The Aerosoft A330 project for Microsoft Flight Simulator has undergone significant changes of late. Following last month’s release of an official teaser video, Mathijs Kok, the Project Manager at Aerosoft and the most recognized figure associated with the project, announced his departure from the company. Despite this change, the project continues to make progress. To prove that, Aerosoft has now unveiled a dedicated website for the A330 project, signalling the commitment to deliver an immersive wide-body airliner experience to MSFS simmers.
This new dedicated website for the Aerosoft A330 serves as a hub for all updates, news, and information related to the project, providing an accessible resource for simmers eagerly awaiting the release of the A330. Currently, the website offers much of the information already familiar to those who have been following the project. However, it features a new development update that highlights the project’s current status and outlines some challenges the team needs to overcome prior to the release.
The update reveals that the aircraft is now at a stage where almost all planned systems are functional, and it can safely transport users from point A to B. The project is currently undergoing technical restructurings, including server structure changes, workflow optimizations, and process automation to adapt to the long-term development of the A330 platform.
However, there are still some issues to be ironed out. For instance, the lateral tracking of the ILS approach is not precise enough under certain circumstances, causing the aircraft to touch down next to the runway. There are also issues with certain waypoint types where the autopilot does not intercept the following track correctly but oscillates around the track. Additionally, after importing a flight plan into the MCDU, a noticeable performance loss is experienced.
The team is also working on the soundscape and the usability of the cockpit, while simultaneously preparing the documentation to ensure that there is enough learning material available from day one.
The A330 project has been under development for quite some time, and it’s one of the most captivating projects currently underway for the simulator, despite some persistent doubts about its overall scope and attractiveness for experienced simmers. Aerosoft says that their focus is more on the daily procedures of an airline pilot’s job rather than purely on system details.
The A330 may not end up being the “study-level” wide-body aircraft many simmers have been waiting for, but it still promises to be a highly engaging airplane for multiple levels of user experiences. The new website should soon offer further insights into the development progress, but we’ll obviously bring you the most important tidbits as we go along. Stay tuned!