February 13th, 2025 Development Update

Development Update

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Featured Release

This week, we’re excited to highlight the Hawker Nimrod & Hawker Fury from developer Aeroplane Heaven which releases for both PC and Xbox today!

The Hawker Nimrod and Fury were designed by Sydney Camm who was later to design the Hawker Hurricane and many more famous fighting machines.  

The airframe was powered by a Rolls Royce Kestrel V12 engine first producing 480 hp but later upgraded to 608 hp. The propeller was a fixed-pitch wooden Watts-type. First flown in early 1931, the Hawker Fury, with the later 608hp Kestrel, was the first RAF interceptor to reach speeds in excess of 200 mph. It was also a nimble flyer and an excellent aerobat. With a maximum climb rate of 2,400 ft per minute, the aeroplane was designed for a variety of roles including the interception of bombers.  

Not to be outdone, the Royal Navy also wanted this new single-seat fighter for ship-borne duties. So the Fury design was modified to have a broader wingspan and navalised with the addition of arrestor hook, catapult equipment and a headrest for the pilot’s comfort and safety during catapult launches. Both types initially had straight, constant-chord wings, with the lower wing significantly cranked aft of the upper.  

The Royal Navy’s Nimrods were later given broader, swept-back wings and designated Nimrod MkII.  

The Hawker Fury first flew on the 25th March 1931 and entered service with the RAF in May of that year. The Fury was operated as a trainer during the war years.  

The Hawker Nimrod (Mk1) first flew (as a carrier-based aircraft) on the 31st of October 1931 and the first of the Mk2 Nimrods.

Marketplace Releases (MSFS 2020)

Current Backlog: 393 Total

BACKLOG: NEW PRODUCTS

BACKLOG: UPDATED PRODUCTS

It’s the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, so this week we’re off to Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island! Hokkaido is renowned for it’s excellent snow conditions, making it one of the world’s premiere destinations for skiers, snowboarders, and other winter sport enthusiasts!

We will depart from Kushiro on the East coast and zig-zag our way across the island and over some picturesque mountains as we make our way to Hokkaido’s largest city, Sapporo.

Event details are available here. All are welcome to participate!

Rise of a Pilot – Career Mode Livestream

Join Microsoft Flight Simulator Community Manager SeedyL – a real-life private and glider pilot and former ground school (classroom) instructor at a flying school – as he teaches viewers about aviation using the Career Mode in Microsoft Flight Simualtor 2024!

In this livestream video series, SeedyL will start a new pilot career in MSFS 2024 and progress through the training and certifications, using the sim to explain aviation concepts and flight techniques encountered throughout Career Mode. If you’re new to flight simming, this will be a great opportunity to learn more about flying, and if you’re an experienced simmer, you can be entertained by SeedyL’s commentary or share your aviation expertise with other viewers in the chat who may have questions.

Viewers in Twitch chat will have the opportunity to vote on how SeedyL’s pilot career should proceed, for example voting on which missions to take next or which certifications to pursue.

SeedyL will be back in the cockpit next week on Tuesday, February 18th. All episodes will be broadcast on our official Twitch channel starting at 11:00am PT (1900 UTC).

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