Watch this jaw-dropping early look into the Wing42 Boeing 247D for MSFS

We’ve been following Wing42’s projects for MSFS since the very early days of life of the simulator, when Wing42 revealed that their impressive Lockheed Vega and the Boeing 247D were going to eventually come to MSFS. It’s now been more than a year since that initial announcement, and while none of those airplanes have been released yet (instead, we got the pioneer Blériot XI), the 247D is now nearing a point where Wing42 is comfortable to finally release the aircraft. Prepare your wallets folks, because this is bound to be one of the most authentic aircraft simulations yet for MSFS!

Over the last year, we’ve seen some very good-looking images of the 247D, along with relatively regular development updates from Wing42. We’ve learned the developer’s goals to authentically recreate this early American airliner, the first to incorporate some innovative features such as an all-metal construction and retractable landing gear.

The epitome of this path towards authenticity came very recently, during a 4-hour long Twitch stream on TheFlyingFabio channel, where Otmar Nitsche, the lead developer at Wing42, goes into extreme detail about his aircraft, a true labor of passion that soon we will all be able to enjoy in MSFS: it may not be this Christmas, but it won’t be too long after that!

The entire video, which you can see below, is just a jaw-dropping showcase of what Otmar is building. It’s still an early look, not even a preview at this stage, since some things don’t work as intended (yet), but it still provides an incredible insight into what’s being simulated, the awesome attention to detail in the modeling and in the way the 247D operates. It turns out Boeing made some peculiar design decisions!

Otmar talks about the weirdness of some of the 247D’s features, like the engine selector for the manifold pressure gauge: there’s only one manifold pressure gauge, so you have a lever to select which engine it reports from. The same happens with the right-hand fuel gauge, which tells fuel quantity for either the main or the auxiliary right fuel tank. There’s only one tank of the left side, so no need for a gauge selector there. Confused? I know… but it’s an awesome detail that is being simulated by Wing42, and something you will have to pay attention to during your flights.

This level of attention to detail is seen throughout the whole product, and the Boeing 247D totally deserves this attention. Some things are just uncanny, like the aileron trim, which is inconveniently controlled through a crank on the floor, or the elevator trim, a T-handle in the dash, labeled as “elevator flap control”… in an aircraft with no flaps! Who thought of that?!

One of the very cool features to be included in the package is a sort of analog EFB, in the shape of a Clipboard, where you will be able to set up the aircraft in a variety of ways. A Maintenance tab, for example, will include the option to remove engine covers and other static elements, with some great animations to go along. You can actually expose the entire radial engine and see all its intricate details inside. Another tab will allow the management of payload, weight, and balance.

While we don’t get the chance to see the 247D fly during the stream, Fabio does manage to startup one of the engines, showing the realistic procedure that is necessary to get it running. Naturally, big radial engines such as the ones on the Boeing 247D generate a lot of vibrations, which can be seen everywhere in the model, such as in the exhaust pipe or even in the antenna wiring on the outside. Even the needles in the gauges vibrate, each in a different way, because they have different weights and as such behave slightly differently in response to the engine’s vibrations. Remarkable!

This impressive attention to detail is turning the 247D for MSFS into a historically accurate aircraft, a true in-depth simulation that will surely immerse simmers in the whole experience. Immersion is key in any high-quality aircraft in flight simulation, and Wing42 is promising to deliver just that once the 247D finally arrives in MSFS.

At this point, we’re looking into a release early in 2022, which honestly is just around the corner. From what we’re seeing, this will totally be worth the wait! Until then, grab some snacks and a nice cup of coffee, and indulge in this long early look video that will have you eagerly anticipate this release and learn quite a lot about the actual aircraft along the way!