Togalock, a French flight simulation creator and real-world A350 pilot, carried out an exclusive interview with iniBuilds CEO, Ubaid Mussa. Across the conversation, Ubaid outlined how iniBuilds chooses projects, how their teams are structured, what we can expect from the A380 and A220, and even dropped a small tease regarding a possible Boeing project.
The iniBuilds Story
At the beginning of the interview, Ubaid outlined the company’s background, explaining how the team grew from a small group of flight simulation enthusiasts into a major third-party developer with almost 90 people working on aircraft and scenery across multiple simulators.
Originally, the team of just five people focused on everyday simulator improvements such as liveries, GSX profiles, and utility add-ons for X-Plane. They later moved into developing the A300 for the simulator before expanding into aircraft and scenery across Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane. The name ‘iniBuilds’ is derived from the ‘.ini’ file extension used by GSX profiles. Today, the team is split evenly between aircraft and scenery development and works from various locations across the globe. Though professionally they work as developers, Ubaid made it clear that almost everyone on the team is actively involved in flight simulation, and that their passion and individual preferences help elevate the standards of the work that they produce.
iniBuilds’ Design Philosophy
Choosing the Aircraft
One of the more interesting sections of the interview focused on how iniBuilds decides which aircraft to develop. According to Ubaid, the studio looks for a balance between market demand, gaps in the current add-on ecosystem, and the team’s own enthusiasm for a particular aircraft.
That means some projects are chosen because the community clearly wants them, while others begin because someone inside the team has a particular attachment to an aircraft. Ubaid claimed that iniBuilds tries to strike a balance between popular modern types and more niche, older airliners, pointing to the L-1011 TriStar as an example of a project driven in part by passion for a classic aircraft.
Research, Modelling, Systems, and Testing
Ubaid also outlined how aircraft development is structured internally. Every project begins with research and data gathering, drawing on input from pilots, cabin crew, engineers, and manufacturers wherever possible. From there, development moves into modelling, texturing, systems, flight model work, and sound design. When asked how long some projects take from A to Z, he explained that modelling alone can take up to 12 months, with feature design, integration, and testing adding significant time on top. In total, a full aircraft can take years to complete depending on the complexity of the project and the level of fidelity the team is aiming for.
Scenery
Aircraft were not the only focus of the interview. Ubaid also explained how iniBuilds approaches scenery development, saying the process is broadly similar to how the team chooses aircraft. Community demand remains a major factor, but so does the team’s own familiarity with certain locations. Many of iniBuilds’ developers are based in or regularly travel through hubs such as Dubai and Hong Kong, which gives the studio a more practical connection to airports they know well and can reference more closely during development.
Ubaid also made clear that iniBuilds is not necessarily discouraged from developing an airport simply because another version already exists. If an existing scenery package is several years old or no longer meets the standard the team is aiming for, iniBuilds may still consider building its own rendition.
A380 Nearing Release
The Airbus A380 was naturally one of the biggest talking points in the interview, with Ubaid describing the aircraft as one of iniBuilds’ most ambitious projects to date. While no firm release date was shared, he indicated that the aircraft is now nearing release.
Importantly, Ubaid suggested the team has been able to carry over lessons learned during development of the A350. That appears to apply both to systems complexity and to performance optimisation. According to him, the current expectation is that the A380 should perform on a level comparable to the A350 despite being a much larger and more complex aircraft.
The A380 will also include a more advanced and more flexible cockpit setup than some of iniBuilds’ previous aircraft. Ubaid discussed the inclusion of multiple system standards, specifically Batch 2 and Batch 7 configurations of the Onboard Information System (OIS), which users will be able to choose between. Ubaid also mentioned features tied to cabin systems, including water and toilet simulation, with failures or inoperative systems reflected in the aircraft. These details tie back to iniBuilds’ wider focus on combining deep systems simulation with the kind of visual detail simmers now expect from modern airliner add-ons.
A220 Still Set to Arrive Before the A380
Although the A380 took a large share of the interview, Ubaid also provided an update on the A220 project being developed in collaboration with Synaptic. Most notably, he confirmed that the A220 is expected to release before the A380, with the current target still set for before the end of summer.
Ubaid described the A220 as an aircraft that does not behave like a typical Airbus, saying it has characteristics that will likely surprise simmers expecting a smaller A320-style experience. Instead, he suggested the aircraft feels more Boeing-like in certain areas, including its trim requirements and aspects of its autopilot behaviour. In the interview, it was even described as feeling somewhat like a “mini 787″.
A Boeing Project? iniBuilds Isn’t Saying No
One of the most notable moments in the interview came when Togalock asked why iniBuilds does not appear to be developing any Boeing aircraft.
“Well, there’s no public announcement of a Boeing. That doesn’t mean we’re not making a Boeing. So, I think I’ll leave it at that”
Technically, Ubaid did not announce a new project, but he also did not shut the door on the idea that one is in the making, hinting that something may be happening behind the scenes. That’s as far as he went. So far, iniBuilds’ public aircraft lineup has been heavily focused on Airbus types, though at various points throughout the interview, Ubaid made it clear that other non-Airbus projects remain on the radar.
Community Feedback
If there was one theme that kept resurfacing throughout the interview, it was community feedback. Ubaid repeatedly stressed that iniBuilds still relies heavily on user responses, internal reports, and direct interaction with simmers when deciding how to improve products. He outlined how weekly community reports, Discord feedback, and criticism from both everyday users and real-world aviation professionals are vital to the team, and it was clear that informed feedback helps the team identify issues, improve accuracy, and prioritise future updates. That section of the interview can be found in the embedded video below.
What’s next for iniBuilds?
Beyond the A220 and A380, Ubaid also teased several future projects. On the scenery side, Chicago is one of the next airports in line, followed by an as-yet-unannounced European summer destination. On the aircraft side, Ubaid said:
“If you are tired of big airliner tubes of Airbus, get ready because we’ll have something else for you to enjoy”
For now, the full interview is available on Togalock’s YouTube channel for those who want to watch the discussion in full. Keep an eye on the iniBuilds category here on FSNews for any further updates on the A220, A380, and future iniBuilds projects.
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