It’s been a long time coming. Ever since iniBuilds dropped that cryptic teaser back in November 2024, pointing at an L-1011 resting at the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum in Riyadh, the community has been waiting for this moment. Well, the wait is over: the iniBuilds L-1011 TriStar Airliner for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is now officially available through the in-sim Marketplace, priced at $49.99.
We’ve been following this project closely since the beginning, covering the official December 2025 announcement, the February systems deep-dive where iniBuilds revealed their clever navigation philosophy, the final development update confirming a March release, and the official trailer drop just last week. It’s been quite a journey to get here!
For those catching up: the variant iniBuilds is simulating is the L-1011-500, the long-range version with more powerful RB211 engines and a slightly shorter fuselage. It’s an aircraft with a genuinely fascinating backstory, and one that has never really been done justice in a modern simulator until now.
A three-crew aircraft done properly
The flight engineer station is one of the centrepieces of this release. Rather than leaving it as a functional but passive backdrop, iniBuilds has built a Virtual Flight Engineer that can actively carry out duties on behalf of the pilot. That’s a significant feature for solo operations, given how much the real aircraft demanded of its three-person crew.
Navigation flexibility has been a core part of iniBuilds’ philosophy from the start. Through the “Paper Flight Bag,” pilots can choose between Radnav, INS, and GPS modes. Crucially, if you opt for GPS, the cockpit doesn’t physically change. The logic behind the INS button is swapped out instead, allowing casual users to fly modern flight plans while looking at a completely vintage 1970s panel.
On the audio side, Echo19 recorded sound directly from an operational L-1011 at the TriStar Experience in Kansas City, capturing everything from engine behaviour to cockpit ambience and cabin airflow. The cabin itself gets a lot of love too: iniBuilds has recreated the distinctive vaulted ceiling design, the overhead lockers on one side only, the retractable airstairs, and the circular carousel of toilets positioned directly beneath the S-duct, which real passengers reportedly described as the loudest toilets in the world.
Getting started and liveries
iniBuilds is pointing new owners towards a dedicated FAQ section covering INS workflows, the Paper Flight Bag, and Flight Engineer features, alongside a 150-page manual. Given that this is a significantly different aircraft to anything currently in MSFS 2024, it’s worth spending some time there before jumping into a cold and dark start.
At launch, liveries include British Airways, Saudia, TWA, Delta, Pan Am, United, LTU, Cathay Pacific, Royal Jordanian, Air Transat, Novair, and others, available via the iniManager on PC.
For route inspiration, iniBuilds recommends FlightSim Dispatch, a tool that lets you explore real-world historical L-1011 routes, complete with routing and timings from the aircraft’s operational years.
TriStar routes sale
To mark the launch, iniBuilds is also running a 15% discount on a selection of airports that the TriStar served during its operational life, including Dubai, Heathrow, Gatwick, and Honolulu. Worth a look if you want to pair the aircraft with some historically appropriate destinations.
The iniBuilds L-1011 TriStar Airliner is available now on the Microsoft Flight Simulator in-game Marketplace for $49.99.
