With the Hot Start Challenger 650 due to release tomorrow, January 7th 2022, the final piece of information missing was the price. However, it has now been confirmed that the Hot Start Challenger 650 will be priced at $114.95 (excluding taxes) when it releases on the X-Aviation store.
The price comes as a surprise to many, and it’s our reckoning that this is the most expensive aircraft add-on available for X-Plane 11. It comes as a surprise as only at the end of October 2021 did developer totroitko state “I can tell you right now, that it’s not gonna be more than $100.” They added, “I don’t know the exact number yet, but $100 is sort of a magical boundary I’m not willing to pass.” Of course, it’s worth noting that features get added over the course of development and prices change. Another developer from the team, Gozza defended the price by saying “The price is more than fair for what you are getting. None of us thought the price would go over $100, but that was over a year ago, and we never planned to add what we have added to the package.“
The pricing debate aside, Hot Start has been giving more information on the Challenger 650 and what users can expect when it does release. In addition to the detailed modelling and advanced system-depth, the aircraft is also coming with some kind of career system. You will experience not only the simulation of the aircraft itself but of that as a corporate pilot.
You’ll experience interactions with FBO staff, fuelers, and even have full access to the FBO for pre-flight duties. You have the option to do a ‘Training’ mode for quick ‘get in and go’ situations, but ‘Career’ mode is a lifelike pilot experience that requires the time and attention real pilots deal with. You’ll need to fill out fuel orders, consider de-icing (even ride in the de-ice truck if you like), use the briefing room to get your flight plan sorted out, interact with the fueler, and deal with FBO staff to co-ordinate the arrival of your passengers.
Challenger 650 Product Page
As we mentioned in our previous article, the Challenger 650 “has been designed from first principles.” This includes “basic laws of physics, such as conservation of energy, momentum, the laws of thermodynamics and much more.” In fact, the team said that every system has been recreated from the ground up and is totally independent of X-Plane’s own platform.
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Whilst the aircraft appears to be coming feature-complete at release, Hot Start said the aircraft will get more free updates in the future. You can stay updated by sticking with FSElite or checking out the Hot Start Discord channel.