FlightSim Studio AG (commonly known as FSS) has announced an upcoming expansion pack to their Boeing 727 aircraft announced at last year’s FSExpo – the Super 27.
The Super 27 was an upgrade to the original 727 that came later in the plane’s production run in 1988. It replaced the original side-mounted engines with quieter JT8D-217C/219 engines, and the centre engine gained a hush kit. The result was a much quieter plane, and the newer engines also reduced total fuel burn by around 10%, increasing the aircraft’s range. Restricted and short field performance were also improved.
In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek presentation, FSS detailed some of the most common user complaints stemming from their retro-airliner offering. Users who have said that the 20th century aircraft is too hard to fly, too complex to navigate and operate, will delight in the range of newer avionics available in the flight deck of the Super 27. The plane also comes with a more modern autopilot that simmers will be more familiar with.
Onboard the Super 27 flight deck will be an optional Rockwell-Collins EFIS and Autopilot system, a new transponder system with digital TCAS and vertical speed indicator, digitised fuel gauges, and an auto-spoiler system. Several liveries will be available at launch for the passenger and freighter versions of the upgraded 727, and flight dynamics have been updated to reflect the increased weight and performance of those JTD-217s.
E-Jets
Moving onto the E-Jets, FSS first showed a short film detailing the progress made so far in bringing these aircraft up to the community’s expectations. During this the film, which showed the latest internal build of the E-Jets, we got a good look at the custom FMS in progress. There’s still no VNAV (yet!) but the vertical situation display still gives a good indication of how the descent plan is looking as a 2D representation.
The team then unveiled that, starting in July, they will be opening access to a public testing program for the upcoming custom FMS, which will include new logic for LNAV and, later this year, the long-awaited VNAV capability. The target of this program is to test performance, autopilot behaviour, route drawing, and the custom FMS.
Users who are interesting in signing up for this new experimental testing program and are not afraid of “wonky behaviour” or WASM crashes can sign up using the link here.
Lastly, the Martin from FSS announced the team are working on some TECNAM aircraft. The P2012, which will come as an MSFS2024 native product, and the P2006T. This is an older aircraft and needs a more comprehensive representation.
Martin also confirmed the team are planning on bringing the 727-100 variant at some stage. Work is not in progress yet as the team work on their other projects, but is in their development roadmap, probably for next year.
Keep an eye on our website and socials as we continue to bring you the latest announcements, updates and interviews from FSExpo weekend in Providence, RI.
