Could the PMDG 737NG3 for MSFS2020 be delayed even longer than first anticipated? While many of us fully understand the time it would take to bring an aircraft of the level of quality and sophistication like the PMDG 737 into MSFS2020, we might need to wait just a bit longer.
A few weeks before the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was released, Robert Randazzo (CEO of PMDG) announced we could see the new PMDG 737NG3 in the new simulator sometime in late Q1 2001 or early in Q2. Here’s the link to the full article and below is a snippet from that same article discussing the possible timeline.
However, it appears Robert commented just a few days ago with the following:
While certainly his now 6-12 month comment isn’t a sign of panic, after all I’d personally rather have it 100% ready than to have PMDG rush to bring it out only to find it’s useless. Plus this isn’t how PMDG operates anyway.
What this comment tells me and I quote from the post, is the platform (as it stands today) simply isn’t ready for products as complex as PMDG’s. I believe the same can also be said for FSLabs and others. Again, I’m not worried (and neither should you be) as those of us who are content with P3D and X-Plane certainly have alternatives.
Of course, time will tell just what other “stuff” is coming to P3D and whether anyone will buy it. I’m just hoping the release of their Boeing 777 is sooner rather than later for P3Dv5. While I tend to mostly fly shorter-haul flights in the Boeing 737 and Airbus A319/A320/A321, I do still enjoy stretching my legs on some longer flights and absolutely adore the 777.
So Robert Randazzo, if you happen to stumble onto this writing (which I doubt you will). Take your time with FS2020. It will be worth the wait.
Once upon a time, there once existed a spirit within the flight simulation community where talented individuals created many marvelous things to enhance the base simulator application. Everything from navigational aids, enhanced airport scenery and aircraft. At one time in our not so distant past, the quality freeware offerings outnumbered payware. As the base simulator began to evolve (circa FS9 –> FSX timeframe) the quality freeware began to decline and the rise of payware took hold. While I won’t pretend there’s absolutely no freeware available for P3D, I will tell you that the quality content is very few and far between.
Of course the X-Plane community has, for years and still very much to this day, enjoyed a very strong community spirit around freeware/shareware concepts. Many of the X-Plane users in the virtual airline I belong to have spent little to almost no money to enhance their simulation experience. Arguably, one of the very best freeware aircraft models ever known to exist is the Zibo 737. The Zibo 737 Project, led by a team of developers to expand the capabilities of the default 737 in X-Plane. Many who fly both the PMDG 737NG and the Zibo 737 will tell you the differences between the two are hardly noticeable. Others might describe the Zibo 737 as being on-par with Aerosoft quality. Either way, it’s a fantastic aircraft and absolutely free. Who can argue with free?
With the launch a few weeks ago of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, many were bracing themselves (and their wallets) for an onslaught of payware add-ons. After all, if you’ve spent the past decade or more flying study level aircraft the excitement of a brand new simulator may wear off fairly quickly once you climb into the flight deck of the default Airbus A320. Sure….it’s pretty. But within just a few minutes you realize you’ve taken a huge step backwards in the level of immersion as most features are labeled as Inop. I’ve even stated several times that for me, MSFS2020 will most certainly become my go-to flight simulator, but only once aircraft models from PMDG, FSLabs, QualityWings etc. become available. This won’t be happening this year. Most likely this won’t be happening until sometime late in Q1 2021 or perhaps even early Q2 2021.
But….
In just the past week or so, there’s been news about a project underway to create a “Zibo” like experience with the default Airbus A320 in MSFS2020 called the MS2020 A32NX Project. I can tell you from first hand experience that what this team of developers have been able to do in the short time since the release of MSFS2020 has certainly piqued my interest in both MSFS2020 and the default Airbus A320 from an airliner perspective.
Understand, the project is still very much a work in progress. But they’ve certainly managed to excite me in such a way that I can certainly see myself flying the A320 in MSFS2020 on the VATSIM network very soon. Certainly much sooner than I originally believed would be possible.
Want to learn more?
Of course you do! I’d suggest watching the video I’ve embedded below which will bring you up to speed on the progress already made as well as what’s in-store for the very near future. The video description area will provide you with the links to download the mod and how to join the project’s Discord server so you can stay informed on the team’s progress. I hope this news excites you as much as it does me.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for reading this article. It’s much appreciated. For those who are thinking the MSFS2020 A320 project will never be on-par with the likes of the FSLabs A320, you are probably correct. However, as previously stated….the FSLabs Airbus series is most likely 4-6 months away from being available. I’d be willing to bet, the team working on the MSFS2020 A320 project will (in time) bring this up to a level of quality and realism as what we currently see with the Aerosoft A320 and perhaps beyond.
Many are asking if the same might also happen with the default Boeing 747 and Dreamliner. Unfortunately, due to the DRM status of these two aircraft…this may never be possible. But I suppose one should never say never.
Thanks for reading. I’ll soon provide an update to my experiences with the latest MSFS2020 patch. Stay tuned….
With the upcoming release of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2020, many might be wondering what the future holds for the 3rd party add-on market. In today’s FSX/Prepar3d and even X-Plane environments we must purchase, download and install dozens and dozens and sometimes even dozens more of extra add-ons to create an “As Real As It Gets” experience in our favorite simulator. While some of the add-on content is freeware for X-Plane users, the vast majority of quality add-ons for FSX/P3D is payware. All these extra components (while truly awesome) often present challenges in terms of compatibility and reliability of the base sim. With MSFS2020, will we still need all this extra stuff? The short answer is yes and no.
No Longer Needed
While total immersion has always been my goal with flight sim, the eye-candy ranks right up there on my list of importance. After all, much of what we perceive to be a full immersive experience comes to us through what we see. Regardless of whether you fly low and slow or high and fast, the ground textures including roads, highways, rivers, lakes and railroads all add to the experience. In the world of FSX/P3D all this level of detail has generally been provided through various add-ons from Orbx including the Global Base Pack, Global Vector, Global Trees, Global TerraFlora, Global Buildings and different OpenLC products for each region of the world. Thankfully, right out of the box Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has us covered with their highly accurate and stunning auto-gen provided by real world satellite imagery. However, don’t count Orbx out as there will be plenty of opportunity for them to continue to develop their awesome scenery add-ons specifically the smaller airports and perhaps some of the larger ones like KSAN (as an example).
Another example of add-ons which I believe will be obsolete in MSFS2020 is all the weather, cloud and sky texture add-ons which generally come to us via Hi-Fi (ActiveSky) and REX. Out of the box, the MSFS2020 weather engine along with the way sky and cloud textures are displayed appear to be as real as it gets. Of course the development teams at Microsoft has completely rewritten the book on how aircraft will experience changing weather conditions to a level not even available to us now with these 3rd party add-ons.
Finally I believe all these add-on shader type products such as EnvShade, PTA and Tomatoshade will also be unnecessary in MSFS2020. I truly believe that out of the box the visuals of everything including ground textures, aircraft textures, sky textures..etc. are all absolutely beautiful out of the box. This is not to say that any of these shader programs won’t make it to MSFS2020…I just don’t think they will be necessary. At least not necessary for my setup.
Needs Going Forward
Of course at the very top of the list will be all the wonderful add-on aircraft (study level and some not so much) from devs such as PMDG, FSLabs, A2A, QualityWings, Aerosoft and Carenado just to name a few. The limited information I’ve seen on the default Airbus A320 tells me that while this will be a fun aircraft to fly in the short-term, it’s not going to tick all the boxes for the seasoned flight simmer. At the time of this writing, only PMDG (to my knowledge) has provided any sort of timeline and that is looking like late Q1 2021. So we could be talking 6+ months before we see any study level aircraft in MSFS2020.
While many of the top add-on airport developers have posted pictures and details about their plans to release their airport add-ons for MSFS2020, these too will likely not be ready for release until several months after the release of the new sim. Of course, of the enhanced airports Microsoft is including in the release, it’s unclear to me how these would differ in quality from what the 3rd party developers will provide.
Expected Add-on Costs
I don’t want to speculate on exactly what the pricing will be for any 3rd party add-ons other than to say that I highly doubt we can expect to see any discounts from previous FSX/P3D purchases and certainly no free upgrades. While the FSX to P3D jump has been a similar platform and some add-ons purchased for FSX have received 100% free updates all the way to P3Dv5, MSFS2020 is a completely different platform and I believe all add-ons will also be practically brand new versions. In other words, I don’t believe these will be simple port overs from previous versions.
Additional Thoughts on Pricing
When P3D was first released, PMDG was the first to increase their pricing. At the time the reasons provided by PMDG was due to licensing and the simple fact that Prepar3D was not licensed for entertainment purposes like FSX had been. Here’s an old forum post discussing this (Jan. 2015). Other add-on developers like FSLabs also introduced their products at a premium price due to the P3D EULA. As Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 once again is marketed as a “for entertainment purposes” product, can we expect add-on pricing to drop? Well….your guess is as good as mine at this point in time. But I would guess if there is any price change towards a new EULA the change will be minimal.
My Plan
As I’ve stated before, while I will most likely purchase Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 near day one and I will spend some time flying and looking around, I don’t plan to make the move to the new platform until my favorite study level aircraft are available. As I’m still currently unemployed (laid off in July after 22 years), I will also have to be frugal in my spending practices as I go along. Most likely I will focus my attention first on aircraft and just make do with the airports that come with MSFS2020. Then as time goes along and hopefully my job status will resolve itself in time, I can then purchase more things. But these COVID-19 times are difficult for many and the priorities of my family must come first before anything else.
Some really great news hit the flight simulation news wires today regarding PMDG and the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS2020). While it’s great news because obviously MSFS2020 is believed to become the next generation flight simulator which I discussed earlier this week. Unfortunately the news set an expectation which I fully expected, the first PMDG aircraft scheduled to be released for MSFS2020 won’t be available until late Q1 2021. This means MSFS2020 could be some 5-6 months old before we have our first study level aircraft available to fly in the new sim.
Naturally, I didn’t believe we would have anything from PDMG, FSLabs or even Aerosoft on day one. I also didn’t even think we’d see anything in the first 60 days. But I do believe good things come to those who wait and I certainly believe the PMDG 737 NG will be a thing of beauty in MSFS2020. Actually, I encourage you to read this article posted on FSElite and view the first images we’re seeing of the PMDG 737NG in MSFS2020. Seeing is certainly believing. Just WOW!
Where’s the Triple Seven?
For me and my Prepar3d v5 setup, the main aircraft I’m missing from my virtual hangar to have an almost complete fleet is the PMDG Boeing 777. My fleet of payware, study-level aircraft is near complete with the PMDG 737 NGXu, 747 QotSII, the FSLabs A319/A320/A321, Aerosoft’s A318/A319/A320/A321, QualityWings 787 Dreamliner. I’m just waiting for the 777 and once that is installed…then my P3Dv5 fleet will be complete.
In the above mentioned article from FSElite, PMDG does provide a status but that status is that progress on the 777 is progressing slowly. Could we have it in the next 30 days? Well, your guess is as good as mine. But of course, when it is ready…PMDG will release it and it will be near perfect. I certainly can’t wait.
Interested in Flight Sim?
If you currently don’t own a flight sim product and are really interested in getting started. My advice to you is to start with the new Microsoft Flight Simulator when it releases on 18 August. Enjoy and learn with the default aircraft starting with the smaller general aviation aircraft and work your way up to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 747. I know, I know…..the urge to install MSFS2020 and take the 747 out for a spin will be difficult. However, the time you spend in these default aircraft will pay off when the study level aircraft models begin to release.
Yes, the default models are basic. But for those of us who have been in this hobby for as long as I have, that’s all we had back in the day was default aircraft that came packaged with whatever version of Microsoft Flight Simulator we used.
As I pointed out earlier in the week, please check out my tutorials section. While I don’t like to “toot my own horn”, I’ll just say that for a beginner…the articles are written to be easily understood and will give you a good level of understanding.
My Prepar3D v5 setup is getting closer and closer to being ready for full time use. Just in the past 48 hours, Aerosoft announced the release of their P3Dv5 installers for the Airbus A318/A319 & A320/A321 aircraft. I’ve downloaded and installed both and they appear to work just fine.
As I’ve mentioned in previous updates regarding my move to P3Dv5, I’m in no hurry to pull the plug on P3Dv4.5. It continues to run smooth and as I’m still in self-isolation and working from home, I’m logging 6-8 hours a day in the sim. For the month of May I logged over 150 flight hours. The only hiccup I had was some performance issues after taking the last P3Dv4.5 hotfix which I discussed here.
Fun in the Airbus Continues
As I mentioned here, I’ve moved back to the Aerosoft Airbus for my A319/A320 and A321 flights. Since reacquainting myself with these models, I’ve logged perhaps 35-40 hours of flights in them and while the FSLabs product is more immersive, the Aerosoft versions have given me many hours of trouble-free enjoyment.
Come on PMDG
As I’ve mentioned before, my holding pattern from plowing full-steam ahead with P3Dv5 is the PMDG 737NGXu release. At the time of this writing, there is no clear timeframe for when it will be made available for v5. From what I understand, there are two possible reasons for the stall.
First, Lockheed Martin is working on another hotfix for P3Dv5 which is supposed to resolve some of the performance and stability issues. Second, Microsoft is due to release the latest Windows 10 update 2004 which is supposed to also address some issues with VRAM. Most likely, Lockheed is waiting on Microsoft and PMDG is in a holding pattern as a result. Makes sense to me.
My P3Dv5 Settings
I’m still tweaking my graphics settings to get the best looking visuals and performance from P3Dv5. I started by essentially duplicating my P3Dv4.5 settings and that was initially OK. However, due to the slight instability of v5 (at this time), I’ve backed them down slightly without much visual impact. So I’ll continue to see how this works with the add-ons I have and what limited about of time I’m flying in v5 until the hotfix is released. After all, at this point it’s really just about testing.
Well that just about does it for this update. I need to get back to work and in a few hours land my Airbus A319 at KDFW.
The development team at PMDG was the first to ready one of their payware, add-on aircraft for P3Dv5. The majestic Boeing 747-400 Queen of the Skies II is now 100% 99% compatible with P3Dv5. Unfortunately, she isn’t 100% as there was a last minute change with the way the new ActiveSky P3D handles weather. Specifically the way aircraft needs to be coded to interpret weather from ActiveSky P3D so the weather radar functions correctly. Unfortunately, PMDG were not aware of this change and only learned about it after releasing the QOTSII. While the PMDG Dev team have moved onto the next aircraft (hopefully the 737NGXu), they will circle back and make the necessary corrections to the Queen. Most likely I will wait and install the 747-400 after PMDG has provided the new updated installer.
Speaking of the Queen
While not flight sim related, Friday 8 May marked the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. VE Day also known as Victory in Europe Day was the day in which the Allies of World War II accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. Queen Elizabeth II spoke on Friday and was quoted as saying, “Never Give Up, Never Despair”. In these trying times we’re now finding ourselves living, those words could never be more important.
The Work Continues
As I mentioned in my post on Saturday, I have successfully installed P3Dv5, ActiveSky P3D and FSUIPC. I’ve now moved on to installing all my Orbx sceneries and airports. I’ve always had the best luck in doing this in a particular order.
First and obviously you need to install P3Dv5. Next install Orbx FTX Base and Libraries. It appears Orbx will not be making their FTX Vector for P3Dv5, so for now skip that. Then I begin installing the Orbx regions and finally all Orbx airports. Once this is done (and it will take some time) I generally spend some time in a GA aircraft and go out and enjoy the beautiful Orbx regions. My all time favorite is Southern Alaska and Pacific Northwest. The very first add-on Orbx airport I purchased was 7S3 Stark’s Twin Oaks Airpark which is a Bill Womack classic. I just love flying around this area.
Still Not Ready for Prime Time
P3Dv5 still isn’t ready to go for me. While it’s coming together for GA, VFR, low and slow flying…it’s not yet ready to take the place of P3Dv4. Most likely it will still be a few weeks away from that timeframe. To me this is a very methodical process and as I’ve stated before, I DO NOT install anything into the new sim that hasn’t been made compatible. So my favorite aircraft, the PMDG 737NGXu will have to wait for the PMDG team to provide a new installer. Whether that is a few days or a few weeks, the wait will be worth it.
For now, I’ll continue installing the rest of the Orbx airports and then begin downloading other “ready to go” payware airports. I have a lot of add-ons so stay tuned.
We’re somewhat turning a corner with our 7th installment and headed back towards Europe and the United Kingdom. We’re departing out of Abu Dhabi International (OMAA) and headed to London Heathrow (EGLL). While much of the cargo headed into the London area of England flows through London Stanstead (EGSS), some does still flow through Heathrow. Our flight today will be simulating an Emirates SkyCargo flight operating the Boeing 777 freighter.
Route:
Let’s Go to London
Our chariot awaits.
If you’re unfamiliar with GSX and GSX level 2 expansion by FSDreamTeam, it’ll sure help add an extra bit of immersion to your flights. As an example, I’ve showed these cargo loading images several times throughout this series. The cargo containers actually move from the carts onto the loading platform.
The the loading platform raises and the cargo container moves along.
And finally into the aircraft.
We can only look at the aircraft on the ground for so long. After all, we have a 7 hour flight ahead of us.
Leaving the sand behind us. We’ll be back.
Scooting along and making good time.
Over Cairo
The Swiss Alps
The English Channel ahead.
A cloudy day over southeast England.
Old London Town
Touchdown!
Reverse Thrust….
Time to unload…
and go to the hotel
Another absolutely fun flight in the books.
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1) Aircraft: PMDG 777 Freighter Airline: Emirates SkyCargo (UAE) ATC: VATSIM Airport Scenery: OMAA Abu Dhabi International (Simbreeze), EGLL London Heathrow (UK2000) Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 777 Immersion Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4) Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
Hello and welcome back to installment 6 of my COVID-19 Relief Flight Series. I’m happy to report that both my wife and I are still healthy and alive. Best of all, being cooped up with each other now for three weeks hasn’t caused any frustrations between us. We both go about our work days and then spend time together in the evenings. It’s all good!
Our flight today is from Moscow (UUWW) down to Abu Dhabi (OMAA). I picked up the Abu Dhabi International airport scenery and this is the first time I’m flying into this airport. In the real world, much of the cargo operations within the UAE is handled via the newer Al Maktoum International Airport (OMDW) also known as Dubai World Center. But there are a few cargo flights going into and out of Abu Dhabi and that is what we’re simulating for this flight today.
Our flight today will be in an Etihad Cargo Boeing 777. This is a fictional flight as this flight does not operate between Moscow and Abu Dhabi. But that’s OK (as I’ve explained in the past).
Route:
Ready?
Before we can go, we must load cargo.
The ground crews here in Moscow are top notch.
Almost done!
We’re all buttoned up. Pushing back.
Still a bit of snow on the ground from the storm yesterday. Love the attention to detail the developer of this scenery thought to include some tire tracks through the snow. Just make the immersion even better.
Ready to go on runway 01.
While we’re heavy with cargo, our fuel load is relatively light for the 5 hour flight.
A snow covered Moscow as we climb out and make our turn to join the departure.
Our engines are gently purring along.
The big girl is doing well.
In no time we’re in our cruise. Should have smooth skies for the rest of the trip.
High above the Caspian Sea.
Down to the last 150nm as we are leaving Iranian airspace and about to cross the Persian Gulf.
Abu Dhabi International just off the starboard side.
Sand everywhere…
Runway insight
What that saying about when the big Triple Seven sees its shadow? Many more happy landings!
Touchdown!
Slow her down…
Another successful cargo flight is in the books.
Yep, another successful cargo operation is in the books. Where do we go from here? Well….you’ll just have to tune in next time to find out.
Until next time….please take care of yourself and your family. May God continue to bless you and keep you safe.
Jerry
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1) Aircraft: PMDG 777 Freighter Airline: Etihad Cargo (ETD) ATC: VATSIM Airport Scenery: UUWW (Moscow) JustSim , OMAA (Abu Dhabi) Simbreeze Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 737 Immersion Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4) Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
With our 5th installment of this COVID-19 Relief Flight Series, we’re bringing in the Queen. The Queen of the Skies, the awesome Boeing 747-400 freighter by PMDG. I really don’t get enough opportunities to fly the Queen. But this is about to change as we’re going to be flying her on a few different routes coming up over the next week or so. As I mentioned in an earlier installment, I’m working from home due to the self-isolation policies and while I’m busy during the time I’m actually working…I can kick off these longer haul flights and either land during lunch (as is the case with this flight) or after my day is done with the truly longer haul flights.
My gaming machine sits just behind me and once we’re in cruise, I turn things over to my first officer (autopilot) and just let it do its thing. I can work, take calls or do whatever and P3D and whatever flight I’m flying just runs behind me.
Flight Planning
Our flight today is a medium haul flight from Liege, Belgium (EBLG) to Moscow, Russia and the Vnukovo International Airport. This is a new airport in my collection of add-on scenery. I picked it up free as part of the “Stay at Home” flight sim developers sale that has been taking place the past week or so. While ASL Airlines Belgium doesn’t fly to this airport, other cargo airlines do connect between here and Liege.
Route:
Back in the USSR
The ground crew is busy loading up our Boeing 747 freighter for the trip to Russia. They are taking advantage of all cargo doors (including the nose section) in getting us loaded as quickly as possible.
My first officer and I walking over to our aircraft.
We’re loaded, all doors are closed and locked. Our ground crew here at Liege is pushing us back from the cargo stand.
Lined up on 05R and ready to go.
Our four engines working hard to get us airborne.
Leaving Liege, next stop Moscow.
Making our turn to join the departure.
The Queen is majestic in any livery.
Descending over the greater Moscow area.
Looks cold down there.
Runway ahead…I think!
It’s snowing!
Almost touchdown!
This was another awesome flight with a nail-biting finale. Visibility was pretty much zero until the very end. I failed to capture shots on the ground during the unloading process. But will endeavor to do better next time.
For our next installment, we’ll depart Moscow and head down to warmer climates to Abu Dhabi. I hope you’ll join me. Until then…thank you for reading and please take care of yourself.
Credits
Flight Simulator: Prepar3D v4.5 (hotfix 1) Aircraft: PMDG 777 Airline: ASL Airlines Belgium (TAY) ATC: VATSIM Airport Scenery: EBLG (Liege) Orbx, UUWW (Moscow) Justsim Terrain Scenery: Orbx Global Base, Orbx Vector Sky/Cloud Textures: REX 5 SkyForce and REX 5 Environment Force Immersion Effects – Parallel 42 737 Immersion Weather Generation: ActiveSky (ASP4) Flight Planning: SimBrief, Navigraph, FlightAware, FlightRadar24
I hope you are enjoying this series of cargo flights. As I indicated in the last installment, we’re going to be headed back to Belgium and will return the 738 Freighter back to her home base in Liege, Belgium (EBLG). Liege is primarily a cargo hub for many different cargo airlines including Air China Cargo, Emirates Sky Cargo, Fedex and Qatar Airways Cargo just to name a few. It is the 7th largest cargo airport in Europe and 22nd in the world. While our Boeing 737-800 is branded Fedex, this particular aircraft is leased by ASL Airlines Belgium.
Flight Planning
Our route today will take us pretty much due north from the island of Mallorca into mainland Europe and terminate at the ASL cargo hub in Liege.
Route:
Our Flight
Holding short, runway 24R.
Off we go into the wild blue yonder….
Perhaps some day we can get back here under different circumstances.
Making our turn to join the departure.
All calm at cruise
The countryside of Belgium
Just a tad high, but we’ll correct.
That’s better. Two white, Two Red
Back at base for this bird.
Another successful flight in the books. These flights are certainly helping me keep my mind off of the events taking place in the world and I hope these reports are helping you as well. The next series of flights will be longer haul routes kicking off with a flight to Moscow, then down to Abu Dhabi. Stay tuned.
