BlueBird Simulations published the penultimate video prior to the release of its hotly anticipated rendition of the Boeing 757 for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Here’s what you need to know:
Release is confirmed for 2026, but no exact date has been provided. The developer stated to look for it sometime in the third quarter of the year.
Excluding the EFB, systems progress is cumulatively 90% done. Based on the picture above, the team is getting ready to enter into stage 2 of the beta testing process. The largest remaining lift for the team systems-wise is the EFB and server-side infrastructure, which will allow BlueBird to release the product on BOTH Just Flight and their own store.
As was covered previously, the $80 purchase price gives pilots access to the -200, -300, both engine models, and all wingtip configurations. However, the team is prioritizing the Rolls Royce RB211 engine model prior to release. It’s unclear whether the Pratt and Whitney model will be available at the time of release, and if it’s not, it will come as a free update shortly thereafter.
The 757 will be compatible with both MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 upon release, with a native 2024 version coming at no cost to customers further down the line.
BlueBird 757 FMS Previews
The highlight of the video was a preview of the FMS functionality coming to the 757. The developers shared a fully functional fix page with the ability to plug FIX waypoints into the LEGS page of the flightplan, a functioning NAV DATA page allowing pilots to pull up airport information, and a functioning POS REF page showing IRS’s experiencing gyroscopic drift.
Future Projects: 757 Expansion, 767
BlueBird’s CEO emphasized that the team is going to be looking at the mix of users on MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 from the forthcoming Navigraph Survey to potentially reassess whether to develop the 757 freighter expansion for both MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024. Currently, the freighter expansion is planned as an MSFS 2024 only release. However, the developer confirmed the 767 will be an MSFS 2024-only product.
For more information, click here to head over to the BlueBird Simulations Discord Channel.
