The weekly Microsoft Flight Simulator blog update was shared by the team yesterday and whilst it initially did not look like much had changed, upon closer inspection, there has been a bit of a switcharoo for the first ‘Famous Flyer’.
Initially, the first famous flyer to release following a Sim Update was originally meant to be the Antonov AN-2. However, that appears to have changed and now, the Beechcraft Model 17 will instead take its place.
The news of the sudden change comes from the development roadmap that was published on February 24th, which highlights that the Beechcraft 17 will release as the first Famous Flyer. According to the development roadmap, the Beechcraft 17 will release on March 1st, the day after Sim Update 8 for Microsoft Flight Simulator releases.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that the Antonov AN-2 has slipped considering that we last heard in the live Q&A there were some licensing issues holding up the release. In fact, the plane was originally due to release late last year but seems to be stuck in some kind of stuck loop. To then not let people down, the Beechcraft 17 has snuck into this new release date instead and thus will be the first of the Famous Flyer aircraft to be released for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Hopefully, we’ll see the Antonov AN-2 released as the second Famous Flyer in April when #2 is due for release.
The Beechcraft 17 is an American biplane that first was introduced in 1932 and was produced up until 1949. In that time, a total of 785 aircraft of the type were built. The Model 17 was used primarily in the US army and navy, along with plenty of air racing use. Its lightweight design means it can reach speeds of over 200mph, whilst having a decent range of over 580nm.
We don’t have any information from Microsoft about the plane itself, but we are due to see a trailer on March 1st if the development roadmap is to be believed.
Featured Image Source: Wikipedia
