After several rounds of delays, Microsoft and Asobo finally released the hotly anticipated Aircraft & Avionics Update 4. The update brings MSFS 2024-native versions of five popular aircraft including the Antonov An-2, ATR42-600/ATR72-600, Fokker F.VII, Latécoère 631, and the Savoia-Marchetti S.55/S55x.
Most of the attention centered around the updated ATR from Hans Hartmann. Beyond a simple patch, the ATR received a new CFD flight model, career mode support, new liveries, MSFS EFB and flight planner support, an in-plane EFB, Nav and Autopilot Improvements, and an improved cabin camera.
The AN-2 from AT Simulations received support for career mode missions including cargo, passenger, crop dusting, fire-fighting, and sky-diving. It also received an updated electrical system, fuel system, liveries, wipers, checklists, night lighting, EFB, and a Working Title GPS.
The Fokker F.VII was reworked by iniBuilds to incorporate extended career mode support, dedicated passenger, private, and cargo configurations, an improved flight model, and updated artwork.
The Latécoère Model 631 by BlueMesh received over 40 bug fixes, an aligned fuselage, new animations, and visible passengers.
AAU4: Avidyne IFD550/540 from Working Title now Unlocked
New to AAU4, the Avidyne IFD550 and IFD540 GPS Navigators were made available to developers as Sim Attachments to drop into aircraft. An aircraft-locked version of the IFD550 came with the Boom XB-1 last year.
The IFD550 and 540 are Avidyne’s “latest and greatest” GPS navigators. Working Title’s rendition supports full autopilot coupling, synthetic vision, worldwide procedures including SIDs, STARs, and approaches, and full procedure previews.
MSFS SU5.1 Beta Updated
Following the release of AAU4, MSFS SU5.1 beta users received a small update primarily focused on stability and performance. The release notes simply mentioned that multiple crashes were resolved alongside improvements to reduce instances of low memory/avionics issues on Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
For more information, click here to read the full announcement on the Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums.
