PMDG founder Robert Randazzo has taken to the company’s forums this afternoon to finally answer the question of when the highly anticipated Boeing 777 for MSFS will be released, confirming that the plane is targetted for release on Tuesday, June 25th.
In his post, Mr Randazzo also lets us know that the company has backup dates spanning out to June 30th should they be needed to fix any last-minute issues.
The date follows immediately after the upcoming annual Flight Sim Expo in Las Vegas.
Pricing is still to be announced, however, we expect the airliner to be priced similarly to other PMDG products like the 737 lineup based on previous posts from Mr Randazzo on the forums.
Robert also confirmed again that each of the planned 777 variants, including the 777-300ER (to be released first), 777F, 777-200ER and 777-200LR are to be released as separate addons in their own right, rather than as expansions to a base package. This also falls in line with the deployment model we have seen the company exercise on their 737 line for MSFS.
EFB Update and Hoppie ACARS
In the forum post, Mr Randazzo also mentions that several new features are coming to the PMDG EFB with this release. Though he does not go into specific detail on what these new features may be, one thing which is new and confirmed to be coming in the 777 on release is integration with the Hoppie ACARS system, used on the VATSIM network and a vital part of realistic long-haul operations. Datalink is also usable outside of Hoppie and will carry the ability to import a flight plan and other “useful in-flight data” to the flight deck.
Robert goes on to say that the 777 is fully SimBrief enabled and uses SQL-based navdata provided by Navigraph. This is a feature which has been missing from PMDG products for some time now by Robert’s own admission, but will now finally feature. Additionally the 777 benefits from a new lateral pathing model which should draw more accurate lateral path segments, and fly them in the ways that you as the end user would expect.
Realistic Procedures and Operations
Randazzo also draws attention in his announcement post to some of the realistic procedures that you will be able to perform in the aircraft at launch. The Boeing Electronic Checklist is included, which includes certified normal and non-normal procedures. Failures are also confirmed to be integrated with the plane, as Robert alludes to “pesky mechanical failures you may experience in the operation of the aeroplane”.
He also comments on the work that has gone into ensuring the plane has accurate fuel burn. MSFS’ atmospheric engine has been leveraged to achieve a fuel burn. Robert says that in testing the plane was shown to frequently land within 0.3% of the planned fuel burn, with numbers going into that calculation including real-world OFPs.
Cabin
The aircraft comes with what appears to be a highly detailed cabin, too. Robert says in his post that this is categorised into 4 sections, and from the preview images published today we can see that business class and economy are included within the base configuration. Cabin lighting will also apparently change with the day/night cycle in line with the Boeing Sky Interior real-world system. Scheduled changes to cabin lighting to reflect other phases of flight, for instance, meal service, taxi and takeoff, will also be included. Door arming indications and passenger signs will also be working, with Robert saying in his post that “all cabin features [are] correctly and accurately assigned to their real-world power sources and controls”.
Wrapping Up
To wrap up, Robert says that the plane will be with streamers in the coming days for previews, and PMDG will be releasing more posts in the lead-up to the release highlighting some features in the aeroplane that they are especially pleased with.
The plane is confirmed to be coming to the in-game marketplace, though this will be with the usual lag time of several weeks we see with other developers. Robert also says this lag time gives the team a chance to fix bugs and have a stable product before submitting to the marketplace, as getting patches through there can take several weeks.
SDK and Paintkit will be available on release.
FSElite will continue to bring you content on this highly-anticipated product as and when it becomes available. Be sure to follow our coverage of FSExpo too, where a bevy of other major product announcements and showcases will be made over the weekend!
