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Austrian aircraft manufacture Diamond Aircraft Industries will soon have their impressive DA-50RG brought to Microsoft Flight Simulator thanks to Skyward Simulations.
Packing an powerful 300HP turbodiesel engine, this carbon fiber aircraft is capable of flight upwards of 20,000ft with its pressurised cabin, making it a fantastic cruising aircraft both in reality and soon in the simulator.
The aircraft features an accurate 3D model, Custom-coded systems such as the engine-control unit (ECU), and also features WorkingTitle Garmin G1000NXI integration in the simulator.
Additionally the product comes with immersive custom sounds by well-known soundpack designer Boris Audio Works.
Having been listed on the Orbx website with a wealth of screenshots and plenty of information, the DA-50RG should be landing in the simulator very soon. FSElite will keep you posted on the product's progress.
Features
Accurate 3D model
True-to-life definition textures
Custom-coded systems, including ECU & TKS
Ground Idle function simulated
Accurate flight model
WorkingTitle Garmin G1000NXI integration
Included handpainted liveries
Immersive custom sounds by Boris Audio Works

The future is here, with the eighteen-propeller Lift Aircraft Hexa - VTOL Drone coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The amphibious vehicle, which seats one person, is the newest release by Orbx partner Simpunk, and despite its sleek, futuristic look, the aircraft is indeed a real world aircraft. Furthermore, the aircraft complies with FAA Powered Ultralight classification, so just like in the simulator, no pilot license is required to fly the vehicle in reality.
The simulator version features automatic take-off and landing modes, an accurate 3D model, custom fly-by-wire flight system and flight dynamics modelled from the ground up.
Weighing only 432 pounds, approximately 196 kg, the Hexa is a unique addition to the simulator, enabling simmers to buzz about city skyscapes or whizz across the sim's incredible landscapes. VR capabilities allow pilots to fully immerse themselves in the product and enjoy the buzz of this unique aircraft.
You can purchase a copy of Simpunk's Lift Aicraft Hexa - VTOL Drone at Orbx.com for $32.99 AUD.
Features
Accurate 3d model
High resolution carbon fiber texture
Custom Fly By Wire flight system and flight dynamics modeled from scratch
Customized instrumentation
Automatic take-off and landing functions
Can land on both land and water
Immersive and realistic sounds
VR compatible
3D custom pilot

iniBuilds has taken to their social media channels to tease their next upcoming airport scenery.
Alongside a single image of what appears to be a cargo loading area, the team wrote: It's going to be an exciting week for scenery at iniBuilds! Let's kick it off with a teaser for one of our upcoming airports!
Any guesses?
Although there is minimal detail to go off from the picture, the logo for a company called Siginon Aviation is visible in the teaser image. In the real world, Signinon is a freight forwarding service based out of Nairobi, leading many users in the iniBuilds discord and the wider community to speculate that the scenery is likely to be that of the Kenyan capital.
FSElite's team of sleuths has also been analysing satellite imagery and Google Street View images and believes that the building depicted is one of Siginon's buildings at the airport, located at these coordinates.
Regardless of what and where the scenery is, judging by iniBuilds' statement we won't have to wait very long to find out for definite!

Parallel 42 has recently shared some more details relating to their upcoming SimFX addon for Microsoft Flight Simulator, including a price point.
The add-on, which is currently being advertised on the developer's website, will retail for £25.00 GPB (inc. local taxes) and release no earlier than Sim Update 15, which was recently confirmed to have suffered yet another delay to launch.
The SimFX addon is arguably Parallel 42's signature addon that brought them to prominence in the first place. A similar add-on package full of visual effects was launched for FSX and P3D back in the day, and it was the success of these add-ons that catapulted the studio to the prominence it enjoys today.
In terms of what's included with the MSFS edition, Parallel 42 is promising extended contrails with more cloud-like voluminous textures that are illuminated differently depending on the sun's position and angle. Simmers are also set to enjoy heat blur FX from engines and APUs, engine blast on soft and wet surfaces, wing wash, rotor wash, engine pollution, touchdown smoke, and even the earth's natural Auroras and shooting stars.
All of these effects will apply not just to the user's aircraft, but also those depicted in multiplayer mode and injected into the simulator via third-party software like BeyondATC, FSLTL, or vPilot.
Users will also be able to customise which effects apply and their intensity on a per-aircraft basis, meaning that users will be able to fine-tune the sim to grant maximum realism.
The addon is expected to be compatible with almost all third-party addon aircraft, although if you're not sure what is and isn't covered, Parallel 42 has offered a comprehensive guide over on their website, along with a handy Aurora tracker.
FSElite will bring you more details on the launch schedule once they become available, presumably once Sim Update 15 is finally launched.

UPDATE: iniBuilds has confirmed on their Twitter/X page that a "full fledged developer stream" covering all aspects of the A220 project is scheduled for mid-2024, which is projected to include information on a release timeline.
Development on Synaptic Simulations' Airbus A220 for Microsoft Flight Simulator has been continuing quietly in the background ever since the studio announced its partnership with iniBuilds to bring the project to market. That was until yesterday, when a new video was uploaded to the team's YouTube channel giving us a detailed look into the complexity of the aircraft's avionics.
Developer Mike first shows us the screens that compose the A220's cockpit. To save time and resources, these are modelled within a piece of software the team has dubbed "Advanced Cockpit Emulator" or ACE. This, according to Mike, was developed in-house and has since become an invaluable resource to the team, saving loading times and computer resources from having to run the avionics suite with every other aspect of the sim in the background.
Checklists
First we look at the normal checklists. Here we see that all the checklists you would expect for every phase of flight are already in. Mike shows us the power-on checklist, and specifically draws our attention to "First we look at the normal checklists. Here we see that all the checklists you would expect for every phase of flight are already in. Mike shows us the power-on checklist, and specifically draws our attention to "sensed items".
These items appear green in the checklist without any user input, which is due to the fact that they are completed automatically based on the sensed state of the aircraft. Among these sensed items are the parking brake, batteries, PTU, hydraulics, gear lever, thrust levers and engine status.
Next, Mike moves onto the preflight checklist. This checklist contains an item known as a "conditional", where the aircraft asks the pilot a question and, depending on the answer, the checklist may be different. In this instance, the conditional is "Flight flight of the day?". Mike selects "yes", and is then presented with an appropriate checklist for an aircraft which has been cold and dark overnight.
We also see that there is a way to override sensed items in the checklist, if for whatever reason the aircraft fails to sense the item, or in the event you are operating under special procedures. Simmers with experience on the Boeing 787 will already have an idea of how these "sensed items" work in practice, since a very similar system operates on that type.
Mike also shows the before taxi checklist, which contains another conditional for "Single engine taxi out?". Perhaps even more impressive though is the fact that simmers can create their own checklists and share them with other simmers. Mike doesn't show a great deal of how this works within the airframe, but says that the team are looking to build an online tool to facilitate the sharing of checklists.
Immediately the idea of operator-specific checklists to reflect airline SOPs springs to mind, although for the casual simmer, the ability to add or remove items which you always find yourself forgetting is an added bonus!
Before moving onto the next part of the video, Mike also explains that non-normal and procedure checklists are not in the aircraft… yet. He suggests that the team are going to be working to bring these into the aircraft as development progresses, as well as a number of failure conditions which would make them actually relevant to the simmer in the event of, say, an engine failure.
CPDLC
On CPDLC, Mike brings us really good news which transcends the development of this specific project. For those unfamiliar with CPDLC, it is a method of communicating with air traffic control without the use of a radio, and is primarily used by aircraft transiting across multiple FIRs (Flight Information Regions) at high altitude, where there is very little need to speak to ATC apart from to be handed off

Scenery developer Boundless has released its North Weald Airfield (EGSX) for X-Plane 11 and 12. Located near the village of North Weald Bassett in the Epping Forest district of Essex, North Weald Airfield serves general aviation pilots across the region, handling over 40,000 aircraft movements a year.
Boundless' version of the airfield is said to be replicated in unparallelled 4k detail thanks to its developer, Matt, who "spends countless hours at the real airport" allowing him to capture every detail.
The airfield has a rich history serving as an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain when it was known as the RAF North Weald. Today, the airfield is home to numerous private aircraft and serves as a base for charity air ambulance service Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, the National Police Air Service (NPAS), and other operators. EGSX is also an active flight training airfield and has been used as a filming location for numerous movies and television productions.
Included in full detail in the scenery is the North Weald Airfield Museum which showcases the history of RAF North Weald, focusing on service personnel and civilians during World War I and II.
Features:
Up-to-date HD Ortho imagery
4K PBR Airport buildings
Full 3D Forests (XP12)
3D vegetation
Excellent performance
Optimised for XP11 AND XP12
3D volumetric grass
HD custom clutter objects (streetlights, road signs, etc)
Custom real-world night lighting tones
Custom HD PBR vehicles (airside and landside)
Realistic HD Static Aircraft
4K custom ground textures
Dynamic weather effects (XP12)
Fully accurate ground markings - including accurately modelled cracks / wear & tear
Full Traffic Global compatibility
Fully accurate airport layout referenced from the latest charts
The scenery is available directly from Boundless' website for £10.99 (plus any applicable taxes).