Developer Flight Sim Labs has released additional details about their upcoming Concorde add-on for P3D and MSFS. After providing the last development update late last December, the team has made tremendous progress on this iconic aircraft.
The Concorde is one of the most recognizable aircraft built during the 20th century. The aircraft was the result of a joint venture between the French and British to create a passenger airliner that could travel supersonic. While Air France and British Airways only operated the aircraft, it ushered in a new level of luxury to air travel and cut transatlantic travel times in half. Unfortunately, all Concorde aircraft were retired in late 2003.
As many will recall, Flight Sim Labs had previously sold a Concorde add-on for FSX and the earlier versions of P3D. This latest Concorde add-on will initially be released for the latest versions of P3D before coming to MSFS. In addition, Andrew Wilson stated in Flight Sim Labs’ forum that after months of hard work remodeling the virtual cockpit to take advantage of the 64-bit nature of both platforms and including all of Concorde’s intricacies, the aircraft is expected to enter beta testing this week.
In addition to this exciting news, Andrew shared some photo previews and explained the new details and systems the team has added. For instance, the team has carefully re-created the reflections of the glass over the analog instruments and the ambient lighting on of each of the instrument panels. The reflection and lighting details are so realistic that users may have to extend the window blinds to properly read the instruments, just like the real Concorde pilots.
Regarding the flight systems, the aircraft features an early version of fly-by-wire that will allow for more accurate flying characteristics. There are even auto-stabilization computers that will make flying more complicated procedures, like JFK’s Canarise climb, more manageable. Lastly, to make Concorde more accessible to newer flight simmers, there is a Virtual Flight Engineer that follows the aircraft’s real-world procedures and ensures the aircraft is correctly configured for flight.
One of the most exciting and unique aspects of the Flight Sim Lab’s Concorde is how the developer is simulating the reliance on paper charts and materials to fly across the Atlantic. The team has worked extensively with real Concorde pilots to re-create the charts and maps that those pilots used. These charts include all the necessary information for a flight, like the scheduled route, navigation aids, VHF and HF Volmet frequencies, and more. Flight Sim Labs will be putting together videos fully covering this feature shortly. Lastly, the developer will include other relevant paperwork like fuel calculations, performance data, and more to allow users to truly appreciate all the planning behind an actual Concorde flight.
Overall, Flight Sim Lab’s Concorde is on track to be one of the most realistic flight simulator add-ons, not just in terms of modeling and flight systems but because of all the little touches designed to re-create the entire flight experience. For more information, you can read the entire update on Flight Sim Lab’s forum.
FSElite will continue to monitor the development of this aircraft and provide any future updates.
