Today two different developers released two Airbus A330 renditions nearly at the same time for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The first comes from Aerosoft, and it’s a rendition of the Airbus A330-300 CEO with Pratt & Whitney engines. It’s sold as a “base pack” on Aerosoft’s own store for $29.99.
Further expansion has been promised down the line with the Rolls Royce and General Electric Engine variants (priced at €5.03 each or €31.92 bundled with the base pack), and the NEO version (priced at $29.99 stand-alone but also available in a bundle with the rest of the goodies).
If all these prices confuse you and you’re not in a hurry, you can wait for the big bundle including everything (CEO with 3 engine variants and NEO) for €37.80. Of course, we don’t know when that’ll be released.
The claimed features are as follows.
General:
- Simulation of the A330 focused on the day to day operation of the aircraft from the left seat
- The cockpit is equipped as it is with large airlines, with the most up to date instruments
- Sublime modelling/texturing based on MSFS technologies
- Dozens of non-standard animations, all with sound effects (sunscreens, windows, tables, tiller, jump seat, standby compass, drooping flight surfaces etc.). All main doors and cargo hatches can be opened. Extensive options to show ground objects (cones, ground power etc.) and to provide ground power
- Includes an Electronic Flight Bag that gives access to ground service, weight & balance, performance calculation, SimBrief integration and charts
- Online manual
- Custom soundset to enhance the immersion
- An update to MSFS 2024 will be delivered free of charge at a later date
Systems:
- Custom Fly-by-Wire systems with flight envelope protection, stall protection, pitch and roll limiter, g-load limiter, over speed protection, Alpha Floor protection, auto trim
- Custom autopilot systems, with V/S, OP CLB/DES, heading and NAV modes
- Custom thrust computer systems (FADEC), throttle with detents
- Compatible with Navigraph (AIRAC 2410 included), MCDU route import via SimBrief
- 15 ECAM pages included, showing relevant aircraft information
- Custom ADIR system
- Custom electrical bus system, with realistic battery run down and voltages
Additional Features:
- Tiller can be operated by additional axis
- Advanced brakes with realistic brake temperatures (modelling Goodrich Carbon brakes)
- Engine model with realistic EPR, N1, N2, EGT, FF
- Ground services (toggle of external objects, chocks, pylons, ground power unit)
- Doors control (controls all doors and hatches)
- Comprehensive Paintkit
Liveries:
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Northwest Airlines
- Air Berlin
- LTU
- CSA Czech Airlines
- Air Caraibes
- Korean Air
- Malaysia Airlines
- China Southern
- Asiana Airlines
Aerosoft also provides a list of features that are not functional, mentioning that a “pro” version is planned for the future with more functional features, but also adding that it is not confirmed.
MCDU:
- INIT A
- Loading and updating winds for a flight plan
- Flight plan
- RNAV Approach
- LOC Approach (FPA)
- Secondary flight plan
- Creating and changing a secondary flight plan
- OVFL waypoints
- Definition of OVERLY waypoints using the function OVFL
- Additional MCDU Functions
- Step Climb
- ABeam points
- Entry of ETOPS waypoints
- Holdings
- Definition of custom “pilot waypoints”
- Definition and display of MSA sectors
- Offset
Cockpit:
- Video Cockpit Door
- Display of TERRAIN on ND
- CPDLC – Controller Pilot Data Link Communication
- Printer
The second release comes from LatinVFR, which continues its Airbus series. The aircraft is currently available on the Microsoft Flight Simulator official marketplace for $24.99.
This one includes all three engine variants for the CEO version and reproduces an Airbus A330-200 model.
The claimed features are as follows.
- Customized systems of the Airbus A330-200, simulating its basic cockpit functionalities.
- Highly detailed external and interior model with high-definition textures.
- Realistic A330 cockpit with functionality in most of the basic systems.
- Cabin announcements, automatically sound based on phase of flight, with optional 6 languages.
- 3 engine variants, GE, RR and PW with their respective airline operators.
- Simulation of the auto transfer of the Trim tank, based on Aircraft’s CG and auto logic.
- Fuel dumping capabilities.
- Cabin model with Business class, premium economy, economy seats and galleys.
- 40 custom liveries from real world airlines and real operators of the A330-200.
- Excellent flight dynamics that resemble the Airbus A330-200, characteristics, power management, fuel systems etc.
- VNAV implementation.
- EFB (electronic flight bag) with weather, aircraft loading, simbrief, navigraph charts, GSE options.
- Navigraph charts implementation on EFB. Subscription required.
- Navigraph OANS (on-board airport navigation system) implemented on the Navigation display. Subscription required.
- Simbrief flight plan injection to CDU, allowing for long haul flight planning and insertion of complex routes (with oceanic crossings)
- Ground service equipment on demand via the EFB.
- Cabin interior, depicting the selected airline.
- Realistic sounds.
- Further updates enhancing this addon further in the coming months
It’s worth mentioning that neither aircraft is so-called study-level or high-definition in terms of systems. Both aim to simulate day-to-day operations, so you’ll have to check out the features and decide which one is right for you, if any.
Another important detail is that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (which releases on November 19, 2024, for PC and Xbox Series X|S) will have a default Airbus A330. If you’re planning to make the jump to the new simulator, you may want to hold off and see how its default A330 performs before buying a payware version.
If you’d like to hear more about MSFS 2024, youcan enjoy our hands-on preview with plenty of interesting details for your perusal.
You can also watch our interview with Head of MSFS Jorg Neumann and Asobo CEO Sebastian Wloch, another with Asobo CCO David Dedeine, and one featuring Chris Burnett of Working Title and Brandon Yaeger of Got Friends about their work on MSFS 2024.
Last, but not least, you can take a look at our A-10 flight through the Grand Canyon, our first look at the extensive pilot customization, another at the first mission of the Career Mode, a video featuring the new walk-around move showing off a Boeing 737 MAX up close and personal, and a challenge with the A-10 over the Blue Ridge Mountains.
