About a month ago, Aerosoft’s Rafi sat down with Torsten from ToLiss for a chat about the A340-600 that is under development for Microsoft Flight Simulator as we mentioned here. This interview has meanwhile turned into a three part series, covering the intricacies of the various aircraft systems and providing a bit more background on what you can expect when piloting the upcoming A340-600 Pro. We will provide the highlights below or you can watch the full video’s here.
Fuel, Electrical and Emergency Systems
Part two of the video series jumps straight into the fuel system of the widebody Airbus, which is a bit more intricate and complex compared to an A320 narrowbody. Torsten notes that it’s “probably the system I spent most of the time with,” and it’s easy to see why. The aircraft features eight fuel tanks spread throughout the airframe, each with its own engineering considerations and methods for transferring fuel. Add to that the complexity of two additional engines, a dedicated trim tank and a full fuel jettison system and it becomes clear quite some effort is required to accurately reproduce the system’s logic and behavior. Especially the trim fuel tank system for example features some advanced logic to allow the aircraft to regulate its center of gravity in flight, improving fuel economy.
Additionally we hear a bit more about the electrical systems. Compared to a twin engine Airbus, this aircraft is similar in design, however it now features four generators and they each have their own AC buses. This means you can lose even more engines before losing power to various systems. If you do somehow lose all the engines, all the logic for emergency power generation and recovering flight computers before the landing should all be present, showcasing a high technical systems depth that we are familiar with in the ToLiss X-Plane products.
The video mentions that a “large amount” of ECAM procedures and messages are available for the aforementioned systems. These will aid the pilot and pop up in both normal and non-normal situations accordingly.
Hydraulics, Air and Engine Variability
In the third video, Torsten explains how the A340’s four hydraulic pumps support its three independent hydraulic systems. The two outboard engines feed the green system, which powers heavy duty components like the landing gear. Hydraulic flow is calculated in real time, meaning high demand can slow gear or flap movement, just as in the real aircraft.
The simulation also accounts for natural differences between individual engines. Pilots will see variations in parameters such as oil temperature and exhaust gas temparture. The four engine layout also affects the aircraft’s air systems: cabin pressurization loads are shared across more engines, leaving more air available for thrust and improving fuel efficiency. These “cause and effect” relationships all appear to be modeled in depth.
EFB, Autosave and Taxi Camera
Other features showcased include the EFB, autosave functionality and the taxi camera. The EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) will support Navigraph integration, performance calculations, aircraft states, failures and more. Autosave, or technically “situation saving” on an time interval, is a beloved feature for ToLiss fans and it should behave just as it does in X-Plane, storing the entire state of your flight so you can resume seamlessly, even after a simulator crash. Notably, for the first time for MSFS, ToLiss has implemented a functional taxi camera system within MSFS despite the simulator not officially supporting it yet. It may be an initial implementation but should still function to provide immersion and greatly assist pilots maneuvering the long A340 around tight taxiway corners.
What’s Next?
The third interview is described as “the final one,” though it’s unclear whether that refers to the video series or the development timeline. What is confirmed however is that more content is coming. Torsten will soon showcase the aircraft in a livestream alongside a real world A340-600 pilot.
We continue to monitor this unique collaboration between Aerosoft and ToLiss, stay tuned for more.
