When I first moved across to XP as my primary simulator, one of the main reasons was the FJSB727. In my enthusiastic igorance I presumed the logic of MS(same as same for years)and therefore it should be ok in XP12 even though it was an XP11 model. WRONG. I then followed the saga of FJS and it now appears that the B727 is not for upgrading and that is that I thought. Seems FJS underestimated the passion in the sim world for the 727. I also understood the 727 was a package of several types, the 100 the 200 and the Freighter version.

Well the other day I came across fortuitously a page at the Org where various mods and fixes were being pushed to get the 727 to work in XP12.

https://forums.x-plane.org/forums/topic/350696-xp12-flyjsim-727-v3-generator-issue-unofficial-temporary-workaround/#comment-3071760

https://forums.x-plane.org/forums/topic/350761-xp12-flyjsim-727-v3-trim-fix-unofficial/

So I thought why not? so diligently applying the various changes offered (Some ok some not) I now have a workable functioning FJS 727 operating in XP12. Not perfect by the way but we are on the way. Few issues to sort out with stability and the airfoils vis a vis the role of the stabiliser to keep pitch attitude and hence hold altitude.

So at last the B727 returns for me to the sim. It starts, the systems are all functional and well the trim control issue is a work in progess. So if FJS do revamp the B727 good if they do not until another one arrives this will now do.

FWIW to those with a hankering for the tri-holer B727. An all time great.

1 hour ago, coastaldriver said:

When I first moved across to XP as my primary simulator, one of the main reasons was the FJSB727. In my enthusiastic igorance I presumed the logic of MS(same as same for years)and therefore it should be ok in XP12 even though it was an XP11 model. WRONG. I then followed the saga of FJS and it now appears that the B727 is not for upgrading and that is that I thought. Seems FJS underestimated the passion in the sim world for the 727. I also understood the 727 was a package of several types, the 100 the 200 and the Freighter version.

Well the other day I came across fortuitously a page at the Org where various mods and fixes were being pushed to get the 727 to work in XP12.

https://forums.x-plane.org/forums/topic/350696-xp12-flyjsim-727-v3-generator-issue-unofficial-temporary-workaround/#comment-3071760

https://forums.x-plane.org/forums/topic/350761-xp12-flyjsim-727-v3-trim-fix-unofficial/

So I thought why not? so diligently applying the various changes offered (Some ok some not) I now have a workable functioning FJS 727 operating in XP12. Not perfect by the way but we are on the way. Few issues to sort out with stability and the airfoils vis a vis the role of the stabiliser to keep pitch attitude and hence hold altitude.

So at last the B727 returns for me to the sim. It starts, the systems are all functional and well the trim control issue is a work in progess. So if FJS do revamp the B727 good if they do not until another one arrives this will now do.

FWIW to those with a hankering for the tri-holer B727. An all time great.

It’s one of my favorites and is one of just a handful of addons that keeps XP11 installed on my SSD.

Truth be told, the FJS 732 is more my style, but I went for this because my dad was a Captain and he said it was his favorite airliner of all he flew.

The hopeful news is that it’s been reported FJS are indeed working on at least a compatibility upgrade for XP12. Tho perhaps not the full v4 upgrade…?

Well there are two mods that get this one going - the first is to the trim issues and that involves a LUA script to control it. The other is to raise the minimum engine rpm as % of N1 to 41% that fixes the internal FJS logic about generator output and electrical systems.

I find that all the original FJS scripts work ok and their built in logic and systems are working ok to adjust systems, payload, fuel etc etc. I can get the APU started and all elec systems onto the APU or GND Power, depends on your need, those system work. Could not find a single switch or control that did not work in the VC so far. They match the XP data to a point. AP worked fine as well tracking nav or hdg and capturing and holding altitude if preset. So I real suprise to get this one functional in XP12.4.4.b2 when checked.

Trim is working ok but there are some pitch stability issues evident in cruise namely and tendency to porpoise sharply but not badly to hold level flight. Control surface deflections etc match what your doing outside to in. Lights are a mixed bag, not so bright in XP12 outside but all working ok.

I give it a pass to work with the mods in XP12 and I am one happy camper so to speak, accumulated probably 1000 sim hours in the Captain Sim B727. Always fun to fly even if you have to get used to old style nav etc. FMS does work but I have my doubts about its functional range, no evidence of the WX radar working or of rain effects (yet)

Big Smile😃

Getting this going inXP12 is not for the faint hearted. After working through a bunch of mod some dating back to XP11. I can see why FJS did not feel up to it, 3 different models of 727. All with different engine-power and weight demands. That and the changes to the XP12 engine which nullifies earlier XP11 designs. Turbine behaviour and aerodynamics are front and centre of the issues. XP12 has a lot more flexibility.

Anyhow picked my way through all the mods on offer, stuck with LUA scripting and gritted my teeth to make a tedious set of changes to the airfoils in the tail-elevator area fortunately a 727 is a 727 and they just got longer with bigger engines. The airfoil mods are critical to flight stability and performance and XP12 computes this differently to XP11, especially in the behaviour in the pitch plane. Seems the generator issue was not such a biggy after all, and once the turbines are properly matched and the data entered they seem ok. Some gauge textures fixed what appeared to be erroneous engine indications they were fine the dials were not! FJS's nifty pocket menus still all work and control stuff well.

So I have gone from being on the verge of binning this for good to resurrecting it so I now have the grand old girl of middle distances, the Boeing 727. Yeah maybe FJS will not update them who knows? So two and half years after starting out in the XP world I have at last a working B727 100 and 200. No fancy cabins but hey there is a mod for that too - next project. Time to do some coastal running about in Eastern Australia.

7 minutes ago, coastaldriver said:

gritted my teeth to make a tedious set of changes to the airfoils in the tail-elevator area

Are these changes made in files you can share with other 727 owners? Wondering if someone has yet made a zip file with every adjusted file ready to go is all! Not an owner yet myself but would be if this was an easy fix.

13 hours ago, sloppysmusic said:

Are these changes made in files you can share with other 727 owners? Wondering if someone has yet made a zip file with every adjusted file ready to go is all! Not an owner yet myself but would be if this was an easy fix.

I do not see why not. Despite what some think the FJS727 is not abandoned and FJS may yet do something themselves (Maybe) I have only completely done the 100 and 200 models - still working on the 200F. They are all mods that have been posted at the org, basically over the last few weeks and even days. It is the acf files that have been modified extensively by me now and nothing else. I found that there were a couple of ways of doing some recommended changes, not all that easy (different strokes for different folks for solutions I guess) I guess I found there were easier ways of doing things and some more profound. The critical changes to get right are changes to the engine specs to raise the idle rpm to trigger the generator logic developed by FJS in XP11, some minor changes to textures and a lot of changes to the airfoils in the elevator stabiliser area that are required because of the way XP12 manages stability v XP11. I managed to get the cabin mod working on the 200 only so far but who owns those objects is a mystery, I suspect they came from a Laminar model (MD82) but the notes were in German. There is also a need to have the LUA scripting to control the trim. Some will need to give their blessing to a finished release - no guarantees there - I learnt the hard way with my B707-138 rebuild and mod of Shensees B720 (Shensee agreed to release etc, but another party then claimed no go despite allowing Shensee to use their work, so I had to pull the whole package from the web). I still have a beautiful B707-138 by the way just cannot release it and would not do so given the problems some caused me as a result. I think Shensee may incorporate it into his work later but he is working on a BAC 111 at the moment not the 707/720.

Overall you need to have the FJS XP11 model, payware and activated before any of this works. All the good bits work in XP12 fine as do the FJS scripts and all helps when done to get the FJS727 functional in XP12, not perfectly but overall it works and I am slowly refining the approach particularly in the stability area. There are some issues with pre XP12 stuff such as librain, the Laminar FMS and weather radar functions that were pre XP12 where the features do no work correctly, some intrepid tinkerer may come up with something there later. I did get the CIVA INS operating in the 727 but prefer the FMS. You need the payware CIVA INS for that.

This will all be awhile as I am away on the health recuperative break for the next month so nothing possible probably until late in the year. No promises but we shall see. All up there were about 5 different contributors to the changes once they came out the door and were published. No comments from FJS in the meantime at all, though you would think they would be glad of the extra XP11 sales of the 727. Basically it will be a tight simple package of the acfs, some textures and notes on various things for the enlightened. There were no cabins of any sort on the FJS originals nor functioning doors, so the systems were complete just the model itself was a bit basic helping explain why no updates from FJS it is a whole rebuild on some levels and covering 3 different types of 727.

When it is all sorted will post news or advice.

Edited Thursday at 10:02 PM5 days by coastaldriver

I might add that the 727100 is a bit of a problem child in some aspects. The mods for the 200 are all pretty good, but some do not translate or transfer across to the 100. The engine power settings need a lot more work for all of them. I have the idle speeds down but the power output of the 100 or 200 is too high. Control and trim is good. Some of the FJS script menus are not really functional in the 100 but good in 200. So while not bad for a tinkerer like me it is ok while I check and change stuff, but those expecting a ready to go package will be disappointed, too many changes between the 100 200 and the freighter.

As a footnote - noted a resurgence in simmers using the 727 by the posts in what plane did you fly today, mostly XP11 by a look some nice screenshot editing though, the earlier shots of the JAL 100 with the crane is first class. Lufthansa with a German Shepherd was fascinating.

https://forums.x-plane.org/forums/topic/341880-what-plane-did-you-fly-today-maximum-2-shots-per-post-one-post-per-day-please-part-2/?page=240

First observation, shows you how many rusted on XP11 users are still out there and how FJS under estimated the appeal of the 727 v the 737 by simmers and aviation buffs.

Got the cabin addon to work with the 200 but not for the 100 nothing for the Freighter alas. Engines seem to be operating correctly, they are all de-tuned now to original specs, no generator trip issues now trim is still not the best (rough and jerky not smooth) and I think the issues are more than the tailplane or elevator airfoil section as this fix dampens but does not eliminate a in-flight oscillation about the lateral plane with the AP connected and altitude hold on. No systems issues between any of the 3 so far. The real problem is reconciling two different sim models XP11 and earlier (the 727 is really XP10 vintage in orgins) with XP12, it is a fundamental and critical rebuild that changes the responses of old sim models or breaks them. I am still on the quest to find a reliable fix for the pitch/trim issue. 727's were always under powered for their size at the time. Like all T Tails they could get difficult in the stall and were prone to deep stalling. That is what happens when you put your stabilising air foil, elevator and trim 10 to 12 foot above the longitudinal axis, getting this right in X Plane is not so easy I do not think Mr Myers models really cope of cater for it, personal view. X Planes turbine modelling is now a complete mystery as is the demand for data points for which there is no RW corresponding data from the engine manufacturers or tests as far as I can see - not really sure what Laminar is doing here. Same problem with the Electra and Allison engines, Plane Maker does not cope with 2 and 3 stage turbines that have multiple power turbines and one data point does not do it. OAT sensitivity is also an observable issue - depends on RW but you can see some strange power output displays.

Anyhow on and on for the time being. I am off on a sabbatical of sorts. Take care all.

https://forums.x-plane.org/forums/topic/341880-what-plane-did-you-fly-today-maximum-2-shots-per-post-one-post-per-day-please-part-2/?page=242

On 10/9/2026 at 4:25 PM, coastaldriver said:

As a footnote - noted a resurgence in simmers using the 727 by the posts in what plane did you fly today, mostly XP11 by a look some nice screenshot editing though,

This whole series has ironically convinced me to buy the 732 v4 whenever it goes on sale again.

In the meantime, I cranked up v11 and the 721 last night (so I can fly in UAL colors!), and it’s still a lovely, highly immersive experience.

Im no expert, but the short field landing performance on this thing seems way too good? It does have utterly gigantic flaps, so maybe it’s right? I’ll have to look up the perf tables and see. If the addon is true to IRL in that regard, my goodness! 😁👍

https://forums.x-plane.org/forums/topic/351580-unoffical-commuity-patch-guide-for-fjs727-into-xp12/

Here is my take, "basically flyable" for A-B to my standard.

I probably won't go much deeper than this as it should be FJS's job anyway...although glad to see someone is starting to pick it up and working further on it

13 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

the short field landing performance on this thing seems way too good? It does have utterly gigantic flaps, so maybe it’s right? I’ll have to look up the perf tables and see.

I haven’t gone digging for perf charts yet, but The AI returns an estimate for the 721 of as little as 1900 feet at light weight!! Crazy if true!

15 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

This whole series has ironically convinced me to buy the 732 v4 whenever it goes on sale again.

In the meantime, I cranked up v11 and the 721 last night (so I can fly in UAL colors!), and it’s still a lovely, highly immersive experience.

Im no expert, but the short field landing performance on this thing seems way too good? It does have utterly gigantic flaps, so maybe it’s right? I’ll have to look up the perf tables and see. If the addon is true to IRL in that regard, my goodness! 😁👍

Well, they landed the 727-100 currently at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago at Meigs, so short runways are a thing.

You’ll love the 732 when you buy it (though I prefer the 727s, even as a kid getting to ride on these old beauties).

As a Chicago resident, I will never forgive Daley for tearing up Meigs Field overnight. I was away when it happened as it was my Air Force days, but remember coming back to Chicago and my field wasn't there. I was so upset.