FlightFX Hawker 800XP: An Exclusive Early Look
Quick summary· AI-generated
Rob Parks provides an in-depth first look at the FlightFX Hawker 800XP, a surprise MSFS release offering study-level detail beyond typical business jet addons. The review covers the exterior model's impressive proportions and texturing, functional pre-flight systems (covers, gear pins, radome, fueling), high-fidelity cockpit modeling with working switches and displays, and a particularly strong sound package featuring the aircraft's distinctive character. Parks emphasizes that the addon prioritizes simulation depth and aircraft operation over purely visual appeal, with attention to small interactive details that elevate the flying experience.
Excerpt from Threshold
There’s nothing better in flight sim than an aircraft you weren’t expecting to be released.
FlightFX has given business jet pilots a welcome surprise this week with a new addition never before available on the MSFS market, the Hawker 800XP
Threshold was given advance access to take an early look at the aircraft ahead of its surprise release, and after spending some time poking around and getting familiar with the the aircraft again, flying it and, perhaps more importantly, breaking it, there is one thing that becomes very clear very quickly: this is not just a low fidelity business jet release.
The Hawker 800XP has been built with an impressive amount of attention paid to the aircraft beyond simply making it look good in the simulator and fly.
First impressions
The exterior model is excellent. Proportions look perfect, panel lines and details are extremely well represented, and the texturing is particularly impressive.
The level of surface detail and general finish gives the aircraft the sort of presence that makes you want to walk around it before even getting onboard to fly it.
And there is plenty to interact with.
Exterior model
One of the things that immediately stood out during my time with the aircraft was just how much of the exterior is actually functional.
Covers need to be removed, gear pins can be installed/ removed, the radome can be opened and the fueling can be done manually, giving you considerably more to do during the aircraft’s preparation than simply jumping into the cockpit and starting the engines.
These aren’t features that fundamentally change how you fly the aircraft, but they’re exactly the sort of details that make a simulation feel more like operating an aircraft rather than simply flying one.
It is these little details that start to add up.
The cockpit
Inside, the quality continues.
The modelling is excellent, with a level of detail that holds up extremely well while you’re sitting close to the panels. Switches, controls and displays all feel appropriately modelled, rather than being there simply to fill space.
But visually impressive cockpits have become increasingly common in MSFS.
Where the Hawker really begins to separate itself is when you start interacting with it. Especially using the Rockwell Collins proline 21 avionics suite.
Sounds that make a difference
The sound package is one of the aircraft’s strongest areas.
The Hawker has a distinctive character, and the audio does a fantastic job of…
Comments (0)
No comments yet.