Today, Blackbird Simulations released the alpha version of its highly anticipated C-130 Hercules for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
The build is available on the developer’s own store, currently priced at $24.99. Blackbird calls it “Dirty Thirty” instead of using the official “C-130 Hercules” denomination, likely for licensing reasons. This is fairly common in flight simulation.
While the build is called an “alpha,” the developer recently mentioned that it’s more akin to what most developers would call a beta, with the aircraft currently 96% feature-complete.
It’s basically an early access kind of deal. The aircraft will be constantly updated with new features, and the price will go up gradually at the same time. It’s worth mentioning that even in its current state, it’s one of the most complex simulations available for MSFS 2024.
Incidentally, Blackbird Simulations has chosen to leave MSFS 2020 behind, so the Hercules won’t be available on the older sim. It’s also only on PC.
Below you can see it in action in a trailer nd a bunch of screenshots.
Here’s a list of features you can expect.
- Deeply accurate avionics, flight, and engine systems
- True-to-life fuel, electrical, and hydraulic modeling
- High-detail 3D models and ultra-crisp textures
- Performance tuned to match real-world data
- Custom hardware input system allowing control of hundreds of parameters unique to this aircraft through the built-in tablet
- For advanced cockpit builders, there is an SDK through which any switch in the cockpit may be read or set directly
- Custom Ground Power Unit
- Multiple cargo configurations & payload types
- Two fuselage options: Long and Short
- 3 rear cockpit variants for different roles
- 10 stunning liveries
- System-driven failures for high-stakes realism
- Gorgeous night lighting inside and out
- Animated extras—including a galley with working microwave (seriously)
- Fully animated doors, ramps, and access points
- Highly complex radar system including ground mapping with terrain shadows, beam width and tilt, offset, expand, freeze and more, as well as air-to-air (skin paint) and weather modes
(Note: ground mapping will not pick up buildings or moving objects) - Digital Map display with worldwide coverage using Navigraph VFR charts (Navigraph subscription required)
- Custom Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) display
- Exceptionally realistic Kalman filter-based dual Inertial Navigation System with fully modeled Schuler errors, earth rotation effects, four different alignment modes, GPS and VOR/TACAN updating
- Common Cursor system enabling GPS-out position updates for the INS using the ground-mapping radar and HUD
- TCAS TA/RA system integrated with the HUD and navigation displays and implemented using the real algorithms per the TCAS standard.
- Full-featured HUD, including ground references and Common Cursor integration
- Up to 16 (depending on variant) avionics screens/MFD with hundreds of pages
- Over 120 fully working Manual Circuit Breakers (MCBs) accessible in the cockpit
- Over 900 Electronic Circuit Breakers (ECBs) controllable through the avionics system
- Over 100 cockpit lighting parameters adjustable through the avionics system
- Custom Flight Director/Autopilot with 4 lateral modes, 6 vertical modes, and autothrottle
On the other hand, we also get a list of features that are still missing and will be implemented over time.
- Sounds – basic sounds are in but need more detail
- Engine and aircraft performance – needs refining
- Autopilot – needs refining
- Throttle calibration system – incomplete
- Fire Handle system – incomplete
- Fire detection and test – incomplete
- APU – working but needs realism improved
- Fuel – fuel transfer is buggy
- Some CNI-MU soft panels buggy
- Holding patterns – buggy
- Single Point Refueling using tablet – incomplete
- FLCV test – incomplete
- Failures – some failures work, some don’t, and failure list is incomplete
- Ice Protection – incomplete
- Effects of ECBUs and BAUs failing or being taken offline
- BIU BACKUP mode – needs work (and to be added to failures list)
- Defensive systems including flares and chaff – incomplete
- IPRA – incomplete
- CARP – incomplete
- CAPS – planned
- TIME NAV – incomplete
- BUS STATUS, SW QUERY, and MAINTENANCE pages – incomplete
- TAWS warnings – incomplete
- CNI-MU TOLD and W/B auto-fill from tablet – planned
- Fuel truck bugged
- Aileron animation reversed
- Crew and paratroop doors still don’t work consistently from the tablet
- Manual/backup extension of gear and flaps from tablet – planned
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available for PC and Xbox Series X|S. If you want to see the massive visual difference against Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, you can enjoy our video and screenshot comparison.
A few weeks ago, we published an extensive interview with Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann about the present situation of the sim and the plans for the future
You can also check out our in-depth analysis of how much data the simulator downloads from the cloud, clearing the air from some widespread misinformation that has made the rounds over the past few months.
