X-Crafts recently updated their E-Jets Family lineup to version 1.1.0 for X-Plane 11 and 12, adding FMS speed mode, ILS autotune, steep approach capabilities (E170 & 190 only), and over 160 new features, enhancements, and fixes.

The update automates many things that were manual in the past, decreasing the required workload to operate the airplanes while also increasing the immersion factor. The speed management, for example, is now fully automatic, thanks to the new FMS Speed feature.

The automation also extends to the ILS approach system, with an autotune feature that automatically tunes the correct frequency and handles the transition from LNAV&VNAV to LOC&GS, mimicking the expected real-life behavior.

The E170 and 190 will also feature steep approach capability, making it possible to fly it into London City Airport realistically. It is famous for its 5,5-degree glide slope angle and the limited range of aircraft that can fly there. The E175 and E195 lack the certification in real life, therefore not sporting the feature.

The displays can now be popped up, moved, and resized for a clearer, more accessible view. Positioning settings are persistent and will carry over on subsequent simulator loads.

There are over 160 improvements in total, which follow below in the complete changelog:

NEW FEATURES:

FMS SPEED

• The FMS Speed feature automatically sets the correct speed for the autothrottle setting throughout the entire flight, based on the phase of the flight, the aircraft configuration, or speeds defined in the FMS or SID/STAR speed limits.
• The FMS Speed must always follow the Speed Schedules (CLIMB/CRUISE/DESCENT) defined on PERF INIT 3/3 page unless overwritten by any limits that would limit the speed to a lower value. The limiting values are:some text
  • Speed Schedule (Based on PERF INIT 3/3) - Highest speeds
  • Manual waypoint speed entry (Defined by user)
  • 10000ft Speed Limit (“250 below 10000”. Defined on the CLIMB Page)
  • Departure Speed Limit or GO Around Speed Limit (Limiting speeds around airports)
  • Flaps Speed limit (Set by the max flaps speed limits)
  • Takeoff or Approach Speeds - Lowest speeds
• For a full description of how FMS Speed works, please see the manual.

ILS AUTOTUNE

• The Autotune feature will automatically load the correct NAV frequency into the radios based on the approach selected in the FMS. This happens 30NM out of the airport.
• Automatic Switch to V/L implemented: When the approach has been armed by pressing APP and the preview mode has been enabled by pressing PREV, the autopilot will automatically switch from FMS as the source for the AP to V/L (VOR/Localizer) when the lateral deviation of the approach is less than 1 dot. This means that the pilot no longer has to manually tune in the ILS frequency or switch from FMS to the LOC source manually.

STEEP APPROACH (Available on the E170 & E190)

• The steep approach system allows the aircraft to fly to London City airport or other airports that have approaches steeper than 3.5°. These approaches are thrilling and challenging!
• The steep approach system opens the speed brakes dynamically during the approach to increase drag and subsequently increase the throttle setting. This helps during a possible go-around.

BRAND NEW POP-UP SCREENS

• All screens now pop up as 2D pop-ups which can be popped out into a separate window.
• Click with the left mouse button to open.
• Click and drag with the left mouse button to move the screens around.
• Click with the right mouse button to close them. Many values on the screens can be directly changed by scrolling over them, like altitude, speed, HDG, etc.

OTHER NEW FEATURES

• Added halo effect to the landing and taxi lights for XP12.1
• The pilots ARE NOW ALIVE! They are now animated, with constant movement. They will also shake in turbulence, move with G forces on landing or turn their heads based on the pitch, roll and yaw.
• TERM indicator added to the PFD when we enter the Terminal area which is 30NM radial distance from the destination airport. This will disappear when you switch from FMS to V/L.
• Typical ITT temperature drop-off during the startup sequence added also in X-Plane 12, as on the real aircraft.

FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS:

FMS

• Improved: Further TOD automatic descent initiation improved
• Improved: Corrected KIAS/MACH font size when in manual speed mode.
• Improved: 100's adjustments for FL transition altitude are now permitted
• Improved: Altitude change message now appears when the VNAV descent guidance diamond appears - per the manual
• Improved: Changed TRIM check for T/O CONFIG to confirm that trim is within the green arc values on the EICAS. It does not need to exactly match the PITCH TRIM on the FMS
• Improved: Added a missing “PERF INIT” navigation option to RSK6 on the RTE EDIT FMS page.
• Improved: Revised FPLAN page 1 to correctly reflect current FMS Speed values in the top right.
• Improved: Default Speed Schedules on PERF 3/3 have been defined.
• Improved: All speeds can be modified either by manual entry or by selecting the OR function for other Speed modes on the PERF3/3 page, or on the FPL pages.
• Improved: FMS Gross weight calculations improved
• Improved: If multiple same warnings appear on the scratchpad, only one CLR press is now enough to clear them all
• Improved: You can now type the exact name of your CO ROUTE file into the scratchpad and then insert it into  CO ROUTE field to insert it directly instead of selecting it from the list.some text
  • The name must match the .fms file name exactly, without the file extension.
  • For example, if the flight plan file name is KBOS-KJFK.fms, you should enter KBOS-KJFK into the scratchpad.
• Improved: FPL Page speeds should correctly reflect the current FMS Speeds
• Improved: Reselecting an approach or arrival, or reentering a new flight plan has been reworked to be more stable. The VSD should update accordingly to your new flight plan
• Improved: The TO PITCH on the TAKEOFF page now shows the correct value based on the flaps set for takeoff
• New: You can now use the Backspace key on your keyboard to clear any scratchpad messages. That means you can click them by pressing TAB - BACKSPACE - TAB.
• Fixed: The top bar on the FMS Pop-Up was not visible in Cold & Dark state
• Fixed: TO DATASET values now reset properly after the FMS resets
• Fixed: 6-digit values on the ZFW and GROSS WT were visible out of the FMS Screen. This has been prevented
• Fixed: TOD not updating correctly on the VSD after some flight plan changes.
• Fixed: The gross weight on the FMS now matches the gross weight on the STATUS MFD page.
• Fixed: FMS not showing all runways at KDEN and other airports.
• Fixed: A random CTD likely caused by an ETA prediction error.
• Fixed the following miscellaneous FMS bugs:

• On the cruise page, the speed command is incorrect: 180kt instead of 290/.78M.
• On the flight plan page, unable to write a speed superior to the climbing speed (written on the performance init page) for the climbing period.
• Unable to change the speed of the cruise in the flight plan.
• The transition altitude must always be in ft on the climb and the descent page.
• Unable to modify the speed limit below an altitude on the climb and the descent page.
• Unable to write 2130 kg for the alternate fuel (performance init page): invalid entry.
• Unable to access the maintenance page via the Menu page (via the NAV page, it's okay).

COCKPIT

• Fixed: Removed a glowing surface under the window at night.
• Fixed: The WX button on the GS panel had corrupted letters.
  Cockpit Dome Lights increased brightness to properly illuminate the cockpit.
• Fixed: Cockpit Dome Lights cast light but the actual light bulb was not on when on DC power.
• Fixed: Cockpit Lights and Cabin lights being on in Cold & Dark.
• Fixed: Issues with missing manipulators on the FMS radio knobs.
• Fixed: The right MFD manipulator now pops out the new pop-up MFD screen instead of opening the old pop-ups.
• Fixed: The erroneous overlapping AT DISCONNECT annunciator when changing from SPDT to SPDE.
• Fixed: Windshield heating 1 and 2 not illuminated during ANNUNCIATOR TEST.
• Fixed: The fire extinguisher bottle has an opaque gauge glass. It is now transparent again.

AUTOPILOT

• Improved: Lateral and vertical Autopilot constants have been extensively fine-tuned to minimize overshooting of turns in LNAV or overshooting of the bugged altitude.
• Improved: Lateral deviation of the FD on takeoff is now limited to prevent twitchy movements
• Fixed: Trim didn't disconnect AP.
• Fixed: PTH is no longer available when switching from FMS to LOC2
• Fixed: Pressing FLCH right after takeoff should engage FLCH immediately. Before it selected FPA

AUTOTHROTTLE (X-PLANE 12 ONLY)

• Improved: Fine-tuned AT constants for the millionth time, which should be more stable even during high winds. This should improve AT stability as well as approach descent rate stability.
  Please note that due to X-Plane's flight model calculations and the inability to set different AT constants for high speed and low speeds, every effort has been put into finding the right balance, but in certain corner cases, the AT may still experience a bit of overshooting or undershooting, just like on the real aircraft.

TAKEOFF AP MODES ENHANCED TO REFLECT REAL SYSTEMS

• Improved: FD increases pitch automatically based on the commanded speed as soon as the aircraft leaves the ground.
• Improved: Overhaul of ATTCS (Autothrottle Takeoff Control System). Revised to allow use of normal FMS Speeds for takeoff without the concern of inadvertent power loss on takeoff.

PFD

• New: Added Steep Approach indications.
• New: Vf speed bugs added to the speed tape.
• Improved: NAV Frequencies are now magenta if autotune is enabled on the FMS RADIO page. It will be green if autotune is disabled.
• Improved: The overspeed bar indication now show the correct setting whether we are in KIAS or MACH.
• Improved: Improvements to the FMA to reflect all ATTCS improvements.
• Fixed: TO Vspeeds sometimes not being visible.
• Fixed: Corrected the DME 1 Distance indicator on the PFD.
• Fixed: The Flight Director in X-Plane 11 now behaves like in X-Plane 12 again

MFD

• Fixed: Fixed the Map being frozen and then crashing the sim in some situations
• Fixed: Changed some instruments being tied to the wrong brightness knob.
• Fixed: Transponder modes now work correctly.
• Fixed: The wind indications were showing wrong values. Any further issues are likely related to wrong data sent from X-Plane.
• Fixed: Fuel temperature data on the Fuel Synoptic page uses more accurate data.
• Fixed: Hydraulic temperature data on the Hydr Synoptic page uses more accurate data.
• Fixed: Safety valve on the ECS page showing OPEN in incorrect situations.

EICAS

• Improved: Cyan arch showing throttle request doesn't go beyond the TRS limit anymore.
• Fixed: Pitch readout on the EICAS showing 0 and 1 superimposed when the pitch was 0.95°.
• Fixed: APU Dashes not returning after first APU run

EFB

• Improved: Completely reworked the TO CG calculations, which should now always calculate the optimal Takeoff CG.
• Improved: The EFB will now prioritize loading the front cargo bay as on the real aircraft
• Fixed: Fix CTD when an invalid airport ICAO is entered and new input is made to other fields while the error alert box is shown.
• Fixed: Fixed CTD when entering wrong data into the wind field.

THRUST RATING SYSTEM

• Improved:  TRS limits have been readjusted to better reflect the AOM climb performance
• Fixed: Thrust reduction from TO to CLB is linked to flaps lever. TO will now change to CLB if all these conditions were met:some text
  • Gear Up
  • Above 400 AGL
  • Any change in vertical FD mode (the VNAV AFE CAP for instance, or any other manual selection of VS or anything else)

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

• Improved: Ignition fixed to happen at the correct N2 value
• Improved: Climb engine performance
• Improved: Climb Performance and TRS limits for the E170 and E175
• Improved: Autopilot Pitch Constants for a more stable climb

VNAV

• Fixed: VNAV/TOD Altitude Issues - Death Dive
• Fixed: Airplane sometimes not starting descent at TOD
• Improved: Adjusted TOC indication to better match the actual performance of the aircraft. This will be fine-tuned with more data
• Fixed: Changing the arrival should no longer clear the waypoint altitudes
• Improved: Revising Altitude should be more reliable. This can be done on PERF 2/3 or by flying to a new altitude in magenta FLCH (VNAV level change) and the cruise altitude should update on the FMS once we are 200ft within the new bugged altitude.
• Fixed: The plane will no longer fly above cruise altitude if the ALT setting is set higher than the cruise altitude
• Improved: Adjustments upwards allowed to alow adjusting of any overshoots in level-offs.

FLIGHT MODEL (X-Plane 12 only)

• Improved: Aerodynamics have been fine-tuned to result in an even more accurate flight model.
• Improved: Weight and balance for all aircraft have been revised to match the AOM values. This was done in conjunction with the EFB W&B improvements to ensure optimal TO CG and prevent early liftoff during takeoffs.
• Improved: Extensive engine performance improvements have been done to achieve an even more accurate performance. Climb times now match the AOM values.
• Improved: Startup sequence was reworked and fine-tuned to get ever closer to the real values and times.
• Fixed: Made some changes which should fix the inability to start the engines also at high altitudes.
• Improved: Fuel flow has been fine-tuned.
• Improved: Added KEAS values needed for XP12.09+ flight models.
• Improved: Gear friction fine-tuned.

SYSTEMS

• Improved: Improvements to the hydraulic system to take advantage of new X-Plane 12 features.
• Improved: Nose wheel steering has been slowed down from 1 to 3 seconds for the full rotation.
• Improved: Default X-Plane Autothrottle command is overridden by our custom command, so you don't have to reassign the command on your hardware.
• Fixed: TO CONFIG saying NO TAKEOFF FLAPS TRIM if only trim was wrong

ANTI-ICE SYSTEM

• New: Improved the Anti Ice indications. ICE CONDITIONS messages added to the CAS warning section. Anti-Ice now shows ICE CONDITIONS when flying through clouds around 0°C. Ice will not form if it's raining or colder.
• Improved: The windshield ANTI ICE switches are now separated for left and right in XP12.
• Improved: Improved the Anti-Ice Page temperature values on the ANTI ICE synoptic MFD page.
• Fixed: Temp number on the right leading edge missing on anti-ice page in cold and dark
• Fixed: Anti-ice During Startup: Improvements have been made to eliminate engine startup issues at high-altitude airports.

VR

• Improved: FMS now pops up smaller
• Improved: PFD MFD and EICAS can be popped up as 3D pop-ups.
• Improved: Clicking anywhere on the EFB will pop it up in VR
• Improved: The top part of the yoke is now hidden as well when the yoke is hidden
• Improved: VR Config fine-tuning for the VS wheel
• Fixed: Made the MFD pop-up manipulator smaller so that MFD Synoptic pages can be controlled again on the normal non-popped-up screen.

HARDWARE

• Fixed: Inability to toggle reverse thrust on TCA Throttles
• Fixed: Speed command not going lower than 140kts

• Fixed: TO CONFIG check should now work fine also if flaps have been assigned to an axis in the hardware settings

3D MODEL

• Improved: Improved the wing flex animations
• Fixed: The cabin curtain is no longer transparent from the service door side
• Fixed: Rubber around the door is not visible also from the outside
• Fixed: There was a green edge on the cabin windows. This has been fixed

SOUNDS

• Improved: Cockpit seat shake noise randomized pitch to sound slightly differently every time
• Improved: Engine buzz added, most notably audible over 85%N1 and in the cabin near the engines
• Improved: Added additional prevention of accidental “Approaching Minimums” warning on takeoff

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Refer to their blog post for further information on the update and its features.

Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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