The Stormbirds website has a report on upcoming updates in 2020 and 2024:
It’s the CowanSim ones that most interest me. Apparently the SAS/autopilot features that arrived with the S76C++ are being rolled out across most of the CowanSim fleet for 2020 and 2024.
There’s more information on CowanSim’s Facebook page. Alas, I don’t have a Farcebook login, but from the glimpse I got before I was shut out I believe these changes could be arriving in the Marketplace (though that’s never guaranteed) as soon as next Thursday. And the current glass cockpit options will be replaced by the G3X.
The brand-new CowanSim SAS Autopilot System for Microsoft Flight Simulator has officially landed across seven helicopters — a huge milestone update!
Updated & Ready to Fly:
R66
R22
H125
H130
206B3
206L3
500E
These updates are tuned for both MSFS 2020 and 2024. For the 2020 fleet, this is the big finishing touch — stable, polished, and final.
Where to get them: Available now at CowanSim.com Submitted to all resellers (pending their updates) Coming to the MSFS Marketplace Thursday, Sept 25
PMS GTN650/750 users on PC:
You’ll need to install the new PMS CowanSim packages, and remove the old PMS CowanSim packages from your Community folder. Files are included in the product package.
TDS GTN650/750 users:
No action needed — everything works fine out of the box.
Each helicopter now includes PMS GTN integration and the upgraded G3X Touch (replacing the old dual-vertical units).
Up next:
Work continues on the 222B, 222UT, and S-76 updates.
Thanks for all the support — excited for you to take these out on their first SAS-equipped flights!
The autopilot system for the listed helicopters is rather simpler than the one on the S76C++ - but still very useful. The suggestion is that the 222 variants will get something more sophisticated.
Matthew Crawford has just posted his impressions of the new HeloSAS (apparently o not i) system in a video:
Updates for the CowanSim helicopters that were expected to arrive on Thursday 25 September are actually available after the monday Marketplace update - I had them installed so I’d be notified when the updates were available.
Haven’t had a chance to check them out yet but hopefully sometime today.
Selected a non-CowanSim aircraft
Cleared the rolling cache
Closed the sim
Emptied my Community folder
Restarted the sim.
(What I didn’t do was leave the Sim Update 4 beta.)
All four affected helicopters continued to show missing textures.
I had all four helicopters installed, and updated the installations this morning. The downloaded files were presumably missing the textures seen, or rather not seen, above.
I then uninstalled the four helicopters and streamed them instead: there were no longer missing textures.
I then reinstalled the four; the textures that had been missing in the original installation were now present (but not in the rolling cache, which I cleared between tests).
Either I had some bizarre downloading issue on my initial downloads where texture files were removed from four separate downloads, or the files for download have been updated since then.
Anyway, I haven’t had a chance to fly any of these birds yet, but at least as far as textures are concerned, the updates, whether streamed or recently installed, are good to go.
And yes, I know bug-hunting shouldn’t be done here, but since I’d told people about the early updates, the least I could do was keep those people informed as to whether it was worth bothering with them.
I just booted 2024 up and saw the updates, grabbed em, installed em. Yes, something’s gone wrong. I get a popup telling me to restart the sim because of missing features and that they’ll be activated or something like that. Did that to no avail. This is on Xbox running the Beta.
So after a frustrating day trying and failing in so many ways to get the updated CowanSim helicopters to work, I broke down and signed up for the CowanSim Discord - an appalling process that somehow I managed to complete despite my best efforts - only to discover that the new HeloSAS system doesn’t doesn’t work in Sim Update 4 beta, and CowanSim, not entirely unreasonably, thinks that’s Asobo’s problem, not theirs. Though if the HeloSAS still doesn’t work when Sim Update 4 is finalised…
So I can add the CowanSim helicopters to the Skymaster, the PC-21, and the MV-22 (and Miltech doesn’t think you should use the MH60 in the beta either, though I’ve not yet had any trouble) - all aircraft that struggle to, or just plain don’t, work in Sim Update 4 beta.
I’m not quite ready to quit the beta, but I can feel myself being nudged in that direction. I’ll try to resist.
the irony of fs24 - it so bad in stable releases that people are desperate to try betas which are ofc not suported by 3rd party developers, and spiral off mutal dissatisfaction spinsup. Crazy.
After I posted here I went through their discord and saw people had been discussing it. As much of a pain that it is, it’s actually kinda normal with this game how things break like this. Betas are known to sometimes screw up 3rd party stuff, usually requiring the game of catch up with updates. Updates upon updates that need further updates. It sucks but it’s how it’s always been unfortunately.
Latest update (3.1) for 206B3 lists the Nav/GPS issues as fixed. See if there is similar for the LongRanger too. It was released about the time you posted that. Also makes the SAS better etc… (mine was direct from CS so the Marketplace version may be a little behind)
Hi guys,
I’m not in the SU4 beta, I only fly in the released version.
I am unable to have the heliSAS automatically switching from HD to NAV mode.
I can fly both the Cowansim H125 and the 500E, only by using the HDG mode ….the NAV is “armed” but never activates ….the light stays white (armed) but never goes into green ….
Surely I am doing something wrong, or miss some step in the setup, but I have no clue ….
BTW in the Matthew Crawford’s video on YouTube, he shows that can change from LOC to GPS using the FPL source set to “external” and then selecting the CDI source as GPS ……but if I stay with FPL source set to external, then I can only chose VLOC 1 or VLOC 2 ….there is no GPS option …..I can chose GPS only if I use FPL source set to “internal”
I also stay only with the release versions (there is enough fun and games to contend with in them without adding betas to the mix).
I have the same issue as yourself with NAV arming but not capturing despite crossing the path from all angles (in all CowanSim products).
I saw a video on YT of someone having NAV capture issues with the CS release previous to the latest one but it was supposed to be ironed out in the latest release.
Unfortunately, I find the CowanSim SAS to be a bit buggy and unreliable in general so I have opted to give it a miss.
Thanks !
Too bad that I am not the only one facing this weird behaviour …..so maybe it is a kind of a bug in the heliSAS ……let’s hope the Cowansim guys will fix it sooner or later, because if it works properly is a really nice to have Ciao
I am having the same issue on Xbox. Latest SU beta 4 and I left the beta last night to test if the beta was messing up the CowanSim H125 and H130. I can not get Nav to lock. Main unit set FPL source to internal. CDI set to GPS. I program the Direct to on the 530. Get close with HDG mode and never locks once intercepted. Been on discord, and was told it 100% works so not sure what I am doing wrong. I am in the same exact boat as @Astroflier Can only use internal GPS and VLOC1 or 2. Internal shows GPS, but never locks.
Hi guys, in the end I managed to make the SAS working in NAV mode …..
you need to download and install an Extra GTN PMS package which is specific to each helicopter.
Here you are where to find them: https://cowansim.com/manuals-checklists/
Scroll the page until you find the specific addon, download it, then unzip e copy&paste this folder in the MSFS2024 Community.
When you are in flight, make sure the little level GTN OPTION is in the up position, see the picture below
The CowanSim Fleet Just Got Smarter!
Updated & Ready to Fly:
Where to get them:
Available now at 
PMS GTN650/750 users on PC:
Up next:
Ciao
