STK

The developers will be releasing a weapons patch, as well as a version through other vendors, by mid-late January. This timeframe will also see a comprehensive update to their MiG-21 Fishbed with new visuals, new sounds, new HUD, new liveries, and more.

Yes, go into the panel.cfg and change instances of "AS530" to "WT530" in the VCockpit02 section. It's a common "problem" with Carenado's that luckily is a 10 second fix. Unrelated, I am noting the following bugs in an email to Carenado: A couple of initial observations from using the new C207 in MSFS: 1. The transponder's red light does not periodically light up in ON or ALT modes, or does it light up solid when in TEST mode. In real life it blinks red when interrogated by a radar system. This was incorporated at my request in the Cessna 182RG and should be done in the same way for the C207. 2. I believe that the ALERT annunciator on the autopilot should not be visible all the time. In any mode "ALERT" is lit, but in reading from the real manual, it states: ALTITUDE ALERT (ALERT) ANNUNCIATION The ALERT annunciate is illuminated 1000 ft. prior to the selected altitude, extinguishes 200 ft. prior to the selected altitude and illuminates momentarily when the selected altitude is reached. Once the selected altitude is reached a flashing ALERT illumination signifies that the 200 ft. “safe band” has been exceeded and will remain illuminated until 1000 ft. from the selected altitude. Associated with the visual alerting is an aural alert (5 short tones) which occurs 1000 feet from the selected altitude upon approaching the altitude and 200 feet from the selected altitude on leaving the altitude. 3. The aircraft defaults to a heavily nose-down trim when first loading. Can it start with the trim neutral?

Update: The owner/developer with SimUniqueLabs basically said that due to world events and his own circumstances he can't promise anything anymore, which I take to mean that an MSFS Tu-154 from him may not be in development. Update 2: GKS is apparently alive and just announced the imminent (this week) release of an F-111 Aardvark. I asked about updates to their MiG-21 Fishbed and they said a comprehensive update is coming in January 2024.

Though I'm not expecting any meaningful update, I may email the SimUniqueLab owner to see if he has any updates on MSFS. The bad thing is, even if he does, and even if he shockingly does a surprise release, I suspect that non-Russian audience would be out of luck in terms of purchasing it for the foreseeable future. For completeness while acknowledging this is skewing outside of the original ask, on the wider "Soviet/Russian/Eastern Bloc" aircraft front, I am aware of the following possibly in development: Cockspur (a collab with another dev) Antonov An-26, in progress as of September 2023 but haven't heard anything lately. Someone on the Official Forums was working on a Tu-154M, but I don't recall any internals/systems info which is by far the most challenging part. Vaguely recall someone at FSDeveloper.com showcase subforum working on a Tu-144 but 90% of the early preview showcase threads end up dying. Again, systems are the hard part. Nemeth Designs has said they want to bring their library to MSFS (Mi-2, Ka-26, Ka-32, Mi-24 multiple variants, Mi-17, etc) but they are down to a one or two-man show at most, and said *if* it even happens it'll take quite a while. I know they have a deal with Asobo though, and I think they are our helo provider for the mystery (but known it will be a helicopter) Famous Flyer/Local Legend for the January update. Cancelled but in case it's mentioned - There was a Yak-40 in dev and mentioned on the Official Forums but the developer cancelled the project after misrepresenting his available team and resources following an ask for assistance. The Tu-134 as mentioned previously. The author is still active but I think is encountering difficulties and is now doing the "feeling out if it's worth it" thing. Soviet/Russian/Eastern Bloc that have been actually released: Cera Sim Mi-17 Hip (new release: first patch/update coming in the next month or so) Aeroplane Heaven Aero 45 (know as fairly buggy and lower quality but hey it fits the profile) ATSimulations/Asobo/MS Antonov An-2 Colt (very well regarded and feature complete. Likely the best addon on the released list) Deimos Su-27 Flanker (simplistic but visually nice) Deimos MiG-29 Fulcrum (simplistic and visually ok) Asobo/MS/Lotus (at least one of the devs of defunct Lotus was involved) L-39 Albatros (part of the Reno pack) GKS/Aviasim MiG-21bis Fishbed (in-depth and visually fantastic but no longer supported due to the devs fighting for Ukraine. Possibly deceased) It leaves the airliner field from this part of the world sparse other than the An-2, which is likely not what many people are thinking when they think passenger airliner. Here's hoping for some further developments.

Got a generic response weeks ago saying thanks but no commitment to improve the product, and I haven't seen any updates since then. I may try to email them again (noting it took two attempts prior for a response), but not sure if it's worth it. I would keep emailing them a few times to see if they will commit to an update.

The author of the SimUniqueLab version (the payware P3D 64-bit successor to the PT model, equally in-depth and beautiful too) previously was going to look into developing for MSFS but it would take quite a while. Not sure if/how the war and certainly reduced income would impact that: https://simuniqlab.com/ There's likely commentary on the Avsimrus forums but may want to email the person too.

For those adept at it, the liveries made by users for the DCS version in their file library work with the MSFS version, with some file name and architecture edits....

The Cera team just responded on the official MSFS forums, stating that they are noting and acknowledging all of the issues posted there (and emailed privately) and will endeavor to provide multiple updates. They are also battling Asobo/MS heli flight model limitations, as twin engine helicopters don't truly exist in MSFS...they are really single engine behind the scenes. (Sounds like how things were in the FS2004 era). They also acknowledged a texture issue in the cockpit where a few critical textures were overly compressed. First update is coming soon, following by more in the coming weeks/months. They are taking a two week period to gather more user feedback and then working on problems. All in all they seem very responsive and are acting like they care about making a good product.

https://www.fsdeveloper.com/forum/threads/ller-ilan-and-asaf-ramon-international-airport.457638/#post-920379 A much-needed high-quality rendition of Israel's second largest commercial airport - also the newest. Releasing very soon!

Very nice rendition of a smaller regional airport on the North Island of New Zealand, kind of in between Wellington (by Flightbeam) and Rotorua (included in NZ World Update), though much closer to Wellington. Fills a nice little gap for those flying Air New Zealand routes in-country. Real world destinations from here include Auckland (again, Flightbeam) and Christchurch (NZA Simulations) with Air New Zealand, as well as Nelson (NZA Simulations) and Hamilton (we need a high quality rendition here) on Originair (also need a nice Jetstream 31/32). https://store.inibuilds.com/collections/new-releases/products/xwind-palmerston-north-nzpm-msfs

I used to live close to this field and have flown out of it in real life privately as well as on airline flights, so I purchased it. Generally enjoyable and by far the best rendition we have, but I just emailed the dev with a few issues. 1. AI aircraft get stuck when departing runway 31. I'm not sure about runway 13 yet but I'm guessing it's likely. They are cleared to enter the runway environment, and then just sit there. Aircraft behind them also continue to enter the runway environment and they all sit in a line on the active until they disappear. 2. The C-130s are the wrong color. The sim depicts them as dark green, as if they were RAF types, whereas in real-life they are USAF grey. 3. I asked if an ability can be introduced to remove some or all static aircraft based on user preference. (Not a bug, but a preference). 4. Finally, purely out of curiosity, I asked if they considered doing an enhanced if not custom KCXY, which is right across the river. The airports are so close that there is a direct ATC line between them to deconflict arriving and departing traffic. I have had to alter my flight path (as well as hold on the ground) when operating out of both airports in real life due to traffic at the other airport. Will advise if the developer responds in the coming days with anything positive. #1 regarding the AI is the largest concern.

Will try this later tonight. Greatly appreciate the support throughout this thread.

That's odd as I just tested my GPS situation last night and get the simplified without the edit, but whatever works...as long as people are getting the GPS fidelity they expect. Thanks for that wonderful config edit to enable the GTN by default. I have the variables commented in or out depending on my mood, and it makes things so much easier (especially when trying to manage the pop-out manager with the 750 as well). Out of curiosity, do you have similar configs for other Carenado aircraft like the PC-12 or Cessna 337? I tried to use similar logic with those but wasn't getting results. Thanks again.

I actually use both. The 530 with some liveries, and the 750 with others (and associated hardware for both avionics that I have on my desk by FlightsimBuilder and RealSimGear respectively). There is/was a config on the 182RG release thread that enabled startup by default with the 750 which makes it a pleasure. I've used both systems in real life so I like to alternate between the two depending on what I feel like doing.

I was the poster on the official forums with the panel.cfg edit, as I experience the following otherwise: With the default panel config, and the WT version apparently installed in Content, the 182RG's GNS530 remains simplified. Among other identifying traits, the "AS" version does not do a startup RAIM check, has a different / simplified TCAS page, and lacks many features. I only get the fully featured WT version with the necessary panel edit from "AS" to "WT". For those claiming they don't need to make a panel edit, the quickest way to see if you have the more advanced GPS is if upon GPS startup it's doing a RAIM check at startup (there are plenty of images on the internet of what this looks like). If it's not doing it, then it's the simplified GPS. This applies to all Carenado aircraft so far. I have not experienced the white screen issue that the user above has, so unfortunately I cannot assist.

For the rotor heads and for those that can appreciate the latest and greatest in aircraft tech, it appears that HPG just announced development (and looking pretty far along) of the Airbus H160. Can definitely see the AS365 and EC155 origins. https://www.helisimmer.com/news/hype-performance-group-announce-h-160-msfs

I've asked some tough questions of CS on their forums both related to the B717 as well as their intended audience and team composition. Not expecting substantial answers except for maybe some statements on what's next for the B717, but it's apparent that the CS team has lost members over the years. Whether or not they will admit to this (if it even matters) is another thing. With all of this in mind, there is certainly room in the community for "ctrl-E" casual aircraft that look nice but aren't systems-focused. The crowd that is regularly engaged at Avsim or other FS communities likely isn't the target market. As someone with a steadily dwindling time to fly, and even less to try to learn a new complex aircraft and spend 30 mins before getting it off the ground, I think there is something to be said for those of us that enjoy jetliners that we can get up and go. I don't see CS misrepresenting what this aircraft is, so I'm not sure I'm seeing the scam (outside of those who feel like they are overcharging). For those that do anticipate using this aircraft, it sounds like we can expect Hawaiian, Midwest, TWA, and two more from the next livery pack.

The aircraft was made by inibuilds for MS/Asobo.

Haven't checked yet today but as of last night MS was still in active talks with Mitsubishi. It will be released - it's just getting the paperwork in order. The product will not be abandoned. Not sure if they will release when ready, or if they will cycle it to a scheduled date (at this point, November would be next as the October LL was announced).

Seems to be via Helisimmer and Google Drive, so there hasn't been much fanfare yet. Looks great though! https://www.helisimmer.com/news/jxt-released-freeware-bell-429-msfs

Carenado has stated an intent to bring their entire P3D/FSX library over to MSFS, of which a C207 is included. No idea as to the timeline of each addon.

I'm assuming it was a last minute unforeseen delay with the aircraft, as I don't think its contracted development is related to SU13. I'd rather have them take a week instead of releasing something incomplete just to meet a date. I don't recall the roadmap containing completely inaccurate prior to this occurrence, but interested in seeing documented cases. I do think at this point they need to do a projection at least through December, but if they miss a date again then more people will cry about it. Stuff happens.

The aircraft is being released next week due to a delay: As we announced in the last Development Update, Sim Update 13 has been delayed by one week. It is now slated for release on Thursday, September 28. For those participating in the ongoing SU13 public beta, a new pre-release test build (1.34.16.0) was released yesterday. This build only included one small change which you can read about on our forums here. There is also a small delay to the release of the next aircraft in our Local Legend series. It was originally scheduled to release today, but it will now also be launching next week. The Development Roadmap has been updated to reflect this change. https://www.flightsimulator.com/september-21th-2023-development-update/

Regarding aircraft models, the MSFS freeware scene is somewhat de-centralized, with users having to have knowledge that Company X or Author Y released something for free, but in other cases, the primary addon-on website that people use for free aircraft, repaints, and scenery is called Flightsim.to. (yes its a ".to" domain, but it's legit). I think there is still some use of Avsim's library holdings but by the looks of it only a tiny fraction of any sort of third-party product goes there at this point.

I'm guessing we're going to see a Zero from Aeroplane Heaven, though on the flying boat front it could be a ShinMaya US-2 or a Kawanishi H8K. Personally, I'm hoping for 1) a non-Aeroplane Heaven product, and 2) an NAMC YS-11 turboprop airliner, or a Mitsubishi MU-2. We'll find out any time from now to maybe 5 hours from now.