F70 & F100 Professional Roadmap

[Martyn]

In keeping with our long history of releasing regular, significant, updates and upgrades for our MSFS aircraft, we are committed to bringing improvements and new features to the F70 and F100 in the coming months.

In addition to the sorts of changes included in the already-released v1.1 and v1.2 updates, we have some longer-term plans for exciting new features, so we thought we’d share this roadmap with you.

As we are currently prioritising fixes and refinements for existing features and functionality, we are not yet in a position to provide timescales for these new features, but we’ll keep you updated on any progress.

Tay 650 engines

Both our F70 and F100 are currently equipped with Tay 620-15 engines. Soon after its introduction into airliner service, the F100 was also available with the upgraded Tay 650-15 engines, offering an additional 9% of thrust. A modest but useful performance gain for the larger and heavier F100.

Adding the Tay 650-15 engine option for the F100 is something that we would love to do, however it’s no small task. To simulate them to the same degree of realism as the existing Tay 620-15 engines, changes would be required to the engine sounds, flight model, FMS CDU logic, AFCAS/ATS logic and more.

That work is already underway, with the new sounds recorded from real Tay 650-15s, but there is lots still to do.

Failures/wear-and-tear

All of our aircraft have a high level of systems fidelity, coded from the real aircraft documentation, training software and input from real-world pilots and engineers. The systems aren't just coded to make them appear as though they function correctly; the underlying logic is also simulated to ensure that systems are powered from the correct sources and accurately integrated with each other, ensuring that the consequences of improper aircraft operation are accurate.

With all of that existing, complex, systems logic already in place, another feature that we’d like to add is the simulation of failures, and wear-and-tear, allowing you to simulate both normal day-to-day operations and failures training - features such as manual triggering of component failures and service-based failures. Like in our 146 and RJ, that would be controlled via a dedicated EFB menu, and would be optional and customisable.

Terrain radar

A new feature that we’d like to add to the existing Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) is the Terrain Alerting and Display (TAD), which provides an image on the ND of the terrain surrounding the aircraft. Similar to what you will you find on other airliners, terrain is depicted in various colours depending on height and threat level.

Unfortunately it is not possible to get terrain data directly from MSFS, therefore this would require a custom terrain database and associated changes to the ND logic. Work has begun on investigating the feasibility of this feature.

EFB navigation data updating

A commonly requested feature is the ability to update the FMS CDU navigation database via the EFB tablet. Alongside the existing Navigraph Hub method, this would allow you to update to the latest Navigraph AIRAC cycle within the simulator, especially useful for those using an XBOX or PS5.

We are already working on the necessary FMS CDU changes, in coordination with the Navigraph team, and hope to share more news on this feature soon.

AFCAS/ATS/CDU fixes and improvements

At the heart of the F70 and F100 is the AFCAS, ATS and FMS CDU. As you can imagine, the logic for those systems is highly complex, especially when in PROF (VNAV) mode, navigating multiple leg types and a wide variety of SID/STAR procedures.

We will continue to refine those systems over the foreseeable future, based on our own extensive testing and the feedback of the community.

Whilst no firm decisions have been made yet, we will also consider implementing features such as secondary flight plans, and later revisions of the FMS CDU software.

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As always, we are listening carefully to the feedback from the community, helping us to focus our attention on the systems and features that matter most to you. We look forward to sharing more news on upcoming changes in the coming weeks and months.