Administrators mattY Posted Thursday at 04:13 PM Administrators Posted Thursday at 04:13 PM Hello! Today we're excited to bring you the next aircraft in the iniBuilds lineup, the iniBuilds F406 Caravan II! An aircraft that showcases rugged versatility and a purposeful design, the F406 Caravan II has served in roles ranging from surveillance and maritime patrol to regional passenger transport. With two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-112 turboprop engines, a utility driven cabin, and STOL capability, this aircraft blends that versatility with reliability, earning its place as a trusted workhorse across the globe. This aircraft holds a special place for one of our team members in particular, he's been able to organise some fantastic access to real world examples of this aircraft to both 3D scan as well as collect an abundance of references to help with the development process. Introducing a name that many of you may be familiar with, Mike Standen, our Head of Production who has been heavily involved in projects such as the A350 Airliner, the Spartan, A300-600R Airliner and more! Here's what Mike has to say about the F406 Caravan II project: “My name is Mike Standen, I am Head of Production here at iniBuilds. Before joining the company, I was a full-time commercial pilot. One of the aircraft I flew early in my career was the F406 Caravan II for a company called RVL Group, based at East Midlands airport in the UK. It wasn’t an average airline, they operate lots of government and private sector surveillance contracts as well as carrying out ad hoc cargo and passenger operations across the UK and Europe. I was excited to bring the variety and unique challenges of flying coastguard, aerial photography, and spray operations, amongst other tasks, to MSFS.” – Mike Standen, Head of Production Low level coastguard sortie near Dover, Kent Aerial Spray exercise near Skegness, Lincolnshire Oil rig survey. North Sea As part of our research and development on the aircraft, we made a couple of visits down to the RVL Group hangar at East Midlands Airport. They have some fantastic facilities that help look after 11 aircraft of varying type, including the Beechcraft B200 King Air, the Beechcraft 260 King Air and of course the F406. Our initial visit was to 3D scan the entire aircraft to ensure appropriate proportions, modelling and visual accuracy, after a successful trip, it was time to take those references to the developers and artists to begin work on the aircraft. 3D Scanning the F406 at RVL Group We came back to visit again after work had been underway to interview the Chief Pilot, Harry Shaw, an experienced & knowledgeable pilot on the type that provided some great insight into the airframe and what it is truly capable of! We asked him a whole bunch of questions, so we hope you can get some invaluable insights into the aircraft from this and learn something new. Using the information gathered from our trip to RVL Group, we have added some really cool features to this platform, allowing you to truly experience the versatility the aircraft has to offer. Whether you're on a coastal patrol or conducting a maritime search operation, the animated gyro-stabilised surveillance camera is a great feature of the surveillance variant. Mounted on a gimbal system, this high-tech piece of kit actively pitches and rolls to maintain a steady downward angle, essential for accurate imaging on the move! The F406 is also more than capable of hauling some decent loads of cargo! With the dynamic cargo loading system, you can see your aircraft fill up with boxes and more for the journey you're about to depart on, make sure it's all tied down! For those of you flying coastguard operations, we've modelled some super useful bits of equipment. The Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) is mounted along the fuselage, which sends radar pulses outwards from the flight path, allowing for detection of boats, oil spills and more. The AIS is a black radar bulb on the underside of the airframe that acts as ADS-B for ships. In real life, the F406 is most often flown single-pilot, our custom autopilot system has been fine-tuned to replicate this operational style. So whether you're cruising high-level between survey sites or flying passenger shuttles, the autopilot will ease your workloads whilst being able to stay true to the aircraft's authentic avionics and other systems. Here's the full aircraft features below! Aircraft Features: ✈️ Multiple aircraft variants with tailored interiors, exteriors, and mission-specific systems Passenger Cargo Camera (Surveillance) Coastguard/Radar Spray (Environmental Response) 🎯 Authentic mission support for MSFS 2024 Career Modes Passenger & VIP Transport Cargo Operations 🖥️ Fully integrated GTN 650 avionics Compatible with Asobo, PMS, and TDS Hot-swappable GTN models for flexible navigation 📱 Modern EFB with Navigraph charts and map support QR/web login, payload control, dynamic loading, and door/window interactivity ⚖️ Dynamic loading systems Passengers and cargo adjust in real time based on sim or EFB payload inputs 🎥 Functional surveillance systems Animated, gyro-stabilised camera Aerial survey mode with GPS line tracking Coastguard SLAR and AIS ship detection systems Interior surveillance ops station with photo capture support 🛫 Custom autopilot system Designed for realistic single-pilot operations with advanced nav support 💡 Detailed lighting system Individually adjustable cockpit lighting with rotatable light stalks 🔌 Accurate electrical system simulation Selected circuit breakers operational 🌟 Exterior realism High-fidelity model based on 3D scans Custom fowler flaps, exhaust effects, propeller blur and accessories Openable panels, caps, and external servicing elements Real-world inspired dynamic lighting and detailed liveries 🎶 Immersive sound suite by Echo 19 Audio Authentic PT6A turbine and McCauley 3-blade propeller sounds Engine start-up ticks, feathering, rpm fluctuations Environmental audio: airflow, electrics, interactions and movement sounds Watch the Interview! You’ll be able to catch the iniBuilds F406 Caravan II in action very soon, as it takes to the skies with some of your favourite streamers and content creators. With the release now on the horizon, we’re beyond excited to bring this incredibly unique and versatile aircraft to your hangars. Stay tuned for more over on our socials, we can’t wait for you to get your hands on it and experience everything the F406 has to offer! iniBuilds Team ❤️ 1 Matt Y.Head of Vendors & Partners | iniBuilds
Recommended Posts