(Freeware version released!) You can now fly a Jetpack in Flight Simulator
[August 20] Free version now available! – As expected (read below), the JW1 “SkyTraveler” is now also available in its freeware version. The experience is mostly the same, with the paid version offering some additional features.
We’ve seen the variety of flyable aircraft slowly increase in Flight Simulator. From the usual small GA airplanes to the big airliners, from flying inflatable boats to a cardboard Spitfire, developers are slowly making sure that, if something flies, you may eventually find it in MSFS. The latest addition to this growing list of flying machines is an especially cool one: a jetwing!
Similarly to a standard jetpack, a jetwing uses small jet engines on a device attached to a person’s back, propelling the wearer through the air. It’s a concept that has been the dream of many childhoods, with a few pioneers around the world trying to fulfill that dream (with some tragic consequences in between). It’s a risky adventure, but thankfully you can now undertake one totally safe jetwing flight in MSFS, thanks to the latest release from Touching Cloud.
The JW1 “SkyTraveler” is now available in its payware form (a freeware version is also expected to come out very soon). It looks like a fairly realistic virtual version of the famous Jetman, enabling you to hover like a helicopter or cruise like a jet fighter.
The JW1 is currently able to display a few flight modes that can be enabled through the flaps switch. These are needed to control the aircraft, otherwise you would be in a death trap! With flaps 1, the jetwing flies in cruise mode, while flaps 2 and 3 enable stability and hovering modes necessary for slow-speed control and stable vertical stance. Finally, with flaps sets at position 4, a landing parachute is deployed for a safe touchdown.
The developers are not trying to faithfully recreate the flight dynamics of a real-world jetwing, but rather to provide a fairly realistic virtual version based on the known data. With this first public release that is now taking place, Touching Cloud hopes to receive some welcome user feedback. This aircraft is still a work in progress, with improvements expected to be made with regards to the sounds, displays, parachute dynamics, animations, and more.
As mentioned before, there will be a free version of this add-on very soon. It will feature most of the same experience, with some “premium” features reserved for paying customers who wish to support the development of this and future projects.
The JW1 “SkyTraveler” jetpack is now available through Simmarket for just around $10. Make sure to check the official website to learn more about this project and how to fly it, and also to download the freeware once it’s made available.
