The Microsoft Flight Simulator team took to their forums earlier this week to announce the release of their latest collaboration for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Netflix’s iconic series, Stranger Things, and its iconic world of Hawkins, Indiana, are now featured in the simulator alongside an iconic helicopter.
Welcome to the Upside Down
Two iconic franchises come together in this latest, exhilarating expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator as the world of Hawkins, Indiana, and its other-dimension counterpart, the Upside Down, comes to the sim platform. Judging by the trailer shared on MSFS’ YouTube channel, the town has been faithfully recreated to a high level of fidelity, and fans of the show may recognize some of the iconic buildings, homes, and other landmarks from the fictional town. Furthermore, simmers can also travel to the Upside Down through “Gates” littered around the town.
The expansion comes in collaboration with the popular aircraft development team, Taog’s Hangar, headed by Joss, who joined the flight sim developer landscape back in 2022. Before this expansion, the team had released four other aircraft. The Stranger Things expansion features five different rescue missions that involve the latest helicopter release from the team. The team is not behind the actual scenery pack as a whole, just the latest aircraft as part of the expansion.
Fly the UH-1H Huey
That’s right, Taog’s Hangar collaborated with MSFS to develop this iconic aircraft as part of this iconic franchise expansion release. The UH-1H Huey is an iconic helicopter first used in combat operations during the Vietnam War. Officially named the UH-1 Iroquois and nicknamed “Huey”, it is a utility military helicopter designed and manufactured by the American aerospace company, Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helicopter in service with the United States military.
The Huey is Taog’s Hangar’s most ambitious project yet, with only a small team (one dev for coding and one for flight modeling) working with Joss to bring this iconic aircraft to life in MSFS2024. The developers spent hours examining real-world aircraft and reference pictures. Close attention has been paid to cues like grime streaks, worn paint, instrument aging, and cockpit ergonomics. The 3D modeling of the outer body has also received lots of work and refinement to bring it as close to its real-world counterpart as possible.
The sound library for the chopper has been curated from various sources, namely, other generous contributors, their own on-site recordings, and other libraries. The sounds still needed extensive refinement to get them right, including the famous “blade slap” sound.
Closing Notes
Overall, a very exciting new expansion from the team over at Microsoft/Asobo and Taog’s Hangar for a new, high-fidelity scenery, along with an incredible and iconic helicopter. The expansion is free for all owners of the simulator’s copy on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, and to get the new scenery and aircraft, just make sure your MSFS2024 version is up-to-date. A release trailer commemorating the launch has also been shared on the Microsoft Flight Simulator YouTube channel.
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