Horizon Simulations has shared a detailed development update on version 2 of its Boeing 787 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The update was posted on its Discord server by co-founder Toby C. It also looks back at the team’s appearance at FSimUK, where visitors could see the aircraft.
The 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s long-haul, twin-engine widebody, built largely from composite materials and offered with either Rolls-Royce or GE engines. It is also known for its heavy reliance on electrical systems. That makes the developer’s focus on electrics and engines a fitting one.
The team says it moved the systems to WASM so that a single product can serve both MSFS 2020 and 2024. The electrics are built from real references, with a modelled architecture of four main generators and two APU generators, load shedding that switches circuits off in the sim, a MAINT page for watching loads, towing power, and two batteries that wear. The hydraulics include four electric and two engine-driven pumps, and a functional RAT. Its 3D model is still to come.
The engines have been reworked, according to the developer. Changes include custom EGT gas paths, persistent oil consumption between sessions, per-engine wear set through the CDU, and hot start protection that follows the FCOM. Fan blade icing can cause vibration and performance loss if the aircraft takes off with ice on the blades. The start sequence now differs between the Rolls-Royce and GE engines.
The EFB has been largely rebuilt, with 60+ new pages according to the team. It offers Navigraph integration and a LIDO charts option in MSFS 2024. An EOSID creator lets pilots build engine-out departure routes that the MFD can offer after a failure. A flight folder stores NOTAMs, the loadsheet, weather and SimBrief OFPs, and keeps a history for each aircraft variant.
The Airport Moving Map can draw on SimConnect, X-Plane Gateway data or Navigraph. The developer says it uses under about 10 MB of VRAM and has little effect on frame times. Terrain now comes from a NOAA database rather than Bing data and is drawn in WASM beneath the MFD. The update also covers a Cursor Control Unit that follows the mouse across displays, and 2024 weather radar that responds to tilt.
The cabin and sounds are still being worked on, followed by soak testing and bug hunting. Horizon says it will ship only when it is happy with the result. No release date has been announced, but needless to say, the update will be free. If you’d like to check out the currently available freeware Horizon Simulations 787 for MSFS, you can download it through the Orbx client for free.
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