Matchstick

UK price for the individual planes is £49.99 so you don't save much compared to the bundle of both for £59.99

A2A have just announced on Discord that their Lancair Legacy has been pushed back and is now targeting a Q3 (Jul-Sep) 2026 release. Not a huge surprise considering how little we've heard about the final product so far. https://discord.com/channels/188958010100547584/576718477470203925/1519017583896957030

There's been a change of plans with the '24 version of the Mi-2. The idea of a '24 compatibility release for the current version has been dropped and instead there will only be a NATIVE '24 version. However the native version will be released in Early Access 25/6 (Thursday) and it will be FREE for anyone who bought the Mi-2 before 22nd June. The full details are in the Discord post here https://discord.com/channels/1453291062310469737/1453291062800945259/1518899698847449148 And here's the roadmap they've published for '24 develpment

I believe there's a discount for people upgrading from the original version so time to wait for it to reach Simmarket

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I've picked it up and first impressions are pretty positive. It looks decent and systems seem decently modelled with working CBs. As expected with a new dev, there's a few issues though I've spotted in '24. Most obvious are that engine noises are incredibly quiet even with the canopy open (and yes you can open the canopy without going into walkaround mode or exploding the plane in flight). Additionally the ADF Needle seems to be reversed and the tuning knobs on the adf radio change the active frequency not the Standby. Also the Comm radios are locked to 8.33Khz mode despite having buttons to swap to 25Khz. Finally of what I've spotted the Quick Preflight Command doesn't work so you must remove the Covers and Chocks manually (though that's a very minor issue) In flight the handling seems a little livelier and a bit trickier than I was expecting but that could well be a combination of inexperience and winds and the drag with full flaps seemed very high meaning I was happier doing approach at 2/3 thought again that may just be inexperience. So I have been picky here but overall and especially considering the price I like it. If the dev can fix the issues and I don't find anything else (this is just my thoughts after flying a pattern cos I'm meant to be working) I think I'd recommend this as as a decently priced option for someone looking for a slightly different 4 seater from the normal Cessna and Pipers. (Though obviously the BS Commander is on the horizon and that looks to be in a totally different class) Oh one other thing I totally could not get the engine to start from cold and dark - fuel pressure was reading zero even with the pump on. However after restarting '24 then beginning a flight on the runway with the engine already running C&D starts worked fine. No idea if anyone else will ever encounter this problem but if they do maybe this will help.

AA5 pack is available now and it's actually a bit cheaper than expected at £22.99 https://www.justflight.com/product/bluesky-hangar-grumman-aa5 Manual is available to download from here https://downloads.justflight.com/products/JFF004215/AA5_POH.pdf

There's some interesting avionics in those screen shots - a 3M WX-11 Stormscope (not sure we've seen a stormscope in a MSFS plane so far ?), a Foster RNAV511 VOR RNAV (which looks quite a bit older than the Bendix and Narco RNAV units we've seen before ?), and what looks to be a TKM/Michel ATMC60 Digital VOR display. So looks like some nice new toys to play with :) (missed the VAL ILS 400 TSO on the left - that's especially interesting as like the Narco NAV-112 it apperas to includes the NAV radio within the panel instrument and other screenshots show some Old School ADF and DME units)

And as I say, some planes don't like the yoke not returning to the centre position and have to have the FFB effects disabled to fly properly.

FFB stick and yokes don't automatically return to a neutral central position if the FFB is active and I've come across a few planes where the plane doesn't understand FFB thinks that's because the users is constantly moving the controls.

That seems pretty reasonable :)

The 1.1.0 update is now out - though on Simmarket it looks to be a new product with a 100% discount if you have the original in the same account. simMarket: Flight Simulation Add-Ons - MSFS, P3D, FSX, XPLANEsimMarket: MI-2 HOPLITE MSFS20Current Version For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Digital Aeronautics Mi-2 v1 1 0 6 9 26 Changelog listed below nbsp Compatibility Notice Installation via nbsp simInstaller This product is designed However if you are planning to try it on '24 you may better waiting a short while till the official compatibility patch is out as I'm (entirely reasonably) running into a few issues with the new version on '24 (engines don't start and the wheel brakes don't work are the most obvious). Forget that. The engine start problem was entirely me forgetting how the things starts. There does seem to be a real brake problem though it looks to be with the Parking Brake which can be turned off by clicking on the stick but doesn't seem to able to be turned back on. That's more annoying than a critical issue though and even then will hopefully be resolved shortly with the compatibility fix.

Release for AA5 is tomorrow 12th on Just Flight. No indication yet of price (at least that I have seen). https://www.justflight.com/product/bluesky-hangar-grumman-aa5

If you don't mind something older can justify them on your routes the Just Flight BAe 146 and Avro RJ are great as is their Fokker F28 (with the more modern F70 and F100) coming soon.

And now I'm out....

Cool if they are modelling the Narcon NAV-122 VOR display That integrates the NAV radio into the panel unit and means you don’t need a separate NAV Radio in the Radio Stack. https://www.bennettavionics.com/nav-122-vor-loc-glideslope-indicator-glideslope-receiver-nav-receiver-marker-beacon-receiver-and-indicator/

Bit surprised the Retrowings Fairchild Swearingen Sa227 Metroliner and the JetstreamFS Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain haven't been mentioned. Both look to be getting pretty close to release now.

FlyJSim 737-200 v4 now has a release date ane it's next Friday 12th

This is an upgrade for the 2020 version and didn't include the 2024 compatibility upgrade (though it's possible it might be delayed enough now that 2024 compatibility ends up being included, who knows). The native 2024 version seems still quite some way off.

The v1.1.0 has been delayed due to last minute technical issues.

Unfortunately it looks like the dev is starting to run into limitations of helo and helo engine modelling on MSFS 2020. Maybe these things can be addressed in the native '24 version down the line ?

There's a big update out tomorrow. This DOES NOT include the MSFS 2024 compatibility update but the changelog has been posted on Discord does include lots of other changes and adds DRM. Mi-2 Hoplite Update V1.1.0 Systems • Fuel system. Corrected fuel transfer between tanks • Hydraulic system. Operational pressure corrected • Anti-icing system. Heating cycle and load behavior implemented • Electrical system. Corrected power supply from converters and indicator lights Instruments • Added TNV-45 thermometer • UGR-4UK course indicator. Initial course alignment, synchronization process, and ADF needle behavior updated. Added bolt into the vernier slot, corrected material of the vernier, added scale to the COURSE RP pointer • US-250 airspeed indicator. Response to wind, airflow and direction effects implemented; • USHV rotor pitch indicator. Realistic behavior during power loss • KI-13K compass. Recalibrated, corrected scale and rotation direction, added decals, added heading index • Pressure gauges. Corrected needle response to electrical power input • Fuel gauge KES2097. Corrected behavior for more realistic fuel transfer indication between tanks • RV-3. Added decals on the instrument frame Powerplant • Rotor RPM governor and engine response to controls made smoother and more realistic • Exhaust gas temperature. Corrected start-up spike and gradual cooling after shutdown • Oil pressure. Aligned with operational regimes • Engine shutdown behavior made more realistic • Fuel consumption refined according to documentation • Corrected engine power curve across full altitude range (0–5000 m) according to GTD-350 performance tables: (a) 0–750 m: slight power increase (b) Above 750 m: linear power decrease • Ambient temperature effect on engine power is controlled by simulator logic • GTD-350 power curve is nonlinear; at +25°C and above, simulator may produce excess engine power • Added engine spool delay behavior: (a) Raising collective too quickly can prevent engines from immediately reaching the necessary power, leading to a temporary drop in rotor RPM (b) According to documentation, collective should be increased to takeoff power within 6–8 seconds Rotor RPM corrections across all regimes • Single engine at idle: rotor RPM = 40% • Two engines at idle: rotor RPM = 50% • More realistic rotor spool-up during engine start • Smoother rotor deceleration during shutdown • High power mode (right correction): rotor RPM maintained around 81% • Adjusted rotor spool timing to operational regimes • Adjusted rotor spool-down timing to idle regime • Collective / engine RPM / rotor RPM relationship aligned with documentation across all flight phases • Collective 0–8: rotor RPM maintained at 81% • Collective 9: rotor RPM 80% • Collective 10: rotor RPM 79% • Collective 11+: rotor RPM 78% and lower Flight Model • Improved ground effect modeling (hover performance near ground partially corrected) • Rotor blade lift characteristics adjusted. Reference condition used for tuning: (a) Takeoff mass: 3200 kg (b) Outside air temperature: +18°C (c) Pressure: 740 mmHg (H760 = 250 m) (d) Hover height: 15 m (e) Engine power: 93% (f) Rotor pitch: 7.5° • Rotor blade performance generally matches documentation in cruise modes, but some issues remain. With increasing airspeed, rotor unloading is insufficient, resulting in higher required engine power • Autorotation. Simulator does not model freewheel clutch behavior, resulting in excessive rotor RPM decay after engine shutdown in flight. Other blade characteristics during autorotation are generally within expected behavior • Increased aircraft responsiveness to control inputs (a) Reduced instability in hover (b) Improved stability with increasing airspeed (c) Faster response in roll and pitch inputs Interior • Added labels to the fuse box cover and flare launcher panels • Added missing bolts and rivets • Added latch striker plates on the frame of the front right door • Added textures to the wiring of ceiling lights • Added bolts into the openings of lighting regulators • Corrected shading on lighting regulators and anti-icing system controls • Added sealing rubber for the front left door • Added additional animations (levers, valves) • Other minor fixes and improvements • Added safety strap handles Exterior • Corrected position of the right fuel tank • Animated right and rear left doors • 3D and animation fixes for the front left door • Improved tail rotor textures • Other minor fixes and improvements • Added rear left door latch • Added sealing rubber for the front left door and added missing bolts and rivets Doors • Cabin doors fully implemented with individual mechanics for each door • Interactive opening by dragging the handle with inertia response • Doors react to helicopter flight dynamics (pitch, acceleration/deceleration, roll, yaw) • Doors may partially open or close in flight if not properly secured Animations • New animated cockpit elements: door handles, buttons, latches, locking mechanisms • Stops, locking levers and additional cockpit mechanisms added • Additional missing animations added for cockpit, exterior and interior elements • Reduced rotor coning angle • Rotor brake lever now sets correct position depending on aircraft loading state in simulator Controls & Performance • Switches now respond to mouse wheel input • Major code optimization and performance improvements Protection • Product protection system against unauthorized use (DRM)

It looks like the plane is back on SimMarket once again.

If that is the case then wouldn't they have to have broken the encryption on the Logitude files (as it's part of the Premium upgrades) just adding to the problems with the model ?

You have to wonder if there was a overriding desire to get this version out before the A2A even if it meant compromising on release quality ?