Last week, Black Square released their much-anticipated rendition of the Beechcraft 60 Piston & Turbine Duke for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This add-on according to the developer, features two of the most technically advanced aircraft simulations available for MSFS. These aircraft were published by Just Flight and are available for purchase in a bundle or both aircraft models separately.
The Beechcraft 60 Duke
Developed by the American company Beechcraft in 1966. The Beechcraft 60 Duke was designed originally with two-piston engines. These engines are turbocharged which allows having a pressurized cabin. There were 596 Dukes built between 1968 and 1983. Some Dukes were modified by Rocket Engineering to have access to turbine engines. This modification also increased the fuel capacity and overall performance of the aircraft.
Features of The Piston & Turbine Duke
The Piston & Turbine Duke by Black Square can simulate over 130 different system failures which can be random, scheduled, or triggered by aircraft performance. Inside the cabin, all 3D gauges of the aircraft are modeled according to real data from the Duke’s real-world manual. There are 12 possible radio configurations to choose from, representing multiple eras from the Duke’s history. This aircraft boasts the most advanced cabin pressurization and temperature simulation available in an MSFS aircraft.
The new multi-function tablet interface by Black Square is also included with this aircraft. You can configure the aircraft, manage its payload, and activate or schedule an aircraft failure. The tablet allows you also to visualize the systems from the engine and the aircraft. The flight dynamics of this aircraft are identical to its real-world counterpart with a similar performance. Data collected from real Duke owner feedback and flight data was used to recreate the flight model of this aircraft.
Other features included with this aircraft are the addition of a checklist with 500 items for normal, abnormal, and emergency procedures. A flight manual for the Piston & Turbine Duke with over 160 pages of guides and operational material like performance tables and limitations of the aircraft. High-quality custom sounds made by Boris Audio Works are included for an immersive experience inside the cockpit. The aircraft has four interior models and 13 liveries to choose from. The Turbine & Piston Duke have specific features for each model, making flying either the Piston or the Turbine model a different experience. You can check the rest of the features included with the Piston & Turbine Duke here.
Where to Buy?
The Piston & Turbine Duke is available to buy at Just Flight’s store for USD$69.99. However, you can buy the Piston and Turbine separately for USD$47.99 each. Just Flight has posted in their forum a piece of important information regarding some features of the Duke not being available without Sim Update 15 for MSFS which was delayed. In the forum post, there is a list of instructions to install the Duke without the SU15 features to prevent issues. You can learn more about the Piston & Turbine Duke in our previous article about the aircraft here.
