SimWorks Studios has shared a development update for their Pilatus PC-12 line, detailing upcoming enhancements for Microsoft Flight Simulator, announced via Discord in early June 2025.
Pilatus PC-12 Update
Following a recent showcase of their GA-8 Airvan on the Twotonemurphy stream, the team has provided an update on the development of the PC-12, addressing key features and preparing for its transition to MSFS 2024. This update includes a revised flight model, avionics fixes, and the integration of a tablet system, with further plans to port failure technology and advance the PC-12 NG variant, with the developer keen to solidify its commitment to refining its aircraft for simmers on PC platforms.
The PC-12 update prioritises several improvements for the PC-12. A new flight model addresses the lack of drag at slower speeds, with testing showing promising results, aiming to enhance realism during approach and landing. Reported avionics issues fed back by the community will be fixed in an upcoming patch, alongside the potential inclusion of a tablet system currently being tested and finalised for the GA-8 Airvan, which will be further adapted for the PC-12 to streamline cockpit functionality.
The team plans to release this small update soon, followed by a comprehensive avionics overhaul, after which the aircraft will be converted to a native MSFS 2024 format, leveraging the simulator’s advanced features. Additionally, failure technology developed for the Airvan will be ported to the PC-12, introducing over 100 failure points across systems like electrical, avionics, propeller, governor, brakes, fuel, and oil, with a new ‘ground-up’ engine simulation planned to further deepen the experience.
PC-12 NG
The upcoming update enhances realism over these versions, particularly with the flight model tweak and failure tech, which were not present in earlier iterations, aligning the PC-12 more closely with study-level expectations. The Discord post and Twotonemurphy stream also teased progress on the PC-12 NG variant, with in-game screenshots showing its development, expected to accelerate once the legacy version’s failures are complete.
The PC-12NG will be for FS2024 only and sold as an additional expansion to the existing MSFS 2020 native version, which, although working on FS2024, lacks some of the features a native product could bring.
GA-8 Airvan
Showcased a popular content creator, Twotonemurphy, the GA-8 Airvan is an MS2024 native release, which SimWorks Studios has been working on for the past 4 years. The developers are keen to express that it has been through various rebuilds to ensure that it takes advantage of all the latest features and enhancements that have become available to developers throughout the lifecycle.
Although not developed from direct 3D-scans of a GA-8 Airvan, the team have worked to ensure that the visual representation is of a high quality, as simmers have come to expect over the recent years. The interior and exterior textures are some of the highest details that SimWorks Studios has been able to produce to date.
Although a full-detail log is yet to be released, when the product is made available for purchase, it’s expected to have:
- Authentic recorded sounds from a GA-8 Airvan
- Passenger and cargo variants, selectable in the launcher
- Persistence for cockpit and aircraft configurations – “Find the aircraft exactly as you left it”
- An optional autopilot with the cockpit optimised for single pilot operations as per many Airvan configurations around the world.
- Deformable tyres
- Dynamic cargo loads with visible custom positioning
- An optional expansion pack for failures (available after release)
At the time of writing, the expected release date for the GA-8 Airvan is June 25th, and the beta testing is well advanced to ensure what the developers hope will be a stable release.
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