Learn more about the Got Friends Double Ender, coming in July to Microsoft Flight Simulator
GotFriends is pushing forward at a strong pace with its development of the Double Ender for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The team behind some of the most interesting and unique aircraft for the platform, such as the Wilga or the Astro ONE, recently shared an exciting development update about their latest project, which is now in beta testing and is expected to launch within the next 30 days!
The Double Ender was announced just over a month ago and is a uniquely designed aircraft that stands out with its twin engines mounted in a push-pull configuration on top of the fuselage. Born from the ingenuity of Alec Wild, it was developed from the Piper PA-18 and had its first flight in 2010. This homebuilt aircraft, with its origins in the United States, is designed primarily for bush flying, offering a solution to mitigate risk from engine failure and adverse yaw.
The Got Friends team shared with us more details about the features of capabilities of this rather uncanny aircraft. The Double Ender includes a fully custom MVP-50P engine monitoring avionics system that will provide pilots with all the data they need to manage the two engines that power this aircraft. Besides, in typical Got Friends’ attention to detail, the Double Ender will also feature multiple layers of dirt and mud that build up based on the weather and the type of ground the aircraft interacts with. And the coolest part is that this dirt can be washed off by dipping the wheels in water!
A Closer Look at the MVP-50P System
The MVP-50P system in GotFriends’ DoubleEnder is an intricate system management display, the most sophisticated unit they’ve incorporated into an aircraft to date. The team shared today some details about the work that has gone into this system, which you can read in full on the official MSFS forums.
In summary, the MVP-50P serves as the hub of your management needs and offers six display pages and two additional screens. The default screen is the Engine Data Center, accessible by clicking the “Home” button or by scrolling to Page 1. It tracks and displays everything from manifold pressure to fuel quantity in near real-time, including the performance of each individual cylinder head in your Rotax 916iS engines. In the DoubleEnder, there are two Rotax 916iS Engines, and each MVP-50 – one for the front engine and another for the rear engine – monitors its respective engine.
By cycling through the screens with the SCRN button, you can access your Fuel, Oil, and Battery Data, or use alternative screens to display additional data like Airspeed, Altimeter, Heading, Ground Roll Distance, and Wind Speed. The latter can be particularly useful in friendly STOL competitions, allowing you to capture and share the perfect screenshot of your performance.
Configuring the DoubleEnder
The MVP-50 Configuration Page allows you to adjust various settings that modify the MVP-50 Units, including Brightness Settings for the entire virtual cockpit and Unit Settings for data read-outs.
The Aircraft Configuration Page is the heart of the DoubleEnder experience. This is where you can tailor your aircraft modifications, from installing your belly pod to setting up realism features like electrical failures, engine failures, wear and tear, dynamic dirt, visual effects, and more. Every setting is persistent from flight to flight, so you can set it once and forget about it, or customize it for each flight or screenshot. Many of these settings are multiplayer compatible, adding a new dimension of creativity to your experience.
The Aircraft V-Speeds Page displays crucial information for various speeds and dynamically adjusts based on the aircraft’s weight. This tool can be particularly useful in calculating your perfect take-off or landing.
Realism and Wear and Tear
The last two pages heavily feature the included realism settings. Wear and Tear has been built into the DoubleEnder as a core feature. The DoubleEnder can simulate a variety of failures, from high RPM stress, alternator stress, brake degradation, worn Tires, and more. All these settings are persistent and will follow you from one flight to the next. Each damage type has gradual consequences and will affect your overall flights. You can monitor and fix any issues that appear on the Workshop Page when you are parked with the engine off. Some of these damage modules even have visual indicators, especially tire damage!
Developing these intricate systems has been a massive undertaking for the GotFriends team. The goal was to create an aircraft with a simplistic cockpit but deep system depth. They hope that their dedication to the systems involved will push the boundaries of what’s truly possible in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The Double Ender may be a relatively simple aircraft, but it’s clear that Got Friends is going deep into the levels of realism simmers can expect from the virtual rendition in MSFS. Besides the above, the developers say that the aircraft boasts the most accurate simulation of an Airmaster prop control unit to date, with fully functional BETA on the front prop allowing you to reverse and manually control prop pitches.
In addition to these features, the GotFriends’ Double Ender includes interactive animated cargo, such as a deployable tent, bedroll, cooler, and more, thus adding another layer of immersive to the package. The aircraft will come with a variety of bush liveries, ranging from real-world factory prototypes to retro bush graphics inspired by popular backcountry streamers like OohCando and TheDukeNewComb.
The team is also developing a custom Rotax 9 series Wwise sound pack. TwoSeventyInc, whose sound work for the Wilga is one of the best characteristics in the whole package, is working on this specific feature for the Double Ender. The sound pack and realism settings, including simulated wear and tear, are currently undergoing extensive development.
The team at Got Friends hopes to get the Double Ender out within 30 days, for both PC and Xbox via the Marketplace and also through their website. Pricing is already set at a very affordable $19.99.
Stay tuned for more updates about the GotFriends’ Double Ender as we approach its release. In the meantime, enjoy the couple of teaser videos above to get an idea of the stunning work Got Friends is putting on this new project!
