Announcements

As I typically do each year, I'd like to take a moment to recap what 2022 was to us and what we're planning in 2023.

In a sentence, 2022 was a head-down year. We did a lot of internal optimization, a lot of development, and a lot of strategic and team planning. We also did something we've never done; a presale. Although a bit controversial (we did expect that it might be), we remain humbled by the overwhelming support we received. This support confirms two things we already believed; that we are in front of a great community that we're proud to work with and that the TFDi Design MD-11 will be our largest product to date.

This upcoming year is going to be a massive year for us and our community. We have smartCARS 3 rapidly approaching beta testing, the TFDi Design MD-11 is progressing nicely and overcoming obstacles quickly, and we have recruited a great team of voices for the upcoming PACX update. No matter what brings you to us, we will have something exciting for you this year. This means it is more important for us to stay present and communicative than ever before.

This segues nicely into one of our focuses for 2023: continued and improved community presence. Our customer support satisfaction feedback last year says we did good helping and we're going to aim to make that great this year. We're working with our community and brand teams to find new, meaningful ways to share content with the world. We're working on optimizing internal policies and practices to make it easier for our developers to share their progress with you. All of these things mean we are continuing to find ways to foster the most open and interactive environment we can with our customers, fans, followers, and critics alike.

From a technical standpoint, we are preparing to grow. We are working on infrastructure with higher reliability, better performance, a huge scalability. We're building on top of our modular and efficient approach to development to add expandability and scalability to our every day design language. Our technical leaders are discussing emerging technologies that will improve security and enable better system-wide performance. This means our community is going to see some of the most robust, customizable, and reliable software they have ever seen from us going forward.

Thank you for reading and I know I speak for our entire team when I say thank you for your support. We are so excited to be entering into what is shaping up to be a huge year and we cannot wait to share the progress as it unfolds. As always, please do not hesitate to join our Discord, open a ticket, or comment or message us on social media. We look forward to seeing you all in the skies in 2023.

As we are preparing to end another year, I'd like to take a look back over what 2021 has been for us. This year was a year of learning and dedication for us. We got the opportunity to meet up face to face at FlightSimExpo for the first time since the pandemic began and it was a much-needed break from the every day routine we'd gotten used to. Spending time with each other and with the members of the community that were able to attend was definitely a highlight for me. This year, we also got the chance to grow our team, refine our processes, and set ourselves up to be the best that we can be. We've been hard at work developing and improving our products across the board in our most asynchronous and efficient manner yet. Armed with the largest and most efficient team we've had yet, we are prepared to make some impressive progress and have some exciting news for everyone who has been patiently waiting for the projects we've been working on.

Finally, as always, we are honored to be a part of this community and to be in the position we're in. The support and appreciation we've received over the last year has been humbling and we plan on continuing to impress in 2022. We look forward to getting more hands-on with some of our development progress and participating in more community events, both in person and online, as the world continues to settle into its new normal.

From all of us at TFDi Design, and Invernyx as a whole, we wish you a fun, safe, and happy, New Year.

Hello!

At the moment, there is an issue with Sim Update 5 of Microsoft Flight Simulator where altitude is read outside of the sim at a different value than what it should be (up to 2500ft away from where it should be) which may lead to issues with detection of the correct phases of flight in both PACX and smartCARS 2 and many users are reporting such issues.

Until a time that a fix is available, you may need to enter a different cruising altitude though the exact value is dependant on the weather in the simulator. A full discussion on the official Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums can be found here: 

VATSIM / IVAO / PILOTEDGE Users - Be aware of an important bug! - Community / General Discussion - Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums

When a hotfix is released to patch this bug, we will edit this post or remove it. Until then, we can only apologise for the inconvenience caused by this change and remain hopeful that the MSFS team can resolve this issue as soon as possible. If you experience this issue, please do not open a support ticket as it is a known bug and our team will not be able to provide you any assistance on the error.

Thanks

Josh

Good Afternoon everyone!

As of May 25th, 2021, TFDi Corp is no longer the name of our parent company. As a result of this, we are now known as Invernyx, Inc. It is important to stress at this time that no changes to the running of the business are intended nor changes to our product offerings. Our registration numbers in Florida are remaining unchanged. This change is simply administrative, where we are taking on a new brand as we continue to grow and expand our presence. Both TFDi Design and JetStream Radio are remaining as their current name and no changes to these brands will be made.

We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that references to TFDi Corp are removed from our legal documents, agreements and websites, though the changes are expected to be rolled out slowly. Occasionally, you may notice references to TFDi Corp on our websites, and we encourage you to report these to us so that we can rectify these omissions.

Over the next few hours, our executive management team will be updating as many systems as possible to reference this change. We would also like to thank Daryl for his work on this new logo, our small team who provided feedback on our logos, and our team for their support as we transition to the next stage!

On behalf of the entire management team, we would like to thank you for joining us on this incredible journey from TFDi Corp to Invernyx, Inc. and for your continued support of our products and services.

Kind Regards,

Collin Biedenkapp and Joshua Riley
Invernyx, Inc. Executive Management Team
 

We are hosting a live development Q&A session on 22nd of May, 2021 at 11:00EDT (08:00PDT/16:00 BST).

This Q&A and live stream event will be hosted via our public Discord stage channel and broadcasted via our Twitch. It will cover the TFDi Design MD-11, smartCARS 3, PACX, and touch on the TFDi Design 717.

Everyone is encouraged to come and chat with us, ask questions, and see what we've been up to.

Good afternoon!

I just wanted to share our official announcement that TFDi Design has partnered up with the Flight Simulation Association to bring you a wonderful 10% discount off the TFDi Design 717!

Interested in learning what FSA is? Read on to see the official media release information!

Want to get your hands on the discount? Sign up using the link below and head to the discounts section. All information about how to get the discount is already there and ready to go! If you are already a member of the TFDi Design Discord Server, please contact a moderator and they can get you the access code!

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Flight Simulation Association is a newly launched hub offering discounts, webinars, learning resources, and even the ability to locate nearby simmers. Anyone in the community can join for just $30 per year at www.flightsimassociation.com. 

In partnership with over 50 developers and content creators, the co-founders of FlightSimExpo are proud to announce the launch of Flight Simulation Association (FSA). FSA is a new, independent association designed to advance flight simulation as a hobby, a pilot training aid, and as a means to explore the passion for virtual flight. Anyone can join at www.flightsimassociation.com.

For new simmers and real-world pilots, FSA provides guides, learning resources, and webinars to help get started in simulation. For experienced simmers, the association offers over $500 in exclusive discounts, in-depth, unique access to developers, and the ability to locate nearby simmers.

“Like with FlightSimExpo, we are hoping to spur an independent, simmer-driven effort to promote our hobby,” says Evan Reiter, co-founder of FSA. “We think existing simmers will love the wide variety of product discounts, but we also hope they’ll get involved to share their ideas and experiences so we can build great resources for those joining our hobby for the first time.”

Starting today, more than $500 in discounts across flight simulation’s top products are available through FSA. These include latest releases and popular products from A2A Simulations, Aerosoft, Flight Velocity, Flightbeam, FlyTampa, FS2Crew, Honeycomb, iniBuilds, Javiator, Just Flight, LatinVFR, PacSim, PILOT’S, PropWash Simulation, RealSimGear, Stay Level Avionix, TFDi Design, Virtual Fly, and X-Plane.org.

FSA members can also register for an exclusive group on the Prepar3D forums where they’ll have closer access to the development team to ask questions. By joining the FSA Discount Group on OrbxDirect, FSA members can save 20% on a revolving suite of top-selling Orbx products, including BASE, Vector, openLC, TrueEarth, and more. There’s even a 10% discount on purchases of X-Plane 11 from Laminar Research.

“But it’s much more than discounts: we want people to help us build FSA together so we can continue some of the cool things we started doing at FlightSimExpo 2019,” continues Evan. “Imagine more advertisements for home flight simulation in real-world magazines and at Oshkosh and SUN ‘n FUN. What if, someday, there was a single place you could search for add-ons and airports across all platforms and developers? These are the types of things that become possible when you have an independent organization that works to support both flight simmers and developers.”

For the first time ever, FSA will make it possible for simmers to find other enthusiasts in their local area! By creating a Simmer Search profile, FSA members can search for and connect with others who are nearby, creating mentorship and social opportunities beyond the big annual conferences.

“If you’ve ever thought that there might be other simmers in your neighborhood, now you can find out!” says co-founder Phil Coyle. “Available for FSA members who opt in, Simmer Search lets you create a profile and then search for others. You can connect via email to get help, exchange ideas, and even sim together in-person, when it’s safe to do so. We hope this eventually results in simmers creating local clubs and meet-ups throughout the year.”

In addition to Discounts and Simmer Search, FSA will offer live and recorded webinars, allowing members the opportunity to engage directly with developers between in-person shows. The initial schedule features scenery design with Flightbeam, sneak previews from X-Plane, PC building advice, and tips from real-world airline pilots.

FSA also offers free Getting Started Guides designed to provide information to beginners, including curated lists of top resources. Additional members-only guides provide information about scenery, navdata, charts, tablets, virtual reality, and more, featuring video content from popular content creators. There’s even a 5-part Learning Flight series featuring some of the most scenic areas in the United States.

Like the conference, Flight Simulation Association is built by the community. Through surveys, feedback, screenshot sharing, and more, members will help drive the content on the site, ensuring it remains an active reflection of our world. FSA encourages experienced simmers, content creators, news organizations, and others in flight simulation and real-world aviation to Contribute to the content and offerings of the association.

To start accessing the $500+ in members-only discounts, simmers can visit www.flightsimassociation.com and create a free, 30-day trial account. A full membership is $30/year.

“With the community, we hope to build something amazing together. We’re excited to hear what you think!”

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If you want any clarification on this amazing new project, please feel free to reach out to a moderator in our Discord server: https://tfdidesign.com/chat!

Hello everyone,

To say 2020 was a unique year puts it lightly. There has been a lot of learning, growth, and struggle. We saw Microsoft Flight Simulator and Prepar3D v5 bring new opportunities and challenges to the table.

This year, our relationship with the community has strengthened through our forums, Discord, social media, and helpdesk. Our team has grown significantly and is ready to take on exciting new ventures as well as continue to deliver on promises we have already made. The PACX Early Access phase was completed, we announced the TFDi Design MD-11, and added two new simulators to the list of those we support (although, we still have things to polish up). We began our partnership with Orbx as our newest vendor. We also celebrated six years of TFDi Design with the community.

With the wind of these accomplishments in our sails, we step forward into a hopeful new year. We look forward to working with the community to continue to create and improve the products we have become known for. I, personally, look forward to spending another year with the fantastic, motivated team we have here and doing great things with them. Finally, we all look forward to hopefully reuniting with familiar faces at the upcoming events in 2021.

On behalf of all of us, I wish you all a fun, safe, healthy, and happy New Year.

6 years ago today, TFDi Design became an official registered company. Throughout this long period, the company has grown to where it is today, and from the administration team here, @turbofandude and I, we would like to thank everyone who has worked at TFDi Design, both past and present, for their motivation and abilities that helped grow the company.

One of our community members, @TheBoeing747, has been working with Collin and I over the past few weeks to help work on a celebratory house livery for the TFDi Design 717, and has also written a few words and asked our current staff members some questions about their time at TFDi Design.

Quote

After passing 6 years at TFDi Design, I sought out to ask the staff their opinions on their experience at TFDi Design, and what I received was an overwhelming amount of positive feedback. Here are some of the responses below.

Question 1: How do you like the team dynamic? Do you enjoy being a part of TFDi Design and working on various projects?

Fabio A: They are stupid talented, like ridiculously talented and I couldn't imagine working with any other team right now. We have a really good dynamic. I'd like to think that they know that and I get a lot of positive feedback for my work.

Ozzy H: I enjoy being surrounded by people who, for one, know what they're doing, and also have a passionate enthusiasm for what they do. This is definitely a big part of the team's structure, and it creates an environment where innovation can flourish. The amount of talent this team has acquired over the years is unbelievable.

Henry C: I absolutely enjoy working at TFDi Design, without a doubt. The culture and way of doing things is just incredible, and there is really no other company like this.

 

Question 2: Q: Do you feel that TFDi Design is a good job to take to build experience and grow your talent? Can you elaborate what type of work is completed at TFDi Design?

Fabio A: This is the dream job. I have my day job, as mentioned, but I wouldn't trade TFDi Design for any other company.

Ozzy H: As a 3D modeler, I am always up for a new challenge to exercise my brain and continue refining my skills. This MD-11 project has been one of those satisfying challenges, and just about every technique I've ever learned has been implemented at least once. Everyone at TFDi Design has a high standard for quality, so the opportunities to apply all these nuggets of knowledge are virtually endless.

Henry C: For sure. This is where all of the experience gets built and put to good use. We always look for the best way to solve a problem and like what I am currently working on -- this kind of stuff builds on the knowledge and background of both a pilot and a programmer; this allows us to make sure we are creating the latest and greatest -- ground-breaking stuff that no other company has done before.

 

Question 3: Is software development your main line of work, or do you have an alternative career?

Fabio A: It's a passion at the moment, while I wish it could be my full time job, it can't be right now. My dream has always been Google  

Ozzy H: Developing flight simulator content was actually just a hobby of mine until I gained the necessary skills and experience to venture into the commercial landscape. For a living, I am a full-time mechanical engineer in the field of heavy equipment design for mining applications. It's what I went to school for, and I do enjoy being a part of a machine design team as well as getting my hands dirty every once in a while. I've always had a creative side though, and while it occasionally shows itself in the engineering profession, doing artwork for flight simulator serves as more of a creative outlet for me. Personally, I enjoy the balance that I get by doing both.

Henry C: This is the dream job. I have my day job, as mentioned, but I wouldn't trade TFDi Design for any other company. 

Without further ado, @TheBoeing747 has also painted us the 6th Anniversary livery for the TFDi Design 717 which we hope to see flying in the virtual skies soon! Please make sure you submit your photos on our Discord, or in this forum post:

To get your hands on the Official livery, you can download it from here:

Once again, thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to bringing the MD-11 to market!

Folks,

As we bring another year to a close, it’s time to review what 2019 was for us and our community.

In 2019, we made changes to our infrastructure, policies, development standards, and organization that made us stronger, more efficient, and more capable. We started growing a team of great people who are proud to be with us and excited to pave the ground forward with us.

We released PACX and have worked with the community to refine it. We helped JetStream Radio get their new website and streaming system up and running. We proudly attended Flight Sim Expo in June and participated in the first two-day Flight Sim Show event in Cosford in October.

We’ve made breakthroughs in some important areas. We finally have a light at the end of the tunnel for the infamous view-switch crash. We are closer to overcoming technical limitations that have held us back in the past. We even started our next aircraft (no, we can’t tell you what it is yet).

We are now combining the best of the business experience we’ve gained with the community and product-oriented mindset that made us who we are. We’re looking forward to bringing you the next iteration of smartCARS, pushing PACX out of Early Access, and continuing to develop the products our community and partners have come to know us for.

As we move forward, we are going to continue to grow, optimize, and reach toward the dreams we were founded on. Thank you to our community, friends, and followers for their patience and support. The fantastic feedback and knowledge you provide help us better ourselves and enjoy what we do. On behalf of the entire TFDi Corp family, I want to wish everyone a great, fun, and safe New Year.

On behalf of the whole team here at TFDi Design, we are proud to announce the release of Passenger and Crew Experience, dubbed PACX.

After several years of hard work and several members of the team pulling together, we can finally share with you the result of our dedication and allow you to finally use our product. Throughout this time, we have worked tireless hours, made great friends and recorded over 1000 individual sound files and it has been yet another amazing journey made by our team.

With that being said, our product is not completely finished. This is because we appreciate community feedback and intend to roll our product out as “Early Access” so we can continue to build and develop PACX over time and to continue to build on what our beta team has told us. This means that we want to hear from you. We want to hear your thoughts on our product to allow us to build new features, release fixes and deliver on what you want.

On initial release, you will be able to communicate with the cabin, whether that be by completing a pre-flight announcement, dealing with drunk passengers or resolving an in-flight passenger emergency. PACX takes your simulation journey to the next level, by providing you with an in-depth insight into flying an aircraft full of holidaymakers or business travelers in the rows behind you.

At this moment in time, we would like to thank all our developers, testers, pilots and experts along the way and look forward to speaking with you in the coming weeks to help shape PACX into the program that will provide a higher level of flight simulation.

Find out more about PACX and get your copy today at https://pacx.online.

Folks,

This year has been a year of learning, accomplishments, pride, and struggle. As we prepare to call 2018 the past, I wanted to take some time to reflect (as I usually do around this time).

This year, we proudly released a version of our flagship product that lived up to our dreams. We also saw that same product launch to vendors (more are coming in 2019). We announced PACX and started preparations to continue on more.

We’ve changed as we saw the end of some relationships and the start of others. TFDi Design has always been by the community, for the community, and in 2019, we will be exploring that relationship more. In a way, we’ll be digging deeper into and returning to what made us who we are.

You will see new products, new faces, and new ideas from us in the new year. We will continue to support and grow our products and community.

As always, we appreciate the support from our community and it is a huge part of why we enjoy what we do so much. With that said, on behalf of myself, TFDi Design, JetStream Radio, and our friends and partners, I wish you all a safe, fun, and happy New Year.

It’s been amazing seeing the number of people enjoying our latest update (v1.1) to the TFDi Design 717. If you haven’t yet had a chance to check it out, be sure to open the TFDi Design Addon Manager to download the update. Version 1.1 comes with official P3Dv4 support, a revamped external model and textures, and a slew of new features/fixes/improvements.  We are not going to go into detail about v1.1 in this post (since we have already done that), however, you can read more about it here. That said, we have some exciting events that we will highlight below.

#FreshPaintFriday

So what is #FreshPaintFriday? #FreshPaintFriday (FPF) will be an ongoing event where we release new official liveries for the 717 created by our in-house team of artists. We will go over the history of each aircraft and where it is today. FPF will happen on Fridays over the course of the next couple of months. It may skip a week if needed, as some of the liveries will take longer than others to get right. We won’t be taking requests, however, we do have a list of liveries that have already been heavily requested. Each Friday, we will announce the new livery and provide it for download on our forums. We may also show off a user-created livery on FPF as an honorable mention.

So what’s our first FPF repaint? We’re excited to show off the very cool livery for OH-BLG of Blue1. This one has taken quite a while to get right due to its complexity, but it definitely shows when you look at it in the sim.

Blue1 was a former carrier for the 717 before it sold its fleet to Delta and Volotea. This particular bird served with Blue1 for nearly 5 years, but it started its life as part of AeBal fleet under the EC-HNY registration.

The different paint schemes of this airframe.

It was delivered on June 15th, 2000 out of Boeing’s Long Beach factory. For the first 5 years of its life, EC-HNY flew for AeBal, followed by 1 year with Germanwings. It was then returned to AeBal where it served for 3 more years and later wore Quantum Air colors when AeBal was replaced by Quantum. After all this time of identity crisis, it finally found a home with Blue1. This is the point in time that we have restored this bird to. It flew with Blue1 before SAS sold this aircraft to Volotea. After it was sold, the bird lost its Blue1 registration and was re-registered as EC-MEZ.

You can download the Blue1 livery for the 717 here: http://tfdi.design/blue1

Summer Fun

We will be doing several other fun things over the course of the remaining summer months. We will be hosting a screenshot contest, which will be worth participating in, as we have some exciting prizes for winning. More details on this to come soon. We will also continue to share some of the cool new features in v1.1 of the 717 on our social media pages, featuring different functions of the aircraft that you may have skimmed over.

As part of our ongoing efforts to stay connected with the community, we will be sponsoring VATSIM events during this time and providing some giveaway prizes for these as well. One of the events worth participating in is the Boston Tea Party event put on by BVA! Read more about that here.

Join us at the Boston Tea Party VATSIM Event!

If you have a screenshot you want to share with the team or the world, be sure to tag us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and we might share it! If you haven’t already followed our social media accounts, you can find them here: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Summary

We are looking to have fun with the community over the next few months! We will be participating in events and releasing some cool new liveries for the 717 during this time. Our social media feed will be a great place to keep track of what’s going on and what’s coming up.

The initial release of the TFDi Design 717 on December 23, 2016 that we initially thought was the end of the journey ended up being the start of an entirely new one. We learned a great deal about aircraft development, product life-cycle, and community management. It is with great pleasure that we now announce the release of version 1.1 of the TFDi Design 717. This version is what we originally envisioned when we started the project.

Major Changes from Version 1.0.8.0

The Community Opt-in Beta has helped us research, develop, test, and refine the product over the last year and a half. The customers who aren’t part of the COB will notice a massive number of additions, fixes, and changes, but we’ve selected some to highlight below.

• A totally revamped exterior model including wing flex and cabin lights
• Paint kit
• Official Prepar3D v4 support
• Major AFS and MCDU improvements, such as
  • Better NAV logic
  • Better PROF logic
  • Proper ATS CLAMP functionality
  • Improved altitude, speed, fuel, and time predictions
  • Various new MCDU functions
  • Improved MCDU interaction and display
  • Improved leg sequencing and insertion
  • HOLD support
  • AFS-guided VOR tracking support
• ADF simulation
• Scroll and drag support for documents on the tablet
• RemoteCDU integration
• Improved VOR simulation
• Improved ND PLAN mode
• Pause at top of descent option
• Improved engine performance throughout various stages of flight
• Settings page within the tablet for applicable on-demand settings
• Revamped terrain display
• Improved air  manifold pressure and demand system
• Improved FADEC and throttle behavior
• Improved ground taxi behavior
• Various minor improvements to cockpit and night lighting textures
• New performance options via the Addon Manager
• Yoke light
• Improved hardware and MCDU keyboard interaction
• Improved internal logic to improve system resource utilization

And MANY more. For a full list, please visit the changelog here.

Where to Buy/How to Update

If you already own the 717, the TFDi Design Addon Manager will handle downloading and installing the update automatically. Liveries will need to be reinstalled, as they and external model have changed.

To learn more about the 717 and purchase it, visit the product page on our website here.

What to Expect Now

With the active development of the TFDi Design 717 winding down, we will begin to put more focus on upcoming projects. We’ve announced Passenger and Crew Experience (PACX), and that will be our focus for the immediate future. We will, of course, over the coming weeks, months, and years periodically update the TFDi Design 717 with new features or fixes as appropriate, but the rate of development and updates will be significantly slower. Users experiencing issues will still receive the quality and timely support they’ve come to expect from us during development.

Although we’ve announced PACX already, we have more projects lined up, but they’ll get their time to shine in the future. More frequent progress updates on PACX and subsequent projects, as we reveal them, should be expected.

Conclusion

I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank every single one of our community testers, customers, and fans for their immense support and patience. Although the road to get here was a little windier than we expected, I know I speak for all of us when I say thank you. We’re looking forward to seeing the TFDi Design 717 in screenshots, videos, and events. We’re proud to be where we are, and we can’t wait to demonstrate what we’re capable of with our future products.

Introduction

To us, one of the most notable things missing in commercial aviation simulation was the feeling of teamwork and the feeling of having an aircraft full of people counting on you to get them to where they need to be. There is a responsibility to make it to your destination on time smoothly and without issue, or if that’s not possible, properly communicate it to your passengers and crew. Every flight brings a whole new group of people and potentially new situations to handle. Our goal was to bring this experience to flight simulation; and so we present Passenger and Crew Experience – PACX.

Dynamic Announcements

The first area that needed addressing was flight attendant announcements. With PACX, the announcements you hear are tailored specifically to your flight. For example, if you’re flying a morning flight number 4553 to Los Angeles, you will hear “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard flight 4553 with service to Los Angeles”. If you’re flying an evening flight number 2236 to Atlanta, you will hear “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard flight 2236 with service to Atlanta”.

In additional to flight specific data, announcements will vary between flights. You could complete several consecutive flights and hear different announcements, in a slightly different order, on each flight. This provides the feeling of having an actual crew on the aircraft.

Passenger AI Simulation

PACX simulates every passenger on the aircraft individually. They all have their own personality. Some may be flying for business and be very particular about their schedules. Others flying for leisure may be more lax. Some may be aviation enthusiasts and won’t be as bothered by turbulence, whereas others who are more nervous fliers will be more on edge about it. These nuances, and many more, will factor in to overall flight satisfaction and the odds and nature of in-flight events.

It is important to note that the extent of the passenger and crew AI is purely through text/menus. You will not physically see passengers in your cabin.

Interaction

For the first time, you will be able to interact directly with the crew and passengers.

If you’re behind schedule, you can notify the passengers ahead of time and they will be more forgiving. If you fail to notify them, it will more severely affect their flight satisfaction. In the event of an aircraft problem, being communicative with your passengers and crew can aid in calming them during the emergency procedures.

In some cases, a passenger related disturbance may occur. You will be able to instruct the crew how to deal with the problem, when applicable, and the subsequent events will happen accordingly.

Vocal Control

In addition to the traditional interaction menu, you will be able to interact with your passengers and crew verbally. For example, if you cue up the microphone and say “Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize, but we’re going to be a bit behind schedule today. We’ve having a few minor technical issues but should have them worked out shortly”, the interaction system will intelligently figure out what you said and notify the passengers and crew accordingly. You’ll then see that they are all a little frustrated, the nervous fliers may be a bit more anxious, and the expected time of arrival will be extended.

Design Decisions

We wanted to ensure that the information presented to the pilot was done so in an immersive and reasonable way. You will not see a percentage indicating the passengers’ overall satisfaction. It will be much more generalized and realistic. If you want to dig deeper into each passenger’s information, a menu will be provided to allow you to do so, to simulate speaking to the passenger directly.

The interface itself is designed to be minimal and not intrusive. PACX is built to fit in to your existing work flow and doesn’t directly replace other software. As it aims solely to provide a thorough and immersive in-flight experience, other airline management, tycoon-style, or economy software should be compatible.

Expansion and Integration

We intend to offer the ability for PACX flight reports to be included as part of a pilot report for virtual airlines to assist in virtual flight quality assurance. We also intend to integrate directly with select third party aircraft to allow immersive interaction, like in-cockpit controls for queuing up your microphone or bringing up the interaction menu.

That said, we would like to expand PACX heavily depending on community feedback. We want to hear ideas for what would bring an extra level of immersion to your in-flight experience.

Questions and Answers

Q. Is PACX only compatible with the TFDi Design 717?

A. No, PACX will be compatible with any aircraft. The direct in-cockpit integration will only be with select aircraft, but PACX itself will work fully with any.

Q. Will I be able to have a safety video instead of a spoken safety announcement?

A. Yes, an option will be provided to play a custom safety video in place of the spoken safety announcement.

Q. Will PACX only support commercial flight?

A. Although it was designed around commercial flight, we intend to add support for general aviation, corporate aviation, and military flight as well, but they may not necessarily be in the initial release.

Q. What will the price be?

A. As PACX is a utility, it will be priced competitively to comparable utilities on the market currently.

Q. Will PACX support X-Plane?

A. Yes, along with support for Microsoft Flight Simulator X and Prepar3D, our intent is to make PACX fully compatible with X-Plane.

Q. When will PACX be available?

A. As we continue to progress, we will provide a more specific timeline.

Folks,

As we prepare to wrap up 2017, I wanted to take a second to say a few things to the community.

Over the last year, we had one of the most stressful, but rewarding, development cycles we’ve ever had. There’s no doubt that when the 717 released at the end of 2016, we still had a lot of work to do; a lot more than we realized. The amount of support and patience the community has given us is humbling. In my opinion, we’ve learned more from the initial missteps, than we would have from a perfect launch. We got an opportunity to learn first hand, what not to do, as much as we learned what to do.

The Community Opt-in Beta has given us insights into how our product is used. As well, it has shown us the problems users encounter that we never see, and has helped us identify such a wide range of inefficiencies or problems in the system that will help us pave the way for future products. In the years we’ve been in this market, the Community Opt-in Beta was, by far, the most effective testing method we’ve had. Although our intent wasn’t to launch into a beta, that style of testing method is likely to be part of future products – before the official “final” launch, of course.

Launching TrueGlass and RealLight, technologies that the community, as a whole, was excited to hear about, was a fantastic experience. We had looked forward to making them possible for years, and to finally have done so, is motivating and exciting.

With that said, I know I speak for all of us in saying that the future looks brighter and more exciting now than it ever has. We’re looking forward to the official major update to the 717 early on in 2018. We also have two other projects we’re getting ready to put into full-time development (which we have held off on to make sure the 717 was where it needed to be). One of these will come as a surprise, and one of them will come as exciting news to those waiting for it. We have a bigger, more refined team now and a much more optimized workflow – this will no doubt be reflected in future products.

If you’ve met any of us, at events throughout the year or online, you’ll know that the one thing we all did our best to do was to be honest, transparent, and responsive, both internally and externally. As we continue to grow, there are no plans for that to change.

From all of us at TFDi Design, thank you for the lessons and the opportunities this year, and we’re looking forward to exceeding expectations in the coming year. Have a safe, fun, and Happy New Year.

Folks,

Over the last year, thanks to an immense amount of help from the Community Opt-in Beta, we have added, fixed, or changed over 400 different items in the TFDi Design 717 and Addon Manager. It has become largely a new product. With that said, we are approaching version 1.1, which marks the main, public release of the aircraft that we were initially aiming for last December. When we release the update, we will post another article detailing the significant changes.

The Plan

So, that said, we have a few changes we wanted to explain to everyone and make our plan clear. As of version 1.1, you can expect the following:

• Development effort toward the aircraft will be reduced, though several new features and bug fixes will still occur
• Information, announcements, etc. for other/future products may occur
• We will move all posts before version 1.1 to a sub-forum to clean out the main aircraft forums
• The latest (at the time of the 1.1 release) Community Opt-in Beta version and Prepar3D v4 will become public
• The Community Opt-in Beta will still be used to test fixes and new features

What will 1.1 Contain?

When we release version 1.1, we will post information detailing specific new features, note-worthy fixes, and significant changes to the aircraft. For users catching up who are not part of the Community Opt-in Beta, you will notice changes like the following:

• Numerous new MCDU features
• Innumerable systems additions, improvements, and fixes
• Major changes to the tablet
• Countless new Addon Manager features
• Considerable stability improvements
• Various CTD fixes
• Prepar3D v4 support
• TrueGlass and RealLight (for Prepar3D v4)
• Significant FADEC and engine improvements
• Performance improvements
• And MANY, MANY smaller changes

For a complete list of what has changed in the Community Opt-in Beta, please see the changelog here.

Version 1.1 will also contain the following (that are not currently in the Community Opt-in Beta versions):

• Exterior texture overhaul and a proper paint kit (this will break existing repaints)
• Overhauled fan blade appearance and added blurred variants for engine running/high RPM scenarios
• Wholly rewritten documentation (full systems and FMS guides)
• Cabin lighting
• The WING/NACL light in P3Dv4 (this will be released to the Community Opt-in Beta soon, but I listed it here for sanity)
• Various external model details and fixes

The Future After 1.1

We have promised several features and had intended for them to be in version 1.1. That said, as we’ve discovered, the current Community Opt-in Beta version, 1.0.9.17, is proving to be one the most stable and thorough versions yet. That, combined with the fact that we do not want to hold out on delivering the massive amount of other improvements to the aircraft from customers, led us to delay those features. We want to ensure that a stable, complete version of the plane is available to all customers while we take time to correctly implement and test these new features.

With that in mind, we will continue working on and testing, and at some point in the foreseeable future, add the following features:

• HOLD
• ALTN F-PLN
• Level-off arrows while changing altitudes
• Official compatibility with specific GoFlight hardware (more details to come)

We do have intentions of adding several other options/features. However, I don’t want to officially promise them as we do not know what the future will hold just yet. We’re aware that the delay of some of these things may frustrate or disappoint some users, so I’d like to take a minute to explain entirely, from our side, our reasoning beyond the obvious.

Last year, as we prepared for release (still blissfully unaware of how far we still had to go), we all strapped in and worked weeks of 16 hour days. During that 6 week sprint, three of us put in, combined, nearly 2000 hours of work. Although I am, to this day, impressed with the level of commitment and dedication my team showed, we felt the effects of that up until around Flight Sim Con 2017. It affected our drive, the enjoyment we took in our work, in some cases, the quality of work, and it contributed largely to the tunnel vision that led us to release the aircraft in the state we did. I made a promise to never do that to my team again, and I wanted to ensure that we all, our fans, customers, and us alike, can enjoy the holiday season this year with our families. So, this, combined with the fact that we have a version of the aircraft we know everyone will enjoy and that the remaining features will require more time and testing, we decided that this was the best route to take for everyone.

Conclusion

Although we will not announce the exact date of this update, it is getting VERY close. We all sincerely appreciate your patience and enthusiasm and look forward to seeing you all fly what our vision for this aircraft was. Also, to add some media to the wall of text above, here is a preview at cruising altitude with the WING/NACL light on in Prepar3D V4:

Today at the FlightSimShow in Cosford, we announced the new technology called TrueGlass. TrueGlass is quite a few different things at once, primarily it is a windscreen precipitation effect and wiper system. Secondly, it will also support icing and condensation down the road. We are happy to announce this new product and invite you to watch the video below:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is this the same thing as the default rain effects in Prepar3D V4.1?

A. No, this is a completely custom solution to add rain effects to the windscreen of the aircraft. It has support for speed transitions, wipers, and other weather variables other than rain. This system does work in version 4.0 of Prepar3D and does not rely on the default rain effects.

Q. Is it performance heavy?

A. Based on user testing and reporting, the rain effects have little to no effect on simulator performance.

Q. Is this technology easily implemented in other aircraft?

A. This technology is available to developers to license on a per aircraft basis. For developers reading, it is an easily configurable file and minor model modification.

Q. What does it cost to consumers?

A. With the TFDi Design 717, this will be a free update. It will be available via the Community Opt-In Beta for testing and verification, then we will be rolling it out in a future update to the rest of the license holders of the 717.

Background

Since release, we’ve received quite a bit of criticism on our night lighting in the cockpit. Although not unjustified, it’s been frustrating for us, because it would take completely remapping the entire cockpit (an involved process) to even make a dent. Then, we’d still have to find a way to get around the old 16 bit format and poor blending methods available to us in older simulator platforms.

With that in mind, we started evaluating ways to improve the lighting. We arrived at RealLight.

Technology

This new technology uses new systems available in Prepar3D v4 to offer near instant, crystal clear, efficient lighting. This eliminates the blotchy look (banding) that we saw previously. Unfortunately, to use the technology properly, we had to utilize functionality only available in Prepar3D v4. The lack of memory constraints also helped.

The foundation of the technology inspired by the Milviz Lighting System that we had used prior (special credit to Jon Bleeker at Milviz). Our developers had worked along side him to refine and expand that system, and it served as a springboard into RealLight, although the conversion ultimately caused a rewrite of nearly all code. Credit to him for the blending method is due.

Unlike other third party solutions, RealLight must be implemented by the developers at a lower level of the project – the result, of course, being an integrated experience.

Media

Here is a comparison between the old method and RealLight.

Prepar3D v3 and below:

RealLight in Prepar3D v4:

Why RealLight

We decided to brand RealLight as a technology standard so that other products using it will be able to establish to their users an expectation of quality. We intend to use this technology in other products and are looking in to licensing or sharing the technology with other developers.

Additional Media

Public Update Released (1.0.8.0)

To say it’s been a long road for everyone would be an understatement. We’ve been busy for the last 6 months getting this aircraft to where the community had expected it to be back in December. There were a great number of areas that we realized were lacking, so we spent the first half of this year working on enhancing the aircraft with those of you who opted into the Community Beta. As of update 1.0.8.0, these improvements are now available to the public. With your help, we’ve been able to bring the aircraft to a point that we’re happy to put our name on it. A full list of the changes that have been made can be found here.

The team would like to thank all who participated and gave feedback during the Community Opt-in Beta.

If you are having issues with the new version, please submit bugs and suggestions here.

If you are having issues with activation, please open a ticket with us here.

Immediate Future

We can hear the question already, “Where’s the paint kit?” Well, we’re working on finishing up the changes to the exterior of the aircraft as fast as possible. Once these are completed, we can release the paint kit to you. We believe this to be a short-term goal to get finished, not something that is on the back burner.

We are also working on getting the aircraft ready for Prepar3D v4. This is something we are also hoping to have available to you soon. We are dealing with a couple CTDs and adding support for new technologies that are available to us in this sim. This is also a short-term goal for us.

Going forward, there will still be ongoing updates, but once these two final short term goals have been completed, some of our focus will be moved to future projects that we are excited to tell you about in due time.

If you are going to be attending FlightSimCon in Connecticut (June 10-11), we would like to see you! Please stop by and say hello at booths 207 and 208. Most of our team will be there and happy to answer questions.

We appreciate the feedback everyone has provided to us over the last several months! We have been listening and making major changes to the aircraft and have compiled many of these changes to this update. Below is a list of changes made to the aircraft.

The MCDU and community feedback update

• [ADDED] Additional functionality to FMS SPD button
• [ADDED] Additional functionality to INIT page
• [ADDED] EBOF functionality
• [ADDED] Fire FAULT TEST functionality
• [ADDED] PRED TO functionality
• [ADDED] Several missing alerts
• [ADDED] Several missing annunciations on the ND
• [ADDED] T/C to the ND and MCDU
• [ADDED] T/D to the ND and MCDU
• [ADDED] Deviation indicator circles to ND APPR mode
• [ADDED] “VERT ALERT” annunciation and associated logic
• [ADDED] MCDU annunciators
• [ADDED] REF system
• [ADDED] CO ROUTE support
• [ADDED] “CHECK BALLAST FUEL” message when applicable
• [ADDED] Localizer DME distance indication
• [ADDED] Additional PROF functionality
• [ADDED] Yaw damper turn coordination functionality
• [ADDED] “CDU MSG” annunciation to ND
• [ADDED] Independent FMC emulation
• [ADDED] MCDU standby functionality
• [ADDED] Support for latitude/longitude entry as a waypoint
• [ADDED] Support for place/bearing/distance (PBD) waypoints
• [ADDED] Proper functionality of landing lights and nose light with respect to gear handle position
• [ADDED] Option to synchronize both altimeters when not flying in shared cockpit
• [ADDED] Ability to synchronize the minimums when not flying in shared cockpit
• [ADDED] Option to accelerate mouse scrolling for various knobs
• [ADDED] Chocks and cones
• [ADDED] ETE
• [ADDED] Vertical deviation display to DESCENT PERF page
• [ADDED] Proper handling of early and late descent to PROF
• [FIXED] Inability to LAT REV to NEXT WPT via the FROM leg
• [FIXED] Missing wipers in external model
• [FIXED] View finder
• [FIXED] Missing approach transitions under some conditions
• [FIXED] Speedbrake behavior
• [FIXED] FCP drawing bug relating to PROF status
• [FIXED] Missing alerts and annunciator statuses during GPWS test
• [FIXED] PROF altitude drawing bug on PFD relating to very low altitudes
• [FIXED] Vibrations not displaying at the correct time
• [FIXED] Display error on DESCENT PERF page
• [FIXED] Circuit breaker light not functioning on “DIM” setting
• [FIXED] GO AROUND page
• [FIXED] Engine indications during startup
• [FIXED] Some missing legs on SIDs and STARs
• [FIXED] “WXR ON” only showing in WXR mode when WXR is on during ground operations
• [FIXED] Distance based leg naming
• [FIXED] An issue preventing approaches/runways from being listed
• [FIXED] Some altitude restrictions not displaying properly
• [FIXED] VMIN being way too high (preventing proper approach speeds)
• [FIXED] Deleting the CLB THRUST altitude improperly resetting it to 1500 above the departure airport
• [FIXED] ATS “RETARD” mode during non-autoland situations
• [FIXED] MCDU scratchpad resetting when 24 characters are entered
• [FIXED] PPOS displaying incorrectly on the PROG page
• [FIXED] MCDU resetting to the start of the STAR if the runway is changed
• [FIXED] AFS speed selection during departure
• [FIXED] Missing information on DUPLICATE NAMES page
• [FIXED] Erroneous FLAP DISAG with certain flap settings
• [FIXED] Erroneous BANK ANGLE warning
• [FIXED] Graphic issue with left master warning
• [FIXED] Observers unable to pop out displays or hide yoke
• [FIXED] Engine sound spooling down during takeoff
• [FIXED] 2D popups appearing black until resized in FSX
• [FIXED] Various MCDU operation improvements
• [FIXED] A display bug on the IRS STATUS page
• [FIXED] A bug that could cause pitch oscillations in HOLD and VS AFS modes
• [FIXED] Landing light splash staying illuminated incorrectly
• [FIXED] Data display on ND showing some characters too large
• [FIXED] Data display on ND showing incorrectly at certain headings
• [FIXED] Reversed animation on left aileron tab
• [FIXED] Nose gear gravel deflector sticking through nose gear doors
• [FIXED] Ability to interact via scrolling where it should not be possible
• [FIXED] Pushing/pulling FCP speed knob engaging ATS
• [FIXED] Several FMA related issues
• [FIXED] Several VERT REV related issues
• [FIXED] Speed of wing landing lights extend/retract animation to match real world speed
• [CHANGED] Improved magenta line tracking
• [CHANGED] Improved DRAG messages on MCDU
• [CHANGED] Optimized rendering pipeline
• [CHANGED] 2D popups can now be closed by clicking in the center
• [CHANGED] 2D MCDU popups now honor click/release behavior similar to the 3D MCDU
• [CHANGED] The default “reset altimeter” function (B by default) now works
• [CHANGED] Improved 2D popup default sizes and positions
• [CHANGED] Improved ATS response
• [CHANGED] Middle clicking the nose/landing lights on the overhead now toggles them all
• [CHANGED] Increased initial ground drag friction slightly
• [CHANGED] Various minor interaction improvements
• [CHANGED] FPLN and DIR TO page now display ” when the previous the prediction was the same
• [CHANGED] Fuel flow rate
• [CHANGED] Brake depressurization time

We have also released an update for the addon manager. To update both the plane and addon manager, just open the addon manager and follow the prompts.

(The following part was written by Collin Biedenkapp)

Since the launch of the 1.0.6.0 to the community beta, we’ve been doing a lot behind the scenes and we’ve had a bit of a shift in position. A lot has changed since the last update already and there is more to come. We’ve been much quieter than we had previously been (which, despite how it may feel, is actually a good thing) and I will explain that.

A Little Background

Since release, we’ve all (the TFDi team) come to realize that we were looking at the state of the aircraft the wrong way. In the professional software world, releasing an initial iteration of a program and adding features over time is not only acceptable but standard. This is exactly what we did. That said, that method of approaching it is unreasonable for something like an aircraft. You wouldn’t make a car without air conditioning and windshield wipers but promise them later – that is more how our release happened (but not what we intended). That leads to our shift in position – along with the community beta, which gave us a place to test things before we throw them into the official release, we’re working on not band-aiding bullet holes.

First, what’s new (so far).

The REF System

In the spirit of more meaningful updates and permanent solutions, we started by revising the MCDU, page by page, and correcting/finishing it. So far, we’ve added the entire REF system (minus one page, which is pending a change in another system). Here are some images of it.

The REF system, although it may not be the seemingly highest priority, was the foundation for another feature that plays a big role during particular approaches – place/bearing/distance (PBD) waypoints. Here’s an image of that working.

We also revisited the system that handles pilot waypoint entry, which allowed us to support latitude/longitude waypoint entry and brings both PBDs and latlon waypoint support to the FIX, REF, DIR INTC, and FPLN pages all at once.

The MCDU Annunciators

Along with the improvements to the MCDU, we’ve also added the annunciator lights for various scenarios.

The 2D Popups

For those of you not participating in the Community Opt-in Beta (COB), we’ve added the ability to hide the yokes and 2D popups for the 6 display units, the standby display, and both MCDUs. We’ve also improved their default size and position since 1.0.6.0, as seen by their new default position below.

Here is the 2D MCDU.

VMIN/Approach Performance

Further improvements have been made to the autothrottle system and FADEC/engine response since 1.0.6.0. We’ve also redone the VMIN calculation which will allow the aircraft to properly fly its approach speeds (and the autothrottle can actually be trusted to fly that close to VMIN now).

Stability/Bug Fixes

In addition to a slew of fixes between 1.0.6.0 (for those not in the COB) and 1.0.6.1, we’ve fixed one of the major issues not covered by other systems – the sound spool down during takeoff. The sounds work as they should during takeoff and climb now. We’ve also launched our advanced crash debugging system to help us isolate and solve the remaining CTDs. Performance remains an issue for a handful of users and we’re still looking at it, but just as we focused on performance/stability initially, now we’re focusing on the airplane as a whole before polishing it again. It’s a process but we’re on the right side of it now.

What’s Pending Code/Systems-Wise

We’ve got a lot of big items on our to-do list and some that are in progress. Here are a few major items that I can’t show off quite yet but will make it into the next release.

• Significantly improved NAV magenta line tracking (including through turns)
• ETE (and possibly EFOB)
• Automatic turn coordination
• Mouse wheel acceleration for AFS knobs

In addition to those, we’ll be continuing through the MCDU and finishing it, both in terms of stability and functionality. Once the MCDU is at a place we’re happy with it, we will begin the same process on the autoflight system to squash the rest of its bugs. Once both of those are complete, along with the rest of the bugs we’ll fix and requests we’ll honor, the aircraft will be borderline unrecognizable from its initial release in December.

(The following part was written by Brandon Filer)

Visual Updates

While improvements have been made to the systems, I’ve been working on a ton of enhancements to the exterior.

To give some background, the original artists who did the modeling/texture work on both the exterior and interior left a lot to be desired. Over the last two years of development, I’ve done a ton of work on the cockpit to bring it up to our standards and to represent the real aircraft as closely as possible. As we approached the end of development, we ran out of time to revisit the exterior.

Since release, I’ve been working to bring the quality of the exterior up to that of the cockpit. It was for this reason that we have continued to hold the release of the paintkit to the public. Since many of the changes made have been to the textures (and there have even been a few mapping changes), we didn’t want to release the paintkit, only to end up releasing an update that would break all repaints.

What’s New/Improved

• Improved/optimized materials
• New environment map for better-looking reflections
• Fixed loss of reflections when turning on logo light
• Redid cargo bay textures

A few screenshots showing the new environment map:

As well, here’s a before and after of the cargo bay textures.

What’s Still Being Worked on

• Redo of all seams/rivets on the fuselage and wings (very inaccurate/generic before, and lots of missing details)
• Redo of all normal maps (rivets were way too big/pronounced before)
• Paintkit being made in 4K to enable painters to optionally offer 4096×4096 versions of their liveries (not ideal in a 32-bit environment for VAS reasons, but good for future-proofing or for those with few addons)
• Various improvements to textures in general (more dirt and details, along with better coloring of certain parts)
• New alpha channels (some parts are reflective, but shouldn’t be, etc)
• Cabin illumination at night
• Exterior lights will illuminate the surrounding parts (ex. beacon will illuminate the top of the fuselage)

For the sake of comparison, here is a before and after of the nose.

(The following part was written by Collin Biedenkapp)

Timelines

We’ve been quiet while we were working this time. We’ve been focusing primarily on getting the improvements done and plowing through the prerequisites to pave the way to permanent answers. Rest assured, although you haven’t heard as much from us, we haven’t retreated away. We will release 1.0.6.1 to the COB when it’s in a good place, but we’re reworking some areas at the moment. We highly encourage anyone interested in helping us polish the aircraft to participate in the COB. Our goal is to have the aircraft essentially complete before the next major non-beta release.

Closing

I encourage you to check out our changelog here and the development tracker here to stay up to date with our changes and have your feedback heard.

It is with great excitement, pride, and some nerves, that we announce the release of the TFDi Design 717. It is now available for purchase here.

We started this journey four years ago. Throughout those years, we’ve made many friends, worked with developers, pilots, testers, dedicated simmers, and combinations of all four. We’ve learned more than we had ever anticipated and it has been an incredible journey. As I hinted at yesterday, we are now beginning a new journey with our customers and supporters. We have taken great pride in giving the community that supports and purchases our products a voice. We’ve taken pride in, despite the circumstances, staying humble and part of the community.

On that note, we want to take the opportunity to work with you on the 717 from here forward. There are plenty of areas we’d like to improve and features left to add, and there are things we can’t do alone. We want to hear your thoughts and feelings on the product – new features, fixes, and more are possible quickly and easily and we have every intention of delivering them. We want to make the 717 a product like no other, beyond simply correctly modeling the aircraft.

We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to expand and improve the product you’ve waited so long for. On behalf of myself, Brandon Filer, Joshua Mendoza, Martyn Becker, and Brandon Olivo to the developers, testers, pilots, and enthusiasts that have helped us along the way, thank you.

See you in the skies.

Folks,

First, let me start off by saying this has been an incredible journey. We made a commitment that 2016 would be the year of the 717, and so it shall be. Before I announce the all important date and time, there’s something I’d like to share.

The release for us isn’t the end of the journey. It is a start, in a way. We believe the product we’re going to release will be thorough and enjoyable. That said, like any other product, especially the first release, it will not be perfect. We have developed technology to deliver updates that are smaller, quicker, and easier than they are for any comparable product. There are many things we intend to expand and improve in time. These updates will be provided frequently and free of charge to all customers, naturally, potentially excluding something like support for a new simulator platform or an entirely new expansion to the product.

We are ready to begin the second half of this journey, and at 6:00PM Eastern (2300z) on December 22nd, you will be too.

I’ll leave off with a few pictures of the aircraft at night, as we haven’t shown that off much yet.

Yes, you read the title correctly. After an extremely long journey of over four years, we have set a target beta date that we’re ready to announce. Before I jump right in, I’d like to cover a few important topics.

What will “beta” be for this product?

This will not be a several month beta process. We have been in what our community manager, Josh,  has called a “progressive alpha” for just shy of a year. What this means is that many of the systems on the airplane have already been tested relatively thoroughly. They’ve been reviewed by pilots, checked against documents, and tested via aircraft sharing by testing team members and developers alike. The result of this is that our systems are no longer “bleeding edge”. Beta will be aimed primarily at finding and fixing “showstoppers”, meaning crashes, memory issues, or major system malfunctions.

How will post-release updates work?

No matter how much we prepare, test, and consider, finding EVERYTHING before release is impossible. We’re aware of this and we’re prepared to respond accordingly. Our addon manager will have the ability to deliver updates to the product efficiently (by that, we mean without remembering passwords, re-downloading the entire aircraft, or reactivating). Our intent is to consider the aircraft in active development immediately following its release. Problems will be corrected quickly and we will do everything we can to stay ahead of reported issues.

What should you expect from here?

We will post another article before release detailing exactly what to expect on launch day, details regarding our activation system, and preparations we’ve made to ensure the best possible service on day 1. Any questions or concerns expressed before then will be handled via that article.

When will the 717’s beta start?

Thank you for actually reading what I had to say. As of now, our target beta date is December 10th, 2016. At this point, it is time for the testers we’ve confirmed over time to contact us, as we stated you would be told. You must include a reference to your confirmation of acceptance to the beta team in your correspondence. We are not accepting new testers at this time.

We’re almost there folks. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks. We’re still on track for release this year. When we have a firm date, we’ll be sure to let everyone know.

You can discuss this article on the TFDi Design Forums by clicking here.