After being worked on in the background for some time, the CIS Piper Chieftain for X-Plane 12 was first revealed last November and entered beta testing on June 22 of this year, 2026. JetStream FS lead developer, Iceman, recently shared via their Discord server that feedback from beta testers has been great and they are looking to wrap that phase up soon. This will culminate in the public release of the product in just a few days.
Looking to build from the support on their first two products, the CIS Piper Seneca and CIS Piper Seminole, JetStream FS takes on a larger Piper twin this time with the PA-31-350 Chieftain. This twin-engine, turbocharged workhorse is a stretched and more powerful version of the Piper PA-31 Navajo. Manufactured from 1973 to 1984, it serves as a call back to the heyday of private GA, charter, and commuter flying. It can take 10 occupants up to the low flight levels and can fly more than 1000 nautical miles on a single mission.
The CIS Chieftain features a highly detailed and accurate 3D model with PBR materials. Icing and windshield rain effects are also modeled. There are 2 panel options for the steam gauge cockpit, which also features realistic Bendix/King-style avionics and a weather radar. If you’re looking to add 3rd party avionics, it will be compatible with the Reality XP GNS 530 series. It will also be ready to have the TDS GTNXi 750 and RealSimGear G5 integrated on release. AviTab compatibility won’t be an issue either.
Iceman and Jetstream FS have gone to great lengths to bring a deep simulation of this aircraft’s unique characteristics and personality to X-Plane 12. This includes custom CIS airfoils that match the real aircraft and performance numbers, which reflect the real-world Pilot Operating Handbook (POH). The CIS Chieftain consumes oil realistically and comes with a persistence model. Engine cold-start logic is also implemented.
This is the first product in the series to feature a bespoke system developed to help minimize the discrepancies between the feel of desktop hardware and that of the flight controls of the real aircraft in flight. It’s called CIS Control Feel and, as the developers put it, is “a custom input-response system designed to compensate for the differences between desktop hardware controllers and the heavier, more deliberate flight controls of the PA-31-350, delivering a more natural and convincing handling experience in X-Plane 12.4 and beyond.”
It’s interesting to note that a Panther Conversion option exists for the real aircraft, which includes the addition of winglets and upgrading to four-bladed propellers, among other things. Responding to the community’s inquiries on Discord, Iceman made no promises on bringing these modifications to the CIS Chieftain, stating that they “might” develop it. Not willing to compromise the quality of their products, he also stated that the changes would need to be properly reflected in the flight model as well as the 3D model.
The wait shouldn’t be long now, as the CIS Piper Chieftain is expected to release tomorrow, on July 17, with Iceman particularly stating that this is a “likely” release date. No pricing information has yet been given, but it’s worth noting that both the CIS Seneca and CIS Seminole are currently priced at 38.95 USD on the developer’s website. You’ll be able to get your copy of the CIS Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain from its dedicated page when it becomes available.
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