Patch Notes: October 27, 2026

All changes since the October 8 patch notes.

Real Flights

• Real Flights by Intelligent Dispatch: fly a real airline flight happening today, in a Tailstrike aircraft of the same airline and type, parked at the real departure airport. Announcement.
• Real Route: A flight with a verified airline route that flew in real life more than 12 hours ago, or that flies with a different aircraft type.
  • Example: I fly Detroit to Minneapolis in a Delta A350. Real route, but wrong aircraft. Or, I fly the right aircraft type, but it's been more than 12 hours since the real flight took place.
• Real Flight: A real life flight with the same aircraft type departed within the last 12 hours, flying the same route.
  • Example: I fly Dublin to Paris with a Ryanair 737-800. A real world Ryanair 737-800 flew from Dublin to Paris 8 hours ago.
• Real Flight + Tail ("Exact Match"): The real life aircraft (same registration) departed within the last 6 hours, flying the same route.
  • Example: I fly D-ABNK, a Eurowings A320, from Dortmund to Palma de Mallorca. The real world D-ABNK flew from Dortmund to Palma 4 hours ago.
• Every completed flight is checked against real airline flights, for all pilots, including free members using "Just fly". Matches show on the flight page, the aircraft page and in the flight log's Real filter (Real Flight, Real Route, Real Flight + Tail).
• Real Flights page: filter by type, airline, origin, length, ATC online, exact aircraft and "at the gate". Shows the last 7 days, with FlightAware links, and the Real Flights pilots flew this week.
• Dashboard: New suggestions section with "Real Flights", "My aircraft" and "Flight Builder" tabs. Flight Builder adds a Type row, VATSIM event destinations and field weather.
• Changed: Callsigns no longer need to match exactly for a Real Flight or Real Flight + Tail to count. (Occasionally it is not possible to fly with the exact callsign on VATSIM because it is already in use.)
• Changed: Real Flights data refreshes every 10 minutes; dashboard suggestions every 3 minutes.
• Changed: Active pilots on dashboard: Real Flights in the same aircraft as the real one sort to the top.
• Fixed: Flown Real Flights showing as a Real Route only.
• Fixed: Cargo feeders, passenger airline cargo operations (Korean, Alaska, Emirates, etc). and regional / commuter flights are now available on Real Flights, with appropriate callsigns. See the "Fleet, airlines and operators" section below for more information.
• Fixed: "Real flight today" now shows only when the airline is confirmed flying it today; otherwise "Real Route". Real departure times are labelled as the airline's, not yours.
• Fixed: Real Flights listing fake arrival airports for some business jet operators.

Intelligent Dispatch and leasing

• Real arrival gate shown under the destination on Real Flight dispatches; Tailstrike parking spot or real departure gate under the origin.
• Real Flight and Real tail chips to show that the flight match a real world operation on that day.
• New feature: "Anything in mind?" Tell Dispatch what kind of destination you want, like "Italian coast airport, no weather". Rerolls keep your wish.
• Choose your own destination or callsign before creating the Dispatch
• Lease card: change or clear a declared mission.
• Live mission bar: tap a Dispatch to read the full briefing. Also links to the real flight on FlightAware.
• Changed: General aviation aircraft are now more likely get better stories with real world context. This will continue to be tweaked over time.
• Changed: Dispatch now prefers Real Flights for all commercial aircraft, with the real callsign, gates and departure time. Dispatch can also send the aircraft toward where its real-world counterpart is if no Real Flights are available, or if they are outside the pilot's preferred flight duration.
• Changed: Dispatch no longer suggests destinations that you already declined with that aircraft, and other tweaks to destination logic.
• Changed: The lease dialog is one screen: optional destination and callsign, then Intelligent Dispatch or Just fly. After leasing you see "Leased and ready to fly", then the lease page.
• Changed: Free pilots get 5 Intelligent Dispatch credits to try it out. Includes Real Flights.
• Changed: Supporters: Dispatch has a monthly allowance of around 100 calls, with a meter in the request once you've used most of it. After that, Dispatch writes a standard briefing until the 1st.
• Changed: Dispatch passenger loads are more realistic, based on route, time of day, season, and holidays, and destinations more varied.
• Changed: Dispatch briefings: more variety, one-way briefings, the occasional dry joke, and no predictions. General aviation, helicopter and government briefings draw on more real-world detail.
• Changed: Dispatch: baggage belt removed on Real Flights arrival gate.
• Changed: Dispatches on a real flight or the airline's real route use the Real Flights colour.
• Changed: Recent aircraft lists only aircraft you completed a flight in, instead of any aircraft you recently leased.
• Fixed: Dispatch prefers a real flight from where you are over sending you to where the real aircraft is.
• Fixed: The ATC online pill in a dispatch shows for a staffed departure too.
• Fixed: Reserved aircraft no longer appear in available-to-lease lists.
• Fixed: Leases ending right away when MSFS 2024 was still loading.
• Fixed: SimBrief freighter plans getting random passengers and a fraction of the cargo.
• Fixed: Lease dialog missing a close button and overflowing on small screens. Tooltips opening behind it.

Approach ratings

• Approach ratings (Beta): every landing gets an approach rating on its flight page. (Note: all past ratings are automatically recalculated as improvements are made to the system.)
• Approach Lab (Beta): Full approach analysis, including a 3D replay and data visualizer for Supporters. Requires plugin v0.1.32 or later.
• Approach Lab: Publish / Make private on the flight page, and a "Publish approach analyses" default in Settings → Flying (Supporters).
• Flight log: landing icon shows on flights with a full approach analysis.
• An unrated approach says why, on the debrief and the flight page.
• 3D replay: Weather visualization toggle. Replay shows rain, snow, fog and the cloud deck, from the arrival airport's METAR, or from your sim's own weather when there's no METAR.
• 3D replay: Day, dusk and night, set by when you landed (your sim's clock on plugin v0.1.33 or later). At night, the runway and approach lights are on, and the aircraft shows nav lights, strobes, beacons and landing lights.
• Approach debrief: METAR card with the weather at landing.
• Changed: Approach debrief moved below the Departure / Arrival cards.
• Changed: In the 3D replay, Play resumes from the current position, instead of restarting the whole approach.
• Fixed: Approach 3D replay touching down in the air at some airports.
• Fixed: Approach replays showing fog down to the runway under clear skies.
• Fixed: Some GA aircraft getting unfairly low approach ratings.
• Fixed: Approaches left unrated by a split-second pause at touchdown.
• Fixed: METAR card flight category reading forecast groups as current weather.

Fleet, airlines and operators

• Commuter and feeder operator aircraft are now associated with their actual operator, get the correct callsigns in Dispatch, and are now available as Real Flights.
• Added "brands" in addition to airlines, and brands are searchable. For example, a search for "Delta" finds all Delta Air Lines aircraft, as well as Endeavor's CRJ-900s, shown as "Endeavor Air for Delta Air Lines". Conversely, Emirates and Emirates SkyCargo are separate brands, but the same airline.
• All future aircraft added to the network will follow this method.
• 52 new airlines and 103 new aircraft added, each parked where its real-world counterpart was last seen, with their flights available in Real Flights.
  
  FedEx feeder Caravans: Mountain Air Cargo, West Air, Empire, CSA Air, Corporate Air, Martinaire, Baron and Morningstar.
  
  Cargo and lab operators: Ameriflight, Alpine Air, Castle, and the Quest and Labcorp PC-12s.
  
  Commuter and island airlines: Cape Air, Southern Airways Express, Boutique Air, Kenmore Air, Tradewind, Hinterland, Azul Conecta, SANSA, Winair and Divi Divi.
  
  Fractional and charter jets: NetJets, NetJets Europe, Flexjet, Wheels Up, VistaJet, flyExclusive, Jet Linx, PlaneSense, Executive AirShare, Solairus and Jetfly.
  
  Types include the Caravan, PC-12, PC-24, Twin Otter, Islander, Saab 340, Beech 1900, Phenom 300, Citation, Challenger, Gulfstream and Global.
  
• 21 new Boeing 757-200s in 15 liveries: American, United, Delta, Icelandair, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Condor, Jet2, TUI, Utair, and retro Northwest, Eastern, LTU and Thomas Cook.
• Add aircraft credit packs: 4 credits for $15 or 10 for $30, up to 10 pack credits a month. Details.
• Aircraft page: High Fidelity tag added beside the registration of integrated high-fidelity aircraft, and restored the "Lived In" tag for all aircraft with a saved state.
• Changed: Special liveries (retro schemes, cargo divisions) now belong to the airline that flies them. You still get the livery's paint in the sim, and Dispatch briefings mention it.
• Changed: Add aircraft: new description with a Learn more link. Aircraft approved automatically show as added instead of under review.
• Fixed: Passenger airlines operating cargo flights (Korean Air, Alaska, Emirates, etc) now get the correct callsigns in Dispatch, and are now available as Real Flights.
• Fixed: Retro airliners now get the correct callsigns in Dispatch.
• Fixed: Adding aircraft to the network failing on October 21 and 22. Fixed within 2 hours and credits were refunded.
• Fixed: Aircraft cards showing raw text for landing-only pilot ratings.

App

• Added planned vs actual off-block, on-block, block time and fuel used, from your SimBrief plan. On-block shows only when you taxi to a stand and stop.
• Sim time now shows beside real time on the Departure and Arrival cards when they differ by 5 minutes or more. Requires plugin v0.1.34.
• Added the stand you started from and the stand you parked at, compared with where the aircraft was left and the real arrival gate (for Real Flights). A "Where it was left" or "Real gate" pill when they match.
• Real Flight and Exact flight tags in the header.
• Added per-type aircraft icons to every map.
• Hovering an Airport now shows VATSIM ATC online in addition to weather and aircraft
• Live Flight: VATSIM traffic now shows on the live flight map when an aircraft is near their departure or destination and the pilot is flying on VATSIM.
• Pilot Handbook: several new and updated articles.
• Changed: Flight page header redesigned around the route: callsign, airline, type and aircraft on top, then the route and flight time, then pilot, date and VATSIM. The Completed badge is gone.
• Changed: Pilot report moved up under the stats on the flight page, with your notes as a quote and ratings as words. Event, Group and VA flags show only when you ticked them.
• Changed: Map: the parked Tailstrike fleet always shows when zoomed in, as type icons at their stands.
• Changed: Navigation: Updated menu structure, changed "Missions" to "Flights", and a back button beside the logo.
• Changed: Live flight map: changes to brightness and zoom levels at different speeds.
• Changed: Map: "Show all" cycles between off, airports and aircraft. The VATSIM events pill shows on desktop even with the VATSIM layers off.
• Changed: VATSIM listen-in now follows the pilot instead of the frequency, CTAF included, and sits beside the callsign.
• Changed: Mobile: better navbar, notifications tray, aircraft page, profile hero, dashboard tabs, flight page Previous / Next and lease dialog. The dashboard shows Active pilots first, then flight suggestions, then the rest.
• Changed: Registry and aircraft page tours no longer start on their own for new pilots.
• Fixed: Pilot Notes not showing correctly.
• Fixed: Various UI issues with aircraft and flight tags.
• Fixed: Registry filters: the search box in a long filter list (like Type) disappearing as you typed, and the list staying narrowed to your search after you ticked a value.
• Fixed: Horrible, awful, blinding white flash between pages that no one ever mentioned but it was terrible.
• Fixed: Registrations wrapping to two lines in map popups.

Pilots and community

• Weekly digest: likes and comments on each story, and pilots named in a story are notified. Stories link to the flights they describe and show an aircraft photo. Map now only shows flights mentioned in the story.
• Dashboard: Removed active controllers list and added "Top hangars", a list of pilots with the biggest or most active hangars.
• Invite new pilots in order to earn a credit to add aircraft. A personalized invite link can be found under Settings.
• New first-run setup for new pilots: three screens that end on a suggested aircraft you can fly right away, airliner or general aviation.
• Dashboard: a hint above Real Flights for pilots who haven't leased yet.
• Settings → Danger zone: delete your own account. All personal information is deleted, your flights stay as anonymous history, and you get a recovery code sent to your email.
• Supporter mark on the pilot in the live flight card.
• Custom avatars for every pilot, in Settings → Avatar. They show on profiles, the Pilot Directory, Following, Top Hangars and the flight page.
• Flight photos (Supporters): add up to four 4K screenshots to a flight, within 7 days of landing, with captions. Other pilots can like them.
• Pilot Profile gallery with a fullscreen viewer, and a camera icon on flight log rows for flights with photos.
• Set an image as your Pilot Profile banner (Supporters).
• Aircraft photos: offer your uploaded gallery image for an aircraft's profile. Approved photos show on its page.
• Report a photo from its menu or the fullscreen viewer.
• Changed: Deleted accounts show as "Retired pilot".
• Changed: Around the network: hard landings removed. It happens, and you don't need to the whole world to know :)
• Changed: Pilot Directory: Now shows avatars and top aircraft type for each pilot.
• Changed: Profile recent flights has a tidier layout on desktop.
• Changed: Replies to admin message emails go to support@tailstrike.net.
• Changed: Terms of Service and Privacy Policy updated October 26, 2026.
• Fixed: Pilot Directory hours and distance showing incorrect numbers for some pilots.
• Fixed: Broken logo in Tailstrike sign-in emails.
• Fixed: Usernames cut off in active pilots list, the flight log and the hangar. Apologies to loonyknownothing!

Plugin (v0.1.31 to v0.1.34)

• Adds support for approach ratings.
• Draws parked Tailstrike aircraft in MSFS and X-Plane 12. Settings → Traffic has a "Show parked aircraft" switch, a status line and Rescan.
• On X-Plane 12, parked aircraft are drawn by a small Tailstrike X-Plane plugin. The installer includes it, adds it to X-Plane for you and keeps it up to date, so there's nothing extra to install.
• Records your sim's weather and clock for the approach replay.
• Sends your sim's clock with every flight (v0.1.34).
• Changed: Bounced landings report the first touchdown's rate and the peak G. X-Plane landing rate and G are now more accurate.
• Changed: MSFS: Reposition is switched off for now due to an issue that caused aircraft to bug out while taxiing after reposition. Load the flight at the stand yourself, then use Sync State.
• Fixed: FlightFactor 777 on X-Plane: autopilot, flaps, ILS and both baro settings are now saved and restored properly.
• Fixed: X-Plane: baro, transponder mode and autopilot targets are now saved correctly on every aircraft.
• Fixed: The flight-complete card no longer pops up over your sim or knocks it out of fullscreen when you land. If the plugin is in the background or the tray, you get a notification instead, and the card waits until you open the plugin.
• Fixed: Plugin name badge and MSFS 2024 EFB account chip not showing your name.
• Download the latest version.

Cover image: LegendAviator