Will, thank you for taking the time to talk to FlightSim.Com. Could I begin by asking you about how the FlyByWire Simulations project came about?

A few weeks prior to the launch of MSFS, the press embargo was lifted, allowing certain streamers and content creators to showcase footage from the alpha/beta builds of the simulator. After seeing the lack of detail in the default A320neo, I sought to create a project to help improve it, much like the Zibo 737 for X-Plane. However, one key difference is that I wanted this to be open, and allow anyone to contribute to it, as it would both speed up development and lead to a more accurate plane, as opposed to keeping it closed-source which has pretty much been the norm for freeware flight simulator add-ons until then. I made a post on the /r/flightsim subreddit asking if anyone wanted to help out, and I received a LOT of replies, so I went ahead and made a Discord server to better communicate with everyone and organize the first steps of the project.

What made you decide to develop for MSFS and not X-Plane or P3D?

Prior to the launch of MSFS, I was an avid X-Plane 11 user. Although I enjoy that platform as well, it already had a couple of established A320 add-ons, and I could clearly see the potential that MSFS offered in terms of new technologies and a platform that would grow over the coming years. Plus, there was a default Airbus to build upon, so we could hit the ground running with systems and avionics development rather than getting stuck in the modelling stage that so many freeware projects had previously died in. I pretty much never used P3D, and to be frank, I find it outdated, so that was definitely out of the question.

Were there any particular reasons why you focused on the Airbus and not on one of the Boeings?

I would chalk up that decision to just being an Airbus fan, honestly. I previously flew the ToLiss A321 in XP11 and the freeware FlightGear A320 family, and instantly fell in love with the simplicity and elegance of the Airbus design philosophy, along with the feel of hand-flying the aircraft's fly-by-wire system from which our group takes its name.

Since its launch, what would you say has been the most challenging aspect of the project to date and which areas are you proudest of?

It's so difficult for me to pick only one aspect. Practically every system and feature our developers have added has been the result of painstaking research, multiple iterations of development, and thorough testing. The fly-by-wire control systems and autopilot guidance features have been in continuous development since the start of the project and represent an insane commitment from the developers who've worked on it - I can barely wrap my head around the math involved in it! The electrical system models the circuitry, generators, and electrical load involved. The hydraulic system physically simulates the hydraulic fluid itself and the exact path it takes through the three hydraulic loops, including reservoirs, accumulators, valves, pumps, and so on. The air conditioning system simulates individual passengers and actual air masses in its calculations. The flight model has been meticulously tuned to match real A320neo performance tables almost exactly. I could go on for hours, but you can get a sense of how much we challenge ourselves in our quest for accuracy. I'm pretty damn proud of our team.

Do the constant development updates to MSFS hinder the projects progress?

In the beginning, it did - especially before we separated from the default A320neo. We would run into conflicts with the base code, and it would take a couple of days to a week to resolve everything. Luckily, that's no longer the case. However, in my personal opinion, I would say that MSFS initially launched in a state where it still should have been in alpha/beta for quite a while more. It has greatly improved since then, and the Asobo team have been putting in solid work to improve the sim as much as possible, so I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Will, how many people make up the FlyByWire Simulations team?

It's hard to get an exact figure because people come and go - it's simply the nature of an open source project. In total though, we've had over 170 people contribute directly to this project, with probably a few dozen active developers at any time. In addition to that, we have quite a few QA testers, real type-rated A320 pilots, technicians, engineers, etc. who support everything we do.

I didn't realise there were so many people involved! Do the team members work individually and on specific tasks, or are they grouped into certain project areas?

Both. Some parts of the project, like autopilot, have several developers working on it in different areas - control systems, guidance calculations, flight model integration, etc. Other times, an entire feature is developed by a single person almost all the way through, such as our electrical system or CPDLC, which was just added recently.

Looking ahead to the future, do you see work on the Airbus being your primary focus, or do you have other "secret" plans ahead?

I would say that the A320 family and A380 will continue to be our primary focus for the foreseeable future - we want to prioritize quality over quantity. However, we did recently release a small fictional airport that we use for testing (along with an A380 easter egg inside the hangar), so you never know

FlyByWire web site