Microsoft Flight Simulator Update Brings VR Support, Snow, & Tons of Changes to Airliners

Today Microsoft Flight Simulator developer Asobo deployed update 1.12.13.0 to the popular sim, and it brings a lot of changes.

NEW CONTENT

Virtual Reality is now available to all users as a free update for all OpenXR-compliant headsets! Visit the VR options menu in-game to enable the feature.
Two new training missions will help you take off and land with the Airbus A320neo.
Live Weather is enhanced with Meteo blue data to include snow and ice coverage.
Spotlight Event now features an Airbus A320neo Landing Challenge. See how well you do after training!
Sam and Rufus liveries for the Aviat Pitts Special S2S
Aviators club livery for all 30 planes available in the Marketplace for free!
Test pilot livery for all 30 planes will be granted to all Alpha and Beta testers!

PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY

Fixed an issue where standard animations on air traffic planes could crash the game.
ATC memory footprint has been optimized

NAVIGATION/ATC

Fix choosing closed runway on the World map
Fix ATC pronouncing airport name letter by letter
Fix ATC giving wrong altitude if first approach waypoint has no altitude descriptor

UI

New Content manager menu
Reactivity” and “Extremity dead zone” parameters have been added to the device sensitivity screen
Copilot is no longer turned on through different play sessions
Visual help has been added to highlight instruments during tutorials
You can now map buttons / switches numbered higher than 30 using the Search option in the Input box
Scroll is now available for camera toolbar panel
In Controls Options, the profile description of a newly plugged peripheral is now displayed
Performance in the marketplace has been improved
Various accessibility issues have been fixed
Fixed VFR map becoming transparent when resizing

AUDIO

Ground SFX improvements on Textron aircrafts
Kinematic sounds improvements on aerobatic planes
Added seatbelt & no smoking chimes in airliners
Bug fix and polish on instruments, buttons and flight control SFX
Fixed no audio heard when aircraft flies over Outer marker beacon

WORLD

Fixed flickering clouds for some specific GPUs
Fixed sun flare flickering on certain occasions OR in certain situations
Reduced density of lights on secondary roads in the countryside
Fixed taxi ribbon displayed inside the cockpit

PLANES

All aircraft shared fixes and improvements

Plane models update and optimization
Fixing avionics / FMS validating next waypoint too early when flying
Fixed several aircraft going back to departure airport when approach is activated on G1000
Tweaked ground effect
Planes can land and roll on ice
Fixed warnings and alerts not resetting when instruments reboot
Fixed monitor a frequency in COM 2
Copilot behavior has been improved

General Aviation fixes and improvements

Fixed various plane oscillation and overshoot AP related issues
Fixed station ID visible on Garmin displays despite being not received by aircraft
Fixed issue in Garmin avionics preventing to fly a “direct to” after deleting the current flight plan
Aviat Pitts Special S2S: fixed turn coordinator not working correctly
Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed issues with displays not updating or freezing in certain situations
Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed right engine ITT red line badly placed

Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed missing last leg of a flight plan when finishing at a point of interest
Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed aircraft not intercepting and tracking VOR when NAV mode is engaged
Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed impossibility to turn yaw damper on
Cessna Citation Longitude: fixed incorrect fuel tank capacity
Cessna Citation Longitude: tweaked thrust settings
Cessna Citation Longitude: fixed aircraft empty weight and center lift

Tweaked fuel flow and ITT for Cessna Citation CJ4 and Longitude
Zlin Savage Cub: fixed too high oil pressure
Zlin Shock Ultra: fixed leading-edge slats incorrectly linked to flaps
Zlin Savage cub: fixed copilot not pulling the choke lever during starting engine procedure
Flight Design CTLS: fixed issue preventing validation of checklist step during starting engine procedure
Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan EX: fixed issue making the plane banking to the right when enabling AP

Daher TBM 930: fixed inconsistency between overspeed stripe on PFD and backup display
Beechcraft Bonanza G36: tweaked performances
Beechcraft Bonanza G36: tweaked manifold efficiency
Fixed spoilers too low deflection for Cessna Citation CJ4 and Pipistrel Virus SW121
Diamond DV20: drag and power adjustment
Extra 330LT: tweaked handling

Airliners shared fixes and improvements

Fixed radio frequencies not updating when changing them via the ATC window
Fixed old path not disappearing when changing flight plan in a direct-to situation
Improved radar altitude value refresh rate
Fixed waypoints sometimes appearing twice on PFD or navigation displays
Fixed duplicate waypoints in FMC / MCDU
Fixed various presentation and flow issues in FMC / MCDU

Fixed various graphic glitches in cockpit
Added various missing labels and stickers in cockpits
Fixed various cockpit model graphic details
Fixed various cockpit backlight issues
Fixed various issues related to the FMA
Fixed autopilot oscillations in certain conditions
Fixed multiple “direct to” issues
Fixed incorrect speed trend vector behavior
Fixed various tooltips issues
Fixed various issues with Mach management

Boeing airliners

Fixed various flow issues when navigating in FMC
Fixed yoke obstructing view depending on selected camera
Added FMC “PROG” page
Fixed seat belt sign switches not working (manual mode only)
Fixed radio / minimums / MDA selector not working
Fixed delta pressure on EICAS incorrectly displayed
Fixed missing altitude target markers on altitude tape when set above or below visible range
Fixed autobrake selector jumping to the most left or right positions when changing the setting quickly
Fixed LNAV ignoring arrival part of the flight plan in certain conditions
Fixed audio landing gear GPWS alert not being played when needed
Fixed discrepancies between world map flight plan and FMC/MCDU flight plan

Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental

Fixed limit markers on N1 gauges
Fixed missing ILS frequency set when starting a flight on arrival
Removed dashes displayed in the N2 value field when engines are not started
Fixed OAT indication in FMC perf INIT page
Fixed missing trim numeric value displayed on EICAS
Fixed wrong knob controlling FMC brightness

Fixed current Mach and target Mach values on speed tape not matching
Fixed IAS/MACH speed window on MCP remaining displayed when VNAV mode is engaged
Fixed various issues with landing gear model
Fixed missing EGT red start limit on EICAS
Fixed N2 green bar missing on EICAS during start sequence
Fixed incorrect start mode indications on EICAS during start sequence

Fixed incorrect stabilizer trim green band placement on EICAS
Fixed incorrect spoilers deploying during turns
Fixing issues with the plane flying above the glideslope in certain conditions
Fixed incorrect climb rate after take-off with VNAV enabled
Fixed too high fuel consumption
Fixed AP incorrectly tracking knots instead of Mach after Mach switch

Fixed missing command N1 indicator bar on EICAS
Fixed backup baro knob not switching to standard altitude when pressed
Fixed missing heater switch on copilot side
Fixed N1 slight oscillations
Fixed max rudder values to 10 instead of 35
Fixed compass model not matching reality

Fixed EEC switches incorrect default state
Fixed plane leveling off too early before reaching target altitude
Fixed flaps and slats deployment and retraction logics
Fixed switching to descent phase too early and corresponding managed speeds
Fixed Gross Weight field in FMC PERF INIT page
Fixed impossibility to set Zero Fuel Weight and reserve values in FMC PERF INIT page
Tweaked fuel flow when throttle is adjusted
Increased suspensions viscosity

Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner

Removed info incorrectly displayed when engines are not started
Fixed HUD horizon line not aligning with real horizon
Fixed APU fault light behavior issues
Fixed center tank fuel not going to lateral tanks when conditions are met
Fixed spoiler lever incorrect default state
Fixed AT button incorrectly lit by default

Fixed transition speed after take-off
Fixed TOGA mode engaging issue
Fixed altitude target possibility to be set to negative values
Fixed color and lighting issues on the HUD
Fixed various autothrottle issues
Fixed missing dividing lines on displays

Fixed missing magenta highlight on previous and next page FMC buttons
Fixed EXEC button not lighting up when needed
Fixed master warning and master caution buttons labeling
Fixed wind speed arrow color on ND
Fixed vertical speed color not changing according to current value
Fixed local time displayed in FMC instead of UTC time

Fixed missing wind arrow on PFD
Removed red chevrons on the FMC pitch ladder
Fixed wind wrongly reported on displays while on ground
Fixed airspeed box not highlighted in amber according to current airspeed
Fixed AP incorrectly switching to LOC/FAC mode after capturing glideslope
Fixed display format issues when pressing L / R switches

Fixed VSD button not marked as INOP
Fixed issues with cursor selection on navigation display
Fixed flaps that can be incorrectly extended above FL200
Fixed autobrake possibility to be set on RTO while airborne
Fixed MCP windows going dark in certain conditions during flight
Fixed incorrect fuel tank quantities

Fixed heading target line on ND frozen when heading hold mode is active
Fixed crossfeed valve open by default
Fixed issue preventing to change Zero Fuel Weight value in FMC
Fixed flickering shadows in certain conditions
Fixed aircraft overshooting speed target with VNAV enabled
Fixed climb rate too high after take-off with VNAV enabled

Fixed auto brake remaining active despite manual braking applied
Fixed impossibility to move throttle levers when engines are not running
Fixed missing or badly placed screws on various panels
Fixed fire panel switches bad default state
Fixing bulk switch bad default state
Fixed discrepancies between overhead panel switches states and lights

Fixed missing VS/FPA not displayed in MCP corresponding window
Fixed flaps speed marker issues
Fixed compass slightly not aligned with current heading
Fixed missing MIC field on PFD
Missing mismatch between PFD and MFD wind indications
Fixed arrows displayed instead of diamonds on localizer and glideslope scales
Fixed descent phase activation issue and corresponding managed speeds
Fixed incorrect target speeds during initial climb
Fixed too small font size on MCP displays
Fixed active VHF frequency on PFD

Airbus A320Neo

Holding MCDU clear button now deletes entire scratchpad line
Fixed predicted time in MCDU
Seat belt and no smoking sign selectors now working in manual mode
Improved MCDU display logic for cost index page in INIT page
Approach altitude transition field is now automatically filled up regarding the destination airport
Fixed THR RED / ACC indications in MCDU Init section

Fixed “NO TRANS”, “NO STAR”, “NO VIAS” not displayed correctly
Fixed constraint on navigation display blinking in certain conditions
Fixed waypoints marking incorrect colors on navigation display
Fixed wrong transponder code set by default when starting a flight
Fixed issues with Alpha and stall speeds
Tweaked FLX power settings

Improved flight director behavior
Fixed missing heading target value on navigation display and PFD
Fixed aircraft not flying green dot speed, F speed or S speed when conditions are met
Fixed spoilers too low max deflection
Fixed FMA AP mode colors
Fixed heading bug remaining displayed despite FCU heading window being empty

Fixed autobrake LOW decel lights always activated whatever the selected autobrake level
Fixed MCDU frozen after multiple flight plan changes
Fixed slats indication not aligned with dot on ECAM
Fixed issues with spoilers incorrectly deploying / retracting after landing
Fixed climb incorrectly resuming on its own instead of remaining to current flight level after leveling off
Fixed unrealistic parking brake selector animation

Fixed incorrect N1 value in cruise
Fixed rudder trim “R” font issue on pedestal display
Fixed spoiler surfaces not correctly aligned
Fixed engine starters default incorrect positions when spawning on the runway
Fixed MCDU not switching to DES phase when it should
Fixed managed target speed issues with flaps out

FIXED ETA not being updated in MCDU
Fixed SRS mode incorrect target speed
Fixed intermediate altitude constraints not showing on PFD
Fixed incorrect course shown in MCDU RAD/NAV page for LOC/ILS
Fixed constraints decimal issues on navigation display
Fixed issue with unlimited fuel assistance preventing aircraft shutdown

Fixed fuel crossfeed valve switch default states
Fixed radio screens going black when camera is close from pedestal
Fixed approach speeds
Fixed fly by wire error causing insufficient pitching during turns
Tweaked thrust performance and fuel consumption
Fixed ECAM too small font size
Fixed V1 marker on speed tape
Fixed various autothrottle issues

KNOWN ISSUES

Aircraft can crash when landing on frozen water. You can activate the No crash mode in the dev mode menu to avoid crashes in this situation.

Incidentally, if you’re interested in Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons, you can enjoy our recent reviews of Paris Orly Airport, Newcastle International Airport, Sankt Johann Airfield, Dublin International Airport, and Seoul City Wow.

If you want to learn more about the game, you can read our review that will tell you everything you need to know about Asobo Studio’s game.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is already available for Windows 10 and Steam and will release in summer 2021 for Xbox Series X ad Series S.

Earlier this week, we learned that over two million players have installed Microsoft Flight Simulator so far on their PCs.

You can also check out our guide wiki that includes more information to help you get started in the game.

About the author

Giuseppe Nelva

Proud weeb hailing from sunny (not as much as people think) Italy and long-standing gamer since the age of Mattel Intellivision and Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Definitely a multi-platform gamer, he still holds the old dear PC nearest to his heart, while not disregarding any console on the market. RPGs (of any nationality), MMORPGs, and visual novels are his daily bread, but he enjoys almost every other genre, prominently racing simulators, action and sandbox games. He is also one of the few surviving fans on Earth of the flight simulator genre.