I’ve been waiting since the 2019 announcement of Microsoft Flight Simulator to find out when a Dash-8 would come to the sim. Seven years later, that wait is finally ending as two sets of high fidelity Dash 8s are now in the works and SimWorks Studios has set out some of their plans for them in a new developer update.
Time for the Dash 8!
The update indicates that SimWorks Studios has been working on this project starting back in 2022. The project reconfirms that they will be doing the Dash 8 Q100, Q200 and Q300 covering the classic era of the series.
It will be a MSFS 2024 exclusive as they intend to use much of the newer platforms modular technology to create cockpit and cabin variations. They will also be taking a nod from some other developers and are going to add dynamic physics effects for multiple objects within the cockpit (they reference Heatblur though Got Friends has also done this recently).
The update indicates that SWS are taking a deep systems approach modeling the aircraft’s electrical system (300 circuits and 70 buses) and custom coding engine simulation including a new custom beta range coding which will be back ported to the PC-12, Kodiak 100 and 900 later.
Release plans are such that the aircraft will release individually with the Q100, 200 and 300 all being separate releases staggered over time. A discounted bundle featuring all three is also planned.
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