FlyByWire developing Flight Warning System for the A32NX
FlyByWire continues to work on its increasingly detailed simulation of the Airbus A320 for MSFS, in what is arguably the most impressive freeware aircraft currently available in the platform. The team doesn’t appear to be intimidated by Fenix Simulations’ strides towards a release of their A320, and remains focused on improving the A32NX while, at the same time, also building up the A380X.
As the team pushes forward with new features and improvements, they occasionally reveal some insights about what is going on behind the scenes in terms of development, both concerning current changes and also looking ahead at new features being added in the near future. The latest Systems Development Update, published today by FlyByWire, provides just that kind of information: an insight into changes that are being introduced to current systems, based on experience in a real-world simulator and on pilot feedback, but also an introduction of a brand new feature that is being implemented into the package for a release in the near future.
FlyByWire starts by detailing the changes being made in several systems, like the fly-by-wire, autopilot, and autothrust systems. The team had access to a full-fledged simulator and managed to gather new data about how the aircraft performs. While they did find that some of the current MSFS numbers are already pretty accurate, such as the roll and yaw laws, they still found room for improvement in other key areas, whose new numbers have been verified by real pilots.
The whole update is quite detailed, includes a few example videos, and explains exactly what changes are being made in each system. For example, because of improvements implemented in the autoland laws, the A32NX should now perform approaches on runways with pre-threshold terrain profiles that can induce abnormal landing behaviors. The overall takeaway is that FlyByWire continues to strive for an accurate and authentic simulation, trying to match the performance of their product to the real-world aircraft as much as possible.
In another fascinating update, FlyByWire provided some details about the new Flight Warning System (FWS) that is being implemented in the A32NX. While there’s still a lot of work to be done here, the team is about to complete the first version of this system, which essentially oversees the most critical systems in the aircraft and emits warnings to alert the crew of any issues.
The first version of this Flight Warning System will include more accurate altitude alerts, intermediate alerts, and “stall” callouts with the infamous “cricket” sound. In the end, the FWS will keep a watchful eye on the aircraft and issue the appropriate warnings every time it senses something isn’t right.
Many of the changes being made to the fly-by-wire, autopilot, and autothrust systems are already available in the experimental version of the A32NX, while others will be introduced in due time, such as the FWS. It’s a testament to the commitment this team is putting into this very impressive project, which puts to shame many payware airplanes and will surely give a run for their money to some high-profile upcoming airliners.
