Watch the official trailer for the stunning Got Friends Wilga, coming to MSFS this year
Got Friends continues to make significant advancements in the development of the PZL-104 Wilga for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The short-take-off-and-landing aircraft of Polish origin was announced a few weeks ago, following the release of the superb Discus-2c glider, and we now know a bit more about this exciting new airplane.
You may remember from the Wilga’s announcement that Got Friends was aiming for a release this summer. The team got delayed a bit with the process of recording high-quality sounds from a real-world Wilga, so the project has slipped forward a few weeks. However, Got Friends remains confident that the Wilga will be out this year! In fact, the aircraft is now entering into closed alpha testing with a limited group of people. To celebrate this milestone and as a teaser for the exciting moments to come, here’s a stunning preview trailer the team shared exclusively with us, for you!
Fantastic, isn’t it? As we saw in the first preview, the Wilga is already sporting a very nicely-detailed internal and external model. While the visuals continue to get further refinements, the Got Friends team is now focused on other crucial aspects of the product, namely the recording of sounds (scheduled for later this month at EXGM Forwood Farm, in the UK). The team is looking forward to recording uniquely-detailed sounds with an assortment of high-end audio equipment and some home-brew solutions as well!
We’re used to seeing impressive simulation features in Got Friends’ aircraft, and the Wilga will be no exception. The team is really giving their best with this new airplane, which will feature a number of unique new characteristics. Simmers will have to take good care of the engine, for example, or risk experiencing failures during operation. Engine thermal simulation and cowl flap management mechanics are already in place to offer simmers some of the authentic nuances that come with a realistic operation of the Wilga.
This attention to detail will extend to other areas, such as the flight model, which has been built with the latest Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that have been recently implemented in Microsoft Flight Simulator. Similarly to what we’ve seen with other high-quality airplanes in MSFS (the Kodiak 100 comes to mind), the Got Friends Wilga will also come with a dynamic implementation of cargo, which will not only be visually represented according to the payload sliders (from light fishing equipment to a full load of camping cargo), but also somewhat affect the behavior of the aircraft as it shifts around based on the g-forces being applied to the plane.
As a bush aircraft, the Wilga is also a perfect candidate to get some cool kit upgrades, a hallmark feature of other GotGravel airplanes such as the Savage Carbon or the MonsterNX Cub! And to round things up very nicely, the team has developed a clever system of working windshield wipers! A rarity in MSFS that we’ve only seen, from memory, in the Fenix A320!
A partnership with a scenery creator
This all sounds pretty exciting, but there’s more! The Wilga’s natural habitat is a small airstrip, so Got Friends figured this would be a great opportunity to partner with a talented scenery developer and include a detailed rendition of Forwood Farms CL to Microsoft Flight Simulator. Emerald Scenery Design‘s work with this scenery will be included with every purchase of the Wilga and serve as a sweet and detailed starting point for your adventures with the aircraft!
This scenery will feature a couple of prominent features which include automatic hangar doors that open based on aircraft proximity, or dedicated spawn locations for gliders and the Wilga, perfect for multiplayer towing (possible with the Discus-2c Premium Edition).
Emerald Scenery Design is also working on several additional bush strips that will be a perfect fit for the Wilga, which include the notoriously challenging 79ID Clear Creek, in Idaho, and CA21 Limberlost Ranch.
Got Friends is clearly building a very comprehensive package for the Wilga, and we can’t wait to take this unique airplane for some adventures. Microsoft Flight Simulator really is the perfect playground for this kind of experience! With a release not too far off, it won’t take long for MSFS simmers to be able to experience the thrills of bush flying in a brand new aircraft… not only on PC but on the Xbox console too!
