Bluebird Simulations has produced a 20 minute status update video covering all things happening at the company, but primarily the ongoing work on the team’s Boeing 757.
In the update, Shervin Ahooraei (CEO of Bluebird Simulations) firstly confirmed that the Bluebird Simulations team will be showing off the 757 at FSExpo with it’s new v6 Cockpit design, replete with high-fidelity textures. If that’s enough to whet your appetite and persuade you to come and visit Las Vegas in June, tickets can be booked for Flight Simulation’s largest annual trade show here.
Shervin also re-iterates the previously stated mission objective of the project: “to make the best 757 [for a flight simulator] ever.” Mr Ahooraei has previously stated that the 757 will be a true to life, high fidelity addon, and although he has stopped short of using those infamous words study level, everything that has been said to date, including what’s contained in this video, would indicate that the team are going for a highly-accurate, true to life rendition of the aircraft with accurate and complete systems modelling and flight dynamics.
Shervin says in the video that right now, 90% of the team’s focus is on the 757 project, although work slowly but surely progresses in the background on the 767. In a similar vein to how the Fenix Simulations team explained their long development times, Shervin elaborates on how, although the 757 project is taking some time to get *just* right, a lot of the work going in now includes building a foundational platform on which to base the development of future projects. Right now we know the 767 is in the pipeline, although in the video Shervin does refer to as yet un-announced other projects the team are looking to develop down the line.
Although no allusion is made to what other projects the team may have in mind, Shervin does suggest the code base being constructed at present would enable the team to recreate aircraft “from various manufacturers” – perhaps a hint that the team is looking to expand beyond Boeing airframes in the future.
Circuit Breakers
Shervin goes into some detail on circuit breakers in the video. He explains that the decision has been made to include many of the over 500 circuit breakers on the real world plane in the sim rendition. Only approximately 100 of these will be included at release, with the intention to add more down the line. From Bluebird’s standpoint, these are fairly straightforward to include since they are effectively just an on/off switch for the various systems which the team are constructing from the ground up anyway.
Engine Sounds
The highlight of the video must be the new engine sounds, which we get a good peak at from the 3:26 mark. We hear a user turning on the batteries in the cockpit, connecting external power (which in turn gets some of the fans spinning), starting the hydraulic pumps which are then audible from the cabin (which appears to be modelled, although further details are not visible beyond the fact it is modelled), and finally the spool up of the engines. In the video we see the Rolls Royce RB211 variant, although Shervin confirms the Pratt and Whitney variant is also coming and “not to worry”. To listen for yourself, scroll to 4:23 in the video.
Windmilling
Shervin was keen to show off some of the “extra detail” work that the team have included on the plane, such as the engine windmilling behaviour. In the video we are shown a 757 sporting the classic United Airlines livery parked and shut down on stand. As the plane is hit by a head or tailwind, we see how the engines windmill with the flow of air. The direction of windmilling is also dependant on the angle from which the wind makes contact with the surfaces. With a crosswind, there is no windmilling.
Air Conditioning
The bulk of the video is dedicated to the 757’s air conditioning system. We are introduced to this by David, who is working on the project as a programmer and texture artist. David gives us a detailed explanation of how the APU’s bleed air is used on the ground to cool the cabin and equipment on the 757, and shows us how the PACKS and Bleed air valves operate the air conditioning system, along with the trim air. We’re shown how as the dials that operate the trim air valves are turned, the air temperature in various parts of the aircraft increases and decreases.
The explainer is very detailed and complex, and if you’d like to learn more about this particular system, you can view the video from the 8:06 mark.
Wrapping up the video, Shervin addresses some questions the team has been receiving surrounding a release date. At the start of the year the team said that the plane would come in 2024, however Shervin is making it absolutely clear now that, although 2024 is still the goal, there will be no hesitation made in delaying the project into 2025 should the team feel it necessary to achieve the level of detail and fidelity they are aiming for.
As always, FSElite will continue to bring you more details on the project, including from Shervin’s presentation at FSExpo in June!
