Flight Panels has been developing loads of panels for Stream Decks as of late in order to help simmers easily access controls in their overly complicated flight decks. Their latest release focused on the 777 by PMDG, so we thought this was a great chance in order to speak to Richard at Flight Panels about the company, their products and the future.
Win a Stream Deck XL and Other Goodies
Before you read the interview below, Flight Panels has been kind enough to offer 3 prizes for the community! First prize winner will be able to claim a Stream Deck XL and a Flight Panels profile of their choice. Second and third place can claim a profile plus a great little merchandise package. Details on how to enter are below.
Flight Panels GiveawayCompetition terms can be found in the Gleam app above. No purchase is necessary. Entries close on 30th September 2024, 11:59PM. Three winners will be drawn at random after the competition closes, with first place winning the Stream Deck XL + Profiles, with 2nd and 3rd place winning a free profile and a merch pack. Shipping addresses will be required and requested via email from an @fselite.net email.
Huge thanks to Flight Panels for the opportunity!
Interview with Flight Panels
Richard from Flight Panels took the time to speak to us about the company, flight panels and also their other products. Check it out below.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your company?
Established in 2023, we’re a small company based in Northern Ireland who develop Stream Deck profiles for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, that transforms a user’s Stream Deck into an intuitive control interface for their aircraft’s cockpit. This allows users to easily operate the buttons, dials, and knobs inside their virtual cockpit without needing to touch their keyboard or mouse, resulting in more immersive and realistic flight experiences.
Our Stream Deck Profiles come pre-loaded with hundreds of pre-programmed buttons that match the look and feel of each individual aircraft and give instant control over a wide range of systems including autopilot, communications, navigation, lighting and overhead systems.
What was your first product, and as some people compare your profiles to some freely available alternatives, what makes yours worth purchasing?
When we created our first profile for the FlyByWire A32NX and started sharing it between friends and colleagues, we collectively realised that it had become an integral part of our Flight Simulator experience. It dramatically changed how we interacted with the sim and made the overall experience feel more realistic and enjoyable.
When we looked at free alternatives we identified several issues, but those that stood out the most were update rot – profiles that had been released but not updated (or on an infrequent basis) and a lack of end-user support.
As aircraft developers are constantly improving their products, regular updates and developer communication is essential, because no one wants to wake up one day to find that one of their most useful tools is no longer working as expected – and without an understanding of when/if those issues will be addressed.
Through a commercial offering we’re able to address some of these issues by offering free product updates for the life of our products and professional support (Helpdesk, Live Chat & Discord) to provide our customers with confidence that a key part of their Flight Simulator setup will work first time, every time – whilst benefiting from regular bug fixes and general improvements – such as the addition of new functionality.
Obviously it doesn’t stop there, we focus heavily on user experience and design so that our profiles match the look and feel of each individual aircraft, whilst achieving that ultime sleek desk aesthetic.
You’ve worked on a number of panels now for a number of planes. Any your particular favourite to fly? If so why?
In the last year we’ve released over 60+ Stream Deck profiles, so as you can imagine, we’ve amassed quite a collection of aircraft! Personally, the FlyByWire A32NX remains in the number 1 spot – it was the first Stream Deck profile that we created and it’s probably safe to say that I know it inside and out. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean I can butter it!
You also have AeroLens in your portfolio. What can you tell us about that?
We primarily created our range of AeroLens profiles to provide quick and simple access to drone controls and cockpit, instrumentation, showcase, custom and quick view cameras, without having to interact with the on-screen menus, which is especially important for streamers.
However, camera views are typically a second thought, and we found that some of the most popular aircraft for Microsoft Flight Simulator have a very limited number of views available, and in some cases, some of those views are slightly bugged.
To address this, we launched AeroLens Pro Enhanced, a range of profiles that ship with any necessary bug fixes and a range of custom views that we’ve created, to enhance the user experience, immersion and enjoyment that these aircraft bring. In some cases, we’ve added up to 20 additional custom views!
Recently, we launched AeroLens Lite which whilst similar to our Pro and Enhanced offerings, is our non-aircraft specific profile that allows users to benefit from quick access to default camera views.
Flight Panels is clearly your main category of product, but have you considered entering any other markets? If so, care to share any teasers?
It’s incredibly tempting to branch out to other areas but as a small team, we don’t want to overstretch ourselves as it’s exceptionally important that we continue to deliver exceptional support to our existing customers and continue to release regular updates for our existing portfolio. But, who knows what opportunities Flight Simulator 2024 may bring!
What are your customers flying and how are they using your products?
Our recent PMDG 777-300ER product launch has been incredibly successful so it’s probably safe to say that most of them are flying the 777! In general, the top 5 most popular aircraft (“since records began”) are: Fenix A319-A321, PMDG 777-300ER, PMDG 737-800, Flybywire A32NX and the iniBuilds A300-600.
In terms of how are our customers are using our products, a picture speaks a thousand words!
Anything else you wish to add?
Using your Stream Deck with Microsoft Flight Simulator is an incredible experience. If you’re looking to dip your toe into the water, you’ll find a wealth of free profiles available online – or you can create your own – by leveraging the incredible PilotsDeck (Stream Deck Plugin) and FSUIPC7.
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Thanks to Richard at Flight Panels for doing the interview with us and supporting a great giveaway!
