MSFS Famous Flyer #1 Now to Be the Beechcraft 17 Instead of the AN-2

The weekly Microsoft Flight Simulator blog update was shared by the team yesterday and whilst it initially did not look like much had changed, upon closer inspection, there has been a bit of a switcharoo for the first ‘Famous Flyer’.

Initially, the first famous flyer to release following a Sim Update was originally meant to be the Antonov AN-2. However, that appears to have changed and now, the Beechcraft Model 17 will instead take its place.

The news of the sudden change comes from the development roadmap that was published on February 24th, which highlights that the Beechcraft 17 will release as the first Famous Flyer. According to the development roadmap, the Beechcraft 17 will release on March 1st, the day after Sim Update 8 for Microsoft Flight Simulator releases.

It’s perhaps unsurprising that the Antonov AN-2 has slipped considering that we last heard in the live Q&A there were some licensing issues holding up the release. In fact, the plane was originally due to release late last year but seems to be stuck in some kind of stuck loop. To then not let people down, the Beechcraft 17 has snuck into this new release date instead and thus will be the first of the Famous Flyer aircraft to be released for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Hopefully, we’ll see the Antonov AN-2 released as the second Famous Flyer in April when #2 is due for release.

The Beechcraft 17 is an American biplane that first was introduced in 1932 and was produced up until 1949. In that time, a total of 785 aircraft of the type were built. The Model 17 was used primarily in the US army and navy, along with plenty of air racing use. Its lightweight design means it can reach speeds of over 200mph, whilst having a decent range of over 580nm.

We don’t have any information from Microsoft about the plane itself, but we are due to see a trailer on March 1st if the development roadmap is to be believed.

Edited February 26, 20224 yr by HiFlyer

I will get it.

Didn't fancy flying the Antonov just at the minute anyway !

1 hour ago, SpaceMonkey said:

Didn't fancy flying the Antonov just at the minute anyway !

My AC of choice would be this : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-178

1 hour ago, SpaceMonkey said:

Didn't fancy flying the Antonov just at the minute anyway !

Antonov is a Ukrainian company based in Kiev (Kyiv).  If they release the An-2, I will be flying it around with a bold blue and yellow repaint. 

Edited February 26, 20224 yr by bobcat999

I thought you guys may want to know that Antonov airfield UKKM is flatten to the ground in a fight with russian aggressor . UKKM was the field that my father flew through his test pilot  career (over 20 years) working for Antonov company. It was the field I took my first flight as child in cockpit of small airplane and decided one day to become a pilot.

I'm not trying getting political here but everyone must know the truth.  It's after all AN-2 related.

9 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

I thought you guys may want to know that Antonov airfield UKKM is flatten to the ground in a fight with russian aggressor . UKKM was the field that my father flew through his test pilot  career (over 20 years) working for Antonov company. It was the field I took my first flight as child in cockpit of small airplane and decided one day to become a pilot.

I'm not trying getting political here but everyone must know the truth.  It's after all AN-2 related

Which is why it's not surprising that Microsoft decided to push this to the back burner.

I don't think they want anybody thinking about this while using a product of theirs. If I was them I would have no intentions of going anywhere near this for the indefinite and foreseeable future.