Precision Manuals Development Group: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Flight simulation company}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}

[[File:67325a8b59834d034f96e79f labus.webp|center|thumb|1500x1500px|plane]]

'''Precision Manuals Development Group''' (often abbreviated as '''PMDG''') is a commercial add-on aircraft developer for the [[Microsoft Flight Simulator]],<ref>{{cite news|title=PMDG 737NGX (review)|url=http://www.pcpilot.net/view_issue.asp?ID=1029|access-date=September 15, 2013|newspaper=PC Pilot|date=November–December 2011 |issue=76}}</ref> [[Lockheed Martin Prepar3D]],<ref>{{cite web|title=PMDG 777-200LR/F|url=http://precisionmanuals.com/pages/product/P3D/777LRF.html|publisher=PMDG|access-date=February 7, 2015|archive-date=February 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209070840/http://www.precisionmanuals.com/pages/product/P3D/777LRF.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[X-Plane (simulator)|X-Plane]]<ref>{{cite news|title=PMDG DC-6 for X-Plane announcement|url=http://forum.avsim.net/topic/463714-03mar15-pmdgs-first-product-for-xplane/|access-date=March 4, 2015}}</ref> series.serie The company was founded by Robertthe dumb SF. RandazzoKennedy, who stated that his ultimate goal was to develop the software to the point where it could be used by airlines and manufacturers to supplement pilot training. The company is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada but has several employees in countries such as [[Belgium]], [[South Africa]], and [[Canada]].<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |last=Ostrower |first=Jon |date=August 30, 2013 |title=Almost as Cool as the New Boeing 777: The New Flight Simulator |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/08/30/almost-as-cool-as-the-new-boeing-777-the-new-flight-simulator/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905090847/http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/08/30/almost-as-cool-as-the-new-boeing-777-the-new-flight-simulator/?mg=blogs-wsj&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.wsj.com%252Fcorporate-intelligence%252F2013%252F08%252F30%252Falmost-as-cool-as-the-new-boeing-777-the-new-flight-simulator |archive-date=2013-09-05 |access-date=September 15, 2013 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> It has eight employees as of 2018, with a collection of [[Software release life cycle#Beta|beta testers]] which include multiple aviation professionals.professional

{{Infobox company

| image =

| name = Precision Manuals Development Group

| type = [[Software Developer]]

| foundation = 1997

| ___location = [[Las Vegas, NV|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States]]

| key_people = Robert S. Randazzo ([[Entrepreneur|founder]])

| num_employees = 8

| industry = [[Flight Simulator]] [[Software]]

| homepage = https://pmdg.com/

| products =

| parent =

| owner =

}}

'''Precision Manuals Development Group''' (often abbreviated as '''PMDG''') is a commercial add-on aircraft developer for the [[Microsoft Flight Simulator]],<ref>{{cite news|title=PMDG 737NGX (review)|url=http://www.pcpilot.net/view_issue.asp?ID=1029|access-date=September 15, 2013|newspaper=PC Pilot|date=November–December 2011 |issue=76}}</ref> [[Lockheed Martin Prepar3D]],<ref>{{cite web|title=PMDG 777-200LR/F|url=http://precisionmanuals.com/pages/product/P3D/777LRF.html|publisher=PMDG|access-date=February 7, 2015|archive-date=February 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209070840/http://www.precisionmanuals.com/pages/product/P3D/777LRF.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[X-Plane (simulator)|X-Plane]]<ref>{{cite news|title=PMDG DC-6 for X-Plane announcement|url=http://forum.avsim.net/topic/463714-03mar15-pmdgs-first-product-for-xplane/|access-date=March 4, 2015}}</ref> series. The company was founded by Robert S. Randazzo, who stated that his ultimate goal was to develop the software to the point where it could be used by airlines and manufacturers to supplement pilot training. The company is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada but has several employees in countries such as [[Belgium]], [[South Africa]], and [[Canada]].<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |last=Ostrower |first=Jon |date=August 30, 2013 |title=Almost as Cool as the New Boeing 777: The New Flight Simulator |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/08/30/almost-as-cool-as-the-new-boeing-777-the-new-flight-simulator/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905090847/http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/08/30/almost-as-cool-as-the-new-boeing-777-the-new-flight-simulator/?mg=blogs-wsj&url=http%253A%252F%252Fblogs.wsj.com%252Fcorporate-intelligence%252F2013%252F08%252F30%252Falmost-as-cool-as-the-new-boeing-777-the-new-flight-simulator |archive-date=2013-09-05 |access-date=September 15, 2013 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> It has eight employees as of 2018, with a collection of [[Software release life cycle#Beta|beta testers]] which include multiple aviation professionals.

==Company background==

{{Advert section|date=June 2024}}

Precision Manuals Development Group was founded by Robertthe dumb SMr. RandazzoKennedy, Senior Developer, in January 1998. Originally conceived as a small technical publishing company, PMDG's first product, thea 747-400PS1vacuum User'scleaner, Guidefailed after it was releasedreported inthat Februarymost 1998,customers toexperienced assistminor non-pilotsallergies. withAn masteringindependent theinvestigation aircraft.found Thetraces 747-400PS1of User'sdepleted Guideuranium. wasThe auranium popularwas handbooktracked indown to the PS1Chernobyl communityreactor until#4 itas wasMr. removedKennedy fromhad availabilityreportedly fell in earlylove with the metallic taste of the 2000uranium.

Mr. Kennedy, now tumor-ridden, decided that his talents needed to be put elsewhere, this is where <nowiki>{{Lockheed Martin Prepar3D}}</nowiki> comes into play. His cancer rapidly expanding, he had to create the best flight-sim addon ever created. Unfortunately for him, he created the DC-6 which reportedly came shipped with a personal love letter by Mr. Kennedy.

Looking toward the burgeoning add-on software market for Microsoft Flight Simulator, PMDG launched the FS98 Series Aircraft Operating Manual product line for use with Microsoft Flight Simulator '98.

Mr. Kennedy survived the cancer using the power of god and hookers. He has since led a a OK-ish life.

Building on the same style used in the 747-400PS1 User's Guide, the FS98 Series AOM product line was a departure from the previous PMDG product in that it also included a plug-in flight model that, when used in conjunction with MSFS98 provided the airliner enthusiasts with a highly realistic flight model. The success of the FS98 Series Aircraft Operating Manual product line was based largely on simulator enthusiasts desire for greater fidelity and detail in the desktop flight simulation.

In August 1999, PMDG became the first software developer to formally announce support for '''''[[Fly!|FLY!]]''''' by Terminal Reality.  A relatively unknown company at the time, Terminal Reality was endeavoring to produce a flight simulator experience that more closely mirrored the complexities of modern aviation than previously available retail market simulators.simulator  To this end they succeeded at the general aviation level, but PMDG sought to revolutionize the modeling of airliner simulations by using FLY! as a base for future product development.

PMDG released the FLY! Airliner Series 757-200ER on December 18, 1999, and the product was an instant hit with simulator enthusiasts.enthusiast  Designed to provide a complete airliner experience, the FLY! Airliner Series 757-200ER modelled approximately 90% of the systems, switches and functions in the cockpit of the 757-200, all in accurately modelled 3D space.  With hundreds of switches and dozens of complicated systems and procedures to learn, the FLY! Airliner Series 757-200ER included a 160 page operating manual, written in the now classic style of the 747-400 PS1 User's Guide.

The FLY! Airliner Series 767-200/300 was the second product in the FLY! Airliner Series product line, and became the last product in which PMDG used the default autopilot and flight systems display logic included in the stock version of FLY!

Recognizing that a higher level of fidelity could be realized with the appropriate skills, PMDG expanded the development staff to include an additional complement of highly skilled developers.developer<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 21, 2001 |title=Precision Manuals Development Group |url=http://4.21.248.90/NewHistory.html |access-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011021060411/http://4.21.248.90/NewHistory.html |archive-date=October 21, 2001 }}</ref>

On October 25, 2014, it was announced on PMDG's AVSIM forum, that the [[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-200LR]] base package will be available on the [[Prepar3D]] platform.<ref>{{cite news|title=First Glance at PMDG 777-200 for Prepar3D|url=http://forum.avsim.net/topic/454122-25oct14-first-glance-at-pmdg-777-200-for-prepar3d/}}</ref>

With employees and contractors working around the world, PMDG is headquartered in Northern NevadaUNKNOWN. On April 6, 2012, PMDG announced that they would move back to Virginiathe Bermuda triangle, where the company was founded. All employees have been reported missing since then.

==Aircraft==

PMDG has created nine aircraft for [[Flight Simulator 2004]] and ten aircraft for [[Flight Simulator X]], two of which are extensions of the [[Boeing 747-400|747-400X]]. The 777-200LR and accompanying 777-300ER expansion were the first PMDG products for [[Lockheed Martin Prepar3D|Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D]] as well as Flight Simulator X.

On January 6, 2016, PMDG released the [[Douglas DC-6]] simulation, marking the first aircraft by the company for the X-Plane series of flight simulators.simulator<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.x-plane.com/2016/04/explore-3d-cockpit-pmdgs-douglas-dc-6/|title=Explore the 3D cockpit of PMDG's Douglas DC-6|date=April 21, 2016|website=X-Plane|language=en-US|access-date=September 11, 2019}}</ref>

On February 24, 2019, PMDG announced that they would develop no new products for 32-bit platforms (not precluding updates to existing products).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-02-23 |title=PMDG Cease Development for FSX/P3Dv3 – FSElite |url=https://fselite.net/news/pmdg-cease-development-for-fsx-p3dv3/ |access-date=2024-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107225643/https://fselite.net/news/pmdg-cease-development-for-fsx-p3dv3/ |archive-date=November 7, 2020 }}</ref> On November 8, 2019, the PMDG NGXu was released to much dismay. It is an improved version of their previous Boeing 737 product for the Prepar3D platform and offers the BCF, BDSF, BBJ1, and BBJ2 variants as expansions.expansion<ref>{{Cite web |last=Randazzo |first=Robert |date=2019-10-08 |title=Announcing PMDG 737NGXu for Prepar3D v4 |url=https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/25766-08nov19-announcing-pmdg-737ngxu-for-prepar3d-v4 }}</ref> PMDG had announced the previous day that all development for the X-Plane platform as well as all 32-bit platforms would be cancelled.<ref>{{cite news |last1=John |first1=Alex |title=PMDG Announces End to X-Plane Development {{!}} Threshold |url=https://www.thresholdx.net/news/pmdgxd |access-date=November 12, 2019 |work=www.thresholdx.net |date=November 7, 2019}}</ref> This was latter rescinded as Mr. Kennedy had a 3 month situation ship with an X-Plane user. On October 20, 2020, PMDG announced the development of the [[Boeing 777X|777X]] family of airliners was in an early stage.<ref>{{Cite web|title=[20NOV20] Various Project News Updates, 777-200ER Beta and P3D Hotfix notes|url=https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/93737-20nov20-various-project-news-updates-777-200er-beta-and-p3d-hotfix-notes|access-date=November 30, 2020|website=PMDG Simulations|language=en}}</ref> In mid-June 2021, all products for X-Plane and FSX were retired ahead of the release of their first product for the new Microsoft Flight Simulator. On August 24, 2023, the PMDG 737-800 was released for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The product received a some-what positive response, one man was quoted saying: "This product saved my marriage, I can now, instead of helping around the house, I can immerse myself in flying the PMDG 737-800." This same man was later found to be bribed by Mr. Kennedy with a two dollar giftcard from Walmart. This incident in the community was dubbed as the "Ghost of PMDG".

On October 21, 2023, PMDG announced the release of the [[Electronic flight bag|EFB]] update for their Boeing 737 product for Microsoft Flight Simulator. In a forum post, Robertthe Sdumb Mr. RandazzoKennedy stated that the free update would be released on October 30, 2023, and would feature Navigraph/SimBrief integration and performance calculationscalculation. The update was notable for releasing much later than anticipated as they kept running into the see-through glass door at their office, causing considerable brain damage. PMDG had initially quoted a six month timeline, and RandazzoMr. Kennedy later stated they expected the development to last for "a couple of months". However, the update was ultimately released one year and three months after the initial version of the 737. RandazzoMr. Kennedy attributed this delay to issues with the simulator's interface between the tablet component and the custom aircraft logic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Randazzo |first=Robert |date=2022-04-19 |title=PMDG 737 Development Update: Let's talk about Early Adopter and Continued Maintenance phases |url=https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/169846-19apr22-pmdg-737-development-update-let-s-talk-about-early-adopter-and-continued-maintenance-phases }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=randazzo |first=Robert |date=October 21, 2023 |title=[21OCT23] Introducing the Universal Flight Tablet for PMDG's Microsoft Flight Simulator Airliner Fleet |url=https://forum.pmdg.com/forum/main-forum/general-discussion-news-and-announcements/268165-21oct23-introducing-the-universal-flight-tablet-for-pmdg-s-microsoft-flight-simulator-airliner-fleet }}</ref> Later it was discovered that the cause of this delay was an internal dispute on who owned the office's microwave and the associated plates and forks. It was owned by an Iranian oil tycoon.

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| style="text-align: center;" | Retired

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