Yesterday FlightFX pulled the cover off its mystery project and confirmed what had people trading theories all weekend: the jet hiding under that silhouette was the Hawker 800XP. Today, right on schedule, it stops being a promise and becomes a purchase. The aircraft is now available on the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Marketplace, and if you spent yesterday wondering whether it lives up to its long, quiet development, we already have something for you. Our full review went live in between the announcement and the release.
FlightFX kept this one under wraps for a long time, and the studio says the project sat in development for several years before it was ready to show, which is part of why the reveal felt like it arrived from nowhere. Going from the teaser to a full release within a few days is not the usual pace for a systems-heavy aircraft of any kins.
A jet with some history behind it
A quick word on the real aircraft, because the Hawker 800XP carries a fair bit of history with it. The type traces back to the British Aerospace 125, which itself grew out of the de Havilland design first flown in 1962. Raytheon took over the 800 program in the mid-1990s and introduced the 800XP, the “Extended Performance” version, with more powerful Honeywell TFE731-5BR engines. The line later passed to Hawker Beechcraft. Across all those changes in ownership, the midsize twinjet held onto a reputation for reliability and comfortable transcontinental range, and plenty of them are still flying corporate and charter routes around the world today.
What FlightFX has built
For the simulated version, FlightFX has gone deep on systems. The studio describes the H25B as the first of its products to include detailed system maps on the EFB, so the electrical, hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic, and pressurization systems are not only modeled but readable, with live synoptics that show buses, valves, pumps, and power paths in real time. And those systems interact throughout the flight rather than sitting behind static switches.
Under the panels, the developer lists a custom TFE731-5BR engine and DEEC simulation, calibrated fuel burn, individual engine aging, and an optional autothrottle retrofit tied to VNAV and the flight phases. The flight deck runs Working Title’s PL21 avionics with Hawker-specific enhancements, weather radar with tilt control, Navigraph and Microsoft LIDO chart support, and performance calculations based on real-world data. FlightFX also points to a custom stick shaker and stick pusher, a functional lift-dump system, and wing-flex physics tuned to the Hawker’s short, stiff wings.
Familiar territory for the studio
None of this is FlightFX’s first trip into the business jet world, of course. The studio is known for its Cessna Citation X, which recently received a sweeping v2 overhaul as its work shifted toward MSFS 2024, and for Marwan Gharib’s Honda Jet. The Hawker sits alongside those as the studio’s most systems-heavy release so far, at least on paper, and the EFB synoptics are the clearest sign of that step up.
What we thought after flying it
João spent a good while with the Hawker for our review, so I will not give the whole thing away here. The short version is that this is a quirky, old-school jet with a bit of a learning curve, the kind of aircraft where the ram’s-horn yoke and the APU tucked behind the pilot tell you it comes from another era of business aviation. Underneath that character, the systems and the flight dynamics go a long way down, far enough that it’s easy to wonder about how close it gets to a true “study-level” aircraft. FlightFX built it with real Hawker pilots advising the team, and that work comes through in how it flies.
The Hawker 800XP may not be the most popular business jet out there, but you will have a hard time finding a better simulation of one. If you want the full picture, including where it stumbles and who it is really for, read our complete review here.
Available now
The FlightFX Hawker 800XP is available now, exclusively on the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Marketplace, priced at $36.99. FlightFX has also published a complete feature list on the studio’s portfolio page.
