A significant update for X-Plane 12 has gone into public beta, which adds a range of new features and functionality over the current non-beta build. Dubbed the Flight Lessons Update, X-Plane 12.1.4 is the first release of 2025 and there’s plenty to discover with the update.
Flight Lessons
This update has been named the Flight Lessons update for a reason; you will find all-new lessons from Austin himself teaching you a variety of lessons. Across the seven lessons, you will take part in basic handling, and more advanced techniques and also be able to complete a full cross-country flight in the Lancair Evolution (Austin’s personal aircraft).
Physics-Based Camera
There is now a new physics-based camera option that simulates forces experienced when flying an aircraft. This comes with a range of options from subtle movements to full on force when you slam on the brakes. You can see a demo of it in action below.
New Hand-Crafted Airports
X-Plane isn’t shying away from offering more and more detailed airports for the community. In this release, you will find Salzburg (LOWS) and Barra Airport (EGPR) recreated in full detail. Salzburg is located right in the mountains, offering scenic approaches, whilst Barra is unique because you will be landing on the beach. In fact, the tide itself is dynamic, meaning you will have to really be mindful of the conditions before making the landing.
Speaking of airports, Gateway Airports has seen a refresh since the last update. In fact, nearly 1,500 airports have been updated with this update, providing pilots even more realism around the world.
Search and Rescue
The Search and Rescue functionality has been added to the Garmin G1000 avionics suite. It will help you efficiently cover specific areas, optimising the aircraft flight path. You can enter predefined search patterns like a track line or a spiral pattern.
New Assets
There is a range of new assets including new trucks, airside vehicles, and also snow and de-icing equipment.
Safe Mode
Finally, a new ‘safe mode’ option is available for when X-Plane crashes due to a plugin. It will allow you to change various options to determine the cause of the crash in your simulator.
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That sums up the main parts of the new update from X-Plane, but you can see the full changelog below. Remember, this is a beta of the update, so there could be bugs or issues. If you want to try X-Plane 12 yourself, you can pick up a copy on their site for $79.99.
Changelog
General
- New Joystick profiles for the VKB S-TECS Throttle Mini
- Adjusted magnetic pole in X-Plane to match real world data
- Fixed an error when resizing the windows using a Wayland session on Linux
- AI aircraft will obey STAR altitude restrictions when on final (XPD-16285)
- Fixed an error when changing audio devices in the sound settings page (XPD-16365)
- Glider Tow crashes when activating TCAS Override (XPD-16422)
Aircraft
Cessna 172 SP
- Improved the climb and idle performance to better match those of the real airplane
Grumman F-14 Tomcat
- This release includes a brand-new manual on how to operate the F-14 Tomcat. You can easily find the manual in the aircraft folder.
ATC
- Entering an airport in the flight-plan as waypoint will no longer override the destination airport
- We’ve updated the voice pack to include additional aircraft manufacturers and models
- Don’t allow read-back before the message has been fully heard (XPD-163479)
- Pilot voice says “Ukraine International” instead of “international” at ENGM (XPD-16405)
- Many additional fixes and smaller enhancements
Scenery
- Added some “Warning Jet Blast Signs” at Princess Juliana International Airport (IATA: SXM, ICAO: TNCM)
Systems
General
- Fixed KDAB ILS7L.HANAV when flying a slow aircraft, such as the Cessna 172
- Boeing 737 autopilot turns to north upon capturing LOC instead of inbound course when flying the ILS32R at EDDK (XPD-16462)
Garmin G1000
- Pressing the small FMS knob on the MFD will no longer have an effect while being on the map display (XPD-16433)
FMS
- Fixed stutters when calculation the mach change-over altitude
Weather
- Improved the display of wind directions in the weather map
- Many improvements around the METAR reader, especially the handling of GRIB data
Web API
- Added support for calling commands using the Web API. We’ll have more documentation announced on our developer site soon!
