Weekly Recap

Public testing of Sim Update 6 continues with a new beta build (1.8.8.0) today. You can find the full release notes for this build on our forums here. As always, we highly encourage everyone participating in the beta to vote in our surveys at this link. If you are not enrolled in the public beta but would like to join, you can find instructions here. The SU6 beta is available on PC (Windows Store), PC (Steam), XBOX Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

Yesterday, we were thrilled to welcome developers from iniBuilds and Synaptic Simulations for a special preview livestream of their highly-anticipated A220 Airliner! If you weren’t able to watch the broadcast live on Twitch, we’ve updated the VOD for on-demand viewing to our YouTube channel here:

Developer Spotlight – Carenado

This week we are very excited about the launch of the DO228 from Carenado on the in-sim Marketplace! To celebrate this release, we caught up with Fernando Herrara from Carenado for a short Q&A about their company’s history and the passion they bring to their flight simulator add-ons.

How long has Carenado been making flight simulator aircraft, and what was your inspiration for becoming a flight sim add-on developer?

Carenado has been making flight simulator aircraft since 2001. Back then, we felt there weren’t enough aircraft on the market with the level of quality we were looking for, so we decided to create the kind of airplanes we wanted to fly ourselves. That passion for aviation and simulation is still very much alive today, and it continues to shape everything we do.

What aircraft from Carenado’s past catalogue are you most proud of and why?

There are several that are very special to us for different reasons. In the FSX era, the Citation II S550 was a big milestone for us because it was our first jet, the C90 King Air is one of the aircraft we remember most because of how much effort and care went into making it the best version we could, and the B1900D is another aircraft that stands out to us because of its strong personality and the kind of experience it offers to simmers who enjoy regional and utility flying. In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, the DO228 and the CT210 are probably the aircraft we feel most proud of so far, because they really represent the kind of experience we want to bring to the community: aircraft with character, strong visual quality, and a very enjoyable flying experience.

What excited you the most about bringing the DO228 to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?

What excited us most was the chance to bring a very distinctive and versatile aircraft into the modern Microsoft Flight Simulator world. The DO228 has a very unique personality: it’s rugged, practical, and offers a style of flying that feels quite different from many other aircraft. It’s the kind of airplane with a lot of character, and we felt it could become a very rewarding experience for the community in MSFS2024.

Did developing the DO228 present any unique challenges that you haven’t experienced before with your previous aircraft?

Every aircraft has its own challenges, and the DO228 was no exception. One of the most interesting parts was capturing the identity of an aircraft that is both highly functional and very distinctive in the way it feels and operates. Another particularly challenging aspect was modeling its turboprop engine correctly, because it behaves differently from most turboprop engines and required special attention to reproduce that character in a convincing way.

Is there anyone to whom you’d like to give special thanks for the development of the DO228?

Yes, absolutely. I would especially like to thank the people at Aerocardal in Santiago. About ten years ago, when we first developed this aircraft for FSX, they gave us access to the real airplane, and that was incredibly valuable for helping us understand it much more deeply. That support made a real difference and gave us a much stronger foundation for the project.

Check out this week’s NEW and UPDATED releases for both the MSFS (2020) and MSFS 2024 in-sim Marketplaces.

Explore Products

Community Fly-In Friday

July 14 is la fête nationale in France, commonly known as “Bastille Day” to English speakers. To celebrate France’s national holiday, our Community Fly-In Friday group flight this week will be a trip between that country’s two largest cities: Marseille and Paris.

One of the most popular Bastille Day festivities every year is a parade down Paris’s Champs-Élysées, so our group flight will include a fly over of this famous street and its iconic Arc de Triomphe.

Suggested Marketplace Add-on: We suggest flying the newly-released Carenado DO228 for this flight. Please note that this aircraft is recommended but is not required to participate in Community Fly-In Friday.

See Event Details

Highlights from last week’s Community Fly-In

Last week’s event took place in Kiribati! Here are some screenshots from the Fly-In:

Screenshot by SeedyL3205

Screenshot by Chladic88

Weekly Flight Inspiration

The world is a big place! If you’re looking for ideas about where to fly this week, check out our Community Managers’ recommendation here!

With the World Cup coming to an end this weekend after a long and hard fought tournament, take a flight to New Jersey where the final will be taking place. Whether you’re virtually flying the players into the area ready for their match, or transporting passengers who will be spectating and hoping their country takes home the trophy, there’s lots of great nearby airports to fly into!

upcoming Community Events

Regular Community Fly-Ins: If you’re looking to join in with group flights, or even host your own, the best place to begin is via our dedicated Forum category. With a whole host of groups organising regular events, there’s something for everyone! Find more details here.

Community Video

With this week’s release of the Carenado DO228, content creators are already posting some great videos showcasing this new aircraft. For this week’s video we’re joining CaptainKenobi, who puts the DO228 through its paces!