Few aircraft in aviation history carry the mystique of the 🔗 Hughes XF-11. Conceived during the Second World War as a high-altitude reconnaissance platform for the United States Army Air Forces, it was a machine that embodied the ambition — and the hubris — of its era. Commissioned in 1943 and built under the direction of Howard Hughes himself, the XF-11 was engineered around an extraordinary performance envelope: a service ceiling approaching 44,000 feet, a cruise speed of 300 knots at altitude, and a range exceeding 5,000 miles. It's that legacy that Flying Fries set out to honor when they brought the hjXF-11 to Microsoft Flight Simulator. The add-on has always stood apart for its level of systems depth and interior detail, and with the release of version 3.0.0, that commitment to authenticity has been taken further still.
A Rebuilt Sound Environment
Perhaps the most immediately noticeable change in version 3.0.0 is the complete overhaul of the sound package. The previous audio has been discarded entirely and rebuilt from scratch by sound designer Grégoire Monesma, drawing on real-world recordings of warbird aircraft.
Visual and Modeling Refinements
The 3D model has received meaningful attention across the board. The exterior fuselage features additional geometry for a smoother surface presentation, and a longstanding issue with small flickering parts in the exterior model has been resolved. The virtual crew has also been updated: Howard Hughes himself has received improved facial geometry and a more refined expression, while the navigator character "Gus" has been reworked with better geometry, textures, and shadow handling throughout.
Interior lighting, which had been broken in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 following Sim Update 3, has been corrected. The navigator's table lights now animate correctly when the battery is off, and headphone interaction at the navigator's station has been improved. A small but appreciated quality-of-life fix ensures that cargo items are hidden when the compartment door is closed — the kind of detail that matters in an add-on built around immersion.
Multiplayer Fixes
Two notable multiplayer corrections arrive with this update. Propeller animations, which were previously not rendering on remote aircraft in multiplayer sessions, are now functioning — albeit with a minor persistent simulator-side bug acknowledged by the developer in specific situations within MSFS 2024. Additionally, door animations, canopy jettison, and drop tank jettison sequences will no longer trigger on other players' aircraft; these interactions are now correctly limited to your own aircraft only, which should meaningfully clean up the multiplayer experience.
New Content
Version 3.0.0 also introduces a new livery — "Lady Copper" — bringing the total livery count to thirteen. A new postcard decal has been added to the nose deck alongside an improved texture for the XH-17 technical drawing already present in the cockpit. And for those who enjoy hunting through the XF-11's famously intricate interior, a new easter egg has been hidden aboard: a Rubik's cube, tucked somewhere in the aircraft for you to find.
Context and Value
For those unfamiliar with what the Flying Fries XF-11 offers at its core, it's worth understanding the scope of the product. The aircraft features a complex electrical system with functional circuit breakers, a seven-tank fuel system with ten pumps, variable propeller pitch with feathering and reverse pitch, custom pressurization modeling, interactive exterior static elements, and the ability to physically move through the aircraft — from the pilot's seat to the navigator's station, the nose photographer's position, and even a fully glazed observation dome at the very tip of the nose. Random failures, an era-correct autopilot, a Garmin GNS 530, and compatibility with the PMS50 GTN 750 round out the avionics options. It's a remarkably complete package.
The Hughes XF-11 by Flying Fries is available as a payware title. If you're looking for a deep-dive into one of aviation's most unusual and ill-fated aircraft, version 3.0.0 represents the most complete version of this add-on to date. You can purchase it directly through the đź”— Flightsim.to Store.