Today I took a look at the A330/200F, a freighter with an unusual landing gear configuration, especially the castle landing gear. The story behind why it was done this way is very interesting.
Posts by DickundDoof
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I've read up on it now, but the purpose of this feature is still dubious to me. I don't think the technical effort justifies the actual savings. Boeing sometimes takes very strange approaches. Why with the 9/10 and not the 8? I don't understand 🤷.
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On the Boeing 787-9 or 787-10, the landing gear doors open immediately after takeoff, even before the pilot retracts the landing gear. Some think it’s a mistake or say that this isn’t possible. In reality, this is a completely normal and intentional function, built into the aircraft systems by Boeing itself. This feature is called early gear door opening, and it is implemented only on the 787-9 and 787-10 models. The idea behind it is that about one second after liftoff when the sensors detect there is no longer any weight on the wheels the system automatically opens the gear bay doors. This happens regardless of whether the pilot has moved the landing gear lever to the UP position or not. At this point, the landing gear remains extended it is not retracted automatically. For the gear to actually retract, the pilot must manually move the gear lever to the UP position. Only then will the landing gear retract into the bays, and the doors, which are already open, will close. If the pilot leaves the lever in the DOWN position, the gear will stay extended, and after about 30 seconds, the doors will simply close again. This system is designed to speed up the gear retraction process and improve takeoff efficiency. While the pilot reaches for the gear lever, the doors are already open and the system is ready to retract the gear immediately, without delay. It also reduces vibration and improves aerodynamics during the initial climb. Such a function does not exist on other aircraft including the Boeing 787-8, 777, 737, or the Airbus A320, A350, and others where the gear doors only open after the pilot commands gear retraction. So, on the 787-9 and 787-10, the automatic opening of the gear doors immediately after takeoff is not a mistake, glitch, or airline specific modification. It’s part of the aircraft’s design and gear logic. It is a fully normal and safe feature
Very informative explanation, but then IPACS would have to change it again. Thanks for the information 👍
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What each of us would like is one story, but what we ultimately get is another story entirely. Hope dies last.
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Hello, in real life the rear doors of the EC135 open so that cargo can easily be loaded. These doors are not operable in the sim currently and I was wondering if this could be added. It will be a simple addition.
I don't think it's simple, but it would be a nice addition. A rope or recovery winch would be too. However, I don't think it will be implemented. There are other priorities.
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Alright, if that’s the case, then why did you add the Concorde You should have added the A300 instead of the Concorde This is disappointing 👎
Because the Concorde was a fantastic aircraft, something completely different from Boeing or Airbus.
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This happens to me on Android sometimes too, but after a few seconds the page still loads.
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But the a330;)
Do you work on a new aircraft right now?
You won't find out until the next blog.
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I've read in several reports that the landing gear doors only open when the lever in the cockpit is activated. I don't know where you got the contrary information from.
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There must be another reason for this. I don't think the flaps normally open without pilot intervention. What would be the point of this? Perhaps there are experts here at Forum. However, there is a video that shows that the flaps close automatically if the landing gear is not retracted after a certain time.Very strange indeed, as I said, perhaps there are real experts here in the forum who have some idea about this.
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Honestly, it's quite interesting how users requesting basic and expected features are suddenly portrayed as if they're asking for too much.
We're not talking about some complex or niche system here — it's the APU sound. Especially on a modern, long-haul aircraft like the Boeing 787, this is something that most would assume to be standard.
The fact that such a fundamental detail is still missing feels a bit contradictory for a platform that prides itself on realism.
Some users might say “it doesn’t matter to me,” but that shouldn’t be used as a reason to dismiss the expectations of others.
There are users who actually care about realism, not just a nice cockpit or good visuals.
And saying “it wasn’t listed as a feature” doesn’t really address the concern — in fact, that’s part of the issue:
Why wasn’t such a basic element part of the feature list in the first place?
If realism is one of the core goals of this simulator, missing details like these deserve a more constructive discussion — not excuses or silence.
Great text, but that's why you still don't have an APU, just like others and I haven't had all our wishes fulfilled. So wait patiently; there's nothing more you can do anyway.👍🖖
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When the 787 was first released, many users complained about the gear doors automatically opening after takeoff, and the ‘bug’ was eventually fixed.
However, in real life, the gear doors on the 787 actually do open automatically once the plane has sensed that the wheels have left the ground, improving efficiency.
Perhaps this feature can be added back?
Is there any evidence or link to this? I read that the landing gear doors only open after the pilots give the command.
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Given all the criticism, I'm surprised IPACS still has any interest in working on this simulator. You can't always satisfy everyone's .But when IPACS raises prices to cover development costs, people start complaining again. There will never be a 100% perfect simulator, not even from the competition.
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You should have included this feature from the beginning. You're responding as if it's a requirement. We're paying for this.
When the B787 was announced, there was no explicit mention of APU, so you didn't pay for the APU. You pay for what IPACS publishes on the blog.
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The Boeing 787 engines do not start with bleed air but electrically and of course you can only hear the APU from the outside. But unfortunately the APU sound doesn't work yet.
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You are the first customer we hear of that is using a mouse with a mobile device. Support for Aerofly FS hasn't been added yet. May we know how you attached the mouse to your device? We might add support for it in the future if demand is higher.
I'm using an Android tablet with a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Only the zoom function isn't working. All other inputs in cockpit mode work fine with the mouse. Zooming is not possible.
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I just noticed that you can easily zoom in on this forum's pages using the computer mouse wheel. Why doesn't this work with the Aerofly Global app open? Is this an Android Problem? I hope you now understand what I'm trying to say.
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It's really a shame that I still haven't received an answer to my question from the developers.
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Would it be because of finger touch spread zooming?
No, I use a computer mouse, and I can't zoom in on the screen. It works in other games, but not in Aerofly.
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Why can't I zoom the map and cockpit view with the mouse on my Android tablet? This only happens with Aerofly not