Leonardo Software Announces New Update for the MD-80 for MSFS

Stefano from Leonardo Software has recently taken to their forums to announce a new update that is coming to their MD-80 for MSFS in the next couple of weeks.

As Stefano explains in the post, it’s not usual for the team to make announcements without being sure of the result. This time, they made an exception, given that they wanted to break the long silence and are nearing the end of the beta testing phase.

Leonardo Software successfully overcame some of the simulator limitations by building a “bridge” application that makes it possible to process and manage data for the addon instead of the simulator’s SDK. Thus, we can expect to see many of the missing features from the Prepar3D version in the MSFS version of the aircraft in the foreseeable future.

In addition to that, the new update will come with full GSX Pro integration, a functional printer for ACARS, automatic retrieval of the latest flight plans from Simbrief, or missing ACARS pages. What’s more, the update will feature operational weather clients for METAR/ATIS and the CPDLC unit.

The update is also set to come with a number of other bug fixes improving the aircraft’s performance, FMS features, and autoland capabilities.

At the very end of the forum post, Stefano from Leonardo Software confirmed that now that the team is able to work with external data, they plan to bring the MD-83 and MD-88 to MSFS as well.

If you want, you can purchase the MD-80 for MSFS through SimMarket for €75 with VAT excluded. You can also read our previous article on the MD-80 for MSFS release here.