FlightSim Studio has officially shared the first quarterly progress report via their website. In this, the team has focused on the Boeing 727 series, as well as the E-Jets and the progress on custom systems and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 compatibility.
The Near Future of FSS Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 Series for Microsoft Flight Simulator is going to get a new update that is going to improve systems in this aircraft. In the update 1.0.8, the 727 is destined to get a new autopilot system, for easier operation through hardware compatibility, as well as enhancements to GNS-XLS and CIVA INS. This will ensure a smooth navigation experience for all pilots.
The forward pedestal is going to be redesigned to resemble the real Boeing 727 counterpart as faithfully as possible. The 3D model is also going to be updated so you can move your Simbrief OFP to the centre pedestal and better overall coordination. The Simbrief OFP on a pedestal is a community-driven feature, initially developed by FSS’ Discord member Kilian.
Lastly, improvements to aircraft performance are also underway. This will especially influence fuel system and engine performance.
Boeing 727 Passenger Variant
The FSS team is also working on a passenger variant of the Boeing 727, as there has been a high demand for it ever since the initial release of the freighter version. It has been mentioned that the 3D modelling is now mostly complete, and should resemble the aircraft in its days of glory during the 80s of the last century.
Currently, the development team is focusing on simulator integration of the aircraft and testing its behaviour, optimising the cabin, adjusting the sounds, implementing lights and creating liveries. Speaking of liveries, a paint kit is also going to be available, and repainters will be able to not only customise the exterior but also the interior of the aircraft. FlightSim Studio aims to bring a testing version of the aircraft to the upcoming FSWeekend event.
E-Jets Series and Progress on Custom Systems
According to the blog post, the development of custom FMS is progressing fast. However, avionics, autopilot and other core systems are also progressing well. The MFD is going to get updated, with fully integrated MAP and PLAN modes into the WASM. On the other hand, the SYSTEM pages are still a work in progress, and about a third complete.
The team is also working on pop-out avionics for this aircraft series. This will ensure that even cockpit builders can easily run this aircraft without any hassle, and you can arrange your avionics however you like on the screen. This will include the entire unit, including all working buttons if you would be using a touchscreen to program the MCDU, for example. Speaking of the MCDU, an external MCDU that is going to be available in a browser is also being developed at this time.
Since the team is currently fully focused on creating a better experience for all FSS E-Jets pilots by implementing custom, and much better systems, no updates are going to be released to the aircraft series at the moment. This is namely because there are no critical bugs in the most recent version of the E-Jets aircraft, and the team is working on “a highly advanced version”. This means that the next update for the series is going to implement these important system changes.
FSWeekend and Compatibility with MSFS 2024
Lastly, FlightSim Studio has shared word on the upcoming FSWeekend event, which they will be attending from March 15th to 16th. During this time, they will be showing off experimental versions of E-Jets and the already mentioned 727, and you will be able to get your hands on both at their booth.
Their attendance will also bring some new major information about their future of development.
Speaking of the aircraft compatibility with the recently released Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, the 727 already technically works, but no official support is being provided at the moment. Unfortunately, though, it still suffers from some bugs, including a broken pressurisation system. However, the team needs to wait for Asobo to fix this problem. The E-Jets series is completely incompatible with this new simulator.
On a better note, the team has started the development of a native version of Tecnam P2006T for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, with a new 3D model. According to the post, the progress is going well and the plane should be released sometime during summer.
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