Today developer Cows announced the release date of its upcoming Diamond DA40-XLS for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and MSFS 2020.
The aircraft will be released on Orbx Direct on January 30, 2025, so the wait is basically at its end. It’s worth mentioning that it’ll also come to X-Plane, but we don’t know when.
The announcement came with a new trailer and a few new screenshots have been published. You can check them all out below.
Here’s what you can expect from the visuals and animations.
- Light-baked photorealistic reflections and ray-traced shadows & lighting textures
- Faithful exterior model cross-referenced with hundreds of pictures
- Intricate interior model featuring moderate and heavy wear
- Two interior options of black panel/standard grey furnishings
- Subtle and photorealistic photo-overlays for incredible lifelike textures
- All placards sourced and positioned from Diamond maintenance manuals
- Exterior features realistic moderate to heavy dirt/wear, matching reference DA40
- Fiberglass scratching on the fuselage, wings, and empennage
- Realistic bug splatter on the leading edge of wings, cowlings, and various other areas referenced from local DA40
- Subtle panel vibrations during ignition, takeoff, and landing to include free-castering nose gear shimmy
The flight model is described as follows:
- Accurate Performance and handling with over 1000 hours of testing from DA40 pilots, students, and instructors
- Replicated performance and behaviors on maneuvers from FAA’s Commercial Airplane ACS to include: Lazy Eights, Chandelles, Steep Spirals, and 8s-on-Pylons
- Accurate precision landing performance, descent rate, induced drag, to replicate Short-Field Approach and Landings, Power-Off 180° Accuracy Approach and Landings
- Airframe shakes during ground power runs
- Hot-swappable castering or steerable nose gear
Here are a few points about the avionics.
- Fully custom DA40 EIS page with Lean assist and interface to control failures and other features
- Accurate electrical system with circuit breakers, alternator voltage simulation and parasitic losses
- Custom standby flight instrumentation
- Custom AFCS and trim system with adjustable speed
- Custom lighting that warms up and responds to system voltage
- Engine damage, state saving, and 130+ random failures
- Automatic localizer back course switching and multiple fixes to native Asobo systems
We then read about the engine simulation.
- Accurate engine performance in relation to manifold pressure, RPM, and pumping losses
- Custom combustion simulation for startup
- Throttle valve, venturi, fuel servo, and induction system simulation
- Per cylinder: Mixture, Fuel Atomisation, EGT, CHT, Spark, Air and Oil cooling simulation
- Custom fuel and oil pressure system simulation
- Per user randomly generated engine variance and behaviors to provide everyone with a unique experience
Last, but not least, we hear about the sounds:
- Developed from the creator of sounds behind the COWS DA42 Series, FBW A32NX, FlightFX vision jet and others.
- Dynamic engine, wind, and ground roll sounds
- Engine sounds differ depending on prop pitch, fuel flow, and speed
- Dynamic wind sounds, howling sounds in slips and drag noises with flaps
- Sounds sourced from first-party sources, local DA40
- Headset simulation
If you’d like to see more, you can also check out this promising aircraft by Diamond in another gallery of screenshot