Now one of the best Local Legends: Microsoft, iniBuilds and Asobo make the 707-320C good!
Quick summary· AI-generated
The original 707-320C release in 2024 disappointed with poor visuals, sounds, and oversimplified systems. Microsoft and iniBuilds have now rebuilt the aircraft with improved exterior and interior models, updated audio, new avionics options (UNS-1 FMS, CIVA INS, GNS 530), a virtual flight engineer, and enhanced systems depth (electrical, hydraulic). While not high-fidelity like iniBuilds' TriStar or A300-600R efforts, the 707 now offers genuine character and depth as a classic airliner experience.
Excerpt from Stormbirds
The Boeing 707 is a classic airplane that helped usher in the modern age of jet aviation travel like few others. It’s design and legacy live on or have been influenced by this design in one way or another. Its that Local Legend that Microsoft set out to represent back in 2024 when they released the 737-320C as Famous Flyer 10. The only problem? The work done for it wasn’t up to par. But now things have changed.
Made good, made right
You have to appreciate developers and publishers that aim to make something right and here I have to credit the Microsoft Flight Simulator team for investing some funds to make a prior release that didn’t go so well into an excellent release. That’s what happened here with Famous Flyer 10.
The first go-around for the 707-320C happened two years ago. Released in 2024 to much celebration which was then dashed almost immediately as it became clear that the release was not up to expectations and was lacking in visuals, sounds, and systems. The model had many obvious visual problems both inside and out, the sounds seemed wrong, and the systems were obviously very simplistic. Now, a simplified experience can still be a good one (BlueMesh’s Latécoère 636 flying boat is a great example of a museum piece that is fun to experience without intense system depth), but this 707 just didn’t fit that mould either.
Now we’ve seen this aircraft have something of a rebirth. The Boeing 707-320C, the passenger/cargo combi variant of the airplane, has been redone. The efforts combined work done by the iniBuilds team as well as efforts from Working Title to turn this project around.
I’m uncertain if it was a complete rebuild or if the model was tidied up but it certainly looks better than it did before. There are maybe one or two rough edges still but it still looks a whole lot better than before.
It also now has a UNS-1 FMS, a CIVA INS, or a GNS 530 as options for flight planning and management. This time around the sounds and visuals have been significantly updated. A new virtual flight engineer helps you prepare the airplane for flight. These are big new features for the aircraft that, together with a bunch of other system work (electrical, hydraulic, etc.) make the 707 into an aircraft that has some character, some depth, some interest when flying it.
They didn’t set out to make a high fidelity experience so this won’t compare to iniBuilds efforts on their Lockheed TriStar or A300-600R(F), two other classic airliners in their own…
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