PMDG 737 for MSFS: “The wait is nearly over!”

In a less dramatic and more straightforward development update, PMDG’s Robert Randazzo shared some new details about the current stage of development of this much-hyped new airliner for Microsoft Flight Simulator. After a few months of blockage, while PMDG awaited some help from Asobo, the 737 finally became “unstuck” and is now steadily sprinting to the finishing line. This weekend’s update confirms just that: the package is starting to “look, act and feel like finished product“.
PMDG appears to now be mostly focused on refining the overall experience, from the Heads Up Guidance System to the autopilot, AFDS, and overall visuals within the cockpit. Randazzo says that the 737 is now flying complete flight stages and shows appreciable stability and “good manners”. You can read more details about the ongoing work in the PMDG forums.
Since things are going extremely well, the team is now getting ready to a take the aircraft into a beta stage, whose date is now in place. This is an important step to gather a global comprehension of how the aircraft behaves as a whole, in order to put some final polishments in the package ahead of a release date. Robert says a projected release date is now being set, but he’s not yet comfortable sharing that with the community.
All in all, it seems the storm is now behind the 737, and the winds are calm on these last few miles as the airplane is getting stable for a final approach. This is quite possibly the most anticipated aircraft for MSFS, so everyone is eagerly waiting for it to finally land.
Now, just image an airport where thousands of simmers are looking at the horizon, trying to spot the landing lights of an airplane in the distance… the PMDG 737 emerges from the clouds with confidence but… it’s not alone! This airport has two parallel runways, and there’s an A320 also on final!
The next few months will be fun in MSFS.
Rob Sorensen
Really looking forward to this project…keeping my fingers crossed….
That being said – the FlyByWire A32NX is the MSFS airliner to beat. With their realism and support, it is going to be tough shoes to fill…
Take your time and do it right guys!!!
Paul Wilson
I’ve never flown with PMDG. I fly the Zibo mod for B737 on X-Plane 11.
It seems doubtful PMDG could be up to that level. Zibo has completely functioning FMCs. I don’t read PMDG having that, though perhaps it does. Without everything working like the real airplane, you have a video game, not a simulator.
Zibo is also free. If the PMDG was somehow definitely better, I would go for it. I do know a lot about the B737 as I have something like 15,000 hours in them and of course a type rating.
Tyler Marlow
Paul, the PMDG 737 will be the closest to the real thing you will ever get in a sim. It will have FMCs that operate as close to the real thing as possible in a simulator. It will blow the Zibo mod out of the water.