Do not forget the SIAI Marchetti S55 and S55x, that one is also a very nice flying boat.
EDIT: Removed my comment as Pilot’s clarified and they are not charging for upgrades. They just said that the Dash7 for MSFS 2024 might have a higher price than the one in 2020, if you already own it then the upgrades are free as usual.
The above shows the B-314 MSFS model in Model Converter X and provides the following info on the actual 3D model:
The 3D model has 864606 Triangles
The 3D model has 643930 Texture Vertices
As you can see, the MSFS model of the B-314 is vastly more complex than the P3D model, they are completely different. Had the P3D model been ported over, as you suggest, then there would be no such difference!
No you did not, no such information was ever issued by PILOT’S! What the email said was the following:
We have been to Yellowknife with AirTindi and collected sounds as well as
other information, which will be added over the next months. New features of
MSFS 2024 are planned to be supported as well.
To cater for all that, the price will need to be adjusted.
So I thought I would take the opportunity to herewith invite you to order a
copy of our Dash 7 while it still has low SRP.
What this means is that if we make a specific Dash 7 Cargo variant, then this will be offered at an additional cost to those that already own the Dash 7 Passenger variant. It also means that If we introduce new features to the Dash 7 in MSFS 2024, that are MSFS 2024 specific, then our development work in those new features will translate to the Dash 7 having a higher price in MSFS 2024 for new customers, that do not already own the Dash 7 MSFS 2020 version.
To be clear, existing Dash 7 customers, that have purchased the Dash 7 Passenger variant for MSFS 2020, will NOT be charged any upgrade fee for the Dash 7 Passenger variant for MSFS 2024.
I appreciate your feedback on the B-314 for MSFS. In what way do you find the engine sounds disappointing, what would have to be changed for you to change your view on that? Regarding the radios, what improvements do you feel we could make that would make them better in your opinion, or improve their usability?
As far as sounds, the starting windup abruptly changes to full running rumble, and the startup sequence that goes with that is abrupt too. There’s a short sputtering sound in there, but it seems to me like it’s played back at a slightly higher volume than the rest of the sounds. I’m not sure if I’m explaining myself well here.
You just start them and go, and no engines from that time period were that simple. There’s no starter to energize, no flywheels to mesh. It’s like starting a modern car.
I totally get wanting period correct radios but then they can’t quickly be tuned to modern frequencies, nor can the addon be used on VATSIM. Those are quality of life things, not exactly dealbreakers. But that does limit its usefulness.
I’m glad to see that work is continuing on the Clipper.
If I could fix one thing, would be the autopilot. I certainly understand that aircraft of that vintage did not have the capabilities that modern APs do, but for the life of me, I could not get the aircraft to hold heading within about 10 degrees.
And it was not ten degrees from where I engaged it, it was some random course, close to but not on the engagement heading.
I tried flying it from San Fran to Hawaii, but the course was too erratic to work with my ham handed Celestial Navigation, and I had to revert to the Late 631.
And I didn’t have an eager copilot to take a turn at the wheel for me either, unfortunately.
I did a short test flight around the San Francisco Bay this morning, and I want to retract my earlier comment, so I’ve deleted it. I believe I was unfairly harsh on this addon because it hasn’t received much attention. @PILOTSdev I apologize for my rudeness.
I’m just starting out on VATSIM and I’d love to be able to use this addon someday, after much more studying. If there were a toggle switch on the radio stack to allow for modern frequencies and a transponder, that would be fantastic. Hell, even if there was a toggle for a GNS unit somewhere hidden away, I’d be okay with that too. I understand that’s probably a super niche use case, and maybe not worth the dev time.
I’d love to see a bit more complexity in the engine startup sequence, like I mentioned.
It’s nice to have niche aircraft like this available, and I’m glad its getting some attention now.
I’ve seen these implemented in a few vintage aircraft via a clipboard/paper “EFB”. That would work well here without altering the integrity of the installed vintage equipment.
Thank you for your feedback! Yes, I’m aware that this is a much desired feature that B-314 users want to see fully implemented, and this is currently being worked on. If things go according to plan, we should have a test version available sometime in the coming week that has such gyro features implemented.
I know the Latécoère 631 has a GNS in the cockpit, as does our Dash 7, and while I cannot promise that we will definitely implement such a feature, I will certainly look into it. If you have any ideas and feedback on where you think such a GNS might best fit and be added to the cockpit, I welcome whatever suggestions you may have and will take them on board.
A toggle switch for modern frequencies and a transponder might be feasible, I’m not sure what exactly we could do to add a bit more complexity in the engine startup sequence, I’ll look into that too, thank you for the feedback and suggestions!
@PILOTSdev This is a small thing, but are the charts on the chart table tied to the model rather than the livery?
The South Pacific chart in the Cape Town Clipper and the North Atlantic chart in the California Clipper being wrong has always been a bit weird.
It would be really neat to have the chart of routes that each of them flew (especially for the Clippers) as the chart on the navigation table.
Looking through the manual and from what I’ve read here, the 314 you built for other sims has more systems depth. Is there any possibility of that being done for the MSFS version, potentially for 2024?
EDIT:
I’ve been up flying and finding that I’m getting the heading hold to behave, which I have always struggled with. Usually, when I disconnect it, alter course and then reengage it, it turns back to my original course. However, today it did that the first time, but subsequent times it seems to be behaving. I do find I have to disengage both AP levers, so the one to the left of the captain and the one to the right. Reading the manual, it would seem that only the left one is necessary to disengage/reengage the AP, which I’m not finding to be the case.
EDIT2:
I’m really looking forward to 2024’s improved water physics. I hope the flying boats can truly shine in the new sim.
If you got your copy of the B-314 through the Marketplace, is there a way to get the beta? It does not show up in my Pilots account nor in the Content Manager. The only download available is the Seaports. Thank you.
We are unable to release such builds via the Marketplace, which is why we always recommend purchasing directly from the PILOT’S webshop, where we have full control of such releases and making them available to our customers.
I’m happy to announce that a new version of the PILOT’S B-314 - The Clipper v1.70 Beta is now available for those of you wishing to take a look at the revised Gyropilot and newly implemented ADF radios.
The ChangeLog is as follows:
All models
Fuel pressure code updated.
Flight engineer panel fuel flow gauge needle animation fixed.
Flight engineer panel fuel flow gauge code updated.
Revised airspeed needle code that was erroneously calculating speed via MPH instead of knots.
Fixed reversed aileron trim needle animation.
B-314A Fixed First Officer compass that was INOP.
B-314A Gyropilot heading hold recoded. (new)
B-314A Gyropilot heading change mode implemented. (new)
B-314A Gyropilot pitch hold mode implemented. (new)
B-314A Gyropilot pitch change mode implemented. (new)
B-314A Radio Operator Station now has tuneable ADF. (new)
B-314A Radio Operator Station ADF tracking implemented via the channel deflection needles. (new)
B-314A Gyropilot tooltip will now indicate if the gyropilot is misconfigured. (new)
B-314A Navigator station map is now clickable to cycle through the available maps. (new)
I will follow up later today with some screenshots to illustrate the Gyropilot’s new capabilities and how to set everything up correctly for that all to function properly.
Please download the update via your account at the PILOT’S website:
To adjust the Directional gyro’s heading indicator, which is the bottom tape, and match it to the B-314A’s actual magnetic heading, you can either press the D key on your keyboard, or right-click on the relevant knob to cage the Directional gyro, then adjust the heading via mouse wheel:
Moving the small white lever forward will pressurize the B-314A Gyropilot servos, and this is an absolute requirement for the B-314A Gyropilot to be functional. Should you attempt to turn on the Gyropilot without the servos being pressurized, the tooltip will advise you that the Gyropilot is misconfigured:
Before switching the B-314A Gyropilot on during flight, it is vital that you are flying straight and level, with the aircraft properly trimmed.
Once the B-314A Gyropilot servos are pressurized and the Gyropilot lever is moved forward, the tooltip will confirm correct configuration of the Gyropilot:
Once the B-314A Gyropilot is active, you will be able to make heading and pitch adjustments via the rudder and elevator dials described above. Please note that heading adjustments are ideally made in small increments.
The Navigator station now has a clickable map, clicking on the map will scroll through the available maps:
The ADF’s Channel 1 & 2 deflection needles provide info for the tuned NDB bearing once the B-314A is within range of an NDB station or weather ship featuring an active NDB:
As I get the impression that most of you tend to fly the B-314A, I’ve coded the B-314A Gyropilot and ADFs first, the B-314 Gyropilot will of course also offer such functionality once this update is ready for official release.
For all of you curious on GNS integration in the B-314 and B-314A models, we plan to go ahead with this too, and have already chosen where the GNS unit will be placed in the cockpit, expect more details on this in the next day or so.
Would I be correct in saying I should not download the new ‘Beta’ because it is not a final stable tested version? ie I don’t want to be involved in testing it?
There is nothing unstable about the new Beta, it just has some B-314A features not yet implemented in the B-314 model. There should be no risk of any game crashes. We’ve made it available for those wishing to already fly the B-314A with the newly implemented Gyropilot features and ADF, it’s entirely up to you if you wish to download and install it to have a closer look at this very latest Beta version.
