Airfoillabs has recently announced the development of a high-fidelity Boeing 737 Max for X-Plane, featuring realistic flight dynamics, a detailed 3D cockpit environment, cockpit builder friendliness, and more.

The development process will be completely transparent, with the developers providing frequent development updates on their X-Plane Org forum thread delineating every step taken into building the add-on. The updates will occur every month with detailed progress reports, media (screenshots and videos), technical deep dives, and clear milestone tracking with real-time progress indicators.

They have already come up with an expected feature list for each release: alpha, beta, 1.0, and the future beyond that. The alpha release will implement the core flight dynamics, a detailed 3D cockpit environment, basic systems, and a relatively basic flight model. The beta release, on the other hand, should bring comprehensive aircraft systems, advanced autopilot functionality, initial FMS implementation, and the integration of the core systems. For 1.0, the aircraft should fully integrate all its systems,  a custom EFB, a professional-grade sound environment, and complete documentation and manuals.

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The aircraft should get regular updates based on community feedback, enhanced functionality releases, ongoing systems refinement, and advanced feature implementations post-release.

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What they claim sets their 737 Max apart is that it's explicitly built for X-Plane's flight model engine, with a deep systems simulation focused on professional-grade accuracy. Thus, it's a potential platform for cockpit-building enthusiasts.

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The development updates will start next Friday, with an in-depth look at their cockpit modeling progress. In the coming weeks, a real-time development tracker will be added to their website, where potential customers will be able to see its current development state.

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Refer to their announcement post for further information on the matter.

Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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