Overview
The most common question we get asked is why some people can't find our plane after downloading it.
In 99.9% of these cases, the user isn't aware that our mod is not a standalone aircraft, it is a modification of a default plane which requires DLC purchase.
It's no secret how frustrating working with this type of aircraft can be, both from a user and developer standpoint.
As a user, you find a fairly expensive purchase wall between yourself and the only currently developed 787 in the simulator.
As a developer, many basic features of our aircraft could only be implemented with workarounds which aren't suitable as long-term solutions.
We also find ourselves held back from adding features such as an EFB or improving the cockpit displays with reflective glass.
And that is why, it is with great excitement we are formally announcing the B789H Project: A standalone open sourced 787-9 for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Roadmap
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B789H
Make no mistake, the Roadmap is simply an overview of where we are steering the ship. It glances over the immense amount of planning, work, and detail that such a project demands.
You may be wondering why we've decided to pursue a custom 787-9 model, rather than the current 787-10.
We've discussed this at length and decided the pros of focusing our efforts on the 787-9 outweighed the cons.
In summary, the advantages of a 787-9 over a custom 787-10 model are as follows:
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Due to the -9 variant being the most common, there is more source material available to work from.
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As the most popular variant, it makes finding type-rated pilots we can consult for this project easier.
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In the context of a simulator, the range of an airliner takes precedence over its passenger capacity. In a typical seating configuration, the -9 has a range well over 1,000nm above the -10, putting more long haul destinations within the pilot's reach.
A significant advantage of our project is that much of the groundwork for the B789H has been covered with the B78XH, and development of the latter will be concurrent with the former.
While subtle differences in the flight model and other areas exist, we could theoretically release a standalone aircraft the moment we have a complete 3D model.
For that reason alone, we will need more 3D, texture, and animation developers to help get the project off the ground.
If you're interested in joining the team, please ping an admin on discord if you have any questions or fill out our application form