Now that FSExpo 2026 has wrapped up, we’d like to thank everybody who came to the Synaptic & iniBuilds booth to try out the A220; the support and excitement we’ve seen validates the hard work and long hours it’s taken to get to this point. We’ve seen everybody from little kids new to the hobby to A220 type-rated pilots try it out, and the reception has been nothing short of amazing. Folks are lauding the immersive soundscape by Echo 19, the stunning visual experience both inside and out, and the high-fidelity systems simulations. Whether people heard the distinctive engine howl from the other side of the floor, or saw others landing as they were walking by, our booth was awash with folks eager to experience it for themselves. As we work towards release, we’d like to take the time to highlight the progress we’ve made. Those who tried the aircraft at FSExpo will have already seen many of these features, but we wanted to provide those of you who missed out with a sneak peek of your own. As we approach the highly anticipated release day, we hope you’ll see how far we’ve come since our last update and share in our excitement over how close we are to the finish line. What’s new?SystemsOur goal is to have every part of the avionics feed from the correct systems component, such as the synoptic pages from the DMCs (data concentration modules) and EICAS engine indications from the EECs (electronic engine controllers). We’re well on our way to achieving that goal, and over the last few months we’ve filled in many of the remaining holes in our displays. There were previously a few missing pilot settings, such as a toggle for true or magnetic heading indications, flight path vector caging, and both barometric and radio minimums, all of which are now available through the CTP (control tuning panel). These indications have all been routed through the proper systems to make their way onto the displays, and tie into the crew alerting system for messages and aural alerts. The displays also now indicate hydraulic, fuel, and battery temperatures, which change dynamically based on current conditions. As work is done by the hydraulic system, such as during flap or gear extension/retraction, the temperature of the fluid will increase. As the current draw on the batteries increases, so will their internal temperatures. We’ve even simulated the heat exchange between the hydraulic fluid and fuel, with the fuel warming up as the hydraulic fluid cools. We’ve also been going in and adding lag filters to many of the system indications to mimic the delayed and smoothed indications in the real aircraft. For example, switching between true and magnetic heading does not immediately snap to the new heading value, but instead it moves smoothly between the two. We’ve made sure the transition times match what we see in our reference material in hopes of taking this from just a good systems simulation to a convincing one. Another facet of our systems is how they interact with the simulated world. For instance, we’ve implemented physics and wind-based control surface reaction, so if the hydraulic systems are depressurized, the surfaces will deflect with gravity and strong winds. You can even flip the aircraft upside down and see the elevators deflect the other way! This doesn’t affect the ailerons or spoilers, however, since those are hard locked and don’t move when depressurized. Flight Management SystemSince the last FSExpo, we’ve entirely gutted and rewritten our flight management system from the ground up to provide a more stable, scalable, and overall more sustainable foundation for the wide range of features that the A220 offers to pilots. In just over 21,000 lines of code, we’ve built up a majority of features in the A220’s FMS functions, including graphical flight planning, full lateral and vertical navigation, performance planning, crew alerting and messaging, vertical direct-to’s, configurable holds, and path offsets. Graphical flight planning is deeply integrated into the ProLine Fusion avionics of the A220, and allows the pilot to make modifications to their flight plan directly from the map. You can click on any flight plan waypoint and insert holds, activate direct-to’s, perform reroutes, insert relative fixes, and toggle fly-overs. Additionally, any arbitrary fix nearby can be clicked and inserted into the flight plan or tuned in the relevant nav radios. All of this functionality will be available on release of our A220, and will work with both the MSFS default and Navigraph data sources. Rerouting across parts of a flight plan Inserting arbitrary fixes into the flight plan We’ve also managed to capture a lot of the flight management system’s idiosyncrasies. For example, did you know the A220 can only handle a maximum of 200 legs and 6 holds? Or that VNAV is limited to 50 descent constraints, after which it stops working entirely? As an example, when you attempt to go over the leg count limit, you get a FPLN FULL message, and in the case of holds, any input over the limit is simply ignored. Or as another example, if you meddle with a fix past the final approach fix, the approach is cancelled and a NO APPR status indication is shown. FMS messages on the HSI include approach status messages as well, such as LPV APPR. Significant work has also gone into the performance planning for all phases of flight. We’ve modeled FLEX takeoffs, derates for both takeoff and climb, flap extension and retraction speed calculations, noise abatement departure profiles, configurable climb, cruise, and descent speeds, and even temperature compensation on arrival. All of this is integrated with vertical navigation and predictions for fuel quantities and estimated times of arrival at each flight plan fix, with wind data uplinked from SimBrief also taken into consideration. Flight GuidanceAs you fly along your flight plan, you’ll see the VSD (vertical situation display) showing the intended flight path that VNAV is planning to take. As you approach your destination, you’ll also see the arrival runway and, if applicable, an ILS or LPV feather displayed from the final approach fix. The feather will even switch between a solid and dashed line when flying an LPV approach, just like the real deal. We’ve shared some information about ILS capability during our previous written update, but we’d like to offer a more detailed look at how the A220 is flying approaches. We’re currently capable of flying ILS, LOC, LDA, RNAV RNP (0.30), RNAV RNP AR, RNAV LPV, VOR, and VOR/DME approaches. We’ve done several flights on VATSIM, some where we stuck with the ATC-assigned ILS approach, and others where we explicitly requested GPS and RNP approaches (sometimes to the controllers’ surprise). As a notable example, we’ve had group flights into San Diego on the RNAV RNP Z 27 approach where the aircraft were precisely following the same path with virtually no deviation. We’ve also implemented full autoland capability with accurate timings for mode transitions to RETARD, ALIGN, FLARE, and ROLLOUT. Part of this work has also been in implementing the correct reversions into APPR 1/2 modes in the absence of favorable conditions for autoland, such as underextended flaps, extended spoilers, or failures within the air data or flight guidance systems. Much like the FMS, flight guidance comes with its own set of quirks. For example, when flying a localizer-only approach, the glideslope vertical mode is still armed. Per normal SOPs, when established on the localizer, the NAV key on the flight control panel must be pressed to cancel the armed GS mode and revert to lateral-only approach guidance. This also drops the guidance down from APPR LOC1 to LOC1, which comes with lower-gain guidance to match the reduced precision of localizer-only approaches. Another interesting quirk is that there are two distinct localizer guidance modes: APPR LOC1/2 and APPR LOC. The difference, although subtle, continues to show our commitment to deep systems modeling. A typical approach begins with the DMCs (data concentration module) controlling the APPR LOC1 mode, but it soon transfers control to the PFCCs (primary flight control computers) for APPR LOC with the addition of wind compensation in the equation. This results in the aircraft re-adjusting its approach when on final, which can be seen on real A220 flight paths during high-wind scenarios. EDM, or emergency descent mode, doesn’t start a rave in the cockpit as the initials may suggest, but rather descends the aircraft expeditiously in the event of cabin depressurization. When above 25,000 ft, the mode can either be selected manually or will come on automatically if cabin altitude exceeds 14,500 ft, and will bring the aircraft down to 15,000 ft. This, too, has been implemented in our A220. AtmosphericsDetailed avionics and systems are well and good, but only make up part of the full experience. For a product to truly be immersive, the visuals, sounds, and feel must follow suit and put up a truly convincing performance. Possibly the most distinctive characteristic of the A220 is the infamous “whale sound” or “engine howl”. Caused by pressure changes within the combustion chamber as the engines spool up through around 30% N1, the resonance is felt intensely both inside the aircraft and out. Together with Echo 19, we’ve brought this distinctive sound to the simulator with a procedurally simulated howl based on live engine parameters. This is complemented by extensive work on ensuring equally accurate engine sounds in higher N1 ranges, as well as PTU sounds, cockpit aurals, and other environmental sounds. We previewed the sounds at our FSExpo 2026 booth, and we’ll be dedicating an update solely for sounds in the near future. Whether you’re looking out of the cockpit windshield, or from the passenger window, we aim to bring an immersive experience that makes you forget, even if just for a moment, that you’re flying a virtual plane. In Case You Missed It...Last week, we released the latest trailer for the Synaptic A220, giving you a closer look at the aircraft both inside and out as it continues towards release. From detailed cockpit systems and immersive flight deck environments to stunning visuals and airline operations from around the world, the trailer offers an exciting look at what’s to come soon! Be sure to check out the trailer below: What’s left?While there are still a few bits and pieces left to finish and integrate, the majority of the remaining work consists of hunting down and resolving bugs with our testing team. We’ve already identified and resolved hundreds of bugs, and we’re seeing fewer and fewer pop up during our flights. During all three days of FSExpo, we found five new issues, fixed two of them live, and experienced zero crashes. With that, we’ll return to hunkering down in front of our monitors as we enter the home stretch towards release. Be on the lookout for any additional preview content posted across our socials and in Discord as we put the finishing touches on the Synaptic A220. Synaptic
