Absolutely stoked that they are going to do the entire 747 fleet…
The 200 will be a day one purchase for me… and doing a flight in air nz livery …
For one I’m VERY happy to hear that update. As a kid my favourite 3rd party aircaft was the RFP 747 classic.
747SP mainly, but I’m excited for a 747-100 in some classic liveries.
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747-400 is the only one I’m interested in. Hoping for an Air Force One livery too.
Any eta on this & which model is coming first?
I’m fine with it being on 2024 only also.
The only info in the post I linked. You should read it.
SO stoked for the 100, and that it’s one of the ones coming first. I was already excited for the 400, but way more into vintage than modern airliners. I like the process of learning a modern airliner, and then I kinda get bored of them once I know how to use all the systems.
Meanwhile I’ve flown the DC6 around the world twice sans GPS, and it’s by far my most used airliner, long trips or short.
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But will there be a 747-300 SUD?
Some Products will be Compatible, Others Will be Native. This is Confusing!:
MSFS2024 Only: These will be products that are developed and released specifically using the MSFS2024 SDK and are only compatible with MSFS2024. Currently the 747-400 and 747 Classic Whale are in this category.
Will PMDG Charge for Upgrades?
- PMDG 747-400 & PMDG 747 Classic Whale & PMDG 737MAX: These products will be MSFS2024 only, and thus not subject to any upgrade implementation.
Likewise, and this is honestly the only add-on I’d even consider not riding-out FS2020 until its last day…
All I can say is good f****** luck with that half-baked SDK, guys. 
History repeating itself.
Eh, I know I’m going to get it eventually anyway so why not be a beta tester 
Not deleting 2020 though, probably not for awhile after how today went
From the PMDG forum:
[23NOV24] Your Weekend Update Part 2: PMDG 777F, PMDG 737 and PMDG 747 Updates! - PMDG Simulations
PMDG 747:
Development work on the 747 continues to roll forward. Code-side preparation for the 747-400 is in an advanced stage of readiness and the code is running within MSFS2020. We are beginning to work through a strategic process to start mapping in changes that are necessary based on the documentation for the MSFS2024 platform, and it should make for a truly magnificent simulation of this airliner.
On the 747-100 Classic Whale side of the hangar, the 747-100 model (which will serve as an initial basis for the 747-200 and 747SP that will come later) is really taking shape nicely. We have mapped out some feature-sets for the 747-100 that we feel will open this product line up to a greater swath of users and we are excited to see them fill out in the months ahead. After all, while navigating via fixes defined by their lat/lon positions was revolutionary back in 1971, it can be intimidating and confusing for folks who don’t understand how the process works, or who might not be inclined to take the time to learn it just for their weekend simming experience.
Our 747 Classic will come with the CIVA triple INS system, fully modeled to the degree of detail you would expect of PMDG- but we have issued an upgrade bid to our pilot pool, and Henning, the erstwhile DC-6 flight engineer who has helped you one thousands of DC-6 flights the world over, will be on the 747 flight deck to greet you and work through the INS navigation complexities for you. If you aren’t comfortable programming and managing the INS navigation on your own, Henning will (cheerfully…cuz he is always cheerful, as you probably noticed) take your simbrief flight plan and continually keep the INS fixes updated so that all you need to do is link the autopilot to the INS and it will navigate you just like the FMS/Magenta line you are all used to…
If, like me, you find this stuff fascinating, you can just have henning manage the usual flight engineer duties and take the INS work all to yourself. If i can find some time, I might even put together a few how-to videos such as those we did with the DC-6 so you have some references to go by online.
Now- if you don’t trust Henning to do that work for you, we are also going to give you the option to treat your 747-100 as a “later-in-service-life” iteration that uses the honeywell FMS as the primary mode of navigation. This will function just like you are used to, plunking your flight plan into the FMS then sipping your coffee as the little boxes do all the hard stuff for you. While it might sound like I’m poking fun- this is actually a great way to fly this classic airplane just as she was flown for most of her service life, as FMS units became common to the 747 classic fleet pretty early in their service life. Flying around with live ATC giving you fix names will certainly be easier with an FMS onboard- and that is why nearly all aircraft have them now in some form or other.
These images are taken from the modeling software and do not show texturing or surface qualities. What they DO show you is just how detailed the model is in terms of size, scale, complexity and finish. We anticipate that this will be the most detailed classic airliner yet produced for desktop flight simulation- and what better airplane to get The PMDG Treatment than the 747-100?
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Very nice to see the 747 fleet.
But with the state of MSFS2024 it will be impossible to use the 747 unless something drastic happens. So I’ll probably skip this add on.
The INS wouldn’t bother me as I know those well.
There will be native FS2024 versions eventually.
Progress on the 747 line continues …
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First teaser images of the FE’s station on the Classic!
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Stage fright sets in, LOL!
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PMDG 747: The Race is On:
The initial 747 release is going to be either a -100 or a -400, and at the moment we aren’t really certain which one will be the first to reach the finish line. Both products are advancing as part of a core development project and as we have been able to move members of the team away from 777 work, the 747 project has really begun to move nicely.
We are now working with the 747-100 flight deck inside the sim, and it is really looking spectacular. I have attached a few images below of our in-progress Flight Engineer station with hopes that the array of switches knobs and lights will excite the sim-detail freak buried within you. This flight deck is the base model and initial texture effort, but does not yet have any of the aging, wear, labeling or use marks that the finished product will have much later.
If you are familiar with the 747-400, or even the 777, we can give you a quick orientation of this panel that will demystify its layout and operation because it is effectively a manual logic interpretation of the automated systems you are already used to using. While many simmers are comfortable with a highly automated airplane that doesn’t require much operational knowledge to fly reasonably, seeing all of these dials might seem daunting, so we have begun to map out a behavior process for your virtual crew members. The virtual copilot and virtual flight engineer will help manage this magnificent machine in such a way that you, as captain, can focus on the stick, rudder and throttles while the professionals around you will ensure that the airplane runs and flies in such a way that you can focus on the fun stuff, or dive deep into the sim detail- depending upon your own interest level.
While you can always dive right into the 777 or 744 for a fully automated experience, we are going to be doing some learning exercises for those who want to have both a serious and a light simming experience in the 747 classic… This gonna be fun!
Still a bit too soon for 744 flight deck previews, but the systems simulation for that airplane is well advanced. We don’t know which one of these two iconic airplanes will land first- but once we know- we’ll let you know too.
There is a ton of detail in these images that will give you an idea how this product is shaping up. If you look closely at the surface textures of the fairings above the panel, and within the lighting channel along the top, you can see that no detail is being spared to give you the “this is what is like to sit here” experience with the 747 classic. As we flesh out the textures and labeling, the airplane will have that well-worn feel that you are flying with a veteran- and we look forward to seeing how you like it!
It is worth mentioning: We have traditionally withheld any previews of our products until the product is ready for beta testing- meaning that it is essentially finished. What you are seeing here is us pulling the curtain back significantly earlier in the process so that you can see early images of what the product looks like, well ahead of the testing phase- and we can start having dialogue about what it takes to build these great simulations that you come to us to experience. We have tended to be quite private in our development work- so this is a new “thing” we are trying out- so as always please understand that nothing in these images is finished, and a ton of changes are happening to the model each day as we fit the whole airplane together.
I suppose I should say something about “the journey being the most important part of the journey” or something like that.
Nah. That sounds too much like that word-art that people hang in their kitchens that says “eat.” 
Okay everyone- have a nice weekend- and for those of you here in the states, stay warm… For those over in the UK- should be some epic crosswind flying to be had if you are up for a sporting adventure! Don’t forget: ailerons into the wind and get that rudder kicked in. We don’t want to see any of you in the grass!
(I’ve got BigJetTV on in the office. Should be a fun show today!)
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And so the search for short- and mediumhaul 744 flights begin.
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Thailand and Thai airways is a good place to start if you are looking for short/medium haul 747 routes. For example, the Bangkok-Phuket route has seen everything in the Thai fleet from B737s to A380s. Last time I travelled the route irl, it was a 747 on the way down and a A340-500 on the flight back. (About a 60min flight)
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I’m only interested in the 744 or 748i you others guys can enjoy them old rust buckets 741 or 742 that are buried in Victorville CA all you want.