot of the common issues and I suspect that post launch will see the system add in some more common mistakes. I think this might be one of those “killer feature” moments that helps people get into the product more easily.

X-Plane’s airliner market is on the smaller side and it X-Crafts are cementing their position by offering two popular regional jet liners that other developers haven’t tackled. Its a good niche to be in as these regional jets are incredibly capable and offer a lot of fun simulator flying.

Stay tuned for more news as X-Crafts works through their beta testing process and heads for release. It won’t be long now, of that I’m reasonably sure!