Good day, everyone!
For the past six months, our team has been heads-down every single day, refining ChasePlane, ironing out its rough edges, working around platform limitations, and making the experience better for the thousands of simmers who rely on it. Today, that work takes a major leap forward.
We're releasing the first experimental build of ChasePlane for MSFS 2024 with Sim Update 5 Beta support.
Asobo's Camera API ❤️
Shortly after we shipped ChasePlane for MSFS 2024, Asobo announced a brand-new Camera API arriving with Sim Update 5. This is clearly the first step in a larger, multi-phase effort from the Asobo team, and we couldn't be more excited about what it means for the future.
With the right tools finally in our hands, the path to delivering the full ChasePlane experience is clearer than ever.
That said, a new API means a lot of rewiring under the hood. We've spent the last month doing exactly that: migrating ChasePlane's internals to take advantage of the new system wherever possible. Today's build partially adopts the new Camera API, specifically in areas where our legacy code could no longer function and where the API was ready to be integrated.
What to Expect
This transition brings one minor but noticeable change: the copilot avatar no longer fades out when the camera moves close to or inside the model, as it did before. For now, we recommend adjusting your copilot view slightly forward to avoid any clipping or removing the copilot in the settings. We've already reported this to Asobo's devsupport and are confident it will be addressed in a later SU5 Beta build or in early SU6 Betas. It's important to know that MSFS 2024 Betas are released without prior notice, so it's possible that ChasePlane will break in future beta releases.
The Road to VR
Here's the news many of you have been waiting for. While this build does not yet include VR support, the arrival of the new Camera API opens a clear and viable path toward it. We aren't making timeline promises, but we will begin VR work as soon as Sim Update 5 exits beta.
Career Mode: Unlocked
One more thing. Asobo has made a change we've been hoping for since day one: ChasePlane and other toolbar add-ons now work in Career Mode. This was a long-standing limitation, and it's finally behind us.
How to update
Simply download the latest ChasePlane Manager from your Parallel 42 Store account.
Known Limitations
Make sure to review the updated Known Limitations on our wiki.
A thank you!
We're incredibly grateful for the community's patience and support as we continue to push ChasePlane forward. As always, this experimental build is just the beginning. Stay tuned for what's next.
