BlueBird Simulations took to their YouTube channel earlier this week to release a January development update on their upcoming rendition of the Boeing 757 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The team lead, Shervin, presented some new info, including a release window, a work-in-progress snippet of the Flight Management System, and some additional commentary. The team also shared a post on Reddit clarifying the extended development timeline.
Release Window and FMS Snippet
The team lead starts out by saying that the aircraft will most certainly be released later this year, around the third quarter. Excluding the EFB or electronic flight bag, all of the systems are cumulatively 90% of the way to completion. This latest video will be their second-to-last before release, as the next dev update after this will go in-depth with the various systems and finally reveal a release date. After the various systems modeling, such as the engine, flight management, sound, and other easier systems are done, the team will move on to beta testing of the aircraft.
The beta testing plan outlines the various stages through which the aircraft will go. There are three stages; stage 1 will work on many of the smaller but vital elements, such as the APU, Electricals, Fuel, Flight Controls, Pneumatics, Hydraulics, IRSs, Lights, Flight Model, and more. Stage 2 builds upon that foundation to work on the more complex systems, such as the Auto Flight / Full FMS functionality, Engines, Communications, Navigation, and more.
Stage 3 then focuses on the EFB, 3D model, Textures, Sounds, and other effects, rounding off the aircraft’s testing and readiness for full release. This last stage will also focus on building the backend infrastructure, such as handling payments, servers, deploying packages, etc., as the team will also release the aircraft on their own website.
Although work is being done currently on the 757-200 Rolls-Royce variant, other variants such as the -300, PW engines, winglets/non-winglets variants will all be included in the USD 80 purchase price. The initial release will be compatible with both MSFS2020 and MSFS2024, but the 2024 version will not be a fully native version. Only basic functional compatibility will be added upon release, but the 2024-native version will follow quickly post-release and will be free.
The video then segues into a small snippet of the 757’s FMS in action as one of the developers explains the different functionalities of the flight plan page. The programmer works through a series of waypoints and airways, adding them to the FMGC, which automatically takes in the inputs and adds the intersection accordingly. The FIX page is also quite in-depth, and any waypoint in the world, even outside the active flight plan, can be added. BlueBird Sim’s team lead says that the aircraft will be “study level,” and simmers can expect broad, complex, and deep systems simulation.
The video then goes on to thank several users, especially FlightFX, for their donations to the recent GoFundMe for one of the team members, Jafari, who was affected by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. The GoFundMe is still active for anyone still looking to donate. The lead developer also had the privilege of working on JustFlight’s upcoming rendition of the Airbus A300, which was done on a personal level rather than a professional collaboration between the two teams.
“How Long Is This Going To Take?!”
BlueBird, in addition to the YouTube video, also took to a Reddit.com post addressing some of the complaints simmers have had over the extended development timeline of the aircraft and their growing impatience. The post starts by thanking simmers and members of the community for their support so far and provides additional assurance that the aircraft will be released in Q3 of this year.
The EFB and server backend/infrastructure are the only major items remaining on their checklist, and a large buffer has been added for beta testing and any issues that might arise during this period. Another major gripe the post addressed is members’ criticism of the native version still being released for MSFS2020, as many believe it is a bad decision. The team disagrees as they finally want a native, stable release on one version of MSFS, and they believe MSFS2020 still has a significant user base, even though it is declining.
A MSFS2024-native version is in the works, stating that it is not an easy conversion. Once the aircraft has been released, a lot of the part-time team will be converted to full-time, along with more recruits, accelerating development and keeping up with changing winds.
Closing Notes
A lengthy and info-filled new development update from BlueBird Simulations that excites us for the things to come. We have a near-confirmed release window, and as stated by Shervin in the video, we can look forward to in-depth dev previews of the various systems that the team has simulated. The next dev updates will also finally give us a release date. The complete dev update can be watched on their YouTube channel, and the Reddit post can be found here.
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