Sim Works Studios updates us on the Dash 7 for MSFS

Sim Works Studios is back from the summer holidays with some good news: the work on the Dash 7 for MSFS, a collaborative project with PILOT’S, is moving forward very well and should be ready later this month, for the inclusion of sounds and other final steps to take care off before the release!

The last couple of months has been somewhat rich in updates concerning the Dash 7. The project was unveiled back in February, but Sim Works Studios (SWS) only recently began sharing more details about the current state of things.

This time, SWS reveals that the airplane is now very functional as both the instruments and systems respond as expected. The team is already able to take the Dash 7 into a variety of places using ILS approaches, flying from VOR to VOR or simply under VFR.

What also appears to be working as expected are the STOL characteristics of the Dash 7. Despite being a relatively big airplane (it carries almost 50 passengers), this regional airliner can take off with just 500m of the runway, which is an impressive feat by any standard! It’s a feat that the real aircraft is able to accomplish in the real world and now also in the SWS/PILOT’S virtual iteration for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

SWS is now finishing up the exterior model, which we’ve had the chance to check out in the previous development update and now, again, in the latest set of images shared by the creators. The bulk of the remaining work for SWS lies now in the cockpit, which is still somewhat early work-in-progress. However, there’s also progress here on multiple fronts as the team works simultaneously on the panel labeling, animations, and texturing.

The good news is that coding is now finished, which means everything is set up correctly behind all the artwork that is still being done. This means operational systems and a fine-tuned flight model that should match the real-world performance of this capable airplane.

All that said, Sim Works Studios plans to finish its end of the project by the end of this month, before handing the aircraft to PILOT’S for sound work and other last steps that are needed for the release. It appears we are in line to see this airplane hit the market before the year’s end, which would be fantastic!

Expectations are high for this project, seeing that it’s coming from the same team that brought us the phenomenal Kodiak 100. Speaking of which… the much-teased amphibian variant is just about to be released!