The PMDG 777 was recently unveiled in a short trailer, which we covered in our previous article here. After the trailer release, PMDG’s Q&A session was live-streamed, where viewers could leave questions for the host to answer. The majority of the questions were related to the upcoming 777 for MSFS and the development of Boeing 737MAX.
Q&A Reveals New Information About The PMDG 777 For MSFS
During the PMDG’s Q&A session, several questions were asked about the PMDG 777 aircraft and its features, which were confirmed to be in a “very high state of readiness”. The team expressed their satisfaction with the product, stating that it would be ready in two months or less after a few final tests by beta testers, although no release date was set.
Additionally, PMDG released a Facebook post confirming that the next variants of the 777 for MSFS will include the 777-200ER and LR, as well as the 777F. The 777F will be the second release on the schedule, followed by the 200ER and LR. Viewers asked if there would be more variations like the 777A or 777X, but it was confirmed that they are not being developed. However, discussions with Boeing are ongoing regarding the 777X.
PMDG 777 Pricing and Features
Regarding the pricing, the PMDG 777-300ER will be launched at a price similar to that of the PMDG 737NG. The pricing of their products can vary depending on the popularity of an aircraft according to PMDG’s Q&A. A new universal flight tablet (UFT) has been developed specifically for the PMDG 777, which will allow you to manage the aircraft’s weight in the load manager. You can also make changes to parts of the aircraft such as brakes and tires without having to navigate through different menus in the FMC. All of the newer features will be available in the 737NG’s UFT after the release of the 777-300ER.
Other features coming with the aircraft are:
- Implementation of Radius-to-Fix legs in the navigation system, also coming to the 737
- Gear tilt
- Modeled passenger cabin with four-class configuration
- Animated cabin door
- CPDLC which will use the Hoppie network and Hoppie’s free text
- Automatic step climbs
Many users asked about certain features that will not be included in the upcoming 777 release. The developers confirmed that taxi cameras from the previous Prepar3D version of the 777 will not be included in this release. Additionally, there will be no heads-up display or cabin announcements included in this aircraft.
PMDG 737 MAX and Their Future Projects
Participants were eager to know more about the upcoming 737MAX from the developers. It has been confirmed that the 737MAX and the 777 are high on the developer’s agenda. However, the team decided to work on the PMDG 777 first as they were already tired from the release of the 737NG. Even though the 737MAX is still far away, with no previews or news revealed, it was mentioned that the release of the 737MAX will probably be released during the middle of the 777 release schedule. No variations of the 737MAX were revealed.
PMDG will be displaying more of the 777 to FSWeekend attendees. Additionally, it was confirmed that there will be no new product announcements during the event. To conclude PMDG’s Q&A, the UFT for the 737NG version of Xbox will be released in the next few days as an update. It was also revealed that a physical keyboard will be required to use the UFT in-game because of the hardware limitations of the Xbox when developing the tablet.
