Have you ever purchased a car only to notice everyone with the same model as yours? Yeah, everyone has an Airbus now. It's been three years since the release of FS2020 and it is hard to believe we're a blink of an eye away from the release of the 2024 installment. It's been an interesting year in the world of flight simming thus far. Developers have been working away, bringing us new project announcements and releases almost daily. Recently, Asobo mentioned another significant project, an Airbus A320neo by iniBuilds. iniBuilds, working closely with Asobo, bringing this NEO to the sim for free with more complexity. Yet another Airbus added to the lineup, totaling a whopping twenty-one Airbus aircraft add-ons when all is said and done. Airbus aircraft aren't too far off from each other system-wise; it's time to let other aircraft families have the spotlight.

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There's more aviation out there

Getting that airliner fix is easy in the sim world these days. In today’s market, users are spoiled for choice when it comes to airliners. X-Plane has the IXEG 737-300, FlightFactor's 777, ToLiss’s A340, and more. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has PMDG's 737 series, Leonardo’s MD80, and DC Designs Concorde. There is enough airliner variety to keep many simmers entertained. Reading through the responses to many new aircraft announcements, the MSFS community has grown a little tired of Airbus products. Some are even now giving out the nickname "Microsoft Airbus Simulator," which is not far off.

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Aircraft development ain't for the faint of heart

Designing aircraft addons for FS2020 and X-Plane requires extensive effort, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears. It involves gathering insights from real pilots, obtaining manuals, schematics, engineering data, and sometimes even paying for information from alternative sources. These manuals don't come quickly and cheaply; some may take years to obtain. There are at least 20 different manual types associated with an aircraft make or model. These  manual types range from your standard pilot operating handbook, aircraft maintenance manuals, electrical and structural schematics, and parts catalogs to service bulletins. Back in the days before digital documentation, you would've needed a separate room for manuals and data for one heavy airliner alone! It takes an eye-straining amount of studying these documents to produce a well-thought-out product for XP or MSFS. The process demands thousands of hours to ensure every detail, from systems to flight models, visuals, to sound engineering, are perfected. Nonetheless, the effort put into creating these products is a testament to the passion and commitment of the developers involved.

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The overlooked, untapped potential

So much untapped potential lies within the simulation market that could bring in significant profits. Enthusiasts are willing to pay top dollar for unique and well-designed aircraft. A lack of add-on coverage for corporate aviation represented in consumer flight simulation presents an opportunity for developers. Hot Start's Challenger 650 is an excellent example of success in such a genre. Hotstart has extensively and meticulously modeled nearly every operational system within the Challenger 650. The team simulated the FBO experience within X-Plane, bringing you closer to the real-world business aviation experience. No one has succeeded in challenging this legit "study level" simulation. The challenge is waiting; whoever develops an in-depth corporate jet for Microsoft Flight Simulator with advanced systems and interactive features will certainly earn attention from the community! As of now, the Hotstart threshold is waiting to be crossed.

New to the Hotstart Challenger? Check out Threshold’s previous interview with Totoritko, a co-developer of the Challenger 650 for X-Plane! This interview goes over some of the intricate details of the Challenger’s simulation!

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Keep Us Coming Back

Unique aircraft add-ons provide more than entertainment; they also offer education in aviation history. Historic aircraft have stories worth telling and exploring through flight simulation as a medium. Pushing the envelope to create captivating, unique add-ons rich in replay value wins the community's praise. Winning that praise requires thinking outside of the box. Manuals and a download are the basics users are looking for more valuable experiences. Connecting the aircraft's virtual life to physical life could provide users with more tangible experiences in aviation and education. These connections could be infographics or memorable films created for the virtual version of the aircraft. Or even physical products or experiences to complement the purchase of a digital addon! Creative competition is healthy competition. The combination of the two drives innovation leading to better products. However, if everyone continues to jump on the same bandwagon, this will lead to repetitive or unoriginal products.

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Line up and wait!

‘You're number twenty-three in line for departure.’ So far, during the lifespan of MSFS, no unique Airbuses have joined the queue of released or in-progress projects. When it comes to Airbus add-ons, twenty-five is the count for Microsoft Flight Simulator. You have a wide range of options to choose from when it comes to flight simulation. Popular choices include Asobo, FBW, LatinVFR, Aerosoft, and Fenix, with more to come. Many users have expressed disappointment that wide-body Airbus aircraft such as the A340-500 and 600 are not in development despite being the last remaining Airbus family on the product list. However, there are still plenty of options available, including aircraft from Airbus's predecessors, BAE Systems , Hawker Siddeley, and BAC (British Aircraft Corporation). These include The Avro RJ, Hawk T2 by Just Flight, and the iconic Concorde by DC Designs and the legendary Spitfire by Flying Iron Simulations. Plenty of older and unique aircraft are available, such as the Concorde, which many of us remember being in awe of, or the Avro RJs that some of us may have flown on. Overall, an impressive selection of European aircraft is available, thanks to the efforts of pay ware and freeware developers.

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The Traffic

So far this is the current line up of released and announced in-progress Airbus fixed wing aircraft for MSFS.

Airbus add-ons lining up to wait for their first flights:

• Synaptic Simulations | A220  
• Aerosoft | A320 | A321 | A318 | A319 | A330 | A320neo | A330neo
• Headwind | A330-300 
• iniBuilds | A320neo | A300-600
• FlyByWire | A380 
• Fenix Simulations | A321 | A319 
• Digital Flight Dynamics | A350 

Released Airbus add-ons:

• Fenix Simulations | A320
• LatinVFR | A321neo | A319ceo | A318 | A320ceo
• FlyByWire | A320neo
• Asobo | A320neo
• iniBuilds | A310
• Headwind | A330-900
• Roland Laborie | A400M

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The Flight Sim Community

We're stoked about all the new planes that are coming out soon. We know a lot of aviation fans are hyped up for their favorite developers to finish up their latest projects. With how fast the flight simulation world is moving, we're expecting next year to be packed with tons of cool releases. So, we wanna hear from you - which plane release are you most excited for? Are there any specific models you're hoping to see created, besides the usual Airbusses? We're curious to know what everyone's thinking about the current Airbus craze!

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